Starting Cultivation in Wasteland

Chapter 982 - 848: Clues and Traces

The timely departure of Granny Jia and her group gave Qu Jianlei and his two companions a sigh of relief, mixed with a bit of amusement.They had hurried all the way, even sacrificing the chance to retaliate against the Flying Falcon, only to find their efforts were in vain.

But after all, it’s better to be busy for nothing than to end up in trouble, wasn’t this the ultimate goal of their anxious return?

Upon hearing the news, Flower Scorpion also remarked with emotion, "Old Ben... and the old lady, as expected, they’re truly sharp."

"And Mountain Fortress," Qu Jianlei added another name, "but we can’t rely on being lucky every time."

Paranoid had a slightly different perspective, "If you don’t know how to protect yourself and always rely on others, are such teammates suitable?"

This guy really spoke with cold blood, yet in the Imperial society, having such a viewpoint wasn’t rare.

He merely dared to say it out loud, which counted as being forthright.

Qu Jianlei was too lazy to argue with him, "Alright, let’s head to the Transfer Star, hopefully they haven’t run off again."

Currently, the Omen Ship was on the outskirts of the Celestial Blade Star, and hadn’t applied to land yet.

Under these circumstances, the Starship could leave directly; this area was a waiting zone where some starships replenished supplies before departing.

However, the Omen Ship had just started when another warship blocked its way.

It was a small ship, calling directly through the public channel, "Stop the ship and accept inspection."

And so, Qu Jianlei underwent a second inspection.

He thought perhaps the other party might be related to the previous inspection staff, but the inspection was over quickly and seemed more like a formality.

Leading the team was a C-level Wood Attribute, who faced the A-level Flower Scorpion and B-level Qu Jianlei quite calmly.

After the inspection, he asked expressionlessly, "Why do you plan to leave as soon as you’ve arrived?"

Why do you care about this? Qu Jianlei felt slightly annoyed, but since Flower Scorpion was the "top combat power," he had to answer.

"Originally wanted to seek some opportunities, but found the atmosphere a bit tense; we don’t like being restricted."

"Tense?" The C-level Warrior frowned slightly, "Explain a bit more."

Indeed, the atmosphere on Celestial Blade was somewhat tense, but the military adopted a loose-outer and tight-inner approach. How could ordinary people perceive this?

Qu Jianlei rolled his eyes helplessly, "With the military involved in inspections, do you even need an explanation?"

The C-level Warrior paused for a moment, then bluntly stated, "Since you understand, I won’t say more. This merchant ship is requisitioned."

Upon hearing this, Qu Jianlei furrowed his brow, "Please look more closely, we are a Starship registered in the Hope Star Realm."

Requisitioning materials from the Outer Star Realm isn’t impossible, but usually, the military prioritizes requisitioning materials from the star realms closer to home.

After all, crossing star realms might lead to higher-level disputes, and no one generally wants to invite such trouble.

Especially since this Starship has a Hope Star Realm inspection-free pass, its background won’t be simple.

Nevertheless, the C-level Warrior remained unmoved and indifferently replied, "The Hope Star Realm is also within the Empire’s territory."

Qu Jianlei coughed lightly, "Haven’t you noticed that the armor on this Starship is quite thick?"

"That’s exactly what I noticed," the C-level Warrior answered without hesitation, "which is why we’re requisitioning it."

His attention to this Starship was not merely because the other party came for a short time and intended to leave, which was at best an excuse.

After roughly inspecting it, he was very satisfied with the condition of the Starship—though unfortunately, it was lacking a bit in the crew department.

However, this wasn’t a problem; a requisitioned Starship might not necessarily encounter combat.

In case of war, the military could easily dispatch personnel onto the ship, and in urgency, could even take control of the entire Starship.

Qu Jianlei heard this and furrowed his brow again: a mere C-level could decide which Starship to requisition, who granted you that authority?

"Aren’t you curious why the armor is so thick?"

The C-level Warrior didn’t want to waste words, but the question still prompted him to ask, "Why?"

Qu Jianlei spread his hands casually and answered, "This is an Omen Ship, you can check the records on it."

The C-level was taken aback by the words, then lowly cursed, "Damn."

No one cared more about good luck than soldiers; theirs was a group where even exercises had fatal indicators.

Then he instructed his people, "Go check this Starship immediately, I’ll wait here!"

He didn’t say anything else, but it was clear he wanted the other party to understand the cost of lying.

For soldiers, even hearing news about an "Omen Ship" was considered unlucky.

Qu Jianlei routinely drooped his eyelids, entirely too lazy to look at the other party.

The military acted swiftly; shortly after, someone came back and whispered a few words to the C-level Warrior.

The C-level listened, hesitated then looked at Qu Jianlei again, his gaze peculiarly complex.

Then he said nothing more and quickly turned to walk out the cabin door, briskly, as if he didn’t want to stay a moment longer.

After the cabin door closed, Paranoid mumbled, "This Omen Ship... seems to have advantages too."

