Chapter 251: Fangirl Probity, and Kevin's Failed Hustle
While Klein and Ben dragged the two opposing commanders away for a little "heart-to-heart" chat, Kevin and Gwen split up to handle their own business.
Deep behind the Red Faction's lines, inside a makeshift supply camp overflowing with crimson-plated firearms, two voices shouted in unison.
"What are you doing here?!"
Kevin stared in absolute disbelief. Standing before him, clutching an armful of stolen red blasters, was a familiar, rat-faced, anthropomorphic porcupine alien. It was the one guy in the galaxy Kevin simultaneously wanted to hug and strangle.
"Argit?!"
Kevin didn't hesitate. His right hand snapped out, grabbing the barrel of a nearby plasma rifle. In a heartbeat, the crimson metallic alloy flowed up his arm, coating his skin in a dense, red armor. He took a heavy, menacing step forward. "I asked you a question. How did you get here?"
Argit's beady eyes widened. Realizing a severe beating was imminent if he didn't defuse the situation, he immediately let go of his loot. The stolen firearms clattered noisily to the dirt floor. He held both hands up in a placating gesture, taking slow, cautious steps backward.
"I... uh... hey, Kev! Long time no see, buddy! Did you... get a haircut? Looking sharp, man!"
"Don't you dare try to change the subject!" Kevin sneered, his metallic lips curling into a dangerous smirk. "Whatever scam you're pulling right now isn't going to make me forget the past. But since you're here, you can start by paying back every single cent you owe me!"
"I was just about to bring that up!" Argit flashed a wide, ingratiating, toothy grin. "Seriously! I'm on the verge of a massive payout. I'll have the cash to pay you back in no time."
"Oh, really?" Kevin crossed his armored arms, completely unamused by the rodent's usual song and dance. "Enlighten me. What exactly is your big business venture out here in the middle of a warzone?"
Argit's eyes darted nervously from side to side, clearly trying to fabricate a believable lie.
Kevin didn't give him the chance. He reached out and flicked the center of Argit's forehead with a heavy, metal-coated finger. The porcupine alien yelped. "If you want to walk out of this camp with all your limbs attached," Kevin warned, his tone dropping an octave, "tell me the truth."
Argit rubbed his bruised forehead and immediately folded. "Alright, alright! Look at all these guns. These Red Faction meatheads just leave their surplus weapons lying around everywhere. So, I do a little community service and clean them up." He picked up a sleek, red energy rifle. "Then, I slap a fresh coat of blue paint on them and sell them to the Blue Faction across the border. The markup is insane! It's pure profit, Kev!"
Kevin stared at the massive mountain of unguarded red firearms. The gears in his head began to turn, and the dangerous smirk returned to his face. The metallic plating retracted from his skin as he clapped a hand on Argit's shoulder. "Argit, buddy... do you know what I'm thinking right now?"
Argit blinked, a sly grin spreading across his face. "That I just found myself a new business partner?"
"Exactly."
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the battlefield.
Gwen strolled right into the heart of the Blue Faction's encampment. Operating in her human Anodite form, she bypassed their perimeter defenses with absolute ease, treating the heavily fortified military base as if it were a deserted park.
According to the holographic distress signal they had received, the little girl named Probity wore blue clothing and had a distinct, pale bluish tint to her skin. Channeling her mana, Gwen cast a wide-area detection spell over the sprawling camp. The magical radar pulsed outward, and within moments, she locked onto her target's unique energy signature.
Deep behind the Blue Faction's front lines, Probity sat alone on the dusty ground just outside the main barracks. She was aimlessly fiddling with a handful of smooth, colorful stones, her small face etched with deep melancholy. She let out a heavy sigh, tossing a pebble into the dirt. "Still not here?" she muttered to herself, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm so sick of all this fighting..."
Suddenly, a chorus of startled shouts erupted from the nearby soldiers. Probity looked up just in time to see a dazzling sphere of vibrant pinkish-purple mana descend from the sky, landing gracefully right in front of her. As the light faded, it revealed a glowing, ethereal being. Probity stared in awe. She had never seen an alien like this before, but... she was breathtakingly beautiful.
The glowing figure knelt down, her voice soft and warm. "Probity?"
Hearing her own name, Probity blinked in surprise. Her mind raced. She didn't know this glowing woman, yet the stranger knew exactly who she was. There was only one logical explanation...
Gwen smiled gently, the ambient mana swirling around her shoulders. "Yes," she said, answering the girl's unspoken question. "I'm his cousin."
Probity's eyes lit up with sudden hope. However, the commotion had already drawn the attention of the camp's guards. Heavily armed soldiers were rushing toward their position, shouting orders. Gwen sighed inwardly, feeling a slight headache coming on. Considering Klein and Ben had just violently abducted their supreme commander, she highly doubted these foot soldiers were going to roll out the red carpet for her.
