Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 154: Wanted Without Warning

Scanners span a wide variety.

Some are designed to inspect cargo, others focus on detecting viruses or biological threats. There are even specialized types built to locate individuals, capable of identifying targets even through cover or under disguise.

I observed the system panel as it displayed the full range of scanners hitting us—cargo, bio, and individual—but the individual scanner was clearly the most active by far.

Although they tried to mask it, the intent was obvious—they were looking for someone in particular.

Each ship, starting from the back of the queue to the very front, was scanned in meticulous detail.

To my surprise, a few items flagged as contraband were found on some of the vessels under our fleet—leftover equipment salvaged from the ship we dismantled back in that Hard Mode DLC map.

Those were never sold since their market value was negligible, but they had their uses.

Functional little tools, even if not rare or expensive. That's why I had them kept onboard instead of discarded.

But now, the system flagged them as banned items. They issued a warning, threatening to confiscate them by force if we didn't surrender them "peacefully."

"...They're robbing us in broad daylight," Eva scoffed, clearly irritated.

"Let them take it. It's just convenience-grade junk, nothing irreplaceable," I said, patting her shoulder lightly before issuing a command to a random crewmember aboard our ship.

Right, even our own vessel had a couple of so-called "contrabands" onboard.

I'm not sure if they're genuinely enforcing laws or just trying to squeeze some credits out of us with this tactic. Still, I wasn't particularly bothered. What we're about to do next would more than compensate for any minor losses we suffer here.

About five minutes passed, and judging by previous stop timelines, our inspection should have been over by now.

{Code 550b Detected. Matching biometrics.}

"Huh...?"

Suddenly, the lighting inside our ship shifted to red—an emergency hue.

{Wanted individual identified. Proceeding to detain all ships involved.}

In mere moments, I realized that every ship within our fleet had their controls remotely overridden.

This... was bad. Very bad.

"Nyssra, any ideas?" I asked quickly.

If the Voltherians were seeking someone in this convoy, the most obvious suspect would be her. However, her face turned visibly pale—or more accurately, purple—from sheer panic.

"No way. My body double should still be acting in my place! No one would even think I'm here!" she groaned, half in disbelief.

"Really? Then who the hell are they—"

I didn't get to finish. The visors onboard suddenly flickered and changed display.

A new image appeared—another Voltherian, sharing visual traits with Nyssra but distinguishable by only a single pair of electrodes extending from the back of his skull. He wore a crisp, intimidating military uniform, adorned with the insignia of a Five Star General on his shoulder.

{To think we'd find you here...} he began, his deep voice reverberating like static across my skin. {Arthur Grail... You match the profile perfectly. No doubt about it—you're the one.}

"..."

Shit. Was I the one they were after?! But why? Since when was I a wanted man?! And more importantly, how?!

{You look confused.} The General's expression twisted into a chilling smile. {I'm General Fretula Thal'Brien. Father of Alkhein Thal'Brien... That name ring a bell?}

"Alkhein...?"

Nothing. Total blank.

*BEEP!*

A sudden notification popped up on my terminal. I threw a quick glance at it—just a short note. It was from Nyssra, who was now trying to bury her face beneath the visor of her powered suit.

[Alkhein is the guy who piloted our ship during the Grand Prix. The one I killed back in the Narlia Trading Hub.]

Reading that, my memory snapped back into place.

"AH!"

The father of that arrogant, hot-blooded Voltherian bastard?!

{Looks like it's coming back to you now. Good...} His voice softened with an eerie calm. {That clarity will serve you well when you're burning in hell.}

"W-Wait a second, General Sir!" I raised my voice, confused, nervous, and increasingly desperate. "I didn't even know your son personally! Why the hell am I suddenly branded a criminal? What crime am I supposed to have committed...?!"

{Still playing dumb?}

His voice dropped further, turning colder and filled with restrained fury.

{My son contacted me the day he caught you. He said he'd make sure you paid. After that... I lost all contact. And now, here you are, clearly still breathing. Don't you think it's obvious what happened?}

"...!"

The circumstantial evidence undeniably painted me as the prime suspect. But the real killer? She was right beside me—Nyssra. And if I exposed her now, our entire mission would be ruined. Exposing the Princess's identity, and interrupting our Heist plans.

I clenched my teeth, forcing my brain into overdrive—only to come up with something else.

