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Chapter 576: The Black Zone (8)

The price of buying a flying piece of junk: 30 million Karma.

‘…Is this really okay?’

Well, it was much cheaper than the 40 million Karma that Kejen had mentioned before departure.

“What’s that, some kind of payment terminal?”

Yeongwoo asked as he looked at the device in the junk dealer’s hand.

Kejen nodded.

—We avoid physical contact as much as possible here. Using payment terminals is standard.

“You avoid physical contact…?”

—You don’t need a weapon to hit someone, right? A simple touch can be mistaken for an attack. So to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, people don’t make physical contact.

“Fair enough. This is space, after all. There really are all kinds of weirdos out here.”

This was space.

A vast world where countless species coexisted.

Cyclopes, tri-eyed folk, beings with multiple arms, and even species whose bodies were made entirely of water.

So for a business that dealt with them all, preparing for every possible accident was only natural.

Clunk.

The junk dealer set the payment terminal on top of the aircraft Yeongwoo intended to buy.

—Place your hand here. It will charge 30 million Karma.

At the same moment, a holographic number floated above the device.

[30,000,000]

‘Seeing the number makes it feel even more expensive…’

With a conflicted expression, Yeongwoo slowly approached the terminal.

Unexpectedly, the junk dealer looked surprised.

Clearly, he had assumed Kejen would be the one paying.

Tap.

When Yeongwoo touched the terminal, 30 million Karma disappeared from his account in an instant.

Fwoooosh!

Almost immediately after, a beep came from near the junk dealer’s wrist.

Beeeep!

Probably a confirmation of successful transfer.

—Excellent. A good transaction.

After checking the payment, the junk dealer spoke quietly into the band on his wrist.

—0658, begin processing.

Then from the massive dome in the distance, several golems started running toward them, each holding different tools.

Thud, thud…!

“What the—”

Yeongwoo widened his eyes, and Kejen stepped back.

—The workers.

“Those golems are going to fix our aircraft?”

—it’s more like patchwork than an actual repair.

By the time Kejen finished speaking, the golems had reached the junk heap.

They checked the blue tag the dealer had stuck on earlier.

One golem grabbed the junk aircraft with its arms.

Another immediately began hammering it wildly.

As if destroying it beyond resale.

KAANG! KAAANG!

With repeated blows, the outer hull dented instantly.

Then another golem approached with a glowing red saw.

Szzzzk—

And began slicing off pieces of the hull in smooth layers.

Fssshhhh!

‘What the hell? Are they cutting sashimi out of my aircraft’s hull?’

While Yeongwoo stared in disbelief at this never-before-seen “repair technique,” the golem finished cutting the metal and walked up to their aircraft.

—……

Without hesitation, it placed the freshly cut plate over the claw-marked section of the hull.

TAANG!

“Huh? No welding?”

When Yeongwoo looked back and forth between the junk dealer and Kejen, the latter stroked his beard.

—Welding here is a little different from what you’re thinking.

“A little?”

At that moment, a deafening thunderous sound roared from the aircraft.

BOOOOOM!

The golem had started hammering the added plate with a blazing hot hammer.

BOOOM!

At first, it seemed like it was simply flattening the metal into place.

But soon it began hammering the outer edges with obsessive precision.

With a hammerhead glowing red-hot.

—It’s a type of heat-forging.

Just as Kejen said, every strike made the plate visibly compress and fuse against the aircraft’s hull.

“No way… just hammering it makes it stick? Completely? Enough to survive spaceflight?”

After all, they’d have to fly through outer space soon.

And through the Black Zone’s atmosphere.

—For a one-way trip, this is perfect.

While Kejen was spouting nonsense, other golems were reattaching the aircraft’s wings—

using a welding technique that Yeongwoo actually recognized.

“Wait— that side is doing normal work!”

He pointed at the wing, and Kejen shrugged.

—Different parts require different techniques. Hammering wings would warp the frame.

“Then why is hammering the hull fine?”

—It’s still weaker than dragon fire.

The “processing” of the junk was completed with alarming speed.

While Yeongwoo talked with Kejen for just a moment, the golems were already dragging the aircraft elsewhere.

“Hey— my aircraft!”

As Yeongwoo blinked at the rapidly retreating ship, the junk dealer explained.

—They’re moving it to the launch pad while the repaired parts cool.

“Launch pad…?”

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—The vehicle’s thrust isn’t very good. It’s safer with a little ‘help.’

Then Kejen spoke while walking toward the aircraft.

—See? That 30 million includes the launch fee. Isn’t that a bargain?

“…Isn’t the real problem that we need help just to take off?”

Either way, the journey to the Black Zone was truly beginning.

