CH 27.1

Fourth Floor (5)

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

“No Need to Keep the Pretence Up; No One Will Believe You”

“The Captain would like you to die, as soon as possible.” Lin Yi’s calm voice reflecting off the walls of the small interior almost makes his voice sound impactful.

Black Glove is not surprised at all.

Though Old Coyote is far less casual. His brows are creased.

“He could have just had someone else send a message instead of you for something like this. Why are you here?” Black Glove asks Lin Yi, who has a brilliant smile at the moment, “brother would be devastated if you perished here, I’m sure.”

“Vice-Captain, thank you for the kind words,” Lin Yi says politely, even though what follows isn’t polite at all, “of course there are other matters too. As you know, the Shadows have all perished, so that means you are the only one who knows about the information… It is truly a dire situation for you, I must say.”

Black Glove smirks, “I don’t need you to remind me. I know better than anyone else.”

Lin Yi continues smiling, “that’s why, I have a question from Captain.”

Black Glove watches him intently.

“The Shadows… did you do it?”

“Bullshit!” Black Glove sits up straight immediately. He is furious, “I’m absolutely loyal to my brother. There is no way I can ever do that!”

Glaring at Lin Yi, he is fuming with veins visibly twitching, “he suspects me?!”

He was not particularly emotional when he learned the leader of Nianluo wanted him dead, but is abhorred when he is suspected. Clearly, being labelled a traitor is worse than death for him.

“Vice-Captain, do calm down.” Lin Yi explains, “the timing was too much of a coincidence. It was only with countless coincidences together that Nianluo has been forced into such a compromised position.”

“All the informants who would clean things up are dead – just after they have already told you the information. The Shadows were annihilated practically the moment you were sentenced to be imprisoned in Stargaol for life…”

Lin Yi pauses, and pointedly adds, “they say you and Captain had a heated argument that day.”

Black Glove, after glaring at Lin Yi for a few seconds, and seeing no visible reaction, suddenly goes back to a poker face.

“I will never betray my brother.” He stresses, “even if he has gone back on his word!”

Lin Yi is not about to pry further into his private business with the Captain, and merely asks, “therefore, Vice-Captain, your reply is that you did not do it, is that correct?”

“I did not.” Black Glove sounds like he’s aged a lot all of a sudden. His tone is pale, “I’ve been here for ten years now. So many of us have left and gone their separate ways. We might be bossing around on the fourth floor, but we’ve long lost everything outside. Where would I find the resources to wipe out the entire Shadows regiment?”

“Starfleet…” Lin Yi gives Black Glove, who is giving him a death glare at the mere mention of the word, another smile, “did not talk to you?”

“What do you mean?” Black Glove leaves the bed angrily, walks straight to Lin Yi, and stares him down.

“It is not what I mean, but what the Captain means.” Lin Yi does not flinch for a moment, “all the traces lead back to Starfleet.”

“Impossible. They never intervene inside the Federation itself.” Black Glove refutes vehemently, “it’s far more likely that someone is purposefully mimicking Starfleet’s methods to distract investigation.”

Lin Yi is closely watching Black Glove’s expression as he speaks, “in that case… I will relay your answer to Captain, word for word.”

Black Glove appears suspicious of his easy acquiescence, “that’s it?”

“That’s it.” Lin Yi smiles once more, “Captain had me come here because these questions are not to be asked lightly by others…”

Old Coyote, who has only been listening this whole time, suddenly interjects, “Captain does not want the info?”

Lin Yi turns his attention to Old Coyote, who appears quite concerned.

“Coyote, you should also know that Captain knows best what our information network knows.” Lin Yi speaks gently, “why would he need to ask?”

Old Coyote is quite ill at ease. After some seconds of silence, he speaks up before Black Glove can, “the transfer was interrupted at Vice-Cap; Spynet only allows one-way exchanges, so Captain cannot have received the info from others, skipping the rest. We know that the Shadows must have immediately destroyed all the files as top priority to prevent leaks…”

He narrows his eyelids. There is a glint in his gaze, “knowing that, Captain would rather give up on the information and have Vice-Cap dead, even sending you to deliver the news…”

The stream of facts turn Black Glove concerned as well.

Old Coyote concludes, “Captain is in hot water?”

“I see your wits are still about, Coyote.” Lin Yi makes a cursory clap in affirmation of his deduction.

“What happened? How is the Captain?” Black Glove quickly asks.

Lin Yi looks back at Black Glove, then puts on a sombre look, sighing, “FedCom is investigating the case of Nianluo bribing the government…” He pauses, “FedCom have planted men in Nianluo.”

FedCom——Or, the Federal Commission of Supervision, is a department specialised in more sensitive cases. They have overreaching authority across other departments, and is quite infamous for its efficiency as a weapon against enemies within the Federation.

“They sent spies?” Black Glove looks grim, “who?”

Lin Yi is silent for a couple of seconds, “if we knew, I wouldn’t need to be here.”

“We’re still searching? No ideas?”

Lin Yi smiles at Old Coyote, “I’m afraid I can say nothing.”

“Bribery against government officials…” Black Glove does not seem offended by his attitude at all, and instead, confidently states, “they will not find anything.”

Nianluo has already had beef with FedCom several times in the past. If proof was easy to come across, they would have been busted long ago.

“They shouldn’t.” Lin Yi tells Black Glove, “but the final piece of information Spynet gathered…”

“So that’s what got those hyenas sniffing?” Black Glove gets it now. Why Captain needs him dead as soon as possible.

As long as he lives, all the factions will be doing everything they can to dig the information out of him.

“This won’t do. If this info is this valuable, I must give it to Captain.” Black Glove is adamant, “this is the ultimate goal of Spynet. I cannot let it fail because of me after all these years.”

“Captain would like you to die.” Lin Yi reminds him, “you need only follow his instructions, and no more.”

“And his token?” Black Glove asks the deciding question.

Lin Yi answers after a couple of seconds, “this is top secret. There is no token.”

“Nor will he carry the blame for killing me.” Black Glove does not seem surprised at all Lin Yi has nothing that proves him – the man’s very presence here is the token——He was introduced by the Captain himself to him, after all.

And he will not leave behind any possible trace that leads back to him, because the consequences of him ordering Black Glove’s death would be far too heavy.

Anyone can be accused of wanting Black Glove dead, except the Captain.

Because everyone knows Captain and Vice-Captain are sworn brothers who trust the other with their own lives.

Black Glove has taken two direct attacks in place of Captain. Both times were lethal – Black Glove barely escaped with his life. In the end, he also ultimately took the blame for the Captain to be incarcerated in Stargaol.

If it was known that Captain ordered Vice-Captain’s death, never mind what the other factions will think, but even all their men who have come this far with them, will not sit idly by when their Vice-Captain died in such ignominious circumstances.

With FedCom breathing down their necks, if Nianluo succumbed to internal strife right now, they’d be the cake to be carved up and absorbed into other powers.

“Without Captain’s token, I cannot take you at your word. I will not do as you said.”

Lin Yi still shows no emotional response at Black Glove’s defiance. He repeats calmly, “I will relay your response to the Captain as-is.”