At this moment, Paiji thought that the DarkStar mothership had come specifically to receive him. DarkStar had gone to such lengths for him, and he felt that DarkStar valued him. He was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, and he wished he could give his life for them in the next moment.
Two small capture ships detached from the mothership on the DarkStar hetushu•com. com, circling the Paiji ship from a distance, facing each other, and firing cone-shaped gravity capture rays at each other, forming a net to snatch the Paiji ship and bring it to the mothership. Paiji turned off the system warning and obediently cooperated.
The spaceship inserted itself into the connecting passage. The mothership captain and her troops were waiting at the entrance, preparing to use their abilities to tear open the spaceship door. However, Paiji opened the door and walked out himself, looking at the uniform group of DarkStar hybrid Goddora people with an excited expression.
I've finally found my people!
Paiji said excitedly, "I've been waiting for you guys for ages."
The DarkStar Warriors, who had been looking stern, exchanged bewildered glances.
This was the first time they had ever seen a target who not only didn't resist but also cooperated readily, acting as if he were at home. This guy is fearless!
"You have guts!"
The captain nodded approvingly, then waved his hand and shouted, "Arrest him!"
The DarkStar warriors swarmed forward, Paiji to the ground and disarming him. Thinking this was the DarkStar's welcoming ceremony, he declared confidently, "Don't worry, don't doubt my loyalty, I absolutely will not resist!"
The subordinate, looking dejected, said, "Boss, I think they might be serious."
Paiji glared at him. "Shut up! What do you know? This is a test of loyalty!"
Upon hearing this, the DarkStar Warrior holding Paiji couldn't help but sigh, "If everyone could cooperate like you guys, how much trouble would we save?"
The group of scavengers were taken to the prison and tied to black metal execution posts. The captain paced back and forth, coldly saying, "I need you to answer my questions honestly. Among the Silver Spirit People you captured, one of them was carrying something we need—a black bead. Where is that bead?"
Although Ashes got the "answer," DarkStar's style is never to easily believe one side of the story, and letting things go is not a principle of a terrorist organization.
After Ashes reported to headquarters, the DarkStar mothership, which was on standby in the Feven Star System, immediately warped over and intercepted Paiji. Their first objective was to find Paiji's ship's route recorder, starting from the route the Silver Spirit People had taken, to save time. Their second objective was to interrogate Paiji; DarkStar believed that torture could yield more information than normal questioning, and that pain could make people honest.
Paiji looked stunned.
Didn't you already ask me?
"That's true. I need you to say it again, you..."
The captain instinctively spoke, then suddenly paused, his expression changing drastically.
Etc!
He thought Paiji was referring to Ashes, but then he realized something was wrong. Ashes was using a mercenary identity, so how could Paiji recognize Ashes as a member of DarkStar?
Ashes, who was listening in, stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "How could I have been exposed? I didn't give anything away!"
"How do you know the person asking the question is DarkStar!" The captain grabbed Paiji by the neck, slowly increasing the pressure. Paiji's face turned purple, and he could barely breathe, managing to speak with difficulty.
"The person asking the question... the person who claims to be... the DarkStar Messenger, cough cough cough--"
Ashes frowned. "Captain Sarota, let go. You're choking him. Let him tell you the whole story."
Captain Sarota stepped back, Paiji coughed loudly, as if he were about to cough up his lungs. Finally realizing something was wrong, he repeated himself in a hoarse voice, trembling.
"The hooded Mysterious Person claiming to be the DarkStar Envoy was the first to approach me. His target was also that black bead. I told him its whereabouts and that I had always admired them. He promised to let me join the DarkStar. Then he said that another force would come later to inquire about the bead, and he asked me to deceive the next group. Not long after, a man claiming to be a mercenary arrived. I followed the DarkStar Envoy's instructions and sent him away..."
Someone who claims to be a mercenary? That's me!
Ashes realized what had happened, his face turning ashen as excrement, and his tone turned icy, "So you lied to me!"
