Chapter 28
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Scam Planet (5)
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– BOOM!!!!!!!
The world was engulfed in light.
Soon after, a pillar of hellfire erupted from the earth.
An immense blast swallowed everything around it.
Not even the armored vehicles could withstand the fury of the flames.
– KABOOM!!!
The turret rocketed into the air.
The airborne tank turret soon slammed into the ground.
The crew inside vaporized on the spot.
"Evade!!!"
"Request reinforcements from command, now!"
"Command! The enemy ship is attacking us... Argh!"
This wasn't a battle—it was a one-sided massacre.
The ground forces had no way to strike the ship.
And even if they could, they lacked the firepower to inflict meaningful damage.
– KABOOM! BOOM! KABOOM!
The ship leisurely flew over the lake, reducing the enemy on the ground to ashes.
The ground troops were getting pummeled helplessly.
Having never anticipated an air assault, they hadn't deployed a single anti-air gun.
They knew the enemy had a ship, of course.
But they figured the pirate ships guarding orbit would handle it.
"That crazy bastard! A warp jump right over the lake?! One tiny miscalculation in the coordinates, and the ship would've smashed straight into the surface!"
It was undoubtedly a dangerous gamble.
But the gamble had paid off spectacularly.
It proved the bastard wasn't just good at smashing things—he had a talent for intelligent plays too.
'He thinks he just needs to get inside the ship somehow?'
Poaki saw through his strategy.
Which meant they had to stop him from boarding the ship, no matter what.
No matter the cost.
"Adjutant, deploy all standby forces. Stop him at any cost."
"B-but the ship..."
"If he gets inside, we're all dead anyway! We have to stop him, whatever the price!"
Soon, he contacted the pirate fleet and defense command.
The enemy ship was right overhead—send reinforcements now.
〔Fleet entering atmosphere〕
〔Hold out for 10 minutes〕
〔Defense Command here〕
〔Scramble order issued to nearby airbase〕
〔They'll arrive soon—just hang in there〕
Poaki intended to use every resource at his disposal to stop him.
– KABOOOM! BOOM!
The battlefield was pure chaos.
Orca was providing fierce covering fire from the air.
But the ground forces were more numerous than expected, giving them trouble.
Using Orca's main guns or nukes would wipe the whole area clean.
But that would kill me and Ragna too.
So we were stuck fighting with limited firepower.
Of course, it was still tremendous power.
The enemy armored unit charging at me had been obliterated wholesale.
– KABOOOM!
I didn't miss the opening.
I charged into the enemy's formation and attacked.
Blue light poured through the thick dust.
Realizing I was among them, they fell into extreme panic.
I used the confusion to secure the fuel truck.
Right away, I started refueling.
"Orca, pick up Ragna quick!"
This was the most dangerous moment.
Now I had to divert their attention until the tanks were full.
I moved straight to phase two of the plan.
Orca ceased fire and opened the ship's hatch.
She soon nosed down toward the empty spot.
That's when a woman burst out from the facility.
She started running toward the hatch.
'Got her!'
The biggest hurdle was cleared.
The enemies were too fixated on me to notice what just happened.
Everything was going according to plan.
Until—
– RUMBLE!
A heavy engine roar shook the ground.
I turned to see a tank barreling toward me.
Its main gun soon swung my way.
The barrel flashed, firing a shell.
– KABOOM!
"Arghhh!!!"
"Stop, you lunatics!"
"What the hell?! Why are you shelling our own troops?"
They didn't care if their own died—as long as they got me.
"Oh, this is a bit too dangerous."
For the first time, I thought I might actually die if I slipped up.
I had to keep them from hitting the fuel truck.
"Hey! Over here, you dumb crocodile-headed idiots!"
I deliberately made noise to draw their eyes.
The enemy tank spotted me.
Its barrel trained on me.
I immediately blasted it with my blaster.
The plasma blaster roared.
The beam pierced the tank's armor and exploded.
The tank erupted in flames, hurling its turret skyward.
"Ragna, you on the ship?"
"Yeah! Get out of there!"
That's when a massive wind whipped up.
The ship shoved the clouds aside and took off again.
As it ascended, it bombarded the ground.
The blast pressure pulped the infantry into meat chunks.
The armored units exploded like popcorn.
Thanks to that, I escaped the area.
"Well done! Now head to the bridge! Hurry!"
Right then, a roar split the sky as something appeared.
Something small streaking at incredible speed.
Waka Clan fighters sliced through the sky at supersonic speeds.
But the real threat came behind them.
Suddenly, a colossal shadow blanketed the ground.
Then, gigantic entities revealed themselves.
Before their overwhelming presence,
every being on the ground fell silent.
Eight pirate escort ships had arrived.
They blotted out the sky just by existing.
