Zhao Chen smiled as he observed the lively scene inside the underground pipeline. Three demi-human female soldier guards were vigilantly protecting him in the center.
"Who are you?" The man stepping on Lilith glared at Zhao Chen, his hands behind his back gesturing subtly.
His accomplices, who had been capturing the succubus, began to close in one by one.
"Who am I?" Zhao Chen rubbed his chin, appearing thoughtful, then replied with a smile, "Who I am is none of your damn business."
The man felt insulted. He pointed angrily at Zhao Chen, "Kid, I'm warning you. I have the Black Fox Society of Arctic Fox Starport backing me! If you leave now, I can pretend nothing happened. Otherwise... I'll make sure you never leave Arctic Fox Starport!"
Black Fox Society?
From the name, it sounded like some kind of underworld organization.
But Zhao Chen didn't care. He chuckled lightly, shook his head, and spread his hands, "Your so-called Black Fox Society might have some influence. But do you really think any of you will leave this place alive?"
The man understood the implication in Zhao Chen's words. He immediately drew a dagger, and his companions behind him also pulled out their weapons. A group of over a dozen people gathered together.
The three demi-human female soldier guards immediately assumed combat stances.
"Don't rush yet. Let me test this myself first." Zhao Chen stopped the three guards and stepped forward alone, beckoning to the group with a finger, "No need to dawdle. Let's make this quick."
"You're asking for death! Get him, kill this guy!" the man ordered.
His accomplices surged forward. However, the underground pipeline wasn't spacious, allowing at most five people to walk side by side. In a fight, only three could charge at the front.
Seeing this, the three female guards gripped the short blades at their waists.
General Charlotte had said that no matter what happened, protecting the Captain's life was the top priority.
But now the Captain had ordered them not to intervene.
This put them in a dilemma. They could only watch for now and act immediately if the Captain was in danger.
Yet an unexpected scene unfolded.
Zhao Chen took the lead, first dodging the dagger of the first attacker, then punching the man squarely in the chest.
Crack
It was the sound of ribs breaking.
Then, with two swift kicks, Zhao Chen sent the other two flying.
His speed, fluid movements, and terrifying strength left the three demi-human female soldier guards in awe. This was no less impressive than the elite warriors among their own demi-human race!
"Continue." A fighting spirit flashed in Zhao Chen's eyes.
After injecting the T1 Super Soldier Serum, Zhao Chen had conducted simulated combat on the starship. The data showed that his current physical abilities surpassed those of most interstellar soldiers.
But without actual combat experience, Zhao Chen still didn't know exactly how strong he was.
If he asked the demi-human female starship crew to spar with him, they would hold back out of respect for his position as Captain, and he couldn't bring himself to be rough with them either.
So he had been waiting for an opportunity to truly test his skills.
And now, here it was.
Three minutes later.
Except for the man, all his accomplices lay on the ground, with one-third of them already dead.
Either the heart was directly shattered by a heavy blow, or the neck was cleanly severed by a hand chop.
Zhao Chen's strength was simply too great; an ordinary person's body couldn't withstand it at all.
"You... you... don't come any closer!" The man stared in terror at Zhao Chen before him, backing away continuously until he finally turned and fled in fright.
Zhao Chen picked up a dagger from the ground and hurled it directly.
The dagger plunged fiercely into the man's buttocks.
"Ah..." A piercing scream rang out as the man collapsed right beside Lilith in an awkward position.
Zhao Chen said with dissatisfaction, "My accuracy still isn't good enough. I was clearly aiming for the head."
Lilith looked at the man lying before her, recalling how during all these years on the run, it was people like this who had relentlessly pursued them. Many of her sisters had even lost their lives because of it.
Overcome with hatred, she picked up a small knife nearby and plunged it into the man's neck. Blood splattered across her face.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Lilith snapped back to reality and warily observed the strange group of one man and three women.
"You're from the Succubus clan, right?" Zhao Chen spoke to Lilith while signaling the three female soldier guards behind him to clean up the battlefield, disposing of anyone among those people who wasn't quite dead yet.
For the Half-Beast Female Starship Crew, this was a routine task—a swift raise and fall of the blade meant another life ended.
"Are you here to capture us too?" Lilith said, placing the dagger against her pale neck. "I'd rather die than let you humiliate me."
Zhao Chen shrugged and smiled. "If you want to die, then die. But I have no intention of humiliating you. I just saw the Succubus clan and was curious, so I came to take a look."
Lilith was taken aback, not understanding what this man meant.
"This place is no longer safe. If you don't mind, you can come to my Starship. I can guarantee your safety," Zhao Chen said.
Lilith stared at Zhao Chen, speaking cautiously, "How do I know your goal isn't the same as theirs?"
"If my goal were the same as theirs, I could have just captured you directly. Why waste time talking here? If you don't accept my goodwill, that's fine too. Let's go. Anyway, someone will come to capture you soon. If you die, it's over for you, but it's a pity for your clansmen—I see there are even children among them." Zhao Chen turned around, ready to leave.
Lilith's weak spot was struck. She looked back at her clansmen, huddled together in fear.
She bit her red lip lightly and finally couldn't help but call out, "Hey! I'm willing to go with you, as long as... as long as you can guarantee the safety of my clansmen and not harm them. I... I... I can agree to any condition you ask."
These words held immense power over a man, especially coming from the mouth of a stunning Succubus.
"You three, figure out a way to take them back to our Starship. No problem, right?" Zhao Chen looked at his female soldier guards.
The guards glanced at the Succubi and nodded. "Captain, we can rent a few flycars, park them at the exit of the underground pipeline, hide them in the vehicles, and take them back to the Starship. It's not a difficult task."
"Then it's settled." Zhao Chen said, walking out of the pipe without looking back, as if he didn't care about the succubi behind him at all.
Lilith held her clanspeople, unsure whether her choice was right or wrong. But rather than waiting here to die, it was better to take a chance!
She watched the man's retreating figure with a complicated expression.
What she didn't see was the slight upward curve at the corner of the man's mouth.