Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Shark Tooth Pirates (4)
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Hyde was staring at the hologram floating above the steel plate he'd brought.
Across from him, Shin-ju and the proxy were doing the same.
The hologram displayed the chaotic situation unfolding inside the Beherit.
The frantic voices of the pirate lackeys echoed from all directions.
Soon, the screen changed, showing Silver outside, locked in a power struggle with the pirate crew.
Shin-ju nodded, looking satisfied.
"Just as I thought. You even hacked your own allies."
Hyde muttered, his eyes still on the hologram.
"Of course."
Having hacked the pirate ship just in case, Hyde was able to monitor the internal situation of the Shark Tooth Pirates in real-time.
Shin-ju clapped his hands once—*clap*—and rubbed his palms together, signaling it was time to get down to business.
"Well, anyway, you've got the gist of how things are playing out.
There's no point in going back to your crew now.
Since it's come to this, how about you just work with us?"
Just as Hyde was about to say something, as if he'd been waiting for this...
*Trrrring—*
The ringing of a communicator suddenly sounded from inside Hyde's clothes.
Shin-ju raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.
"You should get that."
Hyde pulled the communicator from his inner pocket and checked the caller.
*Click.*
He simply ended the call.
Shin-ju tilted his head, watching him.
"Was that Sara?"
"Well..."
Hyde shrugged, a bitter expression briefly crossing his face.
Then he turned off the hologram that was displaying the chaotic scene and narrowed his eyes.
"Alright. Then..."
Hyde leaned forward, focusing on Shin-ju.
"Shall we talk about this job of yours? What do you want from me?"
At Hyde's words, Shin-ju smiled faintly and tapped his phone screen.
"Oh, it's nothing major."
Shin-ju showed Hyde a picture of a celebrity.
The face of the cosmic superstar Tibee-ra appeared on his phone screen.
"First, I'd like you to find the culprit who stole her music files, and the person behind them."
Hyde narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the image on Shin-ju's phone.
"What do you think?"
Hyde leaned back with a disappointed expression.
"This? It's too easy. I don't want to do it."
Shin-ju got straight to the point.
"Then, what is it that you want, Hyde?"
"Let's see. What do I want?"
Hyde feigned indifference, examining his fingernails.
"By the way, Mr. Park Shin-ju... your father wasn't from Earth, was he?"
The smile vanished from Shin-ju's lips.
"...How did you know?"
Hyde held up two fingers.
"This is actually my second visit to Earth."
"Ah, I see."
Shin-ju paused for a moment before continuing the conversation.
"So, are you looking for something related to my father?"
"You negotiated with the Planet Destroyer seven years ago, didn't you?"
Shin-ju pressed his lips together in a barely perceptible line.
This was a difficult situation.
To think he knew even that.
"Yes, I did."
Shin-ju's mind raced.
When proposing a deal, you must never reveal any sense of desperation or unease.
So far, there were only two keywords to focus on.
His father and the Planet Destroyer.
On the surface, the two keywords seemed unrelated.
But there was a crucial link connecting them.
The Old Book.
His father's only legacy, and the most useful item in his negotiations with the Planet Destroyer.
"So it's the Old Book you're after?"
"I am curious about that book's true nature."
Hyde replied, still feigning disinterest.
Shin-ju nodded.
"What information do you want, exactly? I'll tell you what I can."
Seeing Shin-ju readily agree to the deal, Hyde sat up straight again.
"Rather than information..."
The atmosphere grew a little strange.
A sense of foreboding flickered through the air, but Shin-ju kept his expression neutral.
"The page you used when you negotiated with the Planet Destroyer."
Hyde grinned.
"Hand that page over to me."
*Ah, this bastard.*
Shin-ju ground his teeth inwardly.
As expected of someone skilled in information warfare, Hyde had presented an unexpected condition.
But Shin-ju simply smiled quietly, as if it were nothing.
*CRASH—*
"That... that traitorous son of a bitch!!"
Sara slammed her communicator onto the floor.
"Captain—!! Captain—!!"
A pirate lackey suddenly burst into the captain's quarters.
"What is it now!"
Sara hysterically bared her sharp teeth at the lackey.
She looked like a shark about to devour its prey in a single bite.
"H-Hieeek...!!"
The lackey, cowering in fear, fumbled with a remote.
"U-Uh...! Captain!! Sharin Tankobichi...!!"
The screen in front of Sara, which had been showing the refugees from Bluerobic, zoomed in.
The monitor began to show the inside of a shattered iron cage.
And the woman who was supposed to be inside...
"...is gone!!"
"Eek...!!"
At the lackey's words, a wave of dizziness washed over Sara, and her vision swam.
"Agh!!"
*Grrrrrind—*
Sara's teeth began to grow longer and sharper.
She looked just like a bloodthirsty shark.
Shin-ju glanced at Hyde for a moment, his lips twitching once before he spoke.