In the next moment, the Starship accelerated and soon disappeared into the boundless space.

They reached the Transfer Star five days later.

Before landing, Qu Jianlei habitually had Little Lake do a scan, and then received some very unexpected news.

The Big Head Butterfly discovered a remaining Pioneer Terminal, with a message on it: They plan to go through Elf House to Celestial Handle.

Evidently, they’ve chosen to escape by private starship. Though it’s a bit pricier, Qu Jianlei had left quite a bit of money.

"Can they really run this much?" Qu Jianlei frowned slightly. It’s good his comrades are vigilant, but the pursuit is quite exhausting.

Even the Paranoid couldn’t help but complain, "This sense of crisis... It’s really strong. But how can we connect once they reach Celestial Handle?"

The old lady and her group only had two Pioneer terminals, which had data fragments stationed by Little Lake.

The Flower Scorpion pondered for a moment and spoke, "They might still occasionally use a wristwatch."

This is a feasible possibility, but it’s just a last resort, and not very reliable.

Qu Jianlei thought for a bit before speaking pensively, "How about... we land first?"

The Flower Scorpion heard this, exchanged glances with the Paranoid, and thought this decision seemed a bit inappropriate.

Landing requires applying and facing inspection, which presents a chance for problems.

The most crucial point is that the people have already left; landing now would be redundant. It would be a waste of time.

However, the Flower Scorpion had gotten used to Qu Jianlei taking charge, so even with doubts, he didn’t voice them.

It was the Paranoid who suggested, "They might keep running, best to head for Celestial Handle as soon as possible."

Qu Jianlei pondered and spoke, "I have some suspicions, let’s go down and see."

The starship landed following the regular procedure, fortunately only going through one inspection, with no incidents occurring.

After disembarking from the starship, everyone could feel that inspections on the Transfer Star had become more stringent than before.

But thankfully, as one of the economic engines of the Celestial Hook Star Realm, it wasn’t as strict as Celestial Blade.

At least there were still taxis that didn’t require identification.

Qu Jianlei rented a vehicle, "Let’s first check out that area, I estimate... it’s under heavy surveillance too."

The last time he completed the house procedures, he had shown a military pass, which reduced a lot of trouble.

However, with Balrog’s actions, not only did the pass become void, related industries were also implicated.

Thinking of the heavily damaged starship, at this moment he yearned to revive Balrog to tear him apart once more.

The Paranoid dismissively curled his lip, thinking was it necessary to even take a look?

After all, it was just a refuge spot, purchased cheaply, what’s there to be reluctant about?

Alright, there were also some supplies there, worth a few tens of millions or so.

Nonetheless, as a top figure among the Awakened, it’s unnecessary to be overly concerned with such trivialities; it’s better to have a grander outlook.

Just then, Big Head Butterfly whirled in Qu Jianlei’s mind, "The Pioneer Terminal moved!"

Just as I suspected, Qu Jianlei’s lips curved into a slight smile, "Forget it, let’s find them first."

The Flower Scorpion glanced at him suspiciously, "They haven’t left yet?"

"No," Qu Jianlei replied blandly, "In fact, coming from Celestial Blade to Transfer Star, their speed must be slower than ours..."

No doubt about that, the old lady’s group rode ordinary starships, not too fast.

Qu Jianlei’s trio traveled full speed on an armed merchant ship, going a bit faster was normal.

However, that’s not the focus; the key is that the old lady’s group chose Elf House, where starship services aren’t frequent.

What’s particularly important is that this is a highly secretive route, mainly serving top-tier customers.

Jianlei was always very discreet when using this method in the past.

After buying a ticket, he would wait quite a while before boarding to prevent being noticed.

With the life experiences of the old lady and Fourth Master, and the old crew, they wouldn’t overlook this point.

In the brief three or four days they spent on the Transfer Star, it was normal to get a ticket, but that time frame wasn’t enough to avoid suspicion.

Of course, this was just his speculation, so he didn’t explain it to the Paranoid and Flower Scorpion.

Now, with facts proving him right, he shared a bit of his analysis.

The Paranoid curled his lip upon hearing, "I say, doesn’t pondering these things all day tire you out?"

He wasn’t oblivious to these considerations, the key was he felt... it’s unnecessary to live so tensely.

Qu Jianlei rolled his eyes at his words, "By your logic, we should leave and head to Celestial Handle Star to wait for them slowly?"

As they chatted casually, they drove to the location of the Pioneer.

Arriving there, the trio was surprised to find a storefront by the street, with workers dismantling its old decor.

Transfer Star typically doesn’t have street fronts, but larger settlements occasionally have some shops doing external business.

Claire and Bentley stood by the door, directing a few renovation workers.

The Flower Scorpion watched from the vehicle in amazement, "Are they planning to start a business here?"

"Unlikely," the Paranoid, though reluctant to speak, felt compelled.

"I guess it’s a facade; halfway through, they’ll probably abandon it."