At this time, it was already nearing evening.
The boss must have just gotten off work and was quite idle, as he picked up immediately when Chen Ming called. He asked with a slightly surprised tone, "Xiao Mu, whatâs up?"
Chen Ming instinctively glanced at the Mule Level heading toward the Space Station within the Star System and said, "Iâve brought the people back."
"So soon? Where are you? Iâll arrange for someone to pick them up right away."
"Still on the way, should be at the Space Station in about ten minutes, just a bit of a large crowd."
The boss didnât quite catch what Chen Ming meant and asked, "What do you mean by a bit of a large crowd?"
"Um... it means I brought the whole pirate ship back, there are about thirty-plus people on board, all alive."
"?"
The boss on the other end of the line was even more confused and asked, "How did you manage that?"
"Deception, and a bit of skill, not only is their ship under my control..."
"That Pirate Leader also thinks I brought him in because you are preparing to have him do something special, believing that bringing him here is to discuss some serious business."
As Chen Ming spoke, he sent over photos taken by Iron Ore No. of the Mule Level in the Star Systemâs internal environment where the Pirate Space Station was located.
Looking at the photo of the solitary Mule Level, the boss couldnât help but praise, "Youâve got skills. When you have time, tell me how you managed to deceive them like this."
Not waiting for later, Chen Ming directly said on the phone, "First, beat them up and break their legs, then tell them, I could have killed you but didnât, which shows youâre special to me. Finally, fix their legs, theyâll believe what I say."
"..."
The boss was silent for a moment and changed the subject, which seemed a bit off, "Letâs not talk about this. When you arrive, just enter the Space Station through the Patrol Teamâs dock. Let me know the ship type so I can arrange a pass for you."
"Wasnât that dock dismantled last time? Is it fixed now?"
"Not that fast, theyâve just reconnected the broken parts with a frame and created a small temporary berth inside. You can park the ship there, and Iâll take care of the rest."
"Okay."
Chen Ming agreed, suddenly recalling the cargo mounted on the Mule Level and said, "The batch of supplies they robbed is still hanging outside, with another part on another cargo ship. Should I later..."
Before Chen Ming could finish, the boss interrupted directly, "No need. If you can take it, just take it."
"That batch was meant for a small colonyâs supplies. Since it was robbed, the colony has already prepared a new batch for shipping."
"This batch doesnât need to be sent over anymore. I donât have any use for it now. If you can take it, do so. If not, Iâll have someone send it to the maintenance yard for you later. You can sell it or keep it for yourself."
"This is extra, not included with the other benefits I promised you."
"Let me finish what Iâm handling first, then Iâll come find you in a couple of days."
"Alright."
Chen Ming agreed once more, directly controlling the cargo hold mounted on the Mule Level to separate, transferring it to another Mule Level of his own.
Then, following the bossâs instructions, he brought only the piratesâ Mule Level into the Patrol Teamâs small temporary dock within the Space Station.
The temporary dock was somewhat messy, with many combat ships docked and materials for space arm repair piled up.
However, there was still a cleared area for the Mule Level to dock.
Chen Ming did not let Iron Ore No. land, only controlling the Mule Level to descend onto the platform.
Then, he saw a few people near the Mule Level waving at his Iron Ore No., likely the people arranged by the boss.
Chen Ming casually opened the Mule Levelâs hatch, returning the control permissions to the ship itself.
The boss should have already contacted the Pirate Leader through the pirateâs communication code provided by Chen Ming, based on his bluffs.
The surrounding professional military ships further convinced the Pirate Leader of Chen Mingâs story, so the bossâs people smoothly took most of the pirates off the ship from the temporary dock.
A few ship guards were left on board, who Chen Ming figured would probably be the first to die.
But that had nothing to do with him.
Chen Ming still had other places to go afterward.
The piratesâ Mule Level was left here, as the boss likely wouldnât care about such a thing anyway, to be retrieved later.
Chen Ming quickly controlled Iron Ore No., along with the Centurion and another Mule Level, into the open-to-the-outside dock in Space Stationâs Arm No. 15.
Meanwhile, Chen Ming was also inspecting the items carried by the Mule Level.
The Mule Level had a total of three external cargo pods looted by pirates, two Destroyer Level, and one Guard Level. With the cargo inside Chen Mingâs own Mule Level, the quantity was quite considerable.
Mostly various daily necessities and packaged foods, along with some lesser amounts of supplies for spacecraft use.
These items had little value in the Prosperous Star Realm, but in the Edge Star Realm, this quantity could fetch a decent price.
Chen Ming originally planned to find a place to sell them, but before he actually did, he hesitated for a moment.
Images of Dusk Colony flashed through his mind, and he somehow also associated it with the small colony connected to the boss.