Gu Jiaqi had no interest in playing the villain. Especially when she was the victim, okay?
She was somewhat frustrated. Of course, she could tell that this world was certainly a place where resources were scarce and human life was difficult. With so much sand everywhere, the land around here must have been unsuitable for cultivation. Gu Jiaqi also did not think the people of this world could possibly have nutrient solutions.
This should be an era after the apocalypse had broken out.
But one thing was one thing. The fact that the thieves were pitiful did not mean she had to forgive them immediately. Gu Jiaqi was not that kindhearted.
Looking at the group of people standing before her, each giving a different explanation, Gu Jiaqi had actually already reached a conclusion in her heart.
“I need the two people who pulled me in just now to come back with me.”
Gu Jiaqi wanted the two of them to go back with her, but she had no intention of doing anything to them. She had gradually relaxed her exploration of the black hole. She suspected that black holes might also have something similar to a period of vigilance. Counting the days, it had already been about five days since Xiaoshu passed through the black hole. Perhaps at some point during this period, she had already become capable of passing through it herself. She simply did not know it.
At the time, she had only tried it by herself and had not even asked Nan Qingchuan to try it with her. On top of that, given how stringent the conditions for crossing over were according to Nan Qingchuan, Gu Jiaqi had naturally assumed that she could not pass through the black hole.
But now, there was a turning point, and that was not a bad thing for Gu Jiaqi.
She was already calculating things in her head. For the sake of her future money-making endeavors, regardless of what these two thieves wanted or where they came from, she was definitely going to conduct several more experiments by going back and forth.
As for why she did not ask Nan Qingchuan to come and try? Come on. With the way Nan Qingchuan and his superior acted so seriously all the time, if she suggested going to Ming Country for a little fun, she was afraid she would scare them into losing sleep.
Gu Jiaqi was not stupid. She knew very well that her identity and strength posed a significant threat to any world on the other side of a black hole.
The best proof was that after she said those words, the entire group in front of her could not help taking a step back, their postures becoming extremely tense.
“They were wrong to steal the food. We can compensate you, but we cannot let you take them away.”
The calm man leading the group immediately refused without hesitation.
“Oh? What can you compensate me with?” Gu Jiaqi was genuinely curious. Logically speaking, food should be the most precious thing to people living in the apocalypse. Did they really think they could take out something else to compensate her for the food they had stolen?
The man, who was completely wrapped up from head to toe, reached into the pouch at his waist and pulled out a small cloth bag. He opened it, picked out a red, elongated, bar-shaped crystal of unknown origin, and held it up.
“These are the crystal cores we collected. This thing contains a great deal of energy.”
The leader seemed to be a man of few words. After giving only a brief explanation, he simply held the crystal core in his palm and stopped speaking, waiting for Gu Jiaqi to inspect it.
A person beside him whose face was equally obscured spoke up instead. “This crystal core can be used as electricity, and it can also increase the level of supernatural abilities. It will definitely be useful in daily life.” From the voice, it sounded like a woman, and her manner was crisp and straightforward.
Energy? Gu Jiaqi narrowed her eyes. She had bought quite a few energy boxes on StarNet over the past two days. Cosmic energy on her planet was simply too scarce, and the operation of the robots and other equipment depended on energy boxes.
If the crystal cores they were talking about could really provide energy…
Gu Jiaqi could not help feeling tempted. At the moment, she was short on money, and she was short on energy.
If this godforsaken place could really provide energy, then the food she had given away would not have been a complete waste.
The people outside fell silent because the voice from the towering machine had stopped. She seemed to be thinking about something.
But suddenly, before they could react, an opening appeared on the side of the mecha, and a figure instantly leaped out, moving incredibly fast.
When everyone took a closer look, they saw a tall figure wearing a silver combat suit and a helmet that looked extremely sturdy, with a glowing sword in hand.
“Let me see.”
She walked up to the leader, took the crystal core he handed her, and then, under everyone’s astonished gazes, somehow produced a small, compact machine and pressed the crystal core against it.
After a while, there was still no visible change in the machine. The alien simply put it away and returned the crystal core to him.
“It does contain a certain amount of energy,” she said.
Zhou Qi breathed a sigh of relief. Every person had an instinct to seek good fortune and avoid disaster. He truly did not want to confront someone who was clearly this formidable. In the end, they would definitely be the ones to suffer.
Gu Jiaqi said, “We can talk. For now, I want to take your two team members back with me.”
