Chapter 26
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Scam Planet (3)
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A man glowing with blue light emerged from the flames.
His face was hidden behind a helmet, but for some reason, the Waka tribe warriors felt a chill run down their spines.
An indescribable, eerie sensation.
"Burning to death or being torn apart. Which do you prefer?"
– Pfshk!
His fist punched straight through the soldier's body.
The pierced soldier staggered.
"Wha...? What the...?"
The Waka tribe warrior dropped his gun.
He turned around, blood streaming from him, to see the terrified eyes of his comrades.
Only then did he look down at his own body.
"Ugh... Uwaaaah...!"
"Uwaaaah!!!"
"Save me!!!"
– Pfshk!
Another fist pierced his body right after.
Then two hands ripped it apart.
The man in blue light stepped out from the torn corpse.
It was a scene beyond shocking.
Terror began to spread rapidly.
But they still had weapons.
So the soldiers chose to fight instead of flee.
– Tat-tat-tat! Ta-da-da-tat!
They figured they couldn't lose.
He was just a human mimicking a Chiltoom, after all.
With overwhelming numerical superiority.
The Waka tribe warriors' gun barrels all pointed at a single enemy.
Hundreds of rounds per minute rained down.
However.
Something impossible unfolded.
Despite the hail of bullets.
The human man wasn't hurt at all.
No, he was charging forward unscathed.
"Wh-what the hell?!"
"The bullets are all bouncing off?!"
"How is that even...?"
He rushed straight at the army.
The massive gun barrels aimed at the center of their formation.
And when those barrels lit up.
– Kwaaaang!
"Kaaaagh!!!"
An explosion erupted, and unquenchable hellfire bloomed.
The surging flames swallowed the soldiers whole.
They flailed and screamed within the inferno.
Burning alive with horrific shrieks.
– Bang! Bang! Bang!
That's when gunfire rang out from the hotel.
Soon, white round drones reappeared.
They advanced in formation, firing as they went.
Under the drones' covering fire, Waka tribesmen began to fall.
"Take cover! Take cover now!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Communications! Where's the comms officer?!"
Commander Wallaki barely regained his composure.
The enemy's firepower was stronger than expected.
Instead of capturing him, he shifted tactics to buy time until heavy weapons arrived.
"Capture op's a bust! From now on, hold them off until the main force gets here!"
"Yes, sir!"
"You called for comms?!"
"Hey, radio HQ right now! Request tanks, fighters, heavy weapons support! We hold until then!"
He had to inform HQ of the situation fast.
He was betting everything on reinforcements.
"Comms, you request reinforcements?"
"No need."
"What?"
Commander Wallaki whipped his head to the side.
The comms officer he'd just been talking to lay dead on the ground.
A human woman with a knife stood on his corpse.
She smiled at him.
"Hi there?"
"You bitch...!"
Wallaki tried to aim at her, but.
She was much faster.
The blonde woman closed in instantly and stabbed her knife through his throat.
"Khek... Kgh..."
The man spewed blood from his neck and collapsed.
And this bastard was hiding here
(Roughly, image of Xeno corpses piled high on the road and burning)
(Roughly, image of a Xeno hiding in a trash can, screaming as it dies)
I thought I'd killed them all, you know?
But I heard a radio from the trash can, checked it out, and this Xeno bastard was hiding in there. FFS lololol
Was kinda impressed and pitied it enough to maybe let it live, but it screamed so loud I just killed it.
From the Xenos' perspective, isn't this guy the monster?
Weapons don't work, and once you're targeted, it chases you to the death
And the moment you're caught, your body gets torn apart or vaporized by plasma beam and burned
(Info) Everyone shitposting here is a monster, confirmed
Wait, why'd the Xenos attack you? Weren't you disguised as a Chiltoom?
They figured out I'm human not Chiltoom, brought a capture squad so I wiped 'em
Probably clocked you from the ship you arrived on
What? You fought the army? Then you gotta run NOW
Newbie, if they've figured you out you need to run NOW
They sent just infantry thinking you couldn't resist much, and took losses. Even Chiltoom combat suits can't win against a whole planet.
If they bring tanks or fighters, no way even a Chiltoom suit holds up.
Get out of there ASAP
Oh yeah? Thought their civ level was too low to pierce Chiltoom suits?
