In the vast universe and the deep starry sky, a "Swordfish" spaceship that resembled a giant shark was traveling at high speed in the colorful and brilliant Milky Way.
This was transport spaceship 703C of Starship 101 of the Singda Aerospace Company. It was originally carrying a new batch of workers to the Black Gold Starship No.3, but it was intercepted by Ding Meng and Vader at the connecting cabin of the spaceport.
Vader first shut down the ship's communication system, and Ding Meng, who had followed behind, used his identity as a mercenary to close the exit, trapping more than fifty crew members in the connecting cabin. When the other two transport spaceships had completed the handover, 703C quietly followed them out of the port and successfully escaped from the transport spaceship.
As for the captain, the first mate, and the second mate, they were mercilessly shot to death by Vader when they boarded the ship. Ding Meng did not care about this at all. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes, the logic of survival was just that simple. If you don't die, then we'll die. There was no room for choice at all.
On the other hand, Ding Meng did not kill the crew members who were trapped in the connecting cabin because these ordinary workers posed no threat to him at all.
At this moment, the autopilot system had been activated. What Vader and Ding Meng had to do was to replenish their energy and physical strength in the spaceship's resting area.
Looking at the stars flying past outside the cabin, Vader appeared to be deeply worried. His wife was still in the Federation, but he was heading in the direction of the Empire. He did not know when they would meet again. Perhaps it would be tomorrow, or perhaps there would never be a tomorrow …
Ding Meng had already taken off his mercenary's soft armor and changed into Singda's crew uniform. After enjoying twelve plates of sirloin steak, twenty-one salads, and thirty plates of seasonal vegetables, he finally put down his knife and fork in satisfaction. He also conveniently wiped out the seven bottles of iced black tea on the table.
In this era of advanced technology, delicacies were one of the most extravagant human indulgences.
Think about it, the workers in the Black Gold Starship base used the cheapest industrial nutrient solution. Even ordinary human families usually used slightly better highly polymerized compressed solutions. Once the lid of the test tube was lifted, they would raise their heads and take a mouthful. The entire process would take less than ten seconds, and one's meal would be over. There was no joy in eating at all.
Therefore, all kinds of delicacies were usually reserved for the rich. Ding Meng would never have thought that Xing Da Company's transport ship would have such good stuff hidden in it.
After struggling on the edge of life and death for so many years, even if he could eat this meal, it was unknown whether there would be a next one. Not to mention that origin ability users consumed a lot of energy, and beginner origin ability users needed a lot of food to replenish their energy. Thus, there was no reason not to enjoy it.
After enjoying the western food, Ding Meng's attention was attracted by the control system of the spaceship. The central screen showed that out of the 1780 workers on the spaceship, only one of them was in use. In other words, there was only one worker in this batch.
What kind of situation was this?
Ding Meng was extremely curious.
When he was first sent here, he was also in a hibernation pod. That was why he knew nothing about the outside world when he arrived at Black Gold Base.
However, there was one thing that he could understand. The laborers were all inferior people, and the cabin provisions they usually received were pitifully little. Even the transportation companies would do anything to make use of them. Many people starved to death as soon as they stepped out of the cabin. It was too common.
"Since there's only one person, let's let him out and have a look." Ding Meng had no prejudice against laborers. They were all human beings, so why should they be treated differently?
He was also born as a laborer.
Vader had no objections to this at all. Even if he had objections, he would have none. Ding Meng was a ruthless character who could even kill Julie. If he wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as stretching out his hand.
Soon, the door to the rest area opened automatically. A sloppy man in ragged clothes stumbled in. Looking at his posture, he was about to fall to the ground at any time. He was probably so hungry that he couldn't take it anymore.
Ding Meng was too lazy to say anything. He pointed at the table not far away. There were still a few portions of steak on it that he hadn't finished.
The man's eyes immediately lit up like a wild wolf that had seen fresh prey after being starved for many days. However, when he sat down at the table, it was as if he had become a different person.
He became unusually calm. First, he straightened his back. Then, he carefully wrapped the napkin around his neck like a real gentleman. He picked up the bowl of borscht elegantly and took a small sip. Then, he held a knife in his right hand and a fork in his left hand. He cut off a small piece of beef and put it into his mouth to slowly chew it …
If one were to compare Ding Meng's table manners with his, then Ding Meng would be like a hungry dog pouncing on feces. He would rush up and tear, bite, gnaw, and chew... like a whirlwind sweeping away the clouds and sweeping away a thousand soldiers.
