Was there really anything in the world that could break through the defenses of a military satellite?
The answer was right in front of the governor. Its name was the Sword of the Queen direct flight squadron.
When the satellite fired a scorching beam of light at that green arrow, the governor inwardly mocked the enemy for being reckless enough to attempt a head-on collision. But when the light faded and the screen returned to its normal brightness, the governor saw that the flight squadron was completely unharmed! The moment the positron cannon fired, the wedge-shaped formation immediately dispersed in four directions, dodging the fatal shot, and then reassembled, once again forming a terrifying sword.
The governor’s vision was still filled with afterimages, like a bloodstain imprinted in front of his eyes that wouldn’t go away. They shattered the moon reflected in the water, but when the water calmed, the moon was still the same.
“What are you standing around for? Attack them! Attack them!” the governor suddenly shouted.
The chief of staff was startled. “Please calm down, Your Excellency! It’s not appropriate to use the satellite cannon now!”
The governor slapped him. “The enemy is about to break into the atmosphere! Are we supposed to wait until they reach our doorstep before we fight back?”
The flight squadron flew past the military satellite as if mocking it, heading straight for Sword Bow. The satellite, tracking the target’s movements, retracted its cannon aimed at space back into its armored shell, mechanically and flexibly redirected it, and emerged from the other side, pointing its black muzzle at the squadron flying toward the planet. The cannon began accumulating ultra-high energy, and the muzzle emitted a faint white light.
At this point, even the governor realized something was wrong. “Wait, you stupid satellite!” he continued to shout, “Do you want to blast a hole right through the planet? Stop! Make it stop! Don’t attack, damn it! Do not attack!”
The chief of staff, enduring the stinging pain on his cheek, pressed the intercom clipped to his collar. “Order the military satellite to cease fire! Ground-to-space forces, assemble! As soon as the target enters firing range, shoot it down immediately!”
The energy was fully charged, waiting only for a command to unleash a positron cannon blast powerful enough to destroy a city. But that command never reached the satellite’s main computer. It was intercepted. Because if it missed its target, even by a few millimeters, it wouldn’t hit the enemy; it would strike Sword Bow’s surface, possibly even a city full of people. No one dared attack there, and no one wanted to. Not only did Darius Bayes and the governor of Sword Bow understand this, but Alois Lagrange was even more acutely aware.
The military satellite didn’t continue its attack, but the energy it had accumulated wasn’t released either, like the Sword of Damocles hanging overhead, ready to fall at any moment. Except, it wouldn’t be him that it fell on.
“Now!”
The flight squadron dispersed again, with the three smaller teams flying in different directions, while the remaining six fighters of the first squadron advanced rapidly, breaking through the atmosphere and heading toward the surface as quickly as possible.
The Bard faced the main cannon of the satellite alone, like a lone warrior fighting against many. But it wasn’t truly alone. It held two divine weapons—two tactical anti-matter missiles, each capable of releasing energy equivalent to over twenty megatons of TNT upon detonation. Of all the existing models, only the Bard could still fly at normal speed while carrying them, the heavy warheads propelled by the powerful engines as if they were just two stones resting in its hands.
Alois brought up the crosshairs and aimed at the satellite cannon’s muzzle. This was much easier than chasing enemy fighters around in space. The diameter of the cannon’s muzzle and the high-energy red warning markers on the energy distribution map made aiming straightforward.
“Fire, baby.” Alois whistled, his voice broadcast over the public channel, and as he pressed the launch button, he heard several of his female subordinates shouting, “Pervert!” “Lewd!” “Senior, you’re awful!”
The missile hit its target!
For a moment, pure white light filled Alois’s vision. He immediately closed his eyes, pressed a button from memory, and shut off the optical screen. The brightness from the matter-antimatter annihilation could cause temporary blindness for several minutes, which he couldn’t afford.
For some reason, Alois recalled how his chemistry teacher had described the scene when matter and antimatter neutralized each other back in school. The teacher had vividly said, “What happens when a positive particle meets an antiparticle, class? They both turn into photons and fly away!”
The governor stared at the screen, now covered in white static, dumbfounded.
“What… What was that…” He could only keep repeating the same question.
“I think it was an anti-matter missile,” the chief of staff guessed.
“How dare they…” The governor pressed his thumb and index finger to his forehead. “How can they use such a weapon in war…”
“Your Excellency, you should order the ground-to-space forces to counterattack immediately. They’re preparing for a landing operation!”
The governor weakly waved his hand. “Do as you see fit…” Then he looked up blankly. “Where are the reinforcements? Why hasn’t the cruiser fleet arrived?”
“They’re almost here, Your Excellency!” the chief of staff replied. “If we can hold out for just three more hours, the cruiser fleet will arrive!”
While the battle known as the Battle of Sword Bow was raging, another war was breaking out in the Mist Harbor star system. The two sides were the Grisofin Fleet and the Chast Fleet, along with the Imperial Royal Army led by Princess Alveira. In terms of strength, the two sides were evenly matched, but with the arrival of reinforcements from various cruiser fleets, the rebels clearly held the advantage. However, when it came to support, Princess Alveira, with the backing of most of the Empire’s territories and people, had the upper hand. Both sides wanted to end the battle quickly. Winnet couldn’t withstand a prolonged war, and Alveira had many more enemies to deal with and didn’t want to waste too much time on the old fox.
Alveira needed a stepping stone, and with it, she could directly jump to the enemy’s rear, bypassing the two wolves, Grisofin and Chast, and strike at the rebels’ stronghold, the Damoni system. This steppingstone was Sword Bow and Redstone, which were supplying the rebels. She dispatched Darius to take these two systems, not only to open a path to the battlefield but also to cut off the rebels’ supply lines, forcing the old fox to come out and fight her in a final showdown.
“Your Highness, I’ve previously investigated the troop distribution in Sword Bow and Redstone. The number of planetary forces combined with the cruiser fleet is nearly 1.5 times that of Darius’s fleet. Can we really win?”
On the bridge of the Lady of the Night, Leo asked Alveira.
“Numbers aren’t the issue. If war were only about the number of soldiers and ships, then we could just compare the numbers at the start and determine the outcome. What would be the point of fighting?”
Leo imagined the scenario the Princess described. Two commanders initiated a video call. “I have ten thousand elite soldiers!” “What? I only have eight thousand!” “Haha, surrender!” “Damn it, we’ll settle this next time. See you later!”—Something seemed off about this.
“War is like a game, involving strength, wisdom, and luck. Strength is visible, while wisdom and luck are intangible. Wisdom is the mind of the commander. Darius is very smart. He knows how to achieve victory in the most efficient way. He also has luck, which forces his enemies to bow down to him.”
“I can understand wisdom, but what is luck?” Leo asked. Being a product of science, he was resistant to such metaphysical concepts. “Does something so vague really exist?”
“Luck means that even if I don’t know how to fight, as long as my flagship appears on the battlefield, everyone will be willing to follow me forward.”
With that, Alveira suddenly stood up, raising her right hand high like a warrior brandishing a sword, then brought it down heavily, as if this gesture opened a door to victory. “All units, attention! Break time is over. Immediately enter combat mode!”
Her voice was loud, and her momentum was unstoppable.
While Alois was warmly welcomed by his juniors, Joshua Planck was being “neglected.”
Joshua sat in a corner of the cabin silently, his arms crossed. Due to the needs of the landing operation, every cabin was packed with people; the captain wished he could turn all his subordinates into sardines. However, the cabin Joshua was in was clearly different. The evidence was that there wasn’t a single person within a three-meter radius around him, as if under a microscope observing penicillin placed in a petri dish—nothing was around it but the culture medium.
The crowd squeezed into the other end of the cabin, desperately keeping their distance from him while simultaneously casting mixed looks of fear and awe at him. Yet, whenever the assassin looked up and glanced back at them, people would immediately lower their heads, focusing intently on their crotches.
Joshua was feeling extremely awkward.
That bastard Darius Bayes had definitely put him here on purpose, nominally to command a regiment’s forces for the landing operation, but in reality, just to irritate him.
The soldiers here all feared Joshua. No one hadn’t heard of the terrifying legends about the assassin known as the Mourner. Those exaggerated rumors portrayed him as a cold-blooded and bloodthirsty God of Death (which was pretty much true), killing friend and foe alike as he pleased (which was nonsense), and the last time he was injured, he managed to escape from the heavily armed Sword of the Queen (he himself never wanted to recall that mess). What kind of monstrous power was that? And the assassin’s eyes, known as the “Abyssal Flame”, added a layer of eerie mystique to the rumors. Some even claimed that just a glance from Joshua could cause someone to faint. It wouldn’t be surprising if, soon enough, the legend would include, “He can kill with just a look.”
My eyes aren’t some kind of destructive death ray! Joshua thought bitterly. He glanced at the trembling crowd and punched the wall hard. “What are you huddling over there for? Get over here!”
The crowd didn’t move forward but instead retreated further. The population density at the other end of the cabin increased again.
“Come over and sit down!” Joshua raised his voice. “Are you planning to huddle up like this during battle, get packed together, and then get wiped out by a missile?”
This had some effect. A few of those at the outermost edge of the crowd were pushed forward by those behind them, reluctantly sitting down on a bench still at some distance from Joshua. Joshua coldly glanced at the one sitting closest to him, who shuddered as if having a seizure, trying to move back but was firmly held in place by the person next to him, who was using him as a human shield.
“What are you shaking for, Sergeant?” Joshua asked coldly.
“R…Reporting, sir… I… I have a habit of spasms…” The sergeant’s nose was covered in beads of sweat.
“Can you stop shaking? It’s making me dizzy.”
As soon as he said this, everyone gave a little shake. Joshua initially thought these guys were protesting against him with their actions, but after a moment, he realized it wasn’t the people shaking but the ship itself.
They hadn’t even entered the planet’s atmosphere yet, so they couldn’t have encountered high-altitude turbulence. It was also unlikely that a small drifting object in space had hit the ship. The transport ship had anti-vibration systems unless that “small” object was as big as an armed mecha. The only possibility was that they were under attack.
Joshua glanced again at the trembling sergeant—now everyone was trembling along with the ship—and said as nonchalantly as possible, “Calm down. It’s just war.”
“Reporting! Our fleet is under fire from the Sword Bow military satellite!”
“Defensive barriers deployed!”
“Change formation! Attack in a U-shape!”
The bridge was noisy, with various reports, commands, and chaotic footsteps hitting Darius Bayes like a hail of bullets. Although sitting in the command seat, the challenges he faced were no less than those of the warriors at the front.
“Deploy the flight squadron!” Darius ordered. “Cover the Almaty! The Scarlett and Jenny, disperse the enemy’s fire! Head straight for the Sword Bow capital!”
This order immediately turned into a stream of light racing through the cosmos, reaching each ship.
