The Imperial Marshal’s Darling at the Tip of His Heart - Chapter 7

The sewer system of Star-Shatter City was like a labyrinth of suffocating, foul air. Viscous sewage rose above the ankles, icy and bone-chilling. In the darkness, the only light came from the occasional eerie, neon-colored rays leaking through overhead grates and the faint glow of certain bioluminescent fungi.

Yun Shu struggled through the wastewater with staggering steps, his oversized work jacket splattered with filth. Beneath the heavy brim of his hat, his face was deathly pale. He breathed with extreme caution, attempting to filter out the toxic fumes, an almost impossible task. The discomfort in his lungs followed him like a shadow; the sharp sting of Crystal Erosion Disease had resurfaced stubbornly after the brief suppression of the medicine.

He did not know how long he had been walking, relying only on a vague sense of direction to distance himself from the eye of the storm in the port district. The darkness and silence magnified all his senses, as well as the loneliness and urgency in his heart. Ling Yao had arrived, the Grabbers’ net was tightening, and he was like a mouse trapped in a maze.

And the cat was already inside.

Finally, a metal ladder appeared ahead, leading to a maintenance hatch. He climbed up with great effort and cautiously pushed open the heavy manhole cover. Piercing neon lights and a wave of noise instantly rushed in, momentarily disorienting him.

He found himself in a relatively secluded back alley, piled high with discarded shipping containers and mechanical parts. Though the air was still turbid, it was far better than the sewers. The clamor of the port district could be heard faintly in the distance, but this area seemed temporarily untouched.

He leaned against the cold wall of a container, catching his breath and alertly observing his surroundings. This place appeared to be the edge of an abandoned industrial zone, with several dilapidated buildings standing like the skeletons of forgotten giants. Most of the windows were shattered. One large building featured a strange domed structure, with mottled murals depicting scenes from an interstellar opera still clinging to its walls. It seemed to have been a theater once, now derelict.

Perhaps he could hide there; it would be safer than wandering the streets.

Just as he planned to move toward the theater, an extremely faint engine hum, distinct from the environmental noise, approached from the distance! The sound was deliberately suppressed, but that specific, steady frequency belonging to high-end levitation engines made his internal alarms blare instantly!

It wasn’t one of those crudely modified vehicles of the Grabbers, nor was it the junk used by the Port Security Detail.

It was Imperial technology!

He lunged back into the shadow of the containers, holding his breath. A matte-black levitation armored vehicle, devoid of markings and possessing sleek, powerful lines, glided noiselessly into the alley and stopped nearby.

The armor plates on the side slid open silently. Four soldiers dressed in black combat gear—well-equipped, efficient, and swift—jumped down. Their tactical visors flickered with a cold blue light, and the energy rifles in their hands were held at the ready as they scanned the surroundings with vigilance.

It was Ling Yao’s direct unit—the Obsidian Guard!

Their efficiency was terrifying. They had already managed to search this relatively remote area so quickly! Yun Shu’s heart leaped into his throat; he pressed his body tightly against the cold container, not daring to move an inch. He could even hear the faint static of their low-frequency tactical communication.

“Area C-7 initial scan: no thermal signatures.” “Disperse and search. Focus on potential hiding spots. Per the Marshal’s orders, report any suspicious traces immediately.” “Understood.”

Two soldiers walked toward the stack of containers, while the other two advanced toward the abandoned theater. Their steps were steady and professional, their search pattern highly systematic—nothing like the chaos of the Grabbers.

It’s over.

The thought flashed through Yun Shu’s mind. Being trapped in the container stacks meant that once they conducted a meticulous search, his discovery would only be a matter of time. He scanned the area rapidly, looking for any possible chance.

Just as the footsteps of an Obsidian soldier grew closer, nearly reaching the corner where he was hiding!

CLANG!

A massive sound of metal striking metal suddenly erupted from the direction of the abandoned theater! The sound was exceptionally jarring in the silent back alley. The two soldiers heading toward the containers stopped instantly, their tactical visors snapping toward the theater as they raised their weapons. Their attention was completely diverted.

“Status report?” “Abnormal sound from inside the theater! Investigate!”

Brief commands came through the tactical channel. The two soldiers immediately abandoned the container stacks, moving swiftly and silently toward the theater. They merged with their two comrades, forming a tactical formation as they cautiously entered the theater’s ruined entrance.

Yun Shu leaned against the container, his back drenched in cold sweat. That loud crash had come at the perfect moment, it had quite literally saved his life. Was it the wind blowing against a broken door, or were there other drifters or creatures inside the theater? He didn’t know, and he didn’t have time to think.

This was the only chance!

He flashed out of the shadows, using every bit of strength to run as fast as possible while remaining silent, heading in the opposite direction of the theater toward a darker area filled with even larger mounds of discarded mechanical wreckage.

