A Curious Dog's Return
It hadn't been long since I returned to the workshop when a private channel pinged on my terminal from Alexander Valentine.
“First, tell me the job details, Mr. Valentine.”
Eliminate every mecha in the specified area. Don't ask why… the dirty undercurrent was blatant, but I needed credits more than anything right now.
I had to top off the accounts drained by Asura's massive overhaul and the premium parts, and Valentine's quietly slipped hint about the payout was too tempting to turn down.
“Understood. Send me the coordinates and target identification codes. And… as an advance, I need half the job fee now. I need preparation funds, and there’s the trust issue between us.”
After our brief exchange, I climbed straight back into Asura.
I told Scarlet I was going out for a final test flight on the new components I’d just installed, but she gave me a suspicious look that said she didn’t buy it for a second.
After a few minutes of high-speed maneuvering, we reached the airspace above the target region Valentine had marked.
I cranked Asura’s Hawk-Eye targeting system to maximum and ran a precision ground scan. Dozens of mecha signatures flooded the HUD in a dense grid.
And the instant I read their identification codes, my grip on the controls tightened without me meaning to.
“…Kronos Mercenary Group? Why the hell are they here…”
The monitor showed the familiar—now nauseating—Kronos Mercenary Group insignia alongside a formation of spherical Bugbear mechs advancing in perfect lockstep.
A heavy, unsettled feeling sank deep into my gut.
I hadn’t had a single good memory of them, but I didn’t want to turn into another mindless slaughter target again.
‘First… maybe I should try talking to them? No…’
I tapped the comm system, opened the open channel aimed at the entire Kronos force, then let out a long sigh.
‘Now that we’re here, talking is pointless. Focus on the mission.’
I shoved the scattered thoughts aside, tightened my grip on the controls again.
Cold resolve hardened my gaze.
This was the path I’d chosen. If I couldn’t avoid it, I’d finish it cleanly.
I first switched the Arc-Lite variable beam magnum to precise sniper mode.
The Hawk-Eye system and precision impact assist synced perfectly.
The vulnerable points of the three Bugbear mechs at the head of the formation—cockpits and power cores—lit up as bright yellow targeting reticles.
*Zzeaaang! Zzeaaang! Zzeaaang!*
Three high-energy compression beams fired in near unison. Before the Bugbears could react, the front of the formation exploded in a roaring ball of flame.
[Kyaaak! W-what the?! Where the hell did that come from, you bastards!]
[Th-they’re ambushing us! Everyone scatter! These bastards— we can’t even tell where they’re shooting from!]
[Snap out of it, you idiots!]
The sudden ambush turned the Kronos comms channel into pure chaos.
Their outdated Bugbears tried desperately to scatter and counter, but it was already too late.
[Damn it! Let’s talk! Come on! What do you want?! Why are you doing this?!]
I ignored their pleas, opened the side-port of my right shoulder to release the Shackle-linked counter-missile pod.
*Whirrrick! Ping! Ping! Ping!*
A barrage of decoy missiles streaked across the sky in razor-sharp arcs, carving through the scattering Bugbears.
Several mechs went dead in their tracks as the missiles struck or the shockwaves from the close detonations fried their sensors, crippling their movement.
[Th-this is insane! The system’s down! I can’t see anything!]
[Ahead’s blocked! The instruments are fried! Somebody help!]
[Stay sharp! We’ll cover you while the sensors reboot! Find their position!]
The combination of the kinetic reactor coating frame, Raptor limb frames, and impulse agile assist thrusters gave Asura movement that defied common sense.
‘Even without activating the Kinetic Flow skill, it’s this insane… there really is a monster out there.’
Asura carved through the battlefield, dodging the storm of bullets and spherical laser fire from every direction.
Their primitive sighting systems couldn’t keep up with my maneuvers.
[Th-that’s impossible! How can something move like that?!]
[It’s a monster! That pilot isn’t even human—this thing is just a monster! We’re all gonna die!]
I flipped the beam magnum to rapid-fire mode and unleashed a merciless torrent of plasma bolts at the bewildered Bugbears.
High-density energy slugs hammered down without mercy, shredding their crude armor like paper and obliterating their internal systems.
Before long, the battlefield was littered with the blackened wrecks of mechs that had finally stopped moving.
“…Is this it?”
Just as I paused to catch my breath and scan the area, a lone surviving Bugbear slipped up behind me.
It fired its spherical rocket launcher in a last-ditch attempt.
[Rear high-speed approach object detected.]
No time to dodge.
The heavy rocket slammed toward Asura’s back—
*Kang!*
The left shoulder’s Aegis Pulse short-reaction shield generator sensed the threat and snapped into action. A shimmering blue energy barrier flared into existence in a blink.
