episode_0636
by admin
-The Manta Ray is back.
‘Really? You came back sooner than I thought.’
If the manta rays had returned, we would have to pause our exploration and join them.
Maria’s main body was over there, so there was no way anyone would get hurt, but the fighting power of the rest of the subordinates was not very good, so there was nothing they could do.
The cyborg parts that had various combat weapons attached were separated while I was treating them, so the only weapons they have are the self-defense gun and cold weapons that I took out from my inventory.
I only bound them under me with religious faith and a sense of debt for saving and adoring them, and I did not expect that these people who originally lived rough lives would suddenly become rigid and move like brainwashed soldiers or androids.
If we just let them loose, it was clear that someone with poor equipment would end up alone and do something else and get hurt.
I could save you as long as you didn’t die, but I didn’t want to go through all the hassle in the process.
Maria took control of the control room and announced Manta Ray’s return a short while later.
As the distance became closer and communication with the main body became possible, she finished synchronizing the information and spoke to me.
-Master! I’m back!
‘Okay. Thanks for your hard work.’
-I’ll go there!
While we were waiting like that for a while, Maria led her men and entered the control room along the route we had secured for safety.
The subordinates who returned after her all had pale faces, although to varying degrees.
I could guess why he had such a face.
‘I see you saw a bug’s corpse.’
They were such disgusting guys that I didn’t even want to put their corpses in my inventory, so I just left them there so that Maria could come later and take over the system and clean it up.
He must be making that face when he sees the corpse left there.
The danger of bugs is something that every human in the human empire has been indoctrinated with since childhood.
It must have felt like they were suddenly entering an area where biological weapons had spread.
Looking at it that way, I wonder what the hell the people who research bugs in these facilities are doing.
As expected, the guys who found me came running towards me in a hurry and said.
“Eek…! Saint! There’s a bug corpse over there… !”
“You need to get out of here!”
“That’s right! I’ll take care of it, so hurry up… !”
Bugs usually appear outside the territory of the Imperium of Man.
It wasn’t necessarily because humans and bugs had evolved at opposite ends of the universe, but simply because the human empire slowly expanded its territory and eradicated the bugs.
So while there are instances of bugs that haven’t been sorted out yet within the Imperium of Man, most of the time they are based on outlying planets or even further away, places that have never been touched by humans.
The point was that, even though they were from a developing planetary system, there were very few humans who had actually encountered bugs.
I can understand why people react that way.
‘But you still act like you’re worried because I’m your superior.’
He reassured his subordinates who were getting excited while thinking like that.
“Are you so surprised by just seeing a corpse? Don’t worry. I can handle all the bugs hiding here by myself.”
I don’t really plan on doing it all by myself because it would obviously take too long.
Anyway, my subordinates quickly calmed down, feeling reassured by the sight of me, their leader, acting confidently.
“Oh… As expected, it’s a saint!”
“Yeah. Now that I think about it, the bug corpses were all lying around, looking like they died in a variety of ways!”
“If bugs come rushing in, just clean them all up!”
I watched them gather enough momentum to the point where they could probably deal with one or two bugs if they threw them out, and then I suddenly muttered.
“By the way, the weapon has changed.”
My gaze was directed at the weapons of my subordinates.
Where did all the modern rifles and swords that I had personally handed them go? The weapons they carried on their backs and waists all looked like weapons from the world of Nova Empire.
My subordinates also noticed the direction I was looking and flinched.
“Ah, that’s… ”
“I bought all the weapons they had. In return, I gave them the latest weapons I had in the store.”
A dwarf suddenly appeared in front of the subordinates who were about to say something.
‘Buy? Store?’
From what he said, it seemed like he was a merchant. He ordered his subordinates to bring him Noir Black, and seeing as he brought that man, it probably meant that he was a new business partner.
I already knew through the report that there was one more person in the party, but I didn’t think they were merchants because of their small appearance.
The dwarf had dark brown skin, almost the color of chocolate, and a bushy beard that covered his chest. Despite his short stature, he had a body with very well-developed muscles all over his body.
‘What kind of dwarf race are you?’
It had an appearance that looked like a race that often appears in the fantasy genre.
However, the only difference between them and other races was that even though the dwarves had dwarf-like appearances, they were still humans belonging to the Imperium of Man.
It’s just that the racial characteristics due to the differences in the planet’s environment are extremely revealed.
If you look for it, you’ll probably be able to find a race with long ears somewhere.
He made a habit of stroking his beard, then looking at his hand and pausing as if he saw something odd.
I could kind of figure out why he was acting so broken.
‘They say there are no colors on the planet Noir, but I guess you’re not used to seeing colors since you’re from there.’
Indeed, the words that came out of his mouth were as expected.
“… I didn’t know my hands were this color. Anyway, the performance of those weapons will be much better than the ones I originally had. I don’t know where you got them, but the ones you originally had were antique weapons in excellent condition, so they were quite expensive. That’s why I had to give you change even after giving you those weapons. ”
“Antique… ”
Even though Planet Noir is no longer as bustling as it used to be, it seemed natural to treat real-life weapons as antiques.
Of course, weapon systems have changed dozens or hundreds of times since they came out into space. So it is not an exaggeration or an understatement to say that 21st century gunpowder weapons are antiques.
He may have done it because it was beneficial to him, but he also gave his subordinates better weapons and even pocket money, so I had no intention of asking for a refund for that.
If a soldier were to sell his gun and exchange it for a new one, he would be executed immediately, but I must not forget that my men are half mercenaries.
But when he would call me a saint and follow me, I was a little annoyed that he would sell the weapon I gave him right away when I told him I would give him a better weapon.
‘… No. Weapons are a matter of life and death. Let’s just move on.’
Out of respect for me, it was better that way than continuing to hold a weapon that was questionable whether it would work against the bugs.
So I briefly thought about punishing him by making my subordinates clean up the bug corpses, but then decided against it.
These are guys that you don’t even want to put in your inventory, so if you ask your subordinates to do them, you’ll only end up with complaints.
I don’t like it when things end with just a tick of the finger, but I also don’t think my subordinates, who seem to view bugs as some kind of biochemical weapon, will do a really thorough job of cleaning.
It seemed better to just have Maria take control of the central system and clean it up with cleaning drones, as originally planned.
I nodded roughly and asked the dwarf.
“So, who are you? I don’t think I’ve heard your name yet.”
“This man is a smuggler from the planet Noir named Basnit.”
The answer came from Kai Delshard, who had been leading his men to Noir.
“Officially, I’m not a smuggler, but a pawn shop owner. To be honest, the sales are similar between the pawn shop and smuggling, but I’d rather call it the honest way… ”
Although Basnit grumbled like that, I didn’t even listen.
“The pawn shop owner doesn’t really need us. It was a fair trade to exchange weapons, so I won’t thank you separately. What I want to ask is why you brought the smuggler here.”
“Ahem… ”
Basnit coughed in vain, perhaps because the slightly strong atmosphere felt awkward.
I didn’t really feel a sense of crisis, but it was good to make sure this part was addressed.
There was no benefit to be gained from having outsiders frequent this facility.
That too, from an outsider who found out that a bug had been discovered in the facility.
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