Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 164 - 84: The Spoils of Plunder

Chapter 164: Chapter 84: The Spoils of Plunder

"The people on this planet are very weak; without our help, they can’t even kill a chicken,"

In the palace corridor, two company guards walked side by side, with the older brother leading the way and imparting his knowledge about the planet to the newbie assigned here for the first time.

Their mission was to head to the Imperial Dining Room to assist the planet’s useless chefs with preparing the ingredients.

This wasn’t originally a task for the company’s security department, but because the people on this planet were so frail that they had to call upon them even for something as trivial as killing chickens.

"However, I heard that the people on this planet all possess some strange abilities and that they once waged a war against the company..."

The young guard was clearly new to the job, appearing a bit constrained. During his studies at the security school, a dedicated page in the textbook was written about Blue Star—every civilization that dared to wage war against the company would have its own page in the book, a look of condescension from the victors to the vanquished, also facilitating every security personnel to properly manage their respective territories’ public order.

The young guard was deeply impressed by the Strange Gates and Devious Techniques written in the book, "The general leading the war in the book wielded a sword."

Countering the company’s steel torrent with Flying Swords was bizarre yet stirring.

As a quiet, unnoticed fringe figure in school, the young guard was very fond of the textbook’s descriptions of each civilization, outlining different civilizations’ development trajectories and making him feel as if he were traversing the universe, embarking on an interstellar journey.

This trip to the Imperial Court was something he had applied for especially, and he had covered for a senior colleague’s field duty for an entire month to get this position.

The young guard had a goal for this trip.

He wanted to witness with his own eyes the Strange Gates and Devious Techniques written about in the book, and those who could fight using Flying Swords.

"That’s all in the past,"

The older brother doused him with cold water, laughing, "That was a long time ago, and when the company took it seriously for a moment, the people of this planet were defeated as easily as breaking dead branches."

In a showing of their mercy, the heavens did not put the defeated general to death; instead, he was given an opportunity to gather the remnants of his forces under their governance, establishing the Imperial Court, and fostering him as the ruler of this planet.

It is said that a few hundred years ago, this general could only spend his days in the life support device provided by the company to sustain his life.

"The Sword Control Technique you mentioned, I’ve seen it too,"

"Really? Is it powerful? Can it take someone’s life from a hundred paces away?"

"I’ve already told you, the people on this planet are all very weak, and the textbooks are full of exaggerations. Even if the Prime Monarch himself were to come, I’m afraid he’d only be slightly better than that chicken in the Imperial Dining Room."

As for the Second Prince, Ying Xin, rumored to have the youthful air of the Prime Monarch, I’ve seen him too. He has no real skill, just an utter showpiece. If he were placed on one of those "mutated" planets’ battlefields, he wouldn’t survive a day.

The fact that people of the Imperial Court praise such a person likely means that they too are characters that can’t stand out.

The weak being dominated by the strong is an inherent rule in this universe.

He cautioned the young guard, "Don’t indulge in wild fantasies, and remember, the strongest in this universe are the ’Long Branch’, each one a veteran of countless wars, with military exploits that resound across Universe. If you need a goal, strive to become a member of the ’Long Branch’."

Unnoticed, the two men had crossed the corridor and arrived at the door of the Imperial Dining Room.

The fragrance wafting from the meals was tantalizing, and the older brother laughed, "If there’s anything on this planet worth mentioning, it’s that the chefs here aren’t half-bad."

The company’s logistics department also recruits some chefs from Blue Star every year; one-third of the flagship cafeteria’s chefs are Blue Star people.

This is quite fitting for their profession.

If the weak can’t be on the battlefield, they should dutifully provide logistical support.

However, when the older guard stepped inside, the scene in the Imperial Dining Room was vastly different from what he’d imagined. The chefs worked efficiently, and the large bodies of the Bai Yu chickens had long been divided into dozens of portions, some in steaming baskets, others in frying pans, and soon after, the two men’s gaze was drawn to a lithe figure moving through the Imperial Dining Room.

It was a Fox Lady, her face brimming with a smile that, if stared at too long, made the world seem brighter.

"This is a crucial area of the kitchen, and no irrelevant people are allowed inside."

The Head of the Imperial Dining Room saw the two men and began to speak.

"We were ordered to handle the food supplies."

"I appreciate the effort, but the food has already been prepared. Please leave."

With neither servility nor arrogance, the Head stood before the two men, discerning their identities as company guards, and he noticed the way their eyes lingered on Jiuyue.

If you’ve spent long enough in the Imperial Court, you would never harbour any affection towards the Extraterrestrials.

"Understood."

The older guard left the Imperial Dining Room, but once the door was closed, an unmistakable smile spread across his face.

It really had been worth visiting the dining room. He hadn’t expected that after so much time away, there would be such a charming and lovely little Fox Lady here.

He glanced at the young guard, whose face plainly betrayed his thoughts.

Just staring at the already closed door, he still looked utterly lost in his daydreams.

He knew what the other was thinking, because when he saw the graceful figure moving through the kitchen, he too couldn’t help but want to take her back to the flagship, to claim her for himself.

"This is your first time at the Imperial Court, let me give you some advice, junior."

The older guard said, "When you see something you like here, just take it."

"But according to company policy..."

"I think reading has made you stupid; company rules are just like the ’Peaceful Diplomatic Treaty’, nothing but a charade. Do you really think the director Qing Hua came to the Imperial Court just to witness the change of the Prime Monarch’s throne?"

Only a fool would think that.

The company is the true decision-maker.

They might not have the rank to determine the fate of an entire planet, but if they wanted to take something from this planet, they had enough authority to do it.

This was clearly not the older guard’s first time orchestrating such a scheme. "Whatever you’ve taken a fancy to here, or even someone, as long as you aren’t caught red-handed, no one can pin anything on you afterward. Besides, the people in the palace are all too eager to come aboard our flagship. What we need to do is act fast. If other department heads see this little kitchen maid, we’ll have to painfully let go. You just wait outside this Imperial Dining Room. As soon as she comes out, notify me immediately, and then I will... What is that look for?"

The older guard noticed the young one’s change in expression. The latter had come to his senses at some point and had turned around with his eyes wide, staring down the corridor.

This displeased the elder.

He was in the midst of devising a very important plan.

Yet the young guard ignored him, raising his hand instead, opening his mouth several times but unable to utter a complete sentence.

"Li, Li—"

"What about Li?"

The older guard followed the direction of his pointing hand impatiently and suddenly stood still, just like the young guard.

"Li De!"

One of the top wanted criminals in the Star Zone, with a staggering bounty of 72 million on his head.

But wasn’t this notorious fugitive supposed to be dead?

Why was he here?

Li De seemed to have deliberately stayed there waiting for them, and after making eye contact, he slowly walked into the shadows.