Colonial Suit

“…a daughter I never understood.”

Hark spoke softly, his gaze fixed on Bloodshot.

His demeanor was remarkably calm, his tone gentle and even. Yet, his words carried an immense weight, as if he were stating an undeniable truth, compelling belief.

He carefully pried open the old man's fingers, then smoothed the wrinkles on his collar. He continued, “Your Excellency, I have no intention of challenging your authority, but I have a question to ask.”

“Speak…,” the old man said, his chest heaving, barely suppressing his anger.

Hark's actions were undoubtedly an affront to his dignity, but the old man chose to overlook it. Despite being a 'King,' he was often affable, deeply respected and admired by many space mercenaries.

His anger stemmed from Hark's initial powerlessness, but he was willing to hear what Hark had to say.

“I have only one question.” Hark took a deep breath, his expression earnest. “…what do you want her to become?”

Huh?

The old man was taken aback. What was Hark implying?

In the old man's mind, such things were irrelevant. He possessed ample connections, strength, wealth, and influence to provide his daughter with a life that countless others could only dream of. Ideals were inconsequential. He had decided long ago that his daughter was all he had left in this world, and he would not allow her to suffer even the slightest grievance. If she desired it, he would pluck the moon from the Third World without hesitation. Who cared about the lives of others?

However, the old man had never truly considered what he hoped she would become.

Was this… an ideal, an expectation?

For the first time, the old man fell silent. He frowned, his eyes flickering, as if recalling something.

As he pondered, Hark's voice drifted over.

“I know that every father wishes for their offspring to live the happiest life possible, and perhaps you have planned her entire future. That is why I must ask, what do you want your daughter to become? If you have an answer, I would be honored to learn it. But clearly… until this day, you have not contemplated these things.”

“Then, another question arises. A second question.”

Hark took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly gleaming with a brilliant light. “Do you know… what she wants to become?”

What… she wants to become!?

In an instant, the old man felt as if struck by lightning, his entire being frozen in place. Distant memories flooded his mind, memories of his daughter's childhood.

Back then, she could not yet speak, yet she stubbornly insisted on walking independently.

Back then, she could not yet walk, yet she stubbornly wanted to run.

Back then, she could not yet run, yet she stubbornly wanted to break free from support.

That was her, his only daughter. A little one who, from beginning to end, was full of stubbornness and rebellion. The old man had poured his heart and soul into her, yet he had forgotten her will.

What kind of person did she want to become?

Hark's words were soft, yet they struck the old man's heart like a thunderbolt. He realized that although he loved his daughter dearly, he had never truly entered her inner world. That distant, childish figure who always loved to smile and tug on his beard suddenly seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

Overwhelmed by a sense of loss, the old man fell silent. Gradually, a layer of confusion clouded his eyes.

“Yarna…my…”

He murmured, saying nothing more.

In this silent and frozen atmosphere, Hark spoke softly.

“She is a great warrior, but you have never considered the Grand Master's will. The blood flowing through her veins… how could it be content with mediocrity? I don't know if you have considered it, but she set a goal for herself from the beginning. That is to become an existence beyond the strong. And to accomplish this, the only way is to walk the path of purity.”

“That is her pride, her insistence!”

Here, Hark suddenly stepped forward, his gaze locked with the old man's. “And I… am the extension of her will!!”

“I have never violated my promise!!”

“Lies!!” the old man suddenly roared. “The truth is that she has vanished, while you are still alive.

With you like this, what right do you have to say that sentence?”

As the old man spoke, Bloodshot clearly saw a trace of pain flash across Hark's eyes, and his figure seemed to wither. Unknowingly, his voice had aged countless years.

“That… is my sorrow.”

He respectfully bowed, then returned to his previous lifeless and wooden state, and said in a low voice, “Let us end here. Your Excellency, next, it is time to fulfill your responsibility.”

With that, he walked out of the bridge without looking back, ignoring the old man's shout to stop.

Only the old man and Bloodshot were left in the room.

Outside the porthole, the vast universe remained unchanged. The old man fell into a long silence. His eyes were tightly closed, as if he was still recalling Hark's words. After a long time, he sighed and rubbed his forehead wearily.

“Do you think… I was wrong?”

He asked the question abruptly, but Bloodshot knew he was talking to him, so he replied honestly.

“I'm sorry, Your Excellency, I do not know.”

