Chapter Seventeen: "The Deal"

As Ye Hai and Javier stood in silent confrontation, hundreds of spheres of ball lightning suddenly erupted. Pale blue electric light shot skyward. In the next instant, countless mutants and trees were reduced to drifting ash, scattering through the forest like dust in the wind. The massive explosion was utterly silent—just a flash of electricity—yet its destructive power carved a vast vacuum several kilometers wide around the stronghold.

The forceful wind pressed the soldiers of the Great Tree Star’s First Defense Army to bow their heads, shielding their eyes with their arms. Through the narrow gap in his arm, Javier never took his eyes off Ye Hai.

“This level of energy release is terrifying—it rivals the main cannon of certain warships!” Javier thought. “And the control is so precise, the stronghold is barely affected! The technology of these civilized planets is simply beyond what flesh and blood can withstand.”

Ye Hai pondered quietly as he slowly turned, gazing toward the northwestern sky.

“With such an energy burst, surely those creatures deep in the irradiated zone—the ones slumbering with their nuclear cores—must have been awakened? How many will come? Seventh stage? Eighth? Or perhaps the legendary ninth stage? The Scarlet Queen’s orbital weapons are likely meant for those monsters.”

So far, the highest stage mutant Ye Hai had encountered was only sixth. He was always curious about those of higher ranks.

But this time, Ye Hai had no intention of lingering. Remaining here would allow him to observe the abilities of advanced mutants up close; he might even capture a seventh or eighth stage creature under the Defense Army’s assault. Such rare specimens were beyond his solo reach. With the T-103 Tyrant, Ye Hai could exert effective restraint over a seventh stage mutant, but only the irradiated zone held such high-level threats. That zone was teeming with mutants, clustered like rings around the radiation core, each ring denoting increasing strength—the higher the stage, the closer to the center.

Moreover, the territorial instincts of advanced mutants were intense, rendering the “Simulated Zombie Virus” nearly useless. Once you stepped into a high-stage mutant’s territory, they would mercilessly destroy any intruder, regardless of kinship.

To penetrate the seventh stage territory, one must fight through from the outskirts. Battle with advanced mutants could attract other powerful beings; even if the eighth stage wasn’t provoked, one might fall into a siege by the seventh stage. If not exposed, Ye Hai was confident he could remain hidden and wait for the right moment to pick through the remains—a simple and efficient way to harvest spoils.

But to evade the ball lightning bombardment, he’d already been fully exposed to Javier’s gaze. The advantage of darkness was lost. Ye Hai was certain that the Scarlet Queen’s orbital weapons now had him firmly targeted. When advanced mutants appeared, Javier might very well wipe Ye Hai out along with them.

Having realized this, Ye Hai no longer hesitated and prepared to leave.

With a thought, his four Lickers sprang into action, using their long tongues to gather the scattered portable high-energy weapons from the ground. This move nearly provoked an aggressive response from the soldiers, but Javier intervened in time. In Javier’s view, Ye Hai—a seventh stage mutant—was interested only in the energy cores inside the weapons, which aligned perfectly with mutant behavior.

Ye Hai, however, saw things differently. There were well over a hundred powerful weapons scattered here, plus those in the soldiers’ hands. Although using them on the Zombie Star would invite trouble, Ye Hai possessed bioenergy technology and had been storing large quantities of bioenergy for years. With a few modifications—replacing the energy cores with bioenergy that wouldn’t provoke mutant reactions—the weapons’ power might decrease, but they would still be formidable and rare on the Zombie Star.

If Ye Hai could bring these back to the Corpse Hunter Organization and distribute them, his influence would instantly soar to the pinnacle of the Plati black market. Setting aside the activation of the biotech parasite module and the successful acquisition of an NE-alpha parasite, the value of these weapons alone exceeded all his wealth from ten years on Zombie Star, excluding organic bioweapons.

This venture proved worthwhile.

As the Lickers finished gathering the weapons and prepared to depart, Javier suddenly spoke: “Perhaps we can cooperate. If you’re willing to retrieve something for us from the irradiated zone, the First Defense Army of Great Tree Star can provide you with large quantities of high-energy and radiation resources—to help you and your followers evolve.”

Ye Hai turned back, slightly surprised, scrutinizing Javier from head to toe. He committed Javier’s appearance to memory, his estimation of the man rising significantly. When all others were trembling in fear of Ye Hai, Javier broke free from conventional thinking, calmly proposing to use a high-stage mutant to fulfill his own mission. It was no wonder this man had risen from a lowly pirate to command the Second Legion of the First Defense Army.

Sensing Ye Hai’s appraisal, Javier continued, “Well? The irradiated zone is your domain. Retrieve a little item that’s of no use to you—it’s easy enough!”

Ye Hai tilted his head, feigning confusion as he studied Javier. Immediately, a gleam flashed in Javier’s eyes. He pulled a small holographic projector from his pocket, activated it, and a refined three-dimensional image spun in his hand.

Ye Hai stepped forward, examining the display closely.

It was an identification card—an access pass for restricted areas. The inscription read: “Karan Biogenetics Corporation... Dr. Eivill Schmidt.”

Ye Hai was instantly stunned, nearly crying out.

Karan Biogenetics was the culprit behind the Zombie Star virus outbreak. Dr. Eivill Schmidt was the creator of the zombie virus. If Ye Hai guessed correctly, this card was a pass to Karan’s secret laboratory. And with Dr. Schmidt’s credentials, it surely granted the highest level of access.

With this identification card, one could easily enter the secret base, obtain all data on the zombie virus, and possibly recover samples of the original strain. Its value was immense.

So that was the true goal of Zella and Javier.

Ye Hai extended his hand, and Javier, understanding, placed the holographic device in his palm. Pressing another button, the display shifted to a three-dimensional map, clearly marking a location—the boundary between the seventh stage mutant territory ring and the eighth stage ring.

“This was once a military camp. The card is in one of its offices...”