episode_0040

The city of Arcadia, Valentine’s meeting place, was quite a distance away, so instead of driving there myself, I had to find another mode of transportation.

“Is this it?”

Before leaving, Scarlet had introduced this place, telling me to take an unmanned large transport.

I submitted my mercenary ID card, and soon after, I easily secured passage.

It cost a considerable amount of credits to load Asura into the cargo hold, but that much was pocket change to me now.

The interior of the transport was more comfortable than I expected.

Asura was securely fastened inside the cargo hold, and I was able to get some sleep in the simple lounge.

How much time had passed?

[Attention, passengers. Our transport will soon arrive at the Arcadia Public Cargo Terminal.]

By the time I came to my senses from the announcement, the sun had already set, and the entire city was sparkling with brilliant lights.

“Wow, it’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Super-tall skyscrapers soared as if piercing the sky.

Giant holographic billboards adorning the building exteriors emitted gleaming neon signs.

The moment the transport landed at the massive cargo terminal,

people who appeared to be staff were waiting upfront.

“Are you Kang Jin-woo? Please submit your ID card.”

“Here it is.”

The mercenary ID card Kaien had issued me worked here too.

It seemed to be public/universal.

“Confirmed. For your vehicle, you may use the designated public hangar. If you have a private hangar, you may use it freely.”

“Understood.”

After parking Asura in the public hangar, I disembarked from the cockpit.

The meeting place Valentine had sent via message was the penthouse on the top floor of a skyscraper in the city center.

As I tried to enter the building lobby, two security guards in suits at the entrance blocked my way.

“Excuse me, but what is the purpose of your visit?”

A polite but firm voice.

“I’m here to meet Alexander Valentine. We have an appointment.”

“We require proof of identity.”

I silently handed over my mercenary ID card.

The guard scanned it, then engaged in a brief conversation through a communication device in his ear.

“Confirmed. Kang Jin-woo-nim, I will guide you this way.”

He politely bowed his head and guided me into the building.

Taking the visitor’s elevator, I quickly arrived at the top floor, where a luxurious corridor appeared.

At its end was a heavy metal door, and in front of it stood two more security guards.

“Excuse me, but please follow the procedure before entering.”

I readily complied with their request.

A metal detector swept over my body, and a sharp warning sound immediately rang out from my waist.

It was the energy pistol Scarlet had given me for self-defense.

“We will keep this for a moment. We will return it to you when you leave.”

“Understood.”

After going through the strict procedure, I was finally able to meet Valentine.

It seemed he was meticulously focused on security, as expected from someone who had been betrayed before.

The heavy metal door slid open silently.

“Welcome, Kang Jin-woo-nim.”

Greeting me was a female android, so exquisitely crafted that it was difficult to distinguish her from a human.

Dressed in a maid’s uniform, she guided me inside with a gentle yet somewhat artificial smile.

“Valentine-nim has been waiting for you. Please follow me.”

After passing through a long corridor, we arrived at a vast living room that overlooked the city’s night view.

Beyond the panoramic glass window, dazzling lights spread out into the distance, and on the luxurious sofa in front of it, an old man with abundant white hair sat leaning deeply back.

He was Alexander Valentine.

“You’ve had a difficult journey, Kang Jin-woo. I apologize for making you come all this way in person due to my stubbornness.”

He patted the sofa, as if inviting me to sit.

I complied, perching on one end of the sofa.

“Alice, a cup of tea for our guest, please.”

“Understood, Valentine-nim.”

As the android called Alice quietly withdrew, Valentine gazed silently at the night view outside the window for a while.

It was a spacious and opulent room, but somehow, he looked desolate and lonely, like an isolated island.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Valentine.”

I was the first to break the silence and greet him.

He slowly turned his head to look at me.

“First, I wish to express my gratitude for completing the request, but…”

He let out a deep sigh, unable to continue his words.

“The Nova Seed that was handed over to the recovery team was ultimately taken.”

It was what I had expected, but hearing it directly from him, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

The moment the transport crashed replayed in my mind.

“Upon investigation, they were the Warp Hounds, a pirate crew under Red Veil. The recovery team was annihilated, and the Nova Seed fell into their hands.”

He clenched his fist as he continued.

“What’s worse is that we received information that they put the Nova Seed up for illegal auction.”

It matched Kaien’s words.

Because she said the Warp Hounds were vile individuals who specialized in such things.

“An illegal auction house floating in the gray zone of the interstellar shipping lanes. Volkov.”

‘Volkov…’

At his explanation, I narrowed my eyes.

Volkov was a place that had served as the background for infiltration and heist quests even in the game.

I didn’t know how valuable the Nova Seed was, but…

Crime lords from across the galaxy and representatives of hidden corporations would undoubtedly flock there like clouds.

“The auction is three days from now.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to give up?”

Valentine let out a hollow laugh at my words.

“Give up? If I were going to do that, I wouldn’t have started.”

“Then, are you planning to raid Volkov? You’ll be shot full of holes the moment you go there.”

