Chapter 137: Chapter 137
"Good, you made the right choice." Loren smiled as he put away his revolver.
At that, the doctor stood up immediately. He took off his white coat and headed straight for the clinic door.
"Follow me, Mr. Loren!"
Having figured out Loren's intentions, he spoke without any wasted words and showed no hesitation.
As someone who smuggled and sold all kinds of contraband and ran those operations, he understood better than anyone how dangerous these desperate criminals could be.
Those superhumans who had committed major crimes and tried to flee on smuggling ships were ticking time bombs.
Especially a powerful superhuman like Loren. A strong figure forced to run was the most troublesome.
If you tried to bluff them, they would easily drag you down with them.
In the end, under Loren's pressure, the doctor decided to take each step as it came.
His thought was simple.
If things went south, he would just run with Loren.
He did not want to be hauled into a Security Bureau interrogation room and have those brutal agents torture him for Loren's whereabouts.
Money could be earned again; being caught by the Security Bureau meant losing everything.
Loren was pleased with the man's sensible choice and followed him out of the clinic.
The two walked out one after the other, reached the backyard of a nearby mechanical repair shop, boarded a small starship, and took off from Baker Street.
The small starship headed for the outermost edge of Jadeite Main City.
Fifteen minutes later, boosted by the reckless speed of that small craft,
Loren and the "doctor" arrived at a place packed with cargo starships.
This was a large material transfer hub where cargo ships were constantly launching for other star domains.
Before stepping off the small starship, the doctor changed into a worn work uniform labeled "Ship Mechanic," and deftly tossed a matching worn uniform to Loren, saying:
"Mr. Loren, for secrecy, you might want to put away your hat."
Loren smiled and nodded, took off his hat, and stored it inside the Crimson Tear.
Then he put on the "Ship Mechanic" uniform; the loose outfit fit surprisingly well.
Loren glanced at a corner of the small ship where several worn uniforms of various sizes were stacked...
A practiced and reassuring measure... Loren thought to himself.
This is professionalism...
Then the "doctor" handed Loren a used toolbox and asked bluntly,
"Which star region do you want to go to, Mr. Loren?"
Loren accepted the tossed toolbox, his smile widening.
"Radiant Flow Star Domain."
When the doctor heard Loren's reply, he pulled a communicator out of his pocket and contacted someone.
The communicator connected, and the doctor asked tersely,
"Radiant Flow Star Domain, two mechanics— which ship?"
After a short pause, a voice replied through the communicator:
After reporting the cargo ship number, the call was cut.
Having received the needed information, the doctor crushed the communicator violently in his hand until it shattered into minuscule fragments.
Then he turned to Loren and said seriously,
"Mr. Loren, once we get off the ship, follow me and try not to speak. If anyone talks to us, I'll answer them. That will buy us a lot of time."
"Of course. By the way, Doctor, are you coming with me to Radiant Flow Star Domain?" Loren asked curiously.
The doctor sighed helplessly, looked Loren in the eye, and said with some bitterness,
"I don't know what you've done, but even someone as powerful as you has to sneak away. If I send you off and stay in the Jadeite Star Domain, my fate is basically being dragged into the Security Bureau's interrogation rooms."
Loren smiled faintly and gave no clear answer.
What an interesting and perceptive fellow...
After complaining, the doctor let Loren step off the small ship first.
Beneath the cockpit of the small starship, he carefully set up a delayed-trigger explosive and threaded a thin transparent steel wire under the hatch.
Either it would detonate in two hours, or it would explode if someone carelessly opened the hatch.
Loren watched this technically proficient scene with interest and once more praised the man's professionalism.
The aftermath plan was handled expertly. That device would erase almost all traces of their presence.
It would cut off most lines of inquiry for anyone pursuing them...
The doctor closed the hatch carefully and, carrying his toolbox, led Loren toward the area where cargo starships were docked.
"Why not have someone fly this small craft away? If it explodes here, wouldn't it draw more attention?" Loren asked.
"Time's too tight. I can't get anyone, and calling someone risks exposure. More importantly, small, unknown craft here often explode from 'long-term disrepair'... people are used to it," the doctor said, winking to imply more than he said.
As he finished speaking, coincidentally, a small ship parked not far away suddenly exploded at the cockpit, as if it had deteriorated and blown up.
The explosion wasn't massive, just enough to burn that small craft to ruins.
"See? Everyone does it ." The doctor shrugged indifferently at Loren.
Loren was visibly impressed and nodded in agreement.
When the burning ship had mostly burned out, staff from the transfer hub finally and tardily arrived, half-heartedly carrying fire suppression equipment.
"How many of these have exploded this month? Do these foreign small ships never get maintained? Call the transport robots, dump the wreckage in the landfill!"
An irritable worker shouted in a practiced tone.
So brazen? Whoever's behind this must be powerful... Loren watched silently, pondering.
"Let's go," the doctor reminded.
Loren followed the doctor onto a cargo ship—the FZ-56.
No one spoke to them in the process; everyone moved silently within the massive material transfer hub where numerous cargo starships were docked.
There was an eerie, tacit understanding in the air.
This cargo ship had left a Resource Planet in the Radiant Flow Star Domain fully loaded. After unloading here and receiving routine repairs, it would return to its origin.
After Loren and the doctor, both dressed as "Ship Mechanics," boarded the cargo ship, it took off five minutes later.
Loren and the doctor seemed to have been forgotten by everyone.
The doctor guided Loren deftly into the cargo hold.
To Loren's surprise, they had arrived last.
Inside the hold, more than ten "ship mechanics" with dangerous auras were already seated.
Absurdly, among them was a little girl, also wearing a "Ship Mechanic" uniform...
Nice. You all are even more rampant than I imagined.