“Sword of the Queen, Madonna, Alois Lagrange, deploy!”
Alois pushed the control stick all the way forward, and the Bard was catapulted into space by the massive thrust from the launch pad behind him.
Simulated gravity disappeared from around him, and the sudden weightlessness and acceleration caused a brief moment of dizziness, but Alois quickly recovered, taking no more than 1.5 seconds. The battle had already begun, and the flickering optical screen told him how fierce the attack ahead was. Behind him, one fighter after another was launched from the Sword of the Queen’s launch slots, drawing arcs to follow him.
“All squadrons form a V-shaped formation!” Alois commanded. The Sword of the Queen didn’t have an AI as intelligent as Leo, so it couldn’t help them pre-plan their formations and routes. Alois had to rely on himself to organize the formation, make the plans, and issue the orders. “First squadron, follow me; second, third, and fourth squadrons, form a wedge formation centered on the first squad!”
“Yes!” Twenty-six voices responded in unison.
The governor stared at the real-time battle map sent by the satellite, his eyes wide. Every time the screen was obscured by the flash of an explosion, he would tremble slightly, making the chief of staff think there was an earthquake several times.
The Sword Bow military satellite’s positron cannon continuously fired at the enemy fleet. Even a slight graze could cause severe damage to a fully armed battleship. Fearing the satellite cannon’s power, the enemy fleet had been hovering at the edge of the firing range, which slightly reassured the governor.
“Your Excellency, it seems they want to enter the planet’s atmosphere,” the chief of staff said. “Sword Bow B and Sword Bow C are also under siege.”
“I’m not afraid of a siege,” the governor said impatiently, tapping his desk. “I’m just afraid the battle will drag on too long, cutting off the Sword Bow system’s supply lines. If they really want to do that, they’ll surely bomb our farms and food processing plants. Divert the ground-to-space forces to protect the agricultural and industrial areas.”
“But… what about the cities?” The chief of staff couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive.
“They wouldn’t dare bomb the cities. We’re civilized, modern people, not living on Old Earth. Involving civilians in warfare is not the way of soldiers. Isn’t Darius Bayes supposed to be the soldier among soldiers? He wouldn’t dare do such a thing.”
With that, the governor confidently nodded. The chief of staff had no choice but to pass on the order as instructed.
The governor’s confidence didn’t last long. The stalemate on the screen was completely broken when a green light shot out from the enemy fleet!
“Wha…what is that!” The governor jumped up.
The green light was like a deadly arrow shot by a god, piercing through the layers of fire, leaving a trail of smoke, heading straight for the military satellite! When the camera zoomed in, the governor saw that it wasn’t an arrow engulfed in green flames but a wedge-shaped flight formation! Leading the formation was a silver-white fighter, gleaming coldly like the sharpest tip of an arrow.
On April 1, 1417 of the Standard Calendar, the governor of Sword Bow received an urgent report during his daily post-breakfast walk. The breathless communications officer informed him that a fleet had exited hyperspace just two light-years away from the Sword Bow system and was now heading toward them at full speed. The governor first seriously confirmed that this was not an April Fool’s joke—even though Old Earth had long perished, its old holidays were still passed down through generations. He then ordered the entire system’s military defense level to be raised to the highest level, which meant all residents would move into underground bunkers (though the three planets in the Sword Bow system had few residents, being primarily mechanized agricultural planets with few normal houses apart from large farms and food processing plants), all surface activities would cease, and the ground-to-space forces would prepare to deploy with their interstellar missiles.
In addition to the planet’s defenses, Duke Winnet had also left a space fleet patrolling the area and supply routes. Recently, the governor frequently received reports of enemy attacks on supply convoys, but these were small-scale, like flies buzzing around bloody meat. Having served in the military in his youth during the long wars between the Empire and the Federation, the governor found such small raids routine, almost a necessary ritual; the real surprise was when no attacks occurred. Therefore, the governor calmly issued his orders, then leisurely walked through the garden’s winding paths to the governor’s mansion’s unused command room, where the chief of staff and the ground defense force commander were waiting for him.
……
Alois held his helmet, his eyes wandering with the numbers changing on the elevator display. He had been living under enormous invisible pressure these days, and this pressure peaked the moment the elevator doors opened.
Ding—
“Good morning, Senior!” A loud chorus greeted him like an ion cannon blast. Alois staggered back a few steps, crashing into the giant poster of the Galactic Diva Camilla, which was posted in the elevator to boost morale. Under the eager gaze of twenty-six pairs of bird-like eyes, it was hard for Alois to calmly walk out of the elevator and wave like a leader inspecting a new project. “Good morning, everyone.” He could only pull on his helmet, disguising himself as an unrecognizable ostrich, and squeeze out before the elevator doors fully closed.
The twenty-six pilots, divided into four squads, stood in two lines like a double layer of bronze walls, blocking Alois’s path. The terrified senior was already sweating, and he suspected the temperature control system in his spacesuit was broken by the sonic shockwave… or so he thought.
The leader of the first squad stepped forward and gave a standard, but slightly exaggerated, salute. “Please give us a pep talk, Senior!”
“Uh…” Alois was glad he had put on his helmet. “Today is no different from yesterday. That’s all.” He had said the same thing yesterday and the day before had said, “Make sure to zip up your spacesuit.” Darius Bayes had assigned him as the squadron leader for the pilots, forcing him to give such pep talks daily, claiming it would boost morale and fighting spirit, though Alois thought it would have the opposite effect. However, reality often defied his expectations.
“Senior’s words are so profound!” Amazement.
“Senior, are you telling us to maintain a calm mind?” Moved.
“Senior’s daily talks are so philosophical!” Thumbs up.
Bathing in adoring gazes, Alois deeply felt his age at that moment—the generational gap was so vast… or perhaps their entire brain structures differed? Did they even come from the same universe?
With a profound sense of powerlessness, Alois walked to the deepest part of the hangar, where a silver-white machine stood, its flowing lines heartbreakingly beautiful. He had often admired its graceful form, marveling at the wonder of creation. Now, it was his to command. The day he boarded the Sword of the Queen, Darius had led him to the hangar and pointed to the silver machine, saying, “This is my gift to you, Senior. As a general, I only give it to the strongest pilot.” He had added, “Don’t disappoint me.”
The Bard. About a year ago, Alois first saw its silhouette between Neo Venice’s blue sky and sea. Even now, it remained the pinnacle of Neo Venice’s art and technology, the ultimate dream of every pilot soaring through the universe.
Alois slid into the cockpit, inserted the key, and retinal scan beams swept his eyes. With a matching “ding,” all the surrounding lights came on.
“Phantom of the Opera, the Bard, system activated.”
A year ago, Alois had piloted it once, escaping from Green Star Diamond Island with Joshua and Srosie. Now, he would ride it into battle again.
The Bard. Joanna had once piloted it. She had perished among the stars in that silver machine, like a falling meteor. They were going to avenge her.
Alois opened the public channel. “Listen up.” He lowered his voice, trying to sound calm and composed. “Today’s mission is to cover the transport ship Armart’s landing on Sword Bow Alpha. Protecting the Armart is the top priority. Don’t get entangled in fights.”
“Understood!” twenty-six voices responded in unison.
……
The governor felt a sharp pain in his stomach. His old problem flared up when he was anxious, and now his beard was almost on fire. The chief of staff had shown him the distribution of their military forces and estimated enemy numbers. Faced with overwhelming disadvantage, anyone would be worried.
“How did they get through our front line?” The governor lashed out at the chief of staff. “Are the frontline defenders idiots? The enemy is already behind us!”
The chief of staff was sweating profusely. “The fleet stationed in the Natya sector is rushing to reinforce Mist Port, which is under attack by the enemy’s main force.”
“What about Grisofin and Chast? Those two cowards don’t know how to protect their master?” The governor slammed the table, causing an ink bottle to jump, spill, and stain a large part of the desk. He quickly lifted his computer, fearing it might get damaged. A cleaning robot slid into the room and swiftly cleaned the desk.
“Damn it! Even the ink bottle is against me!” the governor thought angrily. He hadn’t joined Duke Winnet entirely willingly. He was discontent with a mundane life on a boring agricultural planet. He dreamed of excitement and adventure, like the ambitious Duke, but lacked the courage, relying on the Duke’s support to climb to the top. Although less thrilling, it was better than inspecting farms until death.
Now the real danger and excitement had arrived. He was on the front line, facing the Empire’s “Whip of Judgment” Admiral Darius Bayes. This was no routine raid. It was real war.
Seeing the governor silent, the chief of staff hurriedly said, “Don’t worry. In ten hours, the patrol fleet will reach Sword Bow Beta to support us. With their help, we might not lose.”
The governor stared at the military distribution map and sighed heavily. “Making a decision… does take a lot of courage…”
“You’re right!” Although confused, the chief of staff flattered.
“…Twenty years ago, when I became governor of the Sword Bow system, His Majesty told me the same thing.”
“……” The chief of staff decided not to speak too much in the future.
When Alois walked into the cabin, Joshua was packing. There wasn’t much to pack: a few clothes, some personal items, and a few favored pistols and knives. Alois leaned against the wall, watching Joshua carefully put everything away, feeling as if they weren’t just moving to another ship, but starting an endless exile. Schrödinger, sitting on the floor, looked at its master in confusion, its tail flicking back and forth. After a while, it grew bored and leaped into Alois’s arms with a “meow”.
Joshua paused in his movements. “Did Bayes agree?”
“Of course.”
He turned around, still holding a shirt, and Alois saw a subtly complex expression on his face. “What’s wrong? You’re not happy?”
Joshua threw down the shirt and came over to hug him. To avoid being squished, Schrödinger quickly jumped to the floor and meowed a few times.
“I don’t like Bayes.” Joshua buried his head in Alois’s neck.
“I don’t like him either.” Who could like that little brat!
“But you two seem close.”
Alois wanted to howl at the sky. It was one thing for the Prince to say this, but now Joshua too! “That’s definitely… your illusion!” he gritted his teeth.
“He has an annoying subordinate who did that to you…”
Alois wrapped his arms around Joshua’s broad back. “I heard from the Princess that Colonel Gauss has been forcibly retired. You don’t need to worry about him.”
Schrödinger, feeling neglected, grumbled and scurried out the door.
“…Yeah.” The assassin muttered, “I’m really afraid you’ll get hurt again. That won’t happen again. I’ll protect you.” He tightened his embrace. “I don’t want to be separated from you again.”
Alois felt his bones almost melting from warmth. Joshua claimed he couldn’t say romantic things, but everything he said made Alois feel warm to his core.
He snuggled against Joshua, causing the assassin to ignite with a rush of heat. Joshua pushed him away, hurried back to his suitcase, and rummaged through it.
