Star Rank Hunter

Chapter 425: Her Future Captain Is Locked Inside

In the boundary region between GAL star sectors sat a heavily guarded planet surrounded by five satellites.

At this moment, Cillin was on one of them.

According to the star calendar, over twenty days had passed since the Dream Tapir incident.

Over twenty days ago, Cillin had produced the complete antibody, and the military had handled the aftermath of “Miracle.” Once the dust settled, he was brought here.

The 11th Team had left Planet J-335 even earlier. No one knew where they had gone—not the military, and not Vanguard. The squad seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Although GAL was vast, the Eight Great Legions and various powerful families had sent people to investigate, yet they found absolutely no trace of the 11th Team. This left those harboring ulterior motives feeling rather uneasy.

Originally, these people figured that locking Cillin up meant they had the 11th Team by the throat. They never expected things to turn out like this.

To many people’s surprise, however, Cillin remained exceptionally calm while locked on this satellite awaiting his Final Trial. For the past twenty-odd days, his routine never changed: he ate, slept, woke up to read, and went back to sleep when he got tired. Of course, he often couldn’t sleep peacefully, as people dropped by from time to time to “talk” with him.

Cillin had not yet been convicted. Before the Final Trial, he couldn’t even be considered a criminal. Therefore, compared to convicted prisoners, he enjoyed a little bit of freedom—though only just a little.

Similar to Ci Jincheng’s small base, this entire satellite was enveloped by a massive energy shield. An internal life-support system maintained the necessities for survival. The satellite’s original conditions were fundamentally unfit for normal human habitation. Naturally, this served as another layer of security, better preventing anyone locked up here from escaping.

A section of his small room was enclosed by transparent partitions, and the ceiling was completely clear as well. From here, he could see the starry sky outside, along with the patrol fleets occasionally passing by.

Out of the five satellites, the one holding Cillin housed only those awaiting their verdicts. They might ultimately be found guilty, or they might be acquitted. Everything would be decided at the Final Trial.

The venue for the Final Trial was the very planet these satellites orbited. Even from his room, Cillin could see a golden, circular building on that massive planet. That was where the trial would take place.

If found innocent, one could leave from there; if not, they would be locked in the prisons on the other four satellites.

Ever since the prison in the S Star Sector had been abolished, GAL’s decision-makers had chosen to build prisons on these four satellites. Those qualified to be locked up here were all highly exceptional criminals. Some were similar to Sifang from back in the day, while others were guilty of heinous crimes but couldn’t be immediately sentenced to death. In short, everyone inside was a figure who had once shaken the galaxy.

One of the interrogators who came by yesterday had told Cillin that just being qualified to be locked up there made his life worth it.

‘Worth it?’

Cillin looked at the other four satellites. They looked freezing cold, utterly devoid of human presence.

Ever since Cillin was confined here, people came to talk to him every day. They used every method available, from threats to bribery. However, because Cillin had backers supporting him, these visitors remained fairly polite. At the very least, they hadn’t resorted to force.

The people coming to “talk” included figures from the Eight Great Legions as well as politicians. But their goal was invariably the same—the Shortcut Tunnel Technology.

Cillin didn’t know exactly who had leaked the information. As things stood, decision-makers from all factions knew about it, which was exactly why they had been waiting for Cillin to get dragged into the Beythor incident.

Recently, his visitors would tell Cillin that if he handed over the tunnel technology, he would receive a lenient sentence, and they even promised a slew of benefits. Yet Cillin simply refused to budge. The number of visitors had spiked over the last two days. Since they couldn’t find the 11th Team, they believed Cillin was preparing to smash a broken pot. To them, the 11th Team had clearly already left for the other side of the tunnel, far beyond GAL, with no intention of returning. After all, wouldn’t coming back just be asking for death?

Cillin figured that the day of the trial was fast approaching.

The main reason the trial date hadn’t been set yet was that those people had underestimated the complexity of the situation. Originally, they thought they could tie Cillin to the Beythor incident, force him to hand over the tunnel technology, and then just go easy on him during the public trial, letting him off with a light sentence. However, as Cillin remained locked up here, the number of people applying to participate in the public trial kept growing. The situation had developed far beyond their expectations.

Furthermore, many of these applicants originally hadn’t been on Cillin’s side. Yet, just days after Cillin’s imprisonment, several people suddenly began changing their minds and shifting their stances. This gave those few decision-makers a massive headache. Thus, the implications snowballed. The participants in the Final Trial grew increasingly numerous and complicated, drastically extending the waiting period. It dragged on until now, with no public trial date finalized.

Public participation in the trial sounded nice in theory, but in reality, the so-called “public” attendees were all VIPs within GAL. They were individuals whose personal influence and power could shake an entire region, serving as officially recognized leaders of local factions. These people would cooperate with GAL’s high-level decision-makers to maintain stability and order within the Alliance.

