Chapter 101: The Early Bird Catches the Worm (3)

Everyone gathered in the room after hearing Louis’s news.

Page muttered with a slight frown on her face, “The bridge…”

They had been searching everywhere over the past few days but never thought he would hide stolen goods there of all places.

Well… If it’s supposed to be the safest place on board, then naturally it’d be the bridge.

After pondering for a moment, Page looked at Louis and asked him, “Exactly where on the bridge did you say this was?”

“The captain’s quarters attached to the bridge. He mentioned that there is some kind of secret space connected to his private area. Apparently, though, he couldn’t confirm what exactly was inside.”

“That should be enough information.”

“That’s true.” Louis nodded in agreement.

The bridge was a restricted area where civilians couldn’t enter freely, and it housed the bedroom of the highest-ranking officer on board the airship. What could possibly be the reason for having another secret space within such a location?

It must have been the captain’s room, Louis thought.

In all likelihood, the captain would not only be responsible for navigating the ship but also overseeing the transport and sale of valuable cargo.

With this realization, Louis smiled at Page.

“Now it’s time to put your skills to work.”

“Huh?” Page blinked, puzzled by the request.

Louis shrugged nonchalantly.

“You’re the one who said that finding out where something is hidden determines eighty percent of whether or not you’ll succeed as a thief.”

”…I did.”

“Well, I’ve covered 80%, so you must fill in the remaining 20%, right?”

”…?”

“Go devise a plan on how to steal goods without getting caught.”

Page’s face scrunched up.

What was he saying?

It was blatantly clear that he intended to use her.

She glanced at him sideways and asked.

“What will you be doing while I’m gone?”

“Oh, nothing draws attention more than having a kid like me running around, don’t you think? Am I wrong?”

”…”

“This kind of thing should be left to experts.”

Only now did she realize how being young could actually work in her favor.

The petite Page grumbled softly before heaving a resigned sigh. “Sigh… alright.”

She secretly thought this might be for the best. Planning on her own could be more advantageous than having some amateur who didn’t even know the basics of thievery constantly second-guessing her every move.

This way, I can shape the plan in my favor. Heh-heh.

Smiling inwardly, she nodded confidently.

“Well then, it’s been a while since I’ve put my skills to work.”

Seeing Page’s newfound confidence, Louis waved his hand dismissively.

“Go ahead and show us what you’re made of!”

Now get lost and do your job, slave!

Louis’s eyes curved like crescent moons as he watched her go.

Time flew by quickly.

Page, as an involuntary slave, diligently worked on her plan. The day before the scheduled end of their flight, everyone gathered again in Louis’s room. Page stood at the center and reported their progress so far.

“The bridge is structured like this.” She showed them a precisely drawn diagram she had made herself.

She continued talking: “There are fourteen crew members aboard. Excluding the captain and first mate, there are eight men and four women.”

“…”

“The airship operates with two shifts based around the captain and first mate; the captain leads during nighttime flights. We’ll arrive over the Summer Continent and land at approximately ten PM.”

“Wasn’t the original plan to strike just before the airship lands? Hit and run?”

“Yes. That’s why we’ll infiltrate during the captain’s duty hours. It works well for us too.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to target when the captain is asleep? How about tonight?”

“Nope. It’s better to aim for when the ship is empty rather than occupied by the mistress. Besides, the captain conducts all their activities within their bedroom—sleeping, eating, even using the restroom… They never leave the room for a moment.”

“You mean… the captain constantly checks on the stolen goods?”

“It’s just a guess, but that seems likely.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s why the best time to execute our plan is during the night shift change on the airship, when the captain vacates his quarters.”

”…And how do we intend to pull this off?”

“We’ll infiltrate the bridge disguised as other crew members of the ship.”

As Page flawlessly outlined their strategy, Louis couldn’t help but marvel at her expertise.

She truly lives up to being called a mastermind.

