Chapter 3#
The Beta Lieutenant Colonel Who Died for His Country#
The dining hall aboard the Feng Lei was built with extraordinary luxury. Cuisine from every star sector could be found there. This was inseparable from Shouyit’s philosophy: enjoy life to the fullest, fight with everything you have. It wasn’t mealtime yet, but every member of the Third Combat Team had gathered in a corner of the dining hall. In the center of the group sat Carlo, silently shedding tears.
“Just tell us what happened, will you!” An Alpha with blond hair, seeing the person he was rather fond of looking so upset, was scratching his head in anxiety.
Carlo looked up at him, opened his mouth to utter a single word, then covered his lips with his hand and shook his head gently.
The blond Alpha wanted to say more but was pressed down by a hand on his shoulder: “I could hear your big mouth all the way from the entrance. What’s going on?”
“Captain, someone bullied our little Carlo.”
The newcomer was none other than Andrew, captain of the Third Combat Team. He smiled gently. Andrew had a refined, handsome appearance, and his smile made one feel as though a spring breeze was brushing across their face, putting them at ease without them even realizing it.
He sat down across from Carlo and said softly, “Carlo, don’t worry. Our Third Squad will always be your strongest backing.” Gateway: Rankings | Mr. Cat Eight
As if soothed by his gentle words, Carlo began, in fits and starts, to recount what had just happened in the combat command center. At the end, he sniffled again: “Did I do something wrong? Did I anger Deputy Officer Leiner? Is that why he dislikes me so much?”
“Nonsense! Carlo is so adorable—how could anyone dislike you? Deputy Officer Leiner is strict with everyone, that’s just how he is. Last time I—”
Andrew, well aware of his subordinate’s tendencies, stopped the blond Alpha’s impending long-winded tangent with a single glance, then continued to comfort Carlo softly: “Carlo, you’re so talented. As long as you work hard, you’ll definitely be recognized.”
“Really? But what if Deputy Officer Leiner never recognizes me?”
“The one who calls the shots on this warship is the Commander, not Deputy Officer Leiner,” the blond Alpha couldn’t help but chime in again. “The Commander is especially fond of you! Ever since I joined Feng Lei, I’ve never seen the Commander personally take any recruit on a mission!”
“N-No, that’s not it. Shouyit probably just thinks I’m clumsy and couldn’t stand watching.” Carlo lowered his head in embarrassment, and the tips of his fair ears slowly turned pink.
Andrew smiled and patted Carlo’s shoulder: “To live up to the Commander’s expectations of you, you have to keep pushing yourself.”
A light ignited in Carlo’s eyes, and silently, he made a decision in his heart.
Freya was not a habitable planet. Its proximity to the ZR-21 star made the climate scorching hot year-round. The entire planet was essentially a desert wasteland, devoid of any valuable mineral deposits, and was even prone to occasional electromagnetic storms. No nation in the Alliance had any interest in such a planet, so it had become a frontier—a paradise for criminals.
Nabia, however, was entirely out of place in this desolate land. In the midst of the wasteland, a city of decadent pleasure rose without warning. Nabia’s primary industry was fencing goods. Anything of dubious origin or banned by the Human Alliance could be found here.
The single eye of the Locke Reed statue gazed slightly downward, and where its gaze fell was the dazzlingly radiant transparent crystal roof of the Central Auction House. This most infamous space pirate in history had been the founder of the auction house. Today, the Central Auction House had welcomed yet another big spender willing to throw money around like water. The independent bidders in the hall were all whispering to each other.
“That’s the fifteenth item now—has anyone calculated how many star credits Box 18 has spent?”
“Where did this nouveau riche come from? Did they just discover a mining planet?”
“Obviously a space pirate who just made a killing—haven’t you noticed everything they’ve bid on has been weapons and resources?”
“Well, there goes the excitement. The grand finale is Master Oakdo’s posthumous work, Tears of the Starry Sky. Looks like Box 18 won’t be bidding on that. I heard Jackal’s new favorite is going all out today to win that classical piano…”
“Tch, that woman wouldn’t know real art if it hit her in the face. She’s just trying to gild herself in the name of culture. If she gets her hands on it, I bet Master Oakdo would spin in his grave.”
In the heated atmosphere, the grand finale appeared on stage. The host didn’t waste a single word and directly pressed a button. As the exquisite outer case slowly opened, a piano of breathtaking beauty revealed itself to the audience. On its deep, night-sky blue-black body, under the lights, shimmered a radiance as brilliant as a galaxy. It was said that a large amount of nebula stone had been ground into powder and mixed into the surface coating to achieve such a stunning appearance—fitting for its name, Tears of the Starry Sky. The piano was so beautiful that since its creation, no one had ever dared to play it. It was said that anyone who saw it felt their own piano skills paled in comparison before this instrument.
