Universe Infinite Canteen
Chapter 786 - 786 Ku Juzi

"Huh, they're leaving already?" Ma Lu stared at the departing spaceship in surprise.

"That's the new Gold Boss 5000 private Plane Spaceship released by Medron Aviation Company three months ago. That scratch earlier, if compensated, would cost at least 2.4 million Star Currency," said Wrench.

"Wow, that repair price is ridiculous!"

"That's how it is with luxury Plane Spaceships."

"Then why did he leave just like that?" Angie asked.

"Maybe it's because the docking time is almost up," Mr. Furball speculated.

"Makes sense."

Everyone soon realized that the docks at Aurora Free Port were incredibly bustling, with spaceships constantly taking off and landing, making it evident that the limited-time docking policy wasn't targeting just them.

Ma Lu turned to Yan Wu, "Did you contact the buyer to make sure they bring the engine over quickly?"

The hardware store owner nodded, "He said he'd be here within ten minutes."

"Good."

Looking around at the architecture, so drastically different from Earth's style, and the diversely dressed passersby, Angie felt a deep yearning to explore this mysterious and enchanting Plane.

Unfortunately, their stop here was limited to just 25 minutes. Yan Wu had already wasted five minutes backing into the dock, leaving them with less than 20 minutes now.

Thankfully, only three minutes passed before a truck with a giant portrait on its side appeared in the distance.

The driver was a tall, skinny Gnoll in a business suit named Ku Juzi.

The man depicted on the truck — arms crossed, gazing ahead with a slightly raised chin and resolute eyes — looked vaguely familiar to everyone.

"Sorry for the wait, you're the buyers of the Starstream VI Warp Pulse Engine, right?" Ku Juzi parked the truck and opened the door.

"That's us." Ma Lu shook his hand, then curiously asked, "Is Aurora Trade Port always this busy?"

"Not at all," Ku Juzi replied. "It's because of these sudden rumors about an impending apocalypse in the Universe these past couple of days, and now people are panicking and fleeing. My boss just ran for it too.

"I think his private spaceship was docked nearby; you might've run into him earlier."

"So why aren't you escaping?"

"Because I've got a mortgage to pay, my wife's a full-time homemaker, and I've got three kids."

The Gnoll's voice sounded listless, paired with his vacant eyes, exuding a palpable aura of corporate fatigue.

"Running off counts as skipping work. If it really were the end of the world, fine, but if it never comes, not only would my pay be docked, I might even lose my job." Ku Juzi rambled on.

"Business has been rough lately; the company's been planning layoffs. At my age, losing this job would make it hard to find another one."

"Ah… I see." Ma Lu expressed his sympathy.

"Anyway, let's not dwell on this. You guys don't have much time left either, let's get down to business."

Ku Juzi opened the truck's cargo bay and gestured towards the engine inside, "The Starstream VI Warp Pulse Engine. Guaranteed authentic, but not new — at the price you offered, you wouldn't get a new one anyway.

"My boss claims this engine only served 1 year and 3 months on its original spaceship, but in actuality, it's been in use for nearly 5 years. Still, for an engine, this duration is considered young, far from being scrapped.

"Mind if I inspect it?" Wrench asked.

"Of course, feel free," Ku Juzi replied. "Before shipping, I also had a colleague test it for you. Functionality is perfect, and all parameters are normal.

"Oh, the only issue is a few small dents, which I can point out to you, but they don't affect its operation."

Wrench extended a metallic appendage, directly linking up to the engine's controller, and began his inspection.

While waiting, the Gnoll lit a cigarette, offering it around to others.

Soon, Wrench finished his check and nodded at Ma Lu, "He's telling the truth."

Just as the Gnoll was about to continue talking, his personal communicator suddenly rang. Ku Juzi hurriedly puffed out his cigarette and answered the call.

A moment later, he put away the device, looking a bit grim. "There's bad news."

"Did you just get fired?"

"Not quite that bad." Ku Juzi replied, "But it was my boss calling — he said the price he initially agreed upon needs to be tripled."

"Triple? Why?" Yan Wu asked angrily.

"Because when you reserved it, there wasn't this whole apocalypse situation. Now, residents across the entire Multiverse are gripped by fear, scrambling to flee their homes.

"As a result, anything related to Plane Spaceships has become a hot commodity. My boss said if you're unwilling to pay more, he'll sell the engine to another customer willing to offer a higher price."

The Gnoll paused, "I know, I know. Raising the price at the last minute is a shady move, and mentally, I absolutely side with you.

"But I'm just an employee; I can't defy my boss's orders. So, either you pay triple, or I'm sorry, but I'll have to take the engine back to the warehouse."

"The original price of this engine was 11 million Star Currency. Triple that means we'd need to pay 33 million now."

Ma Lu looked at Yan Wu and the others, "I'm out of money — can any of you cover this?"

Angie shook her head, "What's Star Currency? Can I use RMB instead? I've got plenty of those."

Mr. Furball chimed in, "I don't have either."

Wrench said, "I've got about 400,000 Star Currency on my account. If you need it, I can lend it to you."

Yan Wu, the richest among them, said solemnly, "All my assets together are worth approximately 18 million Star Currency, but most of it is tied up in goods."

Everyone pooled their funds, but they couldn't even come up with a tenth of the required amount.

"In that case, I can only apologize," Ku Juzi said as he began closing the cargo bay, only for Ma Lu to grab his arm. "Wait! To be honest, we're actually planning to save the world this time.

"That Warp Pulse Engine is vital to us. Without it, we won't be able to stop those Skulders. So could you make an exception and let us have the engine?"

Ku Juzi blinked, "Sorry, if I did that, my boss would definitely fire me."

Just as Ma Lu was feeling despondent, the Gnoll suddenly changed his tone, "But I have a proposal that would let you take the engine while keeping my job safe."

"What's the proposal?"

"You could attack me and steal the engine."

"Uh… are you joking?"

"I'm not," Ku Juzi replied. "See that surveillance camera over there? Hey, you — the big guy covered in fur."

"Are you talking about me?" Mr. Furball perked up at the mention.

"No, not you — the one beside you," Ku Juzi clarified.

"Me?" Flush your Pee pointed at his own nose.

"Yes. In a moment, you need to lift me up under that camera, choke me a bit — make it convincing, but not enough to actually kill me — just leave some bruising around my neck.

"Then throw me forcefully out of the shot. After that, you can take the engine and go."