Chapter 83: The Invisible Spy

Lai San was a warrior of the Black Bear Tribe—big build, big strength, willing to go all-out in a fight, and a B-rank invisibility ability user.

It was just that he’d suffered early on from having an honest, simple-looking face. Back in the tribe, he’d always been labeled the hardworking, obedient type. And because invisibility was “useless as hell” for hunting, he’d constantly been assigned the dirty, backbreaking jobs—cleaning up battlefields and scavenging trash. For a burly man with a tiger in his heart, Lai San couldn’t have felt more stifled.

So he taught himself a new skill: bootlicking. Over the last few days he’d been “testing it out” by Chief Blackbeard’s side, and the results were excellent.

If there were a machine that measured favorability, you’d definitely see Blackbeard’s goodwill toward him go +1, +1, +1…

Last night, Wang Da—Blackbeard’s number-one underling—botched an assignment. He’d sent Big Bear, that coward, and Little Six, that brat, to the Sky Dog Tribe to scout for information. When they came back, one kept screaming that there were ghosts, terrified enough to turn from a strong man into a lamb; the other was sucking on a filthy chicken bone and even asked the chief if he wanted a sip too. Blackbeard was furious on the spot.

Wang Da got chewed out until he was covered in spit, and his position as “number one” was hanging by a thread.

Lai San knew his chance had come.

This morning, the Sky Dog Tribe moved out as a whole—such a huge commotion, there was no way the Black Bear Tribe wouldn’t know. Blackbeard immediately started choosing someone to go investigate again, and Lai San decisively stepped forward to volunteer.

If nothing else, his invisibility ability was absolutely top-tier for reconnaissance. He’d already pictured it: once he brought back major news, Blackbeard would reward him; then he’d ride the momentum with another wave of flattery, replace Wang Da, and become Blackbeard’s new favorite. After that, he’d never have to worry about nutrient solution or pretty women again.

But what he hadn’t expected was that after he secretly tailed the Sky Dog Tribe’s main group, he’d run into several “colleagues” doing the same thing.

Not only were there people sent by Mu Tong, the second-in-command of the Black Skull pirates, there were also scouts from several other tribes.

As the Sky Dog Tribe marched farther and farther away—crossing multiple frenzied-beast zones—Lai San started getting cold feet. Was he really going to keep going when it was this dangerous?

But then he looked at his “colleagues,” and thought about the sweet dream of a big reward from Blackbeard. Gritting his teeth, he followed.

The “colleagues” seemed to have a strong sense of competition too. Even though they were trembling inside, not a single one dropped out.

They followed all the way to Earth Village—that icy, snowbound world utterly unlike the Exile Planet.

At the village edge, a row of huge trees that went thump-thump like pulsing crimson blood vessels scared him half to death, but the ice-and-snow world inside was irresistibly tempting.

His mind was full of one thought: This is huge. This is the kind of news that could blow up the entire Exile Planet. Once he brought it back, Blackbeard would definitely reward him heavily. Maybe he could even use this chance to connect with Blackbeard’s backer—he’d heard that backer came from Chaos City and was a truly formidable figure.

The nutrient solution Blackbeard brought back for the tribe? That person had apparently tossed it over casually.

Thinking that far, the sleazy grin on Lai San’s face simply wouldn’t go away. It was as if he could already see his future at the peak of life—left arm around one beauty, right arm around another, drinking a bottle of nutrient solution and tossing the rest away.

Just as he was about to slip in and gather more intelligence as leverage, someone walked out from inside.

It was that Village Chief Yun who’d led the Sky Dog Tribe’s collective relocation—a stunningly beautiful young noble lady.

Lai San was still hee-hee-hee imagining that the delicate beauties he’d be gifted in the future might be this pretty too—when the beauty at the village entrance bared her fangs.

At an unbelievable speed, she surged forward and slapped one of the star pirates who’d followed them, knocking him flat on the spot. Then—one flying kick—and a man from the Red Fox Tribe clutched his stomach and dropped to his knees. Next came a punch that sent a brute twice her size crashing down, nearly making him ascend to the heavens right then and there…

Lai San’s pupils shook violently. His foot—only a hair’s breadth from stepping over Earth Village’s boundary line—wobbled midair.

With a thunderous bang, the violent beauty kicked another man over, planted a foot on him, then turned her head and looked straight at Lai San—pinning him to the spot with a gaze precise as a nail.

Lai San’s scalp went numb. He knew—he knew—it was over. His invisibility ability wasn’t working.

So what was he waiting for? Run. Run like hell.

But no matter how fast he was, he wasn’t faster than that violent beauty. In a single stride, she cut him off, and her small fist landed dead center on his nose.

He howled in pain. His handsome, straight nose bridge—collapsed.

After that, his hands were tied up, and he—along with the other “colleagues”—was dragged into that strange icy world like a group of slaves, tossed together with three unlucky star pirates who’d been captured earlier, all of them trembling.

This was the complete capture process of him, Lai San—an “invisible spy”—from start to finish.

“Welcome, ten friends from afar, to Earth Village as our guests.”

The violent beauty stood in the snow, her long legs straight and slender. Her exquisitely beautiful face wore eyes curved in a smile as she looked down at them.

Right now, the smile on her lips looked extremely warm and gentle.

But Lai San—who had just witnessed her dropping grown men with one punch each—rubbed his numb, aching nose and felt that smile was a little terrifying. He shrank back instinctively, edging into the middle of his “colleagues.”

Sob… From now on, he was going to have trauma around pretty women.

A glint flashed in Yun Qimu’s eyes. She kept up her fake smile, those dazzling, dark eyes fixed on them as she asked warmly, “Are you afraid of me?”

“No, no.”

“Wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare.”

Lai San’s group of ten—plus the star pirates who’d already been “worked over” once—immediately tucked their necks in like docile kittens, shaking their heads like rattles.

“A-as beautiful a lady as you… how could we be afraid?” Lai San forced out a compliment, using the flattery skills he’d honed for years, and even managed to pull a stiff, awkward smile.

Yun Qimu’s smiling gaze immediately landed on him. “This friend has a good eye.”

Then she swept her eyes over all thirteen people present, finally lingering on the ten she’d newly caught—no, that’s right, newly “invited.”

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly. “Hello. I’m Yun Qimu, the village chief of Earth Village. Welcome from afar. I assume you already know the number one requirement for visiting our Earth Village tour group, yes?”

“That’s right—energy coins. Since you’ve already come in, you’re not planning to freeload, are you?”

The ten people—confused, doubting their lives, utterly dumbfounded—shook their heads reflexively. “No, no. We’ll pay. We’ll pay.”

Lai San, as someone who actually knew about the Earth Village tour group recruitment plan, immediately pulled out three precious energy coins from his pocket and handed them over with a pained expression. “Here. Tour fee.”

Yun Qimu gave him an approving look, then smiled and shook her head. “Dear, that was yesterday’s price. Today’s tour fee is three hundred energy coins.”