Chapter 51 Aim

Chapter 51: Aiming

It was a sharply angular, three-sided pyramid-shaped object, entirely black, with glass embedded at the bottom, faintly revealing an interior lit up like daylight.

From Lanen's aircraft camera view, numerous mechanical arms were moving up and down, the cold iron skin shimmering with a bluish-gray metallic sheen.

It seemed to be a massive heavy-duty processing plant.

Lin You's eyebrows shot up: "A factory?"

Could this be the elusive pheromone processing plant?

At that moment, a crackle of static echoed through the cabin. Lanen pressed the answer button, and Devin's voice came through, slightly distorted: "Lanen, they've already passed. The border checkpoint spotted the royal aircraft; coordinates are within the 'factory'."

"What great news," Lanen chuckled, finishing the high-proof spirits in front of him. "It wasn't a waste waiting here for almost three days."

He sighed, "Your intel is spot on, Colonel Devin."

Devin: "Of course, I took nearly half a month of annual leave to thoroughly scout every corner of Sector 23."

He muttered, "This time, I've used up all the annual leave I saved over two years. Next time, even if a young male asks me out, I won't be able to go."

Lanen: "If I make it back alive and still command the Third Army, I'll pull some strings to replenish your annual leave. But..."

Both went quiet.

But what if he doesn't make it back?

No one wanted to explore that possibility. After a moment of silence, Devin added, "One more thing, Lanen. Since the royal aircraft crossed the border, your area has been completely locked down. Lin Yu is paranoid about security and has implemented extreme measures. Now, not even a fly can get into Sector 23 easily."

Lanen: "No surprise there. Otherwise, why would I come here so early and fly around this desolate area for three days?"

If it weren't for Devin intercepting the visitor information of the 'factory,' they wouldn't have been able to set up an ambush here.

Lanen looked out the floor-to-ceiling window. The hulking black structure slid from the edge of the planet, gradually approaching, its heavy shadow pressing down like a prehistoric monster.

He fiddled with the controls: "I see them. Over and out."

"Alright," Devin replied calmly but didn't hang up. Amidst the chaotic static, he softly said, "Good luck, General."

Lanen grunted in acknowledgment, ended the call, and skillfully started the aircraft, avoiding the behemoth, heading instead into the asteroid belt.

66 exclaimed, "What is he doing?"

The internal structure of the asteroid belt is extremely complex, with high-speed rocks moving at tens of kilometers per second. Even with the most advanced obstacle avoidance systems, flying into the asteroid belt is a death sentence or serious injury.

Lin You said, "That's the best hiding spot."

Lin You had performed similar maneuvers in the volcanic hive mission of *Star Warfare*. Players had to bypass the worker drones' surveillance to approach the queen boss for the kill reward. However, no matter how strong an individual is, it's hard to handle the swarm of worker drones. According to forum strategies, the best method is to craft a fireproof suit and climb into the hive through the lava, as no worker drone would think to look there.

A place of death became the best sanctuary.

Similarly, from the earlier conversation, Sector 23 was already locked down, so the 'factory' surroundings must be heavily guarded. But no one would monitor the inside of the asteroid belt; it's a universally recognized death zone.

Lanen flew into the asteroid belt.

He wore the Third Army uniform, his chest adorned with medals, the sash meticulously tied, as if he wasn't venturing alone into a life-forbidden zone but attending a ceremony to receive honors.

Rocks whizzed past the aircraft, nimbly dodged, leaving only minor dents on the surface. The cockpit shook violently, but Lanen's hands remained steady. He carefully adjusted the angle and direction, then merged into the asteroid belt, spinning with the dust and rocks under the planet's gravitational pull.

As if he belonged there all along.

Lin You held his breath: "If it were me, I’d have crashed by now."

Lanen shut off the lights and activated the EM shielding, allowing the spacecraft to rotate along with the star ring. From a distance, it looked like any other abandoned spacecraft at the border of Sector 23—nothing more than a cold steel coffin containing the remains of a Third Army general.

Lanen picked up the long-barreled rifle from the passenger seat and began to slowly wipe it with a silk cloth.

The silver sniper rifle gleamed under the light. The metal of the barrel reflected a cold, moon-like light. He quietly watched the screen in front of him, where two red dots were slowly moving, on their predetermined trajectories, gradually approaching on the screen.

It was the "Factory" and this spacecraft.

Twenty minutes later, they began to converge.

The "Factory" moved forward along the star ring's orbit. In a place Lanen couldn’t see, the camera in the living room quietly turned, facing the direction of the "Factory." From the spacecraft's floor-to-ceiling window, Lin You could already see clearly the structure of the "Factory."

—It could generally be divided into three levels. Robotic arms formed an assembly line at the base of the pyramid, used for producing pheromones. The middle level was split into individual research offices and bedrooms, serving as the living quarters for the "Factory’s" leaders and visitors. The top level had a grand hall with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, used to receive the most important guests.

