Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 382 - 260: Hurtful Truths

When it comes to it, the ordinary star pirates’ camps aren’t as orderly as those on Zarif Star.

The surveillance and alarm networks here, along with civil engineering and other constructions, were completed by the four major Celestial Level Team organizations.

Initially, the Pioneer Team treated this place as their stronghold, managing and constructing it with great strategy.

Not only was it convenient for living and defense, but it also prevented others from snatching away their pioneering achievements, though it eventually benefited others unintentionally.

According to Mu Guoguo, when it was built, to prevent accidents, each Pioneer Team also left some escape routes.

However, the star pirates’ attack was too sudden; some Pioneer Team members were captured, and others escaped through secret passages.

So these secret passages were basically all exposed, making it impossible to infiltrate through them.

Some passages were blocked by the star pirates, while others weren’t, but could very well be traps laid by the pirates.

There have been instances where someone tried to infiltrate via a secret passage, only to be caught by the star pirates.

Qu Jianlei got this information from Captain Mu; hence, he now roams outside the core area.

Outside the core area is still under the actual control of the star pirates, but the management there is relatively lax, making it a mix of all types of people.

This is where the indigenous people make a living, and there are also some production areas — there are undoubtedly spies from the Pioneer Team here as well.

Yet, the star pirates allow the existence of such areas, as it is necessary for their development and expansion.

To develop the planet’s resources quickly, the support of the indigenous people is indispensable.

The core area does not allow indigenous people to enter freely, so a buffer zone is needed for effective communication and management.

To put it more plainly, the star pirates, having spread a large number of spies and informants, also need a relatively discreet place for exchanges.

Qu Jianlei knew where Flagpole was supposed to report, but he didn’t rush there; instead, he first found a hotel to stay at.

After getting a room, he took a nap, and in the afternoon, he went to a bar called "Ask the Clouds."

Such bars were opened by quite a few back when the Pioneer Team was here.

The members lived their lives on the edge of violence every day and really needed a place to relax in their free time, you could even say it was a necessity.

This kind of place is also the most suitable venue for exchanging intelligence.

Qu Jianlei ordered a large glass of fruit wine and a plate of dried fruit, then chose an empty table to sit down at.

Next, he turned a small wine glass upside down on the table, placing two pieces of dried fruit in its shallow recess.

Then he began to sip from his large glass of fruit wine.

The wine glass could hold up to a liter, and he held it steadily, opting not to use the smaller glass, which was about 200 milliliters.

After about ten minutes of drinking, a short man with shifty eyes and a strong smell of alcohol approached.

Seeing the two pieces of dried fruit in the shallow recess of the upside-down glass, the man’s eyes lit up slightly, and he sat next to Qu Jianlei.

The man spoke in a low voice, his breath reeking of alcohol, "What kind of information are you looking for?"

This was a place where information could be traded, and the star pirates turned a blind eye to these transactions.

The Flagpole that Qu Jianlei was impersonating had also traded information in similar places.

However, the information he sold had to be something the star pirates were already aware of and allowed him to sell.

As for the information bought... it usually came out of his own pocket, reimbursement was out of the question.

As a spy, is there a need to purchase information? Surprisingly, such a need does exist.

The Flagpole has to regularly report intelligence, and their performance is evaluated by superiors.

For spies sent out, the star pirates couldn’t supervise them, but they wouldn’t let them drift; evaluations were quite normal.

If a spy fails to provide satisfactory intelligence over a period of time, they would be deemed as "slacking" or even "negligent."

But the appearance of intelligence is quite unpredictable... it’s not guaranteed to be there when needed.

Flagpole wasn’t even a Modified Warrior, holding a very low position among the star pirates.

If he didn’t meet the evaluation criteria, he would face very harsh punishment—as a regular person, he wouldn’t even have the chance to defend himself.

Therefore, for Flagpole, figuring out how to buy information is quite necessary.

In fact, he’s done this before, and the superiors seemed to understand that his reports weren’t original but purchased.

Yet, the superiors didn’t make an issue of it, choosing to turn a blind eye—after all, he was buying intelligence out of his own pocket, showing that effort was indeed made.

So even if Qu Jianlei’s current actions were seen through, it wouldn’t matter.

He casually glanced at the inebriated man and straightforwardly said, "I need intelligence on the Pioneer Team."

"Well, isn’t that obvious?" the man muttered under his breath, tossing a few more dried fruits into his mouth.

"Those who come to buy information are either after raiders or explorers... be more specific."

Qu Jianlei answered without showing any emotion, "Who says one can only buy intelligence on these two parties? Do you even understand?"

The man laughed at this, unconcerned, "Oh ho, you’re one of us..."

