Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 28

When Joshua climbed out of the cockpit, he was greeted by a bizarre scene: a large group of robots of various sizes, armed with all sorts of tools ranging from electronic magnifiers to laser cutters, were swarming the maintenance hangar. Leading them was Leo, whose face bore a twisted, sinister smile. “Wonderful, a ‘Bard’!” He rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Can I study it? Maybe extract some parameters or something…”

Joshua slammed the door shut, amidst Alois’s complaints of being bumped and Srosie’s near-suffocated groans. He paused for a few seconds to regain his composure and then opened the door again.

The scene outside remained unchanged.

Joshua felt like he had just walked out of one nightmare only to enter another—this one a robot battle version.

“Don’t be rash, Leo. This isn’t ours!” He stepped on a lively little robot that was waving a screwdriver. “If you want to take it apart, you need the owner’s permission, right?”

Leo grinned, showing off his gleaming teeth (presumably enhanced by some special effects in the hologram). “Where’s the owner?”

Alois climbed out of the cockpit and pointed behind him. “In there.”

Ten minutes later, Srosie was carried out by two robots. To make room, they had to dismantle the pilot seat. Although Leo promised to reassemble it later, Alois had a nagging feeling it would end up in some dark, disassembled state in the ship’s repair bay.

The robots roughly dumped Srosie on the ground (undoubtedly under Leo’s orders). The boy groaned in pain and tried to get up but failed. “Help me up!” he yelled from the ground. The two humans and the AI looked at each other, none of them moving.

“Think of a way to get rid of him, Leo.” Alois’s face twitched.

“That’s easy!” Leo pulled out a handgun from behind him and aimed it at Srosie’s head. “Kid, you’ve been kidnapped! We’re evil pirates roaming the galaxy, so tell your family to send ransom money, or else!”

There was a moment of silence.

“What?” Leo looked at the humans in confusion. “Isn’t this what Joanna says when she robs people? Isn’t it right?”

Alois seriously doubted that the person who designed Leo’s program hadn’t overlooked some important codes.

Srosie rolled his eyes and felt around in his jacket pocket, pulling out a small pink communication device. He quickly dialed a number.

“Hello? Rita? It’s me… I’m sorry. I’ll explain later. Right now I’m at…” He looked at Leo for confirmation. The AI smiled and replied, “The third ship repair dock, Lady of the Night.”

“You heard that, right? Good. Come pick me up. I’ll explain later. Bye!” He hung up with a scowl.

Leo’s smile froze. “What about the ransom?”

Srosie remained on the ground, pointing to the silver fighter. “Will that do?”

“Oh… of course. The captain will be very pleased.” Leo magically put away the gun.

Srosie snorted in disgust. He got up and dusted himself off (“What are you dusting off? I clean every day. There’s no dust!” Leo protested). “My family is coming to get me. Where’s the exit?”

Leo was already engrossed in studying the Bard’s structure, pretending not to hear the boy’s question. Joshua started humming and stared at the ceiling. Alois sighed. “It seems I’m the only good person in this world!” He turned to Srosie. “I’ll take you out.”

Srosie’s mouth twitched. “You still have the key, right?”

“Uh, right.” Alois pulled out the Bard’s activation key, intending to return it to the boy. But since the fighter had been pledged as ransom to the pirates, he hesitated, unsure who to give it to. Srosie angrily snatched it and threw it at Leo. “Hey! It’s yours!”

Leo didn’t move. The key passed right through his body, fell to the ground, and bounced twice with a metallic clink.

Srosie stared, dumbfounded. “A hologram?!”

The AI sneered. “It’s the first time someone figured it out within five minutes. You’ve set a galactic record. You can brag about it to others.”

“What’s there to brag about?” Srosie grabbed Alois’s shirt and walked off quickly.

Alois was even more exasperated. Luckily, the boy didn’t go in the wrong direction, or Leo would have mocked him more mercilessly.

After confirming that they had taken the elevator to the lower level, Joshua called out to Leo, who was about to inspect the Bard’s interior. “Search for information on ‘Green Star Diamond Island’.”

“Why? Are you interested in that place?” Leo directed a robot to pick up the key.

“We encountered a cyborg on the island.”

