IMAO Chapter 5

“It’s precisely because they reek of blood that I want to follow them,” Jiang Yuan stepped back, maintaining distance from the man before him. Though the man had reined in his Alpha pheromones after the three left, a strong scent still lingered in the air, mixed with faint notes of cedar.

The man unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling up his sleeves to reveal toned forearms. He glanced at Jiang Yuan from the corner of his eye and said coolly, “Instead of wasting time tailing them, you’d be better off reporting your findings to the crew.”

Jiang Yuan used to be an interstellar adventurer. Since he bought the supercomputer ‘Alphonse’, he didn’t even have any crew members on his ship. He had long been accustomed to handling all problems by himself. It had only been four days since he transmigrated here, and he hadn’t yet adjusted to the idea of seeking help from others.

Though Jiang Yuan disliked the man’s tone, he couldn’t deny that his suggestion was the best course of action.

“What? Think I’m wrong?” The man smirked, clearly disdainful of Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan eyed the man’s handsome face. How could someone so attractive make him want to punch them?

Swallowing his temper, Jiang Yuan reminded himself that the man had just helped him. Those men were clearly armed; a direct confrontation might have ended badly for him.

“No, you’re right. Thanks for earlier,” Jiang Yuan said calmly. “I’ll go inform the crew in the control room now.”

The man’s lips curled into a half-smile, chuckling softly, “Heh.”

As Jiang Yuan set off, the man fell into step beside him. Jiang Yuan frowned slightly but reasoned that having company might lend credibility to his warning of danger aboard the ship.

Ji Rong, who grew up on the border of the Federation, cannot be said to have a good personality. The border region was a melting pot of chaos, with frequent clashes between the Federation and the Empire. Fighting and artillery fire were also common, and the number of dead people he had seen was countless.

Since childhood, he’d accompanied his father, who was stationed on the border planet Noth to repel invasions from the Imperial Army. He had seen too many “self-righteous” people like Jiang Yuan, who thought they could solve all problems and be heroes but ended up being useless.

Following Jiang Yuan, Ji Rong noticed that this handsome, presumptuous Alpha seemed unusually familiar with the route to the command center.

An ordinary interstellar ship housed thirty compartments, each holding nearly a thousand people and various facilities—essentially a massive labyrinth. Yet this overconfident Alpha navigated without hesitation, turning corners decisively.

As for why Ji Rong regarded Jiang Yuan as an Alpha, the reason was very simple. When they parted just now, Jiang Tianze said a few words to Jiang Yuan and gave Jiang Yuan the first medal he received in his early years. Jiang Tianze always carried this badge with him and just handed it to Jiang Yuan. It still bore some of Jiang Tianze’s scent on it.

As a former interstellar adventurer exploring new star systems, Jiang Yuan was no slouch at navigation. However, finding his way here unaided would have been impossible. When boarding the “Goddess of Destiny,” he glanced at the ship’s internal layout diagram, which Alphonse had promptly memorized.

Alphonse had planned the optimal route. As Jiang Yuan approached to inform the guards, a blinding flash erupted from around the corner. Before Jiang Yuan could speak, agonized screams filled the air.

Damn, he was nearly blinded.

Hearing the deep, pained groans in the distance, Jiang Yuan froze. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, followed by a barrage of fire.

Jiang Yuan whipped around, grabbing the man behind him and pressing a finger to his lips in a hushing gesture. The corner window reflected the scene unfolding.

About fifty meters away, at the command center’s entrance, the bearded man led his group in a charge. A firefight erupted inside between the invaders and the crew.

Though the reflection in the transparent window was unclear, Jiang Yuan was certain that the command center staff were exchanging fire with these intruders!

Jiang Yuan’s heart sank. First, he’d died in his previous life when a passing comet struck him. Now, on his first interstellar journey after transmigrating, he was caught in a hijacking. Was his luck really this bad?

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment, glancing at his empty hands. Well… perhaps he’d better not get involved. One wrong move, and he might find himself meeting his Creator again.

If they were just space pirates, it’d be a simple matter of money. No big deal.

Maybe he should just turn back now, before they spotted him, and return to his seat.

As Jiang Yuan pondered, the man beside him muttered, “These aren’t space pirates.”

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow, asking, “How do you know?”

Ji Rong explained offhandedly, “Space pirates don’t have this level of coordinated combat skills.”

If not pirates, they must be soldiers. Imperial soldiers.

The only people Jiang Yuan could think of were soldiers from the Empire who were hostile to the Federation. These infiltrators clearly aimed to capture Federation citizens aboard the Goddess of Destiny. He recalled a recent major conflict at the Federation-Empire border, where Federation War God Marshal Ji Chong had captured a high-ranking Imperial officer.

