Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

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

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Chapter 52

On the “Sword of the Queen”, two daring prisoners were holding Colonel Gilbert Gauss hostage. Surrounded by officers and soldiers, they slowly moved towards the hangar. It was less of a siege and more like a guarded escort. No one dared to act rashly, fearing they might harm Colonel Gauss, who was not to be treated lightly. His subordinates followed, furious and self-reproaching for leaving that lust-driven fool alone with two dangerous pirates. It was truly careless!

Joshua covered his wound with one hand and the other, holding a gun to the hostage’s head, while Alois gripped Gauss’s broken arm to prevent escape.

The situation had completely reversed. When it came to using a hostage’s safety as leverage, no one could surpass pirates. So, they encountered no real obstacles. Even the meaningless threats like “You’re surrounded. Drop your weapons and surrender” were countered by Alois’s “Open the hangar doors, or we kill the hostage.”

The hangar was neatly organized, with aircraft sorted by model, size, and purpose. Alois glanced around, slightly regretting Doro’s self-destruction. But his sharp eyes spotted a Godot II in the corner. As long as it had enough power, this fighter could outrun anyone except a beam cannon.

“Bring out that Godot II,” Alois ordered the nearby maintenance worker, nodding towards the aircraft.

“I… I don’t have the authority…” The innocent maintenance worker took a step back, shoulders hunched.

“Who has the authority?”

“I do!”

Leonard’s voice echoed in the hangar.

Everyone was shocked!

“What’s going on?” “Who’s speaking? That’s not the ship’s AI!” “Has the ship’s system been hacked?” “What are the programmers doing? Is our firewall that weak?”

Under the maintenance workers’ stunned gazes, the Godot II named by Alois slid out from the corner and moved perfectly onto the catapult.

Alois and Joshua, holding Colonel Gauss hostage, approached the launch pad. Joshua let out a faint hum, twisting his lips into a pale smile. ‘Well done, Leonard,’ he thought. ‘Truly the best and most outstanding AI in the galaxy.’

Leonard seemed to hear his silent praise. “Mr. Lagrange and Mr. Planck, please board the aircraft. Everyone else, back off, or I might make an accidental, irreversible mistake.”

The fighter’s hatch opened, revealing the cockpit. Joshua quickly glanced inside and said to Alois, “You go in first.”

The young man nodded. He released the colonel’s broken arm and jumped into the cockpit.

The assassin continued to point his gun at the colonel, facing off against the surrounding soldiers. No one dared to shoot. The tension was palpable.

Joshua maintained his somewhat bleak yet elegant smile, leaning close to the colonel’s ear and whispered, “Remember my name. I am the assassin, the Mourner, Joshua Planck.”

He gave a sharp push, making Colonel Gauss stumble a few steps. His broken arms flailed like a puppet’s, unable to maintain balance, and he fell heavily to the ground.

Joshua pulled the trigger, a laser beam precisely hitting between the colonel’s legs. Gauss screamed like a pig being slaughtered, writhing on the ground like a stranded fish.

“Farewell. If we meet again, it will be to mourn your death.”

Then, Joshua turned and jumped into the cockpit.

The hatch closed, the catapult track was ready, energy surged into the launch slot, and the powerful thrust shot the fighter into space.

Leonard withdrew from the “Sword of the Queen” system, returning control to the ship’s AI, which was still confused about what had just happened.

“The prisoners… escaped!”

Someone shouted in the hangar. It was like a pebble dropped into a calm pond, immediately causing ripples. Everyone snapped out of it, realizing they had to do something to mitigate the loss.

“Call a doctor! Colonel Gauss is injured!”

“Deploy fighters! Immediately deploy fighters! We must catch them!”

“Who will report to the Major General?”

“Stop them at all costs!”

Alois piloted the fighter, flying like an arrow, skimming past the fleet’s ships, and heading into the depths of the stars.

