Trigger Warning
The pitch-black metal tunnel was so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Holding onto the cold metal wall, Miao Te was almost groping his way forward step by step, struggling to move ahead.
He could only be thankful that technology was so advanced now that waste and sewage could be directly broken down into particles and then reassembled, eliminating the need for sewers in the city. Otherwise, he would have to crawl through a foul-smelling sewer right now.
The metal tunnel he was walking through was also underground, but it was part of the transportation system. These tunnels, deeply buried beneath the city, crisscrossed each other. A transport vehicle could carry items weighing several dozen tons from one end of the city to the other through these tunnels.
Ahead was a junction. Just as he took a step forward, a hand suddenly reached out from behind, grabbed him by the waist, and pulled him back in an instant. His eyes widened as he watched a red beam narrowly sweep past in front of him.
Immediately afterward, several more red beams crisscrossed into a web, sweeping through the vast space of the tunnel before him. The black-haired Major General released his grip on the teenager in his arms, grabbed Miao Te, and quickly leaped forward, almost skimming the edge of the red light web as they landed inside the tunnel. The moment they jumped into the next tunnel, several red beams instantly swept across the spot where they had just been standing.
“What’s going on?”
Miao Te was being dragged forward by Taylor at a rapid pace, and he asked in some confusion.
They had been walking through the underground tunnels for quite a while before, and there hadn’t been anything like this.
Taylor sidestepped, narrowly dodging a sweeping red beam. The teenager, lacking Taylor’s agility, had to nearly flatten himself on the ground to barely avoid the red line that swept overhead. Just as Miao Te breathed a sigh of relief, Taylor grabbed him and lifted him again.
The black-haired Major General pulled him to the side, slipping into a small recess as the red beam grazed past his shoulder.
“The city’s defence system has been activated.”
In the darkness, Miao Te couldn’t see the young Major General’s face, but he could hear that deep voice. There was a hint of seriousness in his tone.
“Most likely…”
Suddenly, a faint blue light appeared in the darkness, softly illuminating Miao Te’s face. He saw Taylor raise his right hand beside him, and on the back of his hand, a miniature map emitted a dim blue glow in the darkness.
A faint light also illuminated the handsome face of the young Major General, who was gazing at the miniature map on the back of his hand. His already fair skin, under the dim blue glow in the darkness, appeared even more like it was sculpted from ice and snow.
However, this handsome face now had a slight frown.
“…Hmph, they’ve changed the guard.”
The young Major General let out a low snort, and the coldness in his eyes deepened.
Just by observing these swift and decisive tactics, along with the way the regular soldiers were promptly replaced by the most elite personal guards, he had already guessed who was now pulling the strings behind the scenes. No doubt the orders issued by that old man were to kill him on sight.
“What’s wrong”
Noticing the frown on Taylor’s face and the sudden coldness in his eyes, Miao Te had a bad feeling.
Taylor didn’t answer Miao Te’s question. After a brief moment of contemplation, he made his decision.
Using the faint light from the miniature map, he looked up and scanned the surroundings, assessing their current underground location. According to the map’s markings, there should be a ground-level exit for a transport tunnel nearby.
“Back to the surface,” he said.
“Huh? There are people up there trying to capture us!”
“No time,” Taylor said calmly.
“Let’s go.”
Now that control has shifted to the old Marquis Mia, and even his most elite personal guards have been deployed, his movements will likely be exposed soon. He must hurry to reach that place.
Moreover, the underground transport tunnels here were no longer safe. Since the large city defense forces had already withdrawn, he might as well return to the surface.
“…”
Miao Te thought it was best not to speak anymore. Whatever the Major General said, he would just follow along.
Obediently, he climbed up behind the Major General. As they neared the top, a solid metal barrier blocked their path to the surface. Miao Te watched as Taylor raised his hand, and a scorching blue light emerged from the black short handle he was holding, resembling a blue short sword.
The blue lightsaber effortlessly pierced the solid metal barrier, silently cutting a large hole through it. The Major General swiftly pushed himself up and leaped onto the surface with ease. Then, he turned, extended his hand, and effortlessly pulled Miao Te up from below.
Just as Miao Te found his footing on the ground, a laser suddenly shot toward him. Without thinking, he dove to the ground and rolled to the side.