“I am not that foolish.”

Valentine touched his wrinkled forehead.

“Then what was your reason for wanting to meet me? The Nova Seed has been taken. There’s nothing more I can do. My request has already been completed.”

“I’ve brought the tea, Kang Jin-woo-nim.”

“Ah, thank you.”

After Alice set down the teacup, she bowed her head and withdrew.

A subtle, luxurious aroma wafted from the teacup.

“I wanted to meet you in person. Pilots like you are rare in this field.”

He gestured for me to drink the tea, and then he, too, picked up his teacup.

“The aroma is good. Try it.”

“Is that truly your only reason?”

I desperately wanted to understand his true intentions.

Had he simply called me to make acquaintances?

Valentine set down his teacup and spoke.

“May I tell you a bit about my past?”

“Go ahead.”

“In the past, I was one of the top executives at the giant corporation, Solaris Industries. I thought I had everything: wealth, honor, a loving family.”

His voice trembled slightly.

“But when my convictions and greed began to clash, everything crumbled in an instant: a colleague’s betrayal, everything taken from me overnight. And even my daughter and wife.”

‘Oh, grandpa.’

If he wanted to complain, he should have done it to an android.

“The Nova Seed was merely a stepping stone for revenge. It’s trivial.”

Valentine looked at me again and bowed his head.

“The reason I wanted to meet you in person was to leave a good impression. Because I have a mountain of requests I wish to entrust to you in the future.”

He pulled a credit chip from his pocket and handed it to me.

It was the payment for completing the request, and it must have contained three times the amount originally promised.

“I added more as a sign of goodwill for future endeavors.”

“Thank you, Valentine.”

Valentine grinned, then shared his holographic screen.

Faces I had encountered before appeared on it.

‘Dutch.’

It was Dutch, the hulk from the Steel Fang Mercenary Group.

This old man, though he pretended otherwise, still held a great deal of resentment toward those guys, didn’t he?

If they had quickly started the mission, they would have been able to safely acquire the Nova Seed.

“What is your intention?”

“Do you know these faces? I just showed them to you.”

His slick answer and sharp gaze sent a shiver down my spine.

‘He’s a fox pretending to be a bear. Was he trying to test me?’

He might have been trying to probe what kind of relationship I had with Dutch, or if I held any grudges against them.

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t properly explained. Why I participated in this mission under the name of the Steel Fang Mercenary Group.”

I grasped his intention and decided to get ahead of him.

The corner of his mouth curved up, as if he had been waiting.

“I’m curious.”

I briefly explained only the core details: the altercation with the Steel Fang Mercenary Group that happened in front of Scarlet’s workshop, and how Dutch ended up passing the request to me.

When my story finished, Valentine seemed lost in thought for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.

“So that was the situation… I apologize, as you’ve ended up embroiled in something more dangerous as a result.”

“Not at all.”

He burst out laughing!

Suddenly, he burst out laughing.

‘Has he gone senile, or is he bipolar or something?’

“You have good skills, but it seems you still don’t quite understand the dirty reality of this field?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’ve provoked the Nemesis Corporation; do you think they’ll just let it go? Nonsense. They will absolutely find those who provoked them and make them pay the price.”

I tensed slightly at his words.

I had expected something after letting one slip away, but Valentine’s warning seemed to imply something more.

“The fortunate thing is that, according to the records of this request, your information is listed under the Steel Fang Mercenary Group. You might benefit from that.”

He raised his teacup and continued.

“They might have already started moving. The Steel Fang Mercenary Group might already be in ruins. Although they’ve apparently grown in size thanks to their new leader, they are fundamentally third-rate.”

He clicked his tongue, then looked at me.

“You’re truly fortunate, but next time, if you’re going to provoke corporate entities, it’s better to make sure you kill them all.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

After a short tea time with Valentine, he saw me off, saying he would contact me if he had any requests.

It seemed he wanted to meet me to make acquaintances and to find out about my relationship with the Steel Fang Mercenary Group.

However, this was merely my conjecture; his true intentions were too deep to be certain.

I received my pistol back from the security guard and exited the building.

“In a world like this, he still prefers classical methods.”

Still, with a hefty payment for the completed request, I wasn’t in a bad mood.

[+100,000 CR]

The moment I smiled, looking at the amount displayed on the terminal, the communication tone of an unwelcome guest rang out.

‘Dutch.’

Valentine’s words from moments ago came to mind, and I answered the call.

“You bastard! What did you do? Why are those sons of bitches from Nemesis Corporation attacking?!”

The sounds of gunfire and heavy metallic clashes echoed through the communication.

“I wouldn’t know?”

“What do you mean you wouldn’t know?! You damn dog–”

Dutch hurled an insult at the end of his sentence, but I couldn’t hear it because I had terminated the call.

Just in case Nemesis could trace me by checking the communication logs, I deleted all records and blocked him.

“I feel strangely good about this?”

My lips curved upward without me realizing it.