Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 144
The Yasha pierced through the cyborg’s chest, holding a pulsating artificial heart in its silver palm. Then, it calmly crushed it, as easily as squeezing an orange, causing blood to gush out like running tap water, spilling onto the ground. The Yasha withdrew its hand and grabbed the cyborg’s head. The ferocious head in the killing machine’s palm seemed as fragile as a piece of fruit. Only then did the cyborg’s expression show fear, rasping out the word “Death, death, death,” like a broken tape recorder.
Then the Yasha crushed its skull, brain and all, into a pile of metallic debris and flesh. It did this with such casualness, as if it wasn’t destroying something but merely raising its hand in the wind. The cyborg’s broken body fell to the ground like a pile of nauseating garbage, with no trace left of its once formidable strength.
Joshua had seen countless bloody scenes, and during his career as an assassin, he had created many similar ones himself. But seeing the Yasha kill a creature that was once human so easily and ruthlessly still sent chills down his spine.
Moreover, the Yasha was now walking toward him, its blood-stained claws slowly reaching out…
Joshua remembered Kester’s last words. He had the same blood as Kester, so the Yasha wouldn’t hurt him. But then, was it going to…
Without thinking, he turned and threw himself over Alois. They both fell to the ground, and Joshua’s ribs flared with sharp pain. But he ignored it. He covered Alois with his body, shielding all his vital points. If Yasha wanted to harm Alois, it would have to kill him too!
“Joshua…” Alois whispered.
The assassin propped himself up on one elbow, creating a space for Alois to breathe, while his other hand cradled the back of Alois’s head, pressing him tightly against himself. “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
Alois’s hands reached around his armpits, gripping his shoulders tightly.
Joshua felt the Yasha’s distinctive cold and bloody aura getting closer and closer, its invincible claws like the embodiment of fear reaching for him. He held his breath, waiting for death to come. But he only felt those claws lightly touch his back, like a snowflake falling on him, melting instantly from his body heat. He dared to lift his head and saw the Yasha’s form undergoing a bizarre transformation, as if it had glimpsed the darkest depths of his soul. It turned into him, into Kester, into Master Giorgione, into Doctor Yulinta, into the assassin broker Sawyer, and then dissolved into floating dust, disappearing.
“It’s gone…” Joshua sighed in relief, trying to get up, but the broken ribs made him fail. He almost rolled off Alois and lay flat on the ground. Any slight movement brought excruciating pain to his chest.
“Joshua! You’re… you’re injured!” Alois moved beside him, his face filled with both lingering fear and deep concern. He carefully unbuttoned the assassin’s blood-stained clothes, revealing his skin, and gently pressed on his chest. Joshua winced in pain, sucking in a sharp breath.
“Oh God, your ribs are broken.” Alois dared not move him any further. He took off his own spacesuit, rolled it into a strip, and placed it under Joshua’s head, making him more comfortable. “I remember the research facility has an infirmary. There should be some medicine…”
“They’re probably long past their expiration date.” Joshua gave a weak smile.
“There are painkillers and antibiotics on the ship. I’ll go get them now.”
Joshua grabbed him. “It’s too dangerous for you to go alone. Who knows if there are more cyborgs outside… or what if you run into the Yasha?”
Alois glanced at the nearby wreckage, turning away in disgust. “I’ll run.”
“You saw it yourself. We are no match for it.” Joshua blinked. “And… do you want to leave me here alone?”
Alois looked like he was about to cry (for some reason, Joshua found this expression particularly endearing). “Then what should I do?”
“Stay with me. I’ll be fine after lying down for a while, really.” He knew Alois was genuinely distressed for him, so he added, “I’ve survived much worse injuries before.”
Alois knelt beside him, looking at him helplessly. “I’m sorry,” he said dejectedly. “I’m so useless.”
“It’s me who should apologize.” Joshua touched his cheek. “For not avenging you with my own hands.”
“That doesn’t matter! I just want… I just want you…” Alois gently brushed Joshua’s lips, still stained with dried blood, like a petal stuck to the edge of his mouth.
He couldn’t help but kiss him.
……
Casper Shannon removed his helmet, gazing up at the massive, strangely-shaped machine before him. It stood perfectly balanced in the underground space devoid of sunlight, like the relic of a god, receiving reverence and worship.
“This is the field generator created by the last scientists of Old Earth?” he marveled with awe. Compared to modern machines that emphasize function over form, the machinery of Old Earth not only had outstanding functionality but was also extraordinarily ornate, just like the planet itself, possessing the unique grandeur of things before their destruction.
“Compared to this, the delicacy of Neo Athens is like a crude clay sculpture, and the grandeur of Neo Venice is as simple as a cave painting.”
“I quite agree with your view.” A male voice came from the darkness.
Casper immediately drew his gun, aiming at the source of the voice. It was a middle-aged man, also holding a gun, but his slow, graceful steps, straight back, and serious expression made him look more like a steward than a warrior.
“Let me guess, your master is the Duke of Winnet, right?” Casper asked.
“Correct, but unfortunately, there’s no reward for it.” The man was quite sincere. “And you, sir? Are you a spy for the Federation or an agent of the Empire?”
“I am, of course, loyal to Her Majesty the Queen of the Galactic Empire.”
The man looked at him with a strange gaze. “What is your relationship with George Shannon?”
“He’s my father.”
“I’ve heard that George Shannon has long served the Empire Academy of Sciences, with significant research on brain disease and artificial limbs.” The man raised his gun. “The cyborg up there must be your work.”
Casper frowned. He understood the man’s first sentence, but the second left him puzzled. “What cyborg?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
Casper looked up. “What’s behind you?”
The man sneered, “You think I’d fall for such a stupid trick?”
Then his sneer turned into a half-scream, the other half choked in his throat. A tall shadow appeared behind him, like a tangible nightmare, and with just a light touch, it took the man’s life. Casper had no time to mourn him as he fell into real fear.
The Yasha stepped over the man’s corpse, approaching him.
Casper retreated repeatedly, soon finding himself with no place to go. His back pressed against the massive instrument, its patterns and edges digging painfully into him. He looked at the gun in his hand and smiled bitterly before tossing it aside. A handgun couldn’t harm his enemy. In the face of the Yasha, humans had no way to fight back, only to wait like lambs for the butcher’s knife at their neck.
Is my life really going to end here? Casper thought. I still have a mission to complete. I can’t die here!
The Yasha stopped a step away from him. With the distance between them, a single move from the Yasha could have ended Casper’s life. But Yasha seemed blocked by something invisible, unable to take even a small step closer.
Casper shrank back further. He suddenly realized why Yasha didn’t continue forward. It was the field generator behind him that restrained Yasha. It couldn’t get close to this huge instrument. Otherwise, it would have destroyed it long ago in the past two thousand years and then swaggered away from Old Earth.
Who would have thought this thing would be my savior? Casper felt a wave of bitterness.
The Yasha stared at him with its lava-like eyes (if it indeed had vision), seemingly understanding that it couldn’t kill this human, and regretfully turned away.
Casper didn’t know where it went or whether it would return when he left the field generator. He had no time to think about that. More pressing matters awaited him.
An hour later, when he had completed part of his mission and was satisfied with his work, he received a communication from Alois.
“Casper? Are you okay?”
“Couldn’t be better. How about you?”
“Oh… it’s a bit bad. Joshua is injured, and I have to take him to find a medical room. Please protect the field generator, and we’ll contact you after we deal with the central computer.”
“Of course. No problem,” Casper responded cheerfully.
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