Chapter 67: The Battle-Worn Starsea Guardian Ship

The two staff members from the Dayong Auction House were not very high-ranking in New Moon City. Their main responsibility was to scout for auctionable items across the city—a task akin to fishing in a vast ocean. Even when the items they found sold for astronomical prices, the commission they earned was minimal. The auction house's profit largely stemmed from its superior network and analytic capabilities, not from the staff's individual efforts.

However, Dayong Auction House had an excellent intelligence network.

Less than an hour after Tian Xiao left the Golden Street, these two had already gathered enough information to identify him and track him down to the New Moon City Training Facility. Their efficiency was impressive.

Tian Xiao was busy moving to another location to relieve his muscle fatigue and didn't have the energy for small talk.

"Make an offer!" he demanded, his voice cutting through the air.

The two auction house staff members were initially taken aback, but they quickly regained their composure. One of them nodded and smiled.

"We heard that Tian Xiao purchased three Mutated Bull Beasts—one large and two smaller ones—for 6.6 million. We certainly wouldn't want you to lose out on this deal. We're willing to add an extra one million to your asking price. How about that?"

"Sounds good," Tian Xiao replied, summoning a biological robot to retrieve the metal crates he had stored earlier.

The two auction house staff members were elated. They hadn't expected Tian Xiao to agree so quickly.

"Thank you, Tian Xiao. Here's the address for our Dayong Auction House. Feel free to drop by whenever you like. We won't keep you any longer. Goodbye," they said, handing him their business cards.

"No need to see me off," Tian Xiao responded as they left.

With 7.6 million in his pocket, he had earned a hundred thousand in profit and had also secured a G-class pancreas from the Mutated Bull Beast. His pace lightened as he left the training facility. A biological robot massaged his muscles to aid in the recovery process. Only then did he take the time to assess the changes in his physical capabilities.

The G-class pancreas from the Mutated Bull Beast had made a noticeable difference.

His muscle strength had increased to 16.7, and his muscle responsiveness had reached 16.6.

"Excellent," Tian Xiao thought, pleased with the progress. Both values had crossed the threshold into G-class.

The pancreas's effectiveness hadn't entirely worn off, leaving about one-third of its potential still untapped. He could train again to see if he could break through into the G3 standard.

While Tian Xiao was relaxing and replenishing his energy, back at the highest floor of the Training Facility, Wang Qiushan was reviewing the most recent reports from the chairman's assistant.

"Tian Xiao... from the Feiying Company under the Cloud Group. Squad leader of the security team at one of their bases. H9 level overall strength. Notable recent activities include a series of mental duels with the new highest-ranking base commander."

Wang Qiushan, who had been resting his chin in his hands, focused intensely on the report. When he finished reading the last entry, his eyes gleamed with interest.

"Interesting," he muttered. "He's crossed paths with Wang Yunfei?"

The name Wang Yunfei seemed to trigger something in Wang Qiushan. He paused for a moment before continuing.

"To break through into G-level so quickly. Yunfei's advantage is rapidly diminishing. It looks like Tian Xiao won't be easily subdued."

Clearly, Wang Qiushan was familiar with Wang Yunfei. The two were distantly related.

"In time, Tian Xiao could become a force to be reckoned with," Wang Qiushan thought, his admiration for Tian Xiao growing.

"Too bad. I'm about to rejoin the military, otherwise, I wouldn't mind getting to know this guy better."

Thanks to the Wang family's influence, Wang Qiushan had secured his re-entry into Earth's military, specifically the Heavenly Army. His future responsibilities would make it hard for him to maintain close ties with business executives and mercenaries like Tian Xiao.

None of this was on Tian Xiao's mind, of course. Unaware of the conversation taking place behind closed doors, he continued to focus on his training.

After another half-hour of extreme training in the Double-Gravity chamber, his body had finally broken through the G3 barrier, reaching a physical standard of 17 points.

He had spent 8 million purchasing a G-class chip from the black market in New Moon City. He immediately used it to enhance his capabilities. After the absorption process was complete, he left the facility, his mind already set on his next goal.

On his way back to the base, Tian Xiao's ship passed by the vast space station, where he noticed an enormous ship—over two kilometers long—slowly approaching the station. The vessel was heavily damaged.

A swarm of logistics staff in deep-space suits clung to ropes as they welded and repaired the ship's shattered sections.

The sight made everyone stop in their tracks, gasping in disbelief.

"Is that a D-class warship?"

"How could it be damaged like this? What happened to it?"

"Is this the work of space pirates?"

Lu, one of Tian Xiao's team members, had his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. He couldn't help but take in the scene.

Zhu Xiaotian and the others were less familiar with the ship's type but could see its severity.

Tian Xiao, however, recognized it immediately. His mind raced with data points.

D-class Starssea Guardian Ship—a flagship warship in the Earth Heavenly Army's fleet. Tian Xiao had once been assigned to this ship for missions, and he knew its capabilities intimately.

Currently, no space pirates could easily destroy a D-class warship.

From the ship's damage, it was clear that it had been struck by electromagnetic eggs—deadly projectiles launched by higher-level insectoid beasts. These eggs were nearly undetectable upon launch but carried immense destructive power. Upon explosion, the eggs released a corrosive, high-temperature liquid that could easily threaten and damage C-class vessels.

This Starsea Guardian Ship had survived two electromagnetic egg attacks and was still able to limp back to the New Moon City base. The captain must have been an exceptional individual.

Tian Xiao wondered if the captain was someone he had worked with before.

However, there was little time for such thoughts.

Earth's Heavenly Army quickly took control of the docking area, clearing the surrounding ships and creating a security perimeter. The entire star system was sealed off, and interference magnetic fields were set up to prevent any external communications.

"Quite a sight," Tian Xiao muttered, impressed but cautious.

"I hope we never have to face something like this. One shot from a ship like that and we'd be vaporized," Lu said, hands clasped in prayer.

"Let's make a bet," Tian Xiao suddenly said, turning to his team.

The five members of his team exchanged glances.

"Another bet?" they groaned, their faces reflecting a mixture of resignation and dread.

Lately, every time Tian Xiao made a bet, they were forced to eat strange and unpalatable items as part of the punishment.

But this time, the stakes were high.

"How long do you think it'll take me to break through to G-level when we return to the base?" Tian Xiao asked. "Guess in days. The person who guesses the closest wins one million, and the losers get the usual punishment."

Hearing the prize was one million, everyone perked up, their faces lighting up with excitement. They eagerly began to make their guesses.

"Thirty days!"

"I think twenty-five days."

"Twenty days!"

"Seventeen days!"

"Fifteen days!" Zhu Xiaotian guessed the shortest time.

Tian Xiao, with a calm expression, pulled out a small knife and began slicing the Mutated Bull Beast's pancreas into five pieces. He pushed them toward his team members, one piece per person.

The team stared at the pieces in confusion.

"Uh… What's this about?"

Tian Xiao's face remained expressionless.

"I'm guessing today," he said flatly. "You've already lost."

The team fell silent, realizing they had been tricked once again.