Chapter 76: Boarding the Ship

By the time Youxing left the bar, it was already close to midnight.

From Tregear’s words, he had obtained a very familiar term. When he heard it, an immediate sense of “I thought as much,” “So it really is,” welled up inside him.

Because, following the trajectory of this universe’s plot, that sort of “thing” would soon step onto the stage.

That thing, currently referred to by those in the know as “Demon Shards,” is a kind of red crystal that has only recently been discovered drifting in the cosmos, usually floating like space debris, though sometimes caught by gravity and falling to the surface of planets. It appears this substance can induce mutations or violent behavior in living beings. Tests show that it lies somewhere between organic and inorganic matter; though it looks like a crystal, it is, in fact, a living entity.

A living thing.

Several technologically advanced races have already begun research on these living crystals, but so far, no significant progress has been made. None have truly grasped what they are, only managing to summarize a few basic properties.

Moreover, the regions where incidents have occurred overlap heavily with the areas where “Demon Shards” are frequently found.

Thus, Tregear also suspects that the “Demon Shards” might be directly, or indirectly through some medium, causing people to inexplicably “vanish into thin air.” Yet, with research currently stalled, these remain only conjectures.

Youxing doubts that Tregear truly knows what these things are. However, as someone holding the script in his own hands, he is well aware.

If he reveals the truth, would it accelerate the progression of the script?

Youxing carefully reviews the timeline of this universe and realizes that even if he keeps it secret, it won’t be long before their researchers uncover the truth themselves. The timing should be right after the Taiga arc ends and just before the Zett arc begins.

So, he essentially trades the intel on “what exactly are Demon Shards” for Tregear’s promise to sign up for the examination.

When Tregear heard Youxing’s near-instant answer, his expression turned rather peculiar. Evidently, he too had some suspicions, and Youxing’s confident response only confirmed them further.

“How do you know that?”

“If I say I guessed, would you believe me?”

Youxing tapped the recruitment form on the table with his finger, reminding Tregear to fulfill his promise. As for researching himself, that could be discussed later.

After settling the matter, Youxing hastily bid farewell to the manager and left the bar at a near-run.

Tregear simply watched Youxing’s figure disappear through the doorway.

…All this nonsense about exhausting the light and darkness—just who filled this kid’s head with such foolishness?

Tregear withdrew his gaze, turning his attention back to the thick, elegantly printed recruitment form, falling into deep thought.

Meanwhile, Youxing took out his phone and messaged Captain Hasui, sending both the recruitment form’s code and the details of his recommended second candidate.

He actually felt a kind of mischievous satisfaction in having pulled off this prank.

You said the recommendee could be “a little special”—well, is this special enough for you?

Although Tregear might not actually go through with the application, and Youxing wasn’t very confident in Tregear’s reliability, he still felt that, as an amateur recruiter, he had done his best. The fact that the negotiation didn’t fall apart on the spot was already an extraordinary achievement!

……

……

The next day, Youxing and Senior Ayu met up in the building still under renovation. The logistics department of the Foreign Affairs Unknown Division worked efficiently; the previous night they’d sent over the list, and today several boxes had already been delivered.

Each pushing a small cart, Youxing and Ayu Soya hauled the supplies upstairs, found an empty room, and began inventory.

Food, drinking water, star charts, field tents and bedding. In terms of weaponry, there were bundled energy rifles, five spare high-capacity power packs—enough for about thirty minutes of intense firefight. For close combat, both Youxing and Ayu were very familiar with electric batons. For protection, there were only two standard-issue bulletproof vests.

The Academy of Sciences had also sent over more than a dozen plastic bags filled with plant seeds, and several test tubes containing unknown liquids. They’d asked them to take these along and expose them to the cosmic environment—never mind that they were actually embarking on a mission that sounded simple but was, in truth, fraught with danger.

There was every chance they might die on the job and never return, rendering all these items pointless.

In any case, after signing several agreements with the Academy’s representative and getting the captain’s approval, Youxing and Ayu Soya split the items evenly. Each carried some of the bags and test tubes—after all, one shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket.

The entrance to the spaceport was hidden in a narrow alley.

Amid the towering buildings of the modern city, two blocks beyond the grand commercial street, a turn down a side road, and a few steps further led them to a cluttered, unlit area that looked more like a landfill than anything else.

Only a small container-turned-shack still had some light on inside—that was the unmanned ticket checkpoint.

By scanning the barcode on their tickets against an inconspicuous strip of black glass on the wall, a “beep” sounded from within, verifying their tickets. Immediately afterward, a trapdoor in the floor swung open, revealing a passage leading underground.

Youxing and Ayu Soya walked through the dimly lit corridor, with a single small lamp every ten meters or so, lending a rather eerie atmosphere to the place.

Ayu continued quietly briefing Youxing on what to expect aboard the spaceship.

“…It’s nothing like the comfortable airliners on Earth. There aren’t even seats on the ship. Once we get inside, we just find a spot against the wall and stake our claim.”

Apparently, on these short interstellar flights, the ship’s route was preprogrammed and autopiloted. There were no crew, no attendants, not even security personnel.

Once it took off, the vessel became a sealed room in space. Occasionally, violent incidents broke out in the cabin—usually theft, sometimes robbery, and there had even been deaths. For that reason, many unarmed space travelers chose to move in large groups, forming teams of dozens to reduce the risk, much like schools of fish banding together in the sea. Sometimes these groups even hired bodyguards, and with so many to split the fee, it was quite affordable.

“It’s that chaotic…” Youxing was a bit taken aback. At first, he’d thought the danger was the risk of vanishing into thin air. Then he’d worried about encountering monsters affected by “Demon Shards.” Now, there was a chance of conflict right inside the cabin.

He and Senior Ayu were both formidable enough, but—who would dare fire a gun inside a spaceship cabin? The cramped quarters left little room to maneuver, and with just the two of them, they’d be outnumbered if trouble started.

Youxing, inwardly, began to feel very uneasy.