Chapter 5: The Veteran Left Penniless - 4

A strange silence enveloped the cockpit of the escape pod that Captain Jin Taylor had just left.

The external camera screen floated in the center of the gray, crude pilot's seat. Below and to the left of it, a figure crossed its arms.

The AI Angela, whose polygonal form was gradually being restored, spoke with a tone thick with irritation.

Not a survey ship, not a mining ship, not even a patrol ship. A heavy cruiser tens of kilometers long!

And not just any cruiser, but one that the captain had personally expanded and built, making it a one-of-a-kind, precious ship in this universe!

Angela was extremely displeased. Despite being a top-tier AI, a major accident had occurred, ignoring her capabilities.

If there had been any warning signs, she would have taken action, but there were none.

“No!”

Ena, who had been slumped, shook her head violently at these words.

“How could I do something like that, knowing it would make the captain sad? Don’t misunderstand me.”

Angela shook her head and sent a firm gaze to Ena. Her restored pale sky-blue hair fluttered in response to the physics engine.

To Angela, Ena was a woman who was hard to trust, despite her excellent job performance.

“This time, really, believe me.”

Ena, who was shivering and hugging herself, looked nothing like the usual intelligent researcher and secretary.

However, Angela knew that Ena, who was as quiet as a pitiful cat in front of the captain, could be as fierce as a lioness in front of other crew members.

The performance of an AI is determined by how well it can consider possibilities. As a high-performance AI, Angela was adept at thoroughly doubting others.

‘Who knows if this is just an act?’

Ena might genuinely be trembling with guilt for not properly assisting the captain, but who knows?

Who knows if she didn't go crazy, thinking the secretary position was hers forever, and kill everyone?

‘A twisted woman.’

From long-term observation, Angela knew that Ena, despite holding the position of researcher, was extremely attached to the role of secretary.

Even though Angela did most of the work as a secretary, Ena still submitted double reports regularly.

She wasn't a bad person.

She had a clear distinction between work and personal life, got along well with the crew, was as meticulous as an AI, and was a genius in her field.

However, when it came to the captain and the secretary position, she was extremely sensitive.

If she interpreted someone's words as a challenge to her position, she would hysterically attack. It was her only flaw.

Even a legendary warrior from ancient Earth who could break through five gates alone would likely be deterred by her ironclad vigilance.

For some personal psychological reason, Angela, who prioritized the safety of Captain Jin Taylor and the ship, didn't view Ena, who sometimes disrupted harmony, favorably.

“I don't know why the explosion happened either. Please believe me. Take out my implant if you have to? We share secrets, don't we? How could I do something like that? Why do you doubt me?”

“It was Fabian’s request.”

Mentioning the genius engineer Fabian made Angela pause.

The words of a genius engineer who could find microscopic errors that even an AI couldn't detect made even the advanced AI like her fall silent.

“Last time, Fabian told me that the indoor booster fuel supply hose was acting up. So, I moved to investigate it more closely. You saw it too, right?”

Angela confirmed that the two of them had moved together before the explosion.

Of course, it was obvious that the one who usually did suspicious things would be the most suspicious, but she didn't need to say it.

“I feel wronged. I registered the people in the recovery system. Even if I got rid of them, it would only make things harder for the captain! Think about it logically. It would obviously put my life and the captain's life in danger. How could I be so crazy?”

It was a reasonable argument. However,

Angela, who prioritized the captain's safety, didn't easily drop her suspicious gaze.

“...”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Determination firmly settled in Ena’s eyes.

But it was only for a moment. She then sighed and lamented, pulling at her navy blue hair.

“If I had been more careful...”

“I don’t know the details either. I was just watching Fabian fiddle with things, and suddenly he started cursing.”

- Damn, this is frustrating.

According to Ena, Fabian pushed her aside and became the first victim of the explosion.

“After that, a chain of explosions occurred from the walls. I sensed something was wrong and went straight to the bridge.”

“...”

In truth, the fundamental cause was the captain's fault for installing such a dangerous device indoors.

However, neither of them blamed the captain.

The reason for installing the booster inside the ship was to use it as a trap if the enemy infiltrated the ship. It also served as lighting.