If Chiltoom were that strong they'd have conquered the universe
Tanks most stuff fine, but if they go all-out razing the city with firepower, it won't hold
I thought Chiltoom combat suits were invincible.
Guess nothing's truly unbeatable in this world.
Don't worry too much though. Me and Ragna are disguised now, no way these guys find us.
How'd you disguise so confidently?
Skinning Waka corpses and wearing 'em inside out while moving
?????? Wearing WHAT inside out???
Lmao this guy's straight horror FFS lololol
Sir, how do you even come up with ideas like that?
How terrifying must the newbie look to the Xenos? Walking around draped in their own kin's skinned corpses from another dimension...
"Hey, quit the gallery and hurry up. Time to move."
That's when a woman's voice pulled my attention.
I closed the gallery and followed her.
To any onlooker, we looked like an ordinary Waka couple strolling along.
But the reality was entirely different.
We walked, watching the sky gradually brighten.
As morning approached, more Waka appeared on the streets.
At the same time, soldiers and police increased too.
They roamed with guns, conducting checks.
Seeing that, Ragna hooked her arm in mine.
"Act natural, natural."
"Natural?"
"Act like lovers, idiot!"
She pressed closer against me.
Not satisfied, she grabbed my arm and wrapped it around her waist.
I startled and tried to pull away, but.
She gripped tight and wouldn't let go.
"What? Doesn't this turn you on?"
"No, it's not that... stacks are building."
"It's fine, no skin contact. Short-term's okay."
Whether it was Ragna's bold strategy or our perfect disguise.
They let us pass without inspection.
Soon, we boarded the hyperrail.
Tickets handled with cards swiped from corpses.
Destination: Bohala Lake.
According to Ragna, kidnapped ships were hidden beneath it.
Goal: retrieve her ship there.
We blended into the Xenos and took seats.
I turned my head slightly and looked at Ragna, mouth opening.
Haven't had a proper chat, been busy.
She didn't know, but my real mission was building rapport with her.
Ultimately, to prevent gallery civil war—that was me and Jootak's goal.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason I helped her.
Personal fondness for Ragna played a part too.
She's helped me a ton, and always first to comment on my posts.
Soon, I pondered how to get closer to her.
And reached one conclusion.
Nothing beats conversation for bonding.
I racked my brain for a good topic.
"Hey, Ragna."
"?"
Ragna turned, opening her mouth.
Her blue eyes met mine.
Eyes asking why I called.
"Nothing big, just wondering why your crystal ran out."
"Oh, that? Not enough energy to run the stealth field on the suit. Hiding and fighting for tens of hours nonstop, couldn't be helped."
That opened the floodgates.
She chattered excitedly.
About the anomaly stack bursting in panic.
Pirates kidnapping her ship.
Killing them and escaping after.
I listened quietly.
After a bit.
"Hey, newbie."
"Yeah?"
"Don't you have anything to say to me? Or something you're curious about?"
Maybe she felt bad hogging the talk.
She handed me the reins.
"Something to say."
I thought deeply, then spoke.
"Just wanted to say thanks."
When I first fell into this universe.
The first month, loneliness tormented me most.
Being utterly alone in an alien place.
It was unbearable.
"But starting the gallery eased it some. Not gone completely, but yeah."
The gallery was the sole well quenching my thirst for connection in this vast universe.
I dove right into that world.
Soon, the gallery felt like friends, family.
"Some inner closeness formed, y'know? You're all I've got to talk to."
So they weren't just online folks to me.
They became precious.
Losing them would leave me alone again.
I didn't want to lose my friends.
"And get this?"
"The first post I saw when I joined the gallery was yours."
"Dunno if that's why, but you always felt like the closest friend."
Maybe the Jootak mission was just an excuse.
Ragna was already precious to me.
Losing such a friend would drag me back to hellish loneliness.
Terror of that drove me to save her.
"You're precious to me. Without you, it'd be so lonely. Couldn't stay away thinking that."
This might be my true heart.
"So, yeah. Wanted to say this: thanks for being alive. If you'd died... I'd have been devastated and alone."
I poured out my honest feelings.
Then, Ragna suddenly stood.
She drew the curtain around our seats.
"Newbie..."
She removed our crocodile-head disguises.
Leaned in close and said,
"This... is your fault for being too sexy."
She climbed onto my lap.