"Well then, if I were Dr. Primitive, what could you two even do about it?"
As these words left Lucian's mouth, before the playful air in their tone could fade, Boothill's explosive temper ignited.
"Cut the what-if crap! Just tell me—was it you or not?!" Boothill yelled, snapping his gun toward Lucian, his temple throbbing violently. "Wanna see if I can shoot you to death in just one shot?"
Yet after saying all this, he still did not pull the trigger.
Why?
Simply because he had no evidence.
Even though Boothill carried the aura and appearance of a bandit, he was not a villain who slaughtered innocents indiscriminately.
Most of the time, he was merely loud and foul-mouthed.
"Since you two are such good guys, I guess I gotta be the bad one for once..."
Lucian calmly set down his teacup as he muttered, and the instant the base of the cup touched the tabletop—
*BANG!*
Boothill's gun suddenly exploded in his hand!
"What the—?!"
He had not even pulled the trigger, yet it misfired for no reason?
However, that was not the end.
"Disarm..."
Lucian murmured the word while gazing at Boothill, and then—
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
Immediately, the mechanical components all over Boothill's body detonated in succession, scattering across the floor.
It could be said that, aside from his head and heart, every other part of his body was prosthetic and mechanical, no different from Screwllum.
As a result, after Lucian used Disarm on him, his limbs fell off, while the components in his torso also fell away, leaving him as something that resembled a human stump.
*Swish!*
Rappa had not even finished processing what had happened to Boothill when she saw Lucian swing a sword that had suddenly appeared in his hand toward her.
*Pa!*
Sensing danger, Rappa instinctively tried to dodge, yet her body moved against her will, as, rather than dodging, she suddenly stepped forward and then knelt before Lucian, her hands clasped together.
Realizing what she had just done, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.
"Um... Mr. Lucian, I'm the victim here... Why are you doing this to me...?"
Aventurine, also kneeling before Lucian like Rappa, complained while wearing a miserable expression.
He did not even know why he had run over and knelt, looking as if he were about to receive Lucian's sword. Still, aside from feeling a little ashamed, he cared far more about Lucian's strange ability that could force him to perform this gesture.
"Ah, my bad, didn't mean to. C'mon, get up."
Lucian smiled without the slightest hint of apology, since he had, in fact, done it on purpose, merely to see what Aventurine looked like when kneeling.
Aventurine, feeling that he could control his body again, stood up with a soft sigh and then patted his wrinkled pants.
By now, Boothill had been reduced to a human stump, with only his mouth still able to speak, while Rappa remained kneeling before Lucian, completely unable to move at all. In the eyes of these two Galaxy Rangers, utter terror erupted at the same time as they wondered what kind of absurd abilities these could be.
"You two calm down yet? Y'know, if I were Dr. Primitive, you'd already be dead the second you stepped into this room."
Lucian's calm voice sounded as he addressed the quiet Galaxy Ranger duo.
"And that so-called memetic virus you brought up? It was mostly pushed by an Emanator of Harmony, not Dr. Primitive."
"In fact, it was actually meant to wipe out a memetic virus from that doctor's little lackey that had already spread beforehand."
"It doesn't hurt anyone—worst case, it just makes people act like hardcore idol fans, because all it really does is make everyone wanna band together and protect that idol."
"Now, tell me, you really gonna call that a threat?"
Even though Lucian's explanation sounded calm, to Boothill and Rappa, it struck like thunder. If what he explained was truly the case, then Dreamcluck Chicken truly was not a threat. Besides, from what they had seen, he truly could have killed both of them effortlessly if he wanted to, and yet he still chose to explain things peacefully.
In other words, they had done a good deed in the wrong way—a complete misunderstanding.
They had come hunting an evil, psycho doctor, but had instead barged into someone else's virus-cleanup operation?
Even worse, they had even treated the cleaner as the source of the infection.
Boothill felt his face burn with shame.
"What the fork... then why the hell didn't you say so earlier..."
Boothill turned his head sideways in shame and spoke in a noticeably weaker tone.
Rappa, on the other hand, fell silent as she looked at Lucian with complicated eyes, most of the hostility in her gaze fading.
"I did tell you, remember? You didn't believe me, so I had to teach you a lesson," Lucian said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Now, do you believe me?"
"Tch, I'm just a head now. How could I not believe you at this point? Alright, fine, that's on me for accusing you earlier—just don't go makin' things harder for the girl."
Boothill gazed at Lucian seriously and pleaded for Rappa's safety.
"No, I am the one who asked Lord Silvergun Shura to assist!" Rappa said firmly, her gaze unwavering. "I should bear the responsibility. I sincerely apologize for causing you trouble. I am willing to offer compensation."
Hearing their sincere words, Lucian put his sword away into the System's storage space and allowed Rappa to stand.
"Compensation? Fine. You scared me earlier, so I've got mental damage. One million credits."
Hearing this, Boothill and Rappa both froze.
"How much?!" Boothill exclaimed in utter disbelief. "Holy shirtballs, one million?! You might as well just sell me!"
