9 Little Liar

“Ugh…”

Painted in a drunken flush, Bokui’s face was flushed with warmth as hot water cascaded from her hair, dripping rhythmically into the bathtub filled with white foam.

Four silver-gray robots, about knee-high, busily climbed up and down. Their mechanical arms supported her slender waist to prevent slipping, carefully assisting her in soaking in the hot bath.

Originally designed as auxiliary medical robots to help injured or paralyzed pirates live normally, they were now proving invaluable.

In a hazy state, Bokui felt an irritating itch all over and couldn’t help but scratch her cheek.

The robots immediately identified and analyzed her movements, their smooth tracks gliding forward to take over the task of scratching her itch with utmost dedication.

Her slightly awakened consciousness soon drifted back to sleep under such thoroughly attentive care.

The pirate captain, his face clouded with gloom, entered the bathroom and saw this peaceful scene. She clung to the mechanical arm, utterly motionless in sleep—like one who had suddenly passed away.

“…”

The man stared at her in disbelief for a long moment, his fingers descending to her delicate neck, where a gentle pinch could end her fragile life.

Dark golden cruel light surged within his narrow black eyes.

Bokui slept defenselessly, her soft, moist breath brushing over his strong, muscular arm, her exposed neck fully vulnerable.

…Indeed, she was not dead.

Nor was she pretending to sleep.

The small-minded pirate captain confirmed this.

He withdrew his hand.

If Bokui had deliberately spat on him or was trying to test his limits, he would be gravely mistaken.

His tolerance for others’ offenses against him was extremely limited.

With a sharp, gloomy gaze full of unrest, he looked down at her from above.

—And you?

What are you scheming?

He bent down, his tall figure completely overshadowing Bokui, his expression calm and almost gentle as he murmured to himself, “Do you want money, or power?”

His low, hoarse voice echoed through the bathroom, eerily calm.

The man before her finally revealed his brutal, sinister nature.

He scrutinized Bokui, who claimed to be his fiancée, at all times, wanting to see what she would do.

Was it a federal conspiracy? The greed of a small-time player?

For a robber who never believed in coincidences or fate, everything that happened had a cause.

Just as he never thought a matching result meant anything.

At this moment.

His patience had reached its limit.

Disturbed from sleep, Bokui slowly opened her bright eyes, her gaze unfocused as it drifted somewhere. Her lips, moist and tinged red, muttered a few broken words.

The pirate captain leaned in to listen carefully.

“Five insurances… and one fund,” she said.

Xin Chi thought he had misheard.

“…”

“I want five insurances and one fund… a stable job…”

“To live in Peace City…”

“With Yuli…”

“I… I want… to go home…”

Her voice was almost choked with tears, so broken and pitiful. Words she dared not speak aloud in her dreams but whispered softly only when drunk and hazy.

“I want to go home…”

She repeated it again.

It was hard to imagine the sunny, cheerful Bokui of the day hiding such deep fears inside—where she would be taken, what her future held.

After finally finding a foothold on Stan Star, with a stable job that filled her belly, all her hard-earned achievements were about to vanish like smoke.

Opportunities envied and coveted by others, she discarded like worn-out shoes.

“…”

Xin Chi’s gloomy face was shrouded in shadows, his expression unreadable. He sat in the bathroom for a while, until his hair was damp, then silently left.

White Three received a notification from the boss.

“Prepare the ship and fuel?”

“Does the boss mean… to let her go?!”

White Three was completely baffled by the boss’s intentions.

To keep her as one of their own, or to kill her—these were the only two options. The Theseus never let any traitor or enemy go free.

He paced in frustration, casting a pleading glance toward Perseus, who leaned by the transparent window.

“What do you think is going on?”

Perseus casually gazed out at the star-studded sky, breathtaking in its beauty.

“Why overthink it? With your limited brain capacity, just happily prepare the ship.”

“You damn guy!”

White Three gritted his teeth in frustration but could do nothing, leaving in anger.

The meeting room fell silent.

Perseus withdrew his gaze, staring at a spot, suddenly breaking into an amused smile.

It seemed Bokui was far smarter than he had imagined.

That was a good thing.

…

The next day, Bokui boarded the spare ship. It was a sleek, silver-white, small vessel—light and fast—perfect for a quick journey.

She warmly said goodbye to the pirates, exchanging polite but utterly useless pleasantries.

For what might be the last time in this life, Bokui was willing to pretend and exchange some friendly words.

“Be sure to visit us sometime.”

“Of course, of course.”

Bokui forced a fake smile, nodding enthusiastically to show she would definitely come again.

… As if!

She wasn’t foolish enough to believe these pirates considered her a comrade! Their true nature was to turn on people without hesitation, their moods volatile.

She had learned that many times from their leader.

After seeing them off, Bokui turned and noticed Xin Chi’s figure.

