Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 124
For the capital city of the planet, it was now early morning. The golden sunlight bathed the idyllic town, dimming the crisscrossing laser beams in the sky while also illuminating the armed mechas that were being airdropped from the giant transport ship. The bronze-colored exteriors of the mechas reflected the morning light as they descended from the sky, reminding the governor of water droplets splashing when a fish leaped during his idle fishing moments.
The governor was utterly despondent, his spirit extinguished. “How many troops are attacking us?” he asked in despair.
The chief of staff, holding the communication terminal, checked the latest battle report. “Uh… one giant transport ship, fully loaded with two hundred armed mechas. A hundred and fifty mechas have now been airdropped into the capital. Additionally, there’s a flight squadron of twenty-seven fighter jets.”
“…That’s all?” The governor asked in disbelief, his tone like that of a student who had taken an exam without preparation and was shocked to see he had passed.
The chief of staff carefully double-checked and confirmed, “That’s all.”
“What about Bayes’s fleet? Isn’t he an Empire Admiral, known as the ‘Whip of Judgment’? Where is his army?”
“They’re currently besieging Sword Bow B and Sword Bow C, and some are patrolling the outskirts of the star system, probably defending against Commodore Spencer’s cruiser fleet.”
A glimmer of hope reignited in the governor’s eyes. “Good! We still have a chance! Gather the troops and launch a full counterattack!”
“But, Your Excellency, you recently dispatched most of the forces to defend the agricultural and light industrial zones…”
“Call them back! Immediately!”
“…Yes, sir.” The chief of staff’s voice was weak. The floating holographic screens around them were filled with images of the armed mechas. He saw a familiar street—a street he passed by every day after work—very close to the governor’s mansion… And now, an armed mecha was sprinting down that street at top speed, with machine guns mounted on its shoulders swiveling left and right, taking out combat robots blocking its path with nearly impossible precision. A squadron was following behind the mecha, like a razor slowly advancing toward the capital.
“…I’m afraid it’s too late, Your Excellency.”
Joshua didn’t need to aim carefully; he fired by instinct, and every shot hit its mark. Over the past decade, he had honed this skill from basic practice to mastery, from technical proficiency to artistic creation. Now, his shooting was like a painter’s brush on canvas—every stroke full of tension, capturing the entire world in the space of his gunfire.
Their assault mecha team had just landed safely under the cover of the flight squadron, which had bombarded the ground-based anti-space equipment, burying them in the planet’s morning light. They encountered little resistance—mostly self-defense robots, poorly performing with low AI, posing no real threat. Darius Bayes had gambled correctly: most of the planet’s armed forces had been deployed to the agricultural and light industrial zones, as those were Sword Bow A’s production areas and naturally required priority protection. The planetary army left in the capital was so sparse that Joshua had briefly thought they were holding back, trying to lure the enemy deeper.
“Sergeant Tyler,” the assassin said, flipping a military tank over with a laser strike, “where do you think the governor might be?”
The young sergeant, busy dodging incoming bombs and navigating the rough, bombed-out road, replied casually, “Probably in the governor’s mansion.”
“Then let’s head to the governor’s mansion.” Joshua pulled up the map of the capital city, where the governor’s mansion was located in the city center.
“Uh… wait, sir, I was just saying that off the top of my head. The governor has probably taken refuge somewhere by now! He might not be in the mansion…”
“No matter. We’ll search each place until we find him.”
If it weren’t for the hail of bullets and roaring explosions outside, Tyler would have thought Joshua was saying something like: “Not sure which dish is good today, so let’s try them all.”
The mecha unit advanced to the gate of the governor’s mansion, which was heavily guarded by ground troops and self-defense robots. The enemy had heavy artillery electromagnetic cannons and a large number of small robots acting as cannon fodder. These little things weren’t very aggressive but were numerous and as annoying as gum stuck to the sole of a shoe. They would climb up the mecha’s legs, block all external cameras, squeeze into every possible crevice, and destroy every component they could. Once they tangled up the enemy, the heavy electromagnetic cannons could blast both the little things and the big machines to pieces.
Joshua ordered everyone to shoot from a distance, not letting the small robots get close. He had seen similar gadgets made by Leo—one was already a pain to deal with. Although the robots here weren’t as precise as Leo’s creations, their sheer numbers made them just as troublesome.
