Chapter 4 01.0004: "Ms. Hunter, you don't want to..."

Horatio, half of his body covered in blood, walked out of the cockpit, cleaned the flesh on his prosthetic limbs, and took off the ring on his ring finger.

Normally, unmarried people don't wear rings like this.

But when I think about the original owner's daily life of using fists, the purpose of wearing it like this is self-evident - to increase damage.

Its base material is precious fine gold.

Even if the outer layer of gold is worn off, it is still bright and colorful overall. It is obvious that the harsh environment was taken into consideration from the beginning of the design, which is why this precious metal that is both noble and wear-resistant was chosen.

Even so, after so much time in the nest, the ring inevitably wore out and the carvings became blurred.

Through the light, Horatio could roughly make out the shape of an Imperial battleship, and vaguely saw the word 'Legend' engraved on it.

The question is, where did this ring come from?

Not only did Horatio feel strange now, but in his memory, the original owner also spent a lot of effort investigating clues about the ring, but there was no follow-up until he was imprisoned.

All I know is that this ring has been with me since the plane crash, and it is likely directly linked to my life experience. It is my only breakthrough point in exploring my identity.

After a brief cleanup, Horatio put the ring back on.

"Is it better?"

He looked at the female huntsman who stood up with the gun in hand and asked. It could be seen that her leg was injured in the previous violent fall and was slightly swollen.

The pretty blonde girl still had her brows furrowed.

The almond-shaped eyes that stared at Horatio were full of hostility, vigilance, weirdness, and fear. Facing Horatio's questions, she could only nod but refused to speak.

But there was also a hint of other complex emotions in that look. Was it gratitude? Thanks? Or apology?

Horatio himself couldn't tell.

[After all, we are half colleagues from different worlds, hey!]
Horatio sighed and shrugged helplessly. With his current status, he couldn't force others to trust him completely.

"Can you locate where we are?"

The girl glanced at Horatio and finally spoke, her voice hoarse and full of fatigue: "It should be the lower nest. There is electromagnetic interference nearby. I can't send out any signal."

Isolated.

But it's not necessarily a bad thing for him.

"If we want to survive, we have no choice but to cooperate. Miss, at least I'm not a cultist."

Horatio looked around and found that only the 'persuader' who was shot in the head first had his equipment intact.

He put on his equipment and picked up a usable gun. The butt of the gun was slightly crooked by his iron hand, but overall it had little impact.

He changed into formal equipment. Except for the size being a little too large, his outfit looked pretty decent, almost the same as that of a regular legal department escort. He looked refreshed and in high spirits.

Then he took out all the electric batons he could find to replenish the energy of his prosthetic limbs.

"Cooperation? No, it's conscription." The Huntress didn't want Horatio to deprive her of the initiative, so she spoke in an official tone that left no room for doubt.

"You will atone for your crimes by fighting for the God-Emperor. I will be watching you, Condemned Prisoner 24601."

Having said that, the Huntress knew she had no other choice, and she just changed her words to make herself look more respectable, but in essence she still gave Horatio what he wanted.

[Well, this woman is easier to communicate with than expected, so my plan may work.]
"Whatever." Horatio smiled and shrugged.

In life, face is the most important thing, especially for nobles.

The huntress snorted coldly, injected an injection of painkiller into the swollen part of her calf, and silently put on the last piece of armor.

A few small damages on the tights means that at most it loses its ability to protect against radiation, biological and chemical damage, and cold and heat.

Although the environment in the lower nest is not good, it is not as harsh as that on extreme planets. With the protection of light power armor, minor damage will not have much impact.

Horatio opened the back door and jumped out of the car carefully. In the distance, a group of people were walking towards the front of the car.

After coming down from the elevated passage known as the 'Hive Blood Vessel', the vehicle is now parked in an abandoned factory building about 200 meters outside an abandoned chapel.

There is no human habitation around, and it is one of the few places in the crowded hive city that can be hidden from the public eye. It is perfect for conducting secret evil sacrifices.

The driver was slapped to death by himself before he could send out the information. The cultists in the base had no idea they had arrived, and they should be a patrol.

