25 Mum..... let me

“Mum... let me,” he whispered with an eager gaze that made it difficult for one to refuse.

Zi Xingxi who had just spotted her target and his accomplices looked in his direction her finger moving off the trigger. She was about to reprimand him reminding him that this isn’t child’s play when she saw a rather familiar look in his eyes.

It was the same look she gave to her father the first time they went on vacation only to encounter space pirates hijacking a civilian transporter. At that time, her father had exchanged heated words with the renegade and threatened to blow up his entire fleet if he didn’t step down.

What did she do back then? The eight year old interrupted him asking, “Is he a bad guy?”

Zi Feiji, “Yes, honey.”

Zi Xingxi, “Oh, did he hurt innocent people?”

Zi Feiji, “Yep.”

Long silence...

Zi Xingxi, “Then will the world be better off without him?”

.....

Zi Feiji, “Yes, it would probably be much more sunnier than yesterday..... wait, why are you.....? Xixi no!”

Boom!!!

Zi Xingxi, “Look daddy, I made the world sunnier.”

As she said those words the inky darkness in space was lit brightly by a series of massive explosions spanning over a distance of one light-year.

That wasn’t even the most disturbing part. What was most disturbing was her accuracy. The civilian transporter was left untouched while the pirate fleet lit up space like a sun was exploding.

It seemed him bringing her along everywhere he went had resulted in her mimicking his behaviour including accurately locking on targets using the sophisticated defence system in his warship.

Seeing that she didn’t respond for a long time, Zi Han explained. “I was the one who did something wrong so I should be the one showing my sincerity... I will take responsibility.”

“Sincerity my ass..... you just want to fire that rifle, don’t you?” she said her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized him.

Zi Han who had been caught in his web of lies nervously scratched his head while saying, “It’s a little bit of both... okay, mostly the latter. I can do it.”

His fingers were really itchy. All his life he never felt discontented. He was satisfied with the way things were but for some reason, in this moments he felt a strong feeling of incompletion like he had never been complete before.

Zi Xingxi knew she shouldn’t allow him to but like he said this was his mistake and he should show his sincerity to Marshal Yi. From that look in her son’s eyes, she could see that he wouldn’t be resigned if he didn’t get this chance. If he felt nervous she could always take it away from him.

With that in mind, she shifted to her left side with her elbow propping up her body and handed over the sniper rifle to him. She didn’t miss that raw look of fascination, passion and slight restlessness in her son’s eyes.

In this moment her little boy wasn’t just a cute sunflower in a puffer jacket but a man who had found his calling. Even his aura at this moment had changed like she was looking at someone else.

She could see herself in him, she could also see her father in him. Unfortunately, she could also see that person in him. That person who left her without warning causing her so much pain and sorrow.

She could now understand why her father never actively sought out love. It was because people leave and when they do they leave a permanent deep scar in their loved ones’ hearts.

At least she had her son. She would teach him everything she knows so he wouldn’t leave as well. This is one of the reasons why she was willing to bring him here. She just didn’t think it would be so soon.

Zi Han wasn’t as calm as he appeared. His hands and feet were a little sweaty clearly demonstrating his nervousness. He knew the minute he decided to do this he had reached a point of no return. His mind was chaotic with a cocktail of diverse emotions but he knew he had to reorganize his thoughts.

historical

The coolness from his fingers rubbing against the pistol grip of the rifle chilled his sweaty fingers calming him down considerably. Just like in the simulator he lowered his head and peered through his scope.

An overwhelming sense of completion washed over his body as he exhaled deeply. His prior nervousness had completely vanished. It was as though the rifle was an extension of him. It was like a part of his body that had been missing for years.

Through the scope, Zi Han saw three heavy-duty hovercars and two hoverbikes raising the dust in the desert. “Confirm target,” he said in a hoarse voice devoid of all his childishness from before.

Zi Xingxi naturally accepted her position as the spotter looking through the pair of binoculars. Her expression seemed serious but if one looked closely they might see the slight smile at the corner of her lips. The vehicles in the distance stopped and a group of men came out of the black hovercars.

In her mind, she heard a voice she could only hear enthusiastically saying, ‘Master, that’s the redhead bastard. He is the one running the show. Let’s end him.’

Zi Xingxi had muted the AI system in Chronos, forbidding it from talking while his son was there in fear that it might say what it shouldn’t but in truth, it was all over the entire stealth cruiser begging to be let out of the dog house and talk to the young sir.

“Target confirmed..... initiate engagement sequence,” she said only for her to glance over and find that her son was already on it. She was proud that he was a natural at this but she couldn’t help but be a little worried that she had unleashed a little beast in the process.