“We have to report to Bayes’s ship soon. If you can’t walk then, I definitely won’t help you.” He found his target at the bottom of the case—a bottle of lube. Turning back, Alois was already taking off his pants.
“I don’t want to be late on my first day under the new boss.” The young man pulled off his belt and slipped out of one pant leg. “Let’s be quick.”
Joshua sighed. “War times are tough.” He pressed Alois against the wall and kissed him fiercely. His tongue pried open his teeth, sweeping through every corner like a hurricane, as if trying to inject his entire essence into the person in front of him. While kissing, he squeezed some lube into his palm and reached behind Alois. His fingers entered the secret hole, stirring gently. The soft, hot walls immediately clung to him, greedily seeking more caresses. The small hole swallowed his fingers, and the lube that couldn’t get in flowed down his thigh, forming a lascivious trail.
Alois panted, holding onto Joshua to stay balanced. “Enough… enter me, quickly…”
Joshua withdrew his fingers, unzipped, and pulled out his already erect cock. He rubbed it against Alois’s belly, the fluid seeping from the tip wetting his abdomen and trickling into his pubic hair.
“Let’s be quick,” the assassin said.
He lifted the young man’s leg and slowly inserted his cock into the wet, hot hole. Alois moaned, nearly losing his balance. Pressed between a person and the wall, the strange suspended feeling added an extra touch of sensuality.
“Let’s be quick,” Joshua repeated, then started thrusting rapidly.
Alois bit his lip in frustration—why had he said that!
In the end, even though Joshua adhered to the “quick” principle, they were still unfortunately late when they reported to the Sword of the Queen.
……
Epolyne entered the new laboratory, walking past rows of test tubes containing dismembered limbs and bizarre bionic machinery without a glance. She proceeded through faint groans of pain and the stench of electrical equipment to the innermost room, where a giant cultivation tank connected to spider-web-like life support systems was placed. Every day, it delivered large amounts of nutrients and oxygen to the person—no, it could no longer be called a person—floating in the tank. Only the brain remained alive; the rest had been replaced with mechanical parts.
The tank, illuminated by a bluish light, glowed softly. The thing inside floated up and down, regularly releasing bubbles. If it looked a bit more beautiful, it might resemble a scene from an underwater world, Epolyne thought sarcastically.
Standing in front of the tank was a man in a white lab coat. He gazed up at the thing behind the glass, occasionally expressing admiration. To him, the deformed and terrifying monster was a rare work of art.
“Doctor.” Epolyne stopped five steps away from the man. Unless necessary, she never wanted to get too close to this madman.
“What is it?” Dr. Frank Shelley’s reverie was interrupted, and his voice carried a hint of annoyance.
Any other researcher would have been terrified and fled, but Epolyne was accustomed to the doctor’s volatile temper. “Doctor, the committee has just sent a message, issuing a significant directive.”
“Those old layabouts just sit at home enjoying themselves, leaving all the work to me.” The doctor sneered. “What’s the order this time? Budget cuts? Another project?”
“Neither.” Epolyne shrugged. “The committee requires you to take your new creation on a secret mission… a maiden mission, so to speak.”
“Don’t they have their own agents?” The doctor’s reflection in the glass wavered. “They trouble me with everything, those useless old men!”
“The committee stated that only you and your cyborg could execute this mission, and you would find it very interesting. Personally, I believe you will eagerly accept it.”
“…Oh?” The doctor was slightly intrigued. Scientists always had a keen sense of curiosity. “What if I’m not interested?”
“Then feel free to dismiss me,” Epolyne raised her voice.
“Not only will I dismiss you, but I’ll also make you Lester’s first victim.” The doctor turned, smiling, his glasses reflecting the blue light.
Epolyne wanted to laugh. “Doctor, the committee requires you to go to Old Earth.” She was satisfied to see the doctor’s eyes widen. “To eliminate the Yasha.”
This was indeed a mission that only Dr. Frank Shelley and his cyborg could accomplish. The Federal Military Committee and the Council of Nine had planned to seize the Yasha decades ago. When this plan failed, they turned to creating a substitute, and Dr. Frank had been supported since then. Although his cyborg couldn’t travel freely through time and space like the legendary Yasha, it had unparalleled destructive power. In today’s universe, who could be its match? A few days ago, the doctor’s new creation—picked up from Olympus—was declared complete. Upon hearing this, the Council of Nine immediately issued the order for the doctor to take it to Old Earth and eliminate the Yasha.
If they couldn’t have it, they would destroy it so no one else could.
Epolyne knew the doctor would certainly accept this mission. He was extremely arrogant and wouldn’t miss the chance to defeat the Yasha and prove his superiority. He had always dreamed of surpassing that unparalleled scientist from Old Earth.
“You’re lucky, Epolyne. You saved your life.” The doctor said softly, “I’m very interested.”
Epolyne smiled triumphantly.
Behind the doctor, the liquid in the giant cultivation tank swirled, and the reflected light trembled slightly.
“Oh, oh.” Alveira turned her head and gave Alois and Joshua a look that was half amused, half exasperated. “Darius wants to borrow you two.”
“No.” Darius raised a finger and shook it. “Just him.” He fixed his sharp, hawk-like gaze on Alois, his amber eyes piercing.
Under the young officer’s stare, Alois felt a sudden tension all over his body, as if a weak current was running through his skin, making his hair stand on end. Even more terrifying, Joshua, standing next to him, met that knife-like gaze head-on and unflinchingly glared back. A silent confrontation unfolded quietly in the conference room.
Alois felt a splitting headache. “I… I’m not worthy…” he squeezed out a few words as if constipated.
“Senior, do you remember what I once said to you?”
“Not really…”
“I need an ace pilot.” Darius said each word deliberately, as if afraid Alois wouldn’t understand. “Do you remember now?”
Damn it. “I think I remember…” Alois’s voice seemed to come from a grave. “Speaking of which, I’d recommend Titia from the Lady of the Night. She’s far more capable…”
“But I,” Darius continued to slow his speech, “want that person to be you.”
Joshua took a step forward but was pulled back by Alveira. He glared angrily at the princess, then at Alois, as if urging him to reject this unreasonable request quickly.
Alois wanted to find a wall to bang his head against. Joshua! Joshua, you misunderstand! He’s not what you think! “Your request flatters me… Can I go with Joshua?”
Darius smiled, but there was no humor in his eyes. “Senior, do you think this is a school trip where you can bring a plus one?”
“But I remember you said if we defected together, you’d welcome us both.”
“Yes, I did say that.” Darius’s smile vanished. “But I think Mourner is more suited to stay by the Princess’s side. Don’t you agree, Your Highness?”
Alveira was startled, not knowing when the ball was kicked to her. “Well… I think a package deal is quite nice…” She thought to herself, ‘Merciful Lord, I’m just an innocent bystander. Why drag me into the grievances of the most troublesome men in the universe?!’
She desperately signaled to Darius, hinting that these two couldn’t be separated, but Darius ignored her gestures. After a moment of indecision, the Princess finally waved her hand. “You decide among yourselves. Report to me after you’ve reached a conclusion!” She then walked out of the conference room, feeling relieved.
The three men were left standing, staring each other down, none willing to budge. Alois was overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness. Combined, their ages could rival General Anderwell’s, yet they squabble like children over a toy. “Joshua,” Alois said, “please step outside. I need to talk to the Major General alone.”
“It’s Admiral,” Darius corrected.
“I don’t care what you are. Even if you become Marshal, you’ll always be my junior.” Alois turned to Joshua. “I just need to talk to him for a few minutes.”
“What if he tries something inappropriate?”
Darius almost laughed out loud. “What about Senior makes you think he could attract me?”
“So you’re questioning my taste?”
“Enough!” Alois pushed Joshua out of the conference room. The assassin reluctantly watched the metal door close in front of him. Nearby, the Princess cheerfully waved. “Hi, you came out too?”
Joshua glanced at the silver-gray door, then at the gloating princess (only at such times did she show any age-appropriate behavior), and whispered, “Do I seem so useless? Not even worth bringing along as family?”
“Alright.” Alois turned to face the stern-looking Admiral Darius Bayes. “So, what exactly do you want?”
“I have no ulterior motives,” Darius said, walking toward him. “The Sword of the Queen original pilot was killed. I need an experienced ace to lead those rookies who’ve never seen a battlefield.”
“I sincerely recommend Titia from the Lady of the Night. She’s much stronger than I am.”
“But she didn’t graduate from the Empire Military Academy, nor did she ace Empire History.” Darius stood right in front of him now. “Do you know how the pilots talk about you? They treat you like a campus legend. They say any pirate crew with you is the most terrifying in the galaxy. With you on board, our army’s morale would soar.”
“But Joshua is also excellent,” Alois argued. “He’s the assassin Mourner. Everyone has heard of him. No one isn’t afraid of him.”
“I’m not afraid.”
Darius suddenly grabbed Alois’s left hand and pulled up his sleeve. “What happened to your hand, Senior?”
Alois had answered this question countless times recently and was slightly annoyed. “I had some trouble. I was kidnapped on Olympus and lost a hand.”
“Did Winnet’s people do it?”
“…How do you know?”
“He’s the only one daring enough to do such a thing. Don’t forget, it wasn’t his first time.” Darius’s amber eyes flashed. “Nice prosthetic. It doesn’t affect your piloting, does it?”
Alois tried to pull his hand back, but Darius held it firmly. “Of course not.” He muttered, “You saw the last battle.”
“Yes, I saw.” The Admiral noticed Alois always wore gloves. While it was likely to hide the metal prosthetic, he pulled off the glove—revealing a ring on the senior’s ring finger, adorned with intricate patterns.
“Are you married?” Darius asked in surprise. “To whom? Mourner?”
As he expressed his astonishment, Alois quickly pulled his hand back. “We haven’t had a wedding yet.” He was a bit embarrassed. “And what’s it to you!”
“I need to think about whether to prepare a wedding gift.”
“Save it for yourself!” Alois said irritably.
Darius grunted. “Is that why you don’t want to be separated from Mourner?”
“So what if it is?”
“This is the military, the battlefield, not a playground. We can’t afford personal sentiments.”
Alois widened his eyes. “Do I need you to tell me that?” He poked Darius’s chest hard. “Besides, can you honestly say you’re not biased?”
Darius hesitated, then said, “You’re my senior. Whatever you say makes sense. I should have known ten years ago!” He angrily punched the door. “Fine, bring him along!”
The door shook and slowly opened. The Admiral stormed out, his boots making a loud noise as if he were trampling on rebels.
You’re still the same as ten years ago, just as annoying, damn brat! Alois shouted in his heart.
Outside the conference room, the Princess and Joshua were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Leo stood there with a mischievous smile. He rubbed his hands together and approached eagerly. “Did you reach an agreement?”
“Where are the Princess and Joshua?”