The rocket exploded harmlessly against the shield, and Asura took only a minor jolt.
[You, you monster!]
The survivor opened up with its Gatling gun in a frantic spray.
[St-stay away! Please just stay away! What the hell are you planning?!]
*Thud—*
The file bunker on my right arm had already loaded and was driving the colossal steel stake straight through its cockpit.
*Boom—!*
With a deafening explosion, the final Bugbear shattered and scattered into scrap across the air.
I quickly shifted my HUD view.
The swarm of red enemy signals that had been harassing us was gone.
“Whew… now it’s finally quiet.”
I took another breath and looked around.
The burning wreckage of the Bugbears still painted the landscape in eerie shades of orange.
Why had these bastards come all the way out here and died so uselessly?
Valentine had kept the real reason buried, but I had no intention of letting it slide.
‘Data Ghost.’
I activated the enhanced skill.
A faint blue light seemed to seep into my consciousness, flooding my awareness with fragments of the Bugbear wrecks’ broken systems.
Their corrupted data—encrypted comm logs, fragmented sensor records, and most importantly… the actual operation orders—began pouring into my mind.
[Operation Name: Seventh Waste Mine Reconnaissance and Preemptive Strike]
[Issued by: Kronos Mercenary Group Commander, Bulldog]
[Primary Objective: Secure and conduct precise internal survey of the Seventh Waste Mine area. Recover any valuable resources or data immediately and report to command.]
[Additional Directive: Engage any hostile forces found in the operation zone. Minimize unnecessary escalation and avoid damage to friendly units.]
“Bulldog… and a abandoned mine exploration.”
The moment I understood Valentine’s true reason for ordering their total annihilation.
It wasn’t just about cleaning up local annoyances.
Someone had wanted to permanently block anyone from finding or claiming whatever valuable thing was hidden in that waste shaft.
‘Then the real goal Valentine was so desperate to hide… must be inside that hole.’
All the answers lay beyond those dark depths.
Valentine had messaged that the job was complete and payment would follow as soon as the reply was sent.
‘There’s no reason to turn back now.’
I illuminated Asura’s headlights. Two powerful beams sliced through the darkness of the mine, and I carefully entered.
“What the hell is even in this abandoned place?”
The floor was littered with rusted, broken mining equipment and twisted rails that no longer carried ore.
After what felt like hours of searching, I was about to snap from frustration at not even catching a glimpse of the object Valentine had wanted so badly.
At the end of a narrow, long corridor, a vast, cavernous space suddenly opened up.
A single mecha stood motionless in the center.
“That’s… what? I know that design…”
Its sleek, flowing curves were made of matte-black armor.
*Zzeeaak—!*
A sharp, flesh-curling sonic boom erupted behind me. A high-output energy beam slammed into the wall right beside me, exploding in a flash of light.
I reflexively twisted Asura aside and glanced back. From the dark entrance I’d just passed, another mechanized unit had silently appeared, its weapons trained precisely on me.
A practical, deep-gray design. Dual arms carried what looked like new mid-range laser rifles and rotary cannons—elite, well-trained mercenary gear.
It opened Asura’s comm channel without a word of warning.
A dry, emotionless male voice flowed in.
[You’re a curious dog. You still haven’t learned that too much curiosity can be harmful.]
“Who are you? A mercenary sent by Valentine?”
[Your identity doesn’t concern you. You completed the mission and received payment. Leave this place immediately.]
There was no emotion in his voice, yet the words carried the unmistakable weight of a death sentence.
“I assume that mech in the mine was Valentine’s real target.”
The man fell silent for a moment, then continued in the same flat tone.
[…Empty speculation will only hasten your end. I’ll handle the cleanup here. You can go now. I won’t tolerate any further interference.]
His words were essentially blackmail.
I gripped the controls tighter.
My heart was hammering, but I had no desire to destroy the contract with Valentine by fighting him here.
“Fine. I won’t get involved anymore.”
I was just about to turn Asura’s head and exit the cavern—
‘System message?’
A familiar blue notification window suddenly flashed in the corner of my vision.
[Data Ghost – Special Condition Alert]
[Condition: When all hostile forces and threats in the current region are completely eliminated, permanent deletion of all related activity data becomes available.]
[Current Status: Unidentified super-high-risk threat detected in the region. Permanent deletion function is disabled. Threat must be removed.]
‘Unidentified super-high-risk threat… is that referring to the guy we just met?’
The system appeared to have classified the mysterious pilot as far more than just an enemy.
‘What do I do? Should I just kill him?’
[Data Ghost - Special Condition Alert]
Condition: When all hostile forces and threats in the current region are completely eliminated, permanent deletion of all related activity data becomes available.
Current Status: Unidentified super-high-risk threat detected in the region. Permanent deletion function is disabled. Threat must be removed.