Kakakakaka.
In the dim expanse of space, the sound of chanical motion resounded clearly.
And along with this noise, a pitch-black figure slowly began to shift.
Suspended in the cosmos, curled up as though gradually waking from deep slumber.
One long, slender limb after another stretched outward, their tips carrying an unsettling, flesh-like texture.
Lights flickered to life—one pair, two pairs…
Multiple pairs of lights lit up, blinking in succession like the eight compound eyes of a spider, glittering ominously in the void.
A chilling green radiance pierced the blackness of space, illuminating a terrifying body more than twenty ters in size.
Yet this was not a pure machine; beneath the tal shell ran trails of living flesh, proof that it had once been sothing else entirely.
This was no re machine, but a being remodeled by unknown forces into its current grotesque form.
No one knew if this transformation had been voluntary or forced, but its re presence was enough to strike fear into the nearby planets.
For this creature was none other than the great leader of the Spider Pirate Gang, the heart and soul of the entire organization.
Previously, it had entered a kind of deep hibernation, appearing no different from ordinary organic creatures in sleep.
Now, it had fully awakened in the vastness of space.
And the first thing the Great Leader did upon waking was to contact his subordinates.
Normally, when receiving its summons, its crew would swiftly converge from the surrounding star sectors.
But this ti, all its signals vanished into silence—like stones sinking into the sea.
Where have my subordinates gone?
Its eight pