Modern Cultivation : The Strongest Couple Bonded by Vampire System-Chapter 609: Universe News
The battleship started moving through space, heading toward Planet Elyndra.
Alex wanted to use it to fight Sigma.
On the way, he used the cube to access WebPath.
The interface looked strangely familiar.
It opened like a search engine.
Alex narrowed his eyes.
’Latest top news.’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
He typed it in.
Row after row of information appeared in his view.
He skimmed the categories, then selected a mixed feed.
Galaxy News. Entertainment. Gossip. Council Alerts.
***
[Top News] Void-Lane Blackout Spreads Across Three Sectors
Multiple WebPath nodes went dark within six hours.
Traffic rerouted through "safe zone B-19" with heavy delays.
[Council Alert] Emergency Session Scheduled
The Galaxy Council announced an emergency session after several Senate member accused rival states of breaking the Law.
[Breaking] Mecalyte Trade Fleet Seized After "Life-Force Cargo" Allegations
An inspection team reported sealed reactors containing "bio-energy residue."
The Mecalyte envoy denied the claim and called it "hostile propaganda."
[Market] Space Crystal Prices Spike Again Near Outer Rim
Extraction zones report lower yield and rising fracture rates.
Logistics guilds blame increased pirate interceptions.
Council economists warn of a "cut-cost spiral" if WebPath reliance increases.
[Security] Progenitor Relic Auction Shut Down By Armed Inspectors
A private auction was halted after an unregistered rune sphere was detected.
Witnesses reported "silent killswitch glyphs" and memory scrubbing protocols.
[Local] Rumors Of A "Planet Core Awakening" In Elyndra’s Belt
Miners claim gravity pulses and low-frequency "planet-song" vibrations.
Officials deny it, but evacuations began anyway.
[Entertainment] Star-Singer Liora Venn Cancels Tour After "Aura Collapse"
Her team says it is exhaustion. The footage shows her stage lights dying mid-concert.
***
"Life force cargo allegation? What is this?"
Curious Alex read more about the news.
[Breaking] Mecalyte Trade Fleet Seized After "Life-Force Cargo" Allegations
Date: Galactic Standard 14 Frostfall, Year 9823
Location: Karsen Corridor, Node Gate B-19
Agency: Galaxy Council Inspection Bureau (GCIB), with Senate Marshal escort
Alex’s eyes moved line by line.
A Mecalyte civilian trade fleet had been seized. The stated reason was "bio-energy residue" inside sealed reactor vaults.
The fleet claimed it was a normal mineral shipment.
But the vaults were tagged as restricted-class containment.
Alex scrolled.
***
Evidence Cited:
Residual life-force signatures consistent with carbon-based organics.
The report called it "sapient-grade residue," not wild beast residue.
***
Alex scrolled again.
***
Alleged Law Violations:
Council Bio-Ethics Accord, Article 7.
No harvesting, compressing, or transporting life force sourced from sapient carbon-based populations without Council authorization.
***
"So harvesting life force is illegal? No, it looks like they’re monopolizing it."
The words "without Council authorization" stayed stuck in Alex’s mind.
If they truly refused it, they would ban it completely, like how Alucard did in the past.
But this wording meant it was allowed, as long as you had a permit.
"Seems some species have a fate worse than death after the Progenitor War," Alex said with a sigh.
"It’s the fate of those who lose," MingYue said beside him. "They’re completely at the mercy of the winner."
She kept reading too.
She was curious about the universe, and the WebPath feed was too valuable to ignore.
They did not need to dig much deeper to guess where the legally harvested life force came from.
It was probably from species that had been defeated in the Progenitor War.
Those who swore allegiance to Alucard.
Alex continued reading other news, expanding his understanding of the wider galaxy.
Unfortunately, he still could not find clear information about the true peak power levels in the universe.
The cube the Mecalyte used was limited.
It could not pull too much data at once, and it was restricted from accessing video content.
He did find out there were interspecies tournaments, public events meant to show who was "strongest."
Alex knew it was mostly sport.
No sane civilization would show their trump cards and strongest beings in public.
Still, it could give him a rough sense of standards.
Then he tried to search for a bigger map of the universe.
"A million credits for a grade C map," Alex muttered. "So expensive."
"How many credits do these Mecalyte have?" MingYue asked.
Alex opened the squad log and financial records for the Mecalyte unit onboard.
Each squadron was built to be self-sufficient and not dependent on other squadrons.
Even their finances were separated.
It was a security method.
’Makes sense,’ Alex thought.
’They’re involved in too much illegal activity. I
f one squad gets captured, the others can just claim they don’t know anything.
They can dump everything as ’their responsibility."’
He scrolled through the structure.
Each Mecalyte squadron had a rank. The higher the rank, the more resources they could access, and the less tax they paid.
This squadron was ranked D with annual earnings around one hundred thousand credits.
Their Primary income source come from sale of illegal life force harvested from carbon-based sentients.
Alex’s eyes turned colder.
Then he opened the expense sheet.
Operating tax: 22%
Wormhole toll fees: fixed monthly, plus variable traffic fees.
Inspection avoidance insurance: a private contract fee, renewed every quarter.
"Growth donation": paid to a Senate-linked foundation.
Maintenance cost: replacing cracked stone plates, crystal seams, and any basic repairs.
Reactor stabilizers: mandatory purchase from a Council-approved supplier.
Alex did the final calculation and leaned back.
"After taxes and expenses, they barely keep ten thousand credits a year," he said.
MingYue blinked. "That’s all?"
Alex nodded. "And it still has to be split."
He looked at the row of the tube again.
"Twenty-four of them."
MingYue’s expression went strange. "That’s... so small. Didn’t they already have no expense with the army?"
"It’s enough to keep them running," Alex said. "Not enough to make them rich."
He stared at the numbers and understood this system is a trap.
A D-rank squadron don’t have any real power to earn with normal method, so they stayed illegal.
They harvested life force because the system pushed them into it, then taxed them until they barely have anything left.
Even if they wanted to quit, they could not.
They don’t have other choice, and they could see some hope in this method.
Like striking rich from some emerging civilization.
Alex closed the log.
"So even the mecalyte is not free of corruption," he said. "They ensure some of them stay as slave, feeding those on the top."
