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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 259
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“Hey, did you hear about it? There was a huge commotion in the city district an hour ago.”
“A commotion?”
“Some lunatic went after the Marcio Cartel and ended up dead.”
“Damn, that's insane.”
In the space fortress of Kesha Arma, the Marcio Cartel’s influence was far beyond that of mere proprietors. Controlling the reactor, they essentially hold the life and death of everyone on this fortress in their hands
It’s said that in the past, they once gathered rebels into a single district and cut off their oxygen supply.
That’s why the name ‘Marcio’ is never taken lightly here. The idea that someone would be bold enough to challenge them—well, it’s the kind of incident that would pique the interest of a nosy companion.
“So, who on our side got hit?”
“Jonas. The crazy bastard bit his neck, and he had to be taken to the hospital.”
“…That powered armor fanatic got attacked? How does an ordinary person even manage to bite someone wearing powered armor?”
“Those who were with him said he seemed like a druggie. Might have been on Psionium or something, apparently his physical abilities were off the charts.”
“A druggie, huh.”
That word made Gidequ think about something from earlier in the morning.
The naval port guard, grinning bizarrely while staring at a hover bus. There wasn’t just one person standing like that either.
‘Well, the higher-ups will handle it.’
The Marcio Cartel had an important business coming up soon. In just a few days, there’d be an auction for smuggled animals and slaves. It’s why different species' ships were flocking from all over the galaxy.
In such a situation, there’s no way the cartel would allow a bunch of drug addicts to run rampant. They’ll probably crack down hard on them.
It’s ironic to think about criminals cracking down on drug addicts, but it wasn’t Gidequ’s concern. His role in the organization was far more important than simply busting a druggie’s head.
“Looking at all this food makes me hungry.”
“Freddy, you idiot, you wanna get jettisoned into space like your predecessors?”
“I was just saying, man. No need to be so prickly.”
Before Gidequ and his companion Freddy was a feast so lavish, it’s something one might only see once in a lifetime.
The place they were at was once called the Second Headquarters. Now, it functioned as a hotel accommodating the Marcio Cartel’s most important clients.
Their job was to ensure that this food reached the VIPs staying upstairs without a hitch.
For that purpose, they were armed to an unusually high degree for low-ranking members—equipped with brand-new medium-class powered armor and Gauss rifles. In terms of equipment, they were on par with a megacorp’s armored police force.
“Preparations complete. Proceeding with delivery.”
An android, now loaded with all the food on a cart, began to move. As they boarded the elevator with the android, the two men fell silent.
The elevator quickly ascended and came to a stop on the 100th floor.
As the doors opened, they were greeted by a corridor as opulently decorated as the food the android carried. They followed it out of the elevator.
The hallway was lined with pirates clad in high-grade powered armor and fully armed androids. Feeling their gaze, Gidequ swallowed hard.
The guest staying on the 100th floor was of utmost importance. The cartel boss himself had given strict orders to treat this person with the same respect he would command.
“Pass.”
After passing through the strict security and entering the room, they were greeted by the sound of laughter.
Even though it was a voice he only heard a few times a year, there was no mistaking its owner.
The master of Kesha Arma and the leader of the Marcio Cartel.
One of the elders who wielded the most power at Spacedock, Montana Marcio.
As they entered the enormous dining room with the android, they saw a giant with brown skin and a woman with antler-like horns.
“Hahaha, cultists are truly fascinating!”
“Fascinating, you say? That's an intriguing perspective.”
The Colossal man, who would fill a sofa large enough to seat three grown men with room to spare, was none other than the ruler of the space fortress.
On the opposite side, despite her words, the Cult woman nodded with a calm expression. She was the VIP that Montana Marcio had invited.
This woman was an extraordinarily important figure who had been residing on this vast 100th floor for nearly half a year. Important enough that Montana Marcio himself had to flatter her like this.
“Ah! The meal has arrived just in time. Lady Cynthia.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Montana.”
“Consideration? No, this is hardly enough when I think of the grace you and he have shown us.”
At his gesture, the android began setting up the meal.
