Chapter 146

Chapter 146

"The Flying Birds' fleet comprises ten starships, ranked from highest to lowest," Eve stated calmly, her arms crossed, her face obscured by bio-shades. "Even if you manage to infiltrate, you won't get onto Zuo Qirong's flagship."

They were currently on a mid-sized dark planet at the edge of the Carol System, a place Frank had previously identified as a frequent resupply point for the Flying Birds. Compared to Carol-123, guarded by the Upside Down Wonderland, this dark planet was much smaller. However, its warm climate made it one of the few planets in the Carol System with relatively low pollution, yielding abundant resources. Not only the Flying Birds, but many other pirates and gray-market security firms came here for supplies.

Upon landing, Lorca used the Oliver Family’s black market access to check the planet’s inbound and outbound flight logs and bulk cargo manifests. Fortunately, they had arrived before the Flying Birds.

Eve's earlier remark was directed at Frank, who had changed into a gray-blue dockworker's uniform. His originally tall and slender physique was cleverly disguised, making him indistinguishable from the short, undernourished laborers weathered by years of toil. Eugene and Qi Ying were similarly attired.

Frank glanced at her and explained, "The Flying Birds' starships are specially modified with connecting passages. When traveling through space, they stack to form a massive mobile space fortress. So, infiltrating any one starship means infiltrating the entire Flying Birds organization."

"Zuo Qirong knows you might try to sneak in," Eve countered. "He'll definitely be on high alert. You might not find an opportunity."

Clearly, she had her own plan, so Frank humored her, asking, "What's your plan, then?"

"Lorca has black market access. I plan to go with him, disguised as a liaison supervisor, and directly infiltrate the Flying Birds' core starship. For large-scale procurement like this, the supervising personnel must be from the core starship," Eve revealed her plan without reservation. "Once inside, we'll change clothes and blend in with the crew."

Frank frowned. "The pirates know each other. With just the two of you, I'm concerned."

Eve replied, "So I was hoping to borrow someone from you."

At her words, Qi Ying instinctively turned his head. He had worked with both Eve and Lorca before, so when Eve mentioned borrowing someone from Frank, Qi Ying immediately assumed she meant him.

Of course, with his formidable hacking skills, he'd be essential for quickly gathering intelligence.

Even Frank thought Eve meant Qi Ying, but to their surprise, she shifted her gaze to the woman standing on Frank's other side, twirling a strand of hair. "Sister Eugene, would you mind coming with us?"

Qi Ying's expression froze, and even Eugene, who had been frowning at a split end, was momentarily stunned. But she quickly recovered, a subtle arch in her narrow eyes. "Are you sure?"

"After all, you were with the Flying Birds before, weren't you? You probably have more experience than Frank," Eve said softly. "Or are you not confident in me?"

Eugene stared at Eve for a long moment. It wasn't until Eve let out a questioning "Hmm?" that she chuckled with interest. "How could I refuse the chance to work with Lady Eve from the Princess's estate?"

Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. Fortunately, Lorca wasn't around, or he would have vehemently objected to Eve bringing her along.

But since it was Eve standing there, she simply tossed Eugene a pair of bio-shades identical to her own, curtly saying, "Put these on," before turning to leave.

Lorca was in the port office, discussing identity changes with the local black market supervisor. When Eve pushed the door open, the portly middle-aged supervisor was sweating profusely, trying to evade Lorca's requests.

He didn't want to offend the young master from the distant capital planet, but he also dared not cross the notorious pirates. Although the Flying Birds had maintained a relatively polite relationship with them due to years of trade, if a conflict erupted, the pirates might not dare touch the Oliver Family's young master, but they would certainly eliminate a small-time figure like him.

So, while the supervisor adopted a subservient attitude toward Lorca, he remained unyielding, dragging his feet in a way that was incredibly frustrating.

When Eve entered, Lorca sighed helplessly. "He won't cooperate willingly."

"Then we'll make him cooperate the hard way."

Eve approached indifferently. Before the supervisor could demand to know who this bold young woman was, a slender, pale finger carrying immense mental energy shot toward his forehead.

The power of the Luna Butterfly activated instantly. The black market supervisor's mere B-level mental energy was no match for Eve. His consciousness crumbled and reshaped in an instant. His pupils glazed over briefly, and by the time Eve withdrew her finger, his attitude had completely changed. He bowed his head respectfully and said, "I understand, Young Master. I will arrange this matter for you immediately."