"Ah, that page?"
Shin-ju paused for a moment.
"How much do you know about it?"
"I know for sure that it's information capable of handling the Planet Destroyer."
"Hahaha. Well, this is..."
Shin-ju let out a laugh of disbelief.
"No, really... are you actually planning to go handle the Planet Destroyer?"
Hyde continued to stare at Shin-ju.
"So, is it possible or not?"
Hyde's immediate response made Shin-ju's expression turn serious.
A stalemate.
Trading information about Tibee-ra's hacked music for information from the Old Book related to the Planet Destroyer.
It was a terribly unbalanced trade.
The information about his past negotiations with the Planet Destroyer was a top-secret matter that could not be revealed to anyone.
And it wasn't something anyone could easily use just by obtaining it.
Hyde certainly wouldn't explain why he wanted that page.
What was needed now was...
The art of concession.
Not for free, of course.
Shin-ju maintained his indifferent expression.
"Very well, Hyde. I will give you the page I used in the negotiation with the Planet Destroyer. In return!"
Shin-ju exclaimed.
"I have three conditions. First, you will join U.C.I.D. starting today, without complaint. Second, you will uncover every detail about who was behind the music hacking. And third..."
Shin-ju paused slightly.
"You will take on one additional case that may arise in the future, besides the music hacking incident."
Hyde stroked his chin.
"Hmm... one more case, you say?"
"Yes. You must unconditionally take one unspecified case that may occur in the future."
This was insurance.
Shin-ju was using a negotiation technique known as the 'String Technique.'
The String Technique is a method where you make a concession but attach another demand to it, like a string.
It's a way to get a little more of what you want in return for your concession.
When you say, 'I'll do it, but in return, do this for me,' instead of simply agreeing to their demand, the other party feels they've won a difficult concession, which increases their subjective satisfaction.
Hyde was cheering inwardly, struggling to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.
He could fully understand Shin-ju's reaction.
This was a matter related to the Planet Destroyer, an entity that could sway the balance of the universe.
In truth, it wouldn't have been a problem even if he had demanded something much bigger than the music theft case.
In other words, no matter what case he took on, he would still come out ahead.
Hyde tried to mirror Shin-ju's neutral expression as he slowly stood up.
Shin-ju gazed steadily at him.
He had to suppress a laugh, seeing Hyde's face so clearly revealing his thoughts.
Shin-ju even found him a little cute.
Soon after, Hyde began to gather his things to leave.
As a gesture of help, Shin-ju organized the contract documents himself and handed them to Hyde.
"Here you go. You'll want to keep these safe."
Without a word of thanks, Hyde reviewed the negotiation documents once more.
He showed his meticulous nature, double-checking to make sure he hadn't missed anything.
Shin-ju clasped his hands in front of him and waited for a moment.
A 'hacker' was an incredibly valuable asset in police work.
They could easily obtain information necessary for criminal investigations anytime, anywhere.
Hyde was a black hat hacker for now, but there was plenty of potential for him to work as a white hat.
Because that's how he was going to be put to work, anyway.
A moment later, Hyde quickly stuffed the negotiation documents into the bag containing the steel plate.
Shin-ju exchanged a glance with the proxy sitting beside him.
Suddenly, three thick fingers appeared before Shin-ju.
Hyde looked down at Shin-ju and said one word.
"Deal."
Shin-ju also rose from his seat with a meaningful smile and grasped Hyde's three fingers.
"The deal is struck."
*Vrooooom—*
*Swoooosh—*
The lifeboat Enri was riding arrived directly beneath the Beherit.
Enri looked up at the underside of the Beherit.
*Screeeech—*
The Beherit was shaking violently, its "teeth" ensnared by Silver's hooks.
After a long tug-of-war, Silver finally spotted Enri standing below the Beherit in the distance.
"Eh, Enri?! What are you doing here?"
She pointed at herself with her thumb, as if to say 'watch this,' then pointed up at the pirate ship.
Silver understood Enri's signal and nodded.
"Looks like I don't have to step in after all. Nice assist, Enri."
Meanwhile, Sara was grinding her teeth, trying to swallow her boiling rage.
Sharin Tankobichi, the most notoriously cruel SS-Class hero from Bluerobic, had escaped.
Her eyes were glued to the monitor, darting around frantically as she searched for Sharin.
On the screen, she could see the division commanders, from the 1st to the 4th, conducting searches in their respective locations.
She finally realized Silver and Shin-ju's true intentions.
Once negotiations began, it would be difficult for U.C.I.D. to touch the pirates, so they planned to use Sharin to wipe them out.
In other words, it was a terrifying scheme to solve the problem using someone else's hands, without getting a single drop of blood on their own.
Sara's face grew anxious.
Could they really subdue Sharin?
It was nearly impossible.
Sara bit her lower lip, admitting her limits.
"Damn it. I have no choice but to use that method."