Paiji's expression changed drastically. "What! You're the guy who claims to be a mercenary? You're the real DarkStar, and that DarkStar envoy is a fake?!"
Sarota and Ashes's expressions turned serious.
The situation suddenly became complicated. It turned out that another mysterious force was also after the Whispering Bead, and they were even using the name of DarkStar to swindle and deceive people. They were really asking for trouble! This was a provocation against DarkStar! Once they were exposed, they would make this force wish they were dead!
So the question arises... what exactly is this mysterious force, and why do they know the truth about the Whispering Bead? What is their true target: the product inside the bead, or sabotage of DarkStar's plans? Are they after money, or are they enemies of DarkStar?
Ashes was confident he hadn't given himself away, so he was completely baffled as to where things had gone wrong.
He thought himself the hunter, but the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; a pair of eyes were watching them from the shadows, hidden even deeper than the DarkStar, sending chills down their spines.
More mysteries emerged, and things became more complicated.
The first thought that comes to mind is that of a traitor within the organization. If he weren't an insider, how would he know so much secret information?
"What is the true whereabouts of that bead?"
"I... I don't know either, but I didn't throw it into outer space; I carried it with me and lost it during the battle in Dragon Calm..."
Ashes was icy. That mysterious force that had impersonated them was trying to mislead DarkStar. If they hadn't decided to kill them to silence them, they would have been fooled!
Thinking carefully about the actions of that mysterious force, their methods were meticulous and audacious. Knowing they were competing with DarkStar, they still dared to impersonate him, which meant they had guessed their desire for secrecy, grasped the psychology of all parties, and ultimately misled Paiji and DarkStar, manipulating them at will. They almost succeeded. This meticulous thinking made Ashes feel wary.
It was so close!
"Since it wasn't thrown into outer space, that makes things easier. Go and thoroughly investigate all the forces involved in the melee. Use whatever means necessary to get them to talk. One of them must have picked up the Whispering Bead; there's no way there wouldn't be eyewitness reports."
"Sarota commanded."
"Some wanted criminals have already left Dragon Calm and need to be intercepted by the mothership. Those still remaining in Dragon Calm are in my hands."
Ashes was seething with anger at being mocked, and his tone was icy.
Sarota added, "While searching for the whereabouts of the Whispering Bead, we'll also inquire about that mysterious force."
"I know." Ashes frowned. Although he agreed, he really had no clue about the mysterious force.
"Then, what about me?"
Paiji was no longer as confident as before and was somewhat flustered, but he also felt that by revealing the information, he had actually helped DarkStar find a hidden enemy, so he should have made a contribution.
Sarota glanced at him, beckoned, and the DarkStar Warriors around him raised their energy rifles, aiming at the execution post. All the scavengers were terrified, struggled, and hurriedly begged for mercy.
"Don't kill me! This is all a misunderstanding! I didn't mean to deceive you! DarkStar is my idol, and my lifelong wish has always been to fight for the cause of hybrids. Please let me join you!" Paiji cried out, trembling.
"You really want to dedicate yourself to the DarkStar?" Sarota's eyes flashed.
"Yes, DarkStar is my faith! I'm willing to do anything for you." Paiji quickly revealed his feelings and expressed his loyalty.
"Very well, to us, you are more useful dead than alive. DarkStar thanks you for your sacrifice," Sarota sneered.
Murder to silence witnesses was DarkStar's primary objective for this trip; the fewer outsiders in the world who knew the whereabouts of the Whispering Bead, the better.
Buzz--
The laser rifle fired lasers, leaving melted wounds on the bodies of the scavengers. Their screams reached their peak, then quickly faded as they breathed their last.
The laser magnified before his eyes, turning his vision into a blinding white blur. Paiji's eyes widened, and he roared in despair.
"No!!"
His body was covered in countless wounds. Paiji lolled to the side, his eyes wide open, dying with his eyes wide open.
He was convinced he was about to join the DarkStar, the organization he had always dreamed of, but he never imagined he would ultimately die at DarkStar hands.