Chapter 91: Give Me Back My Cat!

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Kidnapping. For Lu Yao, it wasn’t unfamiliar. Whether it was from his early personal experiences or the security training at his first research base, the Mecha Research Institute often held sessions for high-level staff on anti-fraud, anti-leak protocols, and how to protect oneself if kidnapped.

Mo Feng, who had sat beside him during the lecture, had nodded off several times. Lu Yao had listened seriously for a while but only remembered the presenter emphasizing that the foremost priority was personal safety. They, a group of brainy yet physically incapable intellectuals, were never to try fighting criminals directly. Negotiation skills and calming the captors were to be relied on instead.

Negotiation skills… For the first time, Lu Yao doubted his own abilities. He closed his eyes and sighed. Judging by the old, poorly marked medical pod he was in and the ragged, mismatched attire of the group who had attacked S08 and kidnapped him, these criminals were likely pirates, mercenaries, or desperate lunatics.

Though his situation was still grim, the pod had at least controlled his fever. His internal organs ached sharply, but at least he wasn’t facing a group of uniformed, coldly precise abductors carrying advanced, unfamiliar equipment—people who treated living beings as disposable parts for their bloody experiments under unblinking surgical lights, leaving no room for negotiation.

Lu Yao was no longer a mere mecha design student at the Military Academy. His captors seemed to value him more for his position as Federation Chief Engineer than as a person. As he pondered this, the sound of a heavy, sealed hatch sliding open reached him through the pod. Automatic sliding doors… Was he on a starship? Or some specialized facility?

Then came a cacophony of irregular footsteps. The intruders clearly hadn’t had formal military training. In the next moment, they yanked the top of Lu Yao’s pod open. Rushing air and chaotic voices flooded in like a tide. The sudden glare made Lu Yao’s eyes widen.

An alpha male’s shadowed face appeared, sharp and menacing. He saw Lu Yao flinch and smirked. “Finally awake? I’ve had, what, eight hundred omegas at least? But one this fragile… this is a first. Tell me, was General Zhou Yunchen so bored of you that he divorced you because you couldn’t handle anything?”

Lu Yao stared silently. The insults seemed to roll off him, stirring no emotion.

Awake… This man was waiting for him to wake. For them, a living Lu Yao was worth more than a corpse. His omega status was merely a conversation starter—or perhaps the alpha’s own twisted habit. They couldn’t have risked abducting him for his omega traits alone under the military’s nose. Too dangerous, far too risky.

“Who are you?” Lu Yao asked.

“Heh.” The alpha chuckled. Last time Lu Yao woke up, he had asked the same question. Seeing the frail yet defiant expression on this face, the alpha’s voice carried teasing dominance. “Me? I’m the first leader of the Black Sea Pirates, Creisson.”

Creisson’s tone was imperious, making Lu Yao doubt the breadth of his knowledge—he had never heard the name before. Still, keeping negotiation in mind, he asked cautiously, “What do you want? Money? Intel? Legal pardon?”

Considering that the pirates had the audacity to kidnap him from a military-controlled zone, Lu Yao assumed they were intelligent enough not to go to such lengths for mere trifles. Their actions were likely calculated provocations and observations.

Creisson laughed, slamming a palm onto the pod cover with a thunderous bang, making Lu Yao’s hair stand on end. “Why would I trouble Chief Engineer Lu over mundane matters? I merely admire your contributions to mecha development. Human civilization hasn’t been eaten away by the void beasts yet, and you deserve great credit for that.”

He spoke while pressing a button to drain the pod’s liquid and adjust its position upright, allowing the patient to stand. Lu Yao resisted approaching, but Creisson personally grabbed him and pulled him out.

The few hours in the pod had barely healed the shock injuries. Lu Yao’s body wasn’t fully recovered. As soon as his feet touched the floor, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed forward. Creisson reached to catch him. Lu Yao’s breath stalled. He took a few cautious steps back, leaning on the pod for support, eyes wary.

Creisson shrugged. “Alright, looks like our Chief Engineer is still a virtuous man.”

Lu Yao repeated his question, “What do you want? Mecha designs?”

“I said I admire you greatly, Chief Engineer. I already have plenty of mecha designs. Even if I wanted a new one, I wouldn’t come to you. What I want is for you to build me a mecha.”

