Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!
Chapter 898 - 898: 633 peers

Even black miners have money and a future ahead of them.

At least, that's how it appears on the surface.

Without Xu Nuo's promise of a bright future, living or dying would be no different for these people—how else would they obediently stay here doing things no one else could?

Though many know deep down, such promises are nothing more than empty words.

The authenticity of those few cases of escape is highly questionable too.

Yet, this fragile glimmer of hope is the only belief held by all of the black miners captured and brought here.

However, some individuals who clearly see the reality still steadfastly follow orders.

After the batch of players who'd lost hope stirred up trouble and resurrected elsewhere, the painter stuck to his original duties, waiting here for the arrival of "Imperial Forces."

What if he left, and the Imperial Forces arrived but didn't know who made such a huge sacrifice for them? What then?

He couldn't leave!

And so, after another ordinary workday, the painter saw a group of unlucky fresh captives who'd likely be his colleagues for the foreseeable future.

Among these new colleagues, the painter noticed two bizarre individuals whose minds didn't seem quite right.

"I told you I'm not your leader!"

"If you're not my leader, then who is?"

"Whoever your leader is, it can't be me."

"I know! You're hiding your identity."

The small and wiry guy rolled his eyes, his face full of exasperation. "If I were your leader, my identity would've been exposed by now thanks to you…"

"It's fine!" Lang swept his hand across the surroundings. "Everyone here is just unfortunate—everyone's thinking about escaping from those pirates' clutches! If you've got any plans, Boss, just lay them out!"

"Who are you calling 'unfortunate?'" The painter listened from the side, already annoyed, his expression defiant. "I came here on purpose!"

I'm the Vanguard sent by the Imperial Forces to explore the galaxy. You think I can casually share this with you guys?

Lang puffed out his chest with equal pride. "I came here on purpose too!"

You think I can talk about the time my leader and I ruthlessly took down Peak Alliance at Freeport?

Though I don't know why Boss switched identities and boarded this pirate ship, everything Boss says is definitely right!

The small guy pursed his lips in surprise and reluctantly echoed, "Me too…"

"So you must be my leader!" Having gathered crucial evidence, Lang declared confidently, "Boss, I know it's you. Stop hiding."

"I'm your *****!"

The small guy almost jumped up, wishing he could punch Lang in the forehead.

After swearing twice, his whole demeanor radiated an unapproachable vibe. "Anyway, just don't interfere with my actions if you don't want trouble!"

"Boss, do you have plans you can't even share with me?" Lang looked aggrieved, on the verge of tears. "We're supposed to be the best team ever!"

"I've said a million times: I'm not your freaking leader!" The small guy ground his teeth and hesitated for a long moment before grudgingly saying, "Your leader wouldn't be this short, would they?"

"Changing your physical form is just a trivial matter for someone like you, Boss, isn't it?"

"Changing physical form isn't trivial at all, damn it!" The small guy stomped in frustration.

Changing appearances is common enough, but fully altering body shape? That'd require some one-time surgical transformation or something!

"You're seriously not my leader?" Lang stared suspiciously at the small guy, who was a whole head and a half shorter than him, unable to believe it.

"I told you I'm not your leader!"

"Then why are you pretending to be my leader?" Lang flipped his eyes in disdain, his expression unimpressed.

"Pfft!"

"But you clearly said you came here on purpose just now?"

"Of course!" The small guy's eyes turned icy cold as he stared toward the direction of the space pirates, separated by walls of steel and frigid seawater. "Those pirates have harmed so many people over time—they've long deserved their reckoning. I am their reckoning!"

Knowing he couldn't shake off this clueless tagalong by lying, the small guy hissed dangerously, "If you don't want to be stuck here forever, then pretend you know nothing. Once I've killed off all these pirates, you can go free. Got it?"

"What freedom or lack of it?" Lang pouted. "I'm here on a secret mission with my leader."

"Exactly." The painter crossed his arms, proud. "I'm here to guide the Imperial Forces."

"Pirates must die!"

"Pirates must die!"

"But if you're in a hurry, my leader isn't opposed to giving you the chance first."

Lang knows everything. He just can't accept the fact that his leader might've abandoned him.

His quest to find the leader is merely a lie.

Using the excuse of looking for his old leader to recruit a new one is merely his scheme.

After all, without a new leader, he might really be doomed to spend the rest of his life mining in this black pit.

"True… Imperial Forces probably wouldn't bother with such a small place anyhow, so I don't mind letting you have the honor of eliminating them."

The painter knew deep down that if the Imperial Forces hadn't arrived by now, they were either ambushed en route or deviated from the destination entirely…

After such a long delay, they most likely weren't coming.

Lingering here wasn't a solution either. He didn't want to waste his hard-earned strength by committing suicide to respawn elsewhere, especially since he hadn't saved enough money to clone his avatar in the game.

If he didn't find a strong companion to carry him in-game, would he—a dyed-in-the-wool Star Sea vagabond—really have to slowly grind levels in this black mining pit?

The small guy: "…"

He wasn't sure whether any of what they said was true or false, but their intense sense of conviction somehow demanded belief...

"Since our goal is to destroy the pirates, we're allies standing on the same battlefront!" Lang enthusiastically slapped the small guy's shoulder. "Brother, if there's anything we can do to help, just say the word!"

The small guy hesitated, looking conflicted. "Can I really trust you guys?"

"You can always trust Lang!"

"You can always trust the painter!"

"Alright." The small guy reluctantly uttered the word, then resolutely declared, "I need a Mecha!"

"Where's a Mecha in a place like this?" The painter asked blankly.

"There is one!" The small guy nodded decisively. "Their mining machines are essentially deep-sea combat Mechas—they just need a bit of tweaking to restore their fighting capacity. As long as you find me some replacement parts, we'll have the power to resist."

"Oh… But where's the Mech Pilot?"

The small guy immediately puffed up with pride. "I am the Bauhinia Republic's future third Legendary Mechanic!"

"Much respect!"

"That's incredible!"