Chapter 322: Dad, Your Shame [Part 1]
“Sorry for the wait. We took a five-minute break just now because it was a long journey. You understand what I’m saying, right commander Simon?” Cillin said.
Like hell I do! Simon thought with a face that was scrunched up like he was constipating.
It wasn’t just because the Eleventh Squad had stopped right next to his ship for 5 minutes without being detected, or because Cillin’s greeting made him feel like flipping a table. The problem was that Cillin’s voice had come from the ship’s communications system, and he had not given the order to make contact with the Eleventh Squad yet. So how did Cillin manage to make his voice heard?
There was only one explanation: The Eleventh Squad could control their communications system!
Simon didn’t know what other equipment the Eleventh Squad could seize control of, but he was absolutely on his toes at this point. Worse, the more he thought about it, the greater the sense of powerlessness welling inside his heart became.
He had thought that he would show the Eleventh Squadron his strength, but now he only felt like a monkey in a circus who thought that he was putting on a stellar performance while the audience clapped.
Still, he was a member of the A Squad, so he recovered—on the surface at least—while the technicians were still in disbelief.
Useless! Simon cursed them in his mind.
“Ahem! We are very glad to make your acquaintance, Eleventh Squad,” Simon said.
After his voice shook his subordinates out of their shock, they scrambled to bridge the two starships. When Simon saw the person leading the group that was walking over to his starship, the calm he just regained was immediately shattered once more.
When Cillin had contacted Simon at the base, he had assumed the appearance of an honest youngster with brown hair and a thick physique. Right now though, he was presenting himself in his original form.
He said, “Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am the commander of the Eleventh B Squadron, Cillin. As you may have noticed, this is how I really look like.”
Simon was just barely keeping his mask together. When Cillin first contacted his friends, he had assumed the form they were familiar with. But after they departed, he reverted to the form everyone from Mist Bodhisattva Empire was familiar with; his true form. It was also the only form where he could be at his absolute best.
After the chip was fully activated, Cillin gained the ability to assume any appearance. However, he still preferred his original look because it was the most natural. Also, in this form his energy usage was at its minimum, but his capacity wasn’t affected in the slightest.
“It is an… honor to meet you at last!” Simon squeezed the words through his teeth. Of all the tricks he could pull… is this another attempt to undermine us?
Cillin in his true form had black hair, black eyes, and a wheatish complexion. He looked like a friendly young man who just left his home and set foot on the world. However, every time Simon recalled all the things Cillin had done, he just couldn’t help but feel a chill inside his heart. Despite being much younger than he was, Cillin was an indecipherable mystery. He couldn’t see into his soul, or even catch a glimpse of his thoughts from his expression.
The former Sixth Squad members on the ship were shooting Cillin weird looks as well. They were wondering where Cillin had gone to until he had introduced himself.
Simon looked behind Cillin. Practically everyone besides Asiya and her child had come over. Also, at least half of the group were made up of unfamiliar faces, but none of them looked like ordinary people. Finally, he settled his gaze on Shusag. The seemingly unreliable old man was currently flirting with a female technician with his eyes, but he had a feeling that he was the strongest fighter of all the new faces. In fact, he was as strong as some of the seniors in the A Squadron. Why would someone like him willingly serve a youngster as a foot soldier?
In the end, Simon decided not to carry his original plan. There were several reasons. One, the repeated setbacks had shaken his confidence. Two, Cillin and his gang—especially the way Shusag was eyeing his ship like a space robber would eye a fat prey—struck a deep sense of unease in him. Right now, all he wanted was for them to get out of his domain as soon as possible.
“Control yourself, old man,” whispered Tesoro after elbowing his dad.
Shusag pouted a little before sighing. “You don’t understand. I’m feeling thirsty, boy.”
Cary and the others immediately shot Shusag a look of understanding when they heard the exchange. Then, they huddled up and started chatting about something that was most certainly unsafe for kids, even letting slip some vulgar laughter on occasion.
