The End of the Road

"It's been confirmed: the gunfire and explosions from Corridor 22 just now were caused by a revolt. Someone fought their way straight into Omi's office. I heard the rebels wiped out Omi's entire guard."

"There are searches for TWKAN."

"Corridor 22 has been sealed off."

"Eight squads are guarding all the exits."

"He won't get out."

An officer strode toward the area where Cannon Position 2 was located.

His adjutant walked beside him, bent low as he delivered his report.

"What's the matter with Omi? How could there be a revolt the moment he took office?"

"That bastard has brought shame on the family!"

"That bastard caused the first-ever revolt at the cannon positions under my command! He's brought shame on me, too!"

The officer complained and cursed as he walked, his face dark with anger.

The adjutant received a report from Cannon Position 2, then relayed it. "Your guards have arrived at Cannon Position 2 and sealed it off. What should we do with the rebels?"

"Shoot them all," the officer ordered viciously.

"Yes, sir." The adjutant passed on the order.

Several gunshots rang out from the far end of the corridor.

The adjutant received another report, then relayed it once more. "After killing several people, your guard captain discovered that the slaves weren't resisting. They're all unarmed."

"Then some of them must have started the revolt." The officer quickly devised a plan. "Restrain everyone and take them to the exit of Corridor 22. There may be relatives or friends of the rebels among them..."

"Yes, sir." The adjutant passed on the order again.

By the time the officer and his adjutant reached the end of the corridor and rounded a corner, they saw thirty guards escorting the slaves from Cannon Position 2 forward.

The officer straightened his collar and medals, then lifted his chin and strode past the slaves from the cannon position, arriving at the exit of Corridor 22 ahead of them.

Ten soldiers were already guarding the exit. Ten Laser Rifles were trained on it, ready to shoot anyone who came around the corner.

Lu Jin sat just beyond that corner.

He had fought his way out of the office and into the corridor, killing thirteen people who had dared to shoot at him along the way. But he wasn't resting to recover his strength. He was fiddling with the device Little Damian had made for him.

With a twist, Lu Jin pulled the Mechanical Arm off Little Damian's shoulder, then fitted it into the slot on the device attached to his own shoulder.

He removed the chip from the back of Little Damian's head and pressed it against the back of his own. That allowed him to control the Mechanical Arm with ease.

Then Lu Jin took a Laser Rifle from his back and had the Mechanical Arm hold it.

If he hadn't lacked a long-range weapon, he would have been shot to death the moment he charged out. Otherwise, he wouldn't have used the Laser Rifle and Little Damian's Device.

He had never handled a firearm. Even after crossing over into this ship, where everyone carried a gun, he'd had no chance to learn how to use one. But he often wielded his Heavy Hammer and Heavy Axe, so if he had to choose between the two, he would naturally use the weapons he knew.

But now he had no choice. He could only steel himself and use the gun.

Once everything was ready, Lu Jin felt the clothes tied around him, along with Little Damian wrapped inside them. Only after making sure they were secure did he prepare to charge out.

"I don't care how many of you there are!"

A shout came from around the corner.

Lu Jin poked his head out for a look, then immediately pulled back. When he turned to check, he saw several bullet holes in the opposite wall.

The soldiers guarding the exit were exceptionally accurate. If he hadn't pulled back at once, one of those holes would have been in his head.

In the instant he'd looked out, Lu Jin had seen everyone from Cannon Position 2 kneeling beyond the corridor's exit, while an officer aimed a pistol at one of them.

Bang—

A gunshot rang out.

After shooting one person, the officer continued, "If any of your friends or relatives are among them, you ought to think about..."

Lu Jin didn't hear another word.

He gritted his teeth, hating the officer who had tied up everyone as hostages.

"They've already started!"

A familiar voice reached Lu Jin's ears.

It was Little Damian's father. Damian was speaking.

"The law says the whole family is held responsible... Even if we hadn't come here, we'd still be..."

Another gunshot rang out.

Lu Jin clenched his teeth and lowered his body, gathering strength in his legs as he prepared to charge out.

At that moment, footsteps sounded behind him.

Lu Jin looked back, toward the left side of the corner, and saw a squad of soldiers approaching with their guns raised.

He realized the officer was stalling for time, giving the soldiers tasked with flanking him a chance to get into position.

Cornered, Lu Jin had only two options.

The first was to charge out in either direction and get caught in a crossfire.

The second was to sit there and wait to die.

Lu Jin chose the first.

He had never feared death. Before he came to this universe, he'd faced the same choice, and his answer had been...

Lu Jin turned right and charged around the corner.

Time seemed to slow down several times over.

As he darted out, the Laser Rifle on his shoulder took aim at a man ahead and fired. A crimson beam shot out and struck the ground.

Two beams shot from the opposite side. One hit the head of his hammer, while the other struck him in the abdomen.