Over the past few days, Louis had observed how Page gathered information. It became clear to him how she’d earned her reputation as one of the most notorious thieves in the Fall Continent. He was continually astonished by her abilities.

They say that women can convincingly transform themselves…

He wasn’t sure if those words were appropriate here, but he struggled to find better ones to praise Page’s exceptional skills in disguise.

How can a person change so drastically in an instant?

In modern times, there was something called special effects makeup.

From Louis’ perspective, Page’s disguise skills were at least as impressive as that—if not more so.

One day she’d be a refined noblewoman.

The next, a vibrant young girl.

Sometimes, even an elderly woman on death’s door.

Her aura would shift accordingly.

Proud and haughty.

Or pitiful and wretched.

At other times, gloomy and melancholic.

Page, who could control all these elements with ease, was truly a master of disguise.

Even standing right beside her, Louis found himself questioning whether it was really Page due to her sudden transformations. He often had to double-check if he wasn’t seeing things. If someone didn’t know better, they’d undoubtedly think they were looking at different people entirely.

Using her remarkable ability to disguise herself, Page had moved freely throughout the airship, gathering information from all corners before crafting a flawless plan. Though Louis wasn’t well-versed in theft, he could tell this was no ordinary feat.

As Louis marveled at her ingenuity, Page turned to Pablo.

“Pablo, your role is crucial in our scheme.”

“N-no need to worry! I’ll do my utmost!”

Pablo’s task was to cause a commotion near the bridge, drawing the captain and crew away while Page and Louis infiltrated it.

Louis felt his heart race with excitement over Page’s strategy.

This… This is like a movie! Louis thought excitedly.

He was about to sneak onto an airship on a mission to steal illegally traded goods—a thrilling infiltration that left him exhilarated.

Just then, the twins appeared beside him.

“What’re we gonna do, Louis?” they asked eagerly.

“We’re—” Caught off guard by their urgency, Louis hesitated.

Oh boy, I almost forgot about these two.

It would have been stranger if they hadn’t tried to join in something this intriguing. The problem was, there was a high chance the mischievous twins could mess up his carefully laid plans.

After a moment’s deliberation, Louis placed his hands on their shoulders.

He spoke to them with a serious expression on his face.

“You two will be decoys.”

“Decoys?”

“What?”

“You’ll draw attention away from Pablo as we move around—this is an important task that requires skill.”

“R-really?”

“We’re counting on you because we know you can handle it. The lives of our infiltration team—Pablo and me—are in your hands. Can you do this, twins?”

“Yes!”

“I’m sure we can!”

Louis casually handed over the twins to Pablo, who now had two extra burdens attached to him like tumors. His complexion turned pale at the sight of them clinging onto him desperately. He opened his mouth wide, pleading for mercy, but Louis ignored him completely.

Their acting skills are top-notch, so they’ll probably pull off the deception well.

With that, the plan was finalized once and for all. They then spent several more hours reviewing it until late at night.

“So we’re going through with this…tomorrow evening. Get some rest in the meantime.”

“You too.” Louis and Page exchanged meaningful smiles as she got up from her seat.

Pablo scurried after her, and just before he left the room, Louis sent a message right between his shoulders:

Startled but nodding understandingly, Pablo exited the chamber.

And so arrived the last day of their flight. Darkness fell over the ship as time quietly ticked away toward the appointed hour.

The next afternoon.

Bang - Bang!

The bridge door reverberated with loud knocks.

The crew members frowned; such disturbances were unheard of during their usual shifts.

“What’s going on?”

“Which lunatic is pounding on the bridge door like that?”

“Is it some rookie playing a prank?”

Bang - Bang - Bang!

As they bickered among themselves, the knocking continued relentlessly.

“Hey, you young one, go check it out.”

“Yes sir.”

The youngest member of the crew sighed heavily as he opened the door.

Standing there was a burly man with an intimidating appearance—a face none of them had ever seen before.

