Chapter 442: Plot in the Shadows

Deep in the void, a secret fortress stands. This is the base of the Shadow Trade Alliance in this chaotic land, a safe haven for countless interstellar merchants and smuggling gangs. Here, various forces are conducting various unknown transactions, and behind these transactions, undercurrents are surging.

A secret meeting was going on in the fortress's meeting room. The long table was filled with glasses filled with alcohol, the most conspicuous of which was a dark blue beer with a faint glow on the surface. It was the "Stardust Beer" unique to the void. The air in the meeting room was filled with the aroma of beer, mixed with the different smells of the aliens, creating a strange atmosphere.

Around the conference table were the core representatives of the Shadow Trade Alliance, who were interstellar merchants and leaders of smuggling gangs from different planets. These aliens had different appearances, skin colors, body shapes, and statures, but each of them exuded a kind of coercion and sophistication that could not be ignored. At the beginning of the meeting, they gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing, and the topic gradually unfolded.

"Hey, have you seen the new beauty? She's from the planet Lavo, and it's said that she has a stunning figure." A tall, scaly male alien whispered, his eyes flashing with greed. "Her skin is like silver crystal, as smooth as silk, and I heard that she's first-rate in bed."

A short but muscular alien woman next to her laughed at him. Her voice was hoarse and sarcastic: "You idiots, you only focus on these superficial skills all day long. The real good stuff is not those visible things, but... the invisible skills." She blinked mysteriously, with a meaningful smile on the corner of her mouth.

On the other side, a thin alien man replied: "Oh? It sounds like you have a lot of experience, Suna. Then share with us, what about the man you met recently? I heard that he is a guy who can keep women awake all night." His words were a little teasing, causing the aliens around him to burst into laughter.

Suna put on a contemptuous expression and took a sip of Stardust beer, as if she didn't care about these jokes at all. "For men, endurance is important. I don't like those things that become soft at the touch."

In the meeting room, as the topic gradually turned to their own romantic encounters and anecdotes, the atmosphere became more relaxed. Many aliens began to put aside their serious expressions and joined in, sharing their absurd but fascinating experiences on different planets. The Stardust beer in the cups kept colliding with laughter, and the topics became more and more eclectic.

"Do you know?" A blue-skinned alien businessman with a slightly gloomy face grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "I met a very special woman on the planet Koso. Her skin changes color according to the changes in the surrounding environment, just like a chameleon. When we first met, her skin was crystal blue, shining like a gem. Later, when we got to bed, haha, the color became even more mysterious and charming... Following her changing emotions, it felt like I was partying with several different women."

The green-skinned alien next to him laughed and patted his shoulder. "Oh, it seems that you know how to enjoy yourself! But the girl I met on Tabor is the one that really makes me unforgettable. Her people are born with four hands. Can you imagine? She can do four things at the same time in bed. The feeling is simply indescribable. No one in heaven or on earth can compare to it!"

Hearing this, another tall, red-skinned alien came over and said with a bit of pride, "What's the big deal about four hands? Have you heard of the people on the planet Roca? The women there have double tails! They're not just decorations. Oh no, don't get the wrong idea. Their tails are much more flexible than you think, and they can do so many things that will make your scalp numb!" After saying that, he deliberately imitated the swinging of the tail, which caused laughter from the people around him.

"Oh? Roca?" A female alien with a snake-like body sitting next to her laughed coldly, her voice had a hissing tone, "You men only know how to talk about these superficial things. A true master is a fusion of hearts, not a few more hands or tails. The man I met on Kunta was able to connect with me through his mental power, allowing us to communicate with each other and fully feel each other's desires and emotions... That kind of deep fusion is something you can't understand at all."

"Haha, Suna, you're talking about this profound theory of spiritual fusion again." The green-skinned alien shook his head with a mocking smile on his face, "It's better for us rough people to enjoy the real feelings."

