by N. Heller
Woyu's thought came to a jarring halt as he saw the scene in front of him.
The scene was similar to that of when he looked up from the canyon. The sky was still black and dotted with countless stars. The wind continued to ravage across the canyon, slapping sand onto the translucent dome from time to time. The reason he was frozen still was because of the view below the dome.
The canyon was gone.
Woyu allowed his gaze to travel out below the garden, but what greeted his gaze was only darkness and nothing more. The rocks that used to support Exodus were nowhere to be seen. Overhead, wisps of greyish smoke paled and pulled apart by the ravaging wind. Woyu's eyes followed the smoke and looked into the horizon. It was only then that he realized those clumps of smoke were actually clouds and Exodus was floating above the atmosphere.
"Holy sh*t! What the hell is this? Why is Exodus flying?!" Woyu shouted instinctively. He darted to the edge of the garden and looked downward. However, aside from clouds, he couldn't see anything.
Just as his brain was all at sea, several beams of light blasted out, prompting Woyu to squint his eyes. Another ball of light whizzed overhead, but before he knew it, it disappeared abruptly.
However, that split second of light was more than enough for Woyu to clearly see the shape in the dark.
It was an aircraft. 'Is the aircraft tailing behind Exodus?'
Just when Woyu lost himself in abstraction, the mantis-shaped aircraft suddenly tilted its nose down and dove straight towards him, eliciting a half-suppressed scream from his throat. Nevertheless, before he could take cover, the aircraft made a sharp U-turn and flew up before it could crash into the dome. At the same time, a blast of light spilled out of its body.
It was only when Woyu saw a familiar figure amid the ball of light that he realized the hatch on the aircraft was opened.
He saw half of Lin Sanjiu's body exposed in the air. She placed her hand close to her ear and made a gesture. At first, Woyu did not know what it meant. It took him a few seconds before he realized that Lin Sanjiu was talking about the communication device.
Very soon, both her and the aircraft disappeared in the dark.
Everything had happened so fast, Woyu thought he was having a hallucination. He remained blank and zoned out for a few full minutes before getting snapped back into reality by another two flashes of light. He glanced into the sky and then bolted towards the connecting bridge.
The communication device was in the dining block, so he had to go back there now.
Be that as it may, it seemed like the goddess of luck was not standing on his side this time. The second he stepped into the arched corridor, familiar heavy footsteps rang out behind him once more.
'Where did he come from?'
Woyu knew his own strength very well, so he knew he couldn't take on the man all by himself. He looked around and tried to find a spot to hide; however, the curved corridor was empty and there was no corner or other corridors connected to it. The footsteps were getting louder and louder. In desperation, Woyu held his breath and ran on his tippitoes, trying his very best to get out of the corridor before the man arrived.
"Silas," the man called out, sounding pretty happy, "Set the course to this location. Also, send me a maglev pod."
Woyu's eyes went black and he inwardly cursed himself for his bad luck. He heard Silas reply to the man, "Alright."
However, it seemed that that was not the end of his bad luck yet.
"Prepare me dinner. I am going to the dining block now."
Chapter 802 - Type Of Pet
There was more than one dining block in Exodus, and Woyu had no time to think about which one the man was going to. His forehead beaded with sweat, he tried to figure out a plan, but his brain was such a mess that nothing came out. Right now, he couldn't do anything besides picking up his pace and running as fast as he could.
Woyu had never hated the corridor more. It was way too long, and he could not see the end of it. To make his situation even worse, there weren't any pots or vases along the way for him to hide behind either.
"Oh sh*t, oh sh*t, oh sh*t…" Woyu rattled as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. His fat little cheeks bobbed up and down as he stormed down the corridor. His c.h.e.s.t was burning and his legs were aching, but he could not stop right now. Suddenly, a certain sentence he read from somewhere popped up in his mind. 'He who touches pitch shall be defiled.' Woyu couldn't remember where he read this sentence, but he found that it fitted his situation right now.
