Chapter 646

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Chapter 646: The Space Police Bureau (2)

“What is this…? Do I really have to choose one of these?”

As Yeongwoo blinked in confusion, Jiseon stepped forward and pointed with her finger at the options presented by the Space Police Bureau.

—Wait, they even have self-surrender here? People actually come all the way to the Space Police Bureau to turn themselves in?

At that, Mantero answered with a certain sense of duty.

—I… it’s my first time coming directly to the Space Police Bureau as well, so I’m not sure.

—Ah, I wasn’t really asking you, Assistant Manager.

Koatu stroked his chin and spoke.

—Maybe it means something like, if you’ve got something weighing on your conscience, confess while you’re here.

—Oh, Mr. Koatu, have you been to the Space Police Bureau before?

Koatu was an arms dealer.

So it wouldn’t have been strange if he had visited the Space Police Bureau at some point.

Soon, Koatu stared into the air and said,

—I’ve never been to a headquarters like this, but I have personally visited a Space Police Bureau branch installed in a galaxy.

At those words, Yeongwoo’s ears perked up.

“A branch office? Then wouldn’t the structure there be pretty similar to this place anyway?”

—Probably. I remember seeing a screen like this back then too.

Koatu pointed at the options projected onto the window.

[Self-Surrender]

[Refusal of Enforcement]

[Report]

[Tour]

[Public Interest Donation]

[Meeting with an Executor]

“So what brought you to the Space Police Bureau back then? Did they arrest you as a war criminal or something?”

At Yeongwoo’s question, Koatu frowned.

—What nonsense. I got robbed, so I went there to file a case.

“Robbed?”

Come to think of it, hadn’t Koatu said so before?

That most of the customers who came to deal with arms dealers were criminals, so there was always a risk of deals going wrong.

“You must’ve been a rookie arms dealer back then. Getting robbed and all.”

—Strength is relative by nature. If you run into someone stronger than you, there’s nothing you can do.

Koatu, an arms dealer who had seen his fair share of hardships.

And yet, ironically, he was now a member of a bandit group.

“Then explain it to me. What do all these mean?”

As Yeongwoo pointed at the Space Police Bureau’s guide options, Koatu shrugged.

—First thing that stands out to me is that there’s no option for filing a case at all.

“There is one at the branch?”

—Yeah. I went there to file a case in the first place… but this is headquarters, so I guess they don’t handle those petty matters directly.

In other words, if one wanted to report a case to the police, they’d have to visit a lower-level institution.

“Then what’s Report? Isn’t that filing a case?”

—It probably means things like information on wanted fugitives… or news of impending war, that sort of major report. Crimes serious enough that the Space Police Bureau headquarters itself has to act.

Jiseon carefully added,

—For example… something like the location of a retired Planetary Shipmaster’s hideout…?

She was referring to the retired Planetary Shipmaster, Phaemong.

—Ah, something on that level would definitely be worth reporting directly to headquarters. There’d probably be multiple warrants on him, and the bounty would be substantial.

But Yeongwoo shook his head.

“He’s one of the few others of my kind in the entire history of the universe. I’m not planning to sell him out for money.”

Koatu looked genuinely surprised.

—Seriously? That’s completely unexpected.

“And he probably doesn’t even have a warrant on him. Phaemong said so himself. The moment you retire is when all debts and grudges have been settled.”

All favors and grudges resolved.

How exactly he resolved his enemies remained unknown, but it was clear that Phaemong no longer owed anything to the world.

—Still… he’s a Planetary Shipmaster. He’s got a planetary ship beside him. The Space Police Bureau would want to reclaim that. The reward for a tip-off would probably be huge too.

“It’s not exactly intact. It’s a planetary ship broken into three chunks.”

—Even so, that alone would have tremendous value. Like you said, they’re rare across all cosmic history.

“That’s precisely why they wouldn’t touch it. If rumors spread that Phaemong’s ship ended up in government hands because of my report, do you think the other Planetary Shipmasters would stay quiet?”

Only then did Koatu nod in agreement.

—Hmm… if other planetary ships still exist, yeah, that would be a huge threat.

“It’s penny-wise, pound-foolish. Better not to meddle with Phaemong. Besides, he’s not hostile toward me. I might need his help someday.”

A being who had existed as a Planetary Shipmaster for a span of time close to eternity compared to himself.

Someone like Phaemong would certainly possess an enormous accumulation of know-how, and Yeongwoo valued that very highly.

Even if he was currently resting inside a shattered planetary ship, weren’t the lives of Planetary Shipmasters unpredictable by nature?

Phaemong too might one day return to active duty.

“Whatever else happens, I won’t sell out a planetary ship or a Planetary Shipmaster.”

As Yeongwoo firmly drew the line, Koatu spoke with regret.

—Then it seems we don’t really have anything to report here.

That left only three options.

[Tour]

[Public Interest Donation]

[Meeting with an Executor]

“What exactly is a Tour? Don’t tell me you can actually tour the Space Police Bureau?”

—Obviously you won’t get to see core areas, but you’d probably be able to view major outer departments. Depending on the branch size, sometimes they even show holding cells or detention wings.

“What?”

At the mention of holding cells and detention wings, Yeongwoo’s eyes widened.

“If it’s that level even at a branch, then this is headquarters, isn’t it basically guaranteed? They must have a huge detention complex.”

—Probably. A prison installed in the galaxy where the Space Police Bureau headquarters resides… just imagining it is terrifying.

But Yeongwoo was thinking something entirely different.

“Since we’ve come all the way here, I have to see it.”

—…See what?

“The prison directly managed by the Space Police Bureau.”

—Are you insane? You of all people should be staying as far away from prisons as possible. You’re already a criminal.

