Super Mothership
The strange expression on "Chu Xiaoxiao’s" face was interpreted by Makoto Itō as “extremely surprised.” He looked at “Chu Xiaoxiao” with a beaming smile, as if he were staring at a mountain of gold.
“Hehe! Miss Chu, you must be wondering why we captured you, right?”
With the hostage in hand, organizing this risky mission was already more than half complete. Makoto Itō was like a gambler who had just made a successful all-in bet. Just thinking about the huge potential gains made it impossible for him to suppress his excitement.
How could he stay calm? Only by talking nonstop!
He had to vent! He had to tell someone!
“Um…” Nie Yun actually had no interest in why they had captured Chu Xiaoxiao.
He wasn’t even interested in who they were or what kind of background or power they had—because it was all meaningless!
After all, he had just finished grinding a wave of experience in the high-level “Gemini Instance.” At his current level, Earth really was just a newbie village.
A max-level player returning to bully noobs—does he really need to care whether they’re a big deal or not? What a joke!
So don’t bother explaining what the enemy wants to do—just tell me where they are!
From outer space, using a high-powered scope with 5mm resolution for a long-range precision laser strike—that’s the proper way he dealt with enemies now.
As long as he had coordinates, there wasn’t a single enemy on Earth he couldn’t take out with one shot. If one shot wasn’t enough, he’d just fire again!
But unfortunately, before Nie Yun could even refuse…
“Actually, at this point, there’s no harm in telling you!” Clearly, Makoto Itō had no intention of giving his target any lines in this conversation.
Sigh… Nie Yun sighed in his heart.
Villains… usually ruthless and powerful, but… they always die because they talk too much…
The ancients didn’t lie!
“Because… we’ve discovered your true identity!” Makoto Itō grinned smugly.
Hmm? Chu Xiaoxiao had several secret identities—wonder which one you’re talking about?
Could it be that her identity as the CEO of Atlantis Corporation was exposed?
“Who would have thought… the elusive Ghost Captain, rarely seen or heard from, would actually have an illegitimate daughter on Earth! Isn’t that right… Princess Ghost?”
Gh… Ghost Princess?
Our organization has that role? Why didn’t I know?
“Hehe! Surprised, aren’t you?” Seeing the shocked look on “Chu Xiaoxiao’s” face, Makoto Itō smiled triumphantly.
“This intel was hard-won, extracted from the top ranks of the Flower Country’s government. In order to obtain this top-level secret, our Itō clan sacrificed over a dozen elite ninja who had been undercover for years!
But… it was all worth it! Hahaha!”
Uh… where do you get such blind confidence in the accuracy of your intel? Also, I’d really like to know—who the heck released this fake news?
(General Hu: “Hehe…”)
Wait a minute! This surprise baby-daddy storyline… seems awfully familiar?
A long time ago, Old Hu seemed to have said he'd help take care of my daughter… Could this be some kind of misunderstanding?
“This is impossible! How could you know that?!” Despite having a ton of sarcastic comments in mind, the Oscar-worthy Nie Yun still cooperatively put on a look of "utter panic."
“Hehe! In terms of global intelligence, we might not match the FBI,” Makoto Itō said proudly, “but when it comes to infiltration of the Flower Country, no one can beat the Itō clan. We might come second—but no one dares claim first!”
“Over two hundred years ago, the Itō family was already the top ninja clan in Japan, serving the Emperor generation after generation!” Makoto Itō raised his head slightly, face full of nostalgic reverence.
Nie Yun mentally rolled his eyes. That kind of opening—“Once upon a time…”—was an ancient cliché. No originality at all.
But he knew what was coming. Booze—wait, no. Storytime!
“We were the Emperor's most elite hidden blades, assassinating political enemies and gathering intelligence. Very few in the world even knew of our family’s existence, but if you look through Japan’s history, the shadow of the Itō clan’s ninjas is everywhere!” Makoto Itō said proudly as he recounted his family’s legacy.
“During World War II, the Emperor foresaw Japan’s inevitable defeat and thus ordered the Itō clan to begin a long-term infiltration mission.
We assumed various identities and went undercover in the Flower Country’s northern region, awaiting the moment to strike back. Who would’ve thought… we’d end up waiting for decades!” Makoto Itō sighed with emotion.
Standing beside Chu Xiaoxiao, Akita—who was monitoring her—looked up at his master in confusion.
His master usually wasn’t this talkative… especially not about highly classified information.
Then again, maybe it was just the excitement of a successful operation?
Akita didn’t step in to stop him.
On one hand, the rules of the Itō clan were strict—when the head speaks, someone like Akita had no right to interrupt.
On the other hand, in their plan, this submarine—the Itō-maru—was essentially a deep-sea coffin. It would maintain complete communication silence and drift with ocean currents toward the world’s deepest trench.
In the high-pressure environment of the deep sea, any rescue would be futile. A single slip-up could mean the destruction of the sub and the death of everyone on board. On top of that, the sub had an instant detonation device. Even Chu Xiaoxiao’s clothing was rigged with high-powered explosives.
Under such circumstances, forget rescue—they had to be careful not to get themselves killed accidentally.
Even if the Ghost Captain could sail the seas at will, or rule the skies and even space itself—unless he were a god, he wouldn’t be able to find them or risk saving anyone. If he tried, all he’d find would be a shredded corpse…
According to the plan… the moment Chu Xiaoxiao boarded the submarine, her death was already sealed.