Considering the fact that the man wouldn't let go of a prisoner, Woyu knew full well of his own fate once the man found out about his presence as well.
As a former robber, he smelt a fatalistic sense of familiarity from this incident. Unlike him and his comrades, the man on his heel was extremely successful as a burglar. He was far more experienced and far better than them from various angles. Be that as it may, now was not the right time to admire his skill. Woyu shook his head to chase the thought away. He knew that to commit such a big scam over and over again, there was one crucial action that had to be achieved—eliminate every witness, for nothing kept a secret better than a dead man.
"What should I do, what should I do, what should I do…"
Just as Woyu was in a quandary about what he should do right now, a figure appeared at the brim of his vision. It glided across the floor and soon arrived in front of him.
It was a maglev pod.
Woyu's eyes shone as an idea popped up in his brain. Before the pod could glide past him, he stretched his arm to reach out for the pod.
The pod stopped.
As a man born with clumsy hands and feet, Woyu had never before felt so agile. In just a few seconds, he kicked the floor and hopped into the maglev pod even though the pod did not lower its height and open the hatch for him. The second he threw himself onto the seat, the pod began to glide forward towards its destination again. Desperation crawled up his throat; however, he did not allow it to sink in and instead swallowed it back to the pit of his stomach. He rummaged through his memory as he tried to recall how Lin Sanjiu maneuvered the pod. Then, with a quick swipe on the steering wheel, he turned the pod around.
Woyu's heart jumped so fast, it almost leaped out of his throat. Right now, it was a race against time. He had to run as fast as he could before Silas reclaimed control over the pod. With that in mind, he stomped on the accelerator hard, and the pod flew out far into the corridor. Soon enough, he arrived at the end of the corridor that forked into several passages. His eyes gleamed, and just as he was about to speed up again, the pod began to slow down.
Then, Silas's voice, which sounded plaintive and cold right now, rang out, "Restoring system control."
At the same time, Woyu caught a faint murmur of voices rippling behind him. Before Woyu could make out the sound, the pod began to move backward. Startled, he quickly jumped out of the pod and landed on the floor with a dull thump. Without wasting a second, he dashed into one of the passages ahead. He could hear the pitter-patter of his feet with every step he took, but he did not have the time to care about that right now.
He was very familiar with the route, as he walked to the dining block numerous times a day. Even though he knew there was no way he could outrun a pod, he did not give up and stormed down the passage at his top speed. Perhaps God finally realized that he needed some respite from all the crap, for his effort was eventually rewarded. He pushed the doors open and stepped into the dining block before the man arrived.
The air conditioning was always stronger here. It always made him shiver whenever he stepped into the dining block, and this time was no different. It was just that he couldn't be sure he was shivering because of the cold, or something else. He quickly scanned the dining block around. Then, he saw the Special Item Lin Sanjiu left for him on the table.
Woyu hastily went forward and scooped it up from the table. His tautly pulled nerves unwound a little, and it was only then that he felt the belated pain in his c.h.e.s.t that
was caused by all the sprinting earlier on. The dining block was quiet, and nothing could be heard aside from his own breathing, which came out ragged and loud.
'Maybe he went to one of the other dining blocks…'
Before the thought could take shape in his mind, the table slid open and a holographic screen appeared. It took him several seconds before he made out the word "menu" from the inverted screen. He inwardly chided his luck and dove below the table at the same time that the door opened from outside.
The majority of the space beneath the table was occupied by several metal cases, so he had no choice but to lay himself flat on top of them. After he settled himself in between the table and the metal cases, a slight machinery whirring sound greeted his ears.
Then, a tuneless humming along with a series of heavy footsteps came in.
There were a lot of tables in the dining block, but Lin Sanjiu chose this table because the leather sofa looked a lot more comfortable than the other chairs. Apparently, the man thought the same way as well. Woyu watched the pair of black boots stride towards the table he was currently hiding under as the man threw himself on the couch.
