Lone Soldier's Assault!

The buildings of the City of the Dead appeared on the horizon.

Yang Ming lowered the Stealth Boat, gliding forward just above the ripples in the dunes. Its once deep-blue hull had turned a dusty yellow.

The 160 vicious pirates had split into two groups and were searching the city for Kolev's treasure.

They had already found a few clues.

Both sides were getting excited.

More than a dozen landing craft circled overhead, their ground-to-air weapons powered up as they covered the infantry squads advancing below.

Several assault vehicles also drove through the city's barren streets. Gimo, Yang Ming's primary target, was in one of them.

"I'll deploy the drones."

Kolev murmured, tapping the screen in front of him. Several fist-sized spheres emerged from the rear of the Stealth Boat and sped toward the city.

The Stealth Boat slowed again and again, approaching the city's edge smoothly before hiding in the shadow of a skyscraper.

Yang Ming unzipped his jacket, revealing the high-end combat suit fitted snugly over his muscles.

The one Milili had given him.

Several hooks hung from the suit's waist. Yang Ming had attached two Lightsabers, a First Aid Capsule, an emergency nanotech spacesuit, two high-capacity Energy Magazines for his Laser Guns, and the Laser Pistol that the late, bald Chief Guard of Kor Port Prison had so generously donated.

After putting on the thick helmet that protected his head and slinging on the Tactical Pack full of throwable weapons, Yang Ming finally picked up the Laser Gun by his leg.

Kolev pressed a few buttons. A bat-shaped hoverboard unfolded beneath the Stealth Boat, and the Scissor Door beside Yang Ming slowly lifted.

Yang Ming glanced at Kolev.

Kolev immediately realized the young soldier seemed nervous. After all, there were more than 150 vicious thugs ahead.

He needed to give Hanton some encouragement.

"Hanton—"

Yang Ming asked, his eyes shining, "How cool does this gear look?"

Kolev nearly choked on the breath he was about to take.

Yang Ming grinned. "Is there anyone I need to take alive? I won't hold back."

Kolev hesitated, but still shook his head.

"If I fell into Gimo's hands, not a single person here would plead for me.

"You're right, Hanton. My men are my enemies now, and there are only two ways to deal with an enemy: conquer or destroy.

"Stay safe, young captain."

Yang Ming lowered his Goggles and leaped out of the craft, landing steadily on the hoverboard. He crouched and pushed off with both feet. The sensitive board accelerated with a faint hum, swiftly carrying him into the ruins.

Kolev watched Yang Ming's retreating figure and couldn't help muttering to himself.

"Maybe I should give Milili a firsthand look at Hanton's worth."

He glanced at the recording option on the drone controls. After hesitating for a moment, he decided not to start recording.

When he looked up again, Yang Ming was nowhere to be seen.

"Keep me updated, Kolev."

Yang Ming's voice came through the Earpiece. Kolev deftly directed the drones, quickly compiling a full picture of the situation and sending it to Yang Ming's Goggles.

The pirates were fairly well trained.

They advanced through the ruins in an orderly manner, their squads working together well as they searched the city and steadily secured one vantage point after another.

"They have several life detectors, Hanton," Kolev warned him. "If you stay in one place too long, you'll be spotted."

Yang Ming acknowledged him, thought it over, then guided the hoverboard to the midpoint between the two pirate groups, where he took up a favorable position on the outskirts.

Charging straight into the enemy's encirclement would be foolish.

He had another idea.

Yang Ming reached into the side pocket of his pack and pulled out a second tactical Earpiece, hooking it over his left ear. "Kolev, let me hear what they're saying."

"That's easy... Which side?"

"Gimo on the left, Guka on the right."

Kolev froze for three seconds, then quickly responded.

Wouldn't that get confusing?

Yang Ming soon heard the communications from both sides. Guka's channel was relatively quiet, with only short, efficient search updates.

Gimo's channel was busier. More than a dozen people kept talking, occasionally punctuating their chatter with a few curses.

"Boss, we really did find our group's markings. They look at least a few years old, and they point toward Guka's side. They got there first."

"Damn it! So much for Guka's loyalty to me! Just watch. I'll make him pay!"

"Boss! Second Squad's about to run into them!"

"Have them hold off for now. Give Guka a chance," Gimo said coldly. "He has the choice, but I have the initiative. If they provoke me, I'll slaughter them all! I promise!"

Several of Gimo's squad leaders immediately chimed in with their approval.

Ah, pirate flattery.

Yang Ming listened carefully for a while, his eyes constantly tracking the information projected across his Goggles. A well-formed plan was already taking shape in his mind.

While Gimo's side was busy chatting, Yang Ming tapped his left Earpiece and cursed in a rough, urgent voice. "Damn it! They insulted me! I saw their lips move!"

Then he immediately muted his microphone.

No one paid him any attention.

Yang Ming raised an eyebrow, tapped his right Earpiece, and said quietly, "Position Twelve. They're going to flank us."

After muting his microphone, he waited. Among the red dots projected on his Goggles, several began moving toward Position Twelve.

Yang Ming tapped his left Earpiece. "Boss, they're suddenly charging this way!"

"Take aim!" Gimo roared. "Send the nearest squad to check them out. If they dare attack, I'll kill them!"

Yang Ming tapped his right Earpiece. "They're trying to seize the high ground."

"Get the landing craft ready," Guka's voice suddenly came through. "Gimo's never trusted us. If he kills us, his people get twice the share of the treasure. It works the other way around, too. There's enough wealth here for all of us to retire."

Yang Ming put on a panicked voice. "They're aiming at me! Damn it! They're going to kill me!"

