"Boss, are you sure about this? Is the information reliable? How could the Grand Duke's son possibly be on a garbage planet?" a subordinate grumbled, unable to hold back his question after a long period of deliberation.
The boss shot him a cold glance. "Better safe than sorry. Besides, the one who sent the message is the person who wants him dead the most in this world. If we can capture a Grand Duke's son, we'll have fame, fortune, everything a pirate crew could ask for."
"Then, the reward that young master promised us?" another subordinate beside him cautiously probed.
"Is that pittance enough to impress anyone? We could get more by simply kidnapping any noble lady," the boss scoffed. He turned and warned his subordinates, "I'm warning you, this mission is extremely important. After this job, we'll have to lie low for a while, a very long while. But when we resurface, our name will be sung throughout the entire star domain."
The boss spoke with great ambition, his eyes full of anticipation. As they neared the garbage planet, he instructed the pirate ship to find a hidden spot to anchor. He then took a few trusted men and infiltrated the garbage planet alone to search for news of the Duke's son.
At this moment, Xing Yuan was sitting on a pile of trash, contemplating life. Caught off guard, she saw a small airship flying towards her from the horizon. Her eyes sparkled slightly.
She didn't need a pass. If she could somehow get her hands on a spaceship, she would find a way to return to the main planet.
She leaped up, landing lightly on the ground. After a series of modifications, she successfully built a rudimentary vehicle.
The vehicle, wobbling precariously, carried her towards the direction of the airship.
"Miss, do you know this person?" As Xing Yuan approached the airship, she saw over a dozen well-armed adult men disembarking. The leader held a portrait and asked her.
Xing Yuan shook her head honestly. She couldn't conjure someone she hadn't met out of thin air!
"Oh, alright. You may go!" the boss politely made way.
However, a subordinate beside him suddenly drew his weapon and fired at Xing Yuan.
Xing Yuan smiled faintly, as if she had expected this. She dodged the shot, then swiftly disarmed him and engaged them in combat. In a short while, the dozen burly space pirates lay on the ground, groaning in pain, covered in injuries.
Xing Yuan smiled with satisfaction and began to clean the gun. She immediately noticed that these men had blood on their hands, but she needed a legitimate reason. After all, she was a reasonable person. See, by showing a little weakness, they had handed her the reason on a silver platter.
"Tell me! Who is this person?" Xing Yuan picked up the portrait and leisurely interrogated them.
Xing Yuan casually picked up an iron rod from the ground and mercilessly poked their wounds.
"I won't tell you. I advise you to let us go. We are the notorious Kidnapping Pirates. My men are waiting outside this garbage planet for my signal. They could storm in at any moment. If you stop now, I might even leave you with your corpse intact."
The boss acted tough, but Xing Yuan continued to poke his wounds without mercy, eliciting cries of agony from him.
"You ask me, I ask you? Get your situation straight. I guarantee you'll die before they even get here," Xing Yuan chuckled and sprinkled a packet of salt from her bag onto his wounds.
"If he won't talk, perhaps you all will," Xing Yuan said, moving away from him with a hint of disgust at his contorted, pained expression, and turning her gaze to the others.
The pirates trembled. However, since they were pirates, it meant they weren't particularly backbone-strong or loyal individuals. After weighing their options, one of them finally confessed.
"This is the eldest son of the Duke's mansion. It's said he's here to research the garbage planet's modification issues. His younger brother gave us information and a reward, asking us to keep him on this garbage planet forever."
"Is that so!" Xing Yuan mused. She had some impression of this person; he was a rare noble who didn't discriminate against ordinary people.
Moreover, given his status and position, if she could hitch a ride with him, she could return quickly.
"How many of you are there?" Since she had decided to protect this noble soul, the first thing to do was to help him eliminate the threat.
"I... I don't know. Basically, everyone I've seen, except those on other missions, are here. Around a few hundred people."
So many! If she still had her mecha, Xing Yuan wouldn't be afraid. But as she was now, dealing with them would be quite strenuous.
With that thought, Xing Yuan swiftly dispatched them with her blade, leaving only the man who had surrendered.
The garbage planet was resource-scarce, and the swords were snatched from their bodies. They probably never imagined that one day they would be robbed by someone else and die by their own blade.
Xing Yuan weighed the money she had taken from them and smiled with satisfaction.
Her AI could handle transfers, but Xing Yuan didn't want to be inexplicably associated with these pirates. After all, her identity in this world was sensitive, and this alone could be used as a reason for her enemies to attack.
Xing Yuan tied up the sole survivor with a rope and then dragged him along like a dog, holding one end of the rope. She went to more populated areas to ask if anyone had seen the person in the portrait.
After several days of relentless effort, Xing Yuan finally found the person in question, Yu Hua Nan.
Xing Yuan knew he wouldn't easily believe her and might even suspect she was an enemy agent. So, she made a decision.
She took the opportunity when Yu Hua Nan was alone to abduct him, gagging his mouth with cloth. Then, she told him about the pirates' conspiracy with his brother to kill him. After finishing, Xing Yuan tore off the cloth that was covering his mouth.
"Who are you?" This was Yu Hua Nan's first question.
"Who I am is not important. What's important is that what I'm saying is true. I fell into a temporal rift by chance and woke up here."
"I can ensure your safe departure. In exchange, you will take me back to the main planet. This is a win-win deal, you won't lose anything. What do you say, do you agree?" Xing Yuan asked calmly.
"You? Even if my brother truly intends to harm me, that's a family matter. As for you, before you boast, shouldn't you consider your own strength?" Yu Hua Nan's tone was clearly laced with disdain.
Noticing Xing Yuan's gaze turning dangerous, Yu Hua Nan subtly turned his head and said uncomfortably, "However, I've always been willing to help. I'll agree to your request to travel on our Yu family's airship. Now, you should untie me."