"One million credits..." Rappa paused, then continued with embarrassment. "We don't have that much..."
"Hmm, then you must work for me, like Tiernan," Lucian said with a calm smile. "One year on the job, and we'll call it even."
"One year is reasonable compensation..." Rappa muttered with relief, then glanced at Boothill. "Lord Silvergun Shura, what do you think?"
"Dammit all, what the hell d'you want me to think?" Boothill said in a frustrated tone. "I'm already stuck like this—if I don't hustle, how the fudge am I supposed to get outta this damn place?"
Sunday, who had stayed silent from the beginning, calmly approached Boothill, picked him up, adjusted him, and positioned him so he could face Lucian properly.
Like a life-sized doll, Boothill let himself be handled.
Who would have thought that, in such a short time, two Galaxy Rangers would become Lucian's workers?
"Hey, hold up! Crap, who did you just say?!"
Boothill suddenly remembered something and urgently sought confirmation.
"Tiernan? You talkin' about that Galaxy Ranger Tiernan who beat a Lord Ravager?!"
Hearing this, Lucian blinked his eyes in confusion for a moment, then his gaze landed on a unique-looking bullet at Boothill's waist.
"Oh, the bullet on your belt—you've already met Tiernan, huh? He actually gave that bullet to you? How generous of him."
Hearing Lucian's words, Boothill froze.
Gave?
He had stolen it!
Now, he finally understood what it meant by 'when it rains, it pours.'
"Fudge this... that old man really was Tiernan? Not some impostor? He's been dead for so long—how could he possibly come back?"
"What?" Lucian raised a brow, then smiled faintly. "Just so you know, resurrection isn't difficult for me."
As soon as his words fell, he took a white bandage out of thin air and made it wrap itself completely around Boothill.
Boothill was an interesting guy, so he planned to restore him to his prime and keep him around as a bodyguard or something like that, which would definitely work out nicely.
"Alright, it's not suitable for kids from here on. Don't look."
Lucian raised both his hands and covered Rappa's eyes with them.
"Mm, that—my lord, what did you do to Lord Silvergun Shura?"
Rappa asked cautiously, feeling a little uneasy.
"Nothing much, just gave him a little taste of sweetness (so he'll work for me wholeheartedly)..."
Lucian replied with a smile, not saying the rest of his intention.
As Boothill was completely wrapped in bandages, Aventurine and Sunday watched quietly from the side, observing attentively.
A few moments later, the bandages covering Boothill expanded to the size of a human before unraveling, revealing Boothill, whose entire body had now returned in full. However, what was surprising was that his body was now of flesh and blood, not mechanical.
Yes, flesh and blood—no longer a mechanical, robot body, but a real human body.
It was just that something that made one a 'man' was missing on his crotch.
Noticing this, Aventurine and Sunday could not help but cover their mouths to suppress their laughter.
Lucian, still as calm as ever, casually tossed Boothill a black robe.
"I'm fixed? Is this... flesh?"
Boothill stared at his new hands, flexing his new fingers as if he couldn't believe it, then looked down at the rest of his new body, his eyes going wide.
"I've got a real body again? For real?"
"Hold up... why the hell doesn't this one have a dick?"
"...Eh, whatever."
Boothill couldn't help but question the missing 'part,' but he quickly forgot about it, because when compared to male features, he cared far more about his limbs, mainly because, after so many years of living with a mechanical body, he had long since grown accustomed to not having that 'part.'
"Man, you're straight-up insane! No wonder Tiernan could come back to life!"
Just as these words left his mouth, however, Boothill's mind suddenly buzzed, and cold sweat instantly poured down.
"Crap..."
If Tiernan really got resurrected, didn't that mean he had really robbed the legendary hero Tiernan?
"Holy shirtball... I messed up badly... I gotta return the stuff ASAP!"
Hearing this, Lucian patted Boothill on the shoulder and smiled.
"Work hard. If I can resurrect Tiernan and his friends, maybe I can resurrect some of your family members or friends, too."
At this, Boothill couldn't help but freeze for a moment before sharply gazing at Lucian.
"Seriously? C'mon, man, my head ain't that bright, but don't go lyin' to me."
Boothill's interest was immediately piqued.
He had been born on Aeragan-Epharshel, a lush green planet, and was one of the children adopted by Graey and Nick. He had grown up under their care, playing and maturing alongside his brothers and sisters like a true family, until someone from the Marketing Development Department of the IPC ordered a massacre of the natives.
Boothill's family had all died because of that, and from then on, he spent years seeking revenge against that person.
Now that he heard there might be a chance to resurrect his family, how could he think of anything else?
"Well, that depends on whether you can work properly for me."
Lucian responded with a calm smile, looking composed and confident.
Boothill, no longer doubting Lucian's words, immediately raised his hand to his chest and swore wholeheartedly.
"Boss! From now on, you're my boss! I'm your sharpest damn gun—you point, I shoot! As long as you can bring my family back, I'll even learn to love myself if that's what you want—hell, I'll do it!"
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[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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