‘There’s not as much as I thought, huh?’
I grabbed the pirate ship, which had been cut in half, and shook it, as if shaking off the remaining snacks in the bag. The pirates remaining inside poured out into the weightless space. Regardless of whether they were alive or dead, they all entered my three-parted mouth.
‘Tsk.’
Perhaps because of its size, dozens of pirates can’t even get through it. The heads on the left and right also licked the corners of their mouths with their tongues, as if they were not satisfied.
｢Big Adult｣｢Glutton｣｢Glutton｣
Aadhai, who was in a good mood after catching and eating a pirate, walked around near me and made fun of me.
｢You can’t make fun of a big baby.｣
｢Gorgeous｣｢Fact｣
Number 26, who was being held in the small arms near his chest, seemed to not like Aadhai’s attitude, so he created tentacles from his body. And then he hit the little Gallagon on the head.
No, I tried to hit him. Adhani moved nimbly and avoided the tentacles, so the attack was ineffective.
｢Little Adult｣｢Attack｣｢Prediction｣｢Easy｣｢Now｣｢Not right｣
｢Really?｣
｢?｣
｢Really? really? really? really? Really?”
“Wait a minute” “That” “A bit” “It’s a lot”
“It’s okay because small babies avoid it well.”
“That” “That’s disgusting”
Number 26, now in battle mode, slipped out of my arms and started chasing after Aadhai.
I left the two of them playing together and robbed the ship to see if there were any pirates left.
At that time, the Mother of Heaven emerged from another wreckage. In her griffon form, she flew towards me with her agate-colored wings spread.
｢I found something strange while organizing.｣
[Zuzuzuz (strange thing?)]
She showed me what she was holding in her beak.
Between 60cm and 70cm in length, a thin and elongated design in a rectangular shape, a green rail on the front, a small terminal pad mounted on the top, and finally a small trigger and shoulder rest.
They all matched the characteristics of the objects I had seen so many times while playing games.
‘Plasma rifle?’
By definition, the history of plasma weapons is the history of lightweighting and stabilization.
Plasma weapons, developed for the purpose of space warfare between ships, had tremendous firepower, but also had many drawbacks. Because of its large size and high energy consumption, it was difficult to handle unless it was a military spacecraft.
Afterwards, after continuous research, the size of plasma weapons gradually decreased.
The results of successful size improvements were the plasma launcher, plasma bolter, and pistol.
However, if we consider them to be a complete success, there are some subtle aspects.
First of all, bolters are difficult to use without wearing reinforced clothing due to their weight and recoil. Plasma pistols have poor safety and their production cost is extremely high. In the case of the launcher, it is out of the question since it was originally developed as a squad support weapon.
However, there is one plasma weapon that completely improves these shortcomings.
That is the weapon that the Heavenly Mother showed me, the plasma rifle.
It is a perfect weapon that receives passing marks in terms of weight, firepower, and safety.
The firepower is greater than that of a bolter, and there is almost no recoil. It is also light enough that a trained soldier can carry it for a long period of time. It is also safe and is made of rare metal, so it is not easily damaged even after long-term use.
However, due to the high production costs and the high level of technology required for production, only the top megacorp players can make them in the game. This is not particularly strange since it is a weapon classified as the highest tech in the system.
Also, in the game, the plasma rifle was set as a weapon used only on Earth and Mars. This is because the seven families, concerned about leakage of manufacturing technology, strictly control its use only on designated planets.
‘But why is it here?’
[Zuzuzu zuzuzzu zuzuzzu zuzzuzu (pirates have plasma rifles?)]
｢Yes. “Not all, but one person was holding it.”
Of course, thanks to the game’s ability to trade between players, it was easy to see mercenaries armed with plasma rifles everywhere.
But that’s a story in the game. If I were a high-ranking member of Megacorp, I would somehow try to prevent the shipment of the plasma rifle.
[Zuzuzzu zuzuzu zuzu zuzu (These guys robbed the ship of the solar system?)]
｢No way. You wouldn’t know it if they had thousands of battleships, but it’s absolutely impossible at their level.”
