Oh, My First Mate

Click.

Two in the morning. The door to his single-occupancy cell clicked open.

Yang Ming sprang up alertly from his narrow bed, frowning at the door that had cracked open just a sliver.

A black card was slipped inside, then the door sealed shut again.

Yang Ming's ears twitched. The snores from the other cells were clearly audible, and a faint set of footsteps gradually faded away.

He waited for a good while before walking over to pick up the card.

He couldn't tell what material it was made of—cool to the touch. A sticky note on the back read: 'Landing Pad 6.'

Yang Ming placed the card against the lock. The familiar click came, and the electronic door unlocked by itself...

Whoa. They're practically telling me to break out?

Can't those scheming bastards behind this wait any longer?

He'd only been in this single cell for six or seven hours, hadn't even used the private toilet more than a couple times!

Yang Ming pressed his ear to the door and listened carefully. Confirming no one was outside, he quietly pushed it open.

He looked up and observed. The guard post that should have had a sentry was empty. Two tiny cameras overhead slowly rotated, aiming straight at his forehead.

'Just as I thought.'

This detail confirmed Yang Ming's suspicions.

Chief Guard Gulipa wanted him to make contact with Kolev. Use this card to open the neighboring cell, then go with Kolev to Landing Pad 6 and escape?

Tch. Only a fool would buy that.

Yang Ming could almost hear the whispers of the guards lurking in the shadows, see the sinister smirk on the chief guard's face.

But for Yang Ming, this was also a chance to get direct contact with Kolev.

He hugged the wall and moved to the neighboring cell, spotting the metal nameplate on the door.

'This is a vicious, heinous villain.'

'He's killed countless people, a dreaded pirate lord.'

'He must spend the rest of his life here.'

'Never, ever let your guard down around him.'

Strangely, Yang Ming felt a flicker of anticipation at that moment.

He could already picture a savage man standing amidst a mountain of bones and a sea of blood, dark red mechanical prosthetics crackling with faint arcs of electricity.

Suddenly, the electronic lock on the door in front of Yang Ming lit up with a green unlock indicator—and he hadn't even used the black card in his hand.

The door was opening from the inside!

Yang Ming instantly sidestepped to the right.

Cell 625's door cracked open, spilling a warm yellow light. Yang Ming stared intently at the gap, and then he saw it—a face peering out through the crack...

A little old man.

Uh. This is the dreaded pirate lord I've been searching for over a week?

He was a frail, elderly man with a scraggly white beard and matted, tangled long hair—all signs of terrible personal hygiene. The old man's light green striped pajamas and the cartoon-patterned nightcap on his head looked especially quirky.

If Yang Ming had to describe him, the old man was a bit like a shorter version of the movie character 'Gandalf.'

Of course, compared to the old man himself, what really caught Yang Ming's attention was the other black card in his hand and the glossy magazine with a half-naked woman on the cover.

"Whoa?"

The old man spotted Yang Ming. Their eyes met briefly.

Bam!

The alloy door slammed shut, and the electronic lock clicked back into place automatically.

'Can't let him escape!'

Yang Ming swiped his card to unlock the electronic lock, pulled the door open, and charged inside.

The old man snatched off his cartoon nightcap, propped one hand against the nearest wall, and pretended to be nonchalant, raising an eyebrow at Yang Ming.

"Hey there, young fella. You need something?"

"Kolev? Group Leader of the Black Dragon Pirate Group?" Yang Ming asked.

The old man paused. "Yeah, that's me."

His gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on the black card in Yang Ming's hand. "Whoa, you've got one too."

"Someone arranged for me to break out," Yang Ming said calmly. "But I think it's a trap."

"It's definitely a trap. They love pulling this stunt! They'll give you some convenient conditions, set you up with the fact of an escape, and then they can kill you in broad daylight."

The old man clicked his tongue, crossing his arms in front of his chest, as if this pose gave him some confidence in terms of stature.

Kolev launched into a rambling explanation:

"Listen to me, kid, the Interstellar Court doesn't have any death penalty provisions. Everything here is transparent, monitored by every nation. As long as you behave yourself, there's nothing they can do to target you.

"They wouldn't dare poison us—that would bring in a joint investigation team. They wouldn't dare harm us directly here either—that would draw fire from human rights activists everywhere and affect their funding.

