Chapter 27
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Scam Planet (4)
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[Arrived at Bohala Lake]
[Opening doors]
The hyperrail train pulled into Bohala Lake.
The curtains parted, and two alligators emerged.
The alligators looked sloppy somehow.
Their eyes were lifeless, and their bodies wobbled like they might fall apart at any moment.
A man carrying a large bag hurried ahead.
A woman trotted after him.
Coming up beside him, she grabbed his arm and said,
"It's a shame it was just groping. If we'd been inside the ship, we could've gone all the way."
I must have zoned out for a second there.
In my defense, I got swept up in the mood.
Honestly, when a woman with a body like Ragna's is teasing you right in front of you...
How many guys in the world could hold out against that?
Definitely not me, that's for sure.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and changed the subject.
"Ahem. Where'd you say the ship was again?"
She jabbed her hand into my side.
"You were all over me when you were lost in the moment, and now you're playing innocent?"
Ragna quickly overtook me.
"Come on. It's right nearby."
We soon arrived at some kind of facility.
There stood a concrete structure that looked just like a bunker entrance.
The entrance was guarded by Wakain soldiers armed with guns.
"Not much security."
Five soldiers at the gate.
I could take them barehanded, no problem.
I headed straight for the entrance without a second thought.
"Hey, you! Don't you know this is a restricted area? Turn back now!"
A Wakain soldier aimed his gun at me, trying to intimidate.
I ignored him and kept walking.
The one who looked like the guard captain spoke up.
"Arrest that lunatic right now."
"Yes, sir."
Two soldiers approached to apprehend me.
"Drop the bag and put your hands on your head."
"......"
"Hey! Didn't you hear me? Drop the bag, or I'll shoot!"
"...You should've run the second you laid eyes on me."
"What?"
– Splat!
I smashed my fist into the guy's face.
His head caved in, brains splattering everywhere.
The soldier's corpse lost its balance and crumpled to the ground.
"What the hell?!"
The startled soldier shouldered his rifle.
He tried to aim at me, but unfortunately...
I was way faster.
"Shut up and die quietly."
The second soldier fell into my grasp.
He didn't even get a chance to protest before I ripped his throat out.
"E-emergency!"
The soldiers watching from behind tried to react, but...
A knife flew out of nowhere, piercing their throats.
Then some figure rushed in and butchered them all in an instant.
"Now we can head in easy."
Ragna snatched a rifle from one of the guards.
She rifled through the corpses and pulled out an access card.
"We can drop the disguises now. From here on, we're blasting through with brute force."
Ragna tore off the alligator head.
A glass helmet enclosed her beautiful face.
"What are you waiting for? Take yours off too."
"Got it."
Ragna watched as I stripped off my disguise.
Then she hummed softly under her breath.
"...Not like we'll have to take it off again once we're inside the ship anyway."
"Pardon?"
I swear I just heard something really dangerous.
Nah, probably not.
"Captain, I have a report."
That's when Orca contacted me.
"What's up?"
"Eight unidentified ships just entered the Setigma star system."
Ragna reacted to the news.
"Those are the pirates."
She continued,
"Hide the ship. You can't take them on with your current vessel."
"Orca, where are those ships now?"
"Attempting to dock in orbit around Rota Planet."
"Understood. Stay hidden and don't let them spot you."
"Yes, sir."
The pirates had entered Rota's orbit.
They were probably here to catch us.
No time left now.
We had to secure Ragna's ship before the pirates showed up.
We advanced slowly into the darkness.
This concrete building was downright creepy.
Lights were dim, and there were hardly any signs of life.
"Intruders!!!"
"Stop them! It's those humans!"
"Don't let them near the ship!"
They tried to block us, but it was all pointless.
– Boom!
I played tank.
Soaking up all their fire head-on while pushing forward.
Ragna sniped them down from behind.
Once they kept falling for the same trick, they tried to seal off the gate entirely.
Too bad for them, it didn't work.
My plasma blaster blew the gate to hell.
We crushed the enemy effortlessly and pressed on.
Eventually, we reached the gateway to the ship.
"Just through here, and we're at my ship."
We followed Ragna out of the facility.
It was less a lake and more a massive pit filled with clouds.
"This is the lake? There's no water."
"It's a lake full of ether clouds instead of water. No better place to hide a hijacked ship."
Once outside, Ragna looked for cover first.
She grabbed me and we dashed to it.
She peeked out carefully to scout.
"How's it looking?"
"Almost done."
I peeked out after her.
Xenos I'd never seen before were hooking hoses up to the ship.
Ragna spoke upon seeing them.
"Pirates. The ones who stole my ship."
"What are they doing?"
Ragna scowled.
"Damn bastards are draining the fuel."
"What?!"
"Guess they switched tactics to ground it since we're putting up a better fight than expected."
They caught us off guard.
Even if we retook the ship like this, we couldn't escape.
"What now?"
"Only option is to refuel it."
But we couldn't just charge in blindly this time.
Unlike the facility, where it was close-quarters infantry fighting...
This was open terrain, crawling with heavy threats like tanks and armored vehicles.
No matter how tough Chiltoom armor was, it couldn't hold out forever against that kind of firepower.
"To win this fight, we need some serious firepower ourselves."
