Horatio, his lower half drenched in blood, emerged from the cockpit, cleaning the gore from his prosthetic limb and removing the ring from his ring finger.
Normally, unmarried individuals wouldn't wear a ring like that.
But considering the original owner's life involved daily brawls, the purpose of wearing it that way became self-evident—to increase lethality.
Its base material was precious adamantium.
Even if the outer gold plating wore off, it remained overall shiny and vibrant, clearly designed from the outset with harsh environments in mind, which is why such a noble and durable precious metal was chosen to display its prestige.
Even so, after so much scrambling in the Lower Hive, the ring inevitably showed wear, and its carvings had become blurred.
Through the light, Horatio could roughly make out the shape of an Imperial Navy warship, and faintly, the word 'Legend' was engraved.
The question was, where did this ring come from?
Not only was the current Horatio curious, but in his memories, the original owner had also spent a great deal of effort investigating clues about this ring, but there was no progress until his imprisonment.
He only knew that this ring had been with him since the crash, and it was likely directly linked to his identity, being his only breakthrough point for uncovering his background.
After a simple cleaning, Horatio put the ring back on.
"Are you feeling better?"
He looked at the Female Hunter-Duke, who was leaning on her gun and getting up, noticing that her leg had been injured in the violent fall earlier, already showing slight swelling.
The beautiful blonde girl still maintained a tightly furrowed brow.
Her almond eyes, fixed on Horatio, were filled with hostility, wariness, strangeness, and fear; when Horatio asked, she would only nod, refusing to speak.
Yet, in that same gaze, there was also a hint of complex emotions—gratitude? Thanks? Or apology?
Horatio himself couldn't tell.
[After all, we're half-colleagues from different worlds, sigh!]
Horatio sighed, shrugging helplessly. With his current identity, he couldn't force others to fully trust him.
"Can you pinpoint our location?"
The girl glanced at Horatio and finally spoke, her voice hoarse and full of exhaustion: "It should be the Lower Hive. There's electromagnetic interference nearby; I can't send out any signals."
Isolated and helpless.
But for him, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"To survive, we can only cooperate, Miss. At least I'm not an Evil Cultist."
Horatio looked around; only the equipment on 'Brother Persuader', who had his head blown off by a single shot earlier, was relatively intact.
He put on the equipment and picked up a usable gun; only the stock was slightly bent by his iron hand, but overall, it didn't affect much.
Dressed in proper gear, apart from being a bit oversized, his outfit was quite presentable, almost identical to that of a regular Adeptus Arbites escort, and he looked refreshed and spirited.
Then he rummaged through all the stun batons he could find to recharge his prosthetic limb's energy.
"Cooperate? No, it's conscription." The Female Hunter-Duke, unwilling to let Horatio seize the initiative, stated with an undeniable official tone.
"You will atone for your crimes by fighting for the God-Emperor. I will be watching you, Death Row Inmate 24601."
Though she said this, the Female Hunter-Duke knew she had no other choice; she merely adopted a more dignified way of speaking, but essentially, it still satisfied the outcome Horatio desired.
[Hmm, this woman is easier to communicate with than expected, so my plan might have a chance.]
"Whatever." Horatio smiled and shrugged.
In life, face is paramount, especially for nobles.
The Female Hunter-Duke snorted, injected a painkiller into the swollen part of her calf, and silently fastened the last piece of armor.
The most damage to the tight-fitting combat suit was merely the loss of its radiation, biohazard, and cold-weather insulation capabilities.
Although the environment of the Lower Hive was not ideal, it wasn't as harsh as an extreme planet. With the light power armor's protection, the internal damage to the combat suit wouldn't have much impact.
Horatio opened the back door and carefully jumped out of the vehicle. In the distance, a group of figures was approaching the front of the car.
After descending from the elevated passage known as the 'Hive City's Veins,' the vehicle was now parked in an abandoned factory about 200 meters outside a derelict chapel.
There was no sign of human habitation around, making it one of the few secluded spots in the crowded Hive City, perfectly suited for unknown evil rituals.
The driver had been slapped to death by him before he could send out any information, so the Evil Cultists at the base didn't know they had arrived. The approaching figures should be a patrol.
Horatio didn't intend to confront the numerous Evil Cultists head-on, especially with a lightly injured person beside him.
