Chapter 2: Take a Guess

As the gunshots rang out, chaos erupted in the bar. Women screamed in terror, men's shouts mingled with their cries, all pushing desperately to shove others in front of themselves as they squeezed toward the back exit. It wasn’t until a beam of laser light pierced through the chests of two hapless souls that the entire crowd dropped to the ground, clutching their heads in fearful obedience.

Star systems with a security level below 0.5 were frequently plagued by interstellar pirates. The nation’s vast territory meant the protection of remote systems was always lacking, with only a sparse military and police presence. The pirates’ hit-and-run guerrilla tactics constantly kept these outposts running ragged.

Han Feng, thanks to the instincts honed from years as a bounty hunter, had already slipped into a blind spot of the bar, using the chaos as cover with his black guitar case slung over his back, the moment the pirates fired their warning shots.

He opened his portable light-brain, which displayed information on this group of pirates. “Bali, leader of the Bali Pirates, bounty: one million star coins, danger level: E.”

“I’m in a good mood today and don’t want to kill anyone, but whoever dares move again will end up just like those two unlucky fools!” Bali’s voice was cold and vicious as he grabbed a bottle of beer beside him and poured it down his throat.

“Boss, please, let’s talk! Whatever you want, just tell us! Anything I have is yours, please, just don’t kill anyone…” The bar owner, a plump middle-aged man with a receding hairline, pleaded desperately—this bar was his entire livelihood.

“Shut up! Everyone, empty your valuables into the bags in front of you!” Bali barked, slamming down another beer, dragging a chair over and dropping into it, his shifty, triangular eyes searching the crowd.

“No, please, that’s all I have!” a skinny man with glasses clung desperately to his backpack. “Aah!”

The pirate tasked with gathering loot didn’t waste words—he stabbed the man straight in the chest, yanked the bag away, unzipped it, and spat disdainfully at the corpse. “Just twenty thousand star coins and you guarded it like your life? You must be tired of living!”

To Han Feng, pirates were nothing more than walking star coins—prey for a bounty hunter.

But he didn’t move. He hadn’t brought firearms with him today, and the pirates were numerous and heavily armed. Even with his stats boosted by card attributes, he doubted he could outrun bullets and lasers.

Besides, fighting pirates in a confined space like this bar was hardly wise. He might escape unscathed, but the roomful of innocent bystanders would likely suffer terrible casualties.

Pirates didn’t care for honor or rules; push them too far and they’d throw grenades without a second thought.

In his previous life, Han Feng had fought his way to the top of the combat rankings through blood and battle—but that was just a game. Here, this world was real; he couldn’t stand by and watch heartless pirates massacre innocent civilians.

Having seen the consequences, the other trembling patrons and the bar owner obediently surrendered their valuables into the pirates’ bags.

Pirates rarely accepted electronic transfers—unless they had a tech expert to cover their tracks, digital transactions were far too easy for the cyber police to trace.

“Boss, found it,” a cleaner-looking pirate whispered to Bali.

At his subordinate’s report, Bali’s eyes gleamed. He stroked his massive belly with his fat hands, belched contentedly, and laughed, “Let’s go take a look! Finish this and you all get leave!”

The pirates cheered wildly—the prospect of leave meant food, drink, and women.

Bali waddled over to a young woman, led by his subordinate. She wore a white tracksuit, her long black hair tied in a ponytail, her delicate oval face free of makeup yet radiant as dawn on snow. Her straight nose and crimson lips were striking, but most captivating were her enchanting, almond-shaped eyes—clear and deep as a spring.

Bali stared, transfixed by her beauty, drool trickling down onto his protruding stomach unnoticed.

“Boss! Boss!” A nearby lackey nudged him.

Bali jerked back to his senses, wiped the drool from his mouth with a broad hand, clumsily checked the photo on his portable light-brain, then waved grandly, roaring, “Take the girl with us! We’re leaving!”

“Let me go! Where are you taking me? Let go of me!” The girl struggled, but her slight strength was no match for the pirate’s brute force.

“Make her quiet!” Bali snapped without a trace of pity, leading the way out the door, his bulk swaying.

A grinning pirate struck the girl on the back of her head with a hand chop. She collapsed, unconscious, and he slung her over his shoulder, carrying her from the bar.

After the pirates left, the bar was in shambles, and the terrified patrons scrambled to escape.

[Mission System Activated]

[Mission Triggered: Rescue the Girl in Peril]

[Mission Objective: You have encountered a pirate kidnapping. Their motives are hidden. Rescue the girl and ensure her safety until her family arrives.]

[Mission Reward: 5 card points, 1 free skill point.]

[Accept/Decline?]

Card points? What are those for?

Free skill point? Where do I assign that?!

A few seconds later…

[Skill Tree System Activated]

What? A skill tree? A skill tree!!

Two different game systems had merged?!

Now, alongside the character attributes and card tabs, a new tab appeared: Skill Tree.

Han Feng’s emotions were like a roller coaster. He’d looked forward to the [Star Apex] skill tree system, only to find a greedy card-drawing mechanic instead. Just as he’d reluctantly accepted his fate, the skill tree suddenly activated!

Delight. Sheer delight!

This was his true domain.

Inwardly, his mind’s little avatar rubbed its hands in glee, cheering as he eagerly clicked open the skill tree tab.

Wait—something was missing.

Where was his specialty—the Psychic branch?

Was this system a cut-down version?

Did he really have to be played like this?

“Hey, system, why isn’t there a Psychic skill tree?” Han Feng asked, exasperated but still hopeful.

[Because you haven’t awakened psychic talent.]

The system’s cold voice hit Han Feng like a slap.

I’m not angry. I’m not angry.

He consoled himself. At least he still had the Martial Arts skill tree, which he was also proficient in.

And, he still had another golden finger—the card system.

Given the circumstances, the boosts from those card heroes were clearly far more powerful than the psychic skills would have been. Not only could he enhance all his attributes, but he could freely combine various hero skills.

When allowed to equip six cards at a time, he could wield thirty different active skills from different systems—flexible and ever-changing. As long as you had the money, you could show off and overwhelm any opponent.

That was far more reliable than a psychic skill tree that let you awaken only one power to specialize in. Moreover, he could learn other skills from the skill tree as needed.

“System, what are card points for? I don’t see anywhere to use them.”

[Guess.]

Guess?

You want me to guess?