Lorca waved his hand, signaling him to hurry. Once the man had scurried out of the office, Lorca handed Eve a tissue.

"?" Eve wasn't sure what he meant. "The bio-shades don't need wiping."

"I meant for you to wipe your hand. His head and face were covered in sweat. It’s dirty."

Lorca said helplessly.

...So fastidious, Eve thought to herself, but she obediently took the tissue and wiped her hand.

Hygiene was a mysterious thing. Like using your phone on the toilet—if no one mentioned it, it didn't seem like a big deal, but once Lorca pointed it out, Eve suddenly felt her fingers were indeed a little grimy.

Since they were splitting up with Frank and relying too heavily on terminals was unsafe, Eve gave each of the three from the Upside Down Wonderland an alchemical communication device before parting ways.

Making these tools wasn't difficult—a two-star alchemist could create an encrypted communication device. They were convenient and practical. The Oliver Family, with their vast resources, had even equipped their undercover guards with these tools. Combined with the extras Eve had on her, there was one for each person, ensuring smooth communication to the greatest extent.

Just then, a message came quietly from Frank.

[Frank: The Flying Birds' starships have arrived.]

[Frank: I'm mixing in with the other workers. Sister Eugene just went into the port building to find you.]

[Eve: Got it.]

Shortly after, there was a knock on the door. It was Eugene.

She had changed her disguise again, swapping the gray-blue worker's uniform for a black business suit. She had also imitated Eve's style and switched to a shorter wig, now looking like a tough, broad-shouldered bodyguard.

She looked nothing like her usual glamorous self. No one would ever connect this bodyguard to Eugene. Eve couldn't help but stare for a few moments before barely recognizing her from the adjusted facial contours.

Eugene knocked twice on the door. "Aren't we leaving yet?"

Eve exchanged a glance with Lorca, who gave a slight nod. Only then did she pick up her jacket and step outside.

"Let's go."

-

The Flying Birds' fleet was imposing, not bothering to land but hovering arrogantly in the sky while the dark planet's personnel laboriously hauled supplies into its warehouses.

Lorca had disguised his striking features and followed the original black market supervisor to coordinate the supply inventory with the Flying Birds' supply chief. Eve and Eugene trailed behind him, pretending to be two quiet, dutiful bodyguards.

The seemingly endless capsule elevator shot toward the sky. Through the transparent walls, Eve could see several dark, looming clouds floating above. As they drew closer, the clouds grew increasingly massive—they were the Flying Birds' starships.

Noticing that the black market supervisor had brought an unfamiliar face, the Flying Birds' liaison couldn't help but ask a few questions. But after the supervisor briefly explained that he was a newly assigned representative from above, the pirate didn't press further.

He didn't care about personnel changes on this insignificant dark planet. These people were used to bowing and scraping—he doubted they'd dare cause any trouble. Lorca, on the other hand, appeared refined and polite but was sharp and efficient when coordinating the inventory, making the original black market supervisor look utterly incompetent by comparison. They finished the work a quarter of an hour earlier than usual, earning them some respect from the Flying Birds' crew.

"You're much more capable than your predecessor," said the pirate with a long scar over his left eye, taking a drag from his water pipe. He gave Lorca a meaningful look. "I hope you'll still be the one handling our affairs the next time we come."

Receiving praise from a pirate was no small feat. If Lorca had really been the newly assigned supervisor, he would have been overflowing with gratitude. Unfortunately, he was just a temporary imposter.

So, he didn't show any particular emotion and simply smiled faintly, collecting the inventory documents and casually handing them back to the original black market supervisor. "It's our duty to ensure customer satisfaction, especially for esteemed clients like yourselves."

This polite attitude unexpectedly worked well on the pirates. The supervisor from the Flying Birds' core starship burst into laughter.

Half an hour later, the laborers below had finished their work. Eve received another message from Frank.

[Frank: We're inside the Flying Birds.]

[Frank: Be careful on your end.]

[Eve: Got it.]

[Eugene: Annoying. So talkative.]

[Frank: ......]

Lorca bid a friendly farewell to the members of the Flying Birds ahead. The starship was powering up, preparing to close its hatch and take off. The three of them turned a corner, and with Eve grabbing each by the arm, the ability of the Luna Butterfly transmitted through her limbs, concealing their figures.