From this point on, their job was done. Gidequ and Freddy bowed politely and retreated.
“Wow, did you see that cultist? You know who she is? I’ve never seen the boss act like that,” Freddy muttered as soon as they got back into the elevator. Gidequ responded nonchalantly.
“She’s obviously important, or she wouldn’t be staying here for half a year.”
“True. No one’s ever stayed here for more than a month.”
“Doesn’t matter to us, so don’t bother.”
That was the evening meal they’d just delivered, so their duties were done for the day. Other members would handle the rest of the hospitality.
Gidequ and Freddy returned their equipment and exited the Second Headquarters building.
“Hey, I’ll cover everything today. Let’s live like kings for a night.”
“You’re spending like crazy after just one ride on the hover bus.”
Both would have to report back to the headquarters again tomorrow. But true to their pirate nature, neither cared.
Whether they had credits or not, they had always lived without a plan, and they’d continue doing so.
--
“Ugh.”
Drunk out of his mind, Gidequ stumbled out of the fancy bar. Freddy had long disappeared with a wolf courtesan.
He considered indulging in similar pleasures himself, but his dwindling credits held him back. Between riding buses the past few days and partying, his terminal was flashing warnings about his finances.
‘I’ll just earn more later.’
The first windfall is always the hardest. Now that he’d hit it big once, the next one would come even quicker—or so he optimistically thought as he walked down the street.
Unlike the usual bar near the arena, this area was packed with upscale entertainment facilities, making it quieter than the usual nightlife districts. Once the auction started, though, it would be as busy as any other zone.
‘Should I walk?’
Low on credits, Gidequ decided against using the bus and instead headed toward the capsule housing district on foot.
Despite the late hour, there were still quite a few people on the streets. People here typically had two goals: to indulge in women like Freddy or to drink heavily like Gidequ.
But for some reason, the people on the street weren’t entering any of the establishments. They just stood around as if waiting for something.
‘What’s going on?’
Even in his drunken haze, Gidequ found it odd but chose to ignore it. He didn’t have the luxury to worry about the actions of those wealthier than himself.
After about thirty minutes of walking, he found himself in a street full of old, dilapidated buildings, marking the end of the nightlife district.
This area was where the fortress's shipyards and factories were located. In the days when the Cult managed it, the lights never went out here, but that was no longer the case. It only saw brief activity during auctions and remained a deserted, lifeless zone at all other times.
Despite the lack of electricity, it wasn’t completely dark, thanks to the light shining down from the planet above.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have felt afraid, but tonight, something felt different.
‘…What the hell is this?’
The street he walked every night on his way home looked more decrepit than usual, and there was an eerie sense that something lurked in the abandoned buildings. Even in his drunken state, he could feel the heavy, oppressive atmosphere that sent a shiver down his spine.
It was as if the entire street was alive, squirming in the darkness.
‘Man, this atmosphere’s seriously messed up.’
“I need to get home fast”, Gidequ thought, bracing himself. His cyborg-modified body began forcibly accelerating his alcohol metabolism.
In an instant, his mind cleared, and he picked up on a faint sound.
It was the sound of footsteps. Multiple footsteps, coming from behind.
‘What the…?’
As he turned his head, a chill ran down his spine.
Bathed in the light from the planet above, a group stood in the street.
Some wore ragged clothing, others the uniforms of security personnel, while a few were dressed in worn-out pirate jackets like Gidequ’s.
Fifteen figures stood there, each in different attire, watching him. All of them had their lips twisted into eerie grins.
“Wh-who the hell are you?!” Gidequ shouted at the bizarre group staring at him. He quickly pulled out his laser pistol and aimed it at them. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
‘What kind of madness is this?!’
That deranged group was unmistakably the same junkies he’d seen this morning. Come to think of it, Freddy had mentioned that one of their members wearing power armor had been attacked by them.
He hadn’t understood how they could’ve been overwhelmed at the time, but facing them now, it made sense. They didn’t look normal. In fact, they appeared extremely dangerous.
‘…I need to escape.’