Startled, she staggered back two steps, then awkwardly forced a smile.

Damn, she hadn’t held it together.

Xin Chi chuckled coldly.

Bokui quickly tried to make amends in a friendly tone.

“Thank you for taking care of me all along.” If not for him, she wouldn’t have ended up on a pirate ship!

“I promise I won’t say anything reckless after we get back.” Joking aside, her life was precious.

“I’ll keep appealing the matching error.” Of course, it’d be easier if he were dead.

“I’m ready to depart.” You can scram now.

Bokui’s expression was sweet and gentle as she silently vented a stream of flattering words in her mind.

Xin Chi seemed to glimpse her inner murmurs, lips curling into a cold arc, saying nothing as he saw her off.

So effortlessly and smoothly, it was almost unbelievable.

Bokui could only hope her tearful act last night had truly moved this cold-hearted pirate captain.

In truth, after Xin Chi’s monologue, she had sobered halfway, feeling her life was in danger, every hair on her body standing on end. Luckily, the foam hid the goosebumps caused by fear.

Her drunken words, half true, half false, were meant to stir what little humanity Xin Chi had left.

She really wanted to go home, and she truly wanted to earn money.

By the time she returned to Huimin City, she had already planned how to start her book.

She would write about that guy’s heartless and indifferent love history, earning a fortune in popularity.

She would call it The Pirate Who Has No Heart.

Satisfied, Bokui reclined in the pilot seat, activated the controls, and suddenly noticed the ship’s autopilot was engaged, with the highest command locked and unchangeable.

“…Huh?!”

The ship had ejected from orbit, slowly sailing into the cold darkness of space. She frantically pressed the communication button, and the other end answered calmly.

“Where are you sending me?” Bokui’s tone was urgent.

“To the Federal Army,” Xin Chi replied.

He was being so kind?

Bokui was half-doubtful but outwardly spoke with innocent trust: “Oh, that’s good. You scared me for a moment, ha ha ha… I won’t disturb your rest…”

Xin Chi chuckled softly.

“By the way, did I ever tell you your eyes involuntarily glance right when you lie?”

Bokui’s scalp tingled: “…Lie? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Nothing.”

The man laughed again.

This time, his malicious mockery was fully exposed.

“When you get to the Alliance forces, remember not to reveal you’re lying.”

“Little liar.”

“…”

The communication abruptly cut off. Bokui was stunned, muttering to herself, “What does this mean?”

Why would she lie to the Alliance forces?

Soon, she realized the problem—

She was on a ship marked by pirates. A thoroughly stolen vessel.

And the ship she piloted was set on autopilot, about to deliver her to the Alliance military space station.

Bokui felt the sky collapse.

…

The Theseus.

After finishing the routine meeting, the captains wailed miserably, bracing for the hellish punishment awaiting them back at base.

White Three said gloomily, “If the boss wants her dead, why waste such a good ship?”

“What? Who’s supposed to die?” Santingshan asked in confusion.

“Really stupid.” Perseus rolled his eyes. “With that one’s skills, she’d have figured out how to change course by the time she meets the Alliance forces. Rather than explain where the ship came from, it’s better to give her a reason to defect to the Alliance. Otherwise, how else can she return cleanly?”

“The Alliance forces? Where?” Santingshan was shocked.

The two were speechless.

Forget it, better go back to sleep.

White Three remained dissatisfied: “But the genetic match result hasn’t been canceled yet. Does the boss really…”

Perseus glared at him, frustrated.

He Yin sighed and explained, “The Federal Army won’t dare expose the boss’s jailbreak. So they’ll desperately cover up all the flaws, like why a prisoner who should be locked up can get close to ordinary people.”

The most panicked will be those office waste.

They’ll stop at nothing to fix this.

White Three finally understood.

And felt better.

So, his good ship wasn’t wasted after all.

After a few perfunctory words, White Three suddenly felt his stomach growl. Remembering the spare kitchen had food, he walked down the corridor, placing his hand on the door for iris recognition—

“Bang!”

The alloy door instantly collapsed. The unsuspecting White Three was struck on the forehead, the sharp impact making him dizzy.

White Three: “…”

Perseus laughed until he stumbled, one hand bracing on the door of the spare lounge opposite.

Next moment, both man and door tumbled inside.

Perseus: “…”

Santingshan laughed heartily, He Yin couldn’t hold back her giggles, their merciless mockery leaving the two utterly embarrassed.

What was going on?!

At that moment, their minds unerringly pictured the face of the culprit.

“…”

Meanwhile, Bokui was immersed in the long interstellar journey, studying the ship’s principles and figuring out how to pilot it. Lost in thought, she sneezed, rubbed her nose, and suddenly recalled that she had dismantled several doors that night but forgotten to reinstall them.

But the thought was quickly abandoned.

Whatever, it would be discovered anyway.

Better focus on studying the ship.