Lu Jin rolled across the ground, dodging several more beams. The instant he got to his feet, he controlled the device on his shoulder to fire again.

This time, the shot hit a soldier in the arm.

As Lu Jin charged bravely forward, Heavy Hammer and Heavy Axe raised high, he saw a line of gun barrels—and a distance of over a hundred meters between him and his enemies.

He hurled the Heavy Hammer.

Spinning through the air, it struck a soldier, pierced his body, and pinned him to the ground.

Several beams struck Lu Jin in the legs and arm, sending him crashing to the ground.

The soldiers flanking him from behind had nearly reached him. As they rounded the corner, the flying hammer smashed two of them to death. The others raised their guns and took aim.

"Stop."

A woman's voice reached Lu Jin's ears.

The soldiers in front of and behind him first looked to see who had given the order. As soon as they recognized her, they obeyed and took their fingers off the triggers.

Two hundred meters away from Lu Jin, the officer clutched his pistol and turned to look to one side. He immediately crossed his hands in the Aquila Salute.

Before doing so, the officer had discreetly studied the newcomer's face.

For an instant, all he saw was a face slashed from forehead to chin by a scar, and short white hair. But a mark was more striking than either of those features.

The mark meant its bearer was a member of the Imperial Inquisition—a Inquisitor.

The Inquisitor approached with her retinue.

One of them, dressed in an Imperial Navy uniform, shouted, "Lady Bena heard gunfire while inspecting the deck. What happened here?!"

The Inquisitor walked behind the slaves kneeling on the ground. She glanced at the corpses, then looked ahead.

"My lady." The officer stepped before Bena and reported, "A group of rebels stormed my cousin's office. They're trying to start a revolt!"

The Inquisitor named Bena looked at Lu Jin, then at the soldiers in front of and behind him. "A group of rebels? I only see one."

The officer turned to look at the soldiers behind Lu Jin.

They nodded. There really was only one.

The officer was dumbfounded.

One man had fought his way all the way here?

The officer studied Lu Jin closely, noting his extraordinary physique. Then he stole a glance at Inquisitor Bena. He wasn't too worried that she might order Lu Jin spared.

Slave rebels were supposed to die. It didn't matter what sort of creature he was. Dead was dead.

"Earlier, I heard someone say there had never been a revolt on this ship." Bena spoke lightly. "Why did one break out after I boarded? Could it be that, as you privately discussed among yourselves, I'm an ill-omened person?"

The officer tried to explain.

Bena raised a hand to silence him, then began considering how to handle the situation.

Her first thought was to kill them all.

A slave revolt was still a revolt, and rebels had to die. That was Imperial law.

If rebels had emerged from among these slaves, then they all had to die. That was Imperial law, too.

But Bena remembered the purpose of her visit—and a deal she had made...

This ordinary man seemed to fit the requirements. Once the ship reached its destination, she could sell him along with the others she had gathered.

That would be making use of a worthless thing, at least.

With that thought, Bena glanced at the boy on Lu Jin's back. After a little consideration, she could tell what had happened.

So she said, "You look like you want revenge... Have you considered that you might be killed after fighting your way here? Have you considered that instead of going straight to killing people, you could endure it for a while and then..."

"I've considered everything you've said, and everything you're about to say."

Lu Jin got up and walked over to a corpse. He picked up the Heavy Axe and leaned on it as he stood.

"But I still made the choice I wanted to make."

"I'll kill as many as I can. Like right now..."

Before he could finish, Lu Jin hurled the Heavy Axe and killed the officer who had shot Damian's father.

The people around him instinctively wanted to pull their triggers, but Bena hadn't given an order, so they held back.

Bena gave a scornful smile. "You've got a lot of nerve. If you're truly of no use, I'll order them to cut off your head and turn it into a Mechanic Servant."

Then Bena looked to one side and gave her final order. "As for these slaves... send them back to their duties. If anyone resists or breaks the law in the future, execute them all."

The people hesitated for a moment, but they nodded.

"As for this slave..." Bena looked at Lu Jin. "Have him locked up somewhere. Anywhere."

One of the Inquisitor's attendants spoke up. "My lady... Omi belongs to an officer's family aboard the ship, and this slave just killed one of their family members. If you make this decision, I'm afraid..."

"Do you think they'll object? Then wipe out the whole family before they get the chance." Bena turned her head. A chilling smile spread across her scarred face. "A slave revolt—and they bear no responsibility?"

The attendant immediately nodded. "Yes, my lady."

Bena looked at Lu Jin again. "As long as you wait quietly until we leave the ship, the other slaves won't die. Otherwise, you'll all die together."

With that, the Inquisitor turned and walked away, humming as she went.

"Kill them all... Kill them all... Hmm hmm hmm hmm... Kill them all..."

Just as she had said, the soldiers present were led away by the Inquisitor's attendants to carry out her order, preparing to wipe an entire officer's family off the ship.