Chapter 65

Leonard begged even more, as his mind raced, trying to come up with something to say. "Sir, I-I-I already have a solution for Bedrichi's market. I'm pretty sure that we can take over it soon."

"As for the issue with young master Charles... I'll be mobilizing personnel and equipment from other planets and I'll find a way to restore him to his previous self, no! Better than he was before. I'll apprehend the culprit immediately and torture him while we await your arrival. Please sir, just give me one more chance..."

"No, no no. Don't worry your little head about that, I'll send someone to handle it. Make the best you can out of the last few months of life you'll have on Bedrichi. Do not even think about running away or trying to avoid your fate or doing something that'll hurt the Ashlin group, or I'll skin most of your family alive, leaving only a few in the same vegetative state as my son." As the words left his mouth, Mark's projection leaned forward, indicating that he was about to terminate the virtual call.

Leanard's brain was firing on all cylinders when he suddenly raised his head. "SIR! Before you end the call, I-I have another piece of news about the Warlock-Level mech you were tracking over ten years ago! I have found it!"

Mark's holographic figure froze before he leaned in even more, his elbows now on his knees and his expression changing to one of interest with a hint of anger. "Oh? Have you now? So tell me, where is it?"

"The mech that is being piloted by Ajax, there is something off about it. There are some things that hint at Ajax's mech and the mech you were tracking a decade ago being the same mech. I'm not entirely sure as of now, but I'll uncover the truth once we have him under our custody!" Leonard insisted as he nodded.

Just like he had said, he wasn't certain if the mech Ajax was piloting was the same one, however, the fact that some clues hinted at it being the same one was crucial and he needed to say something that would have a shot at saving his life.

Mark noticed Leonard's hesitation and frowned. "You're not speaking the truth. What are you lying to me about?"

"N-no, sir, I swear I'm telling you the truth. Ajax is definitely piloting the Warlock-Level mech you were chasing over a decade ago. If I'm lying, then you can make my death as painful as possible, as painful as you deem fit." Leonard hurriedly assured him, knowing he had nothing to lose at this point.

"Hmm... Interesting, things seem to be getting very interesting... Alright, you better keep a close watch. Even if you aren't able to capture him, you better not let him leave Bedrichi. You'll await the arrival of my eldest son's fleet." Mark stood up and leaned on what seemed to be the edge of a table. "Just know that if you are lying and deceiving me..... oh so help you God, you and your family will be facing some...dire, very dire consequences. There's no escaping fate, I hope that is something you can understand, yes?"

With Mark's financial and social standing, a Warlock-Level mech held little to no value for him. However, the possible significance of it is something that only a select few knew about. If it was truly the same Warlock-Level mech, then it held the key to transform a low-level planet into a high-level one. For that reason alone, he had invested a considerable amount of resources over the past decade in the hopes of locating its pilot or the mech itself.

"Yes, sir. I understand, I promise that I won't let you down. Thank you, thank you so much sir, you have no idea of the depth of my gratitude for you, sir!" Leonard bowed and stayed in that position until Mark terminated their connection. Once he did, Leonard lay on the ground and panting heavily, thanking his lucky stars are sweat poured down his brow. He had narrowly escaped death, but now his fate was tied to Ajax's mech and his speculation. The situation was not looking good for him, but Leonard wasn't the type to resign himself to fate. He was already formulating plans to flee once the truth came to light...

***

After about seven or eight hours, Ajax, who had fallen asleep in his bus seat, was woken up by a commotion. He blinked groggily and looked around, taking in the atmosphere and his surroundings. He realized that the bus had finally reached its destination. He put on his hat tightly, ensuring that the front brim of it was just barely above his eyebrows before joining the rest of the passengers at Boirdale's bustling station.

The city's skyline was lit with vibrant lights that shone from the towering buildings that were adorned with flashing advertisements. Ajax inhaled deeply, invigorated by the energy of the metropolis. He checked his Vox and noticed that he had multiple missed calls from Erica, something that prompted him to call her back.