She was already adept at this. Although Lorca had never experienced her ability firsthand, he was long familiar with it. Among them, only Eugene was utterly astonished. She stared for a while at the guard pirate who showed no reaction to their unnoticed entry into the starship. Only after the three of them slipped into the storage warehouse, following their earlier observations, did Eugene turn to look at Eve. "What kind of Spiritual State is this?"

"Are you asking me?" Eve paused for a moment before replying softly, "S-Class Spiritual State, Luna Butterfly. Its ability is concealment."

"I heard from Frank that this is considered a very rare Spiritual State even within the Medici family, with very few having awakened it to this day."

"That's right," Eve replied, sensing what Eugene might say next.

Sure enough, Eugene frowned and asked bluntly, "With such a Spiritual State, you could thrive even without the identity of the family head’s illegitimate child. I don’t understand why you had to take Frank’s place."

She truly couldn't fathom it. If Eve were the type of unscrupulous person who would seize any opportunity to climb the ranks, it would be one thing. But back on the dark planet, the two had spent some time together, and Eve, then going by the name Lu Qing, had been calm and composed, hardly seeming like someone who would betray a trust. That was why the impersonation had come as such a shock and left Eugene deeply perplexed.

Moreover, Eve possessed such an outstanding ability—she could have lived well even without taking someone else’s identity.

Was being an illegitimate child really such a desirable thing?

This was the last thread connecting Frank to the influential Medici family.

"...It’s a bit complicated to explain," Eve signaled with her eyes for Eugene to look around. "Are you sure you want me to answer that here?"

Just then, heavy footsteps sounded from outside the door. Lorca noticed first, raising a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture before pulling them further into hiding. With a bang, the warehouse door swung open, and bright light flooded in as several pirates walked in, chatting.

"Is this the new shipment of food for today?"

"Yeah, lend a hand and help move it to the kitchen." Someone nearby had already hoisted a crate and answered.

The door opened again, and the footsteps gradually faded away. The pirate who had spoken first started complaining again, and his words made the three hiding in the back—Eve, Lorca, and Eugene—perk up:

"Damn it, that guy from the Capital Planet has been criticizing everything all day, complaining about this and that. It makes me want to smash his head in. And the boss actually lets him act arrogantly on the ship—what’s he thinking?"

Another pirate warned him, "Keep it down. That guy has powerful connections. Don’t mess things up for the boss."

The first pirate seemed to realize he had gone too far and fell silent until the warehouse door closed again.

Once they were gone, Eve sat down on the floor, using the crates to block the surveillance cameras before dropping her concealment ability.

Lorca said, "They mentioned someone from the Capital Planet."

"I knew it... After the princess went missing, everyone out there is up to no good," Eve sneered, rubbing her temples in frustration. "Once we gather the evidence, every one of them will have to face me in Imperial Court on charges of treason."

"So what do we do next?"

"Blend in. We can’t hide in the warehouse forever. As for how to blend in—" Eve nudged Eugene’s arm. "Ex-pirate, it’s your time to shine."

Eugene: "..."

She took a deep breath before replying gloomily, "The Flying Birds are known for their debauchery. Besides pirates, there are many young, attractive men and women on the starship who were captured to serve as 'pets.' They’re either bought or outright kidnapped. If you want to disguise yourselves as pirates, it’s nearly impossible because most pirates know each other and have close bonds. The only way to blend in is to pose as one of these captured pets."

Hearing that they would have to pretend to be such figures, Lorca’s expression shifted slightly. Sensing his concern, Eugene said decisively, "Don’t worry too much. Zuo Qirong maintains strict discipline. His crew is only allowed to indulge on designated off-days. At all other times, debauchery during duty is strictly forbidden. If caught, the pet is killed immediately, and the offending pirate is severely punished. These next few days aren’t holidays, so no one on the ship would dare break the rules. At most, the pets serve as attendants, performing basic services."

"Then where should we go to disguise ourselves?" Eve asked. "On our way in, we didn’t see anyone like that."

"No worries, I know where to go. Just follow me later."

Eugene stood up, her voice heavy. "Because I used to be one of those 'pets'... I was just young back then, so before anything could happen to me, the Young Lady took me away."

"The Young Lady is..." Eve had a guess.

"Frank’s mother," Eugene confirmed her suspicion directly. "Zuo Qirong has no wife, but he has many children. The Young Lady was his eldest daughter and the kindest of them all. She was my benefactor. After she died, I defected from the Flying Birds with Frank."