MPWATMBC Chapter 113

Watching the email being sent, Ryan found it amusing. The mission had progressed smoothly, and soon they would be able to return home.

“Did the information go through?” Ryan asked Yuan Chu, glancing at his personal terminal.

Yuan Chu replied, “It’s been sent. The general will receive it shortly.”

Ryan chuckled. “I’m ready for the cavalry to arrive.”

Code Zero muttered in dissatisfaction, “My body…”

Yuan Chu reassured him, “Just borrowing it for a bit won’t hurt. I switch bodies all the time.”

Code Zero’s system flickered slightly, an influx of redundant data appearing out of nowhere. He chose not to process the information and instead bundled it up, stashing it in a corner of his system. Once enough had accumulated, he planned to dump it into a designated space on the star network. “Oh,” he replied absentmindedly.

Yuan Chu added, “I’ve grown used to it. You never know if the next body will be pre-owned or what shape it’ll take. Sigh…”

The sigh was devoid of emotion, lacking the subtle nuances of human expression. It was a shallow imitation, capturing only the outward form of a human gesture without its essence—a quintessential trait of artificial intelligence.

Ryan: “…” He decided to pretend he didn’t hear that complaint. After all, these artificial intelligences were his creations, and no matter what, he had to keep using them.

Yuan Chu and Code Zero had gone into someone else’s hands; Ryan couldn’t imagine what might happen.

The tent flap was suddenly thrown open, and Fan Lanting crouched as he darted inside. Once inside, he was finally able to let out a sigh of relief. He said, “I went to check on Bandner and Audei. They’re doing fine. Bandner said he’s not sure if this would affect your plans, but he decided to act on impulse. He believes that in that situation, the decision he made was the most correct one.”

Ryan asked, “What else did he say?”

“He also said not to blame him.’”

Ryan smiled, “What’s done is done. It’s too late to regret it now. He really doesn’t need to be so uneasy.”

Fan Lanting plopped down beside Ryan. “Following you, I’ve learned so many idioms, I feel like my knowledge of Chinese culture has really improved. Bandner just isn’t confident enough. You’re such a strict mentor. Ryan, I don’t get it—why did you decide to bring them along?”

They had made many plans, with options one, two, three, four, and so on, which made Fan Lanting deeply realize just how terrifyingly meticulous Ryan was about planning. Yet in the end, Ryan chose the most thankless and challenging option—bringing along the people from the ‘East’ to act together! Not that the people from the ‘East’ weren’t good; each of them had their shining points. It’s just that bringing them along obviously slowed down the two professional soldiers and reduced their efficiency.

Fan Lanting didn’t understand—he didn’t understand why Ryan insisted on bringing them along.

Ryan said, “Maybe because of responsibility.”

Fan Lanting was puzzled. “Responsibility?”

Ryan smiled faintly, a bit wistfully, and said, “Yes.” He didn’t elaborate. Other than Auston, no one in this world would understand. Explaining to outsiders was pointless.

Fan Lanting shrugged. “Got it.” It was clear Ryan didn’t want to say more, so Fan Lanting didn’t press further.

Ryan continued to look at his personal terminal, missing Auston and Tuan tuan deeply. He wanted to call or video chat with them, but he restrained himself, refusing to act recklessly or let his guard down. The strategist had a network connection that could reach the outside world. With just a small movement of his fingers, Ryan could connect to it. However, he couldn’t be sure it was the only one.

Wiping his palm over his wrist to conceal the personal terminal, Ryan said, “Next, you continue playing the role of the strategist, stabilize the pirates’ emotions, and don’t let anything slip.”

“Mm-hmm, I got it!”

Ryan asked, “What about that leader?”

Fan Lanting furrowed his brows and said, “A very peculiar person.”

“Tell me more,” Ryan said.

Fan Lanting replied, “He’s very intelligent, decisive, a ruthless person, but it seems like he doesn’t care at all about the outside world or his pirate cause. He loves the Flower Spider more than he loves people, no, more than he loves himself. You should’ve seen how obsessed he was, I even suspect he treats the Flower Spider as a lover, would… ” Fan Lanting’s expression twisted for a moment, he couldn’t bring himself to continue with the disgusting thoughts. “When I left, he gave me a look, and I even wondered if he saw through me, but he didn’t do anything. He still handed over the password book.”

Ryan said, “Well, your choice of words is spot on, ‘peculiar.’ We went through the strategist’s personal data, and it’s clear that the leader stopped caring about things around thirty years ago, when the Flower Spider was still the size of a fist.”

“Wait a second.”

“Hmm?”

Fan Lanting seemed unsure how to express himself, his thoughts in a muddle. “Does that mean that annoying spider has been alive for thirty years?! I know that kind of rose-faced ghost spider only lives for about ten years. How could it live for thirty?! Could it be like those mythical creatures in Chinese folklore, where after thirty years, a ghost-faced spider turns into a spirit?”

In that instant, Ryan’s mind flashed with a realization. He seized on the clue and instructed Yuan Chu and Code Zero to check the strategist’s diary. “See if there’s anything about the leader collecting Chinese books.”

After a breath, Yuan Chu quickly relayed the result. “Yes, there was an obsession 21 years ago. It lasted about three months before he quickly gave it up.”

Fan Lanting felt it was absurd. “What does he want to do, has he really found a way to make animals turn into spirits?”

“Impossible!” Ryan looked at Fan Lanting as if he were a child with whimsical thoughts.

Fan Lanting felt wronged.

Ryan chuckled, “No matter what the leader wants to do, we just need to complete our mission.” His smile deepened, and his gaze shifted through the tent to the distance. Completing the mission smoothly was the priority; everything else could be dealt with afterward.