"Smoke bacon, ham, beef, bread, eggs, and vegetables? Where the hell did she get all this food from?" the man asked as he flipped through the menu.
Silas remained silent. He didn't expect Silas to give any answer anyway. He smacked his lips and gave out his order. After he ordered his meal from the screen, he laughed. "The food in the freezer isn't worth much money even if we sell it all. Although she didn't pay the highest price, the process of getting back Exodus was quite smooth this time. We can sell it again after a couple of months… Oh, Silas, could you fetch me another glass of rum?"
Silas responded, and then the metal cases behind Woyu began to buzz. She should be in the process of preparing the man's dinner. Shortly after, the aroma of the food spread out and filled his nostrils as the clattering of the cutlery wafted into his ears. The man was seemingly in a good mood as he feasted on the food while talking to Silas, "Although you have been through this several times, it's such a shame that you are not a real human being, so you cannot understand the complexities and intricacies behind this grand heist. They never know what happened to their house and couldn't ask for anybody's help."
"Alright," Silas responded gently.
"I remember there was this one ridiculous brat who posted a message in Mokugyo Forum to summon a group of posthumans to help him look for his house. Well, he did successfully recruit a team of posthumans in the end, but the money he paid them was equivalent to the value of a house. Kinda stupid, don't you think so? He could have just used the money to buy another house. For days, they excavated nearly a hundred meters wide and dug three feet deep into the ground. Guess what they found?" He paused for a moment and then cut the steak into a bite-size, grinning broadly. "Nothing! They found nothing! Hah!"
He then tossed his head back and let out a fit of boisterous laughter. It took him a while to calm himself down and continue his story as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "I wonder what kind of reaction they would have given if they ever found out that, the whole time they were working hard on the ground, I was hiding outside the atmosphere along with Exodus. It would be pretty spectacular." He sighed. "Unfortunately, you cannot understand my feelings and the humor in it."
"Yes," Silas replied.
"Oh yeah, before I forget, remove the authority of the administrator and guests from the system."
"Alright, please re-confirm the passcode," Silas answered softly.
"MOTHERSHIP COMMANDER,1082-XR-2901-A46."
Woyu was wide-eyed and stunned when he heard the passcode. He couldn't recover his senses for a long while. By the time he snapped himself back to reality, he realized he was repeating the passcode over and over again. He feared that he might fail to remember it, since it was too long.
Desperately, he repeated the letters and numbers silently as he fumbled through his body, searching for a paper and pen. Unfortunately, since Lin Sanjiu had taken all his stuff away and had given him new clothes, he couldn't find any of it. If Lin Sanjiu knew his situation right now, she would certainly regret taking all his belongings away.
"1082, wait for him to finish, XR, I will be safe by then, 2901…" Woyu mumbled as he flattened himself real close against the metal cases.
'As long as she doesn't call me at this time, then...'
Suddenly, Woyu felt a vibration in his c.h.e.s.t. His heart went pit-a-pat as the hair on the nape of his neck stood on its ends. He glanced down quickly and realized the situation right away. Fortunately, the communication device would vibrate several times before it rang out. He hastily lifted up the device and pressed all the buttons. At last, the vibration deadened and the device did not ring up.
His palpitating c.h.e.s.t slowly calmed down as the wheels in his brain started turning. He held the communication device tightly to his c.h.e.s.t and murmured again, "A46. 1082, Lin Sankiu will certainly call again, XR. No, that's not going to work, 2901. I should call her first, A46. If I want to call her, I have to cover the speaker."
Considering his condition, this was the best idea Woyu could think of at the moment.
He pressed the buttons on the communication device randomly, as he couldn't see clearly under the table. As he'd only ever received calls and never sent out any of his own before, and plus he was unfamiliar with the communication device, he didn't even know if he was using it right or not. The only thing he was very sure of was that he had lowered the volume. His effort paid off, nonetheless, as a low whisper came from the other side of the line.