"...Let's say, hypothetically, I did kill this 'Klein' guy or whatever." I said, narrowing my eyes. "But can you even touch me right now? Do you know whose emblem is painted across all our ships...?"

{...}

The General fell silent.

Right.

Other than those who are true members of the Shadowless Hawks, no third party should be able to distinguish the subtle difference between the two insignias.

That meant this General couldn't touch me either—doing so would be akin to declaring war on a large-scale pirate syndicate with vast influence.

I carefully lifted the small Void Dragon off my head, cradling it in my arm, before sliding my Powered Suit's helmet back into place. With subtle precision, I tapped a few keys on the console, initiating a comms call while mentally bracing for the chaos that was about to unfold.

Within just two beeps, as the General hardened his stance and consolidated his next few words, a new figure materialized on the ship's bridge in a large, shimmering holographic window.

A woman appeared—fiery red hair cascading like the tides of a raging ocean storm. Her crimson eyes were piercing and cold, like a frozen inferno that could silence a room with a glance. She wore a small, sharp-edged mask that veiled her eyes and nose, fashioned like the beak of a hawk.

{So it's you—}

She started, her gaze locking onto mine. But before she could finish, the General's voice boomed in, snapping the tension taut.

{So what if you're part of the trashy Shadowless Hawks?! This is my sky—my Star System! If I say you die, then you shall…!!!}

Still clinging to the pride of his earlier bravado, his tone rose—laced with rage and insult. It was a foolish outburst, especially with the woman—who lacked the full context—hovering on the line, listening quietly.

{The fuck did you say, you sparky worm?}

That single utterance shattered any hope of neutrality.

The mere mention of the "Shadowless Hawks" had provoked the other party—the supreme leader of the pirate syndicate I had just dragged into this scenario without so much as a warning.

My lips curled into a knowing smile. I transmitted a location pin directly to her—a precise coordinate of this very military border station. Then, without ceremony, I abruptly ended the call, cutting her off before she could ask questions or assess the situation further.

"That was a bad move, General." I shook my head with an exaggerated sigh. "Seems you didn't realize—you just signed your own death warrant."

{…Brat. You think you can threaten me?! I'm the one who holds your lives in my hands!}

"Oh, really?"

I snapped my fingers. It was Nyssra's cue—the signal for her to execute the final sequence she had been silently programming behind the scenes.

Within seconds, the red alert flooding our fleet's systems vanished. Our ships returned to normal, controls fully restored. We could now decide whether to press forward or retreat.

Simultaneously, the command deck of the Voltherian General's location lit up crimson. Alarms blared, flashing warnings flickered across all displays. System errors flooded their interface.

In mere moments, Nyssra had flipped the entire situation—releasing our fleet and hijacking control of the entire Border Space Station from under their noses.

"I was being civil, you know." I said casually, waving a hand like I was brushing dust off a coat. "The same civility your son spat on before he got himself killed."

{You...! I knew it...!}

Sparks surged violently through the electrodes trailing behind the General's head. His expression twisted with fury, completely unhinged now—but utterly powerless.

Nyssra had locked down their defense grid and weapon systems. She even disabled their comms, preventing them from contacting anyone—not even within their own ranks. They were silenced, locked out, and rendered impotent. Like cornered rodents trapped without escape or voice.

"Well, it's been lovely chatting. Bye~!"

Without wasting another moment, Eva re-synchronized the fleet's navigation and initiated the Hyperspace Jump. Ten seconds later, we were gone—leaving the volatile border behind us as we entered the second planetary cluster.

Compared to the last transition, this one would take considerably longer—roughly 18 hours of uninterrupted hyperspace travel.

And due to Nyssra's sabotage of the border's command systems, it would take the Voltherians at least eight full hours to restore control—buying us an enormous advantage.

"But before they manage to fix anything, a whole new kind of problem will show up on their doorstep..."

Based on our estimates, the main fleet of the Shadowless Hawks should be only five hours behind us. Unless they stop for a prolonged rest somewhere along the way, they would arrive at the very border before the Voltherians recover their systems.

It's not hard to predict the disaster waiting to happen.

"Eva, Nyssra, prepare for battle." I instructed calmly, without delay.

The arrival of the Shadowless Hawks would be more than just chaos—it would serve as the perfect distraction. While the Voltherians scrambled to resist or hold back the incoming storm, we'd make our move.

Now was our moment to strike.

"We'll fly straight to the Primula!"

There could be no more delays.