Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 100
Joshua hadn’t used a personal computer for a long time. On the spaceship, Leo would handle everything for them. Any question could be asked to the ceiling, and the AI would search its vast database for answers. For games or entertainment, they could use communication terminals. Joshua believed that most pirates, like him, could barely remember the position of the keyboard unless they had to work on a computer.
Now Joshua had to rely on himself. Leo wasn’t much help here. His computer didn’t have the capacity to run an advanced AI smoothly. Joshua closed the study door, sat at the desk, and a holographic keyboard appeared in front of him. With a swipe, the round walls projected a holographic screen around him. He took Leo’s chip out of his pocket and inserted it into the computer’s slot.
A low hum sounded, and then Leo’s holographic image appeared in front of him.
“You finally let me out for some air,” the AI complained. “Even prison would be better. This place is so small, it’s like a coffin!”
“I need your help, Leo,” Joshua said.
“What’s with the gloomy face? Trouble in paradise?”
“If you don’t help me, I’ll never have a love life again.”
“Oh, this sounds serious.” Leo raised an eyebrow. “What happened while I was stuck in this coffin?”
Joshua tilted his chin. “Alois is missing. I think he was kidnapped.”
“Are you sure he didn’t just leave because he’s tired of you?”
Joshua slammed the table with a loud bang, making the projections in the room shake. “I don’t have time for jokes!” the assassin roared.
Leo was momentarily silenced, swallowing back the retort that had been on his lips. Both the assassin and his brother were known for their patience, but their patience had limits, and once exceeded, their anger was fiercer than others. Leo didn’t doubt that if he pushed further, Joshua might yank out the chip and stomp on it.
“Alright, alright, I shouldn’t have said that,” the AI conceded. “What can I do for you?”
“The kidnapper couldn’t have just appeared out of nowhere. Search the surveillance footage from Avalon and the nearby areas and find any suspicious people.”
“That’s a huge task!” Leo exclaimed. “Do you think your crappy computer can handle that kind of load?”
He was about to continue protesting, but Joshua’s increasingly dark expression made him give up the unwise idea. “Fine, fine, I can use the planetary network…”
“And check the spaceport’s entry and exit records,” the assassin added. “Find any suspicious people and their whereabouts.”
The study door suddenly opened, and Joshua reflexively drew his gun, pointing it at the entrance, only to see Kepler walk in. The moneylender raised his hands to show he meant no harm.
“We can help too,” he said. “I have a friend at the spaceport who can help check the records. That’s how we found this place.” He smiled innocuously.
Joshua didn’t lower his gun. “You were eavesdropping.”
“Not ‘eavesdropping’,” Kepler corrected. “The house’s soundproofing isn’t very good, my boy.”
“I’m not your boy.”
“You all are,” Kepler said with the patience of an elder, gently dissipating Joshua’s anger. “Jolene and I are as anxious as you and want to rescue that child as quickly as possible. Don’t try to shoulder everything alone. You need help.”
Reluctantly, Joshua lowered his gun. “I can do it alone.”
“Really? Are you willing to bet Alois’s safety on that?”
The assassin bit his lip and didn’t respond. He could stubbornly refuse others’ demands, but this kind of elder-like, warm advice was hard to reject, even though he resisted it internally. Rationally, he knew Kepler was right. Joshua also had to admit that Kepler had more experience and wisdom than he did.
“…It’s my fault he was kidnapped,” Joshua persisted. “I shouldn’t make others pay for my mistakes.”
“It wasn’t just your fault,” Kepler said softly. “If we’re talking about mistakes, Jolene, our other companions, and I made a huge one over twenty years ago.” He glanced around the study, finally resting his eyes on Leo’s hologram. “We should have stopped his father from undertaking that dangerous and foolish mission, but we didn’t. Isn’t that a grave mistake?”
The sheriff stepped over the police line amid alternating red and blue lights, kicking up a cloud of red dust. The officer in charge of the case saluted him.
“What do we have?”
