Chapter 72: Turning the Tables

Chapter Seventy-Two: Turning the Tables

Agilas Star System

Liu Shaoyu had been piloting his shuttle away from the star gate of this system for quite some time. There was still a considerable distance left before reaching the coordinates. Even inside the cockpit, Liu Shaoyu was already clad in his armor.

He checked the distress message from Wang Yuyan once again. If he hadn't known the situation beforehand, Huang Xuan would certainly believe he’d rush to her rescue, wouldn’t he?

Yet even with preparations, Liu Shaoyu felt uneasy. This journey would determine both his and Wang Yuyan’s fate.

The communication range of his equipment was limited, and no matter how small, it could never remain undetected forever. Thus, Liu Shaoyu could not keep listening in; if caught, it would only alert the enemy.

He was still unclear about what would happen next. “I’ll just have to take it one step at a time,” Liu Shaoyu thought helplessly. After all, Wang Yuyan was still in danger.

He ended the warp. A shuttle finally appeared in the starry expanse. Before him lay a dead, battered starship, its external armor sporadically flaring with bursts of fire. By its markings, Liu Shaoyu could see the insignia of the Parade Army emblazoned on the hull.

Had he not known the situation in advance, Liu Shaoyu would have rushed aboard the starship alone—exactly what Huang Xuan hoped for.

“No originality at all, can’t he come up with a new trick?” Liu Shaoyu sneered at Huang Xuan’s ploys. Last time, he’d lured him in and then triggered a self-destruct.

This time was no different. Couldn’t he change it up? Did he really think Liu Shaoyu would fall for it twice?

In fact, although simple, Huang Xuan’s tactic was the most effective: the starship explodes, everything is reduced to fragments. Destroy the black box beforehand, and no one will ever know. Clean and efficient.

Luckily, Liu Shaoyu had, by chance, discovered Huang Xuan’s scheme and obtained evidence. Otherwise, even if he escaped by luck, he’d have no proof that Huang Xuan was the mastermind behind it all.

On the contrary, with the evidence now in hand, plus Wang Yuyan as a living witness once rescued, Master Wang could make a major case out of it. But above all, Master Wang worried most for his granddaughter’s safety.

Liu Shaoyu quietly parked his shuttle beside the starship and began calculating his next move.

“Thomas, scan the ship’s main program.” This time, Liu Shaoyu had learned his lesson, attempting to take over the starship’s systems directly.

Thomas’s ability to override was essentially hacking—a common tactic, though simple in theory, extremely troublesome in practice.

Each starship, upon first activation, connects to the captain’s personal computer to determine command authority. Thomas’s job was to hack into the management system and replace the command computer.

“Thankfully, it’s only a level-two ship management system,” Liu Shaoyu thought with relief. If it were a military-grade level-three, or something used by galactic pirates, the data would have to be routed to the Glory of the Republic, and that would not be something he could hack easily.

Huang Xuan wasn’t far from here at this moment.

“Why isn’t he moving? Has he figured it out?” Huang Xuan’s brows furrowed as he stared at the holographic screen, puzzled.

“No way! It’s so covert,” Huang Xuan thought his plan flawless. He turned to Tu Wenhong beside him.

Tu Wenhong, too, was puzzled by Liu Shaoyu’s actions, and shivered when he felt Huang Xuan’s gaze.

“Maybe after last time, the kid became more cautious, so he’s being careful now,” Tu Wenhong hastily offered his guess.

Huang Xuan felt that was reasonable—after all, one shouldn’t trip over the same stone twice. But this time, Wang Yuyan herself sent the distress signal; he couldn’t believe Liu Shaoyu would not board.

Huang Xuan never considered that this logic should also caution himself; otherwise, Liu Shaoyu would have died last time.

Liu Shaoyu, unaware his actions were making the enemy uneasy, was pleased by this. He also suspected they had someone nearby monitoring him. So while Thomas worked on obtaining access, Liu Shaoyu activated the ship’s scanning system to check for nearby signals.

“At least I’m being careful,” Liu Shaoyu noted with a hint of self-mockery upon finding nothing unusual on the screen. Such a basic mistake was not easily made.

“Warship access override complete, please confirm.”

A string of messages appeared on the holographic display inside Liu Shaoyu’s helmet. Just then...

“Huh?! What’s happening? The warship’s access!” A middle-aged officer wore a look of panic, but said nothing; he hurriedly operated his personal computer.

This sudden turn nearly drove him mad. Any mistake at this critical moment would bring consequences he could not bear.

Someone noticed the change in his expression and asked, “Bao Gaoming, why are you sweating so much? Is there a problem?”

The abrupt question startled Bao Gaoming. He forced himself to suppress his unease and pretended to be frightened by the question, replying, “Any problem is because you startled me!”

The other thought he had indeed startled Bao Gaoming and let it go.

“Don’t get distracted, keep watch. That kid’s about to go in. Once it’s done, the benefits I promised won’t be lacking!” After another pat on the shoulder, the man walked away.

Bao Gaoming wiped the sweat from his brow and left the room.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“The restroom.”

“Hurry up! Damn lazy donkey, always finding excuses.”

After the ship’s data appeared on his display, Liu Shaoyu didn’t rush aboard but carefully examined the management system.

“As expected, it’s the same old trick. Wait—Wang Yuyan isn’t here?!” This discovery caught Liu Shaoyu off guard.

He had thought that, once he took control of the ship’s systems, he could locate Wang Yuyan and rescue her swiftly. But now...

If Wang Yuyan wasn’t here, where could she be?

This made the problem even more complicated. Liu Shaoyu could no longer sit still, his mind racing.

“What’s the matter with him today? Did he die in the shuttle?” Huang Xuan muttered through gritted teeth.

At that moment, a figure appeared behind Huang Xuan, whispering in his ear.

“What! He has a death wish!” Huang Xuan, infuriated by the recent news, grabbed the whisperer by the collar.

The man, shocked by Huang Xuan’s outburst, waved his hands desperately. “Young Master! Young Master! What should we do?”

“What to do? Chase him!” Huang Xuan, caught off guard by the sudden news, realized his loss of composure and quickly released the man, pacing with one hand on his waist and the other pressed to his nose.

The man, relieved to be freed, replied, “Yes, yes, yes,” while cursing inwardly, “Serves him right!”

After two laps, Huang Xuan suddenly pointed at another subordinate. “You, have him blow up the ship! Kill Liu Shaoyu for me!”

In his agitation, Huang Xuan couldn’t even recall the subordinate’s name.

“Yes.” The man, still unclear about the situation, saw Huang Xuan’s fury directed at him and nodded rapidly.

“Y-y-young Master,” the man stammered.

“Cut the nonsense! What now?” Huang Xuan seemed to have forgotten what he’d ordered a minute ago.

“Young Master... um... Bao Gaoming... ran off!”

A Message for Readers:

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