When he lifted his head from the ground, there was a heavy thud. The soldier who had fired the shot had already collapsed hard to the ground. As he looked up, he caught sight of the young Major General twisting the neck of another soldier with a reverse grip. Then, he snatched the laser gun from the soldier whose neck he’d just broken and, with a quick shot, pierced the neck of a soldier nearby—one whose spine had just been broken by a kick from the Major General and was lying on the ground.
The soldier, who had been desperately struggling to get up from the ground, collapsed headfirst into the sand, motionless. Bright red blood spread out from beneath him, staining the golden sand. His head tilted to the side, his eyes wide open and vacant.
Taylor stood up, casually flicking the blood off his hands. Having effortlessly taken two lives, he exuded a palpable killing intent, like a carnivorous predator baring its sharp fangs. His dark blue eyes remained indifferent, revealing no emotion, yet a single glance from them was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
He looked around at his surroundings, contemplating his next move.
However, when he turned his head, he saw that at some point, the kid had half-crouched beside the dead soldier. He watched as Miao Te bent down to pick up the laser gun from the soldier’s hand, the blood staining the ground beneath the teenager’s feet.
The teenager gripped the blood-soaked gun tightly, his lips pressed together, and his expression appeared tense and rigid.
“No need to force yourself,” Taylor said, looking away, his tone indifferent.
“I’m fine…” The teenager’s voice, stiff and awkward, didn’t match the words he spoke.
That still somewhat childish face forced a smile, but the strained expression was far from convincing.
“After all… I’m one of your soldiers, Major General.”
Useless as he may be, if he were to just sit back and be protected without doing anything, he wouldn’t even be able to respect himself.
Not being able to do something or being weak is not an excuse to do anything.
“Stay hidden.”
Taylor said nothing further. He pushed Miao Te into the shadows of a nearby low building. Then, he looked around briefly, his gaze settling on a nearby spire.
With a powerful leap, he landed on the roof of the low building where Miao Te was hiding. Then, with a swift turn, he flew towards the spire across from him. Just as it seemed like he would crash into the tower and slide down—
He extended his right hand, and somehow, against all odds, he was now hanging onto the smooth surface of the tower.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that he was tightly gripping the blue lightsaber, its blue light deeply embedded into the tower’s surface.
Immediately after, Taylor, suspended in midair, used the momentum to step on the tower wall, swiftly leaping again. With one agile jump, he flipped through the window of the lower room in the spire.
Though the room was on the lower side of the spire, it was still dozens of meters above the ground. Yet Taylor effortlessly flipped up there in mere seconds, without even breaking a sweat, looking entirely at ease.
His series of movements were executed with such ease and precision—clean, swift, and fluid, like flowing water—that Miao Te, hiding below, watched with his mouth agape.
So cool! If it weren’t for their current situation, the teenager would probably be clapping wildly by now.
Kneeling on one knee on the windowsill, the young Major General looked down at the scene below. His eyes narrowed slightly, and the upturned corners of his eyes made his gaze appear even sharper.
His gaze burned intensely in a certain direction, like a black panther silently lurking in the shadows—body low, muscles taut, patiently awaiting the arrival of its prey.
Since he had already revealed himself on the surface, the old Marquis Mia would undoubtedly track his movements in no time.
So next, the forces would converge on his location.
Then …
They’re here!
A sudden flash of light streaked through his dark blue pupils.
In the distance, several Corvettes[T/N: I found an alternative term for small battleships] could be seen speeding in his direction. One of the leading ships weaved between the towering spires, lowering its altitude as it approached.
Just as that Corvette narrowly grazed the spire beneath which Taylor was hiding—
In that precise moment, almost within a fraction of a second, Taylor leaped down.
His black boots landed heavily on the narrow two-person Corvette, and the pale blue lightsaber in his hand plunged deep into the ship’s hard metal shell the instant he touched down on the top.
Within barely a second, he had already sliced open a large hole in the roof of the Corvette with his lightsaber. Extending his left hand, he forcibly yanked the pilot out and tossed them off the ship.
He swiftly ducked into the Corvette, forcefully pulling the controls for a sharp turn. Just as it seemed the ship would crash into the spire ahead and be destroyed, he executed an extreme tailspin, forcing the Corvette into an impossible curve. By the narrowest of margins, it scraped past the tower’s surface.