“Her Highness is extremely busy and is on the bridge now. She sent Joshua to pack his things.”
“…Pack what?”
“Luggage, of course. Aren’t you moving to Major Gen… Ah, no, Admiral Bayes’s flagship?” The eyes of the AI seemed to be shining. “Need me to feed your cat?”
The metallic doors slowly opened to the loud voice of the herald, and Princess Alveira, dressed in a black military uniform, walked straight into the conference room without looking around. She was followed by two tall men who didn’t wear military uniforms, making them particularly conspicuous in the dimly lit room.
“Salute!”
Alveira didn’t glance at the people standing in textbook-perfect salutes and walked directly to the head seat at the conference table. The dark-haired man following her pulled out the chair for her, but she didn’t sit immediately. Instead, she scanned the room with her purple eyes before finally sitting down.
Shortly after the battle against Grisofin’s rebel forces concluded, Alveira ordered a meeting of all the commanders. Usually, such meetings could be conducted quickly using holographic projections, but she insisted everyone come to her flagship, Lady of the Night. This was undoubtedly a show of force, using this warship, once a space pirate vessel and now hers, to display her power and intimidate those with dissenting thoughts or insubordination.
“Please be seated.” Alveira clasped her hands together, resting her wrists on the table. The “bodyguards” behind her looked stern, like two gods of death. To her left sat Darius Bayes, an Admiral of the Empire of high rank, and to her right was a young man with purple hair. Everyone knew that this young man was the AI installed on the Lady of the Night, named Leonard. Many people secretly wondered why the Princess would allow an AI to attend such a confidential military meeting and thought how unusual her mind was.
“In the recent battle, everyone’s performance was commendable, and I have noted each of your contributions. Rewards will be given after this campaign is over… Lieutenant Colonel Hauser!”
“Yes!” The named lieutenant colonel stood up hurriedly.
“In battle, you were too aggressive, got surrounded by the enemy, and nearly caused a defeat.” The Princess leaned forward. “You are ordered to reflect on your actions in confinement for three days, and I hope you can make amends in the future.”
“…Yes!”
The Lieutenant Colonel breathed a sigh of relief and sat down quickly, hoping not to attract further attention from the Princess. Despite his tall and imposing stature, he felt incredibly small before the petite Princess.
“It has been nearly two months since the war with the rebels began. Previously, I left the Empire to seek allies, leaving many affairs for you to handle. I feel very sorry for this.” She paused to observe the reactions of those at the table. She was very pleased that most understood her implication: I was away before, leaving you to handle things, but now that I’m back, I should rightfully take charge again.
“I am but a woman, quite an amateur in military strategy, and I will need your guidance.”
Everyone nodded, murmuring, “Understood.”
Alveira smiled slightly. “I didn’t spend the past two months idly. Now, please allow me to introduce two friends.” She raised her left hand, and the black-haired young man on her left stepped forward and bowed slightly. “Alois Lagrange, one of the pilots of the Lady of the Night. Many of you may know him. He was framed by Winnet and imprisoned unjustly before joining the space pirates. However, now that the pirate remnants have been incorporated into my forces, they will become part of the Empire regular army. I hope everyone will get along well in the future.”
Then the Princess raised her right hand. “This is Joshua Plank. You may not know him, but you must have heard of his name—the Assassin Mourner.”
A small gasp went around the table. No one expected this handsome man to be the legendary, blood-soaked, ruthless Mourner. Joshua’s black-gold eyes glanced around; he neither bowed nor even nodded, as if the highest-ranking Empire officers before him were nothing but a pile of corpses—perhaps he would be more excited facing actual corpses.
“That’s enough introductions. Let’s get to the main topic.” The Princess leaned back in her chair. “Leo, please brief us on the current situation.”
“Yes.” The AI Leonard made a set of data appear above the table. “In the previous battle, we lost 52 warships, 449 were damaged, of which 105 were severely damaged; 1,370 people were killed, and more than 6,000 were wounded to varying degrees; we sank 142 enemy warships, damaged approximately 980, and the enemy casualties are unknown, estimated to be around 20,000.”
For a military commander, focusing on specific casualty numbers was meaningless; knowing that they paid a small price to deal a heavy blow to the enemy was sufficient.
The numbers above the table flickered and transformed into a vast star map, with red and blue colors marking enemy and friendly territories.
“After retreating, Grisofin’s fleet moved towards the Mist Port system in Cassiopeia, which is one of the rebel camps. The third army, led by Chast, is stationed there, with 1,287 warships and over 90,000 soldiers. Winnet’s first army is stationed 573 light-years away in the Demony system, with an estimated 1,800 warships and over 100,000 soldiers.”
Alveira gestured for the AI to reduce the star map, as the moving planets were almost obscuring the officers’ faces.
“What are your thoughts on the next strategic move?” The Princess kindly invited everyone to speak freely, but no one dared to open their mouths. They couldn’t grasp the Princess’s intentions and feared their suggestions might contradict her plans, causing embarrassment or angering her.
Seeing the silence, the Princess frowned, making the atmosphere in the room tense.
“Nobody has anything to say?” She tapped the table with her index finger. “Then I’ll speak. After Grisofin’s and Chast’s fleets unite, they will become a formidable barrier to our front line. A frontal assault would have a slim chance of success. However, the Mist Port system is resource-poor, and the rebels rely heavily on supplies from the Sword Bow star system and the Redstone system in Orion, which are less well-defended. We could feign attacks on Sword Bow or Redstone to disperse the Mist Port troops, then launch a real attack.”
“Your Highness,” said the elderly Admiral Anderwell, “I believe attacking now is unwise.”
“Oh?” The Princess shifted to a more comfortable position in her high-backed chair. “What is your opinion?” You wouldn’t speak earlier, but now you want to share your thoughts!
“Our forces are inferior to the enemy’s. If we engage directly, we will suffer heavy losses. I recommend a defensive strategy. Although Winnet commands a large force, he lacks legitimacy and will eventually lose public support. Moreover, the Sword Bow system and Redstone system can’t sustain the rebels’ supply lines indefinitely, whereas we control the entire Empire’s resources. If the stalemate continues, we will ultimately emerge victorious.” Finished, Anderwell smiled smugly.
The Princess said, “Before I left the capital, Chancellor Greenwood gave me the same advice.”
“The Chancellor’s counsel is undoubtedly wise.”
The Princess lazily looked at him. “Greenwood’s old advice isn’t worth listening to.”
The young officers couldn’t help but laugh. Anderwell’s eyes nearly popped out. “Your Highness, that was extremely disrespectful!”
“I don’t know why your thoughts are so in sync, but I guess Anderwell wants to preserve our forces, while the Chancellor’s goal… if we retreat, he has ample opportunities to manipulate and control the army. After eliminating Winnet, the Chancellor could overshadow my authority and become the Empire’s de facto ruler.” Alveira spread her hands. “But he’s dreaming. After I deal with Winnet, I’ll settle with him.”
She turned to Darius. “Admiral Darius Bayes, please lead your fleet to attack the Sword Bow system and the Redstone system. I will personally command the other forces.”
Darius bowed his head. “Yes, Your Highness.”
Anderwell was about to burst with anger. “Your Highness, you are too capricious! Please heed my advice!”
“Enough!” Alveira snapped. “I know you have extensive experience from years on the battlefield. Use that experience to assist me! If you’re unwilling, you may retire, and I will approve it immediately!”
The old general’s beard quivered with rage. He clenched his fists, seemingly ready to jump on the table and punch Alveira, but he eventually unclenched his fists and said weakly, “Yes, I will follow your orders.”
The Princess nodded. “That’s settled then. The next directives will be sent to your bridges. Dismissed!”
The officers stood, saluted, and filed out of the conference room. After Anderwell, supported by his adjutant, also left, Darius whispered to Alveira, “Aren’t you afraid he’ll secretly inform the Chancellor?”
Alveira raised an eyebrow. “I’d love to return to the capital immediately to see the Chancellor’s reaction.”
“He might rebel like Winnet.”
“He wouldn’t dare, or he would have done it already. Besides, I have the army. What do I have to fear!”
Darius chuckled, ruffling Alveira’s hair. “You’ve grown up.” After saying this, he felt a pang of sadness. His little Alveira had grown up overnight, no longer the little sister hiding behind her brother making faces at him.
Darius stood up. “I’ll prepare for the surprise attack immediately. But before that, Your Highness, may I borrow someone from you?”
He looked at the person behind Alveira as he spoke.
Darius Bayes stared intently at the holographic battle map before him. The blue dots representing his own forces and the red dots representing the enemy were rapidly approaching each other, with the vanguard units set to clash in a few minutes. Before battle, Darius felt both anxious and excited, much like a new recruit. No matter how many times he fought, this feeling never changed. He believed this was proof that he still retained his humanity. If he became numb to war, he would no longer be Darius Bayes, who fought by the Queen’s command to protect his country, but a ruthless war machine, which was something he didn’t desire.
Now, Darius was no longer a Major General. He had been promoted to Admiral, leading a fleet of three thousand warships against Duke Winnet’s force (which called themselves the “National Salvation Army”). The nominal commander of this rebellion suppression was Princess Alveira, but she had recently taken Casper to the pirate stronghold on the frontier, with no clear return date. Before leaving, she appointed Darius as acting commander-in-chief. Among the Empire’s officers, some welcomed this, while others were dissatisfied, the latter represented by Admiral Anderwell. He was the most esteemed of the Empire’s older generation of commanders and always looked down on Darius, believing that his rapid promotion was entirely due to family connections and nepotism. He frequently resisted Darius’s orders, often ignoring them altogether. Darius wished he could court-martial him but had to endure due to Anderwell’s influence. Anderwell suggested holding the defensive line and waiting for the Duke’s forces to exhaust their supplies and collapse on their own, while Darius insisted on an active offensive for a quick victory. They had clashed countless times over this in various meetings. Only a direct order from the Princess could probably shut him up.
The Empire forces and the rebels were now in a stalemate, and if the situation turned into a war of attrition, it would likely be very disadvantageous for them. Darius had no time to consider such long-term issues. He needed to focus on the current battle. The enemy commander was Grisofin, Winnet’s right-hand man, known for his steady use of troops and cunning tactics. Defeating him decisively would indeed be challenging.
On the battle map, the vanguards of both armies had already clashed. Darius couldn’t see the soaring flames of battle or hear the rumbling explosions of ships being hit. His earpiece was filled with reports from his subordinates and the bustling conversations of the bridge crew.
He had placed Lieutenant Colonel Hauser in command of the vanguard. The officer of the flagship “Black Lotus” seemed to have courage proportional to his size, though perhaps a bit excessively. Therefore, Darius assigned the calm and composed Major Radruta to command the right wing. Darius couldn’t help but regret that Captain Casper of the “Star Iron” wasn’t here. Among officers of his age, Casper was outstanding. It would have been great if he hadn’t gone to that distant planet with the Princess.
