Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Shattered Gate
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Crazy.
That was the only thought that came to mind.
No matter how desperate things got, I never imagined they'd destroy the Drive Gate with their own hands.
'Who the hell are these guys?'
Even in the original story, where the situation spiraled into total chaos, cases of humans destroying a Drive Gate could be counted on one hand.
Wars happened, sure, but there was an unwritten rule: never touch the Drive Gates.
Ever since humanity entered the space age, most interplanetary travel relied on Drive Gates.
The rare exceptions were situations without a Gate or for specialized purposes like exploration ships.
'Radicals like this at a time like now?'
A few names flashed through my mind.
They were possibilities, but nothing I could confirm rashly.
"Layer upon layer of mountains," the soldier slung over my back muttered after witnessing the Drive Gate's destruction, then passed out.
I was dragging him along since I could save him, but damn, he was a heavy burden.
"R3D3. Distance to the enemy?"
-It's steadily increasing. Their pursuit seems half-hearted. Beep!
"Electronic warfare status?"
-Their capabilities can't keep up with my electronic warfare performance!
I checked in with R3D3 constantly as I sprinted at top speed.
The planetary government could no longer track my position at all.
Part of it was their shoddy equipment, but mostly it was R3D3's superior skills.
Hiding a single person wasn't much harder than eating cold porridge—especially since I wasn't some massive tank.
'What are they planning...?'
Whether the pirates did it on their own or in cahoots with the planetary government, it was done now. No turning back.
The "moderate" punishment phase was over.
The Alliance would throw everything they had at wiping out everyone involved, no exceptions.
'...But right now is the problem.'
No time to worry about others.
By destroying the Drive Gate, the planetary government had isolated themselves.
A one-way AD Drive without a Gate at the destination was far less accurate than the reverse.
To reach Yumaha Planet, the ship's mother computer would need to calculate the optimal exit point, then Drive Out as close as possible.
If luck was good, the distance from exit to destination might be negligible compared to using a Gate. If bad, it could add months.
What was expected to be reinforcements in a day was now anyone's guess.
-Pursuit fully evaded.
About an hour later, R3D3 reported in.
I realized I was still running and came to a stop.
"Staying hidden forever won't be easy, huh?"
-Scanning surroundings. Beep! All survival needs met. For recreation, please use R3D3!
Maybe because the situation had eased a bit, R3D3 activated its humor circuits.
"Given how extreme those bastards are, I doubt they'll just leave us be if we hole up."
-Master. How about infiltration?
"...Infiltration?"
-The enemy's base isn't isolated; they share city facilities. With your stealth skills, Easy-Normal mode is feasible.
"What about this guy?"
-...Beep! Readjusting difficulty to Hard!
I let out a chuckle at its playful response.
Joking aside, it was solid advice.
Long-range potshots from afar were one thing—no problem there. Up close, this was our fight to win.
"Distance to the city?"
-Approximately 612 km.
"Looks like a full day of running."
An arrow pointing to the destination appeared on my retinal display.
I started moving again.
'Please be safe.'
Praying for Roze and Merdi's safety.
*
Snowville, the central city of Yumaha Planet.
Even on this rural world, the city once bustled with a million residents. Now, it felt desolate, streets eerily empty.
On a planet that could face alien raids at any moment, those who remained must have deep ties to it.
Yumaha Planet's environment wasn't kind.
Most of it was ocean, and the scant land suffered extreme temperature swings and relentless storms unfit for human life.
Pioneers had turned it into something livable, battling the harsh nature to build their foundation.
That stubbornness was probably why Yumaha folk were called tough as nails—a trait forged in the pioneer days.
'Finally made it.'
It took a full 16 hours to get here.
Straight-line shortest path would've been half that at most, but with baggage and needing to stay hidden, no choice.
I scanned quickly for a spot to rest.
The city outskirts were mostly abandoned houses—perfect for hiding.
Soon found a suitable one.
With R3D3's help, I disabled the alarms, laid down the groaning soldier, and headed out again.
"He won't wake up, right?"
-Weak, but not stupid.
I'd worried he might wake midway and do something to alert the government, but first I wanted to scout the city before resting.
'This place feels lived-in.'
After a quick disguise, I headed downtown.
Evening time, yet the streets glowed with colorful neon signs.
Plenty of people walking around too.
Given the circumstances, no one was shouting or laughing loudly, but to an outsider, it'd just seem like a quiet town.
