Luke tilted his head, and a very fine probe extended from the palm of his mechanical hand. At the same time, a misty disinfectant sprayed from the pads of his five metal fingers, briefly creating a small sterile environment. The probe swiftly pierced the "Spider's" chest, and in less than five minutes, the minor operation was complete—a biochip was removed from the heart of the unconscious "Spider."

The moment the biochip was extracted, the "Spider's" metallic skin immediately collapsed, and his body temperature, heart rate, and metabolism plummeted. He seemed to age by decades in an instant, his face almost wrinkling.

A voice from the mechanical hand, identical to Luke's own, spoke: "Scanning unknown energy field—"

"Scan failed."

"Scan failed again—unable to identify—warning—"

"Block it," Luke ordered softly.

Luke carefully stored the unfamiliar chip, the mechanical hand reverting to a human hand. He searched the "Spider" and took all his electronic devices, stripping him down to a primitive state. Bending down, he hoisted the man over his shoulder, then reached back to destroy the mech's encryption system, took it, and left Venus Port.

He had intended to return the way he came, but as he neared the main hall, Luke suddenly paused. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Then, as if summoned by something, he turned in another direction and walked straight into the dense white grass.

Deep within the thick, withered grass, a car had stopped at some unknown time. Fourth Brother stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the car, looking like he had been waiting for quite a while.

Luke bowed formally to Fourth Brother: "Sir."

Fourth Brother lifted his chin, signaling him to get in. Luke tossed the captured man into the trunk, placed his hand on the car, and then his "hand" began to dissolve—first the hand, then the body, then the head... His entire form slowly disappeared, merging with the car. At the same time, Fourth Brother's dormant vehicle automatically restarted.

This tall, handsome "Luke" was, in fact, an artificial intelligence indistinguishable from a real person.

Luke's voice sounded: "Sir, where to?"

"Back to the Broken Tavern," Fourth Brother said. "Who is this guy? Can you tell?"

"Preparing to activate the spatial field, setting course for the Broken Tavern—judging by the mech model, he should be from 'Poison Nest.'"

The organization "Poison Nest" was located at the very edge of the Eighth Star System; any farther out, and it would be uninhabitable for humans. "Poison Nest" rarely interacted with other gangs in the system, shrouded in mystery. Rather than a gang, it was more like a cult. The Eighth Star System was full of eccentric people, and cults were not uncommon. Usually, people would invent some ancient legends to worship, or at worst, revere some cat or dog deity—at least those were mammals. But an organization like "Poison Nest," which worshipped insects, was truly unique.

Fourth Brother was a bit surprised: "What are they doing on Beijing Star?"

Chapter 5

Luke said, "Based on intercepted communications, it seems Poison Nest is colluding with the interstellar pirate group."

Fourth Brother crossed his legs and looked out the car window. The distorted spatial field outside was dizzying; staring at it for a few seconds could make anyone nauseous. But he was quite used to it. Hearing Luke's words, Fourth Brother didn't respond.

Luke realized this in the second second of silence and immediately corrected himself: "Sorry, sir, this part of the common vocabulary database hasn't been updated."

According to the Alliance government's "Anti-Piracy Law," all armed groups without official authorization were considered "interstellar pirates," which of course included Black Hole.

"Go back and get rid of that lousy lizard of yours, get a parrot instead," Fourth Brother said. "It'll help you adapt to your 'pirate' identity faster."

In an instant, Luke conducted a massive search in his vast database and found a cartoon from ancient Earth—a fierce-looking pirate captain with an equally fierce-looking parrot on his shoulder.

He studied the picture for a moment and understood: "Oh, you were joking."

Fourth Brother rubbed his brow in frustration.

Luke let out a chilling mechanical laugh in the empty car: "Hahaha."

To prevent Luke from politely searching for an even colder joke in return, Fourth Brother quickly changed the subject: "Penny is the local boss on Beijing Star and has some skills. It's not that easy to shake her off. Have you found the reason?"

"Yes, sir. I found this on him," Luke said, as a bloodstained biochip floated up in the car. "I can't identify it in a short time. This biochip was implanted in the heart. When activated, it can induce collective hallucinations in both humans and artificial intelligences within a small area."

Fourth Brother's gaze suddenly turned sharp.