Super Mothership
Earth Defense Force Headquarters
"Report! Just now, an unidentified attack appeared above Earth—a suspected high-energy beam orbital strike, seemingly fired from Neon’s Weather Observation Satellite No. W24, and it likely hit a ground target!"
A staff officer rushed in to report.
An attack from a satellite-mounted laser weapon couldn’t escape detection by Earth's major astronomical observation systems. A high-energy beam like that leaves behind an infrared trail that lasts for quite some time.
"What? An unidentified attack? And launched from a Neon satellite?" The three supreme commanders were collectively stunned.
Before the sudden emergence of the Ghost Captain, no country had the capability to equip their own satellites with laser weapons. The U.S. did have such ambitions in their Star Wars program from last century, but ultimately it turned out to be… just boasting.
And after the appearance of the Ghost Captain... well, at this point, is it even necessary for countries to put laser weapons on satellites?
That guy’s space warship is literally floating in Earth's orbit. Unless you fire thousands of lasers in a massive barrage, it’s not even a threat. Otherwise, it’s like threatening an aircraft carrier with a water gun…
This much self-awareness, at least, all countries had. As a result, when it came to control over Earth's orbit, nations had pretty much given up and gone ostrich mode—no one dared to test the Ghost Captain’s limits.
So the idea that Neon’s satellite was equipped with a functioning laser weapon? No one believed it.
“Where was the target of the attack?” Yuri asked.
“Preliminary assessment shows that the mysterious attack targeted a private estate in Ukraine. Based on our intelligence, this location is likely a secret base of the assassin organization known as the Skull Society,” the staff officer replied.
“Skull Society?” The three were even more puzzled.
Who exactly was the attacker? And how was it connected to an assassin organization?
Beep beep! Just as everyone was confused, General Hu’s personal terminal chimed with a message alert.
He opened it, his expression first changed, then relaxed, and finally settled into silent contemplation…
The Chu family villa had been attacked—an odd situation, but fortunately, Chu Xiaoxiao was unharmed.
And since Nie Yun had shown up… it meant the Ghost Captain already knew what happened tonight…
In that case, tonight's events were definitely tied to the Skull Society.
Look at the speed of that retaliation—doesn’t even wait until the next day to settle the score! Could it be that the Ghost Captain took action personally?
Ahem! “Everyone… I think I might know who the attacker was…”
…
Kyoto, Neon – Tenshukaku Castle
Under the moonlight, Prince Shōtoku, dressed in a kimono, stood in the tower loft laughing heartily.
“Ha ha ha! Excellent! As expected of the most capable ninja clan in our imperial family! Itō-kun did not disappoint me! Ha ha!”
“Your Highness, I still believe this matter is too risky. Even though Chu Xiaoxiao is in our hands, we’re dealing with the Ghost Captain, after all!” said an elderly man with graying hair, frowning.
He was Prince Shōtoku’s chief advisor, having served by his side since childhood—almost like a mentor to the prince.
“Hmph! What is there to fear? From this incident alone, it’s clear—the Ghost Captain is not a god. He’s simply a few centuries ahead of us in technology. As long as we block all electronic devices, he cannot possibly monitor the entire world!
That’s his greatest weakness!
There’s not even a single mobile phone inside this Tenshukaku castle. How could his intelligence network possibly infiltrate?
Besides, even if the operation fails, at worst we lose the Itō clan! They’re no longer of much use anyway—this is just a final act of ‘waste recycling.’” Prince Shōtoku sneered coldly.
The list and activation keys of the Itō clan had been passed down through generations, eventually falling into Prince Shōtoku’s hands. This was his trump card—the reason he dared to gamble after receiving intel from the Ghost Princess.
“This entire operation was planned solely by Itō. He contacted all collaborators himself—I was never involved. Who would suspect that I’m the one behind it?
And those who knew my identity… are now in that deep-sea coffin. Once I obtain what I want, all secrets will be buried at sea—including Chu Xiaoxiao!