Lu Yao blinked. “You already have the designs; why do you need me to build it?”

Creisson smiled. “I mean from scratch. Build a mecha with your own hands.”

“With my own hands?” Lu Yao almost laughed. “No one can ‘hand-build’ a mecha, Captain Creisson. Did you watch too many old Earth sci-fi movies, thinking I could hammer out a weapon like Tony Stark? I can’t do this. I refuse.”

“Refuse… and then?” Creisson licked his lips, staring at Lu Yao’s sharp, cold features like a hyena sizing up prey. “You think after refusing, I’ll just send you safely back to the Federation?”

“Maybe not,” Lu Yao said hoarsely, “so go ahead and kill me now.”

Creisson’s subordinates froze at Lu Yao’s blunt, terrifying words, not understanding how a Federation Chief Engineer could be so… apathetic toward survival. Yet Creisson’s gaze remained fixed. “You’re… fearless. You think the military will surely come for you? Want to guess what the puncture marks on your arms were for?”

Lu Yao looked down. The wounds on his inner arms were huge, far larger than injection sites. Purple bruising stretched across half his arms, shocking to behold. Every slight movement ached.

“We took enough blood to fake your death. Stop hoping those self-righteous military types will save you—they’ll just think you’re dead and boast about their sorrow.”

The long, tense conversation sent a rush of blood through Lu Yao’s head. His limbs grew cold again. Black mist swirled before his eyes. He could barely see, only Creisson’s voice echoing in his ears. He used the last of his strength and reason. “I won’t build your mecha…”

Creisson’s expression darkened instantly. He was about to lash out, but Lu Yao collapsed before he could speak, hitting the floor. Creisson instinctively stepped back.

“What now?!” He angrily kicked at Lu Yao, who lay like a lifeless doll, unmoving.

A figure dressed like a doctor rushed over. “Boss, he’s hungry, anemic, hasn’t recovered… weak bodies faint easily.”

“Then fix him! Get him awake!”

The “doctor” called the pirates over, flustered as he hurriedly administered nutrient drips and prepared medications for Lu Yao. He rubbed his hands and glanced at Creisson. “Boss, it’s best not to let him stand for now. He faints easily if he stands. Find somewhere to sit and talk—it’ll also make it easier for me to give him the IV.”

“Fine, fine. Help him sit. Don’t let him sleep again. Keep him awake.”

“All right, all right.” The doctor could only hang the IV bag for Lu Yao, then inject another dose of adrenaline.

Once again, Lu Yao was jolted awake. The accelerated heartbeat and rushing blood caused his temples to throb. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and dampened his hair. Before he could lift his head, Creisson grabbed his chin.

“Chief Engineer Lu, awake again? I won’t beat around the bush this time. Let’s get this straight: the mechas your military uses all have serial numbers and tracking. Most of them can’t be used even if stolen. Black factories making weapons don’t have the tech; even with design schematics, they can’t build them. But I know you can.”

Creisson leaned closer. “In that documentary, you built a mecha on your own when you were barely in your twenties. There’s no reason you can’t do it now. So, Chief Engineer, stop lying to me about being unable.”

Lu Yao coldly squinted at him. “If I build the mecha, do you dare pilot it?”

Creisson’s tone hardened. “If you dare pull any tricks—”

Lu Yao interrupted. “I mean, without proper materials and tools, even if I replicate the appearance and internal structure, it will fall apart in action. I’ve told you before, iron hammered by hand can’t bear the stresses of mecha operation.”

Creisson studied Lu Yao’s expression and saw that he was serious. He cracked a smile. “I’ll provide all the tools and materials you need. I understand the requirements. But…” He narrowed his eyes. “If you pull any tricks, I won’t kill you—after all, you’re still useful. But your cat won’t survive.”

With a wave of his hand, a subordinate brought forward a long-haired white cat. During the previous conversation, the pirates had held the cat’s mouth shut, silencing it completely. Now free, the cat let out a terrified, piercing scream: 

“Meow!!!” Torque dangled by the scruff of its neck, thrashing midair as the metal nameplate clinked against its body.

Lu Yao’s pupils constricted violently. He sprang to his feet and lunged forward. “Give me back my cat!”

 

 

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