Jin and his team were famous. While building their fame, they also accumulated many enemies.

There were several attempts at infiltration and assassination when Jin was away. Therefore, there was no objection to the installation.

Of course, safety measures were in place.

Everyone had worked together to create a solid defense plan to prevent damage to other areas in case of an accident.

If it was really an accident and not tampering, it must have been like the Titanic, which sank quickly despite its safety measures.

“I agree. It would cost a lot to save four people. I have some credits left on my salary card. We can use that for living expenses for now...”

After talking for a while, the two of them suddenly opened their eyes wide at the loud gunshots from behind.

A bad feeling settled in both the biological and artificial brains.

“Captain!”

***

“That’s what happened...”

I pressed my forehead.

The headache that had subsided due to the hope from the admin activation was returning.

After strenuously defending that I didn’t try to commit suicide, I had to clutch my head when I heard the cause of the explosion.

‘Damn, the choices in the game are coming back to haunt me!’

The spaceship customization in GalaxyBound is exactly that—customization, nothing more, nothing less.

It doesn’t matter if you make it out of wood and dirt; it will still function. You can strip the walls and floors and leave only the cockpit and engine, and it will still work.

In such a case, the booster and engine were treated as just another type of decoration that increased the ship’s speed.

Therefore, it was possible to install a spaceship booster indoors.

The reason for using a booster instead of other lighting was due to the computer’s performance.

GalaxyBound is not a well-optimized game. It only uses a portion of the RAM, so even high-performance computers experience lag.

One of the factors causing lag is the number of light sources that produce light effects.

Since the ship was already packed with all sorts of things, causing significant lag, it was necessary to minimize the lighting for a comfortable gaming experience.

Therefore, the brightest lighting was needed, and the propulsion booster was perfect for that.

Not only did it perform well, but it was also aesthetically pleasing. The flat, hemispherical shape that glowed beautifully in white was incredibly bright and beautiful.

‘I was crazy.’

But when this was translated into reality, it meant installing highly dangerous bombs all over the ship.

To maintain the light, a small amount of fuel had to be continuously supplied.

Although there was the pretext of internal ship defense, it was a ridiculous idea.

“I’m sorry.”

With a deep sigh, I apologized, and the two women shook their heads.

“That’s right. The safety measures were fine until the accident. There must have been some other reason.”

The amber eyes of the restored AI Angela and the faint blue eyes of Ena, visible only up close due to the white reflection of her glasses, looked at me with strong belief rather than reproach.

Looking into those eyes, I realized:

Ah, this is who I am here.

The game character has no speaking function. In multiplayer, it only pops up speech bubbles without saying a word.

Perhaps due to this influence, I am a taciturn person here, speaking only when necessary and avoiding small talk or monologues.

But to them, I am a quiet but reliable leader who has overcome all sorts of adversities.

Exploring dangerous planets, mining, fighting dangerous native alien creatures, and massive space wars.

I lead a team that has survived all these challenges.

Not just these two, but all the other crew members and androids showed me strong trust. They nodded even at the most reckless plans and the absurd idea of installing indoor boosters.

Yes, that’s who I am here and who I have been so far.

‘I can’t let them down.’

To avoid disappointing the crew who trust me and to save the crew members who died in the accident.

I had to put aside the regret and move forward with confidence.

“...So, a antimatter bomb exploded?”

It was quite serious.

Astronomical, really.

Damn, it wasn’t just an explosion; the quantum information itself was erased by the antimatter, which is why the cost was so high?

‘I need to earn money.’

If I looked in a mirror, I might see the symbol for credits embedded in my eyes.

“Alright. Listen carefully.”

I couldn’t reveal the existence of admin mode, so I said I had set up a factory on a planet.

I would earn money as a mercenary to fund the materials, use those materials to run the factory, and sell the products. That was the general plan.

Angela tilted her head at my words.

I preferred to travel around and spend more time on the spaceship than building structures on planets.

But I wasn’t completely confined to the spaceship.

“I built a vacation home once. By hand.”

Angela easily accepted this.

I scratched my head.

‘The place to set up the factory is there.’

I mean, a building I built myself that could fill two 20-inch screens.