SEC Chapter 913 - 781: Draw Cards
Chapter 913 - 781: Draw Cards
Qu Jianlei truly doesn’t want to expand anymore; the star body of the abandoned mine is only so big and isn’t suitable for constructing a large stone chamber.Coming here is relatively inconvenient, not to mention that people occasionally pass by, and one could easily be discovered.
After listening to his statement, everyone discussed briefly and suggested not to hold this place in too high regard.
The current stone chamber is barely usable, so there’s no need to expand further.
After finishing this topic, Claire proactively brought up the encounter on the way, "...Boss, a lot of people are looking for you."
Qu Jianlei was somewhat surprised and after questioning thoroughly, he shook his head, "I didn’t run into anyone on my way back."
"How could you run into them?" Xiang Xue looked at him with amusement, "You were piloting a warship, who would dare to buy you off?"
"That has nothing to do with it," Qu Jianlei thoughtfully shook his head, since when can’t people from the military be bought off?
But so many people concerned about the position of 8384 indicates that his previous efforts and management were recognized.
Finally, he explained, "I stayed invisible during my entire journey back."
Understood! Everyone remained silent; even though customs enforcement warship is a stripped-down version of a military ship, it still retains considerable stealth capabilities.
However, Qu Jianlei spoke again, "To buy our neutrality, how much is each willing to offer?"
Earning money isn’t embarrassing; since others recognized he was eligible to earn this money, why shouldn’t he?
Ultimately, this status was fought and earned, even portraying multiple roles, without any padding.
If someone isn’t willing to spend money, they should consider the potential costs.
Bentley was stunned for a moment and shook his head, "Didn’t ask, didn’t dare make decisions for you."
How did a perfectly good person become so mercenary? This somewhat exceeded his expectations.
Qu Jianlei wasn’t surprised, nodding casually in response.
"Then when this starship refit is done, we’ll stop by the Lanyun Market on the way back."
After spending another twenty days, the starship modification was almost complete, though a weapon system is still missing.
Without this system, it can still be sold, just with weaker firepower, unable to fetch the best price.
This time when leaving, everyone is still aboard 8384, but Qu Jianlei also brought out 3344.
Actually, his most powerful starship in terms of combat power is the imitation military warship, even with strong computational ability.
However, 8384’s ability to mislead and agitate hostility is too strong, inadvertently becoming the main player.
Up till now, 8384 has made quite a reputation, even becoming the symbolic starship of the "Rhodiola rosea team."
How can such a twist of fate be reasoned with? It can only be said that plans can’t keep up with changes.
However, bringing 3344 along this time is a certainty. Qu Jianlei couldn’t forget the embarrassment faced earlier at Celestial Sharp.
Having three starships at hand at critical moments, it was difficult to find even one for support!
This kind of situation is absolutely unacceptable to happen a second time!
If the imitation military warship had been there at the time, the military warships would have been the ones jumping around, not him personally.
This time carrying 3344, even if it won’t necessarily be used, it’s just a precaution.
Anyway, the imitation military ship’s stealth capability is excellent, with a low probability of being discovered.
In other words, if discovered, so what? At worst, they won’t need this starship.
To say it, this starship’s value is at least several billion, especially with powerful firepower; losing it would be truly painful.
But just because it is valued at several billion doesn’t mean it can be sold for that; selling it and smoothly getting paid is also challenging.
If one doesn’t meet the right person, selling it over ten or twenty years is normal—just look at the weapon system Qu Jianlei bought for reference.
So, these billions are only reflected as book value, and considering the imitation warship design, turning it into cash is not easy.
Moreover, this warship was originally snatched from the star thieves, and at most, only some refit costs were spent.
With this in mind, he feels losing a warship isn’t too bad—so long as alive, one can snatch again!
As for the starship wandering in space awaiting, it also requires considerable consumption... this is even less of an issue.
You know, Qu Jianlei always buys top-tier insurance on Blue Star.
It’s not about wanting huge compensation; compared to his life’s importance, the top-tier insurance cost is nothing.
It’s purely about thinking the insurance company might care more after paying the top-tier insurance fee—it’s better than nothing.
After nearly a year, the dilapidated 8384 reappeared at the Lanyun Market.
By this time, almost everyone knew this starship, except perhaps some newcomers who were oblivious.
But in this place, newcomers have no say.
The right approach is to honestly mingle with veterans; otherwise, if you provoke someone you shouldn’t, you won’t even know how you died.
Connecting from the starship was Claire, designated by Qu Jianlei long ago.
This time, the 8384 didn’t open online trading; all purchases and sales were purely through Claire, the little girl.
In the span of two days, she completed over a dozen transactions, including another weapon system, which could be delivered in two days.
In these transactions, there are times when Claire profits and times when she loses, but overall, the losses and gains are within a reasonable range.