However, this person was like a true aristocrat. His every movement was solemn, elegant, and romantic.
Even if he was a laborer, even if he was starving, the etiquette of Western food was so exquisite that even Vader was staring at him with his eyes wide open.
It wasn't until the man slowly finished the plate of steak and regained some strength that he put down his cutlery and muttered, "What a pity, what a pity."
"What's a pity?" Ding Meng couldn't help but ask.
The man sighed and said, "The environment here is barely passable. It's a pity that the steak is refrigerated and half-done. Also, it's a pity that there's no red wine to accompany it. Most importantly, there's no fruit after the meal. This is not how Western food is eaten..."
Hearing his words, Ding Meng was so angry that he laughed. You're already like a b * stard, and you still care about these things?
Do you really think you're one of those rich and powerful people in the Federal Empire?
"What else do you want?" Ding Meng stared at him.
The man didn't pay attention to him at all. He found a nearby sofa and sat down to rest. It looked like he was about to doze off.
Ding Meng couldn't help but say, "I'm not a crew member."
"Hmm." The man didn't even open his eyes. He just snorted softly as a response.
Ding Meng continued, "I'm not from the refugee camp or the mercenary group either."
This time, the man didn't even say "hmm." It looked like he was about to fall asleep.
Ding Meng said, "I'm also a laborer. I'm the one who let you out."
The man finally opened his eyes and said calmly, "Then I'll thank you."
He was saying thank you, but his tone, expression, and eyes didn't have the slightest bit of gratitude. It was as if Ding Meng was his servant and that it was his duty to do these things.
However, Ding Meng wasn't angry at his arrogance. Instead, he found it very interesting.
Look at him, sitting on that sofa, he's just like the president of the Federation sitting on a spacious and comfortable sofa. He's so arrogant, it's as if he's forgotten that he's a laborer.
Vader was also impressed. Even when he was giving orders at the exchange center, he wasn't as arrogant as this guy.
However, now that they were on the run, Ding Meng couldn't be bothered to argue with this guy. After scanning the area with his telekinetic vision, he found that the man's threat level was basically zero. He also planned to sit down and take a nap.
In fact, just as he sat down, the scruffy-looking man suddenly opened his eyes. "Right, where are the crew members of this ship?"
He finally asked a question that a normal person would ask. Ding Meng's eyelids drooped. "They're gone."
"Gone?" The scruffy-looking man seemed very curious. "Why are they gone?"
"If they're gone, they're gone. Unless you want to see them?" Ding Meng's answer was very direct. His words were as good as not saying anything.
Unexpectedly, the scruffy-looking man nodded seriously. "Yes, they're gone. Why do you have so many ridiculous whys?"
Ding Meng was speechless again. This guy made him completely speechless.
The scruffy-looking man asked again, "Excuse me, can I use the crew room?"
Ding Meng immediately became alert. "What do you want?"
The scruffy-looking man answered seriously, "I want to take a hot bath. My current appearance isn't very good."
Ding Meng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself, It's not that your appearance isn't good, it's that you don't have an image at all. From another perspective, why would a coolie like you need an image? What's an image? Can it be eaten?
Although he was grumbling in his heart, Ding Meng was still very magnanimous. He waved his hand and said, "Go on. I won't take you there. Find your own way."
"No problem." The scruffy-looking man slowly stood up and walked towards the exit in a leisurely manner.
However, before he could walk out of the lounge, he slowly walked back. Vader was very puzzled. "Why did you come back again?"
The scruffy-looking man still had a serious expression on his face. "I thought about it and decided that it's better not to take a bath."
"Why?" Ding Meng was also quite puzzled.
The scruffy-looking man said, "Taking a bath is too damaging to one's vitality. It's not good for the body."
This time, Ding Meng wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. As an Origin Ability user, I didn't even say that it was damaging to my vitality. You, an ordinary person, are talking to me about vitality?
Unexpectedly, the scruffy-looking man stood up again not long after he sat down. "Forget it. I still think that I need to take a bath."
Ding Meng and Vader were both stunned. "Why this time?"
The scruffy-looking man smiled embarrassedly. "Compared to vitality, I still think that my personal image is more important."
Ding Meng: "…"
Vader: "…"