“But right now I’m still an unknown rookie that the Space Police Bureau isn’t paying attention to. Once I become a big-time raider, I won’t be able to see a place like this even if I want to, unless I get arrested.”

However, Yeongwoo had no intention of ever being captured by the space police, meaning today might effectively be his first and last chance to see the Space Police Bureau’s detention wing with his own eyes.

—Did you already forget why we came here? Weren’t you supposed to meet that Executor guy and have him read the letter?

“Executor Ketu. I didn’t forget. But can’t we do that after the tour?”

—I mean… yes, but…

At a loss for words, Koatu turned his gaze back to the guide system.

[Tour]

[Public Interest Donation]

[Meeting with an Executor]

With an option literally labeled Meeting with an Executor right there, this crazy Planetary Shipmaster was making a fuss about touring the prison instead.

“In this universe, you survive by moving unpredictably.”

Ironically, many things in this universe were predictable.

Even the countless celestial bodies filling the vast cosmos moved along predetermined orbits.

And as though assigned roles from birth, most beings divided themselves into virtuous and vicious, acting according to their respective natures.

Maybe that was why planetary ships were called wonders of the universe.

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Celestial bodies that boldly abandoned their assigned orbits.

In a universe where so much was predetermined, they were beings that chose unpredictability themselves.

“Then we’re going with the tour. No objections, right?”

Before anyone could stop him, Yeongwoo’s hand touched the [Tour] option.

Tap.

Immediately, a system message issued by the Space Police Bureau appeared in midair.

「You have requested a tour. A transport vessel carrying your assigned officer will arrive shortly. Please disarm yourselves and wait.」

And almost simultaneously, Earth rolled its eyes once.

『What’s this? They really launched immediately.』

“You mean the transport vessel?”

『Yeah. At this speed, they must’ve had an officer waiting in advance.』

Koatu added,

—A planetary system is approaching as a whole. They must’ve noticed a long time ago. The assigned officer won’t be ordinary either. The fact that they’re not even preparing to fire… that’s incredible confidence.

In fact, the Space Police Bureau showed absolutely no threatening behavior toward the Earth Ship.

“Impressive, honestly. Well, it’s not like police on Earth point guns at visitors either.”

As he said this, Yeongwoo stored Bastard and Aratubank inside his Catalog.

Because, unlike with the Executor who would read the letter, he had no intention whatsoever of fighting the officer escorting the tour.

And he could already see the Space Police Bureau’s transport vessel streaking toward them like a flash, meaning there was no time to waste.

『You going alone?』

Earth asked while preparing a return stone.

Yeongwoo glanced around once before nodding.

“If there are two hostages, things just get more complicated. It’s easier if I go alone and solve whatever happens myself.”

He didn’t forget to add,

“If it looks like I can’t come back, don’t stir things up by trying to rescue me from the Space Police Bureau, just run. From what I can tell, we’re still not at a level where we can fight the Space Police Bureau head-on.”

He had become certain of that after seeing how calm they remained despite noticing a planetary ship approaching.

『If you abandon me and run… who’ll command the ship?』

“Mom and Dad are about evenly matched now anyway, aren’t they? They can either agree between themselves or settle it with a duel.”

As Yeongwoo finished speaking, the Space Police Bureau’s transport vessel finally docked outside the Earth Ship’s atmosphere.

『Already here. Once you enter the detention wing, our connection might get cut.』

“Most likely, it will.”

『If that happens, I won’t be able to grasp the situation. So if you can’t return, press the return stone four times quickly. If you do, I’ll leave here without looking back.』

With those words, Earth opened a portal leading to the transport vessel, and after glancing at the return stone in his hand, Yeongwoo stepped forward without hesitation.

Swoosh.

Toward the transport vessel that would carry him to the Space Police Bureau’s detention wing.

Shiiiiiiiing!

The unique sense of dissonance from the portal wrapped around Yeongwoo, and with a brief shift of vision, a dim interior welcomed him.

“…?”

A slight discomfort spread through his entire body.

After passing through the portal, Yeongwoo found himself seated, or rather fixed, in a chair shaped exactly to his body.

They had placed a chair in advance at the precise location where he would appear.

“What is all this?”

As Yeongwoo asked while lifting his head from the chair, a figure clad head-to-toe in equipment resembling a spacesuit emerged from the darkness ahead.

—Welcome, Mr. Jeong Yeongwoo. I am Officer Shero, assigned to assist with your tour today.

Then he raised one thick arm and pointed at the chair Yeongwoo was sitting in.

—Since you are not a target of arrest, no restraints have been installed. You may move freely.

Conversely, that meant that if he had been an arrest target, he would have been completely restrained the instant he passed through the portal.

Rustle.

As Yeongwoo rose from the chair, Officer Shero pulled out a small mechanical pad from his waist and said,

—For now, you have no relationship with us. But I am curious why a Planetary Shipmaster has personally chosen to visit this place.

“I was curious how impressive the Space Police Bureau really is. I don’t need anything else, just show me the prison.”

When Yeongwoo said that, three dots flickered inside the translucent glass covering Shero’s head.

—Of course. A detention wing tour program exists for the reformation of criminals.

Perhaps it meant that seeing the Space Police Bureau’s prison firsthand would extinguish any desire to commit crimes.

While Yeongwoo casually scanned the transport vessel’s interior, gradually becoming accustomed to the dimness, Officer Shero manipulated the pad and spoke into the air.

—Executor. Executor, are you present? Subject 2142 wishes to visit the detention wing. Departure in fourteen seconds.

And then, astonishingly, a familiar name echoed through the transport vessel’s air.

—I am Ketu, Executor of the detention wing. Permission to enter granted.

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