Chapter 44

I slightly changed the expression when I shot the boy.

After running into Nosuair, I wasn’t suddenly arrested by the police and came to the mercenary guild the next day to look for a job.

Surprisingly, there were many requests for pirate hunts on the request board.

I thought the military was putting a lot of effort into hunting pirates, but after seeing the content, I understood.

Due to the large pirate groups being consecutively hunted down, the movements of smaller pirates became more noticeable.

I chose a request to hunt a pirate with a relatively small damage amount, probably not too vicious, and handed it to Uncle Loanz.

“Hey, I need the details on this one.”

“From the looks of it, you didn’t get a refund of the commission or face charges of theft.”

Uncle Loanz handed over the detailed information with a grin.

Apparently, the pirates were appearing in the nearby Bosilas space region, with a damage amount of about 3.6 million credits so far, and it seemed to be a pair of pirates.

The fact that they didn’t kill the crew members was a plus point.

“I can’t be arrested if I’m not at the scene. Besides, demanding a refund of the commission is an unreasonable request.”

“Back in the old days, that kind of thing was rampant, so we should be grateful to the current and previous emperors.”

Uncle Loanz seemed to be genuinely saying this.

The 38th Emperor, Her Majesty Armilia Flannodol Ouvols, known as the 'Beautiful Emperor,' is popular not just because of her beauty.

With the information I received, I prepared further and headed to the Bosilas space region.

This Bosilas space region is home to many planets unsuitable for human habitation, with toxic atmospheres, molten lead rain, and constant supersonic storms.

Therefore, in the orbit of these planets, there are old colonies, former military bases, and large asteroids that have been converted into supply facilities, also known as service areas.

These are used not only as rest stops for long-distance delivery operators but also as hideouts for mercenaries and criminals.

One of these planets, Rifs, is mostly made of rock, with an atmosphere primarily of methane gas. The surface temperature is -200°C, and there are constant 600 km/h storms.

From space, it looks like a beautiful blue planet, but humans never land there.

The service area 'Dumilza' in its orbit is relatively used by decent people.

When gathering information in such places, it’s most efficient and safe to talk to delivery operators.

Of course, it depends on the situation, but if you ask for information from bar owners or mercenaries, the target might get the information and escape, or worse, come to kill you.

Information can also leak from delivery operators, but the probability is much lower.

I docked my ship at the 'Dumilza' docking area, took a plastic bottle of coffee, and headed to the vending machine where the delivery operators gathered.

There, three veteran-looking uncles were leisurely enjoying their cigarettes.

“Hey there.”

“Hey, good work.”

I joined their circle, trying to blend in with the delivery operators, took a sip of coffee, and sighed deeply.

While thinking about how to start the conversation, the uncles began to grumble.

“Lately... you know... the military is putting a lot of effort into hunting pirates.”

“That’s a good thing. Thanks to them, we can work safely.”

“But... it seems they’re increasing again recently, though on a smaller scale.”

“Probably the remnants of the hunted groups are trying to make a name for themselves.”

“There’s one around here. Tassia, right? That planet with the toxic salt. They appear around there.”

“Around there?”

“They probably have a hideout nearby.”

“I heard a large pirate group attacked around Tassia.”

“While the military is hunting them down?”

“Maybe because they’re being hunted down. You know, running around.”

“Either way, it’s a dangerous situation...”

The planet Tassia, also known as the 'Planet of Toxic Salt,' has a sea with a 55% salt concentration.

Additionally, the atmosphere is composed of hydrogen, oxygen, and sodium chloride, and the land is covered in white salt.

Moreover, the salt has an unknown toxicity, making it currently useless.

While the presence of oxygen might suggest it’s breathable, the lack of nitrogen and the 40% oxygen content cause rapid oxidation of the body.

In any case, I now had a general idea of the location. As I was thinking about how to leave, one of the uncles said,

“Oh, it’s this time already. Take a rest, brother. Rest is important for long-distance travel.”

The uncles finished their break, put out their cigarettes, and returned to their ships.

The information from the delivery operators was sufficient, so after seeing them off, I was heading back to my ship when I was confronted by a mugger.

“Hey! Give me your money!”

He was a thin boy, around 12 to 13 years old, brandishing an electromagnetic knife.

In such situations, it’s common to counterattack if possible.

Money is one thing, but losing your life is another.

“Give me the money! Do you want to die?”

The boy’s behavior seemed inexperienced.

So, I demonstrated an unpracticed quick draw and shot the boy in the stomach.

“Gah!”

I reduced the power, but the explosion would still be quite painful.

As expected, the boy couldn’t even scream from the pain.

His skin was surely burned and blistered.

“Hello, is this the police? I was mugged at the service area ‘Dumilza’ on planet Rifs. ... Yes ... Oh, I see. I’ll keep him immobilized, so please come quickly.”

I stepped on the boy’s electromagnetic knife, kept my gun aimed at him, and called the police.

Fortunately, there was a police ship docked at ‘Dumilza,’ and they said they would come to pick him up soon.

“Ugh...”

“Don’t move. I’ll shoot if you do.”

The boy finally managed to speak.

Of course, I kept my gun aimed at him.

The boy glared at me resentfully, but you did the wrong thing first.

“Damn... Why a creep like you...”

“I’m a mercenary, so I have some self-defense skills.

My shooting isn’t great, so I reduce the power to avoid serious injury.

That’s why it’s only this bad.

If I were ruthless, you’d be dead by now.”

As I said this, the boy lunged at my foot that was stepping on the electromagnetic knife. I moved my foot away and took a step to the right, then fired three shots into his side, hitting his right arm, left shoulder, and the floor.

“Aaaaaah!”

The three shots hit his right arm as he tried to pick up the knife, his left shoulder, and the floor.

“I told you, I’ll shoot if you move.”

I picked up the electromagnetic knife, kept my gun aimed at the crouching boy, and waited for the police to arrive.

If I were a protagonist like Arthur, I might have a conversation to reform him or take him in if he were an orphan, but I don’t do that and don’t want to.

Finally, the police and capture drones arrived.

Of course, there’s no bounty on a kid like this, and he’s not the target pirate.

What a hassle. I got this right after getting my gun cleaned.

Bad luck.

The side effects of the vaccine were just a mild fever and joint pain.

Thank you for your concern.

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