Chapter 6

This is a regular job for a mob character.

I slightly overestimated the exploration range of the combat boat, so I changed it to one percent of the original.

I changed the term "Laser" to "Beam."

I finished the resupply on the day I accepted the job and set off from the guild.

My ship, the "Patchwork," prioritizes exploration, defense, and maneuverability, with average speed and firepower.

Main characters only need to boost their speed and firepower because enemies will always come to them, their attacks will never hit, and they can perfectly handle even the most difficult-to-maneuver ships, so those other attributes are unnecessary.

However, for a low-level mob like me, those three attributes are essential for survival.

By the way, the request to gather 50 people has various dangerous aspects besides the fact that it will attract attention and involve unpleasant people.

The most obvious one is being used as cannon fodder.

The more people there are, the more targets there are to spread the attacks, and the less damage each ship will take.

The client is listed as a young lady, but in reality, it's an old man transporting dangerous goods, and the assumption is that they will be attacked, so they need a large number of cannon fodder.

Another possibility is that they will gather good-looking people and favor them, recruiting them as personal guards.

With 50 people, there will be handsome men and even handsome men with breasts.

They gather people to find such individuals.

And when that happens, there will definitely be a disparity in rewards.

Of course, if someone repels the attackers or protects the client, they deserve a higher reward, but sometimes, even without any such contributions, favorites get increased rewards while others get reduced, which is completely unfair.

I was once forced to participate in such a request as a newbie and had a terrible experience.

Incidentally, it wasn't the old man from Loans who did this, but a guild staff member trying to impress the client's young lady.

While thinking about these things, I reached the area where low-level pirates are known to appear.

First, I started the exploration.

The normal exploration radar has a range of about 1 billion kilometers, but the "Patchwork" can explore up to 2 billion kilometers.

If it had a willful combat boat, it might be able to explore up to 10 billion kilometers.

I explored places with little human activity, such as asteroid belts, abandoned colonies, debris clusters, and planetary satellites, checking each one.

I also went to nearby inhabited colonies and satellites with residential areas to gather information.

After four days of repeated, thorough exploration and investigation, I discovered a relatively large asteroid.

If it were in an asteroid belt, it wouldn't be suspicious, but if it were floating alone in empty space, it would be 100 times more suspicious.

Moreover, heat signatures were detected from the asteroid, indicating that there was something artificial on it.

However, some people live on modified asteroids as hermits, so I had to confirm.

If I was wrong, it would be a big problem.

Furthermore, it could have been an asteroid that was ejected from an asteroid belt due to some incident.

First, I contacted the authorities, provided the coordinates, and asked them to check if anyone was living there.

Their response confirmed that no one was living at those coordinates and that there were no registered asteroid homes that had been ejected from nearby asteroid belts.

This meant that someone was living there without permission, increasing the likelihood that it was a pirate base.

However, it was still possible that it was just a regular person living there, so I prepared a barrier and tried to communicate over the open channel.

But if it's a stubborn old hermit, it could be a real hassle.

"Hey, anyone living on that asteroid? Please respond if you're there."

After about five minutes, there was no response.

"According to the Space Navigation Act, your current location is obstructing navigation. Please move to a new location, complete the necessary procedures, or abandon the asteroid you are currently living on."

Living on an asteroid outside an asteroid belt is strictly prohibited, and it is treated as debris, so destroying it is not a problem.

Another five minutes passed.

With no choice, I had to resort to the final option.

"Since there is no response, I will assume it is unmanned and proceed with destruction. Destruction will begin in five minutes."

Usually, they panic and come out at this point... but maybe no one is home?

As I was thinking this, the asteroid began to move slowly.

Upon closer inspection, thrusters for movement had appeared.

They were probably hidden for camouflage.

"Looks like someone is definitely there."

I immediately raised the barrier and prepared to deal with the situation.

The suspicious asteroid home was slowly moving away from my ship.

I don't know if they intend to leave, but they need to report to the authorities and explain the situation to the police.

"Hey, you need to stop and report to the authorities and the police!"

Since they hadn't attacked, I tried to talk first, but it was unnecessary.

Two small combat boats emerged from the asteroid home.

I immediately lowered the barrier and approached them while firing beams.

I didn't intend to hit them.

If they panicked, that would be enough.

Their likely goal was to delay me while the asteroid home escaped.

So, if they tried to avoid or escape, I would attack the asteroid home directly.

If they tried to block me, I would dodge and attack the asteroid home.

Either way, I would attack the asteroid home, hit the thrusters, and immobilize it.

Then, I would destroy the combat boats.

To get a higher price when selling them, I had to minimize damage.

The combat boats dodged the beams to the left and right.

So, I opened the throttle, approached the asteroid home, and hit the thrusters with a beam.

There was an explosion, but the asteroid home continued moving.

However, it was clearly moving by inertia.

So, I immediately turned and fired beams at the combat boats.

I thought they would dodge, but one was hit and stopped moving after swaying.

"Damn it! You got Gater!"

The remaining boat approached me, but it wasn't very fast.

My ship, the "Patchwork," could still outspeed it.

I contacted the police.

"Hey... I just called the police, so don't resist any further."

I gave the warning, even though I didn't expect it to work.

"Damn it! I was finally making money as a pirate to show my wife!"

"Damn it... I borrowed money to buy this... Move! Move!"

No, it's dangerous to move in that condition.

"Well, you had too much luck until now..."

I'm surprised you managed to be a pirate, even on a small scale, with such an attitude...

In the group of 50 people,

Encountering the main character is a main character attribute,

Not encountering them is a mob attribute.

The radar performance is arbitrary.

Thank you for your comments, feedback, and typo reports.

1/19 Changed the radar performance to light years!

2/10 Changed the radar performance to one percent.

8/22 Corrected the radar performance.