Grandmaster

Chapter 162

Sakaar, Sakkar Main City.

The sky, dotted with storm clouds and miniature black holes, became even darker and emptier after nightfall, like an abyss. Not even a trace of starlight representing hope existed; even the faint light shining upward from the ground was swallowed completely by the black holes.

Within the crowded main city district, strange patchwork buildings with high-tech characteristics stood densely packed together. At this moment, neon lights blazed everywhere, dazzling beyond measure.

On the brightly lit main streets, blue-skinned aliens, rock people made of brown stones, fish-headed people covered in scales, Big-Eyed Aliens with huge eyes and tiny heads, and creatures from different planets cast aside racial boundaries as they paraded and celebrated wildly, as though venting all the frustrations of the day.

"Sakaar was originally a lifeless planet, so there are no natives. Most of those here are creatures from races all over the universe who got lost and fell into this place. Only those who survived became locals."

The small Bai Bo explained as his two paws gripped a heavy sack five times larger than himself. He slung it over his thin shoulders and dragged it along with some difficulty.

The tall Kyle nodded. He had changed into a hooded leather jacket and jeans, with a military backpack stuffed with four Laser Guns on his back.

"Ordinary spaceships can’t break through Sakaar’s wormhole vortexes, so any creature that enters this place is like entering a planetary prison, unable to escape for the rest of their lives. On top of that, food resources here are scarce and expensive, and the pressure to compete for survival is immense. Even locals can’t say for sure when they might be killed by other scavengers out in the wilderness. That’s why everyone celebrates and indulges freely at night."

Bai Bo sighed and led Kyle away from the bustling main streets and down secluded paths, moving deeper into the city from the desolate outskirts.

Kyle’s brows furrowed slightly. His footsteps suddenly stopped as he looked toward a corner behind the buildings. Noticing his reaction, Bai Bo set down the sack, turned back, and asked, "Mr. Kyle, what is it?"

"Someone is following us," Kyle said with certainty.

His senses were beyond human levels, even sharper than those of certain wild beasts. Besides, the enemy’s stalking was far too crude and careless. It would have been hard not to notice.

"You’re sure?" Bai Bo’s bear-like face changed slightly. He lowered his voice. "Put on your Scavenger ID Card."

Kyle nodded, reached into his pocket, and pinned the ID Card of the scavenger leader he had killed earlier to the left side of his chest.

The moment he put it on, the other party seemed to realize that it had been exposed. With a chuckle, it actually stepped out of the alley on its own initiative.

Kyle followed the shadow with his gaze, and his pupils contracted. It was unmistakably a Big-Eyed Alien. Its eyes were as large as an adult’s fists and occupied a third of its green face. As it stared at the two of them, its eyeballs rolled constantly.

"Bai Bo, you made quite a haul today," the Big-Eyed Alien said with a snicker.

"You again. Why are you following me?" Bai Bo’s face was filled with disgust. His paw reached behind him toward the Laser Gun on his back as he said coldly, "If this weren’t the city district, I’d have blown your eyeballs apart already."

"You can’t be this lucky every day. Remember, don’t let me find you out in the wilderness, or I’ll make sure to have a good taste of your meat." As the Big-Eyed Alien spoke, drool flowed disgustingly from its mouth before its large tongue quickly lapped it back up. Its green eyeballs rolled as it looked toward Kyle with ill intent. "Him—is he new? What planet is he from?"

"That’s none of your business! Kyle, let’s go." Bai Bo snorted, turned around, waved a paw, grabbed the sack with both paws, and strode away.

Kyle glanced at the Big-Eyed Alien, memorizing its ugly appearance before following Bai Bo.

Behind them, the Big-Eyed Alien’s arrogant shout still rang out. "Hehehe! Don’t let me see you out in the wilderness, or I’ll turn you into a delicious meal!"

"Ignore it. No one dares to make a move in Sakkar Main City." Bai Bo ignored the warning behind them and spoke with certainty as he walked.

"Is it because of this ID Card? Are there rules and laws here too?" Kyle asked, pointing at the ID Card on the left side of his chest.

"The Scavenger ID Card is one of the safeguards for locals surviving on this planet. More importantly… look!" Bai Bo suddenly raised his head. Just then, a disc-shaped spacecraft swept past fifty meters overhead, the large lights beneath it continuously scanning the streets below.

Kyle watched the silver disc-shaped spacecraft rapidly disappear into the distance. This hovering craft was far more advanced than the fighter planes of Earth’s World War II era. Even Wakanda had yet to reach such a level of technology.

Bai Bo reminded him, "Those are the patrol guards of Sakkar Main City. At the wilderness junkyards, you can do whatever you want. Murder and robbery are commonplace. But within the main city district, this is an absolute safe zone. No fighting or looting of any kind is allowed, or the consequences will be worse than death."

Kyle nodded in understanding, a glint flashing in his blue eyes. There was another meaning behind those words: it was fine as long as the patrol guards did not discover it.

"Since I’m acting as your guide, there’s one more extremely important thing I need to remind you of. It’s also a law that every creature arriving on Sakaar must clearly understand."

Bai Bo emphasized his words. Dragging the heavy sack, he quickened his pace and led Kyle through the outskirts of the main city district. After rounding a street corner, he cast a grave look ahead.

Kyle also stopped and looked up. Before him stood strange buildings rising like a dense forest, and at the far end of his sight, in the very center of the main city, one building towered above all the others, roughly ten times taller and more imposing.

On the front of the Central Building, holographic projection technology maintained an image of a middle-aged man several hundred meters tall. He wore magnificent and noble garments as he gazed down upon the main city district, and even the entire planet.

More than a dozen disc-shaped spacecraft circled around the projected figure on the Central Building, continually casting down beams of light before dispersing.

"He was the first, the very first life-form to become lost here. He has survived for millions of years, at least as far as anyone knows. He developed and built Sakaar, and he is its supreme and sole master. His name is ‘Grandmaster.’ The locals here generally honor him as the ‘Grandmaster’!"

Bai Bo lowered his head and said with unprecedented gravity, "On this planet, everything belongs to him. He is the ruler commanding the guards and patrols, the one existence you must never provoke—without exception."

"Grandmaster… Grandmaster." Kyle mulled it over, a trace of meaning surfacing in his azure eyes. He felt that the ultimate purpose of his arrival here had finally come into view.

Bai Bo had no idea what Kyle was thinking and warned him again, "If you want to survive here, then don’t even think about approaching him. As an elder life-form of the universe, the Grandmaster is moody and difficult to deal with."

"Don’t worry. I’m not that stupid." Kyle replied calmly with a smile.

Before he had sufficient confidence, he naturally would not approach the Grandmaster. But once he did have confidence, or if his body could no longer hold out, that would be another matter.

As an elder of the universe, the Grandmaster might possess suitable Ability Cards that could be extracted.