“Heh…” The old man gave a wry smile and shook his head repeatedly. “I'm confused, how could I ask you this? You probably weren't even a sperm back then.”

With that, he turned away, no longer looking at Bloodshot. After a while, he spoke again.

“Hark has changed a lot after this conversation. He's not as timid as before.

He actually dared to contradict me. Does this mean… he has found his spiritual sustenance again?”

“Bloodshot, can you tell me, what did he find?”

“Hmm?” Bloodshot's heart trembled, and all the muscles in his body suddenly tensed.

What did the old man mean by this?

Although the previous conversation confused Bloodshot greatly, he was not stupid. From that brief exchange, he had already guessed that the 'she' that Hark and the old man were talking about was the Grand Master of his Grand Master, the woman whom Hensel admired and never forgot. And the Path of Will and the Path of Purity made Bloodshot feel even more apprehensive.

This path… actually has such a history, such a meaning.

Then, wasn't he the new sustenance in Hark's heart that the old man was talking about?

No way, what is going on!?

At this moment, Bloodshot wanted to roar at the old man. That is my path and it has nothing to do with you. Don't be so self-righteous, okay! But the words circled around his mouth a few times, and finally only silence remained.

Silence spread between the two. Neither of them spoke. After a while, the old man smiled slightly, with a look of appreciation in his eyes.

“Do you know how long it has been since someone could act like this in front of me?”

“Hmm?” Bloodshot was stunned, not knowing what the old man meant.

“The Path of Will really has its unique side.” The old man didn't continue to say anything, and suddenly changed the subject. “Your life force is less than half now. You have to know that what I did last time can only be done once. So… this time you won't get any replenishment.”

“At this time, do you still insist?”

“…………” Bloodshot kept silent. After a while, he said softly, “Some roads always need someone to walk.”

As he spoke, Hensel's figure seemed to reappear in front of Bloodshot, the man who was like a tiger, whose will was like a mountain. A smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth.

“My path has no retreat.”

“Heh…” The old man smiled and waved his hand. The force field shielding the surroundings quietly disappeared. The two reappeared in the busy bridge. The crew's tense reports came from their ears. The old man said to Bloodshot.

“Hark is right, let's end this conversation here. Now I have more important things to do.”

“Okay.” Bloodshot nodded understandingly. The three had been talking for a while. According to the previous situation, the battle with the Mana people should have begun at this moment. He just didn't know if both sides' mother ships had taken a series of actions, and who had discovered whom first.

However, this question was quickly answered. Almost at the same time as the shielding layer was withdrawn, Bloodshot heard a crew member shout loudly.

“The enemy's Mana particle concentration is increasing tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold, damn it, the Sirbo waveform coating has been penetrated, they know we are here!!”

“They found us!”

Before he finished speaking, Bloodshot felt a flash of light in front of him, and a hazy green light appeared outside the porthole. This green light was like a plague, quietly infecting the energy shield emitted by the mother ship, and in a few breaths, the entire mother ship was dyed green. At this time, all the stealth systems of the mother ship failed, and the entire mother ship was like a bright pearl in the darkness, attracting attention.

“The Mana people are best at spreading Mana particles. This particle has extremely strong penetrating and infectious properties. It can cover a large area of ​​the starry sky in a very short time. When infected by this particle, the energy of any ship will be disturbed and invaded. In severe cases, it may even lose power.” The old man's voice came from his ear. He explained in a low voice. “This is the Mana people's specialty. In the Third World, it has the best anti-stealth effect. The only problem is that it must be actively released to confirm the enemy's existence.”

Speaking of this, the old man smiled. “Which of the civilizations in the Third World is weak? What's more, the Mana race is such a behemoth. These little guys are still too naive.”

“What about us?” Bloodshot asked. “Have we also discovered the other party?”

“We can't pinpoint it yet. Mana particles have both detection and hiding effects, so it is the Mana people's unique move. As for us, we can scan out a general area at most now.”

“What should we do then?”

“Of course, rush up!” The old man smiled slightly and said nonchalantly. “The Mana people have their own unique moves, don't we have them?”

Before he finished speaking, Bloodshot heard the captain of the mother ship suddenly roar. “Rush up!!”

“Rush to the predetermined area!! Open the hatch and release the warships!! Let them know how powerful we are!!”

“Crush them!!”