I ducked into an alley and asked,
"What do you think? Feasible?"
-Beep! R3D3 beeped affirmatively.
Military intel nets were tight, but civilian comms were wide open.
They hadn't ignored security entirely—limited to city internals only—but once inside, it was useless.
-Compiling data.
I nodded and tuned into the crowd's chatter.
"Are we really okay like this?"
"Those damn pirate scum! Calling them in was Asana's mistake!"
"The Alliance abandoned us anyway. Why can't we do the same?"
Talk centered on recent events, as expected.
One clear vibe: public opinion on Asana, the self-proclaimed planetary government head, wasn't positive.
"Heard Merdi-sama's already on our planet?"
"Nah, rumor. If true, it'd be chaos by now."
Merdi's name popped up repeatedly.
People speaking of her showed vague admiration or fondness.
'Her image holds up, as expected.'
I hadn't written it in the settings, but it tracked.
On Yumaha, Merdi was a symbol.
A powerful Esper unprecedented in the planet's history.
Awakened young, untrained yet displaying superhuman-level power.
'Bad personality or not, she wouldn't clash with civilians.'
Interest in Merdi must've been huge.
No direct contact meant a mystique built up, turning her image princess-like.
-Beep! Outputting now.
"Good work."
As I headed back to base, R3D3 displayed the compiled info by priority.
'Security's a mess.'
Not a real military outfit to begin with.
Government types blabbed internals openly on public channels.
Made my life easy, but they'd freak if they knew.
'The Drive Gate wasn't just pirate initiative.'
Civilians thought pirates acted alone.
Mid-levels claimed ignorance, all shocked at the destruction.
But per R3D3's data, Asana and the top brass showed oddly little agitation.
'In league with the pirates all along.'
Asana's side and the pirates went way back.
Honeymoon phase fit better.
I'd suspected as much, so no big surprise, but the next bit floored me.
'...Liberation Corps. Already these guys?'
Successors to the current generation's troublemakers, poised to dominate the next.
Liberation Corps by name, but not a unified group.
Hallmark: anti-Alliance.
Mostly folks hurt by excessive alien war controls, plus Espers dodging superhuman drafts.
At this point, though, no clear goals—just pirating for profit, anti-Alliance vibes secondary.
'Headache.' But smashing the Drive Gate elevated them beyond mere pirates.
"Any files on these guys?"
-Beep! Outside my interests.
"...Figured."
I sighed and returned to the house with the soldier.
He was awake.
"Superhuman-sama?"
"You're up? Help yourself."
I dumped stolen preserved rations on the table.
Grabbed one first, shoved it in my mouth.
On my third, he approached and sat opposite.
We ate in silence for a while.
*
Left him on watch, slept two hours, then moved out.
He still seemed shell-shocked from the chaos but was trying hard not to hinder.
'Capture Asana.'
Goal clear.
Grab Asana, the mastermind behind Yumaha's mess.
With him down, the rest could be persuaded.
'Pirates next.'
One snag, though.
Asana wasn't in the city.
For some reason, he was orbiting overhead.
Seemed in contact with pirates, but with flights grounded, no way to reach his ship.
At least until I slept.
-Beep! Beep!
"Nice one."
I patted R3D3's head in praise.
While I slept, it'd scoured the hacked nets nonstop, gathering intel.
Caught wind of Asana descending to the city with the pirates.
Tomorrow morning.
Just past midnight—about seven hours left.
I'd infiltrate city hall before Asana arrived.
'Tight security.' Unlike the lax comms, the building was fortified.
Checked several spots—no undetected entry points.
Alarms everywhere on the exterior, guards aplenty.
Gave up on immediate infil, observed from outside instead.
"Why so locked down?"
-This city was attacked by pirates in the past.
"Pirates attacked before?"
-12 years ago. Motive unclear. Records show all repelled by Merdi-sama.
12 years ago—Merdi was 10.
"Repelled" likely meant ugly business.
-Also...
"Shh!"
Shadow flickered on the adjacent building.
Moving cautiously right in front of city hall—not Asana's people.
I shadowed the stealthy figure quietly.
Rounded a corner tailing them—then sudden attack.
Dozens of clashes in seconds.
Mid-fight, a familiar feel made me blurt,
"Roze...?!"
My words halted the assault.
Then a voice I knew all too well rang out.