After every major upheaval, there would be a transition from the old guard to the new.

Take Aikenseth, for example. In the past, he was nowhere near qualified for this. The person representing the V Star Sector in public trials and administrative affairs used to be another colonial overlord. However, that overlord was trampled underfoot during this recent GAL chaos. Aikenseth had seized the opportunity, developing the Free Army into the largest and most legitimate faction in the V Star Sector. Moreover, during the Dream Tapir incident, the Free Army was the first group in the V Star Sector to receive the cure. This elevated the Free Army’s already massive influence to soaring new heights within the sector.

Even though the big shots secretly looked down on the Free Army and thoroughly despised those lunatics from the V Star Sector, they had to admit the truth: if they didn’t negotiate with a faction of this scale right now, there would be a lot of trouble down the line.

And so, as the leader of the Free Army, Aikenseth received an invitation from the decision-makers. The implicit message was that they hoped he would cooperate in reestablishing order and maintaining GAL’s stability in the aftermath of the chaos. The people of the V Star Sector were the biggest headache; if having Aikenseth could keep them in check, maintain the peace, and act as a focal point to draw fire, the decision-makers were more than happy to hand him that invitation.

Upon accepting the invitation, Aikenseth also submitted an application to participate in the trial. But it was only Aikenseth—a single vote wouldn’t have much impact or alter the outcome. Even if the decision-makers were displeased, knowing it wouldn’t change the verdict was enough for them to brush it off. However, it wasn’t long before the three faction heads of the S Star Sector received their invitations to maintain order. They agreed to cooperate with the GAL government and the legions to uphold stability—on the condition that they too would participate in the public trial.

Those who received invitations from the decision-makers indeed possessed the right to participate in the trial, but it was purely their choice whether to exercise it. Most of the time, if a matter didn’t concern them personally, these people would steer clear of such complex, backstabbing, and politically tangled trials. But this time, contrary to the decision-makers’ expectations, the captain of a newly formed squad in a mere Hunter regiment had actually dragged in a massive number of people. Furthermore, many of these participants were the very individuals the decision-makers had intended to rope in.

Because of this, the decision-makers launched a fresh, in-depth investigation into Cillin. The deeper they dug, the more they realized he was anything but simple. By now, the decision-makers were starting to regret dragging Cillin into the Beythor incident. Of course, they were only “somewhat” regretful, not entirely. After all, the tunnel technology was too tantalizing to pass up.

Cillin gazed at the starry sky outside. Between the five satellites and the central planet they orbited sat several spaceports. Right now, a starship was landing at the spaceport closest to Cillin’s satellite. Not long after, a flying craft departed from the port and flew in his direction.

Cillin had seen this exact scenario many times before. Every time he saw this, it wouldn’t be long before someone came over for a “talk” to demand the tunnel technology.

‘Who is it this time?’

The answer was soon revealed.

“I was just thinking you should be showing up soon,” Cillin said, putting down the book in his hands to look at the newcomer.

Yu Linglong walked into the modest little room, her expression complicated as she looked at the man sitting calmly in his chair. She originally thought that since Cillin possessed the tunnel technology, he definitely would have left GAL alongside the 11th Team the moment he realized something was wrong. She never expected him to actually cooperate and come here.

She knew Cillin wouldn’t cave so easily. He definitely had a backup plan, and the steadily increasing number of trial applications over the past few days was proof. Some were from people quite familiar with Cillin, such as Angenia. The other applicants were figures from politics and the military who had once meddled with “Miracle” or had hidden involvement in secret contraband incidents.

“Miracle” involved a vast number of people, though many had scrubbed their records clean the moment the corporation went down. However, what Yu Linglong hadn’t anticipated was that Cillin actually possessed the evidence. With that leverage in hand, he could force those people to change their minds.

Cillin was relying on this leverage to make them apply for the trial. The members of the 11th Team had indeed left GAL, but Czedow and Mengqialuo stayed behind. All they did was take the dark secrets that certain people thought were long erased and put them right back on display for them to see.

Over the years he had worked as a Hunter, aside from completing missions, Cillin never stopped gathering information. For instance, back at the “Miracle” base that had captured Snowball and Chifeng for experiments, Cillin had obtained an Aurelio Starmap Piece along with a data chip. That chip recorded a tremendous amount of information, including hidden transactions. Cillin had been constantly supplementing the data based on the information inside, and now, it was finally being put to use.

“What exactly are you thinking? Or rather, what exactly are you trying to do?” Yu Linglong asked with a frown.

Perhaps because she was used to the environment in the Yu Family, an interrogative tone slipped out unconsciously. However, she quickly realized that speaking to him this way wasn’t ideal. After making a quick adjustment, she continued.

“I know you have leverage on a lot of people, but those old foxes won’t let you hold it over them forever. You only managed to exploit this gap because it happened so suddenly that they had no time to react. Once the dust settles, the situation will turn against you.”