Horatio did not intend to confront the cultists who were outnumbered, especially when there was a slightly injured person around him.

Horatio cast a wary glance at the vicinity and extended his hand politely to the huntress.

The huntress looked at him strangely.

Needless to say, Horatio could guess roughly that although he still retained the ruffian spirit of the original owner, he was not the same person after all. "Someone is coming. If we don't move faster, we will be discovered." Horatio raised his hand.

"..."

The huntress hesitated for a moment, but still took his hand and walked down.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Horatio took her to the side to avoid the patrol.

"Are you really going in?" The Huntress, disturbed by Horatio's 'reverse escape', thumbed off the safety of her gun and prepared to fight the cult patrol.

"Look at that."

Horatio was lying on the ruins, holding the telescope he had snatched from the bailiff in one hand, and pointing to the top with the other hand: "A shuttle, it looks like it belongs to a prominent figure, we can take it."

Then Horatio turned over, looked at the Lady Huntress, and chuckled, "Before we act, let's make a deal."

"..."

The huntress said nothing, her almond-shaped eyes staring at Horatio with anger, as if to say, "You brought me out here, and now you're asking for something?"

But reason restrained her anger, and she wanted to see what tricks this guy was up to.

"If nothing else, I need you to provide me with shelter."

"Protection of tainted witness...?"

"You can understand it this way. Anyway, after I get out of this, I need you to take me back to your home."

The huntress's eyes suddenly widened, her face flushed, she stepped back, and objected vehemently:
“No! Absolutely not! This is too…” The Lady Huntress frowned and stepped back instinctively.

Horatio waited patiently for the girl to calm down.

Yes, it is strange no matter how you think about it, a male prisoner running to the home of a girl who is a law enforcement officer.

But the reason why he made such a request might be that it was the only way for him to find clues about his life experience.

"Of course, you don't have to go."

Horatio's unexpected words made the Huntress feel relieved.

"Miss Hood, aren't you the daughter of the lord captain? I have a ring here that should be related to the Imperial Navy. Do you recognize it? As long as you know the clues, I promise you not to go. After you are out of danger, just find a place to drop me off."

[What good ring can a gangster from the Lower Nest have... and you're talking to my Hood family about the Imperial Navy?]
Farida frowned slightly, glanced at him, and said unhappily:

"I have no impression. It is impossible to put you down. It is my duty to deliver you to the Ministry of Law safely. Didn't the Hive Law Enforcement Department report this ring?"

She hadn't seen any reports of the ring.

"I remember someone took a photo of it. Because it had the Imperial battleship logo on it, no one dared to take it away for themselves."

The female hunter's heart skipped a beat. If there wasn't a mistake made by the Hive City Law Enforcement Department, could it be that... someone from the Law Department took away the report?
[No, that's impossible. There must be something wrong with the Hive Law Enforcement Department!]
Horatio relaxed his shoulders, leaned comfortably against the ruins, and said humorously:

"Since you are unwilling to help me, I will just start. After all, I am just a worthless life, and you are a young noble with a bright future."

"I'm not afraid of death. The Emperor of God will save my soul." The girl said stubbornly.

"Oh, by the way, those guys seem to believe in the power of pleasure?"

"..."

Horatio raised the corner of his mouth slightly, crossed his legs, and said from a different angle: "Miss Hunter, you don't want to be caught by the Pleasure Cultists, do you?"

With just a few words, Horatio made the Huntress tremble violently as if she had PTSD.

She recalled the horrible scene that she didn't want to recall. Her slender fingers kept rubbing the trigger guard. Her breathing became rapid and she looked very conflicted.

Horatio narrowed his eyes, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and began the next wave of psychological offensive.

"I can assure you that I will accept your house arrest when I arrive at your home. When everything is settled, I will obey your orders. Even if you send me back to the Ministry of Justice fortress, I will not say a word."

"It's no loss for you."

The handsome young man in front of her laughed heartily and made an offer she couldn't refuse.

[This deal... is a good deal.] The huntress thought.

[Hold her steady first, and then control her later.] Horatio thought.

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(End of this chapter)