Qianlong walked to the end of the corridor and activated the elevator to the passenger area. He was currently in the maintenance area of the spaceship, where there was no food available, making it impossible to stay here for long. He needed to reach the passenger area early to blend in with those who hadn't been thrown off.
The elevator continued to ascend.
With a clang, the elevator stopped, and the metal door opened before him.
As soon as Qianlong stepped out, he heard a cacophony of voices—curses mixed with cries.
Turning the corner ahead, he saw a large number of refugees huddled together, each face filled with sheer terror. Although they were fortunate compared to those who hadn't escaped, sometimes being alive felt like another form of torment.
At that moment, the spaceship's announcement system crackled to life. "Hello everyone, I am General Jia Wei. From now on, this spaceship is under my command. Anyone who does not cooperate will be thrown out. Due to the severe overcapacity of passengers, all food will be rationed. I have already thrown quite a few people off; you should know what to do."
Qianlong couldn't help but shake his head; it was indeed true that might makes right.
He didn't believe these people would distribute much food. In the long journey through space, if the food ran out and they didn't reach the designated supply point or a civilized planet for resupply, it would essentially be a dead end.
Sure enough, after seven or eight hours, there was still no sign of soldiers coming to distribute food.
Some younger children began to cry from hunger, but fortunately, their parents were doing their best to comfort them, preventing any dissatisfaction from the guards.
Three more hours passed, and finally, a group of soldiers pushed a cart of food into the area.
Everyone surged forward.
"Maintain order, or don't blame us for being rude."
The captain among the soldiers transporting the food drew his gun and pointed it at the crowd.
Instantly, silence fell. The food distribution began, and each person received a biscuit the size of a palm and a bottle of water. According to them, this was the food for the next day.
The route to Borosi would take a month. In fact, the supplies in the spaceship's storage were more than enough, but there were always uncertainties. What if Borosi had also fallen? Or if the journey was obstructed? As for why Jia Wei didn't clear out all the worthless passengers on the spaceship, it wasn't out of kindness but rather a simple factor: the people on the spaceship had now become his assets. The kingdom had fallen, and they hadn't had time to take much wealth with them. As for currency, that was even more of a joke; aside from the star coins issued by the Cosmic Alliance Government, no other currency was recognized outside its home country.
Of course, those nobles escorted onto the spaceship still had a little star coin in hand, but it wouldn't be much. Converting star coins to the currency of allied nations was easy, but the reverse was extremely difficult.
Since they were assets, it was only logical to preserve them to the greatest extent possible. He wouldn't waste too many resources on them.
Qianlong blended into the crowd and received his food and water.
He found a corner to squat in. For now, he had no good way to act; there were too many people, and they were armed. No matter how he resisted, it would be futile.
Thus, he spent five days in unease. Fortunately, nothing significant happened; he didn't know if everyone had subconsciously forgotten or if it was something else.
Sitting on the ground, Qianlong didn't pay much attention to the others because he felt powerless. Although he was good at hand-to-hand combat, even so, he couldn't take on over five hundred fully armed soldiers. With just one shot, he would end up lying in a pool of blood. If Phantom were here, at most, she could gain control of the spaceship, but would it be worth it to perish together?
"Mom, I'm hungry." A weak, crying voice came from beside him.
The speaker was a girl who looked to be about eight years old. Her parents were gently comforting her, continuously stroking her head.
"Just hold on a little longer."
A small piece of bread was handed over.
The little girl looked at the bread with longing, but she was well-mannered and didn't reach out. Instead, she looked up at her parents.
After a moment of hesitation, her parents replied.
"Thank you, but we can't take it."
In fact, the food given was barely enough to keep someone from starving. Although the little girl's parents had given her a bit more, she was still a child, and her self-control was not as strong as an adult's.
Qianlong placed his food in front of them without saying anything and withdrew.
"Thank you." The little girl's parents expressed their heartfelt gratitude.
Qianlong didn't care much about that little bit of food because he still had some in his backpack.
Those in control of the spaceship's supplies were only interested in the provisions; as for the belongings of the fleeing passengers, they had no interest for the time being. After all, there wasn't much and it held no value; in the end, it would all belong to them.
Moreover, Qianlong had maintained his physical condition well. He was looking for an opportunity; he needed to figure out who the real mastermind was. He couldn't take down so many people, but that didn't mean there were no opportunities. Hostages were still useful.
But this required patience.
At that moment, a squad of soldiers walked in, and everyone immediately tensed up, not daring to make a sound, their hearts pounding. It was impossible for food to be distributed at this time.
The leading soldier began searching through the crowd and suddenly pointed at a young woman.
The young woman panicked and stepped back. "No!"
"Take her away," the leading soldier ordered.
"What do you want?" The boyfriend of the young woman stood up in fear to protect her.
The soldier punched the man in the stomach, and he fell to the ground in pain, having no fighting skills whatsoever.
"Stop! What do you want?" the young woman cried out.
Unfortunately, the soldiers ignored her, and several others went up to drag the young woman away.
As the leading soldier turned to leave, the man on the ground clutched his leg and pleaded.
"Please, let her go."
The leading soldier glanced coldly at the man, drew his gun, and shot him.
"Ah!"
Passengers around them screamed in terror.
The little girl's mother hurriedly covered her daughter's eyes, and the little girl trembled in her mother's embrace.
Qianlong took a deep breath, feeling more fear and shock than anything else.
He restrained his inner impulse; any movement now would be tantamount to seeking death.
"Shut up, be quiet," the leading soldier shouted.
The panicked crowd fell silent. The leading soldier turned to his companions guarding the area.
"Deal with it."
"Yes."
In the atmosphere of fear, the spaceship continued its journey. After a long time, Qianlong dozed off in a daze.
Suddenly, the spaceship shook violently, followed by a piercing alarm.
Everyone woke up, terrified half to death by the blaring alarm.
At that moment, the announcement system crackled to l
ife. "Ha ha, tremble, lambs! Surrender immediately, or don't wait for us to board and kill you all."