The blue vanguard forces pierced into the enemy’s belly like a spear. “Too reckless!” Darius slammed the armrest of his chair. “Hauser! Fall back!”
The consequence of being too aggressive was that the vanguard forces were completely surrounded by the enemy, with their retreat almost cut off. The right wing, led by Radruta, immediately advanced to try and push back the enemy. But realizing the right wing’s move, the enemy started attacking the left wing.
“Center advance!”
The enemy moved too quickly, and the battle map twisted into a bizarre spiral of blue and red areas. The red forces surged forward like a fierce tiger, tearing through the weak left wing. The center was now facing attacks from both the front and the left!
“What…what is that?”
Darius heard everyone exclaim simultaneously.
What is it?!
On the battle map, the rear of the red enemy forces suddenly collapsed, scattering westward like crumbling earth. An unidentified fleet (automatically marked in white) sliced through the enemy like a sharp scalpel. After penetrating the red center, the unknown fleet formed a diamond formation, advancing relentlessly, heedless of the surrounding enemies.
Darius’s heart was pounding in his throat. “Show me the optical image!”
The bridge crew, initially stunned by the unknown fleet’s advance, scrambled to display the optical radar images. When the image was magnified and projected above the bridge, everyone was dumbfounded—
A pitch-black, graceful battleship appeared like Death with black wings, followed by three slightly smaller warships and escorted by a dozen smaller ships. The optical radar clearly captured the embossed patterns on the black warship’s hull: Lady of the Night.
The Lady of the Night, the flagship of the space pirate Joanna Begrel, whose name was eternally linked to hers, was the most feared Lady Death in the galaxy.
“Impossible…Begrel is…is…” The commander of the Second Army of the National Salvation Army, Grisofin, sat uneasily in his command seat. “How could she appear here… Is it a ghost?!”
As if responding to his speculation, dozens of fighters, trailing bright green particles, were launched into space.
“Intercept them!” the commander shouted. “Launch fighters! Intercept them! All units, fire!”
Their own fighters swiftly launched, and the pilots, initially trembling against the enemy vanguard, received the order and immediately abandoned the current battle, turning to the rear.
The unknown fleet’s fighters advanced even faster than their motherships. The leading four craft moved like phantoms, brushing past the National Salvation Army’s fighters and leaving a trail of arcing explosions behind them.
“The rear will be overrun! What are you idiots waiting for? Intercept them!”
The green particles swept through, leaving devastation in their wake. The four fighters were unstoppable, breaking through another defensive line and charging into the formation of the Empire Army!
Then, like swallows turning, the green particles arced sharply and struck the left wing of the National Salvation Army!
“What!” The sudden turn of events left Grisofin at a loss.
The fighter group cleared a broad path, and the fleet led by the Lady of the Night advanced through the rear to the front.
The Empire vanguard commander Hauser’s eyes widened as he watched the unknown fleet sail boldly into his formation.
“Who are they?”
“Re-report!” a communications officer shouted. “The unknown fleet requests communication!”
“Patch them through!”
The holographic screen on the bridge flickered, then a young girl with flaxen hair appeared.
“Long time no see, Lieutenant Colonel Hauser.”
“Your… Your Highness!” The lieutenant colonel was stunned.
“Lieutenant Colonel, the situation is urgent, so I can’t explain much. Please immediately transfer the command of your forces to me!”
After all, the Princess was the supreme commander, so what need was there for command transfer? However, Hauser had no time to think and could only respond, “Yes, ma’am!”
On the holographic battle map, the flagship marker of Hauser’s fleet transferred to the Lady of the Night, and all information and communications flooded to the black ship. The lieutenant colonel initially worried whether the Princess could handle such complex communications, but he quickly saw precise and clear orders being sent to each warship like arrows hitting the bullseye.
“All units, follow me!”
The Lady of the Night led Hauser’s fleet of 247 warships, like migrating birds, moving towards the enemy’s left wing, spearheaded by the four ghostly fighters. The rebels’ recent massive attack on the Empire’s weak points had exposed their left wing’s vulnerabilities. The united 251 ships and countless escort fighters mercilessly struck the enemy’s weak spot, broke through the flimsy defenses, and joined with Darius Bayes’s central forces, then launched a full-scale attack on the rebels.
Thirty-two minutes later, the rebel commander Grisofin issued a retreat order.
Daylight came and went, and night fell again. Joshua stood at the viewing porthole at the stern of the Lady of the Night, gazing up at the sky dominated by the blood-red giant star and another bright star shining like a jewel on deep red silk.
Just now, Alois and Casper had just jointly persuaded Princess Alveira to rest, as she seemed intent on staying awake until departure day. The final result was the Princess reluctantly agreeing to rest but refusing to stay in Jonna’s cabin, despite Leo repeatedly stating that it was the only captain’s quarters on the ship.
“I don’t want to stay there,” the Princess stubbornly insisted. “There are ghosts of the past and painful memories lingering there.”
In the end, Leo compromised, allowing the princess to stay in the adjacent cabin. For the heir to half the galaxy, this was rather poor treatment, but the Princess was content, and who could argue with that?
Seeing her, Joshua was reminded of her ancestor, the great Nasir I. In Joshua’s memory, that man was also stubborn and neurotic, possessing the charisma of a leader and a frighteningly persuasive power. Even after so many years, it seemed the power of genes remained deeply rooted, playing an indispensable role in human destiny.
Joshua then thought of Major General Darius Bayes, who also carried the blood of Nasir Chabais. After two thousand years, he met the descendants of an old acquaintance and became enemies, only to soon become allies. The twists and turns of fate were truly wondrous and unfathomable. Alois had often complained that the God of Fate loved to play tricks on him. But now it seemed that fickle god enjoyed playing tricks on everyone.
“What are you thinking about?” Leonard appeared beside him. “Alois is looking for you.”
“Isn’t he supposed to be with the Princess?”
“The Princess said she wanted to be alone and sent both of her loyal knights away,” Leonard replied, looking at Joshua. “Then Alois said he wanted to find you. I think he probably wants to mate with you again.”
Joshua’s face contorted. “Leo, can you be a little more subtle? Artistic? Poetic?”
“When I’m subtle, you want me to be straightforward. When I’m artistic, you want me to be scientific. When I’m poetic, you want me to be realistic. Asimov! Why are humans so hard to please!”
“…Don’t you think it’s you who’s strange?”
“Then tell me what I should do.”
“First, don’t use the word ‘mate’. It’s used to describe sexual animal behavior. Is there something wrong with your dictionary?”
“Is there a big difference between humans and animals to me?” Leo replied with a clear conscience.
Joshua felt unprecedented frustration. Kester, my dear brother, look at what you’ve created!
He decided to drop the topic. “Did you tell Alois I’m here?”
“I gave him a very long route,” Leo said. “Do you want me to make it even longer? You seem to want some time alone.”
The AI thought this gesture was very considerate, almost bringing him to tears of compassion for his own gentleness. But Joshua didn’t thank him. The assassin silently gazed at the crimson night sky, silver hair cascading over his shoulders, his eyes turning a gentle golden hue like twilight. Leo thought hazily that this posture was exactly how he used to look up at the stars as a child. Then, with a touch of sentiment and heartache, he realized it was also how Kester looked.
“Leo, there’s a question I’ve always wanted to ask but never dared,” Joshua said, holding onto the glass, seemingly afraid to look at Leonard’s face.
“What is it?”
“Do you…” The assassin clenched his fist against the glass, trembling as he spoke. “Do you like Kester?”
If Leo had a body, he would be struggling to breathe due to a spasm in his lungs. He had prepared to answer this question since reuniting with Joshua, but hearing it still caught him off guard.
He answered briskly, “No.” Ah, Joshua, you’re as perceptive as your brother, as if nothing could be hidden from your family’s golden eyes.
For an ordinary person, this would be the end of it. But Joshua liked to get to the bottom of things, a habit nurtured by Kester’s rigorous scientific attitude.
“Then, do you love him?”
Leo painfully turned his head. This question shattered his calm, courteous armor, exposing the bloody interior, tearing at his soul—if he had one—like a banshee’s claws.
An AI couldn’t lie. He could joke, remain silent, but he couldn’t lie, especially not in front of Joshua—his creator’s brother.
“I…” Leonard found his voice unusually hoarse. “I sometimes envy those low-end AIs. Without self-awareness, they can survive by following programs and commands. No need to think, no emotions, no love, and thus no sorrow.”
Joshua remained silent.
Leo mustered the courage to step forward, standing beside the assassin.
“Joshua, I have a request.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Can I kiss you?”
Joshua’s eyes widened in shock. The request was bizarre and excessive, but he nodded in agreement. He stood rigidly, watching Leonard’s hologram kiss his lips—feeling nothing.
Of course, there couldn’t be any feeling. Leo was just a simulated image, accurately superimposed on Joshua through complex calculations.
A real body and an invisible image. For Leonard, kissing Joshua was like kissing a past phantom, someone who haunted him for two thousand years. He remembered the moment he gained consciousness from the void, the first sight he saw was that person. That was his father, creator, god, bringing him joy, worry, madness, and hatred. Leonard loved that person deeply, thus learning to love humans. Now, he was genuinely grateful to the one who had introduced him to the most beautiful and profound human emotions.
The kiss was brief. Leo quickly pulled away from Joshua. Then he heard hurried footsteps in the corridor—Alois, delayed by the long route, finally arrived. Leo casually greeted him and disappeared, leaving the still-stunned Joshua and the bewildered Alois. They could mate as they pleased with the remaining time. Leo had other matters to attend to.
He checked the servers rented in the public super-light network, unsurprised to find a bunch of emails from Galactic Diva Camilla—over seventy in total. Some days, Camilla sent multiple emails, mostly casual chat like “Today’s breakfast was ham salad and apple juice. Rita told me to lose weight,” or “Just got questioned by the Empire police, so nervous.” Initially, Leo responded to each one (he was moved by his own kindness and attentiveness), but after the Dream of a Cold Night sank, he couldn’t handle the correspondence anymore.
In the later emails, Camilla repeatedly asked why he didn’t reply. “Answer me, damn AI!” Leonard could almost hear his angry roar on the other end of the network. “Tell me how Alois is! Is he hurt?… Oh, and I hope your computer is working.”
In the latest email, Camilla sent a newly composed song, a tribute to those who died in the war. It was a requiem, singing of the sun, moon, stars, light, and space, of eternal and ephemeral things, of love, courage, betrayal and sacrifice.
If Leo had a body, he would weep at this song. He played it publicly, letting the clear voice spread through the Lady of the Night and every corner of Milantu.
