"It's me, Spider,"

There was no one else in the security passage. The scrawny "vagrant" pulled apart his tattered coat, his bones lengthening and widening as he reverted to his true form. Lowering his voice, he spoke to his accomplice,

"...Harvest my ass, I've been tailed, barely got away!"

The security passage was long and narrow, amplifying every sound. Even knowing the surveillance system had been disabled, the echo of his own voice made this "Spider" rather agitated. He cursed under his breath,

"A bunch of trash, all they know is to ask for people and things, can't even copy a damn silent comms system. Alliance dogs are about to make it standard for civilians, and they still dream of overthrowing the Alliance? Daydreaming, that's what... I don't know, some woman—how the hell should I know whose side she's on?"

As he spoke, "Spider" tapped a few times on his own wrist. Instantly, an image appeared above his wrist: a close-up of Emily Harris.

Next, the photo flickered, and a detailed list of Emily Harris's identity, address, and other information appeared before his eyes. "Spider" glared fiercely at the girl in the photo with bloodshot eyes.

"Got her info, not sure if it's real, but she doesn't look like a government agent... Hm, maybe it's just a coincidence. This sewer of the Eighth Star System is crawling with brain-dead cripples..."

The security passage came to an end. "Spider" hurried onto the platform, where only a few security droids were patrolling the otherwise empty space. He quickly checked the positions of the droids and pressed the jammer in his hand.

On the platform, the security droids and surveillance equipment froze at the same time. With nothing to fear, "Spider" skirted around the immobilized droids, made his way to the outermost track, and retrieved a small mecha parked in the spatial field. The mecha landed steadily on the launch pad, and the hatch popped open automatically.

"Spider" stepped inside. The launch pad's fluorescent lights cast a metallic, cold glow across his face. He said,

"No matter whose side she's on, no matter if it's a coincidence or not, just to be safe, better kill her—"

Before he could finish, the mecha's alarm system suddenly shrieked. A sharp "zzzt" sounded in "Spider"'s ear, and the call was instantly cut off. He jerked his head up, only to see the mecha on the launch pad trembling as if it were alive. The neural network inside hadn't even connected to its owner yet when the whole machine shuddered violently. "Spider" staggered backward, while sparks flew from the mecha's neural net, filling the air with the stench of ozone—clear evidence of severe interference!

But in this backwater Eighth Star System, most bumpkins have never even seen a mecha, let alone possess this kind of jamming tech?!

A chill ran down "Spider"'s spine.

The mecha's neural net was in total chaos. If anyone got caught in it now, not to mention a human—even a silicon-based lifeform would be half-fried. Without hesitation, he smashed the emergency safety valve with a punch, quickly switched to manual control, forced open the now-heating hatch, and tumbled out with a shout.

Thick smoke billowed from the mecha behind him, and the security droids he had just frozen somehow reactivated. Seven or eight laser rifles were aimed at him, but not a single person could be seen on the platform.

Those damn flies still hadn't shaken off!

Cold sweat broke out on "Spider"'s forehead. He reached into his shirt and pressed his left chest—there, a small implanted chip was his last trump card.

The security droids closed in—

"Unauthorized entry! Unauthorized entry!"

"Failed to scan intruder's identity!"

"Warning! Raise your hands!"

The next moment, an invisible field spread out from "Spider" like a tide. The security droids' locators instantly lost their target, and their scans showed the platform was empty. The droids, laser rifles raised, wandered the "empty" platform in confusion for a while, found nothing, and finally returned to their patrol routes.

"Spider" stood where he was, gasping for breath, a slightly smug smile appearing on his face. He patted his left chest and muttered,

"At least those idiots are good for something."

With this "secret weapon," he could manipulate the senses of all people and machines at will—just like making everyone on a city bus mistake a child for an old vagrant. Even if he ran into a little brat with "empty brain syndrome," he could still fool them for a while.

"Come catch me if you can!"

"Spider" shouted fearlessly, let out a sharp whistle, and, hearing no response, burst out laughing, flipped the sky the middle finger, and prepared to re-enter the mecha.

Just as he turned, a thin red beam suddenly shot from the wall, piercing straight through "Spider"'s neck. His mouth, still open in laughter, never had a chance to close as he collapsed without a sound.

Then, the previously blank wall suddenly bulged, and a man with flaxen short hair stepped out as if performing a magic trick—it was the man who called himself "Luke".

Luke extended his right hand, which turned into a mechanical hand out of thin air, identical to the one in the "Broken Tavern."

The mechanical hand scanned the unconscious "Spider" from head to toe, beeping a few times, and detected a strong energy field at "Spider"'s heart.