Chapter 17: White Terror, Section 8

“Monkey?” Blood-Pupils was puzzled and about to say something when suddenly he witnessed a scene that horrified him beyond measure.
His leader, Black-Hair, had somehow opened the cockpit door on his own and rushed out, showing no concern for any harmful elements or dangers present. He climbed up the pipes using both hands and feet, letting out sobbing sounds like cries the whole time.
“Monkey!! Is it you!! Is it really you??”
“Wake up, Monkey!! Open your eyes and look at me!! It’s me, Black-Hair!!”
“Bastard!! Wake up!! Look at me!! Wake up!!”
At that moment, Black-Hair was acting like a madman. In his desperation, he seemed to have forgotten his abilities, climbing frantically like a child, his facial muscles twisted violently. Tears streamed down his cheeks—whether from pain or joy, it was unclear—as he kept shouting wildly. There was not a trace of his usual calmness.
Oh, God!! Blood-Pupils turned pale, hardly believing his own eyes.
He had never seen his leader like this before. He had never seen him so insane. No, it was more than just insanity. To Blood-Pupils, Black-Hair now resembled a beast that had lost its most precious thing—a look of agony deep in its bones.
Grabbing a pipe tightly, Black-Hair finally climbed up to the strange figure on the wall. He held the figure’s face in both hands as if it were a precious treasure, being extremely careful, as if afraid of damaging it. The distorted face was covered in tears, and his voice was choked with emotion.
“Monkey… you’re Monkey… wake up… tell me… why!! How did you end up here!! Monkey!!”
Black-Hair’s voice sounded desolate, but no matter how hard he called out, the strange figure on the wall remained asleep. Its pale face trembled with Black-Hair’s hands, its eyes tightly closed. If it weren’t for its breathing, it would have seemed dead.
“No!! This can’t be real!! Damn you, God!! You’ve ruined my brother!! I’m going to kill you!! I’m going to kill you!!!”
After endless attempts with no result, Black-Hair finally let out a scream that made even Blood-Pupils shudder!! His mind gone, he acted wildly—reaching out to grab the pipe connected to the figure on the wall, ready to pull it out!!

“No, boss, stop!! Don’t do that!!” Blood-Pupils cried out in alarm as the massive mech rushed to Black-Hair’s back. A giant hand blocked his path.

For some reason, seeing Black-Hair’s actions gave Blood-Pupils a sudden sense of foreboding. It seemed those tubes were connected to something important. If Black-Hair pulled them out, the consequences would be catastrophic. So he immediately tried to stop him.

But in an instant, he began to regret it…

If angry Black-Hair was terrifying, then Black-Hair who had lost control was absolutely a nightmare. When his bloodshot eyes turned toward Blood-Pupils, he felt an urge to run away right away. He had no doubt that if he couldn’t come up with a reason to satisfy Black-Hair immediately, he would likely become a victim of his fury—just like that damned god!

Yet the pride of a warrior once again suppressed Blood-Pupils’ fear. He spoke at the fastest speed of his life.

“Boss, don’t act impulsively. We’re in a dangerous place. These tubes are of unknown origin. Pulling them out recklessly won’t solve anything—it could even have the opposite effect!!”

Hearing his words, Black-Hair froze for a moment, as if remembering something. The fierce expression on his face softened slightly. He gave Blood-Pupils a slight nod before focusing again on examining the wall monster.

At first, Black-Hair had been distracted by the tragic fate of his companion. Now that he had calmed down a bit, he immediately noticed something wrong.

Some tiny metal pieces glowing with silver-white light. These pieces were attached to the monkey’s back of the head, hidden beneath the skin. With the naked eye, they were completely invisible. But under Black-Hair’s fingers, they became apparent. When he saw those silver-white metal pieces, his pupils contracted uncontrollably.

Control chips!!

Though not certain yet, Black-Hair assumed they were something similar to control chips. After all, this had also been one of the most important steps in genetic modification—only it had been destroyed because he woke up early. Could it be… that the monkey had also undergone genetic modification?

A hint of doubt flashed through Black-Hair’s mind, but he showed no outward signs. Extending his left hand lightly, he placed it on the back of the wall monster’s head. With a soft thud, one of his fingers turned to black threads.