Then he immediately switched to a calm tone. "They're forming an attack line. They're going to open fire. I saw them take off the safeties."

Yang Ming began switching back and forth, turning his head from side to side to make sure he didn't mix up his "disguises."

"They're trying to surround us!"

"They've taken Position Six."

"Damn it, they're going for our asses!"

"Are they attacking? They're provoking you, boss!"

"Kolev's treasure is worth half a planet. They've lost their minds!"

"Raise the shields on every ship!" Gimo roared.

Yang Ming said, "Oh! Their ships have raised their shields! Everyone, find cover. They're definitely going to attack! Don't let them get a clear shot from the air! Load the landing craft's cannons!"

"Stay calm! Everyone, stay calm!" Guka called out quietly.

"Don't rush, boys," Gimo said in a low voice. "I'm the Group Leader. I have to give them a chance. But if they dare fire the first shot..."

On the empty middle floor of a high-rise.

Yang Ming disengaged the Laser Gun's safety and checked the power gauge, then pushed the glass window beside him open a crack.

He turned, raising the gun in a standing stance. Hidden behind the curtains, his eyes behind the Goggles reflected two pirates crawling on the roof below.

Pew! Pew!

Yang Ming didn't hesitate. The muzzle swung into position in less than a second, and the two pirates dropped to the ground, clutching their thighs and screaming.

Yang Ming spun around and ran, punctuating the end of the three-way transmission with two impassioned shouts.

"Shit! They attacked!"

"Kill them!"

Yang Ming calmly took the Earpiece off his right ear.

By then, both channels were in an uproar.

"Ah! My leg! My leg's been shot through!"

"Get the landing craft over here! Guka made the first move! He's provoking me! I'll kill him!"

"Fight back! Fight back!"

"Treacherous Guka wants to keep the treasure for himself! It belongs to all of us!"

Pew, pew, pew!

More than a dozen laser beams streaked through the corners of the city. One of the landing craft opened fire with its cannon, sending a series of thick laser rounds blazing across the sky.

Yang Ming had just smashed through the window and jumped to the neighboring building when several missiles screamed overhead. Laser fire shot them down one by one, blowing them into clusters of fireworks.

Most of the landing craft dropped lower, using the buildings for cover. Several craft that tried to climb and gain the high ground were already sitting ducks.

In the thin atmosphere, five pirate ships raised their shields at once and began trading cannon fire.

The pirates' civil war had erupted in full!

"Now you can give me Gimo's position, First Mate Kolev," Yang Ming said calmly.

Kolev: ...

What had he just witnessed?

Had all his former men been a bunch of idiots?

Kolev's voice sounded heavy. "Do they want my treasure that badly?"

"No, Kolev. That's only a secondary reason."

Crouched in the corner behind a concrete wall, Yang Ming watched the red dot representing Gimo on the map projected across his Goggles.

Yang Ming smiled. "The main reason is that you're dead."

"I'm dead?"

"Who do you think paid the prison to kill you? And how did you get captured during an ordinary deal?"

Yang Ming spoke softly.

"Milili's exile was carefully planned, too. She had a lot of personal charisma, and plenty of the old hands were loyal to you.

"They didn't kill Milili because they were wary of you while you were still alive. They were afraid the prison wouldn't be able to hold you, so they decided to use the prison to get rid of you. That makes sense. If you died in prison, Milili's ship would inevitably be attacked.

"You were like a stone pressing down on the Black Dragon Gang, which should have fallen apart long ago. Gimo, Guka, and the others who stood by while Milili was exiled had to band together to withstand the pressure you put on them.

"Now, in their eyes, you're dead—and you left behind a treasure.

"You already understand all this, Kolev. You just chose not to believe it from the beginning."

"Ah."

Kolev sounded dispirited as he murmured, "That's right. None of them respected the others... I only had to fake my death, and they would've started fighting."

"Enough, Kolev," Yang Ming said. "That's how pirates are. They're thugs, not knights. Let them have at it. I'll deal with Gimo. Lina and the others should be here soon. Make sure Number Two stays well hidden."

"He's entered the building near you," Kolev said. "Be careful. He's strong. I just got a shot with a drone of him putting on an exoskeleton. That suit is powerful enough to take on a small ship."

Yang Ming grunted in acknowledgment, darted out of the corner, vaulted over the windowsill, and landed steadily on his hoverboard. He sped toward the ruins of a high-rise a hundred meters away.

Gimo's assault vehicle was parked outside the building. Gimo was in the lobby.

Yang Ming kept raising his Laser Gun. Every shot found a pirate who seemed to appear out of nowhere, leaving behind a charred hole in his head.

Gimo's men noticed something strange beside the building.

"Boss! Squad Six's been attacked! No one's answering!"

"There's a fast-moving target approaching us! It's a living target! It has to be personal flight gear!"

"Did Guka hire mercenaries?" Gimo bellowed, panting hard. "Hurry up and activate my armor! I'm going out there to kill all those bastards!"

"It's activated! Bos—uh... ugh..."

Pew!

The pirate's words cut off abruptly.

The tattooed, middle-aged man tried to look down at his throat, but the laser-blasted hole in his neck left him unable to lower his head. All he could see was the crater in the wall ahead, with a wisp of smoke rising from it.

Pew, pew, pew!

Several figures dropped at once. A passive Energy Shield appeared behind Gimo, ripples spreading across its surface.

Gimo, encased in his "shell," spun around just in time to see several black dots rapidly growing larger.

Concussion Grenades!

Gimo instinctively raised both arms to shield his head and crouched as low as he could. Yellow-brown oval shields flared across his chest, back, and both sides of his arms.