It was already past five, and the noise outside the tent gradually subsided. The pirates’ day-long revelry was coming to an end, and their sleep time was approaching.

Ryan and Fan Lanting had stayed up all night. As the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, they began to rest. One slept while the other stood guard, alternating in this manner. Both had undergone professional sleep training, allowing them to refresh themselves with short bursts of deep sleep… In fact, going without sleep for three days and nights was quite common during missions, but if there was a chance to sleep, why not take it? Being well-rested would help them tackle the task more effectively.

As the sun rose higher, the voices within the walls grew fewer and fewer, and the “Eastern” people at the wall’s edge, repairing the wall’s surface, began to stir. The scorching sunlight beat down on them. The “Eastern” people, who had lived for years in underground caverns and were accustomed to being nocturnal, couldn’t handle the heat. Their skin turned red, they became dehydrated, and their skin began to crack. Heatstroke made their limbs twitch, and heatstroke could even be fatal.

Bandner didn’t know when he arrived, but he looked up at his sweating people working under the intense heat. Even in such conditions, they continued to work diligently, without anyone supervising them. They had been oppressed for so long that they had become accustomed to slavery. No matter how much he talked about struggle, escape, and resistance, it had no effect—it couldn’t reach them at the root.

Bandner shouted, “Come down, everyone, come down!”

The people working at high altitudes with rudimentary tools looked down. Even a small movement made several of them dizzy, their vision blurring with stars.

Bandena raised his voice, shouting sternly, “Come down!”

“Bandner, what’s wrong with you?” someone asked in confusion.

Bandner weakly replied, “I told you to come down. You’ll die if you stay under the sun for too long.”

Someone hesitated, saying, “But we need to finish the work within seven days. There are a lot of repairs to be done. If we don’t work day and night, we won’t finish.” They carried the hopes of their people. Without vitamins that promote calcium absorption, the tribe members would suffer from rickets, and the children would never grow properly.

Bandner murmured quietly to himself, “No, no, this shouldn’t be like this.”

His voice was too soft, and those who still insisted on working at high altitudes didn’t hear him. They furrowed their brows in confusion and asked, “Bandner, what are you saying?”

Bandner laughed and waved at his people. “Come down!” His tone had shifted from harsh to gentle, but the kindness in his voice made it impossible to refuse. Without thinking, they obeyed.

This was exactly what Ryan did—gentle, not harsh, yet impossible to resist.

One by one, the tribe members descended to the ground. Some looked at Bandner timidly, unsure why their expressions seemed to carry a sense of expectation, a restless desire to try something new.

Bandner said, “It’s daytime now. Many of them are starting to sleep.”

The tribe members didn’t understand what he meant.

Bandner whispered, “Let’s move, we’ll act now.”

“Bandner, act? What do we do?”

Without turning his head, Bandner replied, “Rebel.” The pirates had the blood of their people on their hands. Let the pirates offer their blood to honor the lost souls. The tribe could no longer remain weak. Their ancestors and parents had known how to resist, even if it cost them their lives. But the blood of their generation was running thin, and their future was almost out of sight.

So, they would resist.

Breaking the shackles that bound the souls of everyone, returning their freedom.

The others looked at each other, hesitating. Then, some began to move, following Bandner. They too had been deeply influenced by the thoughts of Emperor Qin Feng Anderson, carrying the blood of warriors in their bones. But the long years of oppression had gradually bent their backs…

Suddenly, the sound of thut thut thut broke the peaceful silence of the day inside the walls, tearing through the stillness. Many pirates, still deep in sleep, were oblivious to what was happening. Pirates, accustomed to indulgence and living on the edge of life and death, were less sensitive to gunfire and blood. They thought the sounds and smells were just figments of their imagination, insignificant dreams in the midst of sleep.

Such was the case for Pirate Panson. Struggling to open his sore eyes, his ears seemed to be muffled by something. He listened to the sounds outside, the thut thut thut mixed with screams and curses, ringing in his ears. The loud buzzing of tinnitus made it impossible for him to distinguish between reality and dreams. He gave up on trying to get up, muttering a curse under his breath, turned over, and went back to sleep. The tent was lifted, and the harsh sunlight poured into the small space. Panson cursed and opened his eyes. A figure walked in against the light. His senses, dulled by alcohol and drugs, took a moment to react. He vaguely sensed an increasingly strong smell of blood.

He couldn’t see who it was.

Panson cursed, “Get out!” His voice was slurred and low, his tongue still heavy from a hangover, making it hard to speak clearly. His dulled nerves took a long, long time to finally send the sensation of pain to his brain. Slowly, his eyes widened as he saw his bare body collapse heavily to the ground. Blood spurted from the gaping wound on his neck, the size of a bowl. And then… nothing. He had lost all feeling in this world.

Pirates weren’t pirates solely because of their cruelty and indulgence. Bandner and his people’s early advantage was rapidly diminishing. The tide of events was turning against them. Once the pirates snapped out of their initial confusion, they began to resist. The sound of gunfire grew more intense. However, many pirates still didn’t understand who their enemies were. Amidst the chaos, the indiscriminate shooting caused immense confusion, leading to numerous pirates falling to friendly fire.

Even so, Bandner had already lost sight of two of his own people. The fate of the missing ones was self-evident.

“What now?”

Bandner faced the greatest dilemma of his life, yet he remained unusually calm.

In the strategist’s tent, Ryan and Fan Lanting sensed the disturbance. Without a moment’s hesitation, they sprang into action. Ryan appeared behind Bandner, dispatching a pirate with practiced ease. He spoke calmly to Bandner, “You can retreat now. In military terms, this is called a strategic withdrawal.”

Seeing Ryan, Bandner’s eyes lit up. He had found his pillar of support!