Counterfeit Hero

Carl nodded. He knew exactly where everyone on that spaceship from Leray had been arranged. Gathering these Leray people, protecting them, and finally sending them back to the base were originally part of his mission.

Hake subtly pursed his lips. A young man on the street collided head-on with the man holding black bread, and as he picked up the bread from the ground, he whispered a few words to the man.

Seeing the astonished yet joyful look in the man’s eyes, Carl forcefully exhaled smoke from his nostrils.

Those who bully the Leray people will always pay the price!

”The position map of the Fortress Cannon, the Space Station map, and the attack sequence diagram have been sent out.” Hake glanced around and whispered, ”The new arrivals from Leray have also been moved in batches to the slum areas. In twenty minutes, our fleet should arrive. When the time comes, I’ll help you vent your anger and properly deal with this bunch of trash.”

”Good!” Big Head Karl didn’t have the slightest intention of refusal. He knew the skills of the former Redbeard Pirates who came with him; when they dealt with people, it was truly a case of wanting to live but unable to die.

He stubbed out his cigarette on the street. Carl looked up towards the street corner and suddenly frowned.

Among the group coming from the other side of Beer Street, being pushed and shoved by several big men, wasn’t that the girl who came off the spaceship from Leray along with the family of three who just bought bread?

The girl looked somewhat familiar. It seemed like he had seen her on TV or somewhere else back on Leray.

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At Space Station 106, a space city that can accommodate half a million people, except for the Rifle Association, no one else can possess Flying Cars and Mechas. Transportation primarily relies on the conveyor belts along the sides of the roads.

Meiduo was closely guarded by several large, sweaty men. She never thought of escaping. She knew she couldn’t escape the clutches of these local tyrants. Now, she just wanted to meet the innkeeper’s wife, find out the truth, and then decide on her fate.

In her luggage left in the room, there was a fruit knife. That was her last hope. Even if she were to die, she wouldn’t live in disgrace like those women she had seen. This was a dirty world, and Meiduo believed that she wouldn’t be the first, nor the last, to die like this.

The conveyor belt moved wearily with a clattering sound. The shops and pedestrians on both sides kept receding. Along the way, many passersby, upon seeing Trisha and the middle-aged man beside her, quickly dodged out of the way. Some even bowed ingratiatingly.

For most people, Trisha and her infamous brother Quentin Keo were absolutely untouchable. These Jiepeng people could rampage through the Freedom Channel because Trisha was once the mistress of the Rifle Association’s leader, Val Clayton.

Although Clayton didn’t favor Trisha as much as he used to, Trisha’s power hadn’t decreased as a result. She controlled the entire Beer Street of Space Station 106. Even if she didn’t dare provoke a few bosses, oppressing ordinary people was more than enough.

”Oh... Miss Trisha?” In the front lobby of a low, shabby inn, the innkeeper’s wife and her son were talking. When they saw Meiduo and Trisha standing at the door, the innkeeper’s wife was only slightly taken aback before warmly greeting them with a smile: ”Miss Trisha, what a rare visit today, please come in and have a seat.”

Throughout, this enthusiastic woman didn’t glance at Meiduo as if she didn’t recognize her at all.

”Old hag...” the middle-aged man Keo said coldly from the side, ”Tell her what you’ve done. You got the money, and you better clean up the mess. We don’t have the time to explain.”

”Explain?” The innkeeper’s wife’s little eyes blinked several times: ”Mr. Keo, does this even need an explanation? You could just—”

”Cut the crap!” Trisha glared fiercely at the innkeeper’s wife: ”Just say what you have to say...”

”This little bitch...”

”Slap!”

Before the innkeeper’s wife could finish her sentence, Trisha silenced her with a slap.

Trisha gritted her teeth and whispered into the innkeeper’s wife’s ear, ”Mrs. Easton, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’m planning to give this one to Clayton. Before she gets into Clayton’s bed, you’d better be careful with your words and don’t mess things up for me. Such goods aren’t easy to find these days.”

Mrs. Easton, holding her face, turned from pale to bright, and suddenly regained her cheerful demeanor, smilingly saying to Meiduo, ”I was just wondering why you were back so soon. This matter... well, it’s just how it goes...”

This plump woman still had fingerprints on her face, but she didn’t show the slightest embarrassment, smiling as warmly as when Meiduo had first met her: ”I only did this because I felt sorry for you. Such a beautiful girl wanting to go to Mars Free Port to die, I couldn’t bear it. So I thought, why not ask Miss Trisha to find you a good job. In these chaotic times, as long as you have enough to eat and wear, living is what matters.”

”That’s all there is to it...” Mrs. Easton habitually poured Meiduo a cup of water and continued, ”That drink you ordered was expensive, but I meant well. As a girl, it’s always hard to take that step due to thin skin. Once this chance is gone, there’s no coming back, and by then, it would be too late for regret. It’s only natural to repay a debt. Although you owe some money, once you take this step, you’ll thank me in the future.”

”Splash!”

In a burst of fury, Meiduo flung the water onto the plump woman’s face.

”You little bitch, you...” Mrs. Easton screamed, her face drenched. She extended her hand to scratch Meiduo’s face but quickly retracted it, remembering the watchful Keo and others nearby. Her face twisted, and her little eyes were full of malice.

”Enough!” Trisha gave Mrs. Easton a cold glare and said to Meiduo, ”I’ve said everything that needs saying, and I’ve done my utmost. Let’s go.”

”I want to get my luggage...” Meiduo brushed the hair from her ear, lowered her lashes, and said calmly.

”Luggage...” Mrs. Easton seemed to remember something, turned, and glared at her son standing by: ”You little brat, hurry up and bring out the luggage.”

Aiji turned expressionlessly, took out Meiduo’s bag from behind the counter.

The white soft leather travel bag was empty. It was evident that its contents had already been taken by this mother and son.

Aiji took Meiduo’s clothes and other items from a side cupboard, stuffed them into the bag, but left out the three-inch-long fruit knife that Meiduo’s gaze couldn’t detach from.

A malicious smile appeared on his wooden face: ”This knife is dangerous; I don’t think you need it anymore.”

Meiduo’s heart sank bit by bit, plummeting into a cold abyss.

Just then, a violent explosion suddenly came from above the dome. Amidst the intense shaking, Trisha, Keo, the Easton mother and son, and several henchmen quickly rushed out of the teetering inn... and then, their expressions and footsteps completely froze...

In front of them, hundreds of Leray people had unknowingly surrounded the inn and were now quietly staring at them.

The lead mechanic, with a sinister smile, looked back at them.

.

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.This is a combination of two chapters; I revised it many times. I originally had another plot, but suddenly realized I had made an error in setting, which conflicted with this segment, so I had to change it. The pit I dug almost buried myself.

.(To be continued; to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com for more chapters. Support the author and original reading!)