Leo’s shoulders stiffened but quickly returned to normal. “Oh, maybe the Neo Venice military repurposed the island as a research lab?”

“It wasn’t an ordinary cyborg,” Joshua continued. “It looked very much like ‘Yasha’.”

The little robot held the key and slipped into the cockpit.

“I’ll check it out,” Leo said, not turning around, his eyes fixed on the robot’s movements. He had abandoned his usual facial expression simulations. If he had, his current expression would undoubtedly be one of utter terror.

Alois led Srosie down to the docks of the third ship repair dock. Neo Venice’s advanced shipbuilding technology was fully displayed here. The repair dock, half-floating on the water, resembled a giant shell, swallowing dozens of ships of varying sizes. Small shuttles transported repair robots between the ships, while massive mechanical arms hoisted alloy plates, casting large moving shadows on the ground.

In the distance, Puccini Spaceport looked like a steel jungle floating on the sea, its lead-gray hue shimmering in the mist rising from the water. Various Gondolas and flying cars flying out of the city resembled startled birds in a forest. Srosie squinted his eyes and soon raised his hand to wave at a distant Gondola. Alois searched the vast sky for a long time, unable to find who he was waving at.

“Someone’s here to pick me up,” the boy said.

“Safe travels.” Alois patted his slender shoulder. “Don’t fly planes without a license, okay?”

“…Hmph!” Srosie crossed his arms.

Damn kid, still showing attitude! Alois debated whether to punch him again when Srosie suddenly turned and asked, “Hey, I never got your name.”

“Alois Lagrange.”

“Alois, even though you hit me a lot, you’re the nicest person I’ve met today.” Blushing, he added, “Here’s a little something for you.”

What’s this kid up to? Alois wondered nervously. Could he be giving me a check? What’s he pulling out of his pocket? Two pieces of paper? Are those really checks?

“Take these.” Srosie handed him two slightly crumpled, possibly water-stained papers. Alois carefully took them and nearly fainted at the sight.

“Tickets to Camilla’s concert?!” he exclaimed. “Front-row VIP seats!”

It was like a miracle! He had thought he would never get to see the galactic diva live, yet here were two tickets, for free! He was almost moved to tears.

The brat (now suddenly handsome and adorable in Alois’s eyes) bit his lip. “What? Don’t you like Camilla?”

“Like? I love her!” Alois restrained himself from trembling with excitement. “But, but isn’t this too valuable? Are you sure it’s okay to just give it to me?”

Srosie clasped his hands behind his back, kicking the ground with his left foot. “You saved my life. It’s only right to give you something as a thank you.” He turned his flushed face away, staring at the uneven walls of the repair dock. “If you don’t want to go, you can sell the tickets.”

“No, no, I’ll definitely go! Oh God, you have no idea how much I love Camilla!” Alois was nearly in tears.

“If… If you do go, remember to find me backstage before the show,” Srosie mumbled.

Suddenly, the repair dock was filled with cries of alarm. A Gondola sped in, swerving past several obstacles like a stunt vehicle, causing a minor collision, and headed straight for Alois and Srosie!

Alois quickly shielded the boy. A gust of wind hit them as the Gondola made a sharp turn and stopped right in front of them.

“Srosie! You scared me to death! Are you okay?” A young woman stepped off the gondola. She had slightly tanned skin, a tall figure, the latest hairstyle from Second Milan, and a light blue professional outfit that made her look stylish and capable. She grabbed Srosie’s hand, choking up. “I’ve told you countless times, always bring a bodyguard and text me every half hour to check in. Why don’t you ever listen?”

Srosie shook his head irritably. “I’ll explain when we get back!” He hurriedly pushed the woman into the Gondola and climbed in himself, not forgetting to shout to Alois. “Remember to find me! Just say you’re looking for Srosie, and they’ll let you in!”

“Alright, let’s go back quickly. Everyone’s waiting for you! How can you still be so willful at a time like this…” The woman started the Gondola while lecturing him. The gondola turned around and flew out of the repair dock. Srosie stuck half his body out the window, waving goodbye to Alois. Alois watched the boy’s dark blue hair fluttering in the sea breeze until the gondola became a tiny black dot in the distance.

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