```
There was an emergency alarm in his pocket, which Yang Ming pulled out before anyone else, giving Gulipa a quick once-over; the latter, along with the trembling old Bailin, raised their hands quiveringly.
"This... how is this possible..." Gulipa managed to growl with difficulty.
"Haha! Hahaha! This is a miracle!"
Kolev burst out excitedly, dancing around, completely at a loss for the right words.
Yang Ming paid no attention to the crazy old man.
He threw the alarm over, yanked the gold-etched pistol from Gulipa's bosom, threw the warden to the ground, stepped on his chest, and pressed the gun against old Bailin's forehead.
"Tell me what I want to know," Yang Ming said, "Ten seconds, speak and you may live, ten, nine, eight, seven..."
Old Bailin called out tremblingly, "It was Chief Gulipa's plan, I know nothing! Right after you first spoke to me, Gulipa suddenly came to see me and told me to cooperate in assassinating you and Kolev!"
Whoosh!
The gun, lacking a biometric lock, fired a ray; old Bailin's forehead sported a bloody hole, and his corpse slumped to the ground.
"Without intelligence, you have no value."
Yang Ming murmured softly, looking down at Gulipa.
By his side, Kolev's gaze on Yang Ming undergoes a subtle change.
The warden's elegance was gone, his eyes reflecting the charred blood hole atop old Bailin's head.
"Six, five, four..."
Yang Ming's voice sounded like midnight church bells tolling.
"Oh, please no! Hanton! I have information!"
Gulipa cried out with a trembling voice, "To eliminate you, was, was an order from the New Federation Intelligence Bureau. They didn't want you to testify again, and orchestrating the escape was their idea."
Yang Ming asked, "Why involve this Kolev?"
"Kolev is... someone gave me an offer I couldn't refuse, to have Kolev dead in prison soon. I figured I'd lump you two together, that way I could also sling mud at the Sherman Empire... their soldiers working with the infamous pirates..."
Yang Ming frowned, "Your purpose in killing me was to sling mud at the Sherman Empire?"
"Oh?" Kolev furrowed his brow even more, "I became the dirty kick to cast aspersions on this young man?"
Gulipa's voice continued to tremble, the foot on his chest nearly suffocating him, "Yes, that's right, I've told you everything, please don't kill me, I can help you both escape! I beg you, Lord Hanton!"
"Who wants Kolev dead?" Yang Ming asked softly.
Kolev shrugged beside him, "I have countless enemies."
Gulipa's Adam's apple bobbed, whispering, "I'm not sure, someone reached out to me... they always find me."
Seemingly a common occurrence in such dealings.
"Warden, you've switched off the surveillance in this area? And you aren't carrying any hidden communication devices, are you?" Yang Ming asked with a smirk.
Gulipa hurriedly replied, "Yes, after all, this isn't exactly an honorable job, spare me, I'll escort you out immediately."
Yang Ming's mouth twitched slightly, "Hypocritical Federation."
Whoosh!
Gulipa's head burst open, his bulging eyes filled with resentment.
Kolev frowned, "Hey, didn't you say whoever speaks gets to live?"
"Why adhere to principles with an enemy?"
Yang Ming replied calmly.
Kolev blinked, then shrugged and chuckled lightly, crouching down with Yang Ming.
```
Yang Ming crouched down and searched, pulling out a wallet from Gulipa. After rifling through it for a while, he found nothing valuable—just a few unusable cards.
Kolev found a square glass device on Gulipa—the personal network terminal.
The pirate leader began his performance.
First, he fumbled in his bushy beard and pulled out a metal whisker, then stuck it onto the glass. Next, he plucked two false teeth from his mouth, inside which hid several tiny discs, which he then attached to the metal whisker.
The square glass lit up automatically, displaying a simple user interface.
A hint of surprise flickered in Yang Ming's eyes.
"The tools of the trade must always be carried with you, especially since the Human Council's influence means they hardly ever conduct thorough searches on prisoners."
Kolev shrugged his shoulders as his fingers moved quickly over the device, and he couldn't resist exclaiming in admiration.
"Fantastic, Gulipa's terminal has powerful capabilities and is even connected to the control room. This will make things much easier. I'll implant a virus for them first. Oh, this prison uses the same control system as its predecessor—the transport ship. Taking over a spaceship is like eating at home for me, but we must wait for the right moment."
Yang Ming asked, "Can we use this craft to leave?"
Kolev immediately shook his head, "Military stuff usually has remote control backdoors, and with our method, we couldn't break through Cole Port's protective shield. Gulipa's terminal can only hack this prison internally; there are many firewalls outside."
Yang Ming nodded; the old pirate really knew his stuff.
"You're a cyborg, aren't you? One of the powerful genetically modified cyborgs of the Sherman Empire?" Kolev's eyes gleamed as he asked, "I've never seen a soldier take down four mechanical guards with bare hands!"
Yang Ming had already stripped off Gulipa's clothes, throwing them along with the wallet to Kolev.
"Can you contact your daughter now, First Mate Kolev?"
"I need to get to their control room, First Mate Hanton!"
Kolev replied defiantly:
"We need a ship that can escape pursuit, one equipped with a jump drive. We can find our way out of this prison and hide in Cole Port first. Then, I'll contact my ship to jump here; it should take about four hours!"
"Four hours?" Yang Ming rubbed his forehead.
That was way too long.
"Indeed, at least three hours," Kolev said quickly. "A plan has already formed in my head.
"We need a mutiny to buy some time, using the prison riot to draw the attention of Cole Port's defense forces.
"Young First Mate, we need you to take out a few more guards for me. We have to take control of the main control room on the fourth floor. Once we control that, I can handle the rest. You've proven your strength; now it's time for me as the captain to prove my worth!"
Yang Ming was about to correct Kolev's use of titles when Kolev added:
"Right, First Mate, we also need to destroy all the video recording devices here. If your identity can remain a secret, that will be an ace card.
"I can hardly wait to see you roam the stars unrestrained!"
Yang Ming glanced at Kolev, "You'll keep my secret, won't you, First Mate?"
It was strange; showing just a bit of his strength couldn't subdue this old guy.
"Of course," Kolev's voice trembled with excitement, "you'll become a legendary pirate! And one brought up by me! Hahaha! Let's make a big splash! Oh, right First Mate, I haven't asked yet, what's your name?"
"You can call me Captain Hanton."
"That name is too common."
"Yang Ming."
"Alright, First Mate Hanton."
The little old man casually donned Gulipa's tailcoat and picked up the walking stick, looking quite the part.
"It's time to get up, kiddos."