Chapter 975: Chapter 841: Letting Go
Flower Scorpion couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, "If even warships can be borrowed, then Silver Notes and Energy Blocks..."
Qu Jianlei heard this and thought it made sense; he never wanted the other party to sign a promissory note.
Sanhe Company had previously signed a promissory note because they had no other choice, but Feiying gave him the impression that they were far more troublesome than Sanhe.
Since the other side wanted to discuss transaction conditions, he might as well ask to borrow some money, which shouldn’t be too difficult.
So he casually mentioned it to Keynes, who readily agreed.
However, Qu Jianlei did not expect that this request was exactly what the other party had plotted for.
Keynes went to negotiate the starship exchange, and the entire process was extremely difficult!
In terms of the density of armed merchant ships, the asteroid belt was among the top in the entire Imperial, they were indeed ubiquitous.
But again, being ubiquitous also means there’s strong demand, and without sufficient benefits, who would be willing to let go easily?
Keynes had to explain repeatedly to Qu Jianlei, insisting that he was genuinely trying to communicate, asking for some leniency on time.
By the third extension request, more than four hours had passed the allocated half an hour.
Qu Jianlei and the Paranoid remained expressionless, but Flower Scorpion’s expression changed, "Shouldn’t we just leave now?"
Qu Jianlei said nothing, but the Paranoid asked with interest, "Why?"
"The other party is likely stalling for time," Flower Scorpion looked at him in surprise, "Didn’t you feel that?"
"Haha," the Paranoid laughed and nodded towards Qu Jianlei, "Look at your boss’s expression."
Flower Scorpion turned to look at Qu Jianlei and found him utterly calm, as if he hadn’t heard her at all.
In an instant, she realized and spoke both angrily and frustratingly, "So you both anticipated this?"
"Anticipation is just one aspect," the Paranoid boasted slightly, "The key is to draw them out."
"Draw them out..." Flower Scorpion repeated with surprise and then looked thoughtfully at Qu Jianlei.
"So I’m the only one kept in the dark?"
"That’s because you didn’t think of it yourself," Qu Jianlei spread his hands and replied straight, "The two of us didn’t discuss it."
He was always candid with Flower Scorpion, never afraid she’d get angry; they’ve known each other for years.
"We weren’t planning to guard against anyone, but if something comes up, there’s no need to worry... we’ll see what they intend to do!"
This was Qu Jianlei’s true thought; this time out, he brought nearly all his assets with him.
Except Granny Jia didn’t come, and it could be said he’d gathered all his primary combat power.
Indeed, it was risky having Flower Scorpion here, but the two had been reliant on each other in Hong District, truly understanding one another.
In critical moments, they would risk their lives and chalk it up to fate if things went south, never blaming anyone, thus not a burden.
Flower Scorpion was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "True, since sooner or later it’ll come to a head, better now than later."
People from the Wasteland really do view life and death with equanimity.
After another three hours, everything was finally settled.
An armed merchant ship was borrowed, and Qu Jianlei didn’t ask whose it was—that was Feiying Group’s concern.
The condition of the merchant ship was just adequate, barely meeting standards, a bit worse than the two from Sanhe.
But they couldn’t expect much more; a good enough condition to support ordinary space travel... passing the bar was sufficient.
Excellent condition meant it could support space exploration, which wasn’t usually necessary.
The merchant ship’s ammunition was also scarce, which Keynes said was normal.
The primary role of an armed merchant ship is trade; the armament is just a prefix, it mostly still has to conduct business.
Escort is just one function, so less ammunition isn’t an issue.
As for borrowing money... the results were not great; all parties indicated that Silver Notes were not available, since no one had much.
Silver Notes in the asteroid belt are a strange existence, definitely hard currency, but in terms of toughness, not as sturdy as Energy Blocks.
But without Silver Notes, it won’t work either; Energy Blocks are a necessity for everyone, but they take up too much space.
The space on a starship is extremely precious, so Silver Notes are a necessary supplement to Energy Blocks.
Feiying Group gradually borrowed fifty million Energy Blocks from other forces.
Adding their own twenty million Silver Notes and twenty million Energy Blocks, the total value reached ninety million.
The remaining one hundred and ten million would have to be on credit.
But what Qu Jianlei and the other two focused on was that they only borrowed Energy Blocks, not Silver Notes.
If there were no related concerns, the result was actually very good.
Qu Jianlei had accumulated a lot of Silver Notes, but as for Energy Blocks, he had gone over a year without a large income.
Whether in the Hope Star Realm or the Celestial Hook Star Realm, several starships in long-term space standby consumed quite a few Energy Blocks.
Clearly, it was a good result, yet the three of them looked serious, "Again, stalling for time."
