Chapter 65: The Trial

Chapter 65: The Trial

The shuttle landed at the spaceport of Dawn City, which had already made full preparations.

In an open space outside the city, a towering gallows had been erected. Quكن and his entire gang of pirates were bound tightly and detained beneath it. Alongside them, the smugglers—Mars Felassi, Dublak Quinto, Kenneth, and Spud—were also bound and held together.

Tang Xiao walked onto the high platform with a solemn expression, stepped up to the microphone, and spoke in a booming voice: "Today belongs to our Fourth Civilization! Because we have once again faced invaders, but this time..."

He swept his gaze across the surroundings, looking at the zealous citizens and soldiers. After pausing for a few seconds, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "We are victorious!"

"Ooh!!!" Deafening cheers erupted from the crowd below.

"And the masterminds behind this invasion, the sinners whose actions led to the sacrifice of over a dozen of our warriors, are right here!" Tang Xiao pointed fiercely at Kuquen.

The savage pirate was now bound like a zongzi, with a rag stuffed into his mouth, rendering him completely speechless. However, his eyes were filled with malice. Approaching sixty years of age, a pirate of this seniority had long since run out of prospects; begging for mercy was entirely out of the question for him.

Yet Tang Xiao had no intention of giving him any opportunity to utter a sound. Looking down from his elevated position, surveying the captives with disdain, Tang Xiao slowly pronounced: "Now, in the name of the Fourth Civilization, I sentence you—Iron-Tooth Kuquen, and the primary perpetrators of this invasion... to death!"

At the command, Kuquen and six other pirate leaders were escorted by marines onto the gallows, where ropes were fastened around their necks, and they were hoisted up. The six of them hung suspended in mid-air, struggling desperately, kicking their legs like frogs, but to no avail. As their movements grew increasingly feeble, their lives gradually slipped away, leaving them hanging high upon the gallows as cold corpses.

Everyone witnessed the scene. This gallows was not designed to snap a neck instantly, but rather to strangle a person slowly—a far more brutal process. And that was precisely the effect Tang Xiao desired.

The result was just as intended. The remaining pirates watched the execution with knees turned to jelly, barely able to stand. What terrified them even more was that a vacant spot remained on the gallows! This meant Tang Xiao intended to execute yet another person.

Meanwhile, the soldiers and citizens of the Fourth Civilization below cheered joyously, gazing at the corpses without a shred of fear, their eyes burning with fanaticism.

Next, Tang Xiao raised his finger and swept it slowly across the group of captives. "Among you, there are still those who ate our food while smashing our pots, leaking our intelligence, colluding with savage pirates, and causing us heavy losses..."

Upon hearing this, Quinto, Felassi, and the others broke out in a cold sweat. Their legs buckled, and they collapsed to the ground with a thud.

However, Tang Xiao’s finger did not linger on them; instead, it slowly pointed toward Kenneth. "You, Kenneth. I gave you the opportunity to serve the Fourth Corporation, providing you with the finest living conditions. But you—you thought only of how to seize it all! You deserve to die."

Before the words had even faded, two marines grabbed Kenneth by the arms, hoisted him up, and dragged him toward the gallows.

"No! Don't kill me! This has nothing to do with me! Quinto! Felassi! Save me, save me!" Kenneth kicked wildly at the ground, but resistance was futile. Dragged to the gallows, the marines began looping the rope around his neck.

Quinto and Felassi knelt motionlessly on the ground, staring blankly at Kenneth, too terrified to utter a single word.

"You... traitors! Traitors!! Administrator, Administrator... I beg you, don't kill me! It was Quinto who tipped off Kuquen, and Felassi who came up with the idea! It has nothing to do with me! I'll reflect on my actions! From now on I will be utterly loyal, I'll be your dog, just don't kill me! Woof! Woof!" Kenneth screamed frantically, his words becoming incoherent. To save his life, he even began barking like a dog.

Tang Xiao merely gave a cold wave of his hand. The marines jerked the rope violently, and Kenneth was hoisted into the air.

Watching him struggle desperately in mid-air, Quinto and Felassi were scared out of their wits—they literally wet themselves! The ground between their legs was soaked by warm fluid.

Tang Xiao, however, paid them no heed. He simply pointed at the remaining pirates and said, "As for you lot, I can spare your lives, but you are sentenced to hard labor for life. First, you will be sent to the mines. If your conduct is good, you may be transferred to the farms after three years, and obtain citizenship after ten. Redeem your sins with your sweat!"

With the living examples of those who had been slowly strangled to death fresh in their minds, the pirates dared not entertain any other thoughts. They fell to their knees one after another to express gratitude for Tang Xiao's mercy.

The pirates were escorted away, leaving the seven corpses swaying in the wind upon the gallows. The only ones left awaiting judgment were Quinto, Felassi, Spud, and their remaining five companions.

Tang Xiao turned back to look at them, remaining entirely silent.

Quinto and the others trembled like chaff in the wind, having no idea what kind of future awaited them. Regardless of anything else, they were the ones who had personally transmitted the intelligence to Kuquen—that was an undeniable fact. Therefore, it would come as no surprise if Tang Xiao chose to hang them up to catch the breeze as well.

Yet Tang Xiao deliberately kept his silence. Finally, Quinto could bear it no longer. He prostrated himself on the ground and cried out with a tearful voice, "Administrator, this was all my idea! Punish me if you must, just please spare Felassi and the others..."

"For such treacherous behavior of biting the hand that feeds you, how would you have me give you a chance?" Tang Xiao retorted coldly.

"I will definitely in the future..." Quinto started to say, but halfway through, he remembered that Kenneth had said almost the exact same thing just moments ago, only to end up hanging in the wind. The words died in his throat.

Tang Xiao let out a cold snort and gestured with his hand. Several marines immediately stepped forward, holding collars in their hands. They forcefully pinned Quinto, Felassi, and the others to the ground and snapped the collars around their necks.

"These are explosive collars. If any of you harbor malicious intentions, the collars will detonate instantly. I won't bother describing the outcome. I will simply remind you that these collars are linked; if one detonates, all the others will go off as well."

Having said this, Tang Xiao pointed at Felassi. "Although the matter originated with Kenneth, you played a pivotal role in the middle. Ordinarily, you too should be hanging beside Kuquen on the gallows. However, for Quinto's sake, I can spare your life. Your punishment, nevertheless, is life imprisonment at hard labor. Your dream of roaming the cosmos is over, thanks to your own foolishness."

Mars Felassi dropped to her knees and wept uncontrollably, unsure whether she was crying over her own foolishness or because she had narrowly managed to cling to life.