Not far away Tang Qiuqiu bit down on her sweet like she was crushing something unpleasant, hands itching to raise her rifle and pop the heads of the vulgar men once and for all. She was no longer the innocent kid she used to be, and she was familiar enough with Cary and his circle to know that they were talking about something lecherous again the moment she heard that laughter.
A curious Scarlet Wind tried to move closer to them, but Tang Qiuqiu immediately smacked him in the head and huffed, “Where do you think you’re going? It’s nothing a kid should know about!”
Simon led them toward the area where the engineers lived. It was where Enji’s workshop was. Cillin had locked the workshop behind many pass codes, so it would take a considerable amount of effort to get it unless the intruder forced their way in.
Simon didn’t have the time nor the heart to mind about the engineers after he took over the Sixth B Squadron. His dealings with them usually involved giving them an order, checking the results of said order and that’s it. Moreover, most of the engineers who lived around the area were long-time veterans, so they respected Enji and Cillin well enough to leave the workshop as they were.
After Cillin arrived at the entrance, he gave the engineers a friendly smile before entering the passcodes. The workshop that was closed for almost three years was finally opened once more.
Czedow, Moon and Sigma helped copy the data and store the samples and specimens Cillin thought was important into boxes. Everyone else stayed outside because too many hands would actually slow down the process.
While they were waiting, Cary and the others started reminiscing about the past and talking to Shusag about the good old times.
The starship still looked the same as before, but it was no longer their starship anymore… not that they were too sad about it. A ship without their comrades was a strange ship no matter how familiar it was. It wasn’t even close to being as comfortable and welcoming as their new ship.
Simon had left after bringing Cillin to the workshop. As a commander, this was as far as he was expected to do for his “guests”. Nothing about this was anything like his plan, but Simon was past caring at this point. All he wanted right now was to stay as far away from these people as possible. The mere sight of them caused a nervous flutter in his heart, and for some reason he felt shorter compared to Cillin even though they shared more or less the same height.
Did that mean that he felt inferior to Cillin? He refused to believe it, not that it mattered in any way. What did matter, was that he didn’t need to see their faces anymore.
Not his lieutenant commanders, however. They showed up not long after Simon departed the scene.
Cary didn’t recognize either of them, which meant that they joined after the Sixth B Squadron underwent a reorganization. In fact, one of them, a woman wasn’t even a Vanguard until their belonging force got assimilated, and she was chosen to become the lieutenant commander of the Sixth B Squadron. That wasn’t why she caught Cary and several other people’s attention, however. It was because she was an absolute babe and hot as fuck.
Cary and his band of hooligans whistled approvingly the moment the two lieutenant commanders arrived. The meaning behind their gazes needed not be said.
Tang Qiuqiu caressed her rifle again. Sometimes, she really wished she could pop their heads and end their embarrassing acts once and for all.
“Yo~ you people belong to the new Eleventh B Squadron, right? Is this everyone?” The guy asked in a clearly mocking tone. He purposely emphasized the word “everyone” to imply how pathetic their number was.
However, Cary and the others continued staring at the beautiful woman and paid him no heed. Tang Qiuqiu was talking quietly to Sha Rou about something, and Scarlet Wind was poking his head into the workshop from time to time. His taunt was completely ignored!
Chapter 322: Dad, Your Shame [Part 2]
It felt like punching a sack of cotton; the target not even acknowledging the bait they threw out. Before the guy could say anything else, the beautiful woman Cary and the others were ogling stepped forward with a fake smile on her face. Shusag’s eyes were immediately fastened on her long, white legs.
The beautiful lieutenant commander looked at Cary’s group and said, “It’s a shame you guys had already left by the time I took over. We could’ve been comrades in arms.”
“Oh, so you’re the one who took over our squad,” Leaning against the passage wall, Eudy commented while swiping at the tail of the naughty chameleon who was trying to block his vision with its tail.