The rookie stewardess forced herself to remain composed. “Who are you? No wait, more importantly—this isn’t the place for this kind of behavior.”

“Are you the captain?”

“Are you looking for the captain? I’m not sure what this is about, but if you have something to say, I can pass it on.”

“If I didn’t know what was going on, I wouldn’t be here! I’ll deliver your message myself! The customer service here is absolute garbage!”

“The bridge is directly related to passenger safety. So…”

“It’s not like I’m asking to meet someone inaccessible! I just want to speak with the captain—what’s so difficult about that?”

“That’s not the issue…”

“Get the captain over here! Now!”

The rookie steward, caught off guard by this unreasonable behavior, didn’t know how to proceed.

Just then, a man wearing a blindfold emerged from one corner of the bridge.

“What seems to be the problem?”

A middle-aged man with a badge on his shoulder stood out among the other crew members due to his different attire. He frowned at the commotion near the bridge entrance.

The captain erupted in fury. “You lunatics! What deranged bastard told you to open the bridge door?”

“T-that…”

Under the captain’s furious rebuke, their faces paled as they belatedly recalled the unspoken rule during flight.

His single eye glared menacingly at the crew inside the bridge.

“Have you all lost your minds thinking about landing tomorrow? Once this flight is over, every one of you will be suspended!”

“I-I’m sorry!” The crew members bowed repeatedly, their faces drained of color.

Meanwhile, the livid captain approached the bridge entrance.

“Out of my way!”

The captain’s fierce grip forced the rookie crew member to retreat.

His eyes blazed as he confronted the burly man causing a scene near the bridge.

“What gives you the right to cause trouble here?! Get out immediately!”

“Are you the captain?”

In an instant, the giant’s face transformed from obstinate to cool and collected.

The sudden shift in demeanor froze the captain’s features. He sensed something was off.

Sniff sniff.

The captain’s nose twitched slightly.

Though he now commanded a non-military airship, there was a time when he had been a notorious pirate. Back then, he’d grown weary of certain scents—ones that still occasionally assailed his nostrils even today.

The smell of blood…

A faint scent of blood wafted from the man before him.

The captain quickly scanned the figure standing at attention. His eyes caught sight of crimson staining the hem of the giant’s pants.

Wh-what is this guy?!

Sensing something was amiss, he tried to hastily draw away. But the stowaway was faster.

Shunk.

“Ackkk!” The captain’s eyes bulged out as a strange ripping sound filled the air.

A silver blade burst through his chest.

“Guh?” With that short cry, the captain crumpled to the floor.

“C-Captain?!”

“W-What?!”

Startled crew members sprang up from their seats.

Meanwhile, several men dropped down from the ceiling of the bridge corridor. They vaulted over the captain’s corpse, pouring into the room and swinging their blades wildly.

“Aargh!”

“Argh!”

Crewmen were helplessly cut down one after another. It didn’t take long for all hands on the bridge to be dispatched.

Eek?!

The sole surviving rookie flight attendant turned pale as he witnessed his seniors transformed into walking corpses and the blood they dripped.

At that moment, someone approached from one side with their mask removed.

It was a man with a large scar running diagonally across his face, from below his left eye to his right cheek.

Shing!

He unsheathed a blade, slowly walked towards the rookie, and swung it casually.

Swoosh.

Thud!

The rookie’s head fell to the ground instantly, sending blood spurting everywhere. The crimson liquid even splattered onto the bridge windows.

In the darkness, the moonlight made the blood shimmer, mirroring the flickering gaze of the scarred man who bore witness to this scene.

“Heh.” A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, distorting the ugly scar on his face. His eyes, filled with murderous intent, issued a command:

“Kill them all.”

His subordinates swiftly exited the bridge upon hearing this order.

And so, on the final day of the flight…

Thirty minutes before Louis and his team executed their plan…

A massacre unfolded against the eerie backdrop of lunar light.