From the moment Taylor leaped down to hijacking the Corvette—all within less than a minute—Miao Te stood below, utterly dumbfounded.
He felt like he was about to lose it.
This was literally tearing a Corvette apart with his bare hands!
Is this really something a human can do?!
Even in movies, things aren’t this over the top!
…Major General, I will never accuse you of being a pretentious prick again… You’re the real deal!!!
It wasn’t until he climbed aboard the ship and curled up behind the pilot’s seat, gripping the backrest tightly, that the teenager still felt as if he were in a dream.
But before he could snap out of it and shower the Major General with praise, Taylor’s warning came first.
“Hold on tight!”
Before Miao Te could even process those words, his body suddenly lost all sense of gravity. If he hadn’t instinctively grabbed the backrest of the seat, he would have been violently thrown out and slammed into the cabin wall.
However, before he could even catch his breath, the ship did a full 360-degree flip in mid-air.
For a moment, Mio Te felt the world spinning around him as his head slammed hard into the ceiling of the cabin, causing him to yelp in pain.
But this was only the beginning. With a dozen Corvettes in pursuit and laser cannons crisscrossing around them, the damaged, open-topped ship flipped and spun wildly, executing all sorts of aerial maneuvers, including barrel rolls, flips, and tail spins, one after another.
Despite a dozen laser cannons firing at them from behind, this Corvette somehow managed to force its way through the storm of laser fire, carving out a path to survival. The lasers, pouring down like a torrential rain, couldn’t even graze its edges.
The city was filled with densely packed spires, leaving little room between them. In such a place, a slight lapse in attention could result in crashing into a spire—several Corvettes had already been destroyed with fatal consequences after colliding with them. The remaining pursuing ships were forced to slow down.
The Corvettes ahead seemed to mock them as it accelerated once again. With terrifying speed and nearly miraculous skill, it weaved through the countless gaps between the spires. Just when it seemed certain to crash in the next second, it narrowly avoided collision at the last possible moment.
Even the enemy pilots being left behind couldn’t help but marvel at the display of prowess.
“His destination is…”
An old man frowned, his gaze fixed on the glowing red dot moving across the map displayed on the screen.
“I see, his target is the shuttle at that location.”
The direction of the red dot was heading toward a place on Mia Star where interstellar trade took place. These trade hubs typically had permission for ships to enter and exit the planet, and they certainly housed shuttles capable of leaving the planet.
“Lock down the Muma Trade Hub immediately!”
He issued the order without hesitation.
“Activate the portal at that location. All members of SIp Teams Three, Five, and Six, proceed through the portal to the Muma Hub at once!”
***
Having shaken off the pursuing Corvettes, the small, damaged ships arced through the air, speeding toward their destination as quickly as possible.
Miao Te, still clutching the back of the pilot’s seat, was dizzy and disoriented. He shook his head vigorously, regaining a bit of clarity.
…After an extreme bungee jump followed by a dizzying chase, there was barely time to breathe. This was way too intense.
In just this short hour, the teenager felt like his heart had undergone unprecedented training—whatever happened next, he was sure he could handle it!
“See the portal ahead?”
The Major General’s voice came from the front, snapping Miao Te back to attention.
Focusing his gaze, he spotted the portal standing in an open area ahead—a shimmering white light glowing within its frame. But at the same time, he saw countless well-equipped soldiers pouring out of the portal, one after another.
“As soon as the hatch opens, you jump toward it.”
“Huh?!”
The Major General’s order shocked Miao Te. That portal was surrounded by soldiers! And there were surely even more on the other side! Was he being sent straight into the lion’s den?!
There was no time to ask anything; the ship was already hurtling toward the portal.
Within mere seconds, it soared over the portal and then veered downward, diving straight toward the ground.
The hatch of the Corvette suddenly burst open—
“Jump!”
In a split second, Miao Te reacted without thinking, leaping from the Corvette almost reflexively, following the young Major General’s command. The out-of-control ship plummeted toward the group of soldiers on the ground.
The soldiers, seeing the ship crashing down on them, instinctively scrambled to get out of the way, unable to react in time to fire at the two figures jumping from the ship.
Almost at the same time, Miao Te jumped down, Taylor swung his arm forcefully in midair, sending a metal chunk flying rapidly and slamming heavily into the black button on one side of the portal.
