Ch.405Pursuit (2)

Today’s universe is managed by Megacorp, Star Union, and Cult Empire.

Countless sentient beings live their lives under the protection of the three great powers.

However, not everyone welcomes the rule of these powers.

Space Dogs operating outside the boundaries of law, the Sect of Voltex One lurking in the shadows of the Cult Empire, and so on. They are all those who have chosen to deviate from the existing order. They either hide on planets unknown to anyone or use ships as mobile residences, constantly wandering through space.

In that respect, the Jer-11 conflict zone can be considered a unique type. This is because the planet AG-01, located within the star system, is pushing for a separatist movement against its owner, Noble Capital T&C.

There was a reason why T&C, which owns the most colonies among Megacorps, couldn’t resolve this quickly. Forces that dislike T&C were secretly supporting AG-01’s activities. In particular, it was an open secret that the separatists were receiving weapons from the Star Union.

It didn’t take long for chaos that started on a single planet to engulf the entire star system.

That’s how the ‘Jer-11 conflict zone’ was born.

As time passed, the conflict zone issue worsened rather than being resolved. T&C was also neglecting the conflict zone problem due to various political reasons.

As a result, Jer-11, especially AG-01 at the center of the conflict, became a crucible of chaos. Separatist terrorists and cartels sponsored by higher Capitals waged war almost daily. When residents died, newly arrived criminals took their place.

And today, ordinary people have completely disappeared from AG-01. Those who remain are either criminals or those with a criminal mindset.

Jeff, a journalist who crossed over to AG-01 two years ago, was among the latter.

Right now, he’s sitting in an old bar located in the middle of the city.

It was a place with no redeeming qualities—tables permeated with the smell of cheap synthetic alcohol, mold clinging to walls and ceilings. Even in a city of outlaws, it was hard to find a place of such poor quality.

Jeff doesn’t like this place either. Though he’s visited monthly for two years, not once has he found it pleasant.

The reason he’s killing time in a bar with hardly any customers is simple. He needs to meet someone away from prying eyes.

And the person he’s been waiting for just entered the bar. A man soaked from head to toe, like a rag drenched in water. After looking around, the man spotted Jeff and approached him.

Instead of greeting him, Jeff just nodded. The man hesitated before sitting across from Jeff.

“Um, th-the item…?”

Jeff took out a palm-sized case from his pocket and placed it on the table. The man hurriedly tried to grab the case but stopped. That’s because Jeff had also taken out a laser pistol.

“You first.”

“Ah, yes, r-right!”

The man took out a small terminal from inside his clothes and handed it to Jeff.

“Th-the movements of those who recently arrived are strange. They’ve already met twenty times this month alone.”

“Which cartel do they belong to?”

“Th-that’s in the file, j-just check it yourself, please…”

The man was trembling and pleading. Even while speaking, his eyes remained fixed solely on the case.

But Jeff wasn’t ready to grant his request yet.

“If you don’t answer properly, we’ll call it off. I’ll ask once more. Which cartel do they belong to?”

“Si-Sino, Sinoni! It’s the Sinoni Cartel!”

“Sinoni?”

Hearing a familiar name, Jeff scratched his short-bearded chin.

He’d heard that a pirate group called the Sino Family, or Sino Union, has been active throughout space recently. Typically, Space Dog cartels rarely collaborate, but the Sino Union is a massive organization with six cartels united as one.

Sinoni is one of the cartels that joined the Sino Union.

“Last time you mentioned many smugglers coming and going. Did they also meet with the separatists?”

“Well, I-I’m not sure about that. I don’t think they met at that time.”

Sinoni is a pirate group notorious for smuggling dangerous creatures.

But Jer-11 doesn’t have particularly rare creatures living there. The same goes for AG-01. There’s nothing particularly interesting for Sinoni.

‘Are they a new source of funding for the separatists? Those bomber guys seemed to be running out of credits recently. Or…’

“And, and also.”

While Jeff was lost in thought looking at the terminal in his hand, the man’s voice woke him up.

“A-among the people I know, there’s this guy living in the sewage treatment plant. He’s called Blabbermouth because he talks a lot, and sometimes he picks up useful items and…”

“Enough. Get to the point.”

“Yes, yes. Two days ago at dawn, Blabbermouth saw something above the treatment plant. He said a huge dragon with wings was flying through the sky before disappearing.”

“A winged dragon? Didn’t he mistake a pirate ship?”

“N-no! You know ships don’t fly in that area!”

At the man’s words, Jeff narrowed his eyes.

When talking about a winged dragon, one thing comes to mind. Gallergorn, the space dragon, a legendary being among sailors.