The woman gave him a smile before saying, “I never understood why you lot were willing to give up everything to join Cillin and restart from zero, when you could’ve stayed in the Sixth B Squadron or joined another squadron. Not all of you might be qualified to become a lieutenant commander, but you would still be treated a lot better than you are now, right? Experience wise you’re not inferior to Cillin, and ability wise many people have heard of your reputation.”
No one responded to her this time. Cary and the gang simply pretended that she was silent this whole time and continued their admiration.
At this point, Eudy was fully annoyed with Dough. He knew that the chameleon was bored, so he grabbed its tail and tossed it into the workshop where Cillin and Wheeze were, he said, “Don’t cause trouble.”
The woman didn’t grow frustrated despite the lack of responses and looked at Shusag this time. The old man had been staring at her legs all this time, and he looked like an easier target.
Simon would’ve stopped her if he was here. Her eye for people ultimately wasn’t as good as her commander’s.
“Is this a new member?” The lieutenant commander put on a perfect smile and started walking toward Shusag. However, she suddenly froze before her foot could land properly on the floor. Shusag’s claws were in front of her before she could react! She couldn’t even see his movement clearly until it was too late!
Everyone else present at the scene didn’t fare much better than her. The stronger ones such as Cary could only see a blur, and the weaker ones didn’t see a thing at all. In their view, it was as if the guy had suddenly teleported from one location to another. But one way or another, no one here could claim that they could move out of harm’s way before Shusag reached them.
Silence filled the hallway for a time. The new faces behind the two lieutenant commanders immediately raised their firearms and pointed them at Shusag, but they were quickly stopped by the guy. He didn’t want to worsen the atmosphere more than it already was, and clearly Shusag wasn’t intending to harm his comrade. And even if he was wrong, he didn’t think anyone on his side could live the moment they started shooting. Shusag had clearly proven his ability with this act.
The five long finger bones glimmered coldly under the light. They looked like they were positioned at random, but a person who was familiar with the vein of the human body would notice that Shusag’s claws were pointed at the common carotid artery, the subclavian artery, the aortic arch, the axillary artery and the trachea respectively.
He didn’t point his claw at the woman’s heart because it was normally viewed as a deeply humiliating act. They were in the same hunter regiment, so it wouldn’t be right to go overboard, right?
It was impossible to know what the lieutenant commander’s expression would look like if she could hear Shusag’s thoughts. Would she thank him for saving her some face, or would she be furious instead?
The corners of Tico’s curled up a little. She was a doctor, so she clearly understood what Shusag was doing. Their new crewmate was turning out to be very capable.
That wasn’t the end of Shusag’s actions, however. He moved closer to the woman like a drunken hoodlum looking for a good time, but the claw arm he was using to threaten her with didn’t wobble in the slightest. At the same time, he moved his normal hand lightly down her waist before trailing her white thighs with his claw, using just enough strength to transmit a shiver, but not strong enough to leave a scratch. In another place, this would’ve been a tantalizing sight for sure.
Tang Qiuqiu facepalmed, despairing at the fact that her squad was made of a bunch of human trash and worrying for the future of Dias’ two year old son. What would he grow up to become in an environment like this? She prayed that Dias wouldn’t suffer too big of a heart attack if her fears turned out to be true.
On the other side, Tesoro felt like slipping into a crack on the ground and pretending that he didn’t exist. Ever since the old hoodlum left the Mist Bodhisattva Empire, he had changed from a covert pervert to an overt one! Dad! How could you harrass a woman right in front of your son and a bunch of minors!? Where is your shame? Did you pickle it in sauce just like you did your vegetables?!
Tang Qiuqiu, Sha Rou and Tesoro cursed in their heads in unison: “Old pervert!”
Cary’s mouth had turned into an O-shape. He thought to himself, damn, experience really does count! Tsk tsk, just look at his skill level, how exciting!
