Chapter 322: Dad, Your Shame [Part 1]
“Sorry for the wait. We took a five-minute break just now because it was a long journey. You understand what I’m saying, right commander Simon?” Cillin said.
Like hell I do! Simon thought with a face that was scrunched up like he was constipating.
It wasn’t just because the Eleventh Squad had stopped right next to his ship for 5 minutes without being detected, or because Cillin’s greeting made him feel like flipping a table. The problem was that Cillin’s voice had come from the ship’s communications system, and he had not given the order to make contact with the Eleventh Squad yet. So how did Cillin manage to make his voice heard?
There was only one explanation: The Eleventh Squad could control their communications system!
Simon didn’t know what other equipment the Eleventh Squad could seize control of, but he was absolutely on his toes at this point. Worse, the more he thought about it, the greater the sense of powerlessness welling inside his heart became.
He had thought that he would show the Eleventh Squadron his strength, but now he only felt like a monkey in a circus who thought that he was putting on a stellar performance while the audience clapped.
Still, he was a member of the A Squad, so he recovered—on the surface at least—while the technicians were still in disbelief.
Useless! Simon cursed them in his mind.
“Ahem! We are very glad to make your acquaintance, Eleventh Squad,” Simon said.
After his voice shook his subordinates out of their shock, they scrambled to bridge the two starships. When Simon saw the person leading the group that was walking over to his starship, the calm he just regained was immediately shattered once more.
When Cillin had contacted Simon at the base, he had assumed the appearance of an honest youngster with brown hair and a thick physique. Right now though, he was presenting himself in his original form.
He said, “Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am the commander of the Eleventh B Squadron, Cillin. As you may have noticed, this is how I really look like.”
Simon was just barely keeping his mask together. When Cillin first contacted his friends, he had assumed the form they were familiar with. But after they departed, he reverted to the form everyone from Mist Bodhisattva Empire was familiar with; his true form. It was also the only form where he could be at his absolute best.
After the chip was fully activated, Cillin gained the ability to assume any appearance. However, he still preferred his original look because it was the most natural. Also, in this form his energy usage was at its minimum, but his capacity wasn’t affected in the slightest.
“It is an… honor to meet you at last!” Simon squeezed the words through his teeth. Of all the tricks he could pull… is this another attempt to undermine us?
Cillin in his true form had black hair, black eyes, and a wheatish complexion. He looked like a friendly young man who just left his home and set foot on the world. However, every time Simon recalled all the things Cillin had done, he just couldn’t help but feel a chill inside his heart. Despite being much younger than he was, Cillin was an indecipherable mystery. He couldn’t see into his soul, or even catch a glimpse of his thoughts from his expression.
The former Sixth Squad members on the ship were shooting Cillin weird looks as well. They were wondering where Cillin had gone to until he had introduced himself.
Simon looked behind Cillin. Practically everyone besides Asiya and her child had come over. Also, at least half of the group were made up of unfamiliar faces, but none of them looked like ordinary people. Finally, he settled his gaze on Shusag. The seemingly unreliable old man was currently flirting with a female technician with his eyes, but he had a feeling that he was the strongest fighter of all the new faces. In fact, he was as strong as some of the seniors in the A Squadron. Why would someone like him willingly serve a youngster as a foot soldier?
In the end, Simon decided not to carry his original plan. There were several reasons. One, the repeated setbacks had shaken his confidence. Two, Cillin and his gang—especially the way Shusag was eyeing his ship like a space robber would eye a fat prey—struck a deep sense of unease in him. Right now, all he wanted was for them to get out of his domain as soon as possible.
“Control yourself, old man,” whispered Tesoro after elbowing his dad.
Shusag pouted a little before sighing. “You don’t understand. I’m feeling thirsty, boy.”
Cary and the others immediately shot Shusag a look of understanding when they heard the exchange. Then, they huddled up and started chatting about something that was most certainly unsafe for kids, even letting slip some vulgar laughter on occasion.
Not far away Tang Qiuqiu bit down on her sweet like she was crushing something unpleasant, hands itching to raise her rifle and pop the heads of the vulgar men once and for all. She was no longer the innocent kid she used to be, and she was familiar enough with Cary and his circle to know that they were talking about something lecherous again the moment she heard that laughter.
A curious Scarlet Wind tried to move closer to them, but Tang Qiuqiu immediately smacked him in the head and huffed, “Where do you think you’re going? It’s nothing a kid should know about!”
Simon led them toward the area where the engineers lived. It was where Enji’s workshop was. Cillin had locked the workshop behind many pass codes, so it would take a considerable amount of effort to get it unless the intruder forced their way in.
Simon didn’t have the time nor the heart to mind about the engineers after he took over the Sixth B Squadron. His dealings with them usually involved giving them an order, checking the results of said order and that’s it. Moreover, most of the engineers who lived around the area were long-time veterans, so they respected Enji and Cillin well enough to leave the workshop as they were.
After Cillin arrived at the entrance, he gave the engineers a friendly smile before entering the passcodes. The workshop that was closed for almost three years was finally opened once more.
Czedow, Moon and Sigma helped copy the data and store the samples and specimens Cillin thought was important into boxes. Everyone else stayed outside because too many hands would actually slow down the process.
While they were waiting, Cary and the others started reminiscing about the past and talking to Shusag about the good old times.
The starship still looked the same as before, but it was no longer their starship anymore… not that they were too sad about it. A ship without their comrades was a strange ship no matter how familiar it was. It wasn’t even close to being as comfortable and welcoming as their new ship.
Simon had left after bringing Cillin to the workshop. As a commander, this was as far as he was expected to do for his “guests”. Nothing about this was anything like his plan, but Simon was past caring at this point. All he wanted right now was to stay as far away from these people as possible. The mere sight of them caused a nervous flutter in his heart, and for some reason he felt shorter compared to Cillin even though they shared more or less the same height.
Did that mean that he felt inferior to Cillin? He refused to believe it, not that it mattered in any way. What did matter, was that he didn’t need to see their faces anymore.
Not his lieutenant commanders, however. They showed up not long after Simon departed the scene.
Cary didn’t recognize either of them, which meant that they joined after the Sixth B Squadron underwent a reorganization. In fact, one of them, a woman wasn’t even a Vanguard until their belonging force got assimilated, and she was chosen to become the lieutenant commander of the Sixth B Squadron. That wasn’t why she caught Cary and several other people’s attention, however. It was because she was an absolute babe and hot as fuck.
Cary and his band of hooligans whistled approvingly the moment the two lieutenant commanders arrived. The meaning behind their gazes needed not be said.
Tang Qiuqiu caressed her rifle again. Sometimes, she really wished she could pop their heads and end their embarrassing acts once and for all.
“Yo~ you people belong to the new Eleventh B Squadron, right? Is this everyone?” The guy asked in a clearly mocking tone. He purposely emphasized the word “everyone” to imply how pathetic their number was.
However, Cary and the others continued staring at the beautiful woman and paid him no heed. Tang Qiuqiu was talking quietly to Sha Rou about something, and Scarlet Wind was poking his head into the workshop from time to time. His taunt was completely ignored!