Horatio cautiously surveyed the surroundings and politely extended his hand to the Female Hunter-Duke.
The Female Hunter-Duke looked at him with a strange expression.
Horatio could roughly guess why without her saying anything. Although he still retained some of the original owner's roguishness, he was ultimately not the same person.
"Someone's coming. If we don't move faster, we'll be discovered." Horatio raised his hand.
"…"
The Female Hunter-Duke frowned and reluctantly leaned on him as she got down.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Horatio led her around to the side, avoiding the patrol.
"Are you really going in?" The Female Hunter-Duke felt uneasy about Horatio's 'reverse escape' and disengaged the safety on her gun with her thumb.
"Look there."
Horatio lay on the ruins, one hand gripping the reconnaissance binoculars he had stripped from a law enforcement officer, the other pointing to the top: "A shuttle, it looks like it belongs to someone important. We can seize it."
Then Horatio rolled over, looked at the Female Hunter-Duke, and chuckled: "Before we act, let's make a deal."
"…"
The Female Hunter-Duke said nothing, her almond eyes glaring at Horatio with indignation, as if to say, 'You brought me out here, and now you're making demands?'
But reason restrained her anger; she wanted to see what other tricks this guy had up his sleeve.
"For nothing else, I need you to provide me with sanctuary."
"Witness protection…?"
"You could say that. In short, after we get out of this, I need you to take me back to your home."
The Female Hunter-Duke's eyes suddenly widened, her face instantly flushed, and she recoiled, vehemently protesting:
"No! Absolutely not! What kind of intention do you have with such a request! It's utterly shameless and despicable!" The Female Hunter-Duke's brow furrowed, and she instinctively stepped back, her hand moving to her gun.
Horatio raised an eyebrow, patiently waiting for the girl to calm down.
Indeed, a male convict wanting to go to a female law enforcement officer's home—it sounded strange no matter how you thought about it.
But his reason for making such a request might be his only way to find clues about his identity.
"Of course, you don't have to go."
Horatio's unexpected remark made the Female Hunter-Duke sigh in relief.
"Miss Hood, aren't you the Lord Captain's daughter? I have a ring here that should be related to the Imperial Navy. Do you recognize it? As long as you know a clue, I promise not to go. Just drop me off somewhere after we're safe."
[What kind of good ring could a Lower Hive punk have… and mention the Imperial Navy to my Hood Family?]
Farida furrowed her pretty brow, glanced at it, and said testily:
"No impression. Dropping you off is impossible; it's my duty to safely deliver you to the Adeptus Arbites. Didn't the Hive City Enforcement Office report this ring?"
She hadn't seen any reports regarding this ring.
"I recall someone taking photos, because it had an Imperial Navy warship emblem, so no one dared to take it and keep it for themselves."
The Female Hunter-Duke's heart skipped a beat. If it wasn't a mistake by the Hive City Enforcement Office, could it be… that a certain Adeptus Arbites official removed this report?
[No, impossible, it must be a problem with the Hive City Enforcement Office!]
Horatio relaxed his shoulders, leaning comfortably against the ruins, and said humorously:
"Since you're unwilling to help me, then I'll just give up. Anyway, I'm just a lowly life, while you're a blossoming noble with a bright future."
"I'm not afraid of death; the God-Emperor will save my soul," the girl retorted stubbornly.
"Oh, right, those guys seem to worship the Great Lord of Pleasure, don't they?"
"…"
Horatio subtly smirked, crossed his legs, and changed his approach: "Hunter-Baroness, you wouldn't want to be captured by the Pleasure Cultists, would you?"
With just a brief sentence, Horatio made the Female Hunter-Duke tremble violently, as if suffering from PTSD.
She recalled the terrible scene she wished not to remember, her slender fingers constantly rubbing the trigger guard, her breathing becoming rapid, looking very conflicted.
Horatio narrowed his eyes, a slight smirk on his lips, and began the next wave of psychological attack.
"I can assure you that once we reach your home, I will accept your house arrest, and when everything settles, I will be at your disposal, even if it means sending me back to the Adeptus Arbites fortress, I won't utter a sound."
"This holds no loss for you."
The handsome young man in front of her laughed heartily, offering a condition she couldn't refuse.
[This deal… it's worth it.] The Female Hunter-Duke thought.
[Stabilize her first, then I'll control her later.] Horatio thought.