The harassed woman’s face had turned deathly pale, but not because she was angry at Shusag’s disgusting behavior. It was because his eyes looked absolutely terrifying. She could not explain why she felt this way, only that it was contradictory to the act he was putting on. His smile was frivolous, and his speech was sloppy, but everything seemed unclear the moment she looked into his eyes. One thing was certain though, the pressure on her person was about as real as it could get.
She wanted to say something, but she found it difficult to even squeeze out a word. The two claws touching her neck and her skin transmitted a kind of chill that could only be forged with rivers of blood.
What a terrifying man!
The onlookers might think that he was harassing her or playing a game with her, but she knew that they were completely wrong. The chill hidden behind his exaggerated behavior was beyond indescribable.
Shusag moved next to her ears and whispered, “Your moves are too low, try something better next time. Also, always make sure you get the right target before you speak, or it may just backfire on you.”
After that, Shusag withdrew his claws and returned to his original spot. He scratched his hair and took out his cigarette, but Tesoro snatched it from his hands before he could take a smoke, “This is a non-smoking area.”
“Fine, I’ll smoke after we get back to our ship,” Shusag rescued his cigarette from his son as quick as lightning before storing it carefully in his pockets.
Eudy gave Shusag a thumbs-up and said, “Not bad!”
The smiling old man tilted his head and responded with a half-truth, “Ai, it’s either adapt or die, you know.”
It was at this moment Cillin finally finished with his packing and stepped out of the workshop. He noticed the unusual atmosphere but chose not to comment on it. Beckoning to the others, he said, “C’mon, it’s time to go back.”
Before they left, Shusag turned around and gave a couple of young women a flying kiss. It was only when Tesoro kicked him in the leg before he finally ran back to the group.
After the Eleventh Squad was finally gone, Simon asked his lieutenant commanders, “What do you guys think?”
No one answered him because they had no idea what to say. Their courage had been deflated before they figured out their crews’ true strength, and their commander… they weren’t stupid. Only a complete idiot would continue poking the hornet’s nest after the “good time” Shusag had shown them.
Simon didn’t get angry despite the lack of responses. He simply stared at the departing ship on his monitor and fell silent for a very, very long time.
Back to Cillin. After he took back Enji’s items, he had placed them at his own workshop temporarily. They were all very precious treasures.
“Where do we go next, commander?” Cary asked eagerly.
Sector Z had almost been divided completely, so there was nothing a newly established squadron like them could claim. Moreover, there were currently too many forces residing in Sector Z. It was too easy to provoke someone whether it was intentional or not, and the vultures and hyenas would swoop in the moment a conflict began. Therefore, the best way to replenish their resources and collect more information right now was to leave Sector Z.
They couldn’t travel to the top three Sectors because the situation there was even worse than Sector Z. The ten business Sectors were also a no-go because they were dominated by great powers. Therefore, the backwater Sectors were the only Sectors they could operate with relatively bigger freedom.
The question was, which backwater Sector did they want to travel to?
Sector S used to be a prison Sector, but that was no longer the case. A big riot had turned the place upside down, and the former prisoners who used to be imprisoned in the high level prisons suddenly became deadly threats. The three great underground forces were also duking it out at Sector S right now, so this wasn’t the time to go searching for Genya’s logbook.
Sector V was currently screaming about becoming independent and forming a liberties union or something. Only a masochist would go there and seek self-flagellation via war.
A discussion later, the crew eventually decided to travel to Sector T. It was the Sector where Cillin had encountered Wheeze the first time, and Sector T was famous for its abundance of alien animals. There, they would stock up on meat and make a quick buck via hunting while they plotted their next move.
However, right after they entered Sector T, they encountered a seemingly inactive transport ship that was broadcasting an intermittent distress signal. They detected no other activity from the ship besides that.
“What’s going on?” Cillin asked to Moon.
Moon shrugged a little before answering, “That ship is not responding to our communications attempts, and I can’t get much information out of it because something is wrong with its power system. There is one thing I can confirm though. If that ship is carrying a crew, then they must all be dead already.”