[Zuzuzuz zuzu zuzu zuzuzuzuzu (but they don’t even look like they’re from Earth)]
“Maybe they’re pirates related to the player.”
As she inferred, in fact, in the current situation, it is rather unnatural to think that these pirates have no relationship with the player.
However, there are some ambiguous parts.
‘For those holding precious weapons, they are too weak.’
Among the rankers who have fought so far, none have issued plasma rifles to their subordinates. Looking at that, it probably means that it is not as easy to use a rifle as it is in the game.
It was clearly suspicious that these low-level pirates were carrying weapons that even rankers could not easily obtain.
‘Besides, this isn’t a particularly important star system.’
There are no particularly rare resources here, and it does not have any significant military value. The reason we stopped while traveling at faster than light speed was to grab snacks. Considering that we didn’t meet any other ships on the way here, it was hard to believe that it was a star system controlled by pirates.
‘I’ll have to ask the kids too.’
While I was attacking the pirate ship, a few pirates crossed over to the mining ship. There might be one among them with a plasma rifle.
I bit into the outer wall of the mining ship with my three mouths. He tore off the solid outer wall and stuck his head inside.
The moment I was about to scatter the waves with the monster’s tentacles, with my head down in the hallway.
A long figure appeared from the other side of the hallway lit with red emergency lights. It was Isabel, a being with a long snake-like body and dozens of arms.
The guy had the pirate in his mouth and was about to swallow it when his eyes met mine. One of several hands was seen holding a plasma rifle.
[Zuzuz, zuzuzu, zuzuzu, zuzuzu (there was a plasma rifle here too)]
The guy who heard me spit out the cyborg pirate he was holding. The unconscious man was in a state of complete disrepair even though he was wearing a reinforced suit. The guy who picked up the food he had spit out approached me.
“I took it just in case. “I guess there was a pirate ship over there too.”
[Zuzuzuzu (Are you okay?)]
“I got hit once or twice, but I’m okay.”
The guy floating in the air rotated his body gracefully. There were scorch marks on the chrome scales covering its body, but they were not seriously damaged.
‘Is it because they used the Ring of Anguish as a material? It’s pretty sturdy.’
I was hit by a plasma rifle, but the damage was only moderate, so I don’t think you need to worry too much.
[Zuz zuzu zuzuzu (Is there anything else besides this?)]
In response to my question, the guy shook his head to the side. Then he lifted the pirate in his hand.
“This guy was holding a rifle. “I think he’s the boss.”
[Zuzu (really?)]
That’s good news.
With my head out, I inserted my fighting arm into the hole I had drilled in the mining ship. A strengthened parasite emerged from a hole in the arm and moved toward its new home. After a while, the parasite that had completed its move sent a wave to me.
[Zuzzuzu zuzu zuzu zuzuzuzu (I’m sorry, but please interrogate me for me)]
Since I am quite large, it is not easy to interrogate pirates in outer space. After leaving it to Mother Heaven, I looked again at the wreckage of the pirate ship floating here and there.
‘I wonder if there’s anything unusual about it.’
We had already confirmed before the attack that the pirate ship was poorly armed. As expected, nothing unusual was found.
‘Wait, there’s nothing?’
At that moment, the characteristics of Space Dog came to mind. Pirates usually paint their ships with the cartel’s unique mark. This is because it is necessary to avoid fights between pirates.
However, there was no cartel mark visible on this ship.
‘Did it get erased when I broke it?’
Even small debris was checked, but there was no trace of paint on the exterior wall.
‘They have plasma rifles and don’t even have pirate marks.’
I don’t know what they’re doing, but I think we need to get out of here quickly.
At that moment, the parasite on the head of the pirate leader sent me a signal. After finishing the interrogation, Mother of Heaven, Isabel, and PS-111 escaped through the hole I made.
[Zuzu Zuzu (What happened?)]
｢…I think it has something to do with the players.｣
[Zuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzu Zuzuzu Zuzu Zuzuzuzu (It probably has something to do with where we are going, right?)]
