Sky-cracking Rider

Military contractors have an unwritten rule of keeping spoils of war for themselves to subsidize their household expenses.

Chen Fei, who came from the small military contractor Jiu Defense Company, had inherited this principle very well. Once something was consumed, there was absolutely no reason to spit it out again.

"Let's not mince words, since I've come here, I have no intention of leaving empty-handed," he stated.

Franco's smile didn't fade as he took out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and showed it to Chen Fei.

"Don't worry, take a look at this first. You should have received it on your phone too."

Chen Fei had no intention of turning back, allowing these guys an opportunity to burst in, and directly activated the artificial intelligence AI in the Dog System storage area.

Adam: Counter at 18, what are your commands?

"Adam" really wanted to berate Second Uncle, but didn't even dare to entertain the thought. Invoking counter eighteen—life under the eaves for an artificial intelligence AI is really tough!

Chen Fei: Adam, take over my phone!

The phone placed on the bedside suddenly lit up, displaying a bunch of gibberish, which shortly after returned to normal.

Adam: Access granted.

As long as it could operate normally, protocols, libraries, data interfaces, keys, permissions... all of it was trivial.

Chen Fei: Check the latest messages received.

Adam: Seven unread messages. Would you like to open them?

Phone: That someone, please open it! You're muted...

Chen Fei: Open them!

Suddenly, seven different stacked interfaces appeared before his eyes.

Aside from the regular information such as Jiu Defense Company's basic pay slip, Blue Star Global United Defense Committee's subsidies allowance, personal tax settlement form, and monthly personal communication bill, there was also a "Search Warrant" notification from an official communication number of the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee.

He didn't know who leaked the information, but somebody found out that he had picked up a Crystalline Block, and they came knocking so quickly. The fellow named Franco bore some inexplicable hostility toward him. He couldn't fathom when he had offended the man—probably a friend of an enemy, perhaps?!

Damn it, wait until I settle the math later!

Luckily, it wasn't stored in the Mobile Base Vehicle downstairs; that place has probably been searched already, hasn't it?

"Jiu!"

The chirping of Xiao Jiu came from outside; the little guy flew in from the balcony, landing in its nest, shaking its feathers as though stretching muscles, puffing into a fluffy feather ball, then slowly returning to normal.

"You know, even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare to forge this kind of thing!"

Franco, with a smug grin as if wielding the Imperial Sword personally, flaunted his phone screen triumphantly.

He indeed didn't have the guts to do so, especially at the Habulav headquarters of the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee.

Forging legally binding documents has always been a serious criminal offense, not just anyone has the skill and audacity to do such a thing. For the sake of an outdated Crystalline Block that was produced over thirty years ago, it was entirely not worth it.

"Alright then! Please come in, but let me make it clear: there are many of my personal items inside. If there are any losses, you three will be fully responsible."

Chen Fei scoffed and stepped aside, ready to give these three a good beating if necessary.

Nobody could take things from his hands, no matter who came.

Those who try to snatch from the Chen brothers of Little Shanzi are just asking for a pounding!

The Little Bird that flew a few rounds around the small park downstairs returned to its nest, tilting its head to listen to the noises at the door, then turned to look at the cubic crystal placed right beside its nest. It hopped over, pecked at it with its delicate beak, and stretched out its little claw...

"Jiu!"

"Don't worry, I'll take responsibility."

Franco's smile gradually faded; he brushed past Chen Fei and eagerly entered the room, scanning the surroundings immediately.

He gestured to the two behind him.

One of them took out a brick-like device, pressed a switch, and a light beep was heard.

"Eh? It's gone!"

The two behind Franco looked at each other with surprise on their faces.

Just moments before, their professional detector had confirmed that there was a Crystalline Block hidden in this dormitory. It's why they knocked on the door and brandished the "Search Warrant" to force their entry.

But now, although Chen Fei was right there, and they hadn't seen him do anything, in the blink of an eye, the Crystalline Block had vanished without a trace.

Franco was taken aback, but decisively ordered, "Switch to precise mode and search the place thoroughly."

"Yes, sir!"×2!

The two attendants replied in unison.

The one who had been empty-handed also pulled out a device the size of a brick and started roaming around the room with his companion.

"Jiu!"

The Little Bird crouched in the nest, curiously poking its head out, eyeing the three unwelcome guests.

A Pure Light Sparrow?!'

Upon seeing the little head poking out of the nest, Franco didn't hide his disgust. Such a tiny thing being called a Magical Beast?

Pure Light Sparrows were commonly seen on Cangqiong Star, so numerous they were almost a plague. No one would specially raise such ordinary birds, and in many cases, they weren't even considered Magical Beasts. Occasionally, some sly creatures would sneak onto Blue Star through the quota trade between the two realms.

Such weak Magical Beasts received no special treatment on Blue Star. Any bird, beast, or even humans could become their predators, along with a plethora of competitors for survival and resources, thus they were unable to proliferate rapidly like on Cangqiong Star.

This Pure Light Sparrow was probably the descendant of one that had evaded capture; it was really an incomprehensible quirk of taste, barely bigger than a sparrow, and in terms of habits, hardly distinguished from one at all.

Chen Fei's gaze hardened as he looked at the Little Bird, and he touched the back of his head, recalling he had placed it next to Xiao Jiu's nest, but there was nothing there.

Where's the Crystalline Block?