Yeongwoo had no choice but to follow.

Step.

‘Why am I doing this again…? What fortune am I trying to chase with this insanity…’

Then he remembered.

‘Right… there’s at least ten billion on the line.’

Suddenly, he felt motivated.

Easy money doesn’t exist.

—Follow the blue tiles to the aircraft. Safe travels.

The junk dealer stepped aside and waved.

A path of blue tiles stretched forward, all the way to the massive launch platform.

“They already lifted my aircraft up there…”

Yeongwoo squinted at the sky.

A long, slanted runway stretched upward, and on top of it sat the junk aircraft.

From here, it looked like a giant amusement-park ride—

and that was creepy in its own way.

—Hurry. We’ve got mountains of work to do.

Confirming that the aircraft was in place, Kejen picked up the pace.

Yeongwoo, Jeonggu, and the golden goblin followed.

“This is insane no matter how you look at it…”

Jeonggu murmured, looking like a man about to bungee jump without a rope.

They were on some random alien world, about to board a rust bucket that looked liable to break apart at any moment… to fly into an even worse place full of criminals.

Nothing felt real.

Beep!

Kejen reached the lift leading up to the runway.

—I know it’s your first time and you’re nervous, but don’t worry too much. The aircraft rarely explodes mid-flight.

Then he hopped inside the lift and pulled the lever.

CLANK!

—Let’s go!

Maybe because he was finally heading “home,” Kejen looked genuinely excited.

“…You like it that much? Isn’t the Black Zone as dangerous as prison? Probably even worse.”

—Sure, but in prison, all you do is endure pain. The Black Zone is dangerous, but I get to be one of those dangers too. It’s a much more active world.

“Hm… fair point.”

I become one of the world’s dangers.

That lined up perfectly with Yeongwoo’s philosophy.

And truthfully, that was exactly why he decided to go to the Black Zone—

to strike first.

BOOOOM!

The lift carrying them slammed into place at the side of the runway.

“There’s no staff here?”

—we do it ourselves.

As soon as he stepped off the lift, Kejen began expertly pulling the large levers connected to the rear-mounted launch booster.

—This is the thrust-assist module. Watch carefully. You might have to do this alone someday.

“……”

Yeongwoo was already memorizing everything Kejen did.

Who knew when their partnership would end?

“When you pull the levers, is that all? Does the order matter?”

There were three levers, so he asked.

—Yeah. For a small aircraft like ours, pull left to right. For medium, middle, left, right.

“Then for large ones, it’d be right, middle, left?”

—Correct. Though launching a large ship from here would be insane—but if unavoidable, that’s how you’d do it.

If Kejen called something insane, then it was truly insane.

So Yeongwoo asked again.

“Large ships don’t use runways like this?”

—Big ones have way stronger engines. They lift off on their own. Which is why you should NEVER buy a large ship made of scrap. It may take off, but it’ll explode when landing.

“I see.”

Maybe that 30 million Karma wasn’t the price of the scrap—

but the price of the lesson.

—Obviously, I’ll be the one piloting.

Kejen scanned the group with a suddenly serious expression.

Everyone nodded instantly.

At that moment, a speaker near the runway crackled to life.

「0658, please board your aircraft.」

Kejen climbed inside and waved.

—0658—that’s us. Get in!

The launch booster was already powering up.

Everyone hurriedly squeezed into the cramped interior.

“Yeongwoo! There are no seats…!”

Indeed, there were none.

Even the cockpit was barely holding together.

And worst of all, several levers looked like they’d been snapped in half.

“Uh… what is this…”

Right then—

Ssshhhkk—!

The hull panel they entered through sealed shut.

Kejen had completed pre-flight.

He looked back with a wicked grin.

—Why are you so shocked? In the Black Zone, this is everyday life.

“No, but the controls being broken is kind of a big deal, isn’t it?!”

Without looking back, Kejen answered while staring out the front window.

—Ah, that part? That’s optimization.

Then he yanked the control stick backward and stomped on the pedal.

The pedal pad instantly snapped off—

something only Kejen noticed.

VRRRRRRRRMMMM…!

But with the launch signal already issued, the junk ship roared like a rabid bull.

Then—

THUD!

With help from the launch booster, it shot down the runway at terrifying speed.

SHEEEOOOOW!

It felt like riding a bullet.

The insane acceleration made the hull vibrate like a sheet of paper.

Yeongwoo even spotted a broken pedal piece rolling around the floor—

But it didn’t matter.

KWAAAAA!

They were already leaving the end of the runway.

—Success! We made it—!

Kejen slapped the dashboard in joy.

A button immediately popped off and flew outward.

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