Lin Yu was somewhere inside.

Unlike the sterile, industrial design of the lower two levels, the top floor was luxuriously and softly decorated, with leather sofas imported from the main planet, rare green plants placed by the windows, and even the carpet underfoot worth a fortune.

The Crown Prince lounged on the sofa, swirling a newly developed pheromone solution in his hand. The liquid was a dangerous peach-pink color.

Lin You asked, "66, can you make out what they're saying from their lip movements?"

66: "I'll try—the resolution of the spacecraft's camera is too low to clearly read lip movements. A 12X scope would be more suitable."

The system strained to process: "Hmm, I barely managed to analyze it. Lin Yu is saying, 'Is this new thing better than the last addictive drug?'"

"The man in the tie says—oh, I just cross-referenced the Imperial database. He's Gonat, a researcher at the Imperial Pheromone Research Institute and the star pupil of the institute's director, Sigri. He was sentenced to death for killing his neighbor's family, including a five-year-old child, using an axe after a quarrel. I didn't expect him to be here, seemingly acting as the factory's spokesperson."

"Director Sigri's star pupil?" Lin You paused. "If I remember correctly, Lin Yu married Sigri's son as his Consort?"

66: "Yes, your memory is good—oh, he's here too. The gray-haired old man in the back is him."

Lin You looked and indeed saw an elderly man standing in the middle, holding a bottle of peach-pink liquid. He swirled the beaker, full of fascination.

Lin You: "So what is the director saying?"

"He says, 'Much better. This is mine and Gonat's masterpiece. We've enhanced the discomfort after addiction and the control effectiveness. The females will weep and beg for your mercy. Without your pheromones, they'll be like dogs wagging their tails for mercy. Please enjoy it to the fullest.'"

"Then the Crown Prince says, 'I can't wait. Do you have any test subjects? Bring one for me to try.'"

"The director replies, 'I'll arrange the most beautiful one for you right away.'"

"The Crown Prince seems quite satisfied. He nods and says, 'Besides being beautiful, it's best if they have a fiery temperament, the kind that won't submit no matter how much you torment them. That way, it's more fun when they beg after taking the drug.'"

The camera's resolution wasn't high enough to clearly see Lin Yu's expression, but Lin You could clearly sense his indifferent attitude, as if the test subject wasn't a living person but a lab rat in a cage.

66 shivered: "Are there live test subjects on the factory?"

Lin You couldn't help but sneer: "Impressive. It seems this factory not only produces addictive agents but also serves as a brothel in space."

No wonder the Crown Prince traveled across vast distances to this desolate place.

As the heir to the throne, there were many things the Crown Prince couldn't do on the main planet. If such a scandal were to break out, it would inevitably lead to public condemnation and damage the royal family's reputation. But in this remote, uninhabited place, no one would know. No matter how outrageous his actions, it wouldn't matter—just like the notorious Sin Island from Lin You's past life.

As they spoke, the spacecraft slowly converged. The angle between the two was now less than 60 degrees, but no one noticed the spacecraft in the star ring.

Lanen's gamble paid off; there were many surveillance systems around the "Factory," but none paid attention to this desolate no-man's land.

Lanen calmly fine-tuned the spacecraft.

The spacecraft door opened silently, and no one noticed as a minuscule robot flew out from the hatch. After meticulous calculations, it attached to a specific spot on the "Factory's" glass.

Highly concentrated corrosive liquid sprayed out, layer upon layer coating the glass.

The high-strength glass was bulletproof but could not withstand the erosion of chemical reagents, eating away a hole the size of a grain of rice, with only a thin layer remaining connected.

Two minutes later, a beautiful red-haired female was dragged by her hair to stand before Lin Yu.

Lin You's eyebrow twitched slightly: "Is that someone from the Third Army?"

The person wore a uniform with a silver insignia on the shoulder, and from the details of the image transmitted back by the system, it was indeed someone from the Third Army.

Gonat: "Have a look at this." He lifted the female's face, "Pretty, isn't she? Captured during the chase at District 23, a major from the Third Army, left untouched just for you."

Lin Yu hooked the female's chin with a finger, inspecting her like a piece of merchandise, nodding in satisfaction: "Beautiful, but what a pity, you didn't catch Lanen last time, I think he's more beautiful."

He tutted softly, as if genuinely regretful.

Lin You couldn't help but clench the small screen tightly.

66: "Let go, let go! Host, it hurts! It hurts!"

At this moment, the spacecraft was almost directly opposite the "Factory," with the floor-to-ceiling windows facing each other from a distance of less than 10 kilometers.

66: "Estimated to be within firing range of the heavy rifled gun MK908."

Lanen's silver long-barreled rifled gun was indeed the MK908.

Lanen engaged autopilot mode.