Since she was as good as dead, what harm was there in letting her in on some secrets?
Akita remained silent, while Makoto Itō’s urge to talk only grew stronger. He stood up from his seat, pacing back and forth, visibly excited.
“Our family has endured for generations—decades of waiting! It’s been so long, we’ve almost forgotten the snow-covered majesty of Mount Fuji… But as the saying goes, when Heaven entrusts someone with a great mission, it first tests their resolve!
Our persistence has finally paid off!
Using the intelligence network we’ve built over all these years, we went through endless hardships, and finally obtained a top-secret document about the Ghost Captain—that is, your true identity!”
“Mmm… I see. But since you already know my identity,” ‘Chu Xiaoxiao’ asked, “aren’t you afraid of incurring the Ghost Captain’s wrath?”
“Afraid of the Ghost Captain’s wrath? Hahaha! Of course we are!” At the mention of the Ghost Captain, Makoto Itō clearly showed a trace of reverence—only to quickly be overtaken by fanatic excitement.
“But as the Art of War says: ‘Put yourself in a place of death and you will live!’ ‘If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how will you catch its cub?’ The greater the risk, the greater the reward! As long as we capture you, we can extract everything we want from the Ghost Captain!
Including… the ultimate secret behind his overwhelming power!”
There were widespread rumors that the Ghost Captain’s rise was due to a "heart." No one really knew what it was, but nearly everyone agreed that he possessed a secret that made him invincible.
“You want to use me to threaten the Ghost Captain?”
“Of course! That’s the entire basis of today’s operation!
To carry this plan out flawlessly, our Itō clan mobilized all available resources and spent several months planning it in detail!
We knew the Ghost Captain’s electronic infiltration abilities were nearly unstoppable, so all communication was conducted only by letters and verbal instruction. Judging from the outcome—he isn’t a god after all. Our mission was a success! Hahahaha…” Makoto Itō laughed maniacally.
“Oh? You sound very confident,” said ‘Chu Xiaoxiao.’ “But you know there are immigration records, surveillance systems across the globe… An operation of this scale, even if it slips by at first, can still be traced afterward. Once a few leads are found, your identities and the force behind you could be exposed and wiped out. Isn’t that playing with fire?”
“Of course what we’ve done isn’t enough. When facing the Ghost Captain, we dare not take any chances. That’s why we’ve taken measures to erase all traces and prevent any leaks.
All the participants in the raid are death warriors of the Itō clan. Once the mission is complete—regardless of survival—their armor will self-destruct at a preset time, destroying all potential evidence!
Even if you manage to uncover their identities, decades of infiltration have given them perfect legal citizenship in the Flower Country.
All fingers will point to a fabricated local extremist faction.
That way, even if the Ghost Captain wants to unleash his fury, it won’t reach my master!”
Clap clap clap! ‘Chu Xiaoxiao’ couldn’t help but applaud.
“Brilliant! Truly brilliant! But with your resources, could you really have acquired such advanced equipment on your own?
I’d guess… aside from the Japanese royal family, you must have other partners, right?”
“Of course! This is a gamble no less grand than Pearl Harbor! We’re not the only players at the table.
Our partners include some of the world’s top assassin organizations, and elite financial families from the U.S.!
Hmph! But they’re nothing more than timid cowards, thinking they can claim a piece of the pie with minimal risk?
Even the Japanese royal family has lost the grandeur of the previous emperor!
We, the Itō clan, have bet our entire existence on this. Do they have the same courage as I do?
Once I grasp the Ghost Captain’s secret, the whole world will tremble beneath my feet—Hahahaha!” Makoto Itō threw open his arms, laughing wildly, completely immersed in his fantasy.
By the time he was halfway through, Akita’s expression had already started to change—something was definitely off with his master today. But even more alarming… was the person standing next to him: ‘Chu Xiaoxiao’!
At first, she had looked like a panicked and helpless damsel in distress. But now, she was calmly exchanging smiles with Makoto Itō.
Her relaxed tone and composed posture—how could this possibly be a girl who had just been taken hostage?
Sensing Akita’s gaze, ‘Chu Xiaoxiao’ turned her head. Their eyes met—and she curved her lips into a subtle, meaningful smile.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
“Master! There’s dange—”
Akita had just begun to speak, trying to warn his master. But suddenly, his throat tightened. It felt as if an invisible pair of giant hands had clamped around his neck, and he could no longer utter a single sound.
Eyes wide with terror, he stared at ‘Chu Xiaoxiao,’ who held up an empty hand toward him as if clutching something.
A… a spell?!
“Shhh~” ‘Chu Xiaoxiao’ raised a finger to her lips with a strangely enchanting smile, making a gesture for silence.
Interrupting someone’s monologue? That’s very rude.
Her delicate features and that enchanting smile might have been captivating to others—but to Akita, it was more terrifying than Sadako turning back to glance at you in the middle of the night. A chill surged straight from his soles to the top of his head…
“Well then… future ruler of the world, Mr. Itō,” ‘Chu Xiaoxiao’ turned to Makoto with a soft smile, “I assume you still remember the names of your soon-to-be stepping-stone collaborators?”
Makoto Itō, seemingly oblivious to his subordinate’s strange condition, remained fully immersed in his fantasy.
“Of course! Prince Zhao De, the Skeleton King, Meyer Rothschild, Davidson Rockefeller… all of them will one day kneel at my feet and sing songs of submission! Hahahaha…”
Akita: “……”
TL Note- Charm?
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