“They say there are no Space Dog rankers in the Returned Sect, so that’s probably not true. Oh, and look at this.”
When she nodded, Isabel came up to my head and held out a small piece of cloth she was holding in her hand. The piece of cloth that looked like an insignia had the pirate cartel mark I was looking for drawn on it.
But there’s something strange about Mark’s appearance. Their mark was not a picture but letters.
[Zuzu Zuzu Zuzu (Isn’t this Japanese?)]
“That’s right. Japanese on the front, Chinese on the back. The leader said he was the leader of the Shinoroku (しの六) cartel.”
Speaking of Japanese, there is a player that comes to mind. This is Akira Eugene, a Megacorp ranker with an arrogant and vicious personality.
‘Is it related to 3rd place?’
“The composition of their cartel is a bit unusual. Unlike regular pirates, they formed an alliance. When I asked, a total of six cartels were united.”
[Zuzuz, Zuzuzu, Zuzuzuzu, Zuzuzu, Zuzuzuzuzuzu (Is that why the number six is in the name?)]
“Yes. The leader said he received this weapon from Cartel No. 1.”
According to the information I heard from Jason before, the third person is the head of the Eugene family. He may have used the power of the head of the family to organize pirates and provide them with weapons.
‘The person who organized the cartel must also be a ranker.’
In order to control pirates who love betrayal, there must be a ranker. Space Dog Ranker, who cooperates with Akira, is leading them.
[Zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzu (What is their purpose?)]
｢I asked, but there is no special purpose. Steadily looting a designated area using weapons. That’s it.”
[Zuzzuzuzu (What about other cartels?)]
“They say they move independently and don’t know what they do on a daily basis. “There is almost no interaction other than regular contact.”
The pirate leader, whose weapons were only better than his skills, did not know much. Because of this, it was not revealed what their true purpose was.
‘Still, I’m glad we found it before we got hit.’
Just knowing in advance that the ruling faction is plotting something is a blessing in disguise.
[Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzu (We can’t get caught that we met with them)]
｢We already destroyed the ship, what are we going to do?｣
[Zuzuz Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzu (There’s a new ship over there, too. You can just move it to)]
The most important person, the leader, is still alive, and the two plasma rifles are also intact.
Additionally, there are still crew members remaining inside the mining ship. That’s because I called PS-111 and Isabelle while they were organizing the personnel.
If you plant parasites on the crew of a mining ship and disguise them as pirates, you will be able to avoid their pursuit.
Once you have decided on your thoughts, the next step is action.
My kids and I worked together to find the crew members inside the mining ship and infect them with parasites. Among the survivors, there were some who were not infected, but were left alone. Since their numbers are small and all escape ships have been destroyed, there is nothing they can do.
After finishing everything, I instructed the parasites to follow their designated route and move as they had done before. Even if I go far away, the parasites follow my orders to the end.
“Humans go far.”
The pirate ship became smaller and smaller, leaving No. 26 innocently waving its tentacles behind.
‘good.’
When I encounter pirates in the future, I will ask them if they know anything about the cartel alliance. Since pirate alliances aren’t common, there must be someone who knows.
After sending the pirates away, I set off on a faster-than-light voyage with the kids on board.
My body, wrapped in blue energy, transcends light and even space. The stars and darkness in my field of vision are mixed together like different paints.
It’s an amazingly beautiful sight, but if you look at it in vain, you’ll be in trouble. Every second my body passes through the stars. You must continue to pay attention to your jumping route in order to arrive at your target location safely.
How much time has passed?
The swirl of brilliant stars subsided and a red glow filled its place. An aging star was emitting its last light in the darkness of space.
The name of the red giant star, which boasts an overwhelming size compared to the Sun, is ‘Olga’.
The Returned Sect’s weapons management ranker is hiding on one of the planets under the light of that old sun.
A word from the author (author review) Please take care of zakuti.
Illustrations have been added to episode 222, Reorganization (3).
The illustration can also be found in the illustration notice. See the next episode.”
![Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]](https://cpunovel.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/arcane-sniper.jpg "Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]")