Engaging autopilot in the star ring's chaotic trajectory was a very unwise choice; at most, within five minutes, the spacecraft would be hit by high-speed rocks, and even the hardest steel in the galaxy could only withstand two or three hits before being on the verge of being scrapped.

And the window period for the convergence of the factory and the spacecraft was also about five minutes.

Gonat continued to chatter, he was placing the light brain in front of Lin Yu: "Your Highness, if this one doesn't satisfy you, we have other types, look at this gray-haired, blue-eyed one, also a general from the Third Army, bearing some resemblance to Lanen, I'll bring him to..."

A 12x scope was fitted to the gun, and through the crosshairs, Lanen squeezed the trigger.

He hit the hole the size of a grain of rice.

The glass instantly spiderwebbed.

Then the second shot.

The bullet tore from the barrel, still finding its mark.

The third shot.

Every shot found its mark.

The spiderweb spread, and the high-strength glass's resilience prevented it from breaking on a large scale, only revealing a hole the size of a bottle cap.

But it was enough.

The sound of the glass shattering caused chaos inside the room, and the people in the living room finally noticed the cold spacecraft outside the window—its iron-gray structure perfectly blended into the star ring. Lin Yu, as if struck by lightning, let go of the red-haired military female, hurriedly looked up, trying to find the source of the attack, but the spacecraft opposite was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

At this moment, the brightly lit factory was like a target in the pitch-black night.

Gonat shielded Lin Yu: "Go! Get to the lower level now!"

They started running, and the living room erupted into chaos. People were scrambling in all directions, making it extremely difficult to aim.

Yet Lin You heard the fourth gunshot.

Gonat maintained his protective stance, with the crown prince still behind him, when a bullet pierced through Gonat's forehead—through the gap no larger than a bottle cap.

66's calm voice announced: "Gonat, Imperial Pheromone Research Specialist, fugitive, fatal headshot, no vital signs, deceased."

The body crumpled to the floor with a heavy thud.

Lin Yu screamed, and the elderly dean grabbed him: "Your Highness, we..."

Before he could finish, blood exploded from his forehead.

Lanen pulled the trigger on the fifth shot.

66: "Sgri, Dean of the Imperial Pheromone Research Institute, Chairman of Galaxy Pharmaceuticals, fatal headshot, no vital signs, deceased."

Followed by the sixth shot, the seventh shot...

"Imperial Research Institute..."

"Galaxy Pharmaceuticals..."

"23rd District Consulate Consul..."

A torrent of data streamed through the system, and after cross-referencing, it accurately announced each person's name. Every single one of them was a high-profile individual. Lanen fired too quickly, and the cold mechanical voice intertwined, forming a resounding echo.

66: "...deceased."

Lin You was about to speak but suddenly his eyes narrowed.

At the edge of his vision, he saw two golden-red spindle-shaped objects, trailing bright blue flames, streaking toward them at high speed.

The "factory" had finally caught on to the situation and decided to retaliate.

To gain a better vantage point, he had removed most of the glass from the spacecraft, leaving the living room almost completely exposed. The Zerg's resilient physiology allowed them to survive in space for a brief moment without protection, but only for a moment. His silver wings spread out, the bone wings propped against the corner of the sofa, propelling him forward. The two projectiles were hurtling straight toward his face.

Lanen made no move to evade.

During the earlier struggle, a sniper had fired at him. To secure the ideal shot, unless it was fatal, Lanen never dodged. His shoulders, calves, and various parts of his body bore scratches and bullet wounds, which slowly healed under the terrifying regenerative power of the Zerg, leaving behind ghastly marks. Blood dripped from his fingertips in the air, crimson like the expensive pigeon-blood gemstones of the Pamir Galaxy.

Under excessive blood loss and injuries, Lanen's muscles jerked spasmodically. His face lost its color, and his body shuddered with involuntary tremors. The pain clouded his mind, yet every time he aimed and fired, his movements were as steady and precise as interlocking gears.

On the other side of the spacecraft's window, the star ring continued its slow motion.

66 suddenly exclaimed: "Heavens!"

It saw a vast expanse of metal debris.

The "graveyard" happened to pass by.

The wrecked spacecraft had long turned into inorganic metal coffins within the star ring.

Corpses in space do not decay. Through a layer of tempered glass, 66 could see the dead warriors' faces covered in frost, their skin a bluish-purple tint. Their eyes were cloudy, pupils dilated, leaving only a lifeless pallor.

Even though their consciousness had long dissipated and their souls no longer existed, at this very moment, it seemed as if they were peering through layers of glass, lingering on this steel warship, silently observing their commander.

Lanen pulled the trigger.

—The ninth shot.

The bullet pierced through the gap, and blood bloomed.

Another direct hit.

The system whispered softly, "Lin Yu, Imperial Crown Prince, first in line to the royal succession, brain penetration injury, no signs of life detected, system verdict—"

"Deceased."