Cheer up, Leonard, the AI told himself. Let the dead rest in peace. There’s nothing you can do but hurt yourself further. But the living are different. Being alive means infinite possibilities. You can’t chase past phantoms because of the dead. You can only move forward for the sake of the living.
The fireworks burst with such overwhelming force that when the red light bloomed, Fang Xiu didn’t have time to react. And even when he did react in those first few seconds, his mind remained blank.
Bai Shuangying stood behind him, his chest lightly pressing against Fang Xiu’s back, cool and chill. Bai Shuangying’s hand held the Peach Bone Evil, his five fingers wrapped around the back of Fang Xiu’s hand, also cool and chill.
But Fang Xiu felt as if he’d just swallowed a gulp of boiling water. His whole chest was burning, and a layer of sweat surfaced on his back.
He had spent the whole day wandering about, yet always felt a subtle sense of detachment.
It was like watching scenery from a train window. He was merely a day-long passenger, separated from the world by a thick pane of glass. He was him, and the human world was the human world.
But now, the night sky was shattered by countless beams of light, and that unseen glass window suddenly splintered.
…He was no longer someone lurking in the shadows. These fireworks had bloomed for him. For just a moment, he had truly connected with this world.
Fang Xiu’s heart twitched. He tried to steady his breath and calm his heartbeat, but failed.
Maybe the first half of his life had been full of bad luck, but now he was ridiculously lucky…
Not only had he met Bai Shuangying, this “perfect friend”, he had even experienced that tingling flutter in his heart. For the first time in his life, Fang Xiu felt electric sparks at his fingertips, hot and itchy.
“This won’t do,” he couldn’t help saying to Bai Shuangying. “After today, I’ll want even more.”
Bai Shuangying tilted his head to look at him. “Then hurry and buy them. The holiday isn’t over yet.”
Fang Xiu knew his ghost didn’t get the deeper meaning, so he casually changed the subject. “…Why did you set off the fireworks?”
Bai Shuangying wasn’t a real seductive ghost, so it probably had nothing to do with emotional intelligence.
Bai Shuangying looked at Fang Xiu with confusion, as if Fang Xiu had asked something utterly ridiculous.
“Because you wanted to see them,” Bai Shuangying said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The tingling sensation returned. Fang Xiu rubbed his fingertips, suddenly wanting to touch that blood-red mole.
In the end, he swallowed hard and held back. He averted his gaze from Bai Shuangying and turned toward the glittering sky.
The heart palpitations hadn’t stopped. The slight pulling pain felt bittersweet and oddly satisfying, like drinking freshly opened iced Coke.
…Fang Xiu had never liked anyone before, so he didn’t know if this counted as a crush. He also didn’t know if indulging in it would affect his usual state.
…Whatever. Might as well experience it first. Maybe the feeling would fade in a few days.
Once his heartbeat settled a bit, Fang Xiu flipped his hand and grabbed Bai Shuangying’s wrist. “Come on, let’s go buy some stuff and head back.”
Bai Shuangying hummed and didn’t forget to grab his cotton candy before leaving.
In the night sky, the fireworks were still in full bloom.
……
The Underworld had said beforehand that any items they bought could be taken into the rooms of the Disaster Relief Tower, but not into the ritual itself. Yet when they returned, Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying were both lugging around a bunch of bags.
Following the principle of “must spend the whole budget”, Fang Xiu had purchased a ton of power banks, brand-name mini speakers, and tablets from the electronics store. The remaining money went toward snacks and drinks.
Compared to them, the others looked much more “lightly packed”.
Cheng Songyun’s eyes were red and swollen. She had probably spoken with her child on the phone. She deposited all the money into her account, saying that if she died in the ritual, the money could still go to her child.
Mei Lan and Guan He did similar things, though they hoped to survive and take more money out.
Jia Xu bought some high-end tobacco and liquor, complaining that the money wasn’t enough. Blondie, on the other hand, bought a giant box of brightly colored… sex toys.
Blondie grinned: “You guys don’t get it, I’m gonna have the time of my life for these few days…”
Bai Shuangying didn’t recognize the items and was about to lean in for a closer look, but Fang Xiu, without changing expression, dragged him away.
“Don’t look. All useless junk,” Fang Xiu said seriously, pulling his ghost back to their room.
He didn’t want to hear Blondie’s dirty jokes, and definitely didn’t want Bai Shuangying’s hands touching those things. His ghost’s long, slender fingers were made to hold a Peach Bone Evil, not that nonsense.
As soon as they entered the room, Fang Xiu organized the mountain of snacks into the storage cabinet. He connected a fully charged speaker to the tablet and tested playing the downloaded music.
Considering Bai Shuangying’s traditional appearance, he probably wouldn’t like modern, edgy stuff, so Fang Xiu had saved some nature-themed instrumental tracks. Now, accompanied by the sound of falling rain, a gentle piano melody filled the room.
His ghost instantly forgot all about Blondie’s stash. Like a curious cat, he gently stroked the speaker, trying to figure out how the sound was being produced.
As Fang Xiu listened to the soothing music and watched the scene, a small sense of happiness welled up in him.
While Bai Shuangying was fiddling with the speaker, Fang Xiu used his skill to heat up a bottle of osmanthus milk tea, then quietly climbed onto the bed.
“Want to try some osmanthus milk tea? Just milk and osmanthus tea, no bubbles.”
Fang Xiu slipped behind Bai Shuangying, twisted off the cap, and held the drink toward him.
Bai Shuangying scrutinized the bottle cautiously, then turned and took a sip.
From this angle, his collar was slightly open, revealing elegant collarbones. The Peach Bone Evil was stuck diagonally in his robe, and the flower ornament looked as fresh as if it had just bloomed.
Before, Fang Xiu had been able to view it all with pure appreciation. Now, he just felt like the heated milk tea was attacking his hand.
“Not bad,” Bai Shuangying drank a few more sips and licked his lips.
Fang Xiu caught a glimpse of that flickering tongue. “That’s great. Well, we should totally go to sleep now good night Bai Shuangying.”
He darted under the covers like a shot, leaving the milk tea untouched.
Bai Shuangying: “?”
By the end of the day, his human was becoming increasingly incomprehensible.
Seeing that Fang Xiu intended to sleep, Bai Shuangying reluctantly left the speaker and floated back to the ceiling.
Truthfully, after sleeping on the bed that night, Bai Shuangying thought it was more comfortable than the ceiling. Having experienced the warm, soft mattress and Fang Xiu’s body heat, he now found the hard ceiling somewhat unpleasant.
Even if there was a risk of being gnawed on by Fang Xiu, the bed was still preferable.
But Fang Xiu had cocooned himself entirely in the blanket, shutting himself off from the world. Bai Shuangying couldn’t just rip the covers open and ask if he wanted to share the bed.
…Better to maintain the current status quo, Bai Shuangying thought.
Inside the blanket.
Fang Xiu exhaled and berated himself for being so useless.
What was there to be embarrassed about?! …Bai Shuangying had already seen him naked, so what if he saw the tip of his tongue?!
Life is short. He should look and look hard(er next time). What’s the point of having eyes if not to admire beauty?
Then it hit him: Bai Shuangying didn’t need sleep and could spend all night watching him from the ceiling.
That thought made Fang Xiu unsure how to fall asleep. They might as well sleep back-to-back, just like eating with a friend, sitting side by side was less awkward than face-to-face.
But suddenly inviting Bai Shuangying to share the bed might sound like a serious proposition.
…Better to maintain the current status quo, Fang Xiu thought.
That night, Fang Xiu dreamed of brilliant red fireworks and a bright full moon.
Unlike reality, the fireworks in the dream exploded with booming sounds, like a heartbeat.
……
The next morning, everyone had developed a kind of numb acceptance.
They each carried their magic tools. Cheng Songyun silently clutched her prayer beads; even Blondie solemnly strapped a family crest to his back.
Before breakfast, Fang Xiu finally received the promised qiankun bag.
It looked like a small white cloth pouch, embroidered with the word “Fang” in red thread at the opening. Once he tucked it into his pocket, it instantly turned into an inner lining, turning Fang Xiu into a real-life Doraemon.
The bag could hold about one cubic meter. Anything stored would have negligible weight. But it could only hold dead objects and magic tools, not evil spirits or living people.
The Underworld had sealed off most avenues for cheating.
After handing over the bag, the paper figure hesitated. “Yesterday at the commercial street…”
“I know,” Fang Xiu replied solemnly. “If the human world wants to punish us, we’ll fully cooperate.”
Punish in the human world? The paper figure was stunned.
Fang Xiu eyes were full of sincerity. “Didn’t we violate fire safety regulations?”
paper figure: “Uh, your evil spirit used magic in public, causing a supernatural phenomenon. At least ten Underworld officials witnessed the ghost flames.”
Fang Xiu: “Oh, but that has nothing to do with the ritual. If you believe we’ve leaked Underworld secrets, feel free to provide proof… I won’t argue.”
The paper figure was speechless.
They couldn’t prove it was a secret leak. Ghost flames were still just fireworks, and nobody thought they were an Underworld operation. The fireworks weren’t even dangerous.
Damn, it hadn’t done its homework. If only it had just said “no magic allowed”!
Now all it could say was, “…Ah well, never mind, just watch out next time.”
Fang Xiu gave it a “sure, next time for sure” kind of polite smile.
After a hearty meal and a good drink, the third ritual arrived as scheduled.
This time, the second floor became a pale blue, scratched-up wall, and the entrance door was a somewhat worn apartment door.
Fang Xiu grabbed Bai Shuangying’s wrist and brought up the rear. Once they passed the ritual gate, they saw an incredibly ordinary apartment lobby…
The lobby had green plants, sofas, and directly opposite the entrance hung a portrait of Zhong Kui. The lighting was a bit too bright, and there was even a messenger ghost sitting at the reception desk.
The ghost was a paper figure too, dressed similarly to Dian’er. It had five eyes on its face, arranged like a lotus blossom.
Seeing them enter, the five-eyed paper figure sluggishly looked up. “Welcome to ‘Huanxi Xin’. I’m Dian Wu, a special Underworld appointee.”
Jia Xu: “Why are you here? Aren’t Underworld officials supposed to show up only after the ritual ends?”
He once again took the role of leader, his tone quite confident.
Dian Wu held a thermos, blinking its five eyes in turn. “This is just a midpoint station in the ritual. We want to provide better service to ensure your swift success in getting rid of the ‘E’.”
Having just endured the Mid-Autumn Festival ritual, no one believed a word it said.
Dian Wu sighed. “Fine, don’t believe me. Either way, the sooner you finish, the sooner I clock out… Oh right, here are your room cards for ‘Huanxi Xin’.”
Jia Xu frowned. “Room cards now?”
Dian Wu recited mechanically, “‘Huanxi Xin’ is an apartment building and the site for this ritual. After entering, each of you will be assigned a room.”