"Only escape is treated as a direct threat to the guards' lives. They have the authority to shoot any prisoner dead, regardless of their charges.

"That card in your hand—and sure, I've got one too—is just a trap meant to send us to our deaths."

"I agree with what you're saying," Yang Ming said with a faint smile. "So why were you about to walk out just now?"

Kolev stammered for a moment, then muttered, "A beast that has tasted freedom won't step into its grave before its time."

Yang Ming's impression of the old man improved slightly.

But this Kolev... barely over a meter and a half tall, with saggy muscles and a protruding belly, looked utterly helpless in a fight.

Kolev said, "Hold on, the style of those military pants... You're a Sherman soldier?"

Yang Ming nodded.

Kolev stroked his bushy beard and chuckled. "Those noble ladies of Sherman really do have fine skin."

"Do you want to get out of here?" Yang Ming asked.

"Of course. Who doesn't long for freedom? Though it's not so bad here, is it?"

Kolev spread his hands, as if trying to convince himself:

"Look around—great environment. Aside from no internet, I can do whatever I want. They'll guarantee my safety.

"I'm old, kid. I'm seventy-two. My era is over. All I need to do is wait quietly for death to come.

"Not many pirates live to my age.

"Yeah, I don't want to leave."

Yang Ming: ...

This guy really could hypnotize himself.

"Alright, go back to sleep, young man. Disturbing an old man's rest is bad manners."

Kolev waved a hand and smiled. "If you want to pick up some pirate know-how, I might share a few tricks, seeing as we're cellmates."

"My apologies."

Yang Ming turned and swiped the electronic lock. Before leaving, he coldly repeated the line:

"A beast that has tasted freedom won't step into its grave before its time."

Kolev's face twisted like he was constipated.

Yang Ming lay on the single bed in Cell 624, listening to the pacing footsteps from the adjacent cell.

In his chat with the little old man—cough, the great pirate—Yang Ming quickly sensed something unusual about him.

Those small eyes were incredibly sharp. In front of him, Yang Ming felt as if he'd been seen through.

But everyone has weaknesses, and this old man was no exception.

Unfortunately, Yang Ming had never heard of Kolev when he played Abyss. The game's world—or rather, this world before him—was too vast. Each player could only explore a limited scope, and Kolev wasn't one of those galaxy-shaking super pirates.

So, how to conquer Kolev?

Drag him off by force?

Not a good idea. What Yang Ming needed was a ship to leave Kor Port and head to Mech Twilight. It was obvious Kolev was a proud man—forcing him wouldn't get the job done.

What about luring him with profit?

The savings Hanton had set aside to marry the Female Noble wouldn't even buy half the smallest FTL-capable ship, and a pirate of this caliber was bound to be wealthy.

"Tch," Yang Ming shifted his position.

Just like Kolev, who kept pacing, Yang Ming himself was itching with impatience.

The great pirate was right in front of him. The channel to get a ship was right in front of him. Yang Ming might even secure a supply line for Gene Stabilizers through the black market where pirates traded.

Yang Ming was well aware of the predicament he faced.

On one hand, Gulipa and Old Bailin's behavior today had made him sense an imminent crisis.

On the other hand, his identity as the sole achievement of the Imperial Valkyrie Program was especially deadly.

For now, only Lina's side knew he was a Modified human. The Empire and its enemies all saw his performance at the next trial as his only value.

But normally, the intelligence networks of major powers infiltrated each other.

And the longer he stayed in this prison, the greater the risk of exposure. One blood test and it was all over.

If it came to that, the four major powers of the Milky Way Galaxy—the Sherman Empire, the New Federation, the United States of Freedom, and the Guer Alliance—would stop at nothing to get their hands on that modification technology. Escaping would become nearly impossible.

So this great pirate, Kolev, was Yang Ming's golden opportunity to break out!

'I have to gamble.'

Yang Ming calculated that if Kolev was going to act, he'd come looking for him. He closed his eyes and began a light sleep.

He could now control his sleeping state.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already morning in Galactic Time. Kor Port had switched to its "daytime" mode, the outer shield turning transparent, revealing the M-type star hanging once more in the starry sky.

This day felt especially long.