However, not everyone was as sentimental as those musicians. A stunningly seditive woman, hearing the start of the finale auction, sat up straight with excitement. Then, with boneless suppleness, she pressed herself against the burly man beside her, drawing out her voice in a coquettish whimper: “Darling”
The burly man reached out and wrapped an arm around the beautiful body that had pressed against him: “Little vixen, I promised to buy it for you—did you think I’d back out? I’ve got eight million star credits prepared. That’s enough to buy everything in the entire hall!”
But a slap in the face always came faster than expected. No sooner had Jackal finished speaking than a standardized electronic voice came from the direction of Box 18: “Ten million star credits.”
Inside Box 18 at that moment. A thin man in a black shirt and trousers, with ordinary features, stood before the glass window. It was Lu Heng in disguise.
He turned his head and said: “Commander, buying this item doesn’t comply with our regulations. We’re only permitted to purchase weapons and resources.”
“You worry too much.” Shouyit raised his index finger and wagged it. “This is a personal purchase.”
Since it was Shouyit buying with his own private funds, Lu Heng said nothing more. Although he couldn’t figure out what Shouyit wanted a piano for, Shouyit had always been somewhat willful in his actions. As long as it didn’t affect the mission, he had no need to meddle. Just because Lu Heng didn’t care, however, didn’t mean others didn’t.
“Shouyit, why are you buying a piano? Can you actually play? That’s so amazing.” Carlo’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at Shouyit with open admiration.
“I don’t have a single artistic bone in my body. This piano has another purpose.” Shouyit smiled mysteriously.
Carlo seemed to think of something, and a blush crept across his fair face. Watching the two of them interact, Lu Heng recalled that Carlo’s file showed he had studied at an arts academy for a time before attending the First Military Academy, and his major had been none other than piano. It seemed the feelings between them had taken root long ago.
“Speaking of which, little Nana, I’m really disappointed with you today. What on earth are you wearing?” Shouyit seemed uninterested in continuing the topic and suddenly began sighing dramatically at Lu Heng, even covering his eyes with exaggerated expressions.
Shouyit was dressed particularly wildly today—a leather jacket studded with metal ornaments on top, tattered jeans on the bottom, and a large, eerie tattoo painted across his face in dark red dye. Beside him, Carlo wore a somewhat retro Gothic formal dress, the intricate lace-trimmed shirt making his features look even more exquisite.
“My disguise today differs greatly from my real appearance and won’t affect the mission,” Lu Heng said.
“No, no, no—this isn’t about the mission. It’s about the joy of living. A life as unchanging as yours—how dreadfully boring!” Shouyit sighed dramatically while, with steady hands, he pressed the bid button once more.
Their current mission was to frantically spend money at every large and small auction in the Nabia Central Auction House, in order to obtain an invitation ticket for the Platinum Auction. According to the auction house’s advance notice, their target for this mission was precisely a item on the Platinum Auction’s roster.
After winning Tears of the Starry Sky, a knock came at the door of the private box. A beautiful woman in a black short skirt walked in, carrying an exquisite box in her hands, with an envelope resting on top of it.
“Distinguished guest, on behalf of the Central Auction House, I cordially invite you to attend the Platinum Auction to be held in three days.” The woman bowed, revealing a beautiful, slender neck, and in the air drifted an alluring pheromone—she was actually a precious Omega.
“As expected of the Central Auction House—using a precious Omega as a server.” Shouyit took the box and, casually, lifted the woman’s chin to appraise her. “Truly a beautiful young lady.”
The woman immediately moved to fall into Shouyit’s arms. For a generous-spending VIP, a Platinum Auction invitation alone clearly wasn’t enough, and this beautiful Omega was evidently part of the gift as well. Shouyit couldn’t touch her—yet not touching her wouldn’t fit a space pirate’s behavioral pattern either.
Shouyit maintained his rakish expression and pulled Carlo into his arm with his other hand: “Baby, want to try a threesome?” Gateway: Rankings | Mr. Cat Eight
Carlo’s face flushed scarlet, and he was so frightened he stammered: “Th-This…”
Shouyit pushed the server away with a regretful expression: “Ah, my little darling is shy. Beauty, I’ll come find you alone next time.”
The server bowed respectfully and backed out of the room. The moment the door closed, Shouyit immediately released Carlo: “I’m truly sorry. Mission requirements.”
Carlo mumbled that it was alright, and the atmosphere between them grew somewhat awkward.
Lu Heng broke the bizarre silence: “It seems attending the Platinum Auction won’t be a problem. We can head back.”