Chapter 151: The Supreme Mastermind, Lin Qiu

Shentu was, of course, more than happy to help.

With a cheerful grin, he twisted left, twisted right, and finally gave it a firm squeeze. Out popped a bouncy, green jelly, accompanied by a fresh, sweet apple aroma.

The three pairs of eyes in the room lit up at once. “It’s apple-flavored!”

Shentu beamed with delight. He was in luck—he’d hit the jackpot and gotten a sweet one on his first try.

He stared at the jelly for a moment, reluctant to part with it, but under Yibei Ming’s urging gaze, he swallowed hard and carefully handed it over.

“Chief, have a taste. Let me know what it’s like. If it’s really good, I’ll go buy a few more. Miss Yun said they brought plenty of these green jellies, and some are even bigger—bigger than my head!”

Yibei Ming’s eyes sparkled as he quickly reached out with his pale, slender hand to take it, unable to wait another second before taking a bite.

A cool, sweet flavor burst in his mouth, with a chewy, bouncy texture even better than an apple—an absolute surprise.

But the thing was tiny, barely the size of a thumb, and it was gone in just a couple of bites.

He looked regretfully at the remaining green shell, then squinted a smile at Shentu, who was watching him eagerly. “Ahem, this tastes great, and it’s cheap. Buy me some more, and I’ll give you the energy credits.”

As he spoke, he reached out for Shiyong to fetch his belt from the bed. The belt had a spatial node, but it was something he’d gotten from someone else, and it didn’t match his own style at all. He avoided wearing it whenever he could.

He’d been recuperating in his room these past few days, so he definitely hadn’t worn that garish, uncomfortable belt.

Shentu hurriedly stopped him, looking righteous. “How could I let the Chief pay? I’m happy to do this for you! I’ll pay, I’ve got plenty of energy credits—most of them are rewards from you anyway, and I never have a chance to spend them. This is the perfect opportunity.”

He was even worried Yibei Ming would insist on paying, so he jumped up and chased after Shiyong, who had already entered the bedroom. “Brother Shi, Brother Shi, you don’t need to get it! Come out and keep the Chief company. There’s a long line at Miss Yun’s place—if I’m late, I might not get any. I’ll head over now!”

His loud voice was still echoing as he dashed off, leaving only his back for Shiyong to see as he emerged holding a flashy, gold belt adorned with a skull—a true masterpiece of adolescent taste.

Shiyong frowned. “That guy sure runs fast.”

Then he turned to Yibei Ming. “Xiao Bei, what should we do?”

Yibei Ming rubbed his temples, a helpless smile breaking through the usual cold, sinister look on his pale, handsome face.

“Same as always. When he gets back, ask how much he spent and put it on the account. When he gets married or really needs money, we’ll give it back to him. Tsk, none of them can save a dime—they really treat me like a free bank.”

Though his words were full of exasperation, his tone was warm.

Shiyong smiled. “They’re all genuinely good to you, Xiao Bei. Isn’t it because of them that you can’t let go of Red Lotus Camp, that you can’t leave them behind?”

Back then, when he and Xiao Bei lost their families and were hunted down, they ended up on this exile planet. Xiao Bei was just twelve, and Shiyong wasn’t as strong as he is now.

The two of them, like lost fawns, stumbled into the chaotic, strife-ridden city.

At first, they couldn’t even afford the cheapest nutrient solution. They were bullied, mocked, and slept on the streets in a state worse than beggars. Later, just to survive, they were repeatedly set up and nearly lost their lives. Those years were truly worse than being pigs or dogs.

Xiao Bei’s personality twisted during those years—he became ruthless and cunning, willing to do anything to achieve his goals. It was then that he started practicing Gu techniques, making Gu insects, and taking cruel revenge on those who had bullied them.

Back then, Xiao Bei was just a teenager, but the scenes he created were so brutal and bloody that they became infamous.

If it hadn’t been for Shentu and the other big-hearted, sincere, almost foolish guys, Xiao Bei might never have believed there were good people left in the world. Without them, he might have gone to extremes and become a villain everyone wanted dead.

It was because of Shentu and the others that Xiao Bei’s cold, hard heart found warmth. Though he still used plenty of underhanded means to protect and expand Red Lotus Camp, at least he had a bottom line now—people weren’t as afraid of him anymore.

Thinking back to those days, and looking at the person now pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, Shiyong couldn’t help but smile.

He put the belt back in the bedroom, then quietly brought out a thin blanket and gently covered Yibei Ming.

Yibei Ming, pretending to sleep, pressed his pale lips tightly together, his long lashes trembling slightly, betraying his unsettled heart.

He stayed in the same position, lying on his side, and before he knew it, he actually drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, after leaving Yibei Ming’s room, Shentu didn’t go out right away. He went back to his own room to grab a money pouch, then hurried out.

At the Blood Devourers’ base—

The supreme mastermind, Lin Qiu, was a refined, scholarly-looking middle-aged man. His ever-smiling face fooled the world, but his methods were even more ruthless than Yibei Ming’s.

The difference was that Yibei Ming’s coldness was obvious, intimidating others, while Lin Qiu was reserved, plotting in the shadows, doing all sorts of underhanded things behind his gentle, kind façade—deceiving unsuspecting outsiders.

Take, for example, the two men currently sitting in the main hall, drinking tea and chatting with Lin Qiu: Fei Jie and Ma Kang.

These two had arrived with Yun Qimu on the spaceship.

Ma Kang had openly mocked and antagonized Yun Qimu, only to be scared witless by her ruthless treatment of her maid.

Fei Jie, on the other hand, maintained his gentlemanly, charming image, always with a faint smile, but inside he was just as black-hearted as Lin Qiu.

He’d even encouraged Haru to team up with space pirates to cause trouble for Yun Qimu, then quickly slipped away with his men—a classic hypocrite.

After dodging the magnetic core storm, the two of them and a few companions made their way to Chaos City, where Lin Qiu, who was recruiting at the time, took a liking to them and invited them to join Blood Devourers.

Ma Kang, impulsive and simple-minded, was quickly taken in by Lin Qiu’s gentle demeanor. Under Lin Qiu’s deliberate manipulation, he was so moved he felt he’d found his life’s purpose, and swore to follow Lin Qiu through thick and thin."