22: Kill the chicken to scare the monkey; cruel expulsion

spaceship Calendar, Day 9.

7:00 AM.

"Wooo— Wooo— Wooo—"

The piercing alarm sounded like a rusty saw, repeatedly tearing at everyone's nerves.

Red warning lights rotated frantically, cutting the originally dim Lower District into countless broken fragments of light and shadow.

"Hurry up! Everyone, get out here!"

Lin Qinghan's voice spread to every corner through the loudspeaker.

She wore that black Nano Light Armor, and the High-Frequency Vibration Blade in her hand glinted with a heart-stopping cold light under the red glow.

Behind her was a squad of fully armed Mechanical Guards (controlled by Alice).

The girls from the Lower District surged onto the deck in a panic, like a driven flock of sheep.

Some lost their shoes while running, some had messy hair, and some were still clutching half-eaten compressed biscuits.

Fear was written on every face... The deck.

This was the most spacious place on the spaceship and the only passage connecting to the outer universe.

Beyond the massive transparent dome lay the deep, boundless starry sky.

Gu Pingsheng stood on the high command platform.

He wasn't wearing his signature bathrobe but had changed into a crisp black combat uniform.

With his hands behind his back, he looked down expressionlessly at the shivering crowd below.

Su Ruan held that terrifying rabbit plushie and sat on the edge of the command platform, her legs swinging back and forth as she hummed an unknown nursery rhyme.

That eerie cheerfulness formed a stark contrast with the chilling atmosphere of the scene.

"Is everyone here?"

Gu Pingsheng asked indifferently.

"All present."

Lin Qinghan walked onto the platform and gave a salute.

"Except for those three."

She pointed to the side.

There, Zhang Yan, Li Ting, and Wang Lu were being pinned to the ground by Mechanical Guards.

Their mouths were sealed with duct tape, so they could only make muffled sounds; their eyes were wide and filled with terror.

"Very well."

Gu Pingsheng nodded.

He walked to the front of the platform, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below.

Everyone his gaze passed over instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Do you know why I called you here?"

No one dared to speak.

Only the sound of heavy breathing remained.

Gu Pingsheng snapped his fingers.

"Alice, play the recording."

"Yes, Master."

A massive holographic screen lit up.

A clear audio clip echoed across the deck.

"...As long as we break that main valve... or add a little something to it..."

"...Then, no one on the ship will have water to drink!"

"...I don't believe Gu Pingsheng can just conjure water out of thin air..."

The voices were familiar.

They belonged to the three people kneeling on the ground.

A commotion broke out among the crowd.

The girls, who had initially felt dissatisfied and fearful about this sudden gathering, now looked at the three individuals with different eyes.

Shock, anger, and lingering fear.

Sabotaging the Water Purification System?

That was trying to kill everyone!

"Did you hear that clearly?"

Gu Pingsheng turned off the recording.

"These are your classmates."

"For the sake of their pathetic jealousy, they planned to take everyone on this ship down with them."

He walked up to Zhang Yan and reached out to rip the tape off her mouth.

Sss—

Zhang Yan hissed in pain.

But ignoring the pain, she immediately started screaming:

"No! No! Captain, let me explain!"

"We were just talking! Really, just talking! We didn't actually intend to do it!"

"We're all classmates... please let us go! We won't ever do it again!"

The other two also nodded desperately, their faces smeared with tears and snot.

"Just talking?"

Gu Pingsheng smiled.

A very cold smile.

He knelt down and looked at Zhang Yan's face, which was distorted by fear.

"In this world."

"Thoughts are a crime."

"The moment you had that thought, you were already dead."

He stood up and didn't spare them another glance.

"Lin Qinghan."

"Here!"

"Execute the Expulsion Procedure."

"Yes!"

Lin Qinghan waved her hand.

Several Mechanical Guards immediately dragged the three people toward the Airlock at the end of the deck.

"No! No! Help!"

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

"Gu Pingsheng, you'll die a horrible death! You monster!"

Screams and curses echoed across the empty deck.

But no one dared to move.

No one dared to plead for mercy.

Even Chen Chuxia, who was usually the most compassionate, only covered her mouth and turned away, not daring to watch.

