Neither of them actually fell asleep that night. Yet when morning arrived and they got up to head out for work, Han Qingyu and the other four still had not returned.
This made Ao Yong and Qian Daofeng very uneasy. In the past, whenever such a situation arose, it often meant something had gone wrong on the mission—like a fishing boat that had long failed to return after a storm at sea.
"Nothing happened to them, right?"
Carrying this deep sense of unease, the two took a detour on their way to work and stopped by Boss Dao's place first.
As it turned out, the old gatekeeper told them the mission's scheduled time was near dawn to begin with; the entire band had stayed home until past three in the morning before setting off.
Only then did the two breathe a sigh of relief. They returned to sweeping the streets, getting ready to ask for time off later to take on their mission that evening.
By this time, dawn was just breaking.
Out in the desert beyond the city, Boss Dao's freelance band was on its way back. Because a portion of the members were in tatters—flashes of pale flesh and glistening black skin that made for an awkward spectacle—Han Qingyu and his four companions walked silently at the very rear, just as they always did.
The strength of this freelance band was steadily growing. With more missions came accumulated experience, boosted confidence, and better coordination. And because they had secured supplies of source energy, they were also able to attract stronger fighters to join, raising the members' overall strength as well.
Another miracle run.
In less than two short months, Boss Dao's band had pulled off another perfect run: not a single member had died in this morning's battle.
This time, however, Boss Dao did not cry again. He kept himself under control, visibly excited along the way, and then bubbling over with jubilation.
"Everyone did great today! But remember, don't let it go to your heads!"
As they were walking, he suddenly halted to give a speech—for what seemed like the third or fourth time.
Boss Dao turned around. A bloody gash ran across his chest, and when he flung both arms wide and raised them high with force, a spurt of bloody fluid squirted out.
Boss Dao did not care in the slightest.
Filio stood to the side, translating his words at the top of his lungs. Boss Dao actually knew some English, but it was somewhat clumsy; now that he was a big shot, he rarely bothered speaking it himself.
"Remember my words: absolutely do not get cocky, and don't get carried away! Just stick with me and work hard. As long as you follow me, miracle runs like this will... happen from time to time!"
"Know what our true level is? We're already a top-tier band, you hear me?!"
"You've got a massive future ahead of you!"
"..."
At the very back of the crowd, Wen Jifei leaned over, bumped Han Qingyu's arm with his hand, and whispered, "Boss Dao sure has an inflated head right now."
"Yeah, and he's balder too," He Tangtang chimed in, leaning over. "Though what little hair he has left feels remarkably silky lately."
Han Qingyu smiled. In truth, he was looking forward to Boss Dao becoming even more conceited. Only then would he overestimate his abilities and jump into contesting wild spacecraft, then somehow mysteriously win, turning into an even more swollen ego.
A festive atmosphere filled the crowd.
Once Filio finished translating, he returned to Boss Dao's side and said in a low voice, "By the way, Boss, there's something I need to tell you. Shelvey's outfit seems to be planning to poach our people..."
This time, Han Qingyu and his friends were not the only ones being targeted. On the band's strike-tally sheets for every mission, there were always people whose recorded performance stood out far more than theirs.
They were merely very steady, taking around five source energy blocks and about fifty kilograms of dead iron every time.
The general situation was simple: the other side could not figure out why Boss Dao's band had suddenly become so strong, so they were poaching indiscriminately.
Aside from Boss Dao himself and Filio, they tried poaching pretty much anyone who looked halfway decent.
"Actually, someone even tried passing word to me, though they knew it was a long shot and kept it subtle," Filio said. "And Ah Jing and the other four might have been approached as well..."
"Huh?!" At that instant, Boss Dao's expression turned tense.
Just moments ago, when Filio mentioned several names, Boss Dao had remained calm and confident, but this sudden mention made him anxious.
A warmth bloomed in Filio's heart. *You really do care about me after all...*
"Ah Jing!" Boss Dao stood on tiptoe and shouted toward the back of the crowd.
He was nervous—very nervous. It stemmed from a bizarre feeling: even though the statistics for Ah Jing and his four friends looked quite mediocre, it felt as though as long as they were around, everything was completely reassuring...
*I guess this is the so-called lucky charm effect?* Boss Dao thought to himself.
"Yeah, right here," Han Qingyu answered, raising a hand.
"If another band tries to poach you guys, would you go?"
"No."
"Good, smart! Like I've always said, stick with me and work hard, and you've got a massive future ahead of you! Got it? Remember to come early for the dinner gathering tonight; we'll have a few drinks."
"We have something to take care of tonight."
"Is that so? That's fine then, I'll calculate your cut for you."
"Thank you, Boss Dao."
Han Qingyu's gratitude sounded genuinely heartfelt this time.
*Haha, that's just the kind of man I am—fair and thoughtful...* Boss Dao was thoroughly pleased, completely won over by his own charismatic personality.
Turning back around and continuing forward, Boss Dao said to Filio:
"See? Handled. Know what this is called? Centripetal force! A sense of belonging! That's why as long as I'm here and remain fair, no one will ever bear to leave... Would they be as safe out there as they are with me? Would they have such peace of mind? Absolutely not."
Right as he was speaking, diagonally ahead, a group of about twenty people came walking over, carrying devices on their backs.
Every single one bore signs of battle, and several were quite heavily wounded.
Boss Dao recognized them. The one leading them was named Black Tooth.
This was a genuine top-tier freelance band, usually maintaining a roster of only around thirty people, and they actually participated in contests over wild spacecraft.
In the past, Boss Dao would have felt inferior the moment they met, shrinking by half a head. But things were different now. He smiled confidently, puffed out his chest, and took a step forward. "Brother Black Tooth! What's up, looking for me?!"
"Yeah! Good thing I ran into you. Wanted to ask Boss Dao for a favor." The man opposite really did have black teeth. His Chinese was poor, but he spoke it nonetheless. After greeting him, he got straight to the point: "I want to borrow a few men from you. Doesn't have to be many, three to five will do. They don't need to be particularly strong either, just to fill out some flank and rear positions..."
Black Tooth's band had just finished contesting a wild spacecraft. Not only had they failed to gain anything, but a dozen of their men had ended up injured.
"Unluckily, we have another job at seven tonight," Black Tooth said.
"Oh, that wouldn't be a problem. But my brothers here have just finished a job and got back, too," Boss Dao mused for a moment, then turned toward the crowd behind him. "I reckon nobody will be willing—"
At the very back of the crowd, a hand slowly went up.
"We'll go," Han Qingyu said.
"You guys—wait, you..."
"To help out."
"..." Boss Dao blinked. "Oh."
Han Qingyu and the other four stayed behind, discussing the time and location of the evening mission on the spot with Black Tooth's band, as well as matters like positions in the combat formation.
As Boss Dao led his men away, he could not resist looking back several times along the road.
Inexplicably, it felt as though he had been dumped.
Even though Boss Dao did not actually know what being dumped felt like.
Chapter 441