It would take time to collect so many Energy Blocks.
Recently, Qu Jianlei had killed many people, acquiring numerous Storage Talismans, even Claire got her own Storage Talisman.
But earlier they had already plundered a batch of Energy Blocks from Sanhe Company.
Now, receiving so many more, not only requires certain Starship space but also some Storage Talisman maneuvering.
This process doesn’t take long, yet it ultimately serves to delay time.
Half an hour later, Qu Jianlei’s Starship recovered six small ships.
Next, Paranoid and Flower Scorpion boarded the Armed Merchant Ship they had just extorted.
The major forces of Gem Blue Star Body noticed this and found it a bit incredible: can two people operate a Starship?
Supposedly, Starship automation is very high; theoretically, even one person can manage space travel with a Starship.
However, is this safe? Not to mention, the Armed Merchant Ship might engage in combat, merely observing instruments, two people are not enough.
The gathered forces have very well-informed messages, knowing Rhodiola rosea’s team is famous for space combat.
Whether in previous battles against the anti-smuggling ships or attacks on Tears Star Body, they displayed high tactical proficiency and skillful coordination.
Yet, even such a team sending only two people aboard a Starship cannot form real combat power.
As for skillful coordination, that’s even more impossible—unless they’re intentionally hiding that there are more personnel managing the ship.
However, having more personnel... is unrealistic, knowing that the other side had already seized two Armed Merchant Ships.
Even if this team has enough manpower reserves, managing those two ships and forming sufficient combat strength is already the limit.
Operating a Starship and engaging in combat isn’t very challenging, a period of training suffices.
However, Elite Level Ship Handlers must undergo long-term training and possess certain talents.
Such talents are scarce even within the Military, how can the Rhodiola rosea team have many reserve talents?
But, that’s not everyone’s concern, the major forces are simply watching.
Subsequently, the 8384 ship took the lead, with four Starships swaggering away.
After Paranoid and Flower Scorpion boarded the Starship, the latter went to organize artillery and ammunition supply—her expertise.
The former then produced a Pioneer Terminal, fastening it in the control room, "This is the last one... should have bought more."
Big Head Butterfly appeared on the main control system screen, "These scraps are barely better than nothing, at least a Baofeng is necessary..."
Unknowingly, the Starship had already sailed over three million kilometers from Gem Blue Star.
Suddenly, each ship’s main control room rang with alarms, "Warning, warning, multiple unidentified Starships detected!"
In the next moment, the active detection equipment of the five Starships was fully activated.
In just a dozen seconds, images were displayed on the control room screen.
The ambushing Starships numbered six, roughly three hundred thousand kilometers from Qu Jianlei’s fleet.
In space, this distance allows for both combat and escape.
Qu Jianlei reacted immediately, pointing in a direction, "Deploy Attack Ship, break through this area!"
Turning around and fleeing isn’t an option, never expect your opponent to be foolish enough, they dare block you, they must have countermeasures.
Moreover, he’s uncertain of the other side’s Starship types; if they outpace him, it’s also a loss.
Scattering and fleeing is even less feasible; knowing among the five Starships, only two are manned.
If the scattered escaping Starships are pursued and destroyed, the consequences would be disastrous.
Furthermore, the Rhodiola rosea team has flexed its muscles for so long; they can’t self-destruct their persona blindly.
Six small ships were deployed, significantly enhancing the Starship’s Protective Shield.
No communication was needed between the two sides; merely judging the posture, a major battle was imminent.
On the public channel, a communication request was incoming; Qu Jianlei directly ignored it.
"Aim at the target Starship, free to attack!"
In the next moment, the five Starships and six small Attack Ships began concentrated fire on that Starship.
However, immediately afterward, specks of light appeared. Little Lake timely issued a warning.
"Bad news, the other side has at least two Space-Air Carriers... military-grade!"
Military-grade Space-Air Carriers far surpass civilian versions, the standard configuration is three squadrons, each squadron with twelve small ships.
Two Space-Air Carriers mean, if standard-equipped, the opponent has seventy-two small ships.
But Qu Jianlei has only five slightly larger ships, with only six small ships.
No matter how it’s viewed, this is a fight with overwhelming odds.
Qu Jianlei’s face showed no expression, "What are the types of the other four warships?"
Big Head Butterfly spun wildly, "One Fire Support Ship, one Frigate, and two others... still determining!"
A Fire Support Ship is similar to a large Assault Ship, but not identical, emphasizing fire support.
This is an integrated weapon launching platform, similar to Blue Star’s "Arsenal Ship" concept.
(Updated till, calling for monthly tickets, subscriptions, and recommendation tickets.)
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