“This time, I am not bringing those low-level thugs from before.”
In the middle of the only paved path among the mud-brick houses, a scrawny male, looking much like a skinny monkey, narrowed his seemingly shrewd eyes.
“If you do not want your living space smashed to smithereens, you had better consider my suggestion. After all, in a dump like this, how can anything smell sweeter than Star Coins?”
“As long as you leave this place, 10,000 Star Coins is enough for you to live a prosperous life outside for a while. Guarding such a small place and eating the same unchanging meals day after day, will you not get tired of it?”
The thin male tried to use reason, clutching a stack of paper contracts. He was speaking nicely now, but in truth, he originally had no intention of using money to strike a deal with the villagers.
If it were not for this annoying female. The thin male looked up and glared fiercely at Arachi. Yes, it was this annoying female who had prevented him from using force to throw these worthless insects out.
“10,000 Star Coins?”
Arachi leaned against a pole by the mud house with his arms crossed. His chin was slightly raised, and his hooded eyes held a hint of mockery.
“Are you kidding me? How many days is that supposed to last?” If he took a male out for dinner, he would spend that much in a single night.
“And what about housing? You drive us away, so where do we live?”
The thin male choked. He had intentionally ignored this question. The dozen or so insects he had driven away previously had not noticed, so how did this female, who looked like he had all muscle and no brains, react so quickly?
“I will get you a set of houses to live in, fine?”
The thin male spoke reluctantly, though he sneered inwardly. Where those houses were bought would be a different story.
“The house must be located within the inner ring of the Main Star’s center,” Arachi suddenly spoke, arching an eyebrow. “It must have complete supporting facilities nearby. There must be food and drink, supermarkets, and schools for future cubs. Most of the residents here are elderly, so the third or fourth floor, not too high and not too low, is safer and cleaner.”
“You!”
The thin male glared at him. “What do you think you are, daring to negotiate terms with me?”
“And what kind of thing are you, daring to waste my time here?”
Arachi glanced at him sideways and let out a scoff, his soldier-like temperament fully exposed. He was just a noble insect with a little spare cash. If it were not inconvenient to call his brothers out right now, he would not even want to spare a glance at this kind of trash.
Too ugly.
Arachi turned his head away in disgust, his gaze happening to meet that of a certain male streamer holding a data stick.
The streamer was tall and handsome. Arachi felt his eyes were instantly cleansed, at least no longer feeling like they were smeared with dog feces.
With his back to the virtual screen, the streamer gave Arachi a subtle hand signal from a distance.
This feeling was novel, giving Arachi the illusion of being back in school.
Message received.
The female across from him quickly grasped Lu Qing’s meaning and returned a subtle, barely perceptible gesture before retracting his gaze and cooperating with the act.
The thin male did not notice Lu Qing stepping closer behind the female. He was so angry that his teeth gnashed together, making a nasty clicking sound.
“Good, good. This is the first time I have heard a female dare to speak to me like that.”
He crooked his finger, and several tall military females behind him stepped forward. Their dark, knotted muscles were like hard blocks of iron stacked on their chests and abdomens, creating a highly intimidating presence.
Arachi really wanted to tear that dog’s mouth open, but he was more interested in the upcoming performance, so he barely suppressed the urge.
“What do you want?”
The female’s rare show of weakness made the male believe his threat was working. After all, these were desperate outlaws he had paid specifically to bring in from the border; they truly carried a dangerous and terrifying aura.
Joy surged in his heart, and the flesh on his face twitched with excitement. He completely forgot how, just a few days ago, he had watched his own bloodied female guards and fled like a drowned dog.
“Kneel down and give me three loud kowtows. Say, ‘Prince Blount, I am sorry. I am just a coarse, shameless, and lowly female. Please forgive my stupidity and ignorance.’ Then crawl to my feet and lick my shoes.”
The thin male lifted one foot. Perhaps because he had not exercised in a long time, he found it very difficult even to raise his leg slightly; he wobbled before stepping back onto the ground.
The thin male felt a sense of humiliated rage. He blamed the consequences of his own laziness on the fit female in front of him, venting his full fury. “Hurry up and crawl over here to lick my shoes! Lowly insect!”
The bullet chat moved far faster than before. Messages flooded the blue screen, completely filling the interface.
In an instant, the number of online viewers broke previous records, reaching nearly 2,000.
The originally calm and lovely fans were like an atomic bomb dropped into a quiet lake, erupting into staggering waves. The comments became aggressive and biting.
[I’m Hungry Now]: Was he not born from his own mother? Standing there babbling like a complete idiot. He really thinks he is some big deal.
[Do Not Be Angry]: What kind of garbage dares to make such grand claims here? Believe it or not, I will dig up your ancestors for three generations and report you to the military. I will see if you can keep your noble title then, you disgusting piece of trash.
[After My Husband Abandoned Me, He Regretted It]: Ah! How can we still run into such a disgusting male? Tell me where this is; I really want to personally drag him to the Inspection Office and lock him up!
At the same time, the local native females of the village were just as resentful as the viewers. Their eyes glared at the uninvited guests as if spitting fire, and they held their iron shovels high in an attack stance.
“Oh, getting angry now? Do you believe I can have you all captured and used one by one?”
Blount was startled and instinctively took a step back. But remembering the tower-like guards behind him, he put his hands on his hips and looked triumphantly at the group of red-faced villagers.
“Come on! Dare to harm a single hair on my head, and when we go to court, not one of you will escape. You will all be assigned to a desolate planet to be executed!”