Anyway, since the discrepancies aren’t significant, Qu Jianlei doesn’t bother to intervene.
Growth always requires paying a price, and if some money can bring about a person’s growth, it’s quite worth it.
On the third day, someone finally approached Claire.
There were five people who came, including two A-levels, claiming to be from the Titan Group, wanting to meet someone in charge aboard 8384.
Claire, however, stated, "You can talk to me. There’s no need to meet anyone else."
The A-level leader on the opposite side was a bit displeased upon hearing this: "Letting a C-level handle this, are you underestimating us?"
Claire unhurriedly countered, "Beneath the Supreme, all are ants. Do you think the gap between us is that significant?"
The A-level immediately lost his temper; the other’s words were somewhat unreasonable—does your family’s A-level and C-level differ?
But... the Titan Group truly hadn’t sent a Supreme, and this fact was indeed seized upon by the other side.
The Titan Group’s people could only ask, "Has your Supreme really arrived?"
Claire answered, "You don’t need to worry about whether our Supreme is here. If you’re interested in talking, then let’s talk. If not, we won’t insist."
After all, it’s the other party who needs us—isn’t there a certain attitude required when asking for help?
The A-level across from Claire was helpless and had to negotiate with her: "How much would it cost to hire your team to help in combat?"
Qu Jianlei had already discussed this matter with everyone and had an answer ready.
Claire stated the agreed result: "We haven’t decided whether to get involved in this battle."
The opposite party was a bit confused upon hearing this, thinking, "You haven’t decided to get involved, so why come to Lanyun Market?"
Claire noticed their surprise and casually retorted, "Inviting us to join the battle—can the Supreme be bought with money?"
The Supreme... actually can be bought; the Titan Group knows this very well, as the Iron Shavings Star Body once avoided disaster this way.
However, the other’s point was also correct; usually, using money to sway the Supreme is an insult—are you assuming they’ve never seen money?
So they asked, "In that case, what should we do to be chosen by you when you decide to get involved?"
"We are currently not considering taking sides," Claire calmly stated, "However, we do not rule out selectively accepting some business."
"Selectively accepting business..." The Titan A-level’s expression changed instantly upon hearing this.
As someone navigating through the Asteroid Belt, they clearly understood what this meant—the other side might take the mercenary’s path.
However, in the Imperial realm, battlefield mercenaries are not quite the same as typical mercenaries.
Especially powerful mercenary teams can disregard factions and even switch between them at will.
Indeed, during war, it is not uncommon for parties to shift allegiances, fighting for both sides.
Isn’t this breaking promises? Not really, as many mercenaries work on a per-task basis, not an hourly basis.
For example, conquering a difficult mountain or destroying a starship with immense combat power.
Once a task is completed, payment is settled immediately, and subsequently, it doesn’t matter what the mercenaries continue to do.
Under this model, mercenaries can finish one client’s commission and then turn around and take up another commission from a different client.
Of course, theoretically, it’s allowable to operate like this, but practically, there are numerous thresholds.
However, the people from Titan understood, "Selectively accepting business" could actually mean "targeted business selection"!
An A-level pondered for a moment, then asked, "So, you could either specifically act against us or not?"
Claire, having a girl’s mindset, couldn’t help but let out a chuckle upon hearing this.
But immediately after, she regained composure and sincerely replied.
"I never said anything like that, just that I can’t fathom the Supreme Master’s thoughts... At least there hasn’t been any decision made yet."
The A-level’s mouth twitched, irritably asking, "Can I interpret this as a threat from you?"
"Not at all," Claire shook her head, "May I boldly ask, do you think Titan... is worth threatening explicitly?"
The words were somewhat harsh, but thinking it over, the Rhodiola rosea team really did have the right to speak that way.
They had effortlessly taken on Customs Enforcement Warships, so looking down on the Titan Group... wasn’t unreasonable, was it?
This A-level was stunned upon hearing this, suddenly feeling a tightness in the chest, yet found no reason to get upset.
The key point being that considering the possible presence of the Supreme on the other side, they also felt a bit apprehensive.
In the end, negotiations are about mutual understanding of limits, while various tactics can be employed, resorting to physicality isn’t appropriate.
At a loss, another A-level from the Titan Group spoke up.
This individual had been coldly observing, seemingly like a bodyguard, but unexpectedly, they got straight to the heart of the matter.
"What should we do to gain some degree of assistance from your side?"
Claire blinked her eyes twice, a slight smile appearing at the corners of her mouth, "Have you ever played card-drawing games?" (Mistakenly spelled as Huahua.)
"Yes, like the ones you played in childhood, with Shield Cards, Friend Cards, Shelter Cards... and Revenge Cards!"
(Updating to summon monthly tickets, subscriptions, and recommendation votes.)