LSDWTWHA chapter 75

Chapter 74

Is destroying everything your desired revenge?

Yan Bai’s mind echoed Su’s question. His already shaky beliefs shattered in an instant.

No, of course not. He had indeed hoped for those beautiful futures.

Yan San had told him that mermaids possess innate mental force. If mermaids were to pilot starships and mechas, they would surely outperform humans.

He had always believed this.

But Su Su asked him, “Learning takes time. Do we have that time? Does the insect race grant us that time?”

The answer was undoubtedly no.

If the Baize were to turn its cannons, what chaos would ensue for the expeditionary force? What would happen to the space station? When human authority is on the brink of collapse, where would those humans on the front lines go?

Political change takes time, and learning to pilot starships also requires time, but the insect race would not grant them such a luxury.

Yan Bai suddenly realized that he had been blinded by his past self, fixating solely on the plan to seize the Baize as an ultimate goal, convinced that once the plan was fulfilled, they would grasp the weapon threatening humanity’s fate and everything else would fall into place. But was that truly the case?

Clearly not. Humans would not willingly relinquish the rights they had secured, and the insect race would not give up this opportunity for invasion. The result would either be failure or mutual destruction. How many hopes did they truly have to smoothly seize power and successfully fend off the insect race?

Yan San always told him that the plan would eventually succeed, and that sacrifice and patience were merely temporary. But what if this plan never had a chance of success from the start?

What about all their efforts and the mermaids who sacrificed for it?

Yan Bai, who had always appeared determined and confident, now seemed to lose his direction, feeling an emptiness inside. If everything he had believed in was wrong, where would he go from here?

“Then tell me, how can we save the fate of the mermaids?” Yan Bai looked at Su Su, his eyes unfocused. He wasn’t truly expecting an answer from Su Su; he didn’t know whom he was asking. He just felt so helpless.

“Why not first do something worthy of the meaning behind your organization’s establishment? For example… destroy that place.” Su Su noticed Yan Bai’s wavering and suggested his idea. His slender fingers pointed in the direction of Lanshan, his brow raised, and his eyes gleamed with a sharpness like moonlight reflected on a blade: “Are you willing to go?”

Like a spark thrown into dry grass, the fire in Yan Bai’s heart ignited instantly. To destroy that place, he couldn’t have wished for anything more. Since he first learned of the Training Center’s existence, he had always wanted to demolish it. But for the sake of the plan, he had to keep enduring, watching his kin suffer there.

Now, Su Su’s few words had broken through his already fragile beliefs, the wall that had blocked his impulse had vanished.

Right! If he couldn’t find the right direction, why not simply follow his heart? This choice might not be correct, but at least it held meaning for the mermaids within that building.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Yan Bai stood up suddenly, a sense of liberation washed over him, making him unable to suppress a slight smile, his gaze regaining some of the recklessness and audacity of days gone by: “Let’s go! We’re going to destroy it right now!”

When Yan Bai informed his subordinates of this decision, everyone doubted their hearing.

“Young Master, the Mo family has already arrived at the dock and is heading towards the boarding area. If we don’t leave now, it will be too late,” one of Yan Bai’s subordinates advised.

Others chimed in: “Mr. Bai… such a significant matter. Shouldn’t we discuss it with the boss first?”

“If we act on the Training Center rashly, we might alert humans and put our hidden stream in a precarious position.”

“Yeah, Young Master. Our grand plan is about to succeed. A moment of impatience can ruin a great plan!”

Even 06 spoke up to persuade: “Mr. Bai, although I also want to destroy that place, isn’t this a bit hasty? We aren’t prepared at all… How about we leave today, and after you discuss it with the boss, we plan it carefully?”

“There’s no need to persuade me.” The more Yan Bai heard them mention plans, the more frustrated he became: “I must do this today. If you don’t want to come, I won’t force you. You can leave the ship now.”

Most of the crowd had been following Yan Bai all along. Although they disagreed with his plan, they wouldn’t abandon him – they simply looked conflicted.

“Young Master, if you’re determined to do this, I can’t stop you, but I will report this matter truthfully to the boss,” said a relatively older man with a sigh.

“I understand.” Yan Bai thought to himself that this was probably the first time he had acted against his adoptive father’s wishes. His adoptive father might be very angry if he found out.

“What should we do?” In a corner of the crowd, a slender youth wearing a hoodie and covering most of his face with a hat spoke up. He had been silent before, almost invisible. Now, he looked up, and Su Su realized he appeared underage, with a very delicate appearance, seemingly possessing some mermaid heritage.

He walked past the crowd to Yan Bai’s side: “I’ll help you. Just tell me what to do.”

“Thanks.” Yan Bai treated this young man differently now, not like a subordinate but more like a friend: “This time, I really do need your help.”

Seeing the curious expression on Su Su’s face, Yan Bai introduced: “This is Lin Dian, a mermaid who has directly differentiated into a human through drugs. He is skilled in hacking techniques related to networks. Your ‘Star Wars’ game account was obtained through his technical methods.”