So what if there was energy? Gu Jiaqi was extremely anxious right now.
She had to figure out the rules governing the black hole first. Otherwise, staying here was like being a ticking time bomb. If she could not get back, then everything would be lost. At that point, no matter how much energy she had, it would not fill her stomach.
Seeing the people in front of her grow somewhat anxious again, Gu Jiaqi explained, “It’s like this. I can’t stay away from home for too long. This is my first time coming to your world, and I don’t feel safe here. So I need those two to come back with me. If I can enter and leave normally, then we can discuss compensation afterward. What do you think?”
Gu Jiaqi considered her attitude quite reasonable. Come on, the people on the other side had stolen her things. The fact that she had not tied up the two thieves and dragged them back with her was already showing them plenty of mercy, okay?
As expected, Zhou Qi hesitated for a moment before saying, “Then can we go with you?”
There was no way they could feel at ease letting two young people leave with Gu Jiaqi alone. From this, Gu Jiaqi also realized that this team must be very united.
“Sure.” Gu Jiaqi readily agreed.
After all, the black hole was only a hundred meters away around the corner. There was no need to stop them.
Soon, Gu Jiaqi directly put away the mecha, grabbed the two figures she had already singled out, and walked over to the black hole.
Before the others behind them could say anything, the three figures instantly disappeared.
“She didn’t even say goodbye? Brother Qi, could it be…” A slightly rough voice rang out, tinged with worry.
Zhou Qi frowned. Before he could say anything, three people suddenly walked out of the mouth of the black hole again.
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
They had not even finished expressing their concern, and they were already back?
However, before anyone could say anything else, Gu Jiaqi dragged the two thieves back through again.
After repeating this several times, Gu Jiaqi finally made a preliminary determination: as long as someone from this plane accompanied her, she could now leave with them.
But there was another problem. Could she come over without someone leading the way?
So Gu Jiaqi began another round of experiments. Under the increasingly bewildered gazes of Zhou Qi and the others, she alternately dragged one person or two people with her as she traveled back and forth.
Finally, after more than ten minutes, Gu Jiaqi reached a conclusion. If she wanted to go to another plane, she had to have someone lead the way. Otherwise, she would end up like she had at the beginning, crashing into the steel tree where the black hole was located.
Of course, Gu Jiaqi had not tested many other possibilities. After all, the conditions did not allow for it right now. If she got the chance in the future, she would have to come back and explore this black hole further.
Now, beside the black hole on the side covered in yellow sand, Gu Jiaqi had set up a table. Two guard robots stood beside her, adding to her imposing presence.
Sitting across from her was the leader of the small team. He had already removed the mask from his head, revealing his true face. He was a man who looked very resolute.
“Hello, my name is Gu Jiaqi. I’m the owner of the planet on the other side of this black hole.”
“Hello, my name is Zhou Qi. I’m their captain.”
“The first thing I want to ask is, what kind of world is this? Why are the cities buried beneath yellow sand?”
To understand the value of the crystal cores, she naturally had to understand their background first. Moreover, the black hole was not going to disappear. Gu Jiaqi felt that she would probably have to cooperate with this apocalyptic team long-term in the future, just as she did with Nan Qingchuan, so she still needed to know some basic information.
Once Gu Jiaqi had decided in her heart to cooperate with them, she no longer regarded them as accomplices of the thieves, and her attitude improved accordingly. Naturally, this could also earn her some goodwill from the other side.
“Can you believe that this used to be a coastal city? Seven years ago, all the cities on this planet underwent earth-shattering changes. Deserts became flooded fields, while oceans became barren mountains. And this place used to be a famous coastal resort city.”
Zhou Qi was somewhat emotional, but he still quickly gave Gu Jiaqi a concise introduction to the situation on their side.
Unlike Nan Qingchuan, there was nothing for him to hide. They had nothing to begin with.
It turned out that these people of Asian descent were not the main population of this city. It had originally been a city predominantly inhabited by white people.
“Then why are only you left now?”
Zhou Qi said, “They established a base. People of Asian and Black descent were at the bottom of the hierarchy there. We weren’t willing to endure that kind of discrimination, so we’d rather live outside on our own.”
Gu Jiaqi was Asian herself. Hearing Zhou Qi say this stirred up a strange sense of anger in her, even though she was usually quite gentle.
What did Asian and Black people ever do to you to make you dig up their ancestors’ graves?
Damn bastards!