In front of the Airlock.

Three basic Spacesuits were placed there.

The kind of bulky white suits that could only maintain the bare minimum survival needs and had no propulsion system.

"Put them on."

Lin Qinghan commanded coldly.

"If you don't put them on, you'll be thrown out directly."

Under the threat of death, the three of them put on the Spacesuits with trembling hands, crying and screaming.

"Captain... Captain, have mercy..."

Li Ting, holding onto a final sliver of hope, knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

"Give us one chance... even if we have to be slaves..."

Gu Pingsheng stood on the high platform, looking down at them.

"I gave you a chance."

"You chose not to take it."

"Now."

"I am giving you your freedom."

"Get out."

Rumble—

The Airlock slowly opened.

A massive suction force was instantly generated.

Despite the protection of the Spacesuits, the fear of facing the vacuum of space caused the three of them to let out desperate screams.

"Ah—!"

The Mechanical Guards let go.

The three figures were like kites with broken strings, instantly sucked into the deep darkness.

The Airlock slammed shut.

Everything returned to silence.

Only three white points of light remained, drifting further and further away in the starry sky outside the window until they vanished.

Dead silence.

The hundreds of people on the deck were so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's face was pale, and their legs were shaking.

He really threw them out.

No trial, no defense, no suspended sentence.

Direct expulsion.

This was Gu Pingsheng's method.

This was the consequence of rebellion.

In the crowd, Wen Wan stood at the very front.

She looked at the closed Airlock, her heart pounding violently.

If she hadn't gone to inform on them last night... if she had chosen silence... would she be one of those three points of light now?

Cold sweat slid down her forehead.

But immediately following that was a sense of relief from having survived a disaster.

She had bet correctly.

On this ship, only by following Gu Pingsheng could one live.

"Did you all see that clearly?"

Gu Pingsheng's voice rang out again.

Breaking the dead silence.

"The spaceship doesn't support idlers."

"And it certainly doesn't support enemies."

"If anyone feels that life is too comfortable and wants to seek some excitement."

"That door is open for you at any time."

He pointed to the Airlock.

Everyone instinctively shrank their necks and shook their heads desperately.

"Very well."

Gu Pingsheng nodded with satisfaction.

The smell of this fear was wonderful.

Only fear could establish the most stable order.

"Dismissed."

He waved his hand.

The crowd left the deck as if they had received a great pardon, fleeing for their lives.

Fearing that if they walked a step too slow, they would be targeted by that demon... A few minutes later.

Only the core members remained on the deck.

Lin Qinghan put away her blade and walked to Gu Pingsheng's side.

"Captain, it's been handled cleanly."

"Hmm."

Gu Pingsheng looked at the starry sky outside the window.

Those three points of light were completely invisible now.

Perhaps they would freeze to death before their oxygen ran out.

Perhaps they would be crushed by a passing meteorite.

Or perhaps, they would be swallowed by some Void Monster.

But none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered was that the internal hidden dangers of the spaceship had been completely eliminated.

"The next station."

Gu Pingsheng turned around, his gaze landing on a figure at the very back of the group.

Ye Hongyu.

That girl in the red tight-fitting suit, with a hot figure and a fiery personality.

At this moment, she was leaning against the wall, toying with a whip in her hand.

Seeing Gu Pingsheng look over, she didn't dodge like the others; instead, she tilted her chin defiantly.

Interesting.

A playful curve appeared at the corner of Gu Pingsheng's mouth.

"Ye Hongyu."

"Here."

Ye Hongyu stood up straight, her voice crisp.

"The next station is the [Biochemical Laboratory]."

"Difficulty: Four stars."

"It's full of mutated creatures and toxic traps."

Gu Pingsheng walked up to her, his gaze lingering for a second on her wild curves.

"You're coming with me."

"Let me see."

"Your value."

Ye Hongyu stunned for a moment.

Then, a flash of excitement crossed her eyes.

She licked her lips, and the whip in her hand made a sharp crack.

"As you command, Captain."

"As long as you're not afraid of me stealing your spotlight."

Gu Pingsheng smiled.

"You can try."