"Did he come?" Probity ignored the approaching guards, her small hands gripping the hem of her shirt. She asked the question with desperate anticipation.
"He did." Gwen reached out, gently stroking the top of the little girl's head to comfort her. "He's already out there, putting a stop to this war."
Probity nodded, a fierce, unwavering determination replacing her previous sorrow. "I believe him!"
The touching moment was interrupted by the harsh clatter of boots and the hum of charging energy weapons. A large platoon of Blue Faction soldiers surrounded them in a tight circle, their blue-plated rifles aimed squarely at Gwen's glowing chest.
"Wait! Don't shoot! She's not a bad person!" Probity immediately jumped up, spreading her small arms wide as she placed herself between Gwen and the firing squad, desperately trying to de-escalate the situation.
The hardened soldiers, however, weren't about to stand down on the word of a civilian child. Their fingers tightened on their triggers. Just as Gwen narrowed her eyes, her mana flaring as she calculated the most efficient way to knock out the entire platoon without traumatizing the little girl...
"Stand down!"
A loud, authoritative voice echoed across the courtyard. The soldiers immediately parted, creating a wide path. The Blue Commander marched through the ranks. He looked incredibly disheveled, his uniform rumpled and his face pale—clear signs of whatever terrifying "talk" Klein and Ben had just subjected him to. He cast a nervous, lingering glance at Gwen before addressing his men.
"Lower your weapons," he ordered, his voice tight with suppressed fear. "She is indeed not an enemy."
'They're not enemies,'the Commander thought bitterly,'they're walking natural disasters.'
He waved his hand dismissively, eager to get this terrifying glowing woman out of his sight. "Escort our... esteemed guest to the VIP quarters. See that she is settled properly."
"Sir, yes sir!" one of the soldiers barked in a rapid, clicking alien dialect, snapping a crisp salute before turning to Gwen and gesturing politely toward the command tent.
Thanks to her Anodite mana translating the intent behind the words, Gwen understood him perfectly. The vibrant pinkish-purple aura slowly dissipated, receding into her skin as she reverted to her standard human appearance. She smiled down at Probity and gently took the girl's hand. "Shall we go?"
Probity's earlier melancholy had completely vanished, replaced by a bright, radiant smile. "Mm-hmm!"
Back at the disputed border between the Red and Blue Factions.
Inside a dilapidated, neutral-zone outpost with heavy iron-barred windows, a makeshift storefront had been set up. Kevin sat slumped in a rickety chair, staring blankly at the ceiling. Beside him sat a massive, freshly painted mountain of blue firearms.
He had been sitting there for hours. The paint was already dry. Yet, despite Argit's grand promises of infinite wealth, they hadn't seen a single customer. Not even a shadow passing by the window.
His patience finally snapping, Kevin kicked a stray blue rifle across the floor and glared at the porcupine alien. "Argit! I thought you said this was a guaranteed goldmine!"
"I swear on my mother's grave, I'm not lying to you, Kev!" Argit whined, his rat-like face scrunching up in genuine frustration as he peered through the iron bars. "I was moving inventory like crazy just a few days ago! I don't get it. Where did everybody go?"
Completely baffled, Argit scratched his cheek, his claws clicking against his fur. "You don't think... you don't think they actually stopped fighting, do you? Nah, that's impossible. A planetary war doesn't just end overnight without any warning. That's bad for the economy!"
Hearing that, a sudden realization hit Kevin. He remembered exactly who he had left in charge of "negotiating" the peace treaty. If Klein and Ben were involved, the war was absolutely over.
He immediately stood up, dusting off his pants. "I don't care what the reason is. If there's no money to be made here, I'm out." He pointed a stern finger at Argit. "But don't think this gets you off the hook! You still owe me! The second you get some cash, you better pay up!"
Without waiting for a response, Kevin turned and marched out the door.
"Relax, relax, keep your hair on!" Argit waved a dismissive paw at Kevin's retreating back. "Don't worry about it! You'll get your money as soon as my cash flow opens up."
As the door slammed shut, Argit crossed his arms and muttered under his breath, "Tch. Fine, walk away. More profit for me. I'll make the big bucks all by myself. There's no way these meatheads just magically decided to hug it out and stop fighting."
Argit firmly believed this dry spell was just a temporary lull in the market. If he just held his ground and waited a little longer, the soldiers would be back, begging for his freshly painted blasters. And when the credits started rolling in... Hmph! He just hoped Kevin wouldn't come crawling back, begging for a cut.
Comforted by his own delusions of grandeur, Argit leaned against the sill and continued to stare out the empty window, waiting for a war that was already over.
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