“Su, do not fight them. We might die.”
“Exactly. What if we are sent to a desolate planet? I heard they are full of alien monsters.”
“10,000 coins sounds quite good, actually. I have never seen 10,000 coins in my life.”
The villagers chattered away. One or two even began discussing how to spend the money. The females standing in front trembled with rage; they suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness. What was the point of their persistence until now?
Arachi let out a tsk. This was why it was so troublesome. Most of those hiding in the back were elderly insects who could not fight, or scum who only thought about avoiding risk for themselves.
He truly suspected that some were staying just to see if they could squeeze out more benefits. If they could not raise the price any further, they would immediately pack their things and leave.
“Yes, yes. I see some of you are quite sensible.”
Blount laughed loudly and crooked his finger at the villagers. Two insects walked over hesitantly. They looked back at their fellow villagers and could not help but advise, “Uncle Lu, do not be so stubborn. As long as you leave the village, you can get 10,000 Star Coins. If you do not leave now, you will have nothing later, and you will get yourself into trouble.”
Lu Yunian did not even listen. Trembling, he pointed his arm toward the outside of the village. “Get out.”
If they had left before, fine. But what did leaving now mean? Did they think he was old and deaf, and did not hear the two of them in the back discussing how to spend that 10,000 Star Coins?
If it were out of fear of being sent to a desolate planet, he could understand.
Hearing this, those two insects could no longer maintain their hypocritical persuasion. With grim faces, they walked to Blount’s side.
“Lord Blount, about that 10,000 Star Coins.”
The shriveled male rubbed his palms together, looking expectantly at Blount’s displeased face.
Blount ignored them, his face so dark it could drip ink. “Is that it? There is only one chance.”
What he wanted to see was them weeping and begging for his forgiveness, not acting like unyielding, foul-smelling old stones!
The remaining villagers either lowered their heads and did not look at him, or glared at him fixedly. Not another insect took a step forward.
Blount received no response and no emotional feedback. A breath of air was stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down; he was practically choking. The villagers’ performance brought him no pleasure, only frustration and annoyance.
Blount’s face twisted instantly. “Fine, fine. Then not one of you shall have it easy.”
“I will torture you to death one by one. The old ones will be sent to the desolate planets, and the lead females will be shipped to the underground black market to be sold as toys.”
“The black market loves receiving strange and unique females. I am sure the brothers down there will like you very much, he he.”
Blount laughed gloomily. The small, thin male standing beside him shivered involuntarily.
Fortunately, I am not a female.
Thinking this, the two males felt much more confident. They cautiously called out the noble male’s name. Seeing that impatient, greasy face turn toward them, they flatteringly tested, “Um, Prince Blount.”
“Hmm?” Blount knitted his brows, a breath huffing out of his nose.
“Our, our 10,000 Star Coins. About when will you give it to us? We can leave right now. As soon as we receive the money, we will leave!”
Seeing that Blount did not speak but only stared at them gloomily, the male shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly. “We do not mean to order you around. We are different from those stubborn insects over there; we are very sensible! As long as you tell us to leave, we will leave immediately, it is just.”
Blount: “Then get out.”
The thin male bowed and scraped. “Yes, yes. Thank you. We will.”
The male suddenly looked up at Blount. The noble male patted the dust off his clothes where the male had touched him, his lips curling into a smile full of deep malice. “Did you not just ask me to tell you to get out? Get out.”
“Looking at your dazed faces, you did not truly think I would give you 10,000 Star Coins each, did you?”
“Hilarious. Who would give benefits to a bunch of peasant trash like you?”
Seeing the faces of the two males turn as pale as paper in an instant, Blount’s heart felt a small measure of comfort. He clapped his hands. As the guards stepped forward, he arched his brow in cold mockery. “I said you would regret your actions. Blame yourselves for not softening and bowing your heads, for playing at sentiments. All hard bones before me, Blount, are nothing.”
Blount looked at Arachi, squinting as he licked his lower lip. “They are not anything at all.”
A wave of nausea churned. Arachi admitted he was disgusted. It had always been him looking lecherously at others; never had a male looked lecherously at him.
Because those kinds of males always ended up being killed by him.
Blount was gloating when his gaze suddenly fell on the half-silhouette of a figure behind Arachi.
He froze. His eyes suddenly became vacant as a flash of amazement crossed his pupils.
“There is, there is another little treasure hiding back there?”
Blount swallowed hard. Looking at the figure, the exposed forearm was fair and smooth; it was likely a top-tier specimen.
Why had he not noticed just now?
“Hey, you. Come out.”
Blount pointed at Arachi, his eyes fixed unblinkingly as the figure slowly stepped out from behind him. His voice grew urgent. “Do not be afraid, little darling. As long as you listen to me, I will not hurt you.”
“Come out, come out. Big brother will take care of you.”
Arachi felt a sourness in his teeth. A male calling a male “little darling,” what kind of fetish was this?
Lu Qing’s face gradually revealed itself. It was indeed as appealing as Blount had imagined. Especially with the oversized T-shirt revealing a large expanse of collarbone and a small black mole on his neck; it was too suggestive, making his heart itch with unbearable desire.
“Yes, yes. Come closer. Let big brother have a look at you.”
Blount’s eyes shone with lewd light. He could not help but take step after step forward.
Just as he reached the halfway point, Lu Qing’s full figure was completely revealed.
A blue virtual screen hovered in the air not far above his head, its glow casting a haunting light onto Blount’s panicked and confused face.
And right now, the total number of online viewers in the livestream room was 5,226.