Of course, Jeff knows it’s not just a legend. If it were a fictional being, it wouldn’t exist in the Megacorp genetic database.

However, Gallergorn is rare enough to be treated as a legend. Naturally, it doesn’t inhabit the Jer-11 star system.

“He saw a dragon at the sewage treatment plant?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right.”

“That place is barely visible even during the day due to fog, how did he see it at dawn?”

“Huh? Well, th-that…”

“I came here to buy information, not to listen to this kind of nonsense.”

Seeing Jeff about to get up and put the case away, the man hastily said:

“Sh-shadow! He saw a shadow cast on the fog!”

“Shadow?”

“The shadow was so big it covered the entire sewage treatment plant! He recorded it, and I-I received the file? It’s in there!”

The man pointed at the case Jeff was holding and shouted.

In this city teeming with criminals, forging such photos would be no big deal. However, the probability of the man before him doing such a thing was slim.

‘A winged dragon, huh.’

The suddenly appearing Sinoni Cartel and Gallergorn.

This was far from the information Jeff wanted. After all, he came here to investigate the corruption of the separatists.

But experience gained from years as a journalist told him not to dismiss what the man said lightly.

‘I should check it out.’

“I-I’ve told you everything I know. So please…”

Though it wasn’t the information he wanted, it was still worth investigating. Jeff opened the case and took out a pill.

“I’ll give you the rest of the ‘Smile’ after I see the contents.”

“Th-that’s!”

“Take it or leave it.”

“N-no, it’s fine!”

When Jeff tossed the pill onto the table, the man hastily picked it up and swallowed it.

Shortly after, his body collapsed onto the chair. A bizarrely happy smile appeared on his face.

“I’ll contact you later then.”

Jeff left the drug-intoxicated man behind and got up from his seat.

As he exited the bar, heavy rain greeted him. It was an enormous amount of rain, fitting the expression that the sky had collapsed. Despite the pouring rain, people walked around without umbrellas.

AG-01 has very few days without rain throughout the year. After T&C began to abandon the planet, the terraforming machines malfunctioned, completely messing up the precipitation.

That’s not all. Facilities for processing garbage or wastewater also became extremely outdated without maintenance. Even now, the streets were filled with unpleasant moisture and stench from rain and garbage.

“…Tsk.”

Even after two years, Jeff still couldn’t get used to the smell and clicked his tongue. He took out an electronic cigarette stronger than the smell and put it in his mouth.

‘Not much longer now.’

The reason he, a renowned journalist from Daily Mass, had stayed on this godforsaken planet for two years was because the reward was that attractive.

This coverage was commissioned by none other than Prime Capital House Zhao. House Zhao promised that if things went well, they would give him the position of news team leader at the Daily Mass Titan branch.

Not much longer until that dream becomes reality.

‘Got to hang in there until the end.’

After finishing his cigarette, Jeff pulled up the hood attached to his clothes. Like others, he blended into the street where rain was pouring heavily.

–

“Hey, Blabbermouth. Going out today too?”

Hearing a voice from behind, the man called Blabbermouth answered without turning his head.

“Gotta work to survive.”

“Always such a busy bastard.”

“Hey, let me come with you.”

“If you’re coming, bring a mask, flashlight, and bag.”

Two vagrants headed from the underground sewage treatment plant toward the passage leading to the surface.

What was once a cutting-edge facility managed by Noble Capital has now become a den for vagrants. The computer is still alive and managing automatically, but that’s it. No one knows when it will stop, and no one cares.

The corridor they were walking through was the same. Filled with garbage and filth instead of surveillance cameras and security androids, it could well be considered ruins.

“Is what you saw a few days ago real?”

“Of course. You saw the photo too.”

“It was so fucking dark, couldn’t see properly.”

“Dark my ass. It was clearly visible. You know that drug addict? He said there’s someone who wants the photo I took.”

“Someone wants that kind of photo? What a moron.”

The two continued chatting as they left the corridor and came up to the surface.

Above the neglected sewage treatment facility was a collection of contaminated water that hadn’t been properly purified.

Due to the constant rain, it had swollen so much it looked like a reservoir. Of course, the tremendous stench detectable from afar, the gas and toxic fog covering the surface would quickly reveal that this was no reservoir.

As soon as they reached the surface, both put on masks covering their noses and mouths and prepared for work.

“We’re lucky. The rain has stopped.”

“That’s good. Then let’s start…”

The vagrant who came up with him slipped while speaking.

“Ah shit!”

“Be careful even if it’s not raining. If you fall and drop in there, you’re fucked.”

“…This is fucking shit from the start.”

The man cursed as he checked what was on his shoe with the flashlight. A pitch-black substance reminiscent of tar, something that couldn’t be distinguished as liquid or solid, covered his shoe.

