"Holy crap, is this guy serious? Joking is one thing, fighting is another, but don't joke about eating poop—especially when it's for twenty thousand people."

Unfortunately, people guessed wrong. The chubby guy was dead serious and loudly declared that if anyone dared poop in public, he'd dare to eat it in public.

Turns out, the world is just that outrageous. Believe it or not, someone in the crowd actually rose to the challenge. A masked individual jumped to the edge of the ring and declared proudly, "As long as you dare to eat, I'll dare to poop."

The chubby guy froze at this sight, his eyes wide open. He hesitated for a moment...

"I'll eat."

And then the other person really did...

"But it's eye gunk."

Luckily, the other guy didn't care about dignity, but the chubby guy did. Zhang Xiaobo had already come up with a way out. There's no way he'd actually go through with it, otherwise he'd be done for the rest of his life. The commotion finally came to an awkward end with sighs of relief.

After today's lesson, the chubby guy realized a profound truth: It's not just about having strength, you also need protagonist-level luck. It seemed that his own protagonist-powered bloodline wasn't quite up to snuff and needed a comprehensive upgrade.

As for how to improve that? Training, obviously.

But strengthening himself wasn't the priority right now. The immediate goal was to get a good night's sleep and prepare to approach Blade Warrior. Sara had already readied the gifts and even bought fancy wrapping paper.

The problem was whether these gifts would seem too shabby. After all, back on Colonial Planet 103, he had teamed up with Mengdie. Especially on that one night, Mengdie indirectly saved his life. It wasn't an emotional debt or anything since everyone had their strictly defined roles, with their lives on the line. But honestly, she did save him, and showing up with just these tiny gifts felt a little ungracious no matter how he looked at it.

Smack...

He had an idea!

A spark flashed in Zhang Xiaobo's mind, and suddenly he thought of an unbeatable strategy! That's right, in this world, Kexiao might be a born genius, Feng Yi might be unparalleled, Roland might dominate the masses, and Mengdie might be stunningly brilliant, but nobody—absolutely nobody—understood gift-giving better than him! And no one understood how to navigate interpersonal relationships better than he did.

The key to gift-giving wasn't using something brainy or flashy. Well, not always. But Mengdie liked fruits. Lots and lots of fruits. This coastal city produced an abundance of them. He could pack the fruits in Space Crystals, perfectly preserved, then travel together with Blade Warrior's shuttle to deliver them. What a smart choice! He truly was the protagonist of the era.

Thinking this to himself, the chubby guy silently gave himself a mental thumbs-up. The next step was simply waiting for Blade Warrior. Zhang Xiaobo knew that Blade Warrior's space station's first stop was Mardis to replenish supplies thoroughly. Then, via Dragon Gate's spatial transfer, they'd continue accelerating with antimatter until finally reaching the Solar System's capital.

After all, the massive space station consumed a large quantity of antimatter per trip, and speed couldn't be enhanced using curvature compression. It could only achieve sub-light speeds through continuous acceleration.

The process was a bit of a hassle, but fortunately, her destination was Earth on Federal Capital Planet. Relying on Earth clearly reflected Blade Warrior's long-term vision. After all, the resources available on the capital planet far surpass those of a mere mining planet. As for himself, all he needed to do was wait for Blade Warrior to return to Earth and take off with her. He had plenty of time to prepare.

——

Meanwhile, on the other side of the distant star system, Xiu Yi was already prepared to embark on his journey to Federal Capital Planet. This plan had been discussed with Blade Warrior long ago. But as the moment approached, Xiu Yi began feeling increasingly uneasy.

That night, he went to bed early and slept dreamlessly.

…Morning came.

Kevin's thunderous knocking jolted him awake. "My friend, your sense of time is as elusive as ever—the sun is almost burning your backside."

Xiu Yi rubbed his groggy head and forced himself upright. He had struggled to sleep last night, his thoughts running wild. He didn't even know when he finally drifted off. But now, he hurriedly ordered Xixi from the logistics team to get things ready for their imminent departure.

Everyone exchanged glances and chuckled. Red Ghost commented wryly, "Captain, we've all been waiting on you."

"Oh, dammit! What time is it?"

"Mardis time: 9:15:32 in the morning," came the reply.

"Don't bother mentioning the seconds. I bet you're doing it deliberately."

"Hmph, Captain wins the bet!"

"I'd rather lose it." Xiu Yi quickly threw on his coat and washed his face in record time.

Xixi urged him to relax, reminding him that there were still more than two hours before the flight's departure. She suggested taking advantage of the time to buy some local specialties, not just for gifts but also as thoughtful things they couldn't get there. After all, Mardis—with its lush greenery—produced some of the world's rarest fruits, even sold locally at steep prices, especially near the airport. But it would be a kind gesture nonetheless.

As Xixi brainstormed on-the-spot ideas, she quickly searched for available Space Crystals, worried she might miss something.

"Let's go," Xiu Yi declared, leading the way out of the room.

As a bounty hunter, he didn't have particularly high standards for living conditions. He was indifferent to the quality of lodging, preferring smaller inns with minimal hassle. A simple word with the innkeeper, and he could leave without formalities or wasted time.

The weather was exceptionally sunny that day. Xiu Yi stretched and, after some thought, said to the group, "Let's go with Xixi's suggestion. It's always better to be prepared than not."

"Captain, I suggest we buy some local specialties, like dragonfruit. It's said this thing can barely be kept fresh without Space Crystals, and the foreign market prices are steep." Kevin chimed in with his personal suggestion.

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