Ragna was right. We needed overwhelming firepower.
Enough to smash their tanks and armor cars.
And in this situation, there was only one option.
"Here's the plan."
With pirate ships guarding the orbit, Orca couldn't just drop into the planet.
So I came up with a bolder strategy.
"Orca warps right over this lake."
"You know a slight miscalculation in coordinates could slam her straight into the planet's surface?"
"If we can't get out from here, we're all dead anyway. We have to take the risk."
It was risky, just like Ragna said.
But we had no other choice.
"No other options but to hit 'em with a surprise warp assault."
Warp drive let us pull off a blitz.
The pirates would spot our intrusion soon enough.
But it would take time for them to respond.
"In that window, we blast them with the main guns, seize the fuel trucks, and pump the ship full again."
The ship's so massive, it'd take time to reach the bridge.
So while I hold the fuel tanks on the ground...
Ragna boards Orca and heads straight for the bridge.
Once she and the Eggies clear out the pirates there and regain control, it's game over.
"What do you think? Better than it sounds, right?"
"It's a solid plan, but..."
Ragna's voice held a note of worry.
"If the fuel's even lower than we think, it'll drag on. You could end up in danger. What then?"
"Then..."
It was a real possibility.
I thought for a moment, then spoke.
"If that happens, you escape alone."
"What?!"
"In that scenario, I wouldn't make it anyway. Saving at least one more life makes sense, right?"
Sadness clouded Ragna's blue eyes.
I patted her back and said,
"Hey, hey, why think of the worst-case already? I'm just saying what to do if it comes to that. Don't worry. We'll both get out safe."
Once I reassured her, she forced a smile.
"Alright, let's get moving. The longer we wait, the worse it gets for us."
I stood up.
Dozens of fuel vehicles bustled about.
Transporting fuel siphoned from the ship.
That's when a man with an alien silhouette pushed through the Wakains.
It was the pirate commander, Poaki.
"Fuel all drained?"
"Yes, sir. Over 90% removed."
"So even now, they can't fire up the engines?"
"It'd be touch and go at best."
The Wakain engineer pointed to one vehicle.
It was hooked up to the ship, still sucking out fuel.
"But once that's done, even if the humans retake it, they won't be able to fly."
"Good."
Poaki finally relaxed a bit.
"That's a relief."
Poaki recalled the first report from the Wakains.
'Talk about a shock.'
Chiltoom scouting the planet?
He nearly fell out of his chair.
But luckily, it wasn't a real Chiltoom.
Just a human with Chiltoom gear.
A human was better than the real deal, sure.
But with Chiltoom tech, he was still a threat.
'He even trashed a whole defense facility solo.'
The guy had shown downright demonic combat prowess.
Leveling an entire base packed with troops.
The pirate commanders were stunned.
One lone infantryman wiping out a facility?
Soon they realized the truth.
Cannon fodder infantry couldn't beat him.
So he cooked up a cunning plan.
Forget capturing him.
Just tie his feet down.
No matter the Chiltoom gear...
No one wins against a whole planet.
'He's damn good in a fight.'
Reports said he was after this cruiser.
He knew its owner well.
The human woman who'd butchered pirates and fled.
The guy was probably helping her steal it back and escape.
"Uh, Commander. About this ship..."
The Wakain engineer spoke up.
"The more I look at it, the more insane it seems. How the hell did you hijack something this powerful?"
Poaki smirked, hands clasped behind his back.
"Kuhahaha! What's the point of a strong ship if you can't command it right? Fleet battles are won by the better captain."
He bluffed big, but Poaki knew the truth.
Hijacking it was pure luck.
The anomaly had turned the ship into an idiot.
He'd seized the chance and nabbed it quick.
Normally, their ships couldn't touch this cruiser.
If the guy somehow got it back to the woman...
A gruesome death awaited them.
"Stay sharp, everyone. The second they board this ship, we're all dead."
This ship was a poisoned chalice.
Still, Poaki had zero intention of letting it go.
The reward was too sweet.
'If I can just control this thing... All my dreams come true.'
This cruiser was monstrously powerful.
One ship could wage war on most factions.
Add his fleet to it?
He wouldn't need to pirate anymore. He could found a nation.
Poaki envisioned himself as Pirate King.
Just imagining it was thrilling.
Control this ship, and it wasn't a pipe dream anymore.
"Heh heh heh..."
As Poaki chuckled to himself...
Every gaze shifted somewhere.
"What? What's with everyone?"
Poaki's eyes followed.
The ether clouds obscured it.
But soon the clouds rippled...
– Rooooar...!
Something blue emerged from the ashen clouds.
"Wh-what the hell?!"
"It's him!!!"
"Tanks!!! Open fire!"
A human appeared from the clouds.
Poaki grinned at the sight.
"Stupid bastard. Think one battlesuit makes you invincible?"
The smirk wouldn't leave his face.
Perfect.
Might as well kill him and take the suit too.
That's when...
– KABOOM!!!!
A massive explosion rocked the area.
Startled Wakain troops and pirates looked up.
The clouds parted, revealing...
Something enormous closing in.
Finally, it burst through the clouds.
[Ship combat mode activated]
[Commencing bombardment]
Poaki could only tremble in terror.