Chapter 321

There are those who find space romantic. But if space had a will of its own, it would be as cruelly cold as possible.

Space is absurd and unreasonable. Just as space itself confines life, once we leave our planet, we cannot survive in the dark void with just our bare bodies.

Well, spending a honeymoon in such a cruel place… might have its own kind of romance. Though, in my opinion, it’s just throwing money down the drain.

"Our honeymoon special package is a four-night, five-day trip…"

The female guide standing before the newlyweds was beaming with a bright smile, chattering away cheerfully.

Barbara and I were also among the honeymooners, listening to the briefing from Honey Space Travel.

Most of the travelers were humans from the Bellato Federation. Occasionally, there were Tarfa or Begabunders, races known to be close to humans.

"Hmm, after the orbital hotel, should we spend the rest of the trip in Border City?"

"Are you out of your mind, Oppa? I don’t want to die."

"But the corporate disputes are over now. Since we’re already in Border City, we might as well catch the Anguis Regina concert—"

"I knew it! You just wanted to see Anguis Regina!"

A couple ahead of us had begun a lighthearted argument.

Honey Space was based in Border City, yet its customers were rarely from there. More than half of them were from Bellato City, the capital of the Federation.

‘They really are upper-class people.’

I glanced around. In the waiting room, grim-faced bodyguards hovered around their employers.

However, it seemed that even they weren’t following their clients into space.

Creak.

A strange sound came from my cybernetic hand. It was my habit of reflexively increasing the output of my prosthetic. Seeing the bodyguards had triggered it.

‘This is frustrating. My senses and reality aren’t aligned.’

I was still adjusting to the low-output settings of my prosthetic. Combat prosthetics were prohibited on board.

"You're sure it won’t get flagged in the luggage check?"

I muttered to Barbara. No matter how I thought about it, it made me uneasy.

"Who do you take me for?"

Barbara grinned confidently.

My combat prosthetics and weapons were in the luggage. Even if we fooled the scanners, the sheer weight could still get flagged. That worried me.

"Honey Space’s luggage handling is done entirely by androids and machines. No human involvement, so fooling them is no issue."

Barbara spoke while keeping her eyes forward.

‘Barbara is an expert in this field. She knows this better than I do. Just leave it to her.’

I set aside my concerns about the luggage and refocused on the situation at hand.

Honey Space’s space passenger ship was stationed at the coastal airfield of Border City.

Its exterior was painted a pale blue, resembling moonlight.

“Mr. Clyde Blair, Ms. Bonnie Blair, Honey Space is delighted to help you embark on your sweet new beginning.”

A guide approached to greet us, flashing a bright smile as she looked at Barbara and me.

“Thank you. I have a feeling this will be a wonderful trip. Come on, you should say something too.”

Barbara spoke while nudging my side.

I swallowed the sigh that had risen to my throat and forced a smile.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for over ten years. I’m sure it’ll be a great trip.”

“Ten years? Oh my, how romantic! Oh, and by the way, since the madam is a full-body cyborg, Honey Space has partnered with a specialized artificial conception facility that…”

Sensing an opportunity, the guide eagerly launched into a promotional spiel.

Barbara and I maintained polite smiles as we endured the entire advertisement before finally stepping into the passenger ship.

I lazily rolled my eyes, taking in my surroundings.

‘Seven crew members. Four of them are armed. Likely security personnel for emergencies.’

My gaze moved to the front. Behind the tightly shut cockpit door, there were probably two more pilots.

The interior of the space passenger ship was spacious—unsurprising, given that the clientele consisted mostly of the wealthy. There were only 40 seats, each with enough legroom to stretch out and sleep comfortably. A food and beverage cart moved easily down the central aisle.

“Hey, isn’t that Ricky Khan?”

“Who’s Ricky Khan?”

“You idiot, he’s the grandson of Severin’s founder! We should at least introduce ourselves.”

A buzz of conversation rippled through the ship. It seemed someone quite famous was onboard.

I had already memorized the passenger list. There was no Ricky Khan on it.

“Ricky Khan?”

Beside me, Barbara’s irises glowed faintly. She had just finished her information search and immediately spoke.

“He’s the grandson of the founder of Severin, a major corporation in the Bellato Federation. Severin dominates the food engineering sector and even exports food to Accretia and Corite.”

Ricky Khan had an attractive woman at his side. He, like us, had likely booked the trip under a pseudonym.

The other passengers all seemed to recognize his name. I focused on their murmurs, mentally collecting their words.

“He kept his identity hidden until the last minute before boarding. Annoying.”

“Only newlyweds are allowed on this trip. Was Ricky Khan even married?”

“Hah, he’s privileged. He probably thinks the world revolves around him.”

Ricky Khan’s presence had stirred up quite a commotion among the passengers.

Ricky Khan sat down with a confident smile, fully aware of his own fame.

The moment he took his seat, he started making a fuss.

“What is this? You don’t have real wine?”

“Oh, I apologize. On this passenger ship, we only serve blended and synthetic wines…”

“So this is just another travel agency for commoners. Damn. At least the hotel should have decent drinks. I don’t want to ruin my palate, so take this away.”

“Ah…”

Even the seasoned flight attendant was momentarily at a loss for words.

“I’ve never once in my life eaten fake food. Just bring me water instead.”

Ricky Khan flaunted his background and wealth without restraint. He was the kind of pampered young master that made you want to break his jaw.

After that brief commotion, the space passenger ship began preparations for departure.

Wuuuuung!

The ship took off horizontally, gaining speed to break through the atmosphere.

