I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield

Chapter 280: Chapter 268: Friendship, Joining the 100 Hunters Star Thieves

With the arrival of Calais, the matter was left unresolved.

The troublemakers Squeti and Borne were thrown into the reactor, turned to ashes, while Qin Tian and Xiong were held in a smaller cargo hold, seemingly as if nothing had happened.

But for Sibada, the Poisonous Widow, and Qin Tian, the matter was far from over.

"Master, should I secretly get rid of him?" The Poisonous Widow communicated with Qin Tian through the Soul Seal.

"No need, we can’t alert them now."

Qin Tian responded calmly, "After entering the base ship of the Hundred Hunt Star Thieves, I’ll personally finish him."

"Yes."

After ending the communication, a glimmer of cold light flashed in Qin Tian’s eyes.

He had a vague guess why this Sibada was targeting him.

"Beauty brings trouble," that saying truly has its merit.

"Thank you."

At this moment, Xiong, sitting next to Qin Tian, turned his head and said in a muffled voice.

Qin Tian knew that Xiong was thanking him for the treatment.

"You suffered because of me, I should be the one thanking you."

Qin Tian extended his hand and said, "Qin Tian, my name."

Xiong’s face showed a simple smile as his furry large hand shook Qin Tian’s hand.

He wasn’t good at socializing but had a keen sense of external danger and the attitudes of those around him.

From childhood, he had mostly felt disdain, dislike, and fear, with Beastmen seeing him as an outcast and humans seeing him as a beast, living like a person abandoned by the world, his life illuminated by only a few glimpses of warmth.

However, after boarding this ship, he felt an extremely rare sense of friendliness and kindness from a stranger.

That person was willing to give him precious food and immediately treated him when he was injured.

He did not understand why he was treated kindly.

But he knew that there was too little warmth in this world, so whenever encountered, one must hold onto it tightly... even at the cost of life.

Xiong’s rough fingers tightened slightly, as if trying to clutch the rare kindness into his palm, never letting go.

Looking at this silent giant beast, Qin Tian suddenly found it somewhat amusing yet also somewhat sorrowful.

He had seen too much deceit and betrayal, yet he didn’t expect that on this malicious slave ship, the purest emotions would come from a half-beastman viewed as a monster by everyone.

"Xiong, I’ll call you Da Xiong from now on," Qin Tian smiled.

"Okay."

Xiong nodded heavily.

Next, Qin Tian and Xiong were kept in the small room, watched by many eyes, as Qin Tian never entered the Poisonous Widow’s room again, spending his days quietly cultivating and occasionally chatting with Xiong, their bond growing closer.

Each day, the Poisonous Widow would have someone deliver several sumptuous meals to him and Xiong.

Sibada did not object, as the half beastman was his future cash cow, a little preferential treatment was no problem.

Day by day passed

In the blink of an eye, a whole month had passed

This was the longest time Qin Tian had spent on a ship, and according to what the Poisonous Widow found out, the ship had been circling between various star zones as directed by the Hundred Hunt Star Thieves.

Finally aligning with the base ship in the Li Yue Star Zone after ensuring no tails were following them.

The starlit sky outside the window was shrouded by a giant shadow—a commercial main ship the size of a city, the transport ship Qin Tian was on appearing like a leaf floating beside a whale.

The transport ship was being guided into a secondary hangar within the belly of the main ship, and with the gradual closing of the hangar door, the ship body completed docking with a slight shudder.

The hatch opened with a roar as the atmospheric pressure indicator lit green. In the blinding white light, two squads of fully armed guards had lined up in wait, wearing uniform black and red armor, their whips occasionally crackling with dangerous blue sparks.

Calais, Sibada, the Poisonous Widow, and a captain named Feng Shu led their teams out, while the slaves obediently followed behind them, trembling as they observed their surroundings.

As the team slowly moved forward, more and more Star Thieves gathered around them, leaning against metal railings or squatting atop shipping containers, their eyes flickering with the excitement of predators.

"Yo! This batch looks pretty good!" A tattooed Star Thief suddenly whistled, his sharp voice echoing through the cabin.

With the incitement, the entire place erupted instantly.

Star Thieves slapped the metal railings, producing deafening noise; when those attractive female slaves walked by, the cacophony of jeers reached its peak.

"That blonde chick is mine!"

"Bullshit! I saw her first!"

"The one with the best figure is mine, no one else is to compete with me today."

The female slaves turned pale, with some of the younger ones so terrified their legs gave out, continuing only with the help of their companions. A red-haired girl was suddenly struck on the shoulder by a flying metal can, letting out a scream which only drew more laughter.

Xiong’s muscle-bound arms instinctively tensed, his eyes glinting with ferocity, while Qin Tian signaled with a look to remain calm, quietly observing the surroundings.

He noticed that while these Star Thieves were unruly, they all tacitly maintained a safe distance—clearly wary of the whips held by the guards.

The captains watched the farce coldly, too familiar with this routine—this was the Hundred Hunt Star Thieves’ special "slave taming ceremony."

By publicly humiliating and mockingly degrading the new slaves step by step, they would break their mental defenses until they completely gave up their dignity, becoming the living dead who follow orders.

The team struggled forward amidst the jeers, eventually reaching a relatively quiet area after passing through several thick gates.

Under the dim red lights, a tall figure stood turned away at the end of the corridor.

That person slowly turned, revealing a chiseled Asian face. He wore black tactical attire, a rustic short blade hanging at his waist, and when he turned, his eyes were as cold as if looking at lifeless objects, devoid of any warmth.

"Second in command." The captains immediately composed themselves, bowing respectfully.

The slaves instinctively held their breath, for even if they didn’t know this man, they could feel an overwhelming sense of oppression from him—as if the prey being stalked by a predator, blood freezing.

He walked slowly, his black combat boots pounding the metal floor, producing a heart-palpitating thud.

As he passed, the slaves unconsciously backed away, as if coming too close would taint them with death, stopping in front of the team, his icy gaze sweeping over every terrified face.

Qin Tian pretended to be as fearful as the other slaves, lowering his head not daring to meet his eyes directly, while mentally recalling his profile.

Second-in-command of the Hundred Hunt Star Thieves, Ling Jue.

Eleven years ago he was a Tier Six Four Stars expert, his current strength unknown.

Ling Jue was once a member of the Silver Bloodline Clan, the Ling Family, and joined the military as an adult with a promising future. However, his cold-blooded nature saw him end the life of an injured comrade he deemed to be dragging him down during a mission. When the matter was exposed, he became wanted by the Empire, eventually joining the Hundred Hunt Star Thieves after a pursuit.