These were the ones who had even injured someone in power armor. If he tried to fight, there was no telling what would happen. The only option seemed to be hiding in a building and calling for help from other members.
Gidequ fired his pistol at the one leading the group and took off running. He didn’t bother checking if he’d hit; getting away took priority.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
It was the first time he’d run at full speed since escaping the Star Union. He ducked into a nearby abandoned building.
The place was a dilapidated ruin—windows, walls, and the ceiling were all caving in. But that made it easier to hide. He crouched behind some debris and used a broken mirror to check the street.
He saw the junkies pass by without noticing him. As expected, they hadn’t seen where he went.
“Phew, damn it…”
“Are you alright?”
“!”
Just as he was about to relax, a voice from inside made him jump to his feet. He pointed his gun toward the sound, and a young man stepped out of the shadows.
“Shimura Cartel?”
“Please don’t shoot.”
“What’s a damn hyena like you doing here?”
Gidequ recognized the young pirate with green hair instantly. He belonged to the Shimura Cartel, a small-time group surviving by petty theft around the military port.
The cartel had only five members, so even the Marcio Cartel ignored them.
“Wait, this isn’t the time for that,” Gidequ muttered, pulling out his terminal to request backup.
“Hey, it’s me. There’s a bunch of junkies crawling around the shipyard district. Get over here quick… What? You idiots! We’re close to the Second Headquarters. Just contact them for help, you morons. Yeah, yeah, tell them I made the request.”
Backup requested, he stowed his terminal. The green-haired pirate approached him.
“You seem to be affiliated with the Second Headquarters.”
“Of course I know them; I work there.”
“Is that so? Impressive.”
The green-haired pirate nodded as if genuinely impressed.
It’d take about ten more minutes for Gidequ’s comrades to arrive. Keeping an eye on the street with his mirror to spot any junkies, he started talking.
“What are you doing here so late? Got something to scavenge?” Gidequ asked.
“I came for something I needed,” the green-haired pirate replied.
“You’re nuts. Then why didn’t you come during the day?”
“I had to avoid the surveillance cameras.”
Hearing this, Gidequ let out a scoff. “What nonsense is that? The cameras here haven’t worked in ages.”
“Is that so?”
“You think we’ve got energy to waste on places like this? There are plenty of spots just like this one that don’t get any power.”
“That’s true.”
“Idiot”, Gidequ muttered.
“I’m curious,” the green-haired pirate continued, “what do you do at the Second Headquarters?”
“Security. I can’t tell you more than that.”
As they talked, Gidequ started to feel something was off.
The green-haired pirate claimed to have come looking for something in the middle of the night, in a place covered in debris. Normally, he’d bring search equipment, or at least a flashlight, but there was nothing of the sort on him.
“And you’re just standing here instead of looking for whatever it is?”
“No need. I’ve already found it.”
“You found it? What is it?”
Gidequ waited, but the green-haired pirate merely smiled, saying nothing. It could be that he didn’t want to show a fellow pirate something valuable, but this felt different.
‘Besides…’
Gidequ glanced outside at the junkies roaming around. They were searching other buildings thoroughly but avoiding this ruin. It was as if something in here was keeping them away.
He suddenly recalled a story he’d heard at a bar a few days ago—a rumor about a demon wearing human skin. It sounded uncomfortably similar to what he was experiencing now.
‘D-Damn it…’
The conversation stopped. In the silence, only the sound of their breathing echoed within the ruins.
Judging by the breath alone, the green-haired pirate seemed human, but Gidequ couldn’t shake his fear. What if that breath was really the sound of a demon savoring its prey?
With a trembling hand, he picked up the broken mirror piece again. His heart pounded as if he were running at full speed. He wanted to turn around and check with his own eyes, but fear rooted him in place.
Instead, he angled the mirror toward his shoulder, hoping to catch the reflection of the man behind him. If the pirate was really human, he should see him.
But Gidequ soon regretted his decision.
What he saw over his shoulder wasn’t a man but a spider-like creature, crouching low and extending its jaws toward the back of his head.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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