“This is driving me nuts…” Seeing the sea of small robots on the ground and the massive electromagnetic cannon platforms behind them, the assassin felt a surge of unspeakable irritation.
He hated it when the target was so close yet he couldn’t engage directly—an extreme form of torture, whether on the battlefield or in bed.
He dropped his gun, unbuckled his seatbelt, and stood up to reach for the hatch release button.
“What are you doing, sir!” Sergeant Tyler asked in horror.
“We’ll never get into the governor’s mansion if we keep dragging this out, so I’m going in alone. I’m smaller and more agile. You guys provide cover.” Joshua found the button.
“That’s too dangerous, sir!” Tyler also unbuckled his seatbelt, trying to stop his commander from doing something crazy, but before he could turn around, a gun was pressed against the back of his head.
“Don’t move. Do as I say.” The commander’s voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable authority. “I’m going to break through the defenses ahead, so you—” He deliberately pressed the gun against Tyler’s head again, making the poor young man start trembling, “—are going to throw me over there.”
“…Huh?”
The commander ignored his confusion. “I’m going to enter through a window on the third floor of the governor’s mansion. You can calculate the parabolic trajectory, right?”
Tyler nodded spasmodically.
“Good boy.” The gun withdrew from the back of his head, and the commander patted him. “If you miss…”
“That will never happen!” Tyler almost screamed.
Joshua chuckled as he opened the hatch and climbed out. He had two pistols strapped to his waist and a modified heavy shotgun slung over his back, capable of piercing fifty centimeters of steel.
He jumped onto the armed mecha’s arm in the morning breeze. The mecha released its grip on the machine gun, letting it fall to the ground.
Inside the cockpit, Tyler was nearly in tears. He calculated the parabolic trajectory based on the planet’s gravity, current wind speed, and the commander’s weight, ensuring he could throw Joshua through the window without fail. But this was just too absurd! What kind of battle tactic involved throwing the commander? Even if Joshua didn’t blame him, he would carry the shame of “throwing the boss” for the rest of his life.
Tyler operated the mechanical arm to grasp the commander’s body and aimed for the target. Unsurprisingly, the public channel erupted with his comrades’ shouts. “Tyler, what are you doing? This is treason! Treason!” “Calm down, Tyler! Think of your mother back home!” “We can talk this out! Don’t take it out on Commander Planck!” “Even if you’re upset with the commander, you can’t just throw him, Tyler! Wake up!”
—I don’t want to do this either! Tyler wept.
He sobbed as he shut off the public channel, gripped the control stick, and pushed it all the way forward!
“Ah! Wait, sir!” Only after executing the maneuver did Tyler realize the commander might have overlooked something crucial. “What if the window is bulletproof glass!” Was he supposed to watch as the commander crashed into the glass, blood splattering three feet high, then slowly slid down? If the enemy saw that, they’d die laughing! Ah, maybe this was the commander’s strategy—sacrificing himself to demoralize the enemy without a fight? Commander, you’re too…
In mid-air, Joshua pulled out the shotgun from his back!
He cocked it, fired, and without needing to aim, everything was done in one fluid motion. The alloy bullets shot out at high speed, smashing into the upper left corner of the window, blowing a hole in the wall!
Then came the second shot, hitting the upper right corner. A shower of shattered glass and debris rained down. The modified heavy shotgun had power comparable to a small metal cannon!
The third and fourth shots were fired almost simultaneously, striking the bottom of the window. The high-strength bulletproof glass was tough, but its weak point was along the edges where it was welded to the wall—that was its fatal flaw! Now the welding frame was teetering, needing just a light touch…
Joshua fired one last shot into the air, hitting nothing. Tyler suddenly realized he was adjusting his parabolic trajectory—the shotgun’s powerful recoil had knocked him off the original path, so he used the final shot to correct his position!
The assassin landed perfectly on the glass. With a loud crash, the entire expensive piece of bulletproof glass fell into the building, spreading spiderweb-like cracks across its surface. Joshua rolled as he landed, safely coming to a stop.
He removed the remaining bullets from the shotgun, tossed them out the window, and discarded the gun on the ground. The narrow confines of the governor’s mansion weren’t suitable for such a heavy weapon, so he drew the two pistols from his waist.
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