Evidently, these hijackers intended to negotiate with the Federation, exchanging hostages for that officer.

If talks failed, given the Empire’s ruthlessness, none aboard would likely return alive. The Federation couldn’t abandon the passengers, but… the Empire would surely make an initial show of force. They’d likely execute a few civilians to intimidate the Federation government.

The battle raged on, with another burst of gunfire. Soon, the shooting subsided, but footsteps approached.

Three crew members fled the command center, but hijackers followed them out with guns. A closer look would reveal the hijackers wielding the ship’s security weapons. In other words, these people did not bring guns when they boarded the spaceship, and all their guns were snatched from the crew members of the spaceship.

As the escapees came out, their pursuers opened fire. The two trailing crew members were quickly riddled with bullets, blood spraying as they collapsed.

The remaining crew member ran towards Jiang Yuan and his companion. With death nipping at his heels, the man sprinted, reaching the corner in a heartbeat.

“Bang!”

A single shot and the crew member crumpled, his head exploding in a gory mess. Brain matter and blood splattered everywhere.

Warm blood speckled Jiang Yuan’s face. As the crew member fell, his gun arced through the air, landing tantalizingly close to Jiang Yuan—just within arm’s reach!

“Trying to run? Clean up the bodies. Barney, contact the command center. Tell them Falcon has completed the mission and awaits further orders.”

Jiang Yuan heard someone speak with a roguish tone, followed by approaching footsteps. They were coming to drag away the bodies.

They’d be discovered.

In this situation, whether they resisted or not, these men would likely shoot them both without hesitation.

This all happened in less than a second, but Jiang Yuan had already decided.

Before the attackers could reach them, Jiang Yuan’s left hand grabbed the dead crew member, using the body as a shield. His right hand reached for the gun on the ground.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Rapid gunfire erupted, peppering the crew member’s corpse with new bullet holes. Warm blood drenched Jiang Yuan.

“Give me the gun!” Ji Rong had also moved to grab it, but Jiang Yuan was closer. Having lived on the frontier for years, Ji Rong was confident he was stronger than this greenhouse-raised Alpha!

Jiang Yuan ignored Ji Rong, having already seized the gun. He knelt on one knee, took aim, and fired swiftly!

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

Two shots, two kills. Both targets dropped instantly, bullets through their skulls.

After firing, Jiang Yuan immediately rolled backward and scrambled to his feet. He glanced at Ji Rong, stating, “I only trust myself.”

Ji Rong was stunned by Jiang Yuan’s ruthless efficiency in killing.

The attackers, startled by Jiang Yuan’s marksmanship—two headshots in such chaos—hesitated to charge forward.

In truth, Jiang Yuan was also shocked. His shooting skills were good, but not this exceptional. As he fired, Alphonse had calculated the optimal shooting target, factoring in trajectory, distance, origin, and impact point.

It was like an intercontinental missile’s targeting system—planned route, speed, launch, and landing point. Missing was nearly impossible!

Mentally, Jiang Yuan praised Alphonse: Well done.

Sensing the compliment, Alphonse responded: Captain, Alphonse at your service~

The group ceased fire. Faint footsteps indicated they were approaching.

Jiang Yuan took a deep breath, advanced two steps while hugging the wall. As a gun barrel appeared around the corner, he swiftly grabbed it, jerking it upward. Simultaneously, he fired point-blank at the attacker’s chest!

The dying man reflexively fired, his bullet hitting the ceiling. Jiang Yuan’s shot, like before, was instantly fatal. He snatched the fallen weapon and tossed it to Ji Rong behind him.

Ji Rong caught the gun smoothly. Before the others could react, he had already shot two more attackers dead!

Noticing Jiang Yuan’s approving look, Ji Rong’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t expected this Alpha to remain so composed in such a situation, acting like a battle-hardened veteran with uncannily good marksmanship.

Ji Rong thought: It seems we can take these guys down together.

Jiang Yuan caught his breath, glanced at Ji Rong, then promptly shot out the three surveillance cameras in the corridor.

Ji Rong, observing this, narrowed his eyes suspiciously. This Alpha knew the Goddess of Destiny well.

“Follow me,” Jiang Yuan said, aware they needed to act fast. They rushed to the control room door, positioning themselves on either side. With the cameras down, those inside dared not peek out, unsure of the situation outside.

Both sides remained at an impasse for a while. Eventually, Jiang Yuan and Ji Rong saw a head emerge from under a desk, trying to assess the situation outside.

Shortly after, another person peeked out nearby.

Ji Rong held his breath and lunged, sweeping from left to right. He aimed and fired at where the two had been hiding. Even with his formidable skills, he couldn’t guarantee hitting unseen targets. One bullet struck its mark, while the other narrowly missed.

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