He could guarantee that the three people who had just entered his room had no chance of finding or touching the Crystalline Block, and the sequence didn't add up either.

Anyway, the mysteriously disappeared Crystalline Block had not ended up in their hands.

"Eh? What's this? A Crystalline Block?"

The Brick Detector approached the nest and got pecked by Xiao Jiu as if in protest. One of Franco's followers couldn't help but shout excitedly as he saw the crystal-clear crystal inside the nest.

"You found the Crystalline Block?"

Another person came over quickly, aiming the detector at the nest, but the instrument showed no response. Annoyed, he said, "There's no response from the crystal energy, this isn't a Crystalline Block!"

However, the one who had discovered the crystal retorted, "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly, what if the crystal energy was drained? Let's confiscate it first."

As he was about to reach out, he heard a voice behind him saying stop.

"Hold it!"

The person who had spoken was not only Chen Fei but also Franco.

Chen Fei and Franco locked eyes, thinking the same thing – like heroes, although they found mutual disgust in each other's gaze.

"Director Franco, this crystal might potentially be a Crystalline Block!"

The first to find the unidentifiable crystal in the nest looked confusedly at Franco, then at Chen Fei, truly unable to understand the relationship between them, and why they stopped him almost simultaneously, especially when they had been at odds just moments ago. Could it be that in the blink of an eye, the two had reached some unspeakable transaction?

"That's not a Crystalline Block; it's not something you guys should touch."

Franco looked at the Pure Light Sparrow's nest, a trace of wariness in his eyes.

The value of a Third Rank Light-element Magical Beast Crystal Core was certainly no less than that of a high-capacity Crystalline Block, but just like Crystalline Blocks, it shouldn't be tampered with by ordinary people.

Especially this one in front of them, which was designated by a Metallic Giant Dragon.

Those who knew the truth would not recklessly target this crystal core, lest they catch the attention of a Metallic Giant Dragon, especially an offended young one, which could bring the wrath of an entire clan.

The reigning Dragon King of Cangqiong Star was a Metallic Giant Dragon, and rumors had it that if the unreliable monarch had a tantrum, Cangqiong Star would directly confront Blue Star, even if the Lin Family, who had particularly close ties with the Dragon King, might not be able to dissuade him.

Ambitious figures never disappeared, no matter the era. Diplomacy and trade between Blue Star and Cangqiong Star were both extremely cautious, fearing a spark that could be exploited by those with grand ambitions. The "Thucydides Trap" theory had almost become a crucial consideration between the two civilizations.

The Cangqiong Star Civilization was not like the resource-depleted Third Era Civilization; with populations, magical beasts, magic, construct assembly technology, and crystal cores galore, plus forbidden curses comparable to nuclear weapons, they lacked nothing. A war with the Blue Star Civilization was no joke.

In the case of war, no one could remain unscathed when the nest is overturned.

Even if exterminating entire clans wasn't a thing anymore, in those times, faced with the wrath of the entire world, who would believe otherwise?

Even Franco would probably wish he could sacrifice his whole family to appease the heavens.

For these reasons, and also because Chen Fei always stayed at the remote 911 Aircrew Base in the Xingdu Kush Mountain Area, lax security like this would have certainly resulted in theft long ago. Yet, the Third Rank Light-element Magical Beast Crystal Core nestled safely in Xiao Jiu's nest remained untouched; nobody dared to covet it.

Therefore, to Franco, the crystal inside the Pure Light Sparrow's nest was not a Light-element Magical Beast Crystal Core, but a potential spark. Hearing his subordinate mindlessly wanting to touch the crystal core, he suddenly felt the dread of screwing up big time.

"No, can't touch it?"

The two men Franco brought along glanced at each other, but seeing the director's livid expression, they instinctively shrank back, retreating several steps and keeping their distance obediently.

It seemed that the crystal in the nest was a taboo nobody should mess with. If they couldn't avoid provoking it, at least they could steer clear.

Two professional detectors scanned Chen Fei's dorm room, inside and out, in both close-range precision mode and long-distance remote sensing mode, but they failed to detect any crystal energy they had sensed before.

After all the effort, naturally, they found nothing.

Leaving empty-handed, Franco glared at Chen Fei and warned ungraciously, "Chen Fei, I hope you're not hiding the Crystalline Block. It's not something you should possess!"

"Hmph!"

Chen Fei responded with a cold laugh, not giving the man the satisfaction of analyzing his words.
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Indeed, he did have a Crystalline Block, which everyone knew, but without catching him in the act, what could they do to him?

He enjoyed the sight of others seething with rage yet powerless to act.

"Let's go!"

Franco huffed coldly, signaling his entourage to leave Chen Fei's dormitory.

His men couldn't resist looking back, shooting threatening glares.

But Chen Fei retorted with a throat-slitting gesture, as if to say, "Don't mess with me. If you've got an issue, come at me! I'll twist your heads off myself!"

Bang!

He shut the door!

After instructing "Adam" to scan the room again to check for any "lingering" electronic detection devices, Chen Fei headed to his room, planning to ask Xiao Jiu about the Crystalline Block.

But upon returning to his room, he saw the cubic-shaped Crystalline Block still sitting next to Xiao Jiu's nest, as if it had never moved or disappeared.

Uh... were those three people blind?

Could it be that Xiao Jiu had mastered a new skill, like optical invisibility?

Or perhaps he should check his own eyesight.

"Jiu?"

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