Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

Sora: The Far Reaches of Universe

"...Ha!"

After the lifeboat passed by, Haru's figure disappeared from the agents' sight. Hoshikazu held Haru tightly with both arms. The man holding the rope around Haru's tail was pulled by the lifeboat and fell into the sea.

"Hnggg!"

Kodai pulled up Hoshikazu's waist belt, with all his might using his left hand. With that, Hoshikazu succeeded in pulling Haru up onto the boat.

*cough, cough!*

Haru coughed lightly as she slammed onto the boat. However, she quickly raised her upper body and embraced Hoshikazu, who was lying on the boat.

"Akira... aaaaahhh!"

"Haru-san..."

Haru cried loudly at being rescued in the nick of time. Her arms and body were shaking as she hugged Hoshikazu.

"I was so scared! I thought I would never see you all again! Thank you...!" *sob*

Haru's tears streamed down as she lamented the danger that had suddenly come over her. Hoshikazu gently stroked her head to calm her down.

"Alright... let's just keep going back to the ship!"

Kodai turned the steering and set course for the ferry. After successfully retrieving Haru, there was no need to linger. The warlord army's agents, who had been deprived of Haru, looked at the escaping lifeboat with distraught eyes.

"Damn it! Get after it now! Get that fish back!"

"Sir!"

The warlord operatives quickly retreated into the submarine. Immediately after, the submarine moved after the lifeboat piloted by Kodai.

"Gah! They're chasing us!"

"We have the speed advantage! They won't catch us to the ferry!"

Kodai piloted the boat in a straight line back to the ship. They cannot let another abduction tragedy occur in Japan. With this determination and resolve, Hoshikazu and Kodai continued their escape.

"...!"

Haru squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that the crisis would pass. The lifeboat, escaping at full speed, was rapidly pulling away from the pursuing submarine.

"Dammit...! Launch the missiles!"

"...Yes, sir!"

Frustrated, Yuan Baikai ordered his men to launch the missiles. The agent who received the order took out a portable missile that was loaded on the submarine and revealed his upper body through the sub's hatch. Hoshikazu and Kodai were shocked to see him.

"Missile!?"

"It's a Chinese-made missile from the previous century! That's a dangerous-looking tube!"

The agent took out a portable missile similar to the Hóng Yīng and Qian Wei missiles. The man looked through the scope at the lifeboat's outboard engine and put his finger on the trigger.

"It's one or the other... Hoshikazu, take over piloting!"

"What are you doing!?"

Kodai took his hand off the rudder to be replaced by Hoshikazu and pulled out a small box that was equipped in the lifeboat. Inside the box were a single pistol and two large bullets. Kodai hastily loaded the pistol. Immediately after that, a missile was fired at the lifeboat.

"They really shot at us!"

"...Gah!!"

Kodai fired the gun at about the same time. The bullet emitted from the muzzle of the gun was glowing brightly and emitting heat. What Kodai took out was a flare gun used by those who escaped in lifeboats to send out distress signals to the surrounding vessels.