“Wow, you’re amazing!” Su Su’s impression of this boy skyrocketed. Anyone who could help him play games was a good person!

The boy blushed for a moment, then quickly lowered his head and pulled his hat down tightly, almost hiding his entire face. After a while, he stammered, “You’re also very amazing.”

???

Su Su looked at the overly shy boy and didn’t understand what he meant.

Yan Bai couldn’t help but chuckle: “I forgot to mention, he’s also your fan when it comes to starship competitions.”

…

After exchanging pleasantries, the group discussed their plan seriously.

06 was most familiar with the situation inside and immediately drew a route map for everyone on her terminal. She also had an internal access card to provide. She was well aware of the defenses inside: “Most of the staff in the Training Center are engaged in medical, nursing, and education-related professions. They are not skilled in combat, and their self-defense weapons are electric guns with incapacitating effects, but they can wear insulated suits for resistance. The real trouble is the security robots inside, of which there are over a hundred, and their combat power is very strong.”

Yan Bai’s subordinates reported their troop strength: “We can mobilize a total of thirty personnel from our port, five sets of ground combat mechas, and twenty particle guns, and we can equip protective gear. We certainly could fight those security robots, but we fear that the noise caused by the battle might be detected by the Defense Bureau. Moreover, once fighting breaks out inside the building, the mermaids inside might become hostages or even casualties, and we must be careful of them calling for reinforcements after being attacked.”

“We don’t have to worry about reinforcements. Additionally, for confidentiality, the internal network is completely disconnected from the outside. Also, all staff must leave their terminals in the dressing room outside before entering, and can only take them back after leaving. As long as we control that area first, those inside won’t be able to obtain their terminals to call for help.”

“Since that’s the case, there’s no need for a direct fight.” Yan Bai directly dismissed the plan proposed by his subordinates and turned to Lin Dian: “Is there a way to take control of those robots?”

“Based on what 06 said, there isn’t much combat power among the personnel inside aside from the robots. As long as we control those robots and use them to counter the people inside, we can seize control of the entire Training Center without expending any effort.”

“Changing permissions is straightforward.” Lin Dian tugged at his hood: “But we need someone to bring a signal transmitter inside, as the lack of a network won’t work. I can then use it to remotely modify the command permissions within the robot’s body.”

Su Su’s spirit lifted upon hearing this: “Isn’t that just perfect? Where’s the transmitter? Just give it to me. I’ll deliberately reveal myself and lead the searchers here. At that time, you wait for the right moment to capture someone and pretend to bring me back to the Training Center. Then we can control the dressing room at the entrance, and I can hide the transmitter in my clothes while going inside. Once inside, I’ll do my best to buy you time. When you control the robots, we can coordinate perfectly.”

Su Su laid out his thoughts, filling in the gaps in Yan Bai’s and Lin Dian’s ideas.

The three quickly reached an agreement and prepared to take action.

Yan Bai didn’t expect Su Su to be willing to take such risks for the mermaids. Although he said he didn’t care about their lives, he had been helping them all along.

But Su Su had no such thoughts; his intention to destroy the Training Center was merely to create trouble for the Mo family, to take revenge for the traps they had laid for him, and to retrieve his terminal for easier communication with Qi Hanyi.

A few minutes later, a young man in a wheelchair appeared at the dock. His hat covered half of his face, and a scarf tightly concealed his nose. He wore a low-key black coat and covered his lower half with a blanket, hiding his legs from view.

The wheels of the electric wheelchair moved under his control toward the boarding area, clutching a ticket for the most imminent departure.

Just as he was about to enter the checkpoint, several people stepped forward and surrounded him: “Hello, we are members of the Noble Council Execution Department. We are looking for an escaped mermaid. Please cooperate with the inspection.”

The young man’s grip on the ticket tightened as his fingers turned pale: “I’m not the person you’re looking for. Move aside or you’ll delay my boarding.”

“How can we know without checking?” The people stepped closer, unceremoniously pressing down on Su Su’s wheelchair and pushing him into a secluded corner of the alley.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” The young man cried softly, something shifting beneath the blanket. He seemed to want to run but was unable to rise and break free due to his inconvenient legs.

“No need to keep acting, Mr. Su Su.” One of the execution department members lifted the blanket off Su Su’s legs, revealing a silver fish tail that appeared somewhat restless, moving slightly up and down.

The execution department member raised an eyebrow with satisfaction: “Just as I thought. You’ve just taken the mermaid drug. It seems your movements will be quite inconvenient. But I’m curious, you were left all alone. Where are the people who assisted your escape? Could you kindly inform me?”

“Oh, you’re looking for 06?” Su Su raised his head and casually pulled down the scarf covering his face, revealing the delicate lower half of his face, his thin lips curling into a dangerous arc: “She’s right behind you.”