Reborn in 2014: A One-Man Tycoon

“If you can’t come up with a solution, none of you will be able to return to Karen alive.”

Locke's roar echoed throughout the warship's cabin.

His anger wasn't actually directed at his subordinates.

It was because of Meng Chuan.

He, a dignified four-star general, was actually defeated by a group of natives.

He also lost eight warships, a loss that broke his heart.

It's important to understand that warships are a form of hard currency among advanced civilizations in the universe.

Only a sufficient number of advanced warships can sustain their ambitions for interstellar colonization.

At Locke's roar, the men shrank back in fear, even their breathing became much softer.

They were also filled with resentment.

Some people couldn't help but think to themselves, "You, Locke, are a four-star general, holding the highest command authority."

Now that we've suffered a defeat, instead of finding a solution, they're venting their anger on us.

But no one dared to say it aloud; they could only mutter it to themselves.

"My lord, I have an idea."

A tall, thin subordinate hesitated for a moment, but still mustered the courage to step forward:

"This star field is Blackwater Alliance territory. They have many space wanderers under their command, and their combat strength is not weak. We can contact them to send troops to help us tie down Meng Chuan's main force, which will make it easier for us to mine stardust titanium crystals..."

However, before this man could finish speaking, a short, stout subordinate hurriedly retorted:

"No way! The Blackwater Alliance is a bunch of ravenous wolves who only care about profit! If they find out that there is Stardust Titanium Crystal on Mars, they might turn around and join forces with Meng Chuan to deal with us, and then we'll be in even more trouble!"

"shut up!"

Locke abruptly raised his hand, interrupting the argument between the two.

He stared at his tall, thin subordinate, a calculating glint in his eyes:

"Although the Blackwater Alliance has a large number of members, it has no decent background and no interstellar civilization backing it up, so it can't cause any big waves."

"All they want are resources. As long as we offer them benefits—such as three abandoned warships and some ordinary ore—they will definitely be willing to risk their lives for us."

At this point, Locke's lips curled into a sinister smile:

"Once it's done, we'll say that the Blackwater Alliance tried to double-cross us, and we were forced to retaliate and wipe them all out. That way, we can get the Stardust Titanium Crystals, shift the blame for the defeat onto the Blackwater Alliance, and have an explanation to give to the council."

Locke's men instantly understood what he was thinking.

He was looking for a "scapegoat".

After all, being betrayed by the Blackwater Alliance and losing eight warships is still much better than being defeated by a bunch of natives.

He could both avenge the loss to Mars and maintain his status as a four-star general.

As for the fate of the Blackwater Alliance... who cares about the fate of a bunch of cosmic wanderers?

"But sir, the Blackwater Alliance is always elusive. How can we contact them?"

The short, stout subordinate spoke again, his tone tinged with worry:

"Moreover, they are extremely vigilant and may not easily trust us."

"There's no need to specifically seek out the Blackwater Alliance."

Locke walked to the console and quickly swiped his finger across the screen:

"Send me a space bounty signal, saying that a bounty has been issued by Planet Karen. The reward for completing the mission is three warships and a thousand tons of high-energy ore. All space wanderers can accept the mission, first come, first served."

"Sir, isn't this too conspicuous? What if other interstellar civilizations receive the signal..."

The tall, thin subordinate hurriedly tried to dissuade him, explaining that space signals have an extremely wide range and could potentially cause unnecessary trouble.

"Exaggeration? What we need right now is more people!"

Locke slammed his hand on the control panel, his eyes filled with malice:

"I don't care if it's the Blackwater Alliance or some other cosmic wanderers. As long as they can help me keep Meng Chuan occupied, they're good pawns! As for other civilizations, they don't care about this small reward, and they won't bother with such trivial matters!"

Locke paused, his tone growing even colder:

"Besides, once we get the Stardust Titanium Crystal, we can just pack up and leave. Who would know it was us who issued the bounty? Even if they did know, given the strength of Planet Karen, why would we be afraid of them talking?"

The subordinates dared not argue any further and could only obediently nod.

"Yes, sir! We'll send out the bounty signal right away!"

Soon, an encrypted space signal was sent from Locke's warship.

It spread outwards like ripples.

This is a common bounty model in interstellar space.

The weak cosmic wanderer relies on accepting missions to obtain resources for survival.

The civilization that issues the missions then uses them to solve problems.

Of course, such bounty missions are usually accompanied by high risks.

It is not uncommon for the party issuing the task and the party receiving the task to engage in "double-crossing".

However, there will always be brave men when there is a big reward.

Even though many space wanderers know the danger, they have no choice but to take the risk in order to survive and obtain resources.

The signal traveled through the universe and was captured by several wandering space fleets in less than half a day.

Inside a dilapidated warship, several ronin dressed in tattered armor huddled around a screen, their eyes gleaming with greed as they looked at the bounty offered.

"Three warships! A thousand tons of high-energy ore! This reward is too generous!"

A space ronin with a mantis-like head couldn't help but shout.

Such a reward might be beneath the notice of most civilizations.

But it has a fatal attraction for these space wanderers.

"Don't be careless. Anyone who can get Karen Star to issue a bounty must be extraordinary."

Another older ronin frowned, but could not hide the longing in his eyes:

"But no matter how difficult it is, it's worth it! We haven't obtained any decent resources for almost half a year. If this continues, we'll run out of energy and be trapped in this universe!"

After a long discussion among the group of space ronin, the fleet ultimately changed course.

With such a generous reward, taking some risks is worthwhile.

However, given the speed of their ships, it would likely take them quite some time to reach Mars.

And there are quite a few others who share the same thoughts as this ronin squad.

Several teams are heading towards Mars.

This also includes the Blackwater Alliance.

Like sharks drawn by the scent of blood, they swarmed toward the bounty target.

A new crisis is quietly approaching Mars.

Meanwhile, Meng Chuan was still busy in the workshop at the Mars base.

He held a fragment of a giant star-armored beast's scales and carefully polished the edge of his digging shovel.

In three more days, the first batch of radiation-resistant excavation tools will be completed.

"Little Ka, is Locke's fleet still not making a move?"

Meng Chuan returned to his residence on Mars and casually asked.

This has become Meng Chuan's daily habit.

"Commander, there is no sign of the Locke Fleet yet; they are at least 0.2 light-years away from us."

The little elf's voice remained calm and normal.

Meng Chuan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

No news is actually the best news.

However, Meng Chuan cannot let his guard down because of this.

He still instructed Little Card Elf to continue supervising.

Just as Meng Chuan was about to rest, Blood Rakshasa and Shadow Butterfly suddenly entered Meng Chuan's room.

As soon as the two entered, they immediately saw the number 1 hanging on the ceiling.

Blood Rakshasa, the boldest of them all, pouted and pointed jealously at number 1 on the roof, complaining:

"Husband, we haven't been intimate for so long, can you just ignore her? Even if you don't want to, can't you have some pity on us sisters?"

Meng Chuan: "..."