Chapter 77: Strength in Numbers

Yuxing and Zonggu Yu were among the first passengers to board the ship. They arrived two full hours ahead of schedule. Entering the pitch-dark, empty cabin, they quickly found a corner formed by the bulkhead, a metal platform, and a pillar. There, they put down their luggage, marked out their territory, and began to set up their bedding. Hardly had they finished when a large group of people poured onto the ship.

This crowd was a motley assortment, and Yuxing immediately recognized several well-known interstellar races among them. As soon as they boarded, the newcomers noisily began claiming their own spots. Some even looked enviously at the corner Yuxing and Zonggu Yu had taken—how comfortable it must be to have a wall to lean against.

Yuxing felt a wave of relief. Thank goodness Senior Yu knew the ropes and had brought him to board early; otherwise, they would never have secured such a good spot.

But Yuxing’s moment of gratitude was cut short by trouble. Approaching them was what looked like a family: two adults, a man and a woman, with two children. They asked Yuxing and Zonggu Yu if they could swap places, gesturing at a pile of luggage and a couple of makeshift beds by another section of the wall not far away.

Their luggage was far more than what Yuxing and Zonggu Yu possessed.

One of the adults, a bit embarrassed, explained that with so much luggage, a corner spot would make it easier to keep an eye on their belongings.

But there’s an old saying about the “golden corner and the silver edge, with the belly being the worst”—this family wanted to trade their “silver edge” for Yuxing and Zonggu Yu’s “golden corner.” Naturally, that was out of the question.

Zonggu Yu refused them outright. Yuxing watched as the person negotiating with them stiffened. Although Yuxing couldn’t read the facial expressions of these aliens, their body language was, at least to some extent, universal.

The person tried to persist, so Yuxing had no choice but to get up and say, “We already answered—no. See, everyone’s watching.”

The words were abrupt, and the person seemed momentarily stunned. Yuxing, meanwhile, lowered his gaze to the other’s feet, silently counting down: three, two, one. But those feet didn’t budge. So Yuxing took action.

A piercing, agonized scream rang out in the corner. Perhaps because the sound originated from the wall, it seemed to resonate even louder. Everyone in the cabin heard it.

Of course, they had all been watching, waiting to see if those two would give in. If they did, then they’d be marked as easy targets; not only would they lose their “golden corner,” but they couldn’t even keep the “silver edge” they’d traded for.

Yuxing had dislocated the arm of a burly man who was a head taller than him, dropping him to the ground. The man’s two children immediately burst into loud sobs. The woman, who had started to step forward, froze when she saw Yuxing eyeing her arm—wisely stopping in her tracks, not daring to move.

Zonggu Yu placed a hand on Yuxing’s shoulder and shook his head, signaling that this was enough. Yuxing considered, nodded in agreement, and crouched beside the man who was clutching his dislocated arm and groaning.

“With so many people watching, did you really come over just to let me make an example of you? Such self-sacrifice is truly touching, but really—was it worth it?”

With that, Yuxing picked up the big man and tossed him out of the corner, then glanced at the two bawling children, raising a finger to his lips.

“Hush. In public, good children should be quiet.”

Of course, the two children neither understood nor heeded Yuxing’s warning and continued wailing. But the woman understood. She grabbed the two kids and hurried away, the big man following, grimacing and clutching his arm.

In the few minutes they’d been gone, several people had already squatted by their pile of luggage. These were members of the large group occupying the center of the space, eyeing the bags like vultures circling fresh carrion, their gazes hot with calculation as they considered where to strike first.

“…It’s certainly chaotic,” Yuxing remarked, settling back into the corner.

By now, the unfortunate family had already been targeted. Someone from the big group suggested they join up for mutual support—the team would help watch their luggage, and they wouldn’t need to take turns on night watch, since two of them were children and one was now injured, leaving them unable to contribute manpower. All they “needed” to do was pay a hefty joining fee.

If Yuxing and Zonggu Yu had given up their spot earlier, it would have been their turn to pay that fee.

Zonggu Yu felt a certain sympathy for the family, but there was nothing he could do, and Yuxing’s response had been perfect—beyond reproach.

“That family, it must be their first time on a ship like this. Otherwise, they’d never have left their luggage unattended and made such a spectacle.”

Perhaps they’d spent too long in civilized society and expected that, even if they acted unreasonably, someone kind would make allowances. They hadn’t expected to meet the likes of these people—real villains.

Their luggage was moved to the center, along with everyone else’s, and the group arranged bedding around it. The wall-side spot they’d just lost was immediately claimed by several members of the group. As they settled in, they kept shooting glances towards Yuxing and Zonggu Yu.

“We’re not going to be targeted, are we?” There was a note of worry in Yuxing’s voice—after all, according to the schedule, they had to stay here for three days.

Senior Yu sighed softly, glancing toward the direction from which ill will seemed to emanate.

Yuxing coldly regarded the gathering crowd. He realized he’d overlooked something—sticking together not only meant protection, but also the power to bully others with numbers.

However, bullies choose their victims carefully.

That family, showing weakness, was devoured at once.

As for Yuxing and Zonggu Yu, having demonstrated their strength, the others watched them with wary respect.

They hadn’t given up, but neither did they act rashly—perhaps this was the wisdom of the collective.

It meant that, for the next few days, Yuxing and Zonggu Yu could not afford to show the slightest sign of weakness, or they would be next.

It was an unpleasant feeling, like the onset of motion sickness. Yuxing felt a vague malice swelling in his chest, as though sensing the hostility directed at him from outside, and his instinct was to push it back with equal force.

If they were strong enough, such bullying could be ignored—or even viewed with detached pity from above, watching these parasites scuttle about. But Yuxing and Zonggu Yu weren’t that powerful. If Yuxing wanted to free himself from this sense of unease… there was only one way: to root out the source of the malice itself.

By now, more and more people were boarding. In a space of just a few hundred square meters, over a hundred people crammed together.

It seemed that, to escape Earth, people were willing to risk anything, even if the universe itself was far from safe.

Was Earth really that dangerous now? Yuxing wondered.

With so many people, friction was inevitable. All over the cabin, minor and major conflicts erupted. The big group muddied the waters, recruiting even more members, and as the balance of power in this small space gradually stabilized, the conflicts died down.

Zonggu Yu finally spoke. “We’ll need to take turns standing watch these next few days. I’ll take the first half of the night—you sleep first.”

“All right,” Yuxing replied, crawling into his sleeping bag. He wasn’t sleepy, but since he’d be on watch for the second half of the night, he forced himself to rest.

Zonggu Yu arranged the bedding, making sure his weapon was within easy reach, then looked anxiously at Yuxing, who was already lying flat in the sleeping bag.

In the distance, a steady alarm sounded. The automatic hatch slowly descended, sealing the ship. It was perhaps because the space was now completely enclosed that every noise—of every kind—within the cabin became all the more pronounced.