Chapter Twenty-Three: Silencing the Witness

In the vast emptiness of space, a sudden flash of white light signaled the arrival of a YT-1000 light freighter, which had just dropped out of hyperspace.

This ship was the *Lancer*, the vessel carrying Tang Xiao and his crew.

Having finally escaped Muunilinst, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Tang Xiao, in particular, was on the verge of collapse. He crawled out of the gun turret and slumped onto the floor. Cunt immediately unbuckled his harness and rushed over from the cockpit to help him up.

"We survived because of you," Cunt said with a grateful smile.

"We escaped? We actually escaped! Hahahaha!" Dubrak Quinto, the co-pilot, stared at his own hands in disbelief. He unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped up. "We did it! We actually managed to break through the blockade of Muunilinst! Hahaha! You have to understand, no one has ever managed to pull a job on Muunilinst and get away with it!"

Tang Xiao lacked the strength to speak. He sat on the floor and weakly pointed toward the cargo hold, signaling them to check on Semid.

Cunt nodded and arranged for Spard to perform a full system check, instructing him to cycle the shields, as they had no idea what might be waiting for them ahead.

"I think we should find a place to rest, resupply, and refuel," Quinto suggested.

"My advice is: don't," Cunt replied, shaking his head. "This Semid is a hot potato. It’s best to get rid of him as soon as possible. If we land on a planet, there's a high chance of complications."

A moment later, the T-850 hauled their objective over like a ragdoll. Tang Xiao and his crew finally got a good look at the man they were tasked to retrieve: a cowering Muun, wearing a monocle, looking timid and frail—a far cry from the sinister criminal mastermind they had imagined.

"According to the rules, we don't ask about his business. Let's contact Hego first," Cunt said, pulling out the communicator Hego had provided. It was clearly a disposable device; once the transaction was complete, they could simply discard it to sever all ties.

The connection was established, and the tall figure of Hego Damask II appeared in the projection. "You have retrieved Semid. Very good."

Upon seeing Hego, Semid became even more terrified. The Muun, who stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, practically curled into a ball. "Lord... Lord Hego. I have succeeded... The transaction records of the Tonith family are right here." He held out a storage device.

"Excellent. You will be handsomely rewarded," Hego said, his words double-edged. As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Cunt.

Semid whispered, "Yes... then, according to the agreement, may I..."

"Kill him," Hego said, staring at Cunt. The cold command emanated from behind his metal mask.

"Lord Hego! Have mercy! I fulfilled the agreement..." Semid fell to his knees, pleading desperately.

Cunt frowned, hesitating. Killing an unarmed, defenseless person was strictly against his code of conduct.

"We should do it now. It's the rules," Quinto whispered.

Hego Damask II remained silent, watching them coldly.

Cunt raised his blaster, but he couldn't pull the trigger. Just then, a gunshot rang out! Semid collapsed to the floor. Cunt spun around, only to see that it was Tang Xiao who had fired, a thin wisp of smoke curling from the barrel of the revolver in his hand.

"Heh... fine, then." Cunt gave a bitter smile and turned back to Hego. "It's done. I've killed him."

"Hehehehe..." Although his expression was hidden by the metal mask, Hego let out a grating, unpleasant laugh. "Good, very good! Hahahaha! Now, proceed to the planet Roon as agreed to collect your reward."

Cunt scoffed, gesturing toward Semid’s corpse. "I assume this man was also acting according to an agreement with you? Did he get his reward?"

"It is quite simple: he knew too much, while you... you still know nothing. Come to Roon, or you will find that in the vastness of the galaxy, there is nowhere left for you to stand. Hehehehe..." Hego Damask II sneered and cut the transmission.

Cunt went to Tang Xiao’s side and sighed softly. "Manager, you made the right decision. Forgive me; my hesitation almost ruined everything." He looked visibly dejected.

"He’s still alive. Hurry and treat him," Tang Xiao said, barely able to keep his eyes open. The continuous use of the Force had nearly drained his mind.

Cunt’s eyes lit up. He rushed back to check the Muun, discovering that Semid indeed still had a breath of life left. He immediately grabbed a medical kit to provide emergency care.

"I used live ammunition and used the Force to guide the shot to a non-lethal spot. At this range, the bullet will pass straight through. If we treat him quickly, he should survive," Tang Xiao added.

"All right, the bleeding is stopped. He’s saved for now, but he needs professional treatment immediately," Cunt said, straightening up after dressing the Muun’s wounds.

"We don't have time to drop him off at a planet for treatment. You’ll have to find another way," Tang Xiao whispered.

"A carbon-freezing chamber! We can seal him in a carbon-freezing chamber! This ship happens to have one," Quinto suggested.

They acted immediately. The T-850 carried Semid to a small storage room, and Quinto activated the controls. A burst of mist filled the chamber, and soon Semid was encased in a block of gray, semi-metallic, semi-rocky substance. They then tucked the carbonite block among a pile of cargo, hiding it securely.

Carbon-freezing technology was similar to cryosleep, only far more thorough. Originally developed for long-distance space travel, it had fallen out of favor after the invention of hyperdrives and was now commonly used to transport prisoners.

"I apologize for misunderstanding you earlier, Manager. I really didn't expect you to..." Cunt walked over to Tang Xiao and shook his hand in apology.

If they were in a game, Tang Xiao would have seen Cunt’s loyalty rating skyrocket.

"Don't think too highly of me. I was just keeping a card up my sleeve for ourselves," Tang Xiao said, patting Cunt on the shoulder before lying down on a nearby cot, where he fell asleep almost instantly.

"Let's get moving as soon as possible. It's a long way to Roon. We have to reach the Hydian Way and then transfer to the Corellian Trade Spine. I have to say, by the time we reach Roon, we won't have much fuel left. Hego certainly calculated that when he told us to deliver the cargo to a place as remote as Roon," Quinto said to Cunt.

"It can't be helped. Since it’s come to this, we’ll just have to go," Cunt nodded, returning to the pilot's seat and buckling his harness.