Chapter 18: Absconding with the Funds

Torekia leisurely enjoyed the sea breeze, gazing at the enormous beastly silhouette rising from the surface of the ocean. Yet, there was something subtle about his expression, as if he wasn’t particularly enthused. He seemed only faintly interested.

With his index finger, he tapped his own forehead lightly, and then the corner of his lips curled into a subtle smile. Hah, fine then—this truly was the prelude to a grand spectacle… but he had expected it to be more entertaining. Before the real fun could even begin, a key actor had already left the stage.

The “petty demon” looked up at the colossal form that blotted out the sky, the scene overlapping with fragments of distant memories—it was so very much like Snark in those days.

No doubt, before long, you too will become a lovely little flower.

Thanks to the electronic senses granted to him by Grimder, he could easily detect the streams of data flowing through the air. It seemed someone was desperately trying to connect to the control chip embedded in the little one’s brain, hoping to halt its actions.

But it was clear—such efforts were now completely futile.

The control module was like a sluice gate on a dam, able to regulate the reservoir’s water level through careful operation. But now, a mountain flood had filled and submerged the entire reservoir; what use was there in manipulating the gate, now sunken beneath the waters?

Wracked by violent pain erupting inside its brain, King Glas let out a confused, pained whimper and began trudging toward the warehouse by the shore—

Indeed, it had grown so massive that “swimming” was no longer necessary. Where Glas had once crawled on four legs, it could now stand tall. Awkwardly, it took clumsy steps with its thick hind legs, each stride sending up waves over ten meters high, heading toward the source of that sweet, alluring scent.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned inside the ship in low Earth orbit. The Maqindoans, who operated the intergalactic auction house, were already preparing to pack up and flee.

Today’s plan had clearly been just a rehearsal: have King Glas move from point A to point B, then sink into the ocean to lie in wait. This was both to test the functionality of the control module and to probe whether any interference existed on Earth.

After the initial failed demonstration, they had sent investigators to Earth. These agents gathered media reports and interviewed locals. There were indeed news stories, but most of the video comments simply praised the sophistication of modern 3D technology—no one seemed to believe that the giant creatures in the footage actually existed.

Investigators then checked the damaged buildings from the videos—yes, the destruction was real, but passersby simply claimed the buildings had been demolished long ago. No one found it strange. When asked, locals all said they hadn’t seen any giant monsters in the city center, or that they were busy working and hadn’t noticed anything at the time.

The Maqindoan was left utterly baffled. He’d cut the live feed too early, missing crucial information, and not a single team sent to Earth had returned—there weren’t even any eyewitnesses left.

His Saigon, his massive Saigon—had it simply evaporated into thin air?

Puzzled as he was, there was no time to find another civilized planet to demonstrate the destructive power of the monster weapons. Every moment, the Vilane Guild’s rented auction ship was burning through credit points. He had confidently assured the Vilane Guild’s executives that he could fetch a high price for the monster weapons—selling was his expertise.

It was only after signing a profit-sharing agreement with the Vilane Guild that he obtained exclusive rights to these premium goods. The Guild promised that for ten universal years, the items wouldn’t be sold through any other channels.

He dared not imagine the costs if he slunk back home, searched for another suitable planet, verified its civilization level, and then jumped the ship there—the expenses would be astronomical. This auction might even end up costing him dearly.

So, he steeled himself to try once more.

But where was the rehearsal he’d planned?

Why had King Glas been activated at full power?

The Maqindoan did have a spare controller on hand, but upon opening it, he found that the control chip was already set to maximum output.

In such a state, the monster weapon’s brain chip would kick in, stimulating its mind by simulating sensations that provoked rage, like pain and hunger. This would drive the monster into a berserk frenzy, while also causing irreversible damage to its brain.

In short, this precious item was now ruined.

The Maqindoan nearly coughed up blood in fury. He frantically tried to contact the leader of the ground team, but received no response—no connection.

If he accepted defeat and called for a retreat, he would have to shoulder all the losses from this mission himself. The ruinous profit-sharing agreement would wipe out the fortune he had spent millennia amassing in service to the Vilane Guild.

Thoughts raced through his mind. Had the ground team been eliminated and the controller seized? Or had someone within the Guild bribed them, orchestrating his loss in this wager?

A twisted smile spread across the Maqindoan’s face. In recent days, he’d familiarized himself with the ship’s layout and had stashed away some auction samples. If he tallied up their value, they’d fetch about twelve million two hundred thousand credit points—enough for his escape.

Claiming he needed the restroom, he left the control room and wandered the storage area, his coat bulging conspicuously as he stuffed it with valuables, his whole frame growing plumper.

Avoiding patrols and surveillance, he made his way to a chamber at the ship’s base. There, he lifted a transparent panel from the wall and pressed a button nestled in a recess underneath.

With a mechanical whir, a circular hatch opened in the middle of the floor, revealing a capsule-shaped escape pod below. The Maqindoan straightened the two tendrils on his head and slipped deftly inside.