Controlling an intelligent mechanical being is indeed full of dangers, but removing such control chips was extremely easy for Black Hair. Soon, thin black threads separated those tiny metal pieces from the monkey’s back of the head. When his left hand came out, it held a pile of shiny objects.

The effect was immediate—almost the moment Black Hair removed those metal pieces, the monster on the wall let out a low groan. Then, slowly… it opened its eyes.

“Monkey!! You’re awake!! How are you? Do you still recognize me?” Before the monster on the wall could fully regain consciousness, Black Hair kept asking eagerly. After so many years apart, he was growing impatient. To him, this monster was the only family he had in the world.

“Ah… my head…” The monster seemed to recognize Black Hair’s face, its eyes widening instantly. It struggled wildly, trying to grasp Black Hair, but as soon as it moved, intense pain surged through its nerves, making it gasp in pain and contort its face.

It was then that it realized its situation.

“Huh? How did this happen? What is this!?” The monster reached back to touch its back of the head and came into contact with the thin tubes connected to it. Its expression froze. After a long while, it seemed to remember something and gave a bitter smile.

“My head… I never thought we’d meet under such circumstances… I’m sorry to… embarrass you like this…”

“Stop talking nonsense! Are you conscious? Can you control yourself? Tell me, how do I free you!! Monkey, hold on!! Trust me!! No one can hurt you in front of me!! No one!!” Black Hair said frantically. From the monkey’s bitter smile, he seemed to sense something, his voice even changing pitch.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t change reality. Seeing his anxious expression, a hint of emotion appeared on the monkey’s face. But the next moment, that emotion turned into sorrow.

“It’s no use, my head. I’ve become one with this warship. These tubes are the channels that sustain my life and connect me to the warship. If you cut them off, all you’ll get is my corpse.”

“Wha… what…?” Black Hair was stunned. He never could have imagined that meeting his former companions again would happen under such circumstances. The feeling of having them right in front of him yet being unable to reach them drove him almost mad. That bone-deep sorrow struck again at the depths of his heart, and in an instant, everything around him seemed unreal.

“No separation… become one… warship…”

These words flashed through Black Hair’s mind one after another, as if demons from hell were tormenting his nerves. In agony, he was on the verge of screaming.

For the first time, he felt hatred toward a weapon like a warship. For the first time, he hated himself for being useless. If his companions disappeared right before his eyes like this, he truly couldn’t find any reason to forgive himself! Clutching his hair tightly, Black Hair racked his brain desperately, trying to find a solution.

“Head, the battle is still going on outside. We can’t separate now—take them all back together. There are still many aliens in our territory; maybe they can do something.” Seeing Black Hair’s pain, Blood Eyes couldn’t help but remind him.

Right, there are still aliens!! Like a beacon in the darkness. Black Hair immediately perked up. He raised his head sharply and asked urgently, “Monkey, can you still control this warship?”

“Yes…” Although he didn’t understand Black Hair’s meaning, Monkey sensed that things might take a turn for the better, and a hint of excitement appeared on his pale face.

As long as he could avoid being separated from his companions again, he was willing to pay any price. Even if… it had to stay this way forever…

“That’s good… You know about the battle ahead, right? Those are my subordinates. Stop attacking immediately, send out a distress signal, and approach. I’ll have them receive you!” Black Hair said rapidly. Behind him, Blood Eyes also activated the command channel to convey Black Hair’s orders.

Although suddenly taking control of a warship in the midst of a battle wasn’t a good idea, they no longer cared much. As long as they could bring their companions back, Black Hair didn’t mind any losses. Even if his Blood Wolf Fleet was completely destroyed, he wouldn’t hesitate!!

But fate always likes to play tricks. Just as Black Hair gave the order and the pirates on the other side cheered, an unexpected situation suddenly occurred!

“Boom!!!”

A deafening explosion. Right under everyone’s eyes, another Dropship suddenly turned its cannons toward its former allies and launched a fierce attack!! A brilliant white light illuminated half of the starry sky as the deadly gunfire came in such dense waves. In almost an instant, the Dropship where the black-haired person was on had one layer of its armor stripped away. Its engine at the rear was hit first and exploded!!
“No!!!!”
All the pirates let out a terrified scream!!