His lungs burned from the exertion, but he didn’t dare stop. Just as he was about to dive into the shadows of the machinery, a strong sensation of being watched suddenly hit him!

He snapped his head back, looking toward the black armored vehicle parked at the alley entrance. On the driver’s side, the window had been rolled down halfway. A man sat in the driver’s seat, his head turned, his gaze piercing through the dim light to land precisely on him.

It was an extremely handsome face, but cold and hard as a block of ice, with a taut jawline. Even at a distance, one could feel the oppressive aura and a faint, almost playful sense of a cat watching a mouse.

Ling Yao!

He was personally sitting in the vehicle, commanding the operation!

Did he see? Did he see him? Yun Shu’s heart skipped a beat! He even felt those eyes linger for a split second on his shoddy disguise!

But in the next second, Ling Yao slowly almost indifferently turned his head away and rolled up the window. The black glass cut off all sight, as if that look had merely been Yun Shu’s hallucination. He didn’t order a capture?

Yun Shu had no time to ponder this bizarre situation; his survival instinct drove him to plunge into the labyrinth of massive mechanical wreckage. His silhouette was quickly swallowed by the darkness and the complex metal structures.

Inside the armored vehicle, Ling Yao watched the figure in the oversized work jacket vanish into the wreckage on the light-screen, a very faint arc curving at the corner of his mouth.

“Marshal, theater interior inspection complete. It was a piece of decayed metal plating falling from the ceiling. No suspicious targets found,” the soldier reported over the channel.

“And the container area?” Ling Yao’s voice was flat, without a ripple.

“Search not yet completed.”

“Withdraw. The target is no longer there,” Ling Yao ordered.

“Yes, sir!” The soldiers obeyed instantly without question.

The adjutant looked at Ling Yao with some confusion. “Marshal, just now, were you…” He felt as though the Marshal had noticed something.

Ling Yao’s gaze swept across the light-screen, which was displaying the real-time surveillance of the back alley. “A very quick little mouse,” he said faintly, tapping the console lightly. He magnified the final frame of the worker’s silhouette before it vanished.

The image was somewhat blurred, but beneath the brim of the hat lifted slightly by the run, one could see the silhouette of a chin that was far too fair and smooth. And those eyes that flashed in the dark even blurred, they could not hide their clear, sharp intensity.

“Wearing ill-fitting clothes and running like that… he doesn’t look like someone who usually does manual labor.” Ling Yao’s tone carried a hint of mockery, yet there was also a trace of nearly imperceptible interest. “Furthermore, he saw me.”

“Are you saying… he is the one?”

“Most likely.” Ling Yao closed the screen. “Notify the other squads. The target may have changed disguises and is fleeing toward the abandoned shipyard. Tighten the perimeter, but… don’t push too hard.”

The adjutant was even more confused. “We aren’t capturing him directly?” They clearly had a lead.

“Capturing him directly would be so boring.” Ling Yao leaned back, closing his eyes as if enjoying the hunt. “Besides, a startled mouse running with all its might is much more likely to lead us to its nest, or… the treasure it wants to find.”

He was curious. This Xi Lan ghost, who was dying yet exceptionally cunning and desperate to evade him—what was his final destination? He definitely wasn’t hiding just for the sake of hiding.

“Have the ‘Iron Curtain’ center continue analyzing those fragmented fields he stole from the inner shadow zone. I want to know exactly which Imperial facility or project the terms ‘Primordial Genetic Sequence,’ ‘Source Project,’ and ‘Physical Isolation Zone’ point to.”

“Yes, Marshal!”

The armored vehicle started noiselessly and glided out of the alley, a hunter merging into the darkness, continuing its patrol.

Deep within a pile of massive discarded engine pipes, Yun Shu huddled in absolute darkness, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest. That look from Ling Yao earlier had made him feel as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar.

He had definitely been seen! But why… why didn’t he catch him? A deeper chill enveloped him. Ling Yao wasn’t simply searching for him; he was toying with him? Or was there an even deeper scheme?

He gasped, feeling the familiar crystalline friction in his lungs become clear again. He fished the last medicinal spray from his pocket and gave his mouth a shaky spritz, barely suppressing a violent fit of coughing.

He couldn’t stay here. Ling Yao’s perimeter was closing in. He had to keep moving.

He struggled to stand, observing the outside through the gaps in the pipes. In the distance, the black armored vehicle had vanished, but the invisible pressure was everywhere. His gaze finally landed deeper within the abandoned industrial zone. There, he could vaguely see the massive silhouettes of starship wreckage, looking like the remains of giant beasts.

Perhaps there, he could find more complex hiding spaces, or… another way to leave Star-Shatter City?

He gritted his teeth and once again took a heavy step, walking toward those deeper, darker shadows.