Chapter 327: Chapter 177: A small swipe at Red River Starfall - Bodyguard Collector_2
Li Ming halted, then turned around. Only then did Blake see that the other was holding a broken metal palm, his tone playful:
"He was someone I went through great pains to rescue. You say youâre taking him away?"
Blake was not surprised, "Your Excellency, name a price. If itâs reasonable, we are willing to pay accordingly."
Li Ming did not quote a price right away, but instead drawled leisurely, "His family seems to have fallen? What do you need him for?"
"To use his name to intervene in the internal affairs of the Judger Civilization?"
Blake frowned tightly, "These matters have nothing to do with Your Excellency."
Li Ming shrugged, "Indeed, they have nothing to do with me. However, I am quite curious, and if you donât tell me, then thereâs nothing to discuss."
Blakeâs expression shifted slightly, his voice cold, "Isnât Your Excellency being a bit too unreasonable?"
The few men behind Blake tensed, ready to act, as the atmosphere at the scene dropped to freezing point.
Ya Roâs eyelid twitched, not wanting to see a confrontation, exclaimed, "This is the Collectorâs territory!"
Blake said in a deep voice, "We are aware, but youâre not really the Collectorâs subordinates, just his tools at most."
"The Collector loves collecting all sorts of bizarre items, and since mechanical creations are the most numerous, he has many Mechanics specifically to repair these items for him."
"However, the fate of these Mechanics isnât very good; they have no freedom, and if they break something, they might even be killed."
Ya Roâs expression turned very ugly while Li Ming watched him with interest.
Feeling he had grasped the otherâs weak point, Blake softened, "We are affiliated with the Interstellar Alliance. Although everyone says itâs just a shell, thatâs only in relation to Empire-level Civilizations."
"If youâre willing to help us, we are also willing to help you, perhaps allowing you to escape smoothly from the Collectorâs clutches?"
Ya Ro sighed internally. Although he couldnât see what Li Ming was planning, so far, it was obviously Li Mingâs own choice to be confined.
The otherâs words might be useful to other Mechanics, but to Li Ming, they were just nonsense.
Li Ming watched the other with an almost mocking gaze. Blake felt inexplicably uneasy and was about to speak when he saw the other glance at the time and say, "Iâm sorry, but youâve arrived at an inconvenient moment."
Blake did not understand why, but suddenly felt the ground shake beneath him and heard continuous roaring sounds. He changed color, thinking it was a trap.
The men behind him quickly formed defensive positions.
"Itâs not an ambush. Itâs the Red River Starfall!" Ya Ro shouted loudly!
Blake was slightly stunned and watched as Li Ming walked past them unguarded.
After hesitating briefly, he ordered his men to relax and walked out of the area. His pupils dilated as the entire Floating Island kept rising.
Above them, they saw a radiant splendor. The whole starry sky seemed to have turned a brilliant red, like a boundless red river, with countless meteor-like lights streaking across.
Islands of various sizes floated around, their bases spewing fierce beams of light.
"Red River Starfall..." someone muttered softly behind him, and upon asking, Blake learned it was a rare phenomenon that occurred only once every six months to a year at the Red River Star Stream.
Li Ming looked upward. The "Collectorâs Cabinet" had grown tremendously, even larger than typical continental plates, but at this moment, it seemed incredibly minute.
The vastness of the universe and his own insignificance intertwined in his mind.
Many Floating Islands reached a certain limit and then stopped.
They tuned into the broadcast channel and activated the gravity device.
Using the gravity, they pulled out objects that streaked across like meteors from the Red River Star Stream.
Bang!
The first "meteor" was pulled out, and its red luminescence faded.
It was half of a palace ruin, initially intact, but after being pulled from the Red River Star Stream, it suddenly exploded into powder.
No one was surprised by this; the broadcast channel was filled with noise and excitement.
Bang!
Another meteor, a warship wreckage, quite large. Li Ming instantly recognized many metal materials and estimated that he could perhaps extract two or three hundred thousand units of metal energy.
Li Ming was energized but drifted towards another direction, where it was captured by others.
"Haha..." Laughter suddenly spread through the channel.
One meteor after another was pulled out and then floated in a certain direction, falling into a floating island.
Soon, Li Ming pulled in the first meteor, which was half of a high-riseâs metal frame, yielding little metal energy.
But this was just the beginning, the Red River Starfall would last at least several hours, there was plenty of time.
"The Collector is making a move!" Ya Ro suddenly shouted. Li Ming looked up, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The figure of the Collector was almost invisible, only a large area could be seen distorting, and a dozen meteors trembled incessantly, forcibly pulled from the Red River Star Stream.
With a dozen in one stroke, no wonder his wealth accumulation was becoming more and more terrifying.
These items alone, merely sold as scrap and extracting raw materials, were worth quite some money.
Blake looked dazed, quickly regaining his senses. Although joining this affair was coincidental, their goal was just to take Kay away, and now seemed to be a good opportunity.
This was Li Mingâs first participation, quite the surprise, he marveled quietly.
All of a sudden, his gaze shifted slightly, "Taking advantage of this moment."
His lips twisted, and suddenly he shouted into the channel, "Your Excellency the Collector, someone is trying to harm me!"
Blakeâs scalp tingled, shocked, "Whatâs going on, I havenât even acted yet!?"
Confused, what shocked him even more happened next. The Collector, who had just pulled down a dozen meteors, stopped his movement and, bending his body, headed this way, trailing a red wave behind him.
Before he even arrived, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended, pinning everyone firmly in place, unable to move.
Kay even went straight to the ground.
The next moment, the Collector landed gracefully, a few dozen centimeters off the ground, his gaze sweeping across Blake and the others.
Blake was already numb, dripping with cold sweat. Just a word could summon the Collector?
Was this the Mechanic regarded as a tool?
Just as he was about to speak, to fight for a chance at life, he saw the Collector lift his right hand, hooked it, then rapidly dropped it, and four figures came crashing down from the edge of the Floating Island.
With a flick of his index finger, their Mimic Masks were torn off, their expressions terrified.
"Col... Collector Your Excellency," the figures trembled as they spoke, one of them being the Cyclops, his eyes full of fear, his heart even more baffled.
They hadnât made a move yet, just quietly approached the edge of the Floating Island; how had they been discovered?
What baffled them even more was that a single word from this man had directly brought the Collector to them.
Exactly who was whose subordinate?
"So itâs you guys," the Collector seemed to recognize them, smiling faintly.
Crack! The sound of bones breaking continuously, screams rising and falling.
"Wait!"
A deep voice came from behind, and intense air rushed forward.
The Collector turned around, and from nowhere, a burly figure appeared, his aura boiling, like a volcano about to erupt.
Sandro!
Ya Ro, subconsciously feeling guilty, diverted his gaze, fearing being discovered.
"Your people overstepped, I killed them on the spot, you cannot stop me," said the Collector, his tail swinging, hovering in midair.
"Of course," Sandro spoke deeply, "but since when did you start acting as a personal bodyguard?"
The Collectorâs expression became reserved, his finger hooked, and the four men on the ground smashed toward Sandro.
Sandro frowned, waved his hand, and the air burst, flinging the four men in different directions, their screams echoing.
"You kill one of mine, I let four go, letâs end this matter," said the Collector indifferently.
Sandro said nothing, his eyes briefly flicked over Li Ming, then turned and shouted, "Donât just stand there, get moving!"
The four scrambled up and hurried after him, the Collector turned, looking back at Blake and the others with significant meaning, "And who are these few?"
Blake shuddered, his heart as if clenched by an invisible force.