With the resources we possess, if we simply go underground and develop in secret for a few years, who’s to say I, Shōtoku, cannot become the next Ghost Captain?”
With a fan in hand and a smile on his face, Prince Shōtoku gently waved it in a show of calm strategy and confidence—like a scheming tactician directing a war from miles away.
The old man opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but upon seeing the prince’s radiant confidence, he found himself unable to speak.
Rationally speaking, the prince’s plan was indeed airtight—even he couldn’t find any flaw in it.
But as the ancient saying goes: “Man proposes, Heaven disposes.”
There is no such thing as a truly perfect plan—especially when the opponent is the elusive and unpredictable Ghost Captain.
“Sigh… Since Your Highness has made up your mind, I shall do my utmost to assist you.” The old man sighed and bowed, preparing to leave.
“Wait!” Prince Shōtoku raised his hand.
“Does Your Highness have any other orders?” the old man asked, bowing respectfully.
“It’s nothing, really. I just suddenly realized… there’s actually a flaw in my plan,” Prince Shōtoku said with a strange smile.
“What?!” The old man was shocked and just about to ask what the flaw was—when in the next moment, he froze in place.
Prince Shōtoku had already drawn a beautifully crafted miniature hand crossbow from his wide sleeve, the pitch-black bolt aimed squarely at the old man.
The prince still wore a gentle smile, but the icy chill in his eyes made the old man’s blood run cold.
By now, he understood all too well what the prince meant.
“So… I’m the flaw.” The old man gave a bitter, tragic smile.
The contact with Itō had been handled solely by himself, so aside from that deep-sea coffin, there was actually one more person who knew the secret—someone exposed under the sun… and that was himself.
“Whoosh!”
With a sharp hiss, the wrist-mounted dart shot out and embedded itself in the old man's lower leg.
“Ugh!”
The old man grunted and collapsed to the ground. He was drenched in cold sweat, gritting his teeth in pain, but didn’t let out a single scream.
“The arrow was laced with venom from the tiger-banded keelback. The poison will cause full-body paralysis. Death will come painlessly… This, from me, your prince, is the final mercy I can offer you…”
Prince Shōtoku’s face showed an expression of sorrow, even a shimmer of tears glinting at the corners of his eyes—but in the old man's view, they were nothing more than crocodile tears.
“Heh…” The old man let out a bitter laugh.
Looking at his rapidly swelling, darkening leg, he could already guess what his “cause of death” would be.
Bitten by a venomous snake—rescue came too late. Prince Shōtoku, stricken with grief at losing his most trusted aide!
Prince Shōtoku would likely even attend his funeral in person, sobbing at the ceremony to earn praise for his deep loyalty and affection…
As his body quickly grew numb, the old man collapsed stiffly onto the wooden floor.
Bright moonlight spilled past the tower’s beams and shone slanted across his body—yet it was cold and without warmth.
This… is the student I personally helped raise. How ironic…
Yet just then, as the old man lay on the brink of death, a dazzling red beam of light pierced the pitch-black night sky, angling down into the Tenshukaku tower. The blinding brilliance made the old man's pupils instinctively contract!
“BOOM!”
The beam shot down like a divine blade, slicing through three whole stories of the tower before crashing into the ground behind it.
Moments later, the column of light narrowed, eventually fading to nothingness.
Inside the Tenshukaku, once the old man’s vision recovered from the blast of light, he found the entire hall engulfed in a raging inferno.
Wherever that heavenly beam of death had touched, everything was instantly consumed in flames. The place where Prince Shōtoku had been standing… was now utterly swallowed by fire.
Through the blazing heat, the old man could only faintly make out a broken, charred figure…
Panic and shouting began to spread outside, but tears of laughter had already formed at the corners of the old man’s eyes.
“Ha ha ha… Man proposes… Heaven disposes! Ha ha ha…”
…
A million feet above the earth…
“Second one.” Nie Yun slightly adjusted the aim of his weapon, locking onto his next target…
TL Note- Assassinations streak.....
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