Sensing victory, Poaki grabbed the mic.
〔Drawing the ground forces' eyes while loading your ally onto the ship and heading straight for the bridge—clever〕
〔I almost fell for it〕"
The bastard had risked his life to distract the troops.
All to get that human woman onto the bridge.
It was a risky op with low odds of success.
But the human bastard pulled it off.
〔I can't help but respect your courage and spirit〕"
It felt good to face a worthy opponent after so long.
A smile wouldn't leave Poaki's lips.
It wasn't just because the enemy was strong.
〔So I took precautions〕
〔Drained all the fuel from the ship〕"
Poaki reveled in the fact that such a bold, powerful foe was dancing in his palm.
He'd put on an incredible show, no doubt.
But this was the end for him.
〔As thanks for the fun, I'll send you both off painlessly〕
〔Rest now〕"
Soon, he issued the attack order.
The fighters dove, lowering altitude.
The pirate ships began maneuvering.
Right then, fighters plummeted from the sky.
The scout ship shot down the fighters heading for the human.
Poaki smirked as he watched.
"Ho, trying to protect its master somehow?"
Even against overwhelming foes,
the scout ship stood in their way.
As if saying, "Beat me first if you want to reach him."
"Fine, if that's how you want it."
The pirate ships' main guns turned on the scout ship.
The scout ship's massive main gun aimed back at them.
Then the artillery duel began.
The scout ship fired first.
Its enormous main gun hammered the enemy.
The shields rang from the sheer force—but soon the enemy fired back.
– KABOOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
8 against 1.
The human ship was exceptionally strong,
but not enough to overcome the class difference.
They were bigger, more powerful, and vastly outnumbering.
The fight wasn't even fair from the start.
Poaki grabbed the mic again.
"Hey, Barak. Don't bother with it—shell where the human is. That'll be a sight."
"Kekeke. Good idea."
Soon, one escort ship broke formation.
Its ship guns turned toward the ground.
The scout ship noticed and maneuvered to intercept.
A massive explosion followed.
The scout ship's shield shattered.
The shockwave made the ship wobble.
The pirate fleet didn't miss the chance.
They unleashed merciless barrages.
Armor tore away; flames licked the hull.
The battered ship struggled to resist,
but it only amused the enemy more.
"Finish it! And kill that human too!"
Poaki bellowed, certain of victory.
That's when it happened.
– VRRRROOOOM...!
Suddenly, a colossal roar shook the ground.
In response, the ether clouds began to swirl.
Right behind the faltering scout ship,
the bridge of a massive battleship emerged.
It was aimed right at them.
Poaki's eyes bulged.
What the hell was going on?
He'd definitely drained all the fuel.
Unless they refueled,
that ship couldn't move.
'N-no way?'
Poaki's gaze darted frantically.
The fuel truck by the lake was empty, fuel spilling out.
'These bastards—the truck was the real target?'
He'd been completely played.
With the cruiser reactivated,
the scales had tipped irreversibly.
"W-wait! Negotiate! Let's negotiate!"
Poaki desperately pleaded.
But—
〔Negotiate?〕
〔After trying to kill my precious hubby?〕
She had no intention of negotiating.
Soon—
〔Commencing Extermination Protocol〕
With a chilling announcement,
the ship opened fire.
The massive battleship appeared over the city.
Just passing by kicked up a storm.
Naturally, the citizens felt utter terror.
"What the hell?! What's going on?! Why is that ship flying over the capital?! What the fuck are the pirates doing?!"
Defense Commander Rotun bellowed at his chief of staff.
The chief of staff, on the phone, looked grave.
He hung up and spoke.
"C-Commander. This is bad."
"What's bad now?!"
"All the pirate ships have been sunk."
"What? All eight?"
The chief of staff's face darkened.
"Negotiation is our only way out."
Commander Rotun steeled himself and grabbed the mic.
Hearing her reply, Rotun sighed in relief.
Maybe she was open to talks.
〔If you keep silent about what happened here, we're willing to pay compensation〕"
The human ship didn't reply immediately.
A brief silence followed.
Then it spoke again.
〔Load it in cash and send it to my ship〕
〔Right now〕"
"One... one hundred billion gold?!"
More than the planet's annual GDP.
"If that's all it takes to end this, we're lucky, Commander."
An absurd sum, but they had the guns pointed at them.
The commander had no choice but to comply.
Small ships loaded with gold shuttled between the battleship and planet.
After dozens of trips, they'd handed over everything.
The commander cautiously asked her intentions.
Right then—
– VRRRROOOOM!
The engines roared as the ship began pulling away.
The citizens watching cheered wildly.
The commander and chief of staff finally breathed easy.
And moments later—
– KABOOOOOM!!!
A massive pillar of fire struck the surface.