Ch.192Crooked! (5)

“Yes, that’s right.”

Dexter was also well-acquainted with the Frost Giants.

“Didn’t you help those poor Frost Giant refugees by employing some of them in the permafrost layer back then?”

“Poor? I employed them because they were genuinely helpful.”

Someone in the position of a corporate head shouldn’t carelessly pity others.

The reason wasn’t so much about considering others’ image or circumstances, but rather avoiding the perception that a corporate leader was throwing money around indiscriminately.

“If word gets around like that, everyone would be clamoring for my money.”

“You already receive thousands of letters daily, so what’s the difference?”

In one corner of Eliya’s office, there was a pile of letters from people describing their pitiful circumstances, requesting investments or simply asking for handouts.

In his early days as a corporate head, he had actually given money a few times out of sympathy for such sad stories, but all ten recipients had squandered it before returning to their original lifestyles.

“Rather than that, it’s better to have my welfare foundation strictly manage and find worthy recipients.”

Eliya took a bottle of alcohol from the refrigerator behind him, then handed Dexter a metal cup embedded with brilliant jewels.

“This guy’s taste is so tacky.”

“It’s a cup I received from a certain First Lady of planet Eldorado.”

“Still tacky as hell.”

As golden liquid swirled and poured from the bottle, filling the cup halfway, Dexter held it up to the light and remarked:

“Looks like melted gold. Did you get this as a gift from Eldorado too?”

“They call it ‘Drinkable Gold’ over there.”

“Even the name is tacky.”

Dexter took a sip of the drinkable gold and smacked his lips.

“Tastes like ordinary whiskey. Anyway, why are the Frost Giant refugees on Pluto?”

“I guided them there.”

“…You? Why?”

Dexter frowned.

He couldn’t understand why Eliya would have settled the Frost Giant refugees on Pluto.

“You asked me why I poured money into planet Keoria, didn’t you?”

“I still want to ask why you did such a stupid thing.”

“Isn’t there an Earth saying?”

“What saying?”

“A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even if it takes decades.”

After hearing Eliya’s words, Dexter stared blankly for a few seconds before understanding dawned on him, and he grinned.

“You crazy bastard.”

The reason the Frost Giant refugees had come this far was precisely because of planet Keoria’s invasion.

Dexter wasn’t sure what Eliya would ask of them, but it was clear he intended to exact revenge on planet Keoria with the help of the Frost Giant refugees.

Though Dexter had cursed, it was meant positively, so Eliya responded with a slight smile instead of words.

“Well, since you say you have a plan, I’m sure you’ll handle it better than an idiot like me. But why specifically Pluto?”

“It needed to be somewhere Earth humans couldn’t easily access, yet reasonably close to Earth… and also cold enough for Frost Giants to live comfortably.”

Frost Giants were humanoid aliens who had lived on an extremely cold planet—so cold that even Oymyakon, Earth’s coldest inhabited city, couldn’t compare.

Pluto’s temperature hovers around -248°C, close to absolute zero, yet movement was detected there, indicating that the Frost Giants considered Pluto a relatively hospitable planet.

The problem was that the Frost Giants couldn’t be captured by NASA’s New Horizons probe.

Too many people were involved with New Horizons to manipulate the photos, and rather than risk being caught attempting such manipulation, it made more sense to temporarily relocate the Frost Giants to unseen areas.

“I assume you already know about New Horizons, so there must be a reason for this decision?”

“There are no researchers as remarkable as the Frost Giants. It will benefit both you and Earth.”

“And your revenge as well?”

In response to Dexter’s question, Eliya smiled and said:

“Do you remember the Thermos Jungle incident from four years ago?”

“Thermos Jungle…”

Dexter pondered the “Thermos Jungle incident” Eliya mentioned, then nodded.

“I remember it, but surely you’re not planning to do that on Pluto?”

“While you were rushing here in your spaceship, I already brought the equipment.”

“This guy, seriously.”

If there was one thing that annoyed Dexter about Eliya, it was how he would prepare everything in advance and then watch with amusement as Dexter struggled, only revealing the solution afterward, making all of Dexter’s efforts seem pointless.

If they weren’t friends, and Eliya were merely a boss, Dexter might have already buried him on some nameless planet.

Tapping the desk thoughtfully, Dexter asked Eliya about the current situation.

“Assuming we use ‘that strategy,’ what will you be doing while I prepare?”

“I’ll be handling the aftermath of your actions. From behind the scenes, of course.”

“You sound more like a mafia godfather than a corporate head.”

“Weren’t you always the action man?”

“This bastard keeps hitting me with facts when he’s bored.”

Though partly in jest, Eliya continued with more detailed explanations, focusing on precautions Dexter should take.

Several hours later.

Even with all the advanced features of the new spaceship, spending two days confined in the same space without going outside had been exhausting for everyone.

The four women emerged looking refreshed after receiving massages they hadn’t properly experienced even on Earth.

Dexter and Eliya were standing by the door talking, but Dexter’s attire was unusual.

He was wearing a pure white outfit similar to the jumpsuit maintenance uniform that Jessie often wore.

“What’s with that outfit?”

When Jessie pointed at Dexter’s clothes, he turned from his conversation with Eliya to look at her.

“Did you enjoy your massage?”

“Yeah, all the fatigue I’ve been accumulating just flew away. But what’s with the outfit?”

“What do you mean? It’s a spacesuit for going outside.”

“A spacesuit?”

All four women glared at Dexter simultaneously.

“You were going to go out alone again!”

“No, you were all getting massages, weren’t you?”

Dexter might have brushed it off if only one or two people were glaring at him, but facing all four at once left him speechless.