Drdrdrdr!

For a moment, the ship trembled before the scenery outside began to shift rapidly.

‘Everything is going smoothly so far.’

I closed my eyes, going over the plan once more. Barbara was playing her part perfectly.

‘I need to do my part as well.’

My limbs were non-combat models. Still, hijacking the passenger ship seemed feasible. The onboard security personnel were also restricted from using firearms, relying only on suppression weapons.

‘Hijack the passenger ship, retrieve our luggage from the cargo hold, and then…’

Once the pilots and crew were subdued, Barbara would take control of the ship.

‘In the meantime, I’ll rearm myself and switch my prosthetics to combat mode.’

So far, nothing had deviated from the plan. Even at a glance, there were no formidable threats among the passengers or crew.

‘Soon, I’ll meet Giselle.’

I felt my once-quiet heart thump heavily in my chest.

I gradually increased the output of my prosthetics, feeling the vibrations beneath my artificial skin.

Even though my current prosthetics were non-combat models, they were still far stronger and sturdier than a normal human body.

Tap.

Barbara lightly tapped my thigh. It was the signal to begin the plan.

Drdrdr.

The ship was still shaking.

“Oh, I feel so dizzy… Excuse me!”

Barbara called for a flight attendant. A large-built crew member approached us.

“What’s the matter, Mrs. Blair?”

“I feel nauseous. I think I’m about to throw up…”

“Hmm, according to our records, you’re registered as a full-body cyborg…”

I frowned and glared at the crew member.

“Hey, do you think full-body cyborgs don’t get motion sickness? What, just because her whole body is mechanical, she’s not even considered a person?”

I channeled my memories of the young noblemen I had encountered in the Empire and put on my best performance.

"That’s not what I meant, but we haven’t reached flight stabilization yet, so you cannot leave your seat. There’s a sickness bag stored in front—"

"My lovely wife had her body modified so that vomit comes out the other end, not her mouth! Are you telling her to lift her skirt and do it right here? Are you insane? I’ll sue you! Be ready for it!"

Laughter erupted from all around. I even wanted to die from embarrassment just saying this. This is a mission, a mission, Luka.

"N-no, that’s not what I meant, but if you could just wait a moment—"

"Wait? I said it’s coming! You bastard!"

"A-all right!"

The crew member quickly supported Barbara and escorted her toward the restroom. That was her entry point into the cargo hold.

Clap, clap, clap!

As the commotion settled, applause and laughter spread throughout the cabin.

"Wow, what a devoted husband. I’m touched."

Ricky Khan’s mocking remark especially pricked at my ears.

‘The ship’s instability is our best chance.’

Akies Victima users thrive in unpredictable situations. Right now, I was confident that even the security personnel wouldn’t be too difficult to subdue.

I adjusted my seatbelt and steadied my breathing.

‘I’ll charge straight down the aisle, take out the crew, and head for the cockpit as quickly as possible.’

Barbara, once inside the restroom, would hack into the cockpit’s door and disable communications.

The simulation in my head was complete. I reached for my seatbelt to undo it—

"Sir, you must remain seated!"

The voice wasn’t directed at me. A different crew member up front was shouting.

"This is your final warning. If you do not sit down immediately—"

The security team was also converging toward the front.

‘Goddamn it, who the hell is this guy now?’

I cursed internally and fixed my gaze forward.

"If I don’t sit down, then what? What are you gonna do about it?"

A man had risen to his feet, his posture stiff and unnaturally rigid.

Thud—wham!

His fist smashed into the crew member’s face with such force that the victim flew backward like a ragdoll, slamming into the cabin wall.

No matter how much a natural human trained, they couldn’t possibly generate that kind of raw power.

Crack, crack.

The man rolled his head from side to side. Thick, engorged veins bulged grotesquely from his neck and forearms. His bloodshot eyes turned an even deeper shade of red.

‘Abnormal physical activation. He’s undergone some kind of body enhancement.’

I narrowed my eyes.

An unexpected variable had emerged—someone else had gotten up before me and was causing a commotion.

“Kyaaa! Kyaaaaaaah!”

Belated screams followed.

“Shut up, all of you! If you do as we say, there won’t be any more bloodshed!”

A woman who had boarded with the man also stood up, shouting. Like him, her veins were bulging—she, too, had undergone body enhancement.

“You bastards! Do you even know where you are—?!”

The security personnel rushed in with stun batons. What followed was a massacre.

The two-person hijacker team was strong.

The security guards were left sprawled across the floor, their skulls cracked and limbs broken.

“Haha! Ricky Khan?! What a jackpot!”

The male hijacker grinned as he grabbed Ricky Khan by the hair.

Ricky Khan trembled violently—his earlier bravado was completely gone.

I couldn’t afford to waste any more time. It was convenient that they had taken care of the security personnel, but… this was as far as I could allow them to go.

Srrrk.

I stood up from my seat.

“Oh? Did you suddenly grow a sense of justice? We don’t plan on hurting civilians, so sit down.”

The male hijacker flexed his shoulders, as if showing off his writhing muscles.

“Well… I’m not exactly a civilian.”

I scratched my head as I walked forward, my eyes moving rapidly, scanning the hijackers and every object around us.

My combat instincts activated. An optimal movement pattern formed in my mind.

Tuk.

Suddenly, the lights went out.

‘Nice work, Barbara.’

Barbara, holed up in the restroom, must have caught on to the situation. She was likely responsible for the blackout.

The darkness I loved swayed around me.

And then—screams and shouts erupted.