(TN: Imagine a Cyberpunk 2077-style city, that's the picture I got from it)

"What's the point of having a Vox if you're not going to use it? Lily and I were about to head to the police station to look for you," Erica's voice came in through the Vox, impatience blanketed her tone.

"That's my bad, I ended up dozing off. I just arrived at the station. Where you at?" Ajax asked as he scanned his surroundings, on the lookout for them and any problems that could arise.

"We're also at the station. We've been here for hours, look to your right." Erica said to Ajax as she emerged from the shadows barely waving her hands, as if she had grown tired of waiting. Lily trailed behind her with a jumbo lollypop that was bigger than her head, oblivious to her surroundings as she licked it with a crazed look in her eyes.

"The ride here was killer. It was so fucking long and slow, agh," Ajax remarked wryly as he make his way toward Erica and Lily, stretching his back a bit as he walked. It wasn't that he couldn't opt for a faster mode of transport, but that any other conventional means of transportation required you to ID yourself to the authorities, so a nondescript vehicle of public transportation was a safer option.

"You know, if you had taken any longer then she might have starved to death," Erica said as she gestured towards Lily who was still in her own world where it was just her and her jumbo lollypop. Lily had demonstrated an insatiable appetite for the past couple of hours, devouring everything she could get her hands on. Erica, wary of Lily's impulsiveness, wanted to avoid any potential outbursts.

"Yeah, as I said, I'm sorry. But it wasn't like I was the one driving or anything," Ajax chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "So, where's the truck?"

"You don't have to worry about it, I secured a garage when we arrived and parked the truck inside," Erica informed him as she pulled out her Vox to project a live feed of the garage cameras with the truck still inside, just as she had left it.

"Good call," Ajax nodded appreciatively, acknowledging the convenience of avoiding the hassle of driving suck a large vehicle through the heavy traffic and narrow streets of the city.

"Ajax, can we get some of that?" Lily suddenly spoke up and pointed toward an advertisement for a BBQ restaurant. She turned her head to the side as she asked this, ensuring maximum levels of cuteness and innocence to force Ajax's hand.

"So, what's out next move? Do you have any plans?" Erica asked Ajax as she ignored Lily, but glanced up at the one building that had the BBQ advertisement on one of its screens before she shot a deadpan glare at Lily. Their departure had been hastily arranged and therefore lacked a concrete plan, something that left Erica feeling uncertain of their purpose in Boirdale.

"I'm gonna go shopping first, get men some new clothes and whatnot. Then I'll go to the Apollo Academy tomorrow morning to meet...an acquaintance of mine. I also want to learn to fly a jet, it might come in useful in the future. How about you? Is there anything you want to do?" Ajax pressed the brim of his hat and glanced around.

He had learned an important lesson about the usefulness of jets while he was at the border. So now that he understood their importance, he felt like he needed to study while he had the time to do so.

"Alright, you know what, I want to learn how to fly a jet as well," Erica said as she took out a mint from her pocket and popped it into her mouth.

"Alrighty then, that settles it." Ajax nodded.

"But what about her? All she knows to do is eat, what are you going to do with her? Why don't you just find someplace to abandon her or something?" Erica said as she pointed at Lily, jokingly threatening her. This caused Lily's eyes to widen in fear and she stopped licking her lollypop. She didn't dare utter a word under Erica's gaze, afraid that Ajax may agree with her.

"You know what, I'll purchase some primary school textbooks for her to begin reading and learning tomorrow morning. If she decides that she isn't going to learn, then we'll just get rid of her," Ajax concurred, his words aligning with Erica's plan. Given Lily's potential, she warranted training as a pilot. However, basic literacy skills were imperative to her development, he didn't want her to become illiterate.

With their course of action finally established, the trio continued on with their explorations, reveling in the newfound delights of the city, something that Ajax himself had never had the chance to do due to his financial constraints.

Ajax led the way as they arrived at the Apollo Academy the following morning. Lily was next to him, clutching his pants with one hand as her other hand was balled into a fist, and her eyes were shut tightly.