Chapter 602

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Chapter 602: Common Sense (4)

—W-what…? A crest alone is enough? What kind of nonsense is that?

Kejen broke into a cold sweat.

For someone who lived by strict pragmatism, the idea of overcoming a life-or-death crisis with what was essentially bluffing was completely unacceptable.

—Does that crest even do anything? No, it doesn’t. I get what you’re trying to say, but this is real combat. The moment they start firing ship cannons, we’re dead.

He had roamed across space for a long time, sure—but he’d never lived as a true powerhouse.

That was why he could say something like this.

He didn’t know just how much power the crest of a true strongman carried.

On the other hand, Yeongwoo—an aspiring powerhouse himself—knew very well.

The fact that the Chairman, who valued appearances above all else, had handed down only the crest meant one thing.

That alone was enough.

“Yeah. This is real combat. Which is exactly why the Chairman’s crest alone is sufficient.”

—…What?

“A distress signal ship suddenly bearing Dogo’s crest—what do you think that means? It means the ship has been seized in the Chairman’s name.”

—But… the Chairman himself isn’t here. And none of his subordinates are either.

“Instead, his clear intent is here. Touch this ship, and it’ll be considered an attack on Dogo.”

Of course, even Yeongwoo didn’t actually know the precise balance of power between Dogo and Salzeo.

‘But I believe in it. The Chairman’s bluff—no, his real influence!’

That said, Kejen was right about one thing.

At the moment, they only had Dogo’s crest—no actual backing force.

Which meant everything depended on how Salzeo responded after confirming that crest.

Beep—!

The cockpit radar suddenly flashed red.

—Damn it. They’re really here this time.

Kejen pointed at the radar with a tense expression.

Even to Yeongwoo, who knew little about navigation, it was obvious: Salzeo’s fleet was approaching.

“That’s not just one or two ships…”

—It’s not their main force, but it’s probably Salzeo’s vanguard fleet.

“Who the hell was riding this ship for a fleet to be stationed nearby?”

—No idea.

Kejen frowned.

If they’d chosen a different ship in the hangar back then, they wouldn’t even be having this headache of speculation.

—Either Salzeo’s young lord was aboard, or it belonged to a very influential retainer.

“Whoever it was, they must be furious—to chase us with a whole fleet?”

—You idiot, this ship itself is insanely expensive!

“Oh, right. Katangdal hull capacity.”

Scratching his cheek, Yeongwoo pointed toward the sun, still visible as a bright dot.

“Still, wouldn’t it be enough to reach the planetary ship and slip away before they fire? We can do interstellar jumps, right?”

The planetary ship was built on a planetary scale, unlike ordinary vessels, and could perform interstellar jumps multiple times.

As long as they reached it, escape would be possible—one way or another.

—You think Salzeo is some backwater house? At this distance—

Kejen was just about to scowl when—

Kyuuaaaaaak!

With a tearing sound Yeongwoo had never heard before, the view outside the cockpit turned blue.

Beep!

Kejen and the advanced orcs stared, mouths agape.

—Huh?

—T-this is…!

“What is it?”

Yeongwoo tilted his head.

—Combat maneuvering. Basic movement for high-level fleets.

No sooner had he finished speaking than white beams stretched horizontally across the blue-tinted space, and ships appeared one after another.

Combat maneuvering.

A form of instantaneous jump over a fixed distance.

“Oh. That’s why you said it was dangerous.”

—With a ship this small, you can’t shake off a combat fleet. We’re guaranteed to get caught.

“Then how does a thief like you recognize fleet maneuvers?”

—I once stole the royal seal. Do you really think I’ve never been chased by a fleet?

“Fair enough.”

Yeongwoo nodded quickly.

Meanwhile—

Bzzzzzz!

With an ominous warning tone, the surrounding fleets locked red targeting lasers onto their ship.

—Damn it.

As Kejen tried to slow the ship by pushing the controls, Yeongwoo grabbed his arm.

Thump!

“What are you doing?”

—What about you?! Can’t you see the cannons aimed right at our heads?!

“So? Did they fire?”

—…Huh?

“If they were going to kill us, they’d have fired already. That’s just intimidation—to protect their pride.”

Kejen’s pupils, dilated with tension, darted between Yeongwoo and the window.

—B-but, damn it, we only have one life! One wrong move and we’ll be space dust!

“Then shouldn’t we look for a bold way out? Don’t forget—we’re flying under Dogo’s crest.”

Then Yeongwoo added,

“Act like we really are Dogo. That’s how we survive.”

As he said this, Yeongwoo straightened his back as if he were the Chairman himself.

“We haven’t been fired on because of the Chairman’s crest. So naturally, we should act like Dogo. Intimidate them.”

He placed his hand on the controls.

“Don’t slow down—but don’t speed up like you’re panicking either.”

—So… just cruise calmly? With targeting reticles on our foreheads?

“It might actually be Salzeo who’s nervous right now.”

—…?

“Where are we heading right now with Dogo’s crest?”

At his words, everyone—including Kejen—naturally looked forward through the cockpit window.

Toward the star that had once been the center of the solar system.

—Toward… the planetary ship.

“Exactly. Salzeo’s fleet will soon realize our destination is the planetary ship. To them, this whole situation is completely unpredictable.”

And in space, unpredictability meant fear.

The planetary ship—called the frontier of the universe.

And Dogo—the infamous space gangster.

Two sources of unpredictability had just converged.

“Once we enter the planetary ship’s domain, they won’t be able to follow us. I guarantee it.”

—What good is a guarantee if we die?

“Then take this chance to experience the miracle of defeating enemies with nothing but a name.”