He knew what the other was implying, "I’m not interested in other trifles... which team’s intelligence do you want to buy?"

Qu Jianlei pondered for a moment and then asked, "Do you have any intelligence on the Celestial Level Team’s movements?"

"Yo~" The man’s eyes lit up slightly, and then he laughed again, "Looks like you’re a big client."

Then he gave Qu Jianlei a once-over, "But, to be frank... you don’t seem like someone who can afford it."

Qu Jianlei’s attire was quite ordinary, fitting the character setup for a flagpole—just an average person, where would he get that much money?

He nodded slightly, "That’s true, I don’t have much money, but I still want to buy some information. Do you have any suggestions?"

Seeing that provocation didn’t work, the short man shook his head, "If you don’t have money, what are you talking about? I’m out."

He staggered away, and Qu Jianlei didn’t care, nor did he make any effort to call him back.

A few patrons in the bar took note of this scene.

Qu Jianlei remained seated until dinnertime, finishing off a large glass of fruit wine, yet no one else came to inquire.

He wasn’t in a hurry, ordered a meal and ate it haphazardly, then asked for another large glass of fruit wine, continuing to wait.

The afternoon and night shifts had an interval, and the information dealers had their corresponding rules for doing business.

If someone failed to sell information in the afternoon session, sensible ones wouldn’t approach again, to avoid suspicion of dumping at low prices.

After all, this is an industry that pays great attention to taboos; those who don’t understand this have long met their end in a ditch.

Shortly after the night session started, sure enough, someone else came over, but again there was no deal.

Qu Jianlei still wasn’t anxious and left near midnight, going straight to the hotel to rest.

Such things can’t be rushed; he planned to stay another day. If there were no results, he would change locations.

Unexpectedly, less than ten minutes after returning to the hotel, someone knocked on his door.

The Star Thieves are notorious for plundering and killing, but they generally maintain order on their own territory.

Qu Jianlei already knew who was outside, so he stepped forward to open the door.

Outside stood a burly middle-aged woman, carrying a bag in her hand.

Upon seeing Qu Jianlei, she first froze slightly, then nodded, "I heard you want to buy information, shall we talk inside?"

"Alright," Qu Jianlei nodded and let her in.

After closing the door, he walked back inside, "Would you like something to drink, a beverage or wine?"

"Let’s get down to business," the woman said, plopping onto a chair, the wood creaking under her weight.

She gave Qu Jianlei an up-and-down look and straightforwardly said, "I know you... you want to pass the assessment, right?"

Qu Jianlei was really taken aback, only responding after thinking for a moment, "I mean... who the hell dares to earn this money?"

Though he was an ordinary person, he served as a long-term spy with not a low level of clearance.

Clearly, his related information had leaked, which is why she was so straightforward.

So even if this woman was a Modified Warrior and he was just an ordinary person, he still had to react.

"Don’t take yourself too seriously," the middle-aged woman sneered, "You’re a spy because you’re ordinary enough."

It was the brutal truth, but the truth... it hurts.

Upon hearing this, Qu Jianlei’s face darkened, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

However, the next moment he still firmly stated, "Sorry, I will report this to my superiors... this is too egregious."

The middle-aged woman was unfazed, "I’m not afraid of you reporting it. Are you sure your boss isn’t involved?"

Qu Jianlei was taken aback again, "My boss... involved? I’ll report that too."

"Suit yourself," the woman became even more cavalier, "But you’d better think about what if I’m not lying, what the consequences might be."

She paused before speaking again, "If I weren’t certain of your identity, I wouldn’t bother coming to sell you information."

This reason was powerfully convincing.

Knowing he didn’t have much money, yet coming to sell information in person at a first meeting... it just doesn’t make sense, right?

Qu Jianlei was stunned again and, after a while, gave a wry smile, "So this is something you can do?"

The middle-aged woman nonchalantly replied, "You’re just inexperienced; the likelihood of information repeating is quite high, right?"

Qu Jianlei nodded, "That’s right."

"Spending some money to pass the assessment isn’t a loss; everyone else... including your boss, won’t mind more money, right?"

Qu Jianlei stood there for a while, then gave a wry smile, "You’re right, but still, it feels a bit weird inside."

"Ultimately, it’s because you’re too weak," the middle-aged woman was not offended by his reaction, "How much information are you looking to buy?"

She didn’t even ask for his choice, her contempt evident—I’ve got you cornered.

However, the role Qu Jianlei played really had no other choices; this is the tragedy of being an ordinary person.

He thought for a while, then gave a bitter smile, "Fine, let’s just consider it paying for some peace."

"But honestly, I don’t have much money; a hundred silver coins... for information that isn’t too common."

(Updated to the last twenty-seven hours of this month, asking for monthly tickets.)