Mysterious Commission

The Falcon sailed alone through the dark void of space, its engines humming low. I sat in the cockpit, watching the stars whiz by outside the window, but I felt uneasy.

Old Gun's words kept echoing in my ears: "This deal is too fishy."

Yeah, indeed it was. A bounty of five hundred thousand Star Coins, an anonymous client, and that strange demand—"Bring them back alive or dead," but with emphasis on "try to capture alive." It sounded like a trap, a carefully designed one.

But I had already accepted the job, and there was no backing out now.

I opened the data chip to check the information. The chip's contents were sparse, only the target's approximate location and some basic traits: female, age between twenty and thirty, height about 1.7 meters, with a head of silver-white hair.

Silver-white hair?

In this era, silver-white hair wasn't common. Usually, there were only two possibilities: natural genetic mutation or a side effect of genetic modification.

"A Gene Fugitive…" I muttered to myself, "Could her hair color be the result of genetic modification?"

I shook my head, pushing the thoughts aside. The priority was to find the target, complete the mission, and collect the bounty.

After sailing for about six hours, the Falcon finally arrived at the Thirteenth Abandoned Space Station.

It was a massive space station, once a major hub of The Alliance, but abandoned during a war ten years ago. Now, it floated silently in space, like a giant tomb.

I docked the ship at a derelict landing bay, then put on my space suit and prepared to enter the station.

The entrance was covered in dust and rust, looking as though no one had been there for a long time. I carefully pushed open the hatch, and a blast of cold air hit me.

Inside, it was pitch dark, with only emergency lights casting faint glows. I turned on the helmet light, and the beam cut a bright path through the darkness.

"Anyone here?" I shouted, my voice echoing through the empty corridors.

No response.

I walked down the corridor, my footsteps ringing on the metal floor. The rooms on either side were abandoned, some with doors wide open, revealing cluttered equipment and documents inside.

As I walked, I kept alert for any movement. According to the intel, the target was hiding here, but I wasn't sure if she was actually present. After all, this was just an abandoned station—who would choose to hide here?

About ten minutes later, I reached the central area. This had once been the station's command center, now dilapidated. The huge displays were off, and the consoles were covered in dust.

Just then, I heard a faint sound.

"Who's there?"

I spun around, raising my Pulse Gun and aiming at the direction of the sound.

A figure emerged from the darkness.

It was a young woman, around twenty-four or twenty-five. She wore a white lab coat, and her silver-white hair shimmered faintly under the emergency lights. Her eyes were large, with deep blue pupils that seemed slightly melancholic.

"Are you the Gene Fugitive?" I asked, my finger tight on the trigger.

The woman didn't answer, just looked at me steadily. There was no fear in her eyes, only a strange calmness, as if she had long expected this day.

"I'm not a fugitive," she finally spoke, her voice soft. "My name is Su Wei. I'm a researcher at the Genesis Group."

"Genesis Group?" I frowned. "The gene research company?"

Su Wei nodded. "Yes. But I've left that place."

"Why?"

Su Wei's expression turned serious. "Because I discovered something I shouldn't have. Genesis Group is conducting illegal gene experiments—they're creating mutant creatures and gene soldiers."

I was taken aback. Gene experiments? Hadn't The Alliance banned them long ago?

"What are you talking about?" I sneered. "The Alliance has banned genetic modification for years. How could Genesis Group dare to do such things?"

"Because they have backing," Su Wei's voice grew urgent. "The CEO of Genesis Group, Zhao Tianxiong, has influence throughout the entire Interstellar Alliance. Many within The Alliance are his people, so he can do whatever he wants."

I looked at Su Wei; her expression didn't seem like a lie. But it all sounded too incredible—a company defying The Alliance's ban to conduct illegal gene experiments?

"Do you have evidence?" I asked.

Su Wei pulled out a small data terminal from her pocket. "This contains all the data from Genesis Group's gene experiments, including reports, lists of subjects, and…" she paused, "a plan called 'Gene Storm.'"