"Speaking of real feelings..." A short and fat alien businessman suddenly came over with a wink, lowered his voice mysteriously, "I met a pair of twin sisters on the planet Krasi. Oh, it was a unique experience. Not only did they look exactly the same, but they also worked together perfectly. Did you know? They can even share each other's feelings! When I come into contact with one of them, the other will feel the same happiness at the same time! It's an unimaginable experience!"

As soon as these words came out, the whole conference room immediately erupted in laughter, and everyone started teasing the short and fat businessman, "Oh, it seems like you are really lucky! Such a romantic encounter is really a gift from God!"

A masked alien sat in the corner and spoke coldly, "What's your experience? I once won a princess from the planet Srika in an interstellar gamble. Her people are born with pheromones that can attract the opposite sex. Anyone who gets close to her will be fascinated by her... That night, I almost lost myself. I was completely confused by her aura and couldn't resist her charm at all. Later, I almost paid the price of my life for it."

The conference room suddenly fell silent for a moment. Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"Looks like you almost lost your life!" someone joked, and then everyone returned to their conversation.

An alien woman with a slender figure and covered with silver scales sneered, "You guys, men, always like these brainless things. In fact, some men are quite interesting. I met a guy on Ferro a while ago. He looked ordinary and his abilities were nothing special, but he could fight with me on the bed for three hours. Unfortunately, I still made him surrender to me in the end."

As she spoke, there was another round of laughter in the conference room, and everyone raised their glasses to celebrate each other's "brilliant achievements". In this conference room filled with alien races, romantic encounters and strange stories seemed to be the best way for them to relax and relieve stress.

As the topic deepened, people gradually started to talk about serious matters.

"Speaking of which, business has been getting harder and harder recently, especially on some interstellar routes, which are now jointly monopolized by Umbrella and Xandar." An interstellar merchant dressed in gorgeous clothes suddenly spoke up with a strong sense of dissatisfaction in his tone, "I took a western route a few days ago, and they actually charged me a huge toll. This is simply robbery!"

I've encountered the same situation!" Another merchant responded immediately, his face full of anger, "That route used to be our fixed source of income, but now it has been forcibly requisitioned by them, and all passing fleets have to pay a fee. These bastards are simply taking advantage of us!"

There was an immediate chorus of echoes in the conference room, with many businessmen and smuggling gang leaders expressing their opinions angrily, as if the incident had caused widespread dissatisfaction.

"Umbrella and Xandar have joined forces and simply don't want us small businessmen to survive." A burly leader of a smuggling gang slammed the table hard, his tone revealing an anger that was difficult to conceal. "We have to think of a way to stop them from continuing to exploit us so unscrupulously."

"You're right, they can't keep going like this." Suna nodded in agreement, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "We have our own territory and business. They should not dream of monopolizing space trade. If pushed to the limit, we don't mind using force."

Another businessman took a big sip of beer and said drunkenly, "Damn it, if they really want to do this, I'm not afraid. Let's just find a few armed ships and teach them a lesson!"

"Is it that simple and crude?" Someone interrupted, with a hint of hesitation in his tone, "Don't forget, Umbrella's technology is not something that smuggling ships like us can easily deal with. Once their warships come over, there will be nothing left of our ships."

"So what?" The fat businessman said disdainfully, "We have enough hiding places in the void. What can the patrols from Xandar find? Besides, we are not unarmed. If all else fails, we can just find some mercenaries and catch them off guard."

In the conference room, the discussion became more and more heated. Everyone was defending their own strategies, and the atmosphere became tense at one point.

"I say, stop hesitating!" An alien man covered in black scales slammed the table, his voice hoarse and low, full of anger, "Umbrella and Xandar have joined forces to completely block our financial resources! They have occupied all the main shipping routes and charged high tolls, which is simply forcing us into a desperate situation! Since they won't give us a way out, why should we care about their face? Just take action and attack their trading ships and teach them a lesson!"