“Alois, can you hear me?” Leo’s voice came through the speaker.

“Yes, loud and clear.”

“Fly in the direction I indicate. Someone will pick you up.”

A green arrow blinked on the radar, pointing the way. It was a typical Leo touch.

“Got it.” Alois adjusted the course and then sighed in relief. They had finally escaped that hellish place. The dull pain in his mouth from Gilbert Gauss’s assault still lingered, and the nauseating feeling wouldn’t go away anytime soon. He couldn’t understand why Joshua didn’t kill that pervert.

“Joshua?”

The assassin had been silent since boarding the fighter, leaning against the pilot’s seat, clutching his wound, breathing lightly. Alois glanced at him worriedly. Joshua was frowning, eyes closed, cold sweat trickling down his pale face, looking like a ghost in the dark cockpit.

“Joshua… are you okay?”

The assassin nodded. “Yeah.”

He looked awful. From the moment he ambushed Gilbert Gauss, he had been pushing his limits. After the burst of energy, the fatigue hit him hard. Joshua could barely hold on.

Alois risked letting go of the controls, pulling Joshua onto his lap. This hindered the operation but made Joshua more comfortable.

The assassin was too weak to protest. He pressed one hand against his wound, trying in vain to stop the bleeding, while the other hand wrapped around Alois’s shoulder, leaning against him.

“Hold on a bit longer, Joshua,” Alois said. “We’re almost home.”

Joshua lowered his head, silver hair covering his face. “Okay.”

Just then, three red dots, representing enemies, appeared on the radar. The ship must have received orders, immediately dispatching fighters to intercept them.

“Hang on!”

The fighter drew an arc, desperately trying to break free, but the Empire pilots were relentless, sticking close.

What a hassle!

Alois wanted to fire missiles but found this fighter wasn’t equipped with weapons. All energy was concentrated on the engines, with no capacity for beam cannons. The enemies, however, were fully armed, launching missiles and beams, aiming to destroy the Godot II.

“Leonard! Requesting support!”

A bright, silver positron beam answered him! Like lightning from the gods, it struck an Empire fighter, vaporizing its hull instantly, followed by an explosion that lit up the dark space.

In that brief flash, a silver Bard came into Alois’s view, elegantly slicing through the Empire formation with unimaginable agility. Moments later, it exited the explosion, leaving behind cooling debris.

Alois knew only one person with such divine piloting skills.

“Captain!” His eyes were almost teary.

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you.” Joanna’s voice came through the encrypted channel. “Am I late?”

“Just in time, Captain!”

“I’ll handle this. Follow Leonard’s direction. The Lady of the Night is waiting for you!”

“Yes!”

For some Empire soldiers, this was their first time seeing the pirate Joanna in action; for others, it would be their last.

For Major General Darius Bayes, it was a long-awaited encounter. The holographic display showed the Bard obliterating Empire fighters one-sidedly. Massive data flooded the bridge, awaiting the commander’s decision.

John Leibniz stood behind the Major General, trembling like a startled bird, afraid to make a sound lest he anger the Major General. The other officers on the bridge shared his sentiment.

The Major General stared at the holographic display with an inscrutable expression.

Another fighter was shot down. Leibniz thought the Major General would explode in anger, but he merely sighed, raising his hand to turn off the display. “Don’t engage with Joanna Begrel. Retreat as far as possible. A protective mad bitch protecting her cubs bites very hard.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is Colonel Gauss still alive?”

Leibniz shuddered. “Y-Yes.” The doctor reported that while he wasn’t in any life-threatening condition, future reproductive capabilities might be compromised (though from some perspectives, this might be a good thing).

“If he’s alive, he must face the consequences of his mistakes.” The Major General’s tone was almost courteous. “Thanks to that fool, I’ll not only return to the capital without a victory but also have to apologize to Her Majesty.”

Too bad he couldn’t bring his senior back to the capital. For Darius, this was the greatest regret of the trip.

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