An asteroid belt far from Proxima Spacestation.
Ting! Tang! Ting!
Inside one of the many, many underground passages in an asteroid, the clangs of metal striking metal rang creating an unpleasant cacophony. But this was disturbed by the thuds of flesh hitting the ground, the silent screams that remain barely audible and the splash of a liquid splashed on the floor.
A red-skinned, buffed-up humanoid male slashed his whip frequently as he yelled in an annoyed tone. "Hurry, fucking bastards! Meet the quota or starve to death!"
All around him were humanoids dressed in ragged clothes, mining away at the harsh ground.
Some had four eyes, others had three tails, and a few even had two heads. At the same time, most were teenagers with a couple of children here and there. There were only a few adults and fewer older people.
Whenever the red-skinned Havoc slashed his whip, it'd catch fire and strike the back of unfortunate laborer.
If he's lucky enough, it'd leave only a burnt mark. If not, then the flaming whip would dig deep into the muscle and scorch it alive.
As it happened, one of the whip marks happened to be harsh and struck a young girl who happened to come from a feral tribe.
"Ah!" The whip melted away her worn-away shirt and dug into her back. The flames on the whip blazed like oil was poured on them and the girl's small back glowed red.
"Aaaah!"
Her skin melted away and the fire began to burn her muscles. The bone near the whip also began to turn red and slowly char.
The little girl, who seemed no more than 9, wailed at the searing pain. The tears in her eyes wouldn't even come out as they all evaporated under the heat. Then, she collapsed face-first onto the ground like a discarded doll.
Her breathing began to weaken and a pool of pale blood began to form under her. At the same time, the smell of burnt flesh spread in the surroundings.
Only then did the minors turn their glance at the little girl. Their eyes remained blank as they took in the scene.
But then the smell of her burnt flesh reached them.
…And they all gulped.
The saliva in their mouth increased and their empty stomachs cried out.
The little cat girl was on her last breath. With a great desire to survive, she moved her eyes around, looking for help.
But all she saw were hungry eyes, eyes that treated her as a piece of meat, eyes that lost any and all sense of self.
"M-Mom!" The little cat girl called out in a voice so weak that even she couldn't hear it.
A middle-aged cat woman, with bruises all over her body and bite marks on her neck and chest area, was looking at her with burning eyes like everyone else.
"It hurts…it really hurts…so much pain…I'm sorry, I won't pluck the flowers again, I won't go out again, p-please take me back, Mom…"
Her words had no voice. Perhaps she didn't even say those words, perhaps it was just a prayer inside her own mind.
"I'm so...rry, it hurts too much, please…"
The cat woman continued to hit the hard ground with her shovel. Every time she did, the metal would send equal force back at her, causing her arms to shake with tremendous pain.
A small of the chunk of the ground was cleared and a small gemstone showed itself. The cat woman's face which was indifferent until now finally bloomed into a smile.
'I can eat today.' That was the only thought in her mind.
But for some reason, even she didn't understand, the corner of her tears grew wet and her tears hit the ground.
The teardrop touched the gemstone and its shining light immediately dimmed.
"You bitch! You wasted it!" A harsh whip coiled around her and glowed with fire.
The cat woman couldn't even utter a scream when the fire burnt her life. Facing her daughter, her body collapsed powerlessly.
Witnessing this horrific sight, whatever desire to survive remained in the cat girl's eyes faded away and her eyes dimmed.
"Two deaths in such a short time. No wonder we got a labor shortage." A golden-skinned Havoc middle-aged man, who was observing everything from above the asteroid clicked his tongue.
He's one of the elders of the Havoc tribe and a rank 2 celestial.
Havoc pirates all belonged to the Havoc tribe. Naturally, the decision-making body consisted of a Tribe Patriarch and several elders.
So, an elder coming here in person was no small matter. But he did come to this normal mining site to meet someone important.
"Labor shortage is infinitely more desirable than treating these worms better." Natchez, the young master of the tribe, spat in contempt.
His words carried no ambiguity and he genuinely meant everything he said.
"I agree. Treating others normally would be a stain on our whole tribe. Havocs don't act with stupid mercy, we're beyond that." Natchez nodded, reaffirming his faith in the practices of his tribe.
"Speaking of, What happened to that guy who destroyed your spaceship?" The elder asked without much thought.
"It ended up being a bad bet. That man is not only strong, but he's also crazy enough to threaten the Director. He escaped."
"Oh? That's unexpected. Don't worry, he wouldn't dare to come for revenge or what he'll face would make him despair. We have no qualms like Starsafe."
The havoc tribe had always lived by the code of brutality. They were a warring tribe. It's just not in their blood to not go attack or plunder someone. For such people, anyone attacking their own would be a humiliation and would trigger a collective response.
Havoc tribe might not be strong for a Duchy but they could overwhelm an entire province by themselves. Their collective power couldn't be taken lightly even by a Duchy.
"Forget that, what about the new targets for the labor shortage?" Natchez asked with a curious gaze.
"Ah, yes!" The Elder disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a bunch of…human males and females.
Their clothes, clearly catering to the human race's style, were soiled. Some of them were missing eyes, others didn't have an entire limb or two, and a few were just staring ahead blankly like they lost their souls.
"These new captures revealed information about their homeland. Since we didn't know their language, the information is unclear. But we managed to capture their location. It coincides with the new region discovered to be civilized by the Centaurus Duchy." The Elder explained and showed a hologram with relevant info.
When abyssals attacked, humanity sent out groups of people so that they could survive and continue human civilization.
These pioneers were mostly recalled but some remained outside. They were caught by the Havoc tribe and underwent inhumane torture for weeks.
Natchez tapped his chin with an amused expression. "50 billion lives? That's a fat fish. We can mine a lot more."
The ores they were mining were very delicate in nature. If any powerhouse tried to dig them out, just their aura would affect the ores and render the ores useless. The only way out was labor by weaker personnel.
For the Havoc tribe that's constantly losing people, 50 billion was really a spring in the desert.
"This must be done before the census starts and they get recognized by the Duchy. I will personally lead this mission and get these ho...homan slaves." Netchaz declared.