“We’re intervening to match you with rooms that have karmic ties. If no match is found, we’ll assign a good one to maintain your health and peace of mind.”
Fang Xiu couldn’t help clicking his tongue. This was unusually considerate for the Underworld.
“The Underworld’s never helped us like this before,” Jia Xu noted sternly while crossing his arms.
Dian Wu seemed used to the question, sounding like a customer service rep, kind and robotic. “The ‘Huanxi E’ is special. The Underworld wants it gone ASAP, so we’re all-in.”
“Here’s your room card. Open it after the ritual begins.” It handed Jia Xu a red envelope.
Then it handed red envelopes to Cheng Songyun and Mei Lan as well.
Blondie and Guan He received white envelopes and looked visibly confused. Guan He relaxed slightly when he saw Fang Xiu also had a white one.
“Red means karmic tie; white means none. I wish you all success.” Dian Wu pointed to the nearby elevator. “That’s the real entrance. Please proceed.”
“Don’t move. It might be a trap,” Jia Xu warned.
Fang Xiu looked at Bai Shuangying, who said, “Dian Wu is indeed an official.”
Fang Xiu walked toward the elevator. Seeing him move, Guan He and Cheng Songyun followed, then Blondie and Mei Lan. After a few seconds, only Jia Xu remained behind.
His face twitched, and he grudgingly stepped into the elevator.
There were no floor buttons in the elevator. It looked like a wooden coffin, spacious, but still eerie.
Once everyone was inside, the elevator didn’t move. Instead, the doors closed, then reopened, revealing a new scene.
Beyond was a corridor lined with auspicious paintings and identical apartment doors. None of the doors had labels.
Once out of the elevator, Blondie was the first to open his envelope.
Out dropped a golden room card and a palm-sized card. Blondie glanced at the card and exclaimed loudly, “Damn.”.
“So direct?” He muttered as he flipped the card over.
Seeing he was unharmed, the others opened theirs too. Everyone’s envelope had the same contents: a gold room card with their name and birthdate printed, but no room number.
The kicker was the card.
Fang Xiu picked his up and nearly gasped like Blondie. Seeing his rare shock, Bai Shuangying leaned over to read it too.
The card clearly displayed three lines:
First Taboo: You must win a game daily. Fail, and suffer harm.
Second Taboo: All stakes must be exchanged with life. Steal and be punished.
Third Taboo: You must always hold a chip. Lose it, and die. (※Note: This is a death taboo)
Starting off with three explicit taboos revealed? No one knew what to say.
…How desperate was Dian Wu to get off work?
Guan He: “Looks like the Underworld really wants to end this E quickly.”
Cheng Songyun hesitated. “This might not be true. And it’s vague. Where are we supposed to ‘win’ anything? It’s just apartments here.”
Jia Xu checked the back of the room card. “Says every door works. Du Zhichao, you try.”
Blondie grumbled, “Stop ordering me around.”
Even so, he still swiped his card on the nearest door.
It clicked open. Inside was a tidy hotel-style room with nice décor. Nothing seemed out of place.
He chuckled, closed the door, then swiped the next one. Same layout.
“Standard room?” he said curiously. “Hey, there’s even a guest menu! Check this out!”
The gold menu was placed squarely on the pillow, that it was impossible to miss. Blondie picked it up excitedly to show the others.
Before showing it, Blondie took a quick look at it himself. The menu design was gaudy and tacky, like something a nouveau riche would print. The contents were brief but jarring.
However, he found everyone’s expression gradually tightened. Blondie quickly turned over the menu and read it over carefully again.
[Huanxi Xin Service Price List] ◆ A Bowl of Veggie Rice: 1 chip ◆ Premium Meal Set: 10 chips ◆ Premium Clothing: 10 chips ◆ One Night of Pleasure: 100 chips ◆ Top-shelf Liquor & Tobacco: 100 chips ◆ Gold & Jewelry: 100 chips ◆ 13 Pounds of Human Flesh: 1000 chips
~Special Offer~ Free chip upon entry! Rice gruel available 24/7! Each room comes with special knives and a weighing scale!
At the bottom of the menu, a white chip was affixed, its center bore a bold black “1”.
The chip pulsed slightly, the “1” rotating like a vertical pupil, calmly eyeing the six sacrifices.
The author has something to say:
The third ritual is starting!
Liars have always been doomed to get wrecked by straight shooters~ (said in *that* tone)
Bai Shuangying declined Fang Xiu’s invitation to breakfast, and Fang Xiu didn’t press the matter. To prepare for eating more, he even visited a pharmacy and proactively bought some digestion tablets.
Then he began.
A bowl of wontons, a cup of eight-treasure porridge, a full set of thin pancakes… Fang Xiu devoured the breakfast shop’s offerings like a ravenous beast, resembling a possessed food processor.
Bai Shuangying’s eyes widened slightly as he watched. How could this guy chew slowly yet eat so fast at the same time?
Though the Underworld provided him a human shell, it was still a shell. Fang Xiu had a slim waist and thin flesh. After all this food, his stomach slightly bulged. Bai Shuangying couldn’t help himself. He reached out and poked Fang Xiu’s belly.
Fang Xiu was drinking tofu pudding when the poke made him jolt all over nearly choking him.
“Stop, my belly’s ticklish.” Fang Xiu coughed for a long while, his face turning red.
Bai Shuangying regretfully withdrew his hand.
His human had been eating since six in the morning, all the way until the 9:15 AM movie screening.
Right before the show, Fang Xiu even bought caramel popcorn and a Coke at the theater. After all, the Underworld was footing the bill, so he might as well enjoy it.
It was Bai Shuangying’s first time seeing “exploded grain”, and he took interest in the popcorn.
Fang Xiu scooted over sneakily. “Need me to draw a circle for you?”
This wasn’t the Disaster Relief Tower, and these weren’t spirit souls, so Fang Xiu wasn’t sure if Bai Shuangying could eat human-world food directly. He offered the popcorn bucket eagerly, eyes full of curiosity.
Bai Shuangying picked out a kernel from the bucket and ate it.
“Not bad,” he commented.
The method of processing grains was novel to him. He’d only ever seen humans grind flour and steam it.
Before Fang Xiu could respond, Bai Shuangying leaned over and mimicked Fang Xiu’s motion, taking a sip of his Coke.
His long hair brushed Fang Xiu’s wrist, freezing Fang Xiu in place.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, fingers tightening slightly, as if the straw was connected to his nerves.
He had just used that straw himself. Wasn’t this kind of inappropriate…
In the past, classmates had taken sips from his drinks, and he found it disgusting, ending up giving them the whole bottle.
Now, though, he didn’t find Bai Shuangying dirty. Bai Shuangying’s white robes were spotless, and his true form was beautiful enough to seem otherworldly.
Still, Fang Xiu felt awkward.
Just a few days ago, he’d held the guy all night in his arms. Looking now at the white-clad Bai Shuangying, he belatedly registered how strange it all was.
Meanwhile, Bai Shuangying frowned after drinking the Coke. “This thing feels like it’s biting me.”
Fang Xiu snapped back to reality, curling his lips. “That’s carbon dioxide… well, little bubbles exploding. It’s fine.”
Bai Shuangying glanced at the popcorn. “Do humans like ‘explosions’ now?”
Fang Xiu couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing in front of the concession stand clerk.
He bought an extra bucket of chocolate-flavored popcorn and got his ghost a lemon iced tea. There was no fizz, so it was very safe to drink.
Bai Shuangying carefully concealed himself and didn’t cause any “floating-tea scares”. People around could sense someone near Fang Xiu but couldn’t quite focus their attention on that figure.
And so, the two entered the theater without a hitch.
Man and ghost, both wearing 3D glasses, with popcorn in one hand and a drink in the other, took the best seats in the house.
It was a weekday morning, so the place wasn’t crowded. And since the movie was a re-release, the audience was sparse. It was almost like they were watching a private screening.
The film was a cliché disaster romance with a simple plot: pollution leak spawns a mutant monster that razes the city. A man and woman rise to the occasion, build powerful weapons, and slay the beast.
The main storyline wasn’t really about the monster. It was about how the two leads went from enemies to lovers.
Bai Shuangying ate popcorn while watching attentively in an unusually proper position. He didn’t make a sound the whole time, which was more disciplined than most humans.
Fang Xiu slouched lazily, his head leaning on his ghost’s shoulder, eyes angled toward the screen.
He’d seen the film several times before—on a phone, on a computer, but never in a theater.
It was just as he imagined. The giant screen was indeed impressive, and the feeling of watching a movie with a friend was delightful.
His only regret was that Bai Shuangying was too composed. Even during intense 3D destruction scenes, his ghost sat calmly in place, completely unfazed.
Fang Xiu kept glancing at Bai Shuangying’s face, until the latter reached out and turned his head toward the screen.
After the movie, Bai Shuangying reflected, “So it was a story from a foreign land.”
Fang Xiu sucked on his straw. “Yeah, it’s a pretty famous feel-good flick abroad. ‘Feel-good’ means it’s supposed to be uplifting.”
Bai Shuangying looked down. “I didn’t feel uplifted.”
“Huh?”
“The creature only wanted to survive. It destroyed the city because it was too large.” He recalled the plot. “Everyone in the story hated it, but I saw no fault in it. Humans released the toxins first, which created the monster.”
“Because it crushed a lot of people. Humans always see things from their own perspective,” Fang Xiu replied casually.
Bai Shuangying snorted. “It’s clearly a survival conflict, yet they moralize and call the creature ‘inhumane’. Why should an alien species understand humanity?”
Then he suddenly caught himself. Fang Xiu was human; he shouldn’t be so blunt.
He hurriedly grabbed two more popcorn kernels and pretended it was just idle talk.
Fang Xiu responded, “You’re not wrong.”
Bai Shuangying: “?”
“Yes, humans polluted first, and those responsible deserve punishment. But you can’t expect the rest of humanity to just lie down and die because of a few bad apples.”
Fang Xiu stared at the end credits. “And the monster isn’t obligated to make exceptions for innocents either. It’s unrealistic to ask them to distinguish the innocent one by one, just like humans kill entire bug nests after being bitten by a poisonous one, instead of hunting the single culprit.”
“Like you said, it’s just a survival struggle. There is no right or wrong.”
That perspective didn’t seem like a typical human’s. Bai Shuangying thought, ‘Is my human always this understanding?’
Bai Shuangying: “Do you really think ‘a monster destroying the world’ is morally neutral?”
Fang Xiu scratched his head. “Depends on context. I don’t think this counts… it’s just a plot for a movie. If we’re talking about reality, it’s more like ‘humans are destroying the world’.”
So just theoretical. But Fang Xiu wasn’t blindly pro-human, which was a good sign.