Just a second before Miao Te fell into the portal, the white light of the portal suddenly shifted to a yellow glow.
In the next instant, both Taylor and Miao Te were swallowed by the yellow light.
The black-haired Major General successfully passed through the yellow portal, and as the scenery before him changed, he wasted no time. He immediately turned around—
In an instant, the black hilt in his hand emitted a sharp blue light, forming a lightsaber. With a powerful strike, he cleaved the yellow portal behind him cleanly in two.
The yellow glow of the half-destroyed portal dimmed but did not completely vanish.
The wound on Taylor’s arm, previously bandaged, had long since torn open during his intense movements, causing significant blood loss along the way. A sudden wave of dizziness from the blood loss made his lightsaber falter by an inch, preventing him from fully destroying the portal in one strike. He raised his hand, intending to deliver another blow.
But just as he raised his hand, a laser shot suddenly fired from the yellow light of the portal, piercing through his shoulder. Taylor staggered a fresh wave of dizziness hitting him. His body, no longer under control, slumped backward, crashing into the wall behind him.
Damn it!
The young Major General’s pupils constricted sharply.
He saw a male soldier emerge from the portal, raising his laser gun and aiming directly at him, finger about to pull the trigger—
A white laser sliced through the air.
But it didn’t pierce the Major General’s chest.
The laser fired from the black-eyed teenager’s laser gun suddenly destroyed the remaining portal, causing the yellow light screen to vanish instantly into thin air.
The male soldier, who had only half-emerged from the portal, didn’t even have time to scream. His body was violently torn apart, and with the portal’s disappearance, he fell to the ground with a sickening thud, blood pooling across the floor.
In his pitch-black eyes, the reflection of half a corpse lay in a pool of blood. The teenager, still in a shooting stance, had pupils that contracted violently. He seemed to want to speak, but his pale lips trembled, unable to make a sound.
He took a few deep breaths, slowly and somewhat numbly retracting the hand that held the gun. His hand didn’t tremble, but his fingers gripped the gun so tightly that his knuckles had nearly turned white.
Miao Te panted quietly as he turned away, shifting his gaze from the half-torn corpse and trying to walk while leaning against the wall. But as soon as he took a step, his knees suddenly buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.
He clutched the wall, gasping for breath, feeling an overwhelming heaviness in his body. His dazed eyes fixated on the silver-white floor beneath him, his mind filled with the haunting image of that blood-soaked, half-dismembered corpse.
A pair of black boots suddenly appeared in his line of sight. Miao Te blinked in surprise but quickly snapped back to reality. This tense moment left him no time to process his emotions.
“Sorry… let’s go,” he said, forcing down the nausea rising from his chest, using one hand to brace against the wall as he struggled to stand.
The body that had been too heavy to lift suddenly felt light. Startled, Miao Te raised his head, only to meet those dark blue eyes.
Fine strands of jet-black hair fell beside the young Major General’s cheek as he lifted him. His handsome face was streaked with blood, the vivid red contrasting sharply against his snow-like skin.
His long eyelashes fluttered slightly, resembling the faint quiver of a butterfly’s wings.
This face, so beautiful that it could capture all of one’s attention, leaving no room for anything else, was now incredibly close to him. He could almost feel the gentle breath of the man brushing against his eyelashes.
At that moment, the teenager’s mind was completely occupied by the stunning beauty that seemed to strike straight at his heart, pushing the bloody and gruesome images of corpses that had haunted him moments ago to the back of his mind.
The young Major General lowered his head, looking at the teenager he had lifted into his arms, who was now staring up at him with slightly parted lips. Narrowing his eyes, his long, phoenix-like eyes curved upward just a little at the corners.
He recalled the moment not long ago when the teenager picked up the gun in the pool of blood, lips pressed tightly together, his expression tense and stiff. And just now, the figure kneeling on the ground, appearing even more fragile and delicate.
The teenager looked up at him, eyes the same pitch-black shade as his falling hair—glossy and clear. At that moment, he stared at him in a daze, his pupils seemingly filled with the young major General’s reflection.
For some reason, it stirred an unusual sense of tenderness.
“I told you I’m here.” He said, lowering his head and gently rubbing the teenager’s cheek.
***
Translated by NightOwll
***