“A body,” the officer said. “Based on the comparison, it’s likely the missing Lancaster Company representative.” He pointed to the nearby body, where forensic personnel were taking photos, and a medical examiner with a mask and gloves was conducting a preliminary examination. The body lay face down behind a large wind-eroded rock, difficult to find unless specifically searched for. The outer clothes were missing, leaving only a shirt and underwear, which were intact, suggesting the killer wasn’t motivated by lust. His car and wallet were also missing, indicating robbery, but a conclusive judgment would have to wait for the autopsy and forensic reports.
Olympus wasn’t a top-tier peaceful planet. It was rife with gangs, assassins, prostitutes, and various fugitive criminals, with violent incidents happening daily, making the police somewhat numb to it. A day without a death or two would be unusual. But this case was different. The murder occurred in Avalon, known for its security and wealth, and the victim was an employee of a major company planning to buy this mountain to build an amusement park. The nearby residents and Lancaster Company pressured the police, prompting the sheriff to personally inspect the scene.
“Excuse me, Sheriff,” a young officer approached. “Someone wants to pass through the police line to go up the mountain.”
“Who? Reporters?”
The area was sealed off, and entry required strict checks. The sheriff hated reporters. They were like flies on rotting meat, circling endlessly, creating sensational yet unrealistic rumors.
“No, a courier delivering a package up the mountain. Should we check the package?”
“Do we have the authority?” the sheriff retorted. “I don’t want to receive complaints tomorrow about the police opening citizens’ packages and ignoring their privacy. Scan it. If it’s not a bomb or something dangerous, let him through.”
“Yes, sir!”
A vast amount of information displayed around Joshua, filtered and sorted by Leo, leaving only the useful bits. Leo’s work wasn’t fast. Even with the planetary network, his processing speed couldn’t match that on the Lady of the Night.
“By the way,” the AI suddenly said amid his busy task, “I think I know that Kepler.”
“Really,” Joshua responded absentmindedly. “Does it matter?”
“Not really. At least not to you,” Leo realized the assassin had no interest in his social circles and dropped the topic. “I’ll tell you when we have time.”
The study door opened again.
“Can’t you knock first?” Joshua snapped at Kepler.
The moneylender knocked three times on the already open door. “Can I speak now?”
“What is it?”
Kepler didn’t show displeasure at Joshua’s hostile attitude. “A package just arrived, Jolene signed for it. Want to take a look? It could be a message from the kidnappers…”
Before he finished, Joshua dashed out of the room and down the stairs like the wind.
In the living room, Jolene placed the long package on the coffee table, holding a box cutter, unsure whether to open it.
“Let me.” Joshua quickly approached, grabbed the cutter, and tore off the outer wrapping. The package was wrapped like a birthday gift, with bright colored paper outside and a plastic rectangular box inside.
“Careful, it might be a bomb…” Jolene said worriedly.
Joshua gestured for her to step back, setting the cutter aside, and carefully placed the box in the center of the coffee table, gently lifting the lid.
Jolene screamed, nearly fainting, and was saved by Kepler, who rushed to support her.
“My God…” The seasoned loan shark, usually unflappable, gasped at the sight inside the box.
Inside was a blood-soaked, severed arm, cut above the elbow. The stump jagged as if torn off by force rather than a clean cut, with broken bones protruding from the flesh.
Joshua’s face turned pale, as if plunged into an icy abyss, trembling uncontrollably. He gently touched the severed arm, praying silently, Merciful Lord, this can’t be. It’s not Alois’s hand. It must be a prank. This can’t be his hand…
The touch confirmed it was indeed a human arm—not a mannequin or a realistic toy, but a real severed limb.
The assassin caressed the uneven stump up to the wrist, prying open the stiff fingers, a white paper ball falling from the palm, but he didn’t notice. His entire focus was on the blood-stained, cold hand. He knew this hand well—every line, every callus from holding a gun and controlling instruments—and he knew it as intimately as his lover.
This is Alois’s hand.
Joshua covered his face. A low growl of pain, anger, and madness escaped his throat, like a wounded beast howling.
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