“Please calm down, ladies. Your spacesuits have already been prepared as well.”

Eliya snapped his fingers, and four women appeared out of nowhere, each carrying differently sized white spacesuits.

“Follow these attendants and you can put on your spacesuits.”

As the four women headed to another room to change without protest, Dexter turned to Eliya.

“When did you prepare these?”

“I had their measurements taken while they were getting massages.”

“…That seems a bit inappropriate.”

“All the massage therapists were women, and the measurements were only passed to the spacesuit tailors. What’s the problem?”

“Just that your meticulous consideration gives me the creeps.”

“I’m doing this because they’re your wives. If they were other women, I wouldn’t bother.”

“Should I thank you?”

“That’s entirely up to you.”

Dexter gave Eliya a sidelong glare and extended his hand.

“Oh? Are you jealous because I’m treating your wives so well?”

As Eliya reached to take Dexter’s hand, Dexter suddenly delivered a side kick to Eliya’s shin.

However, Eliya avoided the kick by jumping into the air.

“This guy’s gone crazy. Give me a gun. Even if the Frost Giants are refugees, I need some protection.”

“I was going to provide that when the time came. Honestly.”

Eliya frowned for the first time in a while, but it had no effect on Dexter, who scowled even more intensely.

“Why the hell did you reach out your hand? Am I gay?”

“After living on Earth so long, your sexual orientation might have changed…”

“Say one more word and I’ll really beat you up.”

Eliya shut his mouth at Dexter’s continued warning.

“How does this guy even run a company?”

“All thanks to you, isn’t it?”

“Why did I ever save a friend who asks if I’m gay?”

Shortly after, the four women in white spacesuits approached Dexter.

As they lined up and walked toward him, Dexter clapped his hands and said:

“It’s like a female version of Armageddon.”

“Who’s Bruce Willis then?”

“Oh, Jessie?”

“Then I’m Ben Affleck, and Dexter is Liv Tyler.”

“Ugh, if Liv Tyler looked like that, I’d lose my mind.”

Emily and Judy, who rarely watched movies, were puzzled by the conversation.

Dexter, who had been chuckling, looked at Eliya, who was smiling like a proud father, and asked:

“So, are we departing right away?”

“You might be fine, but the other four are going into space for the first time. They should receive training—at least a full day of practice.”

“Ah, right.”

Dexter spoke as if just realizing this, and Jessie frowned.

“What? Aren’t we going to Pluto right away?”

“The spacesuit will protect you, but Pluto’s surface temperature is close to absolute zero. It’s definitely not a place to visit carelessly.”

“We’re going to such a cold place wearing just this?”

Judy pointed at her spacesuit.

Though the spacesuits looked fairly thick, they appeared much thinner than the extravehicular activity suits currently used by the US or Russia.

The spacesuits the five were wearing seemed more like the intravehicular activity suits worn inside space shuttles.

“Will this outfit really protect us from the cold if we land on Pluto…?”

“This guy has spent ridiculous amounts of money on these suits, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

In response to Judy’s concern, Dexter pointed at Eliya.

“Ridiculous amounts? I simply incorporated maximum safety and convenience into the spacesuits within the available budget. You needn’t worry too much.”

“So, are we training in the zero-gravity training facility on the third floor?”

“That’s right. Will you join us?”

“I might as well. Fighting in zero or low gravity is no easy task.”

As Dexter stretched, rotating his arms and pulling his neck in different directions, Eliya looked at the four women with a light smile.

“I’m concerned whether you four can keep up with Dexter’s training.”

Eliya’s smile made everyone except Emily look troubled.

When they arrived at the zero-gravity training facility, Eliya and the five began training, but apart from Dexter, it wasn’t particularly intense.

The spacesuits had many impressive functions, justifying Dexter’s comment about “ridiculous amounts of money.”

“This feels just like something from a superhero movie!”

[Ms. Jessie’s heart rate is increasing.]

“The spacesuit is talking to me!”

When Jessie deliberately rolled her foot to jump high, the posture control system built into the spacesuit automatically helped her land safely.

“It can do this too! Wow!”

Dexter was about to scold Jessie for treating this like play, but when he saw even the usually stoic Emily doing somersaults, he decided to let them enjoy themselves.

While Dexter was thoroughly accustomed to zero gravity to the point of tedium, it was the first time the four women had ever floated weightlessly.

Still, he had to say something.

“It’s fine to be excited, but practice hard so you don’t make mistakes on Pluto.”

Unlike the women who were floating in mid-air or awkwardly walking step by step around the training facility, Dexter began hand-to-hand combat with a robot Eliya had brought.

“Your skills haven’t diminished at all!”

“Shut up, you bas—!”

*THWACK!*

Dexter, who never sweated even in Nevada’s scorching heat, was now sweating profusely as he fought three robots simultaneously in zero gravity.

Emily, who was literally doing aerial cartwheels in mid-air, watched Dexter with curiosity.

“How can he fight like that in zero gravity when it’s hard to even move your arms properly?”

“Well, he did say he lived in space for 15 years, so maybe this is easy for him?”

Judy also shook her head while struggling to maintain balance in the zero-gravity environment.

“No, look. Dexter is sweating. That clearly means it’s harder than usual for him.”

“It’s probably not good for us to just play around like this either, right?”

Jessie looked at Himena somewhat embarrassedly, and Himena nodded.

“We should work hard too. But first… I need to learn how to land in zero gravity…”

Himena, who hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to stand in a place without gravity, concentrated on maintaining her posture with the help of the spacesuit.

One week before New Horizons would reach its closest approach.

Everyone was working hard to prepare for meeting the Frost Giants on Pluto.