“What if there was really an evil spirit that wanted to destroy the world?” Bai Shuangying asked.
Fang Xiu: “We try peaceful solutions first. If that fails, then a fair fight.”
Bai Shuangying hesitated, then pretended to casually ask, “What if I said I wanted to destroy the world?”
Fang Xiu fell silent.
A few seconds later, he said, “Did you see those people going to work at six this morning?”
Bai Shuangying nodded.
Fang Xiu: “I also have to head out at 6AM. I’d guess at least half of those people also want to destroy the world.”
Bai Shuangying: “……”
Fang Xiu sighed: “Even I’ve wished the world would end. People just fantasize. It’s not like they’ll act on it. Unless… can you?”
Bai Shuangying, honest as ever: “No.” Not yet.
Fang Xiu said earnestly, “You’re probably going through something seriously frustrating, and worse, you have no one to vent to, or even if you do, it’s useless. Fantasizing about destroying the world is normal. Even rabbits bite when cornered.”
Bai Shuangying: “…………”
He was speechless. And the worst part? Fang Xiu practically nailed it.
Fang Xiu tugged Bai Shuangying’s sleeve. “See, we’re not like the movies. For unlucky guys like us, destroying the world isn’t the goal. It’s the means!”
Bai Shuangying: “………………The means?”
“Yeah, the means to make you feel better.”
Fang Xiu said firmly, “So if you’re upset, just tell me. Maybe I can help cheer you up. If not, at least saying it out loud might help… Once your mood improves, you won’t need to destroy the world.”
This human’s warped logic is kind of amazing, Bai Shuangying thought. He stared at Fang Xiu’s sincere face, momentarily bewildered.
Finally, he switched topics. “So what was the appeal of the movie? I didn’t get it.”
Fang Xiu didn’t care about the plot, and the tactics in the movie weren’t impressive. Was there a deeper reason he chose it?
Fang Xiu: “To watch the leads fall in love. The romance was well done.”
Bai Shuangying polished off the remaining popcorn in one go and left.
“Hey, wait up—”
……
That afternoon, Bai Shuangying didn’t choose any flashy tourist attractions. Instead, he picked a quiet cat café. It was in a secluded location, and since most young people were at work, they were the only customers.
Bai Shuangying was pleased. Fang Xiu had dragged him to a crowded hotel at noon, and watching humans had worn him out.
This time, it was Fang Xiu’s turn to be shocked.
Everyone knew small animals hated evil spirits. In some regions, black cats and dogs were believed to repel them. But here, the café’s cats all flocked to Bai Shuangying, while Fang Xiu was the one they avoided.
Bai Shuangying sat calmly in a corner, his robe hem weighed down by cats. A few even climbed into his lap, nuzzling his sleeves. One bold tabby leapt onto his shoulder and pawed at his long hair.
The room buzzed with purring.
And Bai Shuangying looked relaxed, not at all cold like he was with humans. He let the cats mess up his robes, and didn’t even get mad when they licked his hair.
Fang Xiu edged closer in disbelief, and several cats moved away warily.
He had too much blood on his hands, and knew his aura was ominous. He’d expected this… but it still felt unfair. Bai Shuangying was a bona fide evil spirit!
Fang Xiu was baffled.
…Was Bai Shuangying catnip incarnate?
He did smell faintly herbal, but catnip wasn’t white, was it?
Fang Xiu cautiously asked, “Are you a cat demon king?”
Everyone knew cats were liquid. Maybe Bai Shuangying’s true form was an illusion.
Bai Shuangying: “I just like animals.”
“Humans are animals too.”
“Animals don’t cause as much trouble as humans.”
“…Fair.”
Fang Xiu crept closer to Bai Shuangying’s side, trying to pet the cats. The tabby hissed at him, but Bai Shuangying picked it up by the scruff and set it down in front of Fang Xiu.
Fang Xiu managed to pet it twice. The cat’s ears flattened into airplane ears and it trembled.
Fang Xiu sighed. “Forget it.”
Killing too many people had its downsides. He accepted it.
So in the end, Bai Shuangying spent the afternoon stroking cat fur, and Fang Xiu stroked Bai Shuangying’s sleeves. Both had a lovely time.
Until night fell.
Before heading to the pedestrian street, Fang Xiu specially bought two bouquets. Not wanting to trouble the florist, he didn’t specify funeral flowers, only requested something subdued and “Mid-Autumn-ish”.
Years had passed, but the street hadn’t changed much.
The electronics store still operated normally. It was right next to the street archway, easily visible upon entry. Beside it, the milk tea shop was still open, selling osmanthus tea.
The store clerk was plump and cheerful, claiming to be the assistant manager. On the photo board inside, there was a picture of Li Shuo.
Li Shuo had the same dyed hair, pulling faces at the camera with a wide grin.
“Can I leave these flowers here?” Fang Xiu pointed at the photo. “He was half a friend. I came to visit him.”
The clerk was surprised. “You knew my master?”
“Your master?”
“Yeah, he trained me years ago. He was really good with his hands. But one year during Mid-Autumn, he just stopped showing up. Couldn’t reach him by phone, no one at his place either. We all knew something happened but never found out what.”
The clerk looked excited. “What happened to Li Ge? Some said he was arrested, others said it was an accident. There were rumors everywhere.”
As expected, with Li Shuo’s family and girlfriend still around, the police wouldn’t publicize the truth.
Fang Xiu pressed his lips together. “He died saving someone.”
The clerk froze. “Then he should be honored as a hero. Why wasn’t it reported?”
Fang Xiu: “It’s complicated. Not really my place to reveal his personal business.”
“Fine. But Li Ge saving someone? Yeah, that sounds like him… Thanks for coming. Mind if I tell my boss? He always worried about this.”
The clerk sighed deeply, accepting the two bouquets.
“I don’t mind.”
The clerk nodded. “Bro, want to take a photo with your friend? Today’s on the house.”
“No need, we already took one.” Fang Xiu waved.
The clerk: “?”
He’d run the shop for years and never seen this guy before.
He was about to ask again, but Fang Xiu had already walked away.
……
At night, the pedestrian street looked just like during the ritual, except the people all had clear faces.
Fang Xiu quickly found the cotton candy stand and bought a big one for Bai Shuangying. He got one for himself too, preparing to watch the fireworks.
Bai Shuangying tried a bite. It was airy, lighter than a spirit soul. Curious, he glanced more at the stand, so Fang Xiu bought him a fruit-flavored one too.
“There’s plenty of money left. If you want anything, just say so.”
Fang Xiu gnawed on grilled squid, gazing at the clear night sky. The Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, but the moon was still full.
“I still have so many things I want to do. Why do we only get one day off?” he muttered.
Bai Shuangying: “Just finish the ritual.”
If Fang Xiu really could unseal him, he’d wait to destroy the world after Fang Xiu died.
Fang Xiu turned to him. “What if I die during the ritual?”
“I’ll keep helping you, you…”
“What if I die. Will you be sad?” Fang Xiu cut in.
Bai Shuangying looked at him. “No.”
He never lied in consideration of human feelings, past or present. More importantly, he knew he couldn’t fool Fang Xiu, a shrewd liar himself.
Fang Xiu smiled brightly. “That’s what I thought. That’s why I think you’re the perfect friend. Thanks for today. I had a great time.”
Bai Shuangying was puzzled. “Don’t humans prefer to be cared about?”
Fang Xiu crossed his index fingers over his chest, making an “X”.
“This is you and me.” He said softly, “I have my goals, you have your obsession. There’s a saying: ‘Humans and ghosts walk separate paths.’ We’re bound to part.”
“Right now, we’re just at the intersection. After we split, how you see me doesn’t really matter. We’ll never meet again, Bai Shuangying.”
Bai Shuangying disliked such absolute statements.
He thought for a moment. “Maybe you’ll return to the world of the living… and die violently. Then you’ll become a vengeful ghost. We could still meet.”
Fang Xiu: “…Thanks, but I don’t think I’ll die violently.”
He curled his crossed fingers. “I’ll tell you a secret. There’s a special thing about the intersection, only humans know it.”
Bai Shuangying silently watched the two fingers.
Fang Xiu smiled. “Two fingers close together, the intersection is warm. It makes people feel safe.”
Maybe Bai Shuangying only followed him for delicious souls, but Fang Xiu didn’t mind. By now, his ghost wasn’t just an observer. It truly felt like they were walking together.
It was a wonderful feeling, and Fang Xiu hated to part with it. If Bai Shuangying were sad about their parting, it’d make things harder.
His ghost being this heartless. It was perfect.
It was like writing a farewell letter in advance. One he’d never see a reply to. So he could write all his secrets, regrets, and wishes freely.
Bai Shuangying said nothing, and the fireworks never bloomed in the sky.
The cotton candy vendor finally couldn’t hold back. “Young man, waiting for fireworks? There won’t be any this year.”
Fang Xiu was shocked. “Why…?!”
Vendor: “Fire safety concerns.There’s nothing we can do.”
Fang Xiu looked utterly dejected. He’d waited over an hour for this!
As it got late, he bought two last cotton candies. As usual, he handed the first to Bai Shuangying,but his ghost didn’t take it.
Bai Shuangying still couldn’t fully grasp what Fang Xiu meant by “feeling safe”, but he’d been thinking hard.
He used to know Fang Xiu was an underworld assassin, targeting only the bloodstained living. He killed for gain, but generously shared living souls with Bai Shuangying.
Now, he knew Fang Xiu would share anything. This human just wanted them to enjoy their time together, until the end.
That felt far better than responding to worship.
His human asked for nothing in return, no offerings, no debts. He took the initiative to help Fang Xiu, and Fang Xiu happily thanked him. He did nothing, and Fang Xiu still wouldn’t resent him.
Why couldn’t other humans be like this? Bai Shuangying couldn’t figure it out, and didn’t want to.
But if only he was satisfied, it couldn’t be considered “getting along happily”.
He drew out his Peach Bone Evil. The streetlights gave the pale object a golden hue.
He stood behind Fang Xiu, and with the branch in his left hand, grasped Fang Xiu’s left hand. Bai Shuangying gently channeled Fang Xiu’s “spark”, and pointed toward the sky…
Crimson fireworks instantly burst across the sky, dazzling and brilliant, more beautiful than anything seen in the ritual.
The street buzzed with astonishment. Bai Shuangying sensed the stir among the Underworld enforcers, but didn’t care.
Let them punish him. He never cared about the Underworld’s approval.
Fang Xiu’s breath hitched, then quickened. He clutched Bai Shuangying’s sleeve so tightly that it hurt a little.
That should be enough, Bai Shuangying thought.
“This won’t do,” Fang Xiu said.
He turned, gaze burning into Bai Shuangying. “After today, I’ll want even more.”
The author has something to say:
So they ended up on a date for a whole chapter and a half (……
Kinky Translations 