Yang Ming forced himself to sleep through the entire day, conserving his energy for the night's operation.

When midnight came, at the same time as the night before.

Yang Ming dressed himself neatly in the Imperial military uniform, his freshly washed short hair feeling particularly crisp.

He pressed his ear to the door and listened carefully. Outside, it was still empty and silent. The seven or eight guards who should have been on duty on Level 6 were nowhere to be found.

Suddenly.

Thump. Thump, thump.

A faint vibration came from the wall. Kolev seemed to be knocking against it.

Yang Ming thought for a moment—he actually suspected Kolev might be part of the trap.

Worth a try.

Yang Ming knocked lightly on the wall.

Bang. Bang, bang!

The other side went quiet.

Yang Ming didn't rush.

After about three or four minutes, the wall stirred again.

Thump. Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Yang Ming smiled calmly and responded.

This game went on for a while.

Just as Yang Ming felt he and the strange old man had reached an understanding, he heard the click of the electronic lock on the neighboring cell. A few seconds later, the lock on his own cell clicked open as well. Kolev stormed in and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Hey!" The old man glared at Yang Ming. "What kind of nonsense were you saying?"

"What?" Yang Ming was confused.

"I was talking to you in Logan Code! Logan Code! Don't you soldiers know it? I asked you, 'Operation tonight?' You answered me, 'Open fire, open fire.' I asked you, 'Do you have backup?' You answered me, 'You're so flirty.'"

Kolev's bushy beard trembled.

"No one—no one has ever dared call me flirty! That's sexual harassment! Oh! My god! My daughter is a pirate group leader, and you—!"

Yang Ming felt a bit awkward and quickly said, "Hey, Kolev, didn't you know? The Empire uses Morse Code now."

Kolev frowned at Yang Ming, finally cooling down a little.

"Operation tonight?" Kolev asked.

"It's a trap," Yang Ming said calmly, crossing his arms. "You said so yourself."

"Yes, it's a trap," Kolev sneered. "I can already imagine that half-bald Chief Guard's cold expression. He's definitely hiding behind the screens in the control room, watching us both."

"So how do I trust you?" Yang Ming asked. "I just got here, and you're already an old hand."

"That's the risk you have to take, kid. You need to make your own judgment."

Kolev's gaze was still sharp as he toyed with the black card in his hand, sneering.

"This card—they're insulting me, you understand? They're insulting me.

"If I could leave my cell freely and do nothing, I'd become a joke in this line of work. The reputation I've built over forty years of hard struggle would be destroyed in an instant.

"That Chief Guard probably wants to play some escape-and-shoot-down trick, but they don't know who they're messing with."

Yang Ming said, "So you mean we cooperate?"

"You can be my First Mate," Kolev said, lifting his chin slightly. "Temporary First Mate. Once we leave this place, the contract automatically dissolves."

Yang Ming smiled. "Cooperation is fine, but I want you to be my First Mate. You have to follow my orders."

"Impossible!" Kolev became aggressive. "Before I decided to retire, I had seven warships—seven! I could directly demand protection fees from those small nations! And you, kid, looking at your rank—oh, a Captain?"

Yang Ming said, "Then how about this: we cooperate for now, and decide who's Captain and who's First Mate later."

"You need me to conquer you," Kolev squinted and grinned. "Things are getting interesting. Let's go, First Mate. Head to Landing Pad 6 and take a look. Our every move is under their surveillance, but we need to find a way to turn passive into active."

"Alright, First Mate."

"Oh, don't be cheeky, my First Mate."

"I should walk in front. You're too old, slow to react, First Mate."

"Of course, the Captain needs to command the overall situation. I'll follow behind you, First Mate."

PS: Thanks to 'Book Friend 20210308151505140' for the Silver Alliance! Thanks to Qing丨Cheng, Glacierangel, Liren Xinshang Ju, Zisang Lingfeng, Banbu Xianyu, Gongzi Quyue, Weila Anli Qingzhou, Yue Xiaoyao, Lu Ya, and all the other Alliance Leader big shots for their strong support! Bowing in gratitude to all the readers who voted and tipped! Student party, just support the subscription if you want to support the official release—minors are prohibited from tipping! After going on the shelves, I'll work hard to update!