"...Sis?" It was an unfamiliar voice. It was soothing to the ear, but there was a hint of a tremble in it.
'Did I dial it wrong?'
Woyu thought for a second and hesitated on whether to hang up or not. His goal was to prevent Lin Sanjiu from calling him, so it didn't really matter who was on the other end of the line. He had no idea why, but the person was breathing very lightly and spoke in a very low voice. It was as if he was afraid of startling somebody.
Woyu moved the speaker away and lowered the volume even further. Then, he gently laid the communication device on the floor.
"Silas, your menu is getting richer," the man exclaimed. A slight clinking came from the table, and it seemed to Woyu that the man had finally finished his meal. He leaned back against the sofa and stretched his legs forward, which gave Woyu a fright when he almost hit him. After that, the man spoke again, "Let's go and have a look at the prisoner."
'1082, finally, XR, he is leaving, 2901!'
The man retracted his legs, stood up from the table and, with his pair of black boots, walked towards the entrance of the dining block. Woyu prayed hard deep down while staring at the entrance until he saw the boots disappear from the opened door. He waited quietly for a few seconds before letting out a long sigh of relief once he was assured that the man was far away.
"A46," he whispered before hanging up the communication device
As he crawled his way out from under the table, Silas's voice rang out. Perhaps the man hadn't gone far yet, for the response from the system could still be heard in the dining block.
"Yes, commander," Silas said softly.
'What is he up to now?' Woyu wondered.
"No, commander. It isn't a dog."
Woyu froze.
"No, it isn't a lizard either. The pet is a human male."
Chapter 803 - Are You Using My Authorization To Register Yourself?
"Pet is currently located at the orbital module, living block section 12, corridor A-34."
Silas's soft voice echoed in the corridor. This was the third time she reported Woyu's real-time location, and there was only one reason why she would do so.
"1082, screw you!" Woyu wheezed out a curse. "Shut up, XR!"
Silas ignored him.
Normally, when Silas was responding to one of their calls, her voice wouldn't spread throughout all of Exodus. Woyu instantly realized that this must be
the man's doing. He wanted him to know that he was coming for him. He wanted him to fear.
His legs were sore, his muscles were trembling, and a burning pain was ripping his c.h.e.s.t. However, Woyu would rather die from running than get caught by the man. The man was chasing him on a maglev pod while he could only rely on his two legs, so he couldn't stop running. After a very short bout of rumination, he dashed into another corridor.
"Pet is currently located at the orbital module, living block section 12, corridor A-37."
Before Silas could finish her announcement, Woyu came to a jarring halt and pressed a few buttons on the wall. Following this, several irregular polygonal shapes protruded from the wall to form into a door and occluded the corridor behind him. After all, Silas was merely a computer system. She wouldn't open the door if the man did not give the command.
This was the third time he'd used the same tactic.
Soon enough, the man that was hot on his heels arrived at the door. Just as Woyu was sprinting for all he's worth, he heard Silas's voice rang out in the corridor once more, "Command received. Opening all the doors right now."
"Dammit, 2901!" Woyu cursed out aloud, the burning sensation in his c.h.e.s.t growing even stronger as his fear and anger mounted.
'If I don't do something now, he will get to me soon,' Woyu thought inwardly.
The communication device was undoubtedly a burden. It jounced up and down with every step he took and pounded on his back, causing him a lot more pain and discomfort. He hoped that Lin Sanjiu would call him right now, but unfortunately, the communication device remained silent the entire time.
"What should I do, A46, what should I do, 1082, what should I do, XR," Woyu repeated as he continued to storm down the corridor. He had no idea how Silas could locate him precisely every time and began to wonder if the designer had fixed cameras in every nook and corner of Exodus. With that thought in mind, he raised his head and looked above. He found nothing but a long strip of light. There was no camera in sight.