“What is this?”

“I’m going ahead then.”

While the man was examining the substance on his shoe, Blabbermouth moved on to find his work.

His job was to search through bodies discarded near the polluted water. In AG-01, hundreds die every day for various reasons—terrorism, crime victims, and so on. Even in the city where Blabbermouth lives, people die regularly.

And the bodies dumped here are mostly criminals without connections. Searching through corpses can yield cheap drugs or laser pistols. If lucky, one might salvage parts from cyborg bodies.

Amid the thick toxic fog, Blabbermouth advanced forward, relying on his mask and flashlight.

“Oh, found a body.”

Not long after, he discovered a body placed on a pile of garbage soaked in sewage. When he kicked the body with his foot, the attached corpse catfish scattered away.

“Let’s see. Gun… none. Aha! This bastard left some drugs. Good.”

Blabbermouth let out a small cheer. Though it’s cheap drugs, it’s not a bad start. After pocketing the case containing the drugs, he continued looking around.

“Oh! Fourth body. Is today my lucky day?”

Today’s earnings were better than usual. As the fog thickened, his old backpack gradually swelled.

Just as he was savoring his new loot, he heard the sound of rippling water from behind.

Thinking it might be the man who came with him, he turned around, but no one was there.

“Did I hear wrong?”

Blabbermouth was about to dismiss it and focus back on his work. That is, if he hadn’t heard the water sound again.

“What’s that?”

This time he heard it clearly. Blabbermouth hurriedly shone his flashlight on the water surface. All he could see was darkness so eerie it was frightening. It was impossible to check what was under the dirty sewage.

‘Must be corpse catfish?’

Blabbermouth has been here hundreds of times. During that time, he’s never seen a creature larger than a corpse catfish.

The problem is that the water sound he heard this time was, how to put it, different. It was the kind of sound made when something much larger and more massive than some genetically mutated catfish moves.

Suddenly, he recalled what he had seen here two days ago.

A shadow so enormous it covered the entire polluted lake appeared and then disappeared.

‘Is that dragon here?’

If the owner of the shadow is nearby, he needs to flee immediately.

Blabbermouth hurriedly retraced his steps. The disgusting sensation felt with each step, the faint sound made by the rippling waves. Nothing had changed, yet he was experiencing it all very differently now.

Every element here was pressing down on him.

“Hey!”

At that moment, Blabbermouth stopped in his tracks at the sudden voice.

“Where are you?”

It was clearly the voice of the vagrant he had brought. Though he couldn’t tell exactly where he was, judging by how loud it sounded, he must be nearby.

While he didn’t particularly feel camaraderie with the vagrant, in this situation, it’s much better to have someone familiar nearby. If by chance a monster appears, having two people would increase the survival rate, even if just a little.

Instead of calling out to the man, Blabbermouth walked in the direction of the voice. He didn’t want to make noise and attract the monster’s attention.

As he walked cautiously, the sound of water brushed past his ears again. When he turned his flashlight, he almost screamed.

‘What the fuck?!’

Because a pitch-black figure was standing upright on the polluted water.

“……”

The hair all over his body stood on end, and his teeth chattered against each other. For a moment, his body escaped control due to fear.

But shortly after, he realized the figure wasn’t a monster.

Judging by the clothes dirtied by the black polluted water and the body that trembled with each breath, it was a vagrant like him. He was standing with only his upper body exposed, his back turned to Blabbermouth.

“You crazy bastard! I thought I was going to die of shock!”

Blabbermouth spat out a rough curse as he approached the vagrant. Hearing the sound, the vagrant began to move, trying to turn around.

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Where the hell did that bastard Blabbermouth go?”

It was the voice of his companion who had been calling him.

“Huh?”

This meant that the person in front of him wasn’t someone he knew.

Seeing the fully turned figure, Blabbermouth opened his mouth.

Just before a scream could pass through his throat, ‘it’ lunged at him.

–

“Damn, this guy really.”

Despite the man calling several times, there was no response.

Even if the toxic fog here blocks the light, it doesn’t block sound. There’s no way Blabbermouth couldn’t have heard his calls.

Then there’s only one answer. Blabbermouth abandoned him and returned to the sewage treatment plant first.

“What a fucking bastard, going back alone.”

The man doesn’t have much experience being on top of the sewage treatment plant at night. If he wanders around alone and gets lost, he’ll have to wait until morning.

Moreover, raindrops have started falling from the sky again.

“Shit, I shouldn’t have come.”

Deciding there was no reason to stay here any longer, the man headed toward the underground passage.

As such, he never noticed the water rippling behind him before going still.