Chapter 572: Entertaining the Fans

Xavier addressed the hovering camera with a charismatic smile, completely ignoring the forty kinetic rifles pointed at his crew.

“Welcome to Vandermis Aventine, everyone,” Xavier said smoothly. “And yes, I see the chat going crazy. I sincerely apologize for the radio silence these past few months. It turns out getting a stable connection in deep space while dodging black holes and fighting demonic fleets is actually pretty difficult. But we are back, and it seems the local welcoming committee wants to play a game.”

The syndicate boss narrowed his eyes and lowered his vibro-blade slightly. He glanced at the floating drones, clearly confused by the sudden shift in tone. “What are you doing? Shut those cameras off.”

“I have a better idea,” Xavier said, stepping right into the alien’s personal space. ‘A massive shootout will trigger a planetary lockdown. We need to handle this efficiently while capitalizing on the audience.’

“Let us make a wager for my viewers. One-on-one combat right here on the landing pad. If you win, you get the dreadnought, the fifty thousand USC, and my crew. If I win, this hangar belongs to me, and your entire syndicate acts as my personal concierge service until we leave.”

The chat accelerated again.

[VoidWalker]: RIP to this alien bozo.

[CreditWhale]: 50k USC wager? That is literal pocket change for the Captain.

[SaltyPirate]: Put him in the dirt, Xav!

The boss looked over Xavier’s tailored jacket and let out a booming laugh. He tossed his heavy kinetic rifle to one of his men but kept the crackling blade firmly in his grip. “You are arrogant, superstar. I accept the terms. I am going to gut you live on your own broadcast.”

The alien lunged forward with surprising speed, swinging the electrified blade in a wide arc aimed directly at Xavier’s neck.

Xavier sidestepped the lethal strike with absolute precision and drove a starlight-infused punch directly into the boss’s jaw. The cybernetic implants shattered into a dozen pieces. The massive alien choked on his own synthetic blood and collapsed to his knees, completely incapacitated by a single blow.

[MechaFan]: ONE PUNCH! HE FOLDED HIM!

[GoreHound]: LMAO bro thought he was the main character.

The hangar fell dead silent for a fraction of a second. Then, panic erupted among the remaining thugs. Seeing their leader fall so effortlessly, the syndicate members completely ignored the terms of the wager and raised their rifles toward the Strider.

Xavier looked directly into the nearest streaming drone and offered a dark smirk. “Crew, give the chat a proper show.”

Lyra moved first. She unleashed a roaring wave of hellfire that engulfed the left flank, melting their armor and weapons into slag before they could pull their triggers.

Rin dashed through the center formation as a blur of silver steel, his twin swords severing limbs with terrifying fluidity.

Reva vaulted onto a stack of cargo crates and provided flawless cover fire. Every single armor-piercing round she fired found a target, shattering helmets and dropping thugs in a synchronized rhythm.

Klatos dropped from the overhead rafters, using his bladed wings to slice through the remaining mercenaries attempting to flank them.

[ User Donation: 5,000 USC – “Total slaughter! Best stream of the year!” ]

[ User Donation: 15,000 USC – “The Vanguard Crew doesn’t play around!” ]

[BloodLily]: Who is the hot redhead crushing people with space magic?!

Xalvoria stood near the loading ramp and watched the carnage with mild amusement. When a fleeing thug accidentally ran toward her, she snapped her fingers. The space around the man collapsed, crushing him instantly into a dense, unrecognizable sphere.

Within two minutes, the entire syndicate lay decimated across the pristine concrete. Only the boss remained alive, trembling on his knees as Xavier stepped over a pile of burning wreckage to look down at him.

“The wager stands,” Xavier stated, resting his foot on the alien’s chest to pin him to the floor. “Your men clearly lack discipline, but you belong to me now. Give me the access codes to this sector.”

The boss coughed up a mouthful of blood and weakly held up his datapad in complete submission.

Xavier turned his attention back to the hovering drones and offered the camera a final, charming salute.

“That is all the entertainment for today, everyone,” Xavier announced smoothly. “Thank you for the massive donations and the warm welcome back. I have some personal business to handle on this planet, but I will make sure to bring you all along for the next major event. Stay tuned.”

He tapped the discrete console on his collar. The metallic drones instantly powered down their recording feeds and reattached themselves to his jacket with a series of sharp clicks.

[ Stream Ended. Total Revenue: 8,450,000 USC. ]

Xavier dismissed the holographic interface and looked down at the bleeding syndicate boss still pinned beneath his boot. ‘Time to collect the real prize.’

“If you can make that much in just one short stream, you should stream regularly, to be honest,” Klatos commented.

“I can’t let them find out who I am. If I keep revealing myself here and there, someone will connect the dots and find out everything. And when that happens, I will lose all their support,” Xavier responded.

He recalled Arlen’s words as he said that.

“I wonder what she is doing right now.”

“Your fifteen minutes of fame are over,” Xavier said, applying just enough pressure to make the alien wheeze. “Tell me exactly where the mutineers are hiding. Give me their locations, or I will let my vampire drain whatever synthetic blood you have left.”

Reva stepped forward and let her fangs elongate. She offered the boss a terrifyingly sweet smile.

The alien desperately tapped the cracked screen of his datapad. “They are not hiding! They run the upper sectors now. The three men you are looking for are currently hosting a high-society masquerade gala in the PurpleSpring Penthouses. It is the most secure building in the city.”

Viola wiped a smudge of ash from her cheek and grinned. “A masquerade gala? So we get to play dress up and crash a party. I am completely on board with this.”