"Gene Storm?"

"Yes," Su Wei's voice dropped. "It's Genesis Group's ultimate plan. They intend to build a device that could trigger a massive evolution of human genes. Once activated, it would change the fate of the entire Interstellar Alliance."

I stared at the data terminal in her hand, hesitant. Was everything she said true? If so, the terminal was priceless. If false, she was deceiving me.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "Aren't you afraid I'll hand you over to the client?"

Su Wei looked at me, her eyes carrying a strange trust. "Because I saw something in your eyes. You're not the kind of person who would do anything for money."

I was taken aback. How did she know?

"Besides," Su Wei continued, "even if you hand me over, they won't let you go. Because you already know too much."

I fell silent. Her words made me ponder. She was right—if Genesis Group was truly conducting illegal experiments, they wouldn't let anyone with knowledge live.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

Su Wei's eyes lit up. "I want you to help me deliver this data to the high-ranking officials of The Alliance. Only then can we expose Genesis Group's crimes and stop their plan."

I looked at the data terminal in her hand and made a decision.

"Alright," I lowered the Pulse Gun, "I'll help you."

Su Wei smiled faintly. "Thank you."

Just then, I heard hurried footsteps. Someone was coming!

"Someone's coming!" I whispered, pulling Su Wei behind an abandoned console.

The footsteps grew closer. I peered through a gap in the console and saw several people in black combat suits entering. They wore masks and carried weapons, looking like professional mercenaries.

"Search the entire station," one said. "Find that woman."

"Yes!"

My heart tightened. Who were they? Genesis Group's people? How did they find this place so quickly?

"They're Genesis Group's pursuers," Su Wei whispered in my ear. "I knew they wouldn't let me go."

I gripped my Pulse Gun, calculating my options. There were four of them, and I only had one gun. A fight might not go my way.

"Follow me," I said, pulling Su Wei and slipping out from behind the console. "I know an escape route."

We ran down the corridor, the footsteps growing closer. I led Su Wei to an emergency exit, opened the hatch, and space was outside.

"How do we get out?" Su Wei asked, not wearing a space suit.

"My ship is outside," I said. "Hold on tight."

I took off my space suit, draped it over Su Wei, then grabbed her and jumped out of the emergency exit.

The cold vacuum of space instantly engulfed us. I felt my body float in zero gravity. I held Su Wei's hand tightly and swam toward the Falcon.

Behind us, the pursuers also jumped out, but they were slower in their bulky space suits.

Finally, we boarded the Falcon. I quickly closed the hatch, started the engines, and the ship roared to life, slowly pulling away from the station.

Through the cockpit window, I saw the pursuers' ship also starting, chasing after us.

"They're catching up!" Su Wei said.

"Don't worry," I gripped the controls. "The Falcon may be old, but it's fast."

I accelerated to maximum speed, curving through space toward the Interstellar Black Market.

The pursuers kept on our tail, but the Falcon picked up speed, gradually pulling away.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Su Wei. "Alright, we're safe for now."

Su Wei nodded, took off the space suit, revealing her white lab coat. She looked pale but determined.

"Thank you," she said. "If it weren't for you, I would have been caught."

"Don't mention it," I said. "But I have to warn you, we're in a dangerous situation now. Genesis Group won't let us go easily."

Su Wei was silent for a moment. "I know. But as long as I can deliver this data to The Alliance, it's worth it."

"Wait." Su Wei suddenly spoke, her face turning pale. "I forgot something—the chip has an encrypted file that can only be opened by a specific gene sequence."

"What do you mean?"

"It means," Su Wei looked out the window, fear in her eyes, "Genesis Group has a tracking method… they can locate anyone carrying their research results through gene markers."

I looked down at myself—I had handled the data chip back in the station.

"Do they already know your location?" I asked.

Su Wei didn't answer, but her silence said it all.

Suddenly, the Falcon's alarm blared—a ship was approaching.