Cillin didn’t say a word. Yu Linglong looked a bit agitated, and after waiting a moment without hearing a response, she continued.

“From what I know, regardless of whether it’s genuine or coerced, you do indeed have a lot of supporters right now, but they still don’t make up more than half... If nothing unexpected happens, the Final Trial will be held in three days.”

Among the current trial participants, the number of Cillin’s supporters that Yu Linglong had investigated was still slightly shy of the halfway mark. New supporters were emerging every day, and they included quite a few famous figures in GAL. Even if they didn’t have the qualifications to participate in the trial themselves, they would use their connections. For example, Food King Hara, Grandmaster Jiuxun from the pharmaceutical world, and former councilman Sangbaite.

There were also those from the Hunters’ side. Right now, Ji Feng was busy teaming up with Blue Butterfly to deal with the Heaven of Ascendant Life, so he didn’t have the time to come personally. However, Ji Feng, Blue Butterfly, and Purisa—these three Star-Rank Hunters—had all put their weight behind this matter. Some of the people who submitted trial applications later on only stepped in because of their ties to them.

Although the Eight Great Marshals had yet to declare their stances, there were already people within the Eight Great Legions clearly expressing their support for Cillin. Leading them was Mo Qing. There were also people acting under the instructions of Ci Jincheng, Knight, and Pride; although those three were grounded by their families and could only do so much with their current capabilities, it was already enough. At the very least, it proved that the Eight Great Legions weren’t entirely standing on the opposing side.

Even so, Yu Linglong felt it was highly doubtful whether his supporters would reach the halfway mark in three days.

“This time, neither my grandfather nor my father will participate in the trial. The ones representing the Yu Family are me and my two older cousins; you could say this is a test from my grandfather. I will help you.”

Standing on the wrong side would undoubtedly be used against her in the future succession struggle. Both of her cousins were standing on the opposing side; she was the only one who had chosen to stand with Cillin. Many of her subordinates had vehemently opposed her decision, proving just how much pressure she was under.

“Cillin, if you hand over the Shortcut Tunnel Technology, you’ll definitely secure over half the support.”

In Yu Linglong’s view, Cillin lacked the power to protect this technology right now. Rather than clinging to it, he was better off using it to strike a deal with the decision-makers, reaping some benefits while saving himself from prolonged imprisonment.

“I won’t say a word about the tunnel. At least not right now. I won’t trade the tunnel technology for support in the trial,” Cillin said with a smile, taking out an object and placing it in Yu Linglong’s hand. “But thank you for helping me. Let me give you a little something.”

It was none other than the ruby found on the massacred transport ship belonging to the Douance Family.

Seeing the fractured gemstone, Yu Linglong’s pupils shrank.

“Blood Sun...”

The ruby in her palm refracted a bloody, demonic red light. Yu Linglong’s current state of mind could no longer simply be described as complicated.

The Blood Sun was an exceptionally precious ruby, and its owner was Yu Linglong’s second cousin, Yu Xing. Yu Linglong had only seen the Blood Sun once, back before it had been cut and crafted into jewelry. Later, Yu Xing had the faceted Blood Sun set into a ring and gifted it to his mistress, Padeluola.

Cillin had discovered Padeluola later while investigating Yu Xing. He had found a photo of the two of them together, and in that picture, the ring on Padeluola’s hand bore this exact ruby.

On the surface, Padeluola seemed like nothing more than a woman who used her looks to climb the ladder, but in reality, she was far from simple. She was one of Yu Xing’s most capable assistants. Several of the subordinates Yu Linglong sent to investigate her had already vanished without a trace.

“Where did you... find this?” Yu Linglong asked.

She remembered the earliest intelligence reports stating that Padeluola adored the Blood Sun and wore it constantly, never letting it leave her person.

Cillin recounted the circumstances of that incident. “And it’s not just this. After you get back, you’ll receive some files—information regarding that massacre.”

Yu Linglong nodded and put away the ruby with its jagged edge. According to what Cillin said, that massacre was likely ordered by Yu Xing. Yu Linglong had suspected this in the past, but she simply hadn’t found any evidence back then.

If the evidence was sufficient, the Douance Family would definitely stand against Yu Xing. It was possible that Cillin would gain another supporter, and as long as Yu Linglong arranged things well, the Douance Family would also become an added source of assistance in her competition against Yu Xing.

There were no surveillance cameras here. Even if there had been, they were already dismantled. After all, whoever came to talk with Cillin wouldn’t want their conversation leaked.

Cillin watched Yu Linglong’s flying craft leave, thinking about the news she had brought him. The trial was in three days. Although he hadn’t been officially notified here yet, it was definitely true.

Three days. That should be enough.