—……

Faced with Yeongwoo’s absolute confidence, Kejen had nothing to say.

More importantly, standing in the middle of a firing line, there were no alternatives anyway.

—Just maintain this speed and keep going?

“Yeah. That’s all. At this point, Salzeo’s fleet is basically escorting us.”

—You can really think of it that way…

Kejen shook his head and stared ahead.

Whether it was truly because of Dogo’s crest or not, Salzeo’s fleet made no move beyond intimidation.

They simply followed at a fixed distance.

Surrounding the ship on all sides.

[Translator - Night]

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—Th-this is truly bizarre.

Amana fluffed up all her feathers while peering outside.

Even she had never experienced such a prolonged standoff at close range with hostile ships.

No—this wasn’t a standoff.

Just as Yeongwoo said, it might as well be an escort.

—My god. Because of Salzeo’s fleet, no one else can even approach.

After watching the radar for a while, Kejen muttered in disbelief.

This area bordered the Black Zone, so traffic was heavy—but every ship approaching this route hastily altered course once they entered a certain range.

—Looks like other ships’ radars are picking up Salzeo’s fleet from that distance. They wouldn’t see Dogo’s crest from there… they’re dodging whatever they see on radar.

On the radar point Kejen indicated, clusters of dots scattered away.

Everyone was detouring far around them.

“Aren’t all those ships headed for the Black Zone? And they’re still avoiding Salzeo?”

—That’s the kind of opponent you provoked without fear. Salzeo’s status is high—but their revenge system is notorious.

“The one where they always take revenge? But still…”

Yeongwoo looked at the ships outside, firing intimidating targeting beams.

They were openly stealing right in front of Salzeo’s fleet—yet instead of revenge, they were being escorted.

“I guess there really is no such thing as ‘absolute’ in this universe. There are always exceptions.”

—They may have yielded to Dogo’s name, but they’ll definitely take revenge someday. And if they ever realize this wasn’t actually Dogo…

“By then, I’ll be strong enough. What’s there to worry about?”

Just then, one side of the cockpit glass flashed white.

Pap—pap!

“What’s that?”

—Salzeo’s fleet is trying to open a comm channel.

“A phone call?”

—Don’t answer. The moment they see us, they’ll know we’re not Dogo.

Yeongwoo pointed to the glowing wedge-shaped crest on his shoulder.

“I’m Dogo’s promotional ambassador. What are you talking about?”

—But you’re not the Chairman’s direct subordinate!

“Still, I received Dogo’s crest. The Chairman would want me to act boldly—like Dogo.”

With that, Yeongwoo reached toward the flashing glass.

The light stopped abruptly, and someone appeared across the entire screen.

Silver-white scale armor like a hood.

Beneath it, blue skin—its hue strangely reminiscent of seawater.

“That’s… Salzeo? At least it’s got two eyes.”

As Yeongwoo muttered, Kejen kicked his calf lightly.

—They can hear everything you say…!

At that, the figure on the screen finally spoke in a sharp voice.

「I am Ashki Salzeo, vanguard fleet commander of House Salzeo. I find myself curious. Why is ‘Dogo’ testing us?」

As expected of a cosmic noble house—one infamous for absolute revenge.

Even if the opponent might be Dogo’s elite, his posture wasn’t submissive in the slightest.

Yeongwoo stepped to the center of the screen so Ashki could see him clearly.

“Ah—there seems to be a misunderstanding.”

The moment Yeongwoo spoke, Ashki’s brow twitched.

「You are not ‘Dogo.’」

That single line told him everything—Yeongwoo wasn’t a direct subordinate.

‘Shit. How’d he know? Is my presence still lacking?’

Though inwardly startled, Yeongwoo forced himself closer to the screen, feigning calm.

“Hey, asshole. Is there some kind of Dogo certification? If you revere the Chairman with all your heart, that is Dogo.”

Sensing Yeongwoo’s flippant tone, Ashki made a small gesture off-screen.

Slash.

Then he said,

「It seems that even Dogo makes mistakes from time to time.」

“What?!”

Yeongwoo instantly realized.

That gesture had been a firing order.

“Hey, you bastard! Do you know who I am?!”

Outside the ship, a massive energy surge erupted.

Salzeo’s vanguard fleet had begun preparing to fire.

「Is there any need to know the name of the dead?」

“Y-you—!”

Yeongwoo realized he’d picked the wrong opponent.

That kind of line belonged to someone like the Chairman himself.

“I—I’m saying, I’m the planetary—!”

Just as Yeongwoo was about to reveal his background, Ashki abruptly turned his head, having received some report.

Whash!

Almost simultaneously—

KWAEEEEEEEEEK!

A massive blue laser—large enough to rival a capital ship—barely skimmed through the gaps between Salzeo’s fleet.

「What is this……?」

Even Ashki looked momentarily shaken.

At the same time, Earth spoke within Yeongwoo’s consciousness.

○ I fired it.

What?

○ It was an urgent recommendation from Mr. Mantero. If we didn’t perform a warning shot, we’d lose the owner.

That energy had come from the legendary cannon mounted on the planetary ship—Planet Hunter.

「Planet Hunter」 - Legendary cannon

【Output: 4100】

【Max charge: 4】

【Firing time: 3 seconds】

【Energy Requirement: 1700】

【Manufacturer: Toma】

<If there was a misfire due to a coordinate error, quickly eliminate the witnesses.>

Then Earth continued in a serious tone.

○ You know, right? Three shots left.

‘What? Our ammunition?’

○ Yeah. So get here before we use all three. If you fail… we’ll have no choice but to select a new owner. Fortunately, Ms. Jiseon is present.

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