Yu Linglong’s analysis wasn’t entirely correct. Cillin had Czedow bring out the leverage on those people who had conducted numerous large-scale illegal transactions with “Miracle,” dragging so many of them into the mess. Gaining more support was one reason, but his other goal was to stall for time.

Just as he was thinking, Cillin noticed a starship newly docked at the spaceport. It was a military vessel. Anyone capable of using a starship like this held a very high status in the military. Afterward, a flying craft flew from the port toward his direction.

‘Which military bigshot is it this time?’

Cillin pondered this. Looking up, he noticed another medium-sized flying craft pass by the spaceport. Compared to the previous military vessel, this craft was far too plain and ordinary. But precisely because of its appearance, the port’s security seemed to suddenly tighten. The patrol fleets were all converging in this direction as if on high alert. Even standing all the way over here, Cillin could feel the tension rolling off the patrol fleet crews.

That flying craft paused briefly at the port before flying over. It must have just been undergoing a routine inspection.

At the landing pad not far from where Cillin was locked up, the flying craft bearing the military crest touched down, and its cabin door opened. A man stepped out. He appeared to only be in his middle age, but the rank on his military uniform and a certain special insignia were enough to strike terror into the hearts of many.

The person in charge of this facility hurried over and offered a military salute. The man looked quite amiable—or rather, he gave off a refined and approachable vibe.

The two chatted as they walked toward where Cillin was detained. But after only taking two steps, the man looked up. Another flying craft was flying toward them, preparing to land.

After that very ordinary-looking craft landed, its cabin door opened, and two people walked out side by side. A man and a woman. The man’s age was impossible to guess, and his features were neither outstanding nor ugly. He was dressed casually, yet this seemingly featureless man made everyone who approached him feel an inexplicable, sudden surge of cowardice rising from the bottom of their hearts.

As for the woman walking beside him, she wore the style of training uniform favored by mercenaries and Hunters. She was frowning slightly, lost in thought about something, chatting with the person beside her as she walked.

When the facility supervisor accompanying the commanding officer saw those two people, he felt as uncomfortable as if a gun were pressed to his forehead. That man was massive trouble, and that woman... when he first laid eyes on her, the supervisor had looked as though he’d seen a ghost. He stared wide-eyed for a long moment before suddenly remembering something and cautiously stealing a glance at the officer beside him.

Sure enough, the commanding officer beside him was staring blankly as well.

“Hey, girl, they’re looking at you. Aren’t you going to say hello?” Sihuang smiled as he looked at Pianhuo beside him, who was making a public appearance in her true form for the very first time.

Pianhuo paused and said, “Why would I say hello to people I don’t know?”

Sihuang raised a hand and ruffled Pianhuo’s head, messing up the hairstyle she had spent a long time arranging. Before she could fly off the handle, Sihuang said, “You go ahead and find Cillin. I’ll hold off this gentleman.”

“All right.”

Pianhuo didn’t say another word. She headed straight for a corridor leading to where Cillin was locked up, quickly vanishing inside.

After watching Pianhuo go inside, Sihuang walked to the side, pulled out a cigarette, leaned against a pillar, and leisurely began to smoke.

The supervisor’s eye twitched. Generally speaking, smoking wasn’t allowed here. But that was only “generally speaking.” When it came to this guy, he’d let it slide. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Wei Ting watched that figure—so incredibly similar to the one in his memories—disappear at the end of the corridor before finally retracting his gaze.

She really did look like that person. Especially the arch of her eyebrow when she looked at someone out of the corner of her eye; it was exactly like Sifang back in the day.

‘What did Sifang look like the first time we met?’ Wei Ting reminisced. Going by looks alone, it shouldn’t have been easy to remember someone like that. Standing among a group of female soldiers, Sifang hadn’t been the prettiest, nor the most conspicuous in height. But after that day, he clearly remembered there was such a person, vividly recalling that face. Wearing a training uniform, casually carrying a submachine gun—every frown and smile had carried a heart-pounding flamboyance and free-spiritedness. From then on, that figure constantly surfaced in his mind, a lingering shadow that refused to fade, taking root deep in his heart before he even realized it.

‘Except, that person is already gone.’

Wei Ting waved a hand, signaling the supervisor that there was no need to accompany him, and walked straight toward Sihuang.

“Although Xiao Fang’s dying wish was to let her choose freely, if that girl had also chosen to enter the military... I would have broken her legs!” Sihuang looked up toward the corridor entrance. His tone was calm, yet carried a steady, unyielding momentum that permitted no argument. However, he didn’t look at the approaching Wei Ting, not giving him a single glance. “Fortunately, she didn’t disappoint me. Being a Hunter is better than joining the army and walking her mother’s old path.”

“She wants to be a Hunter?”

“That’s right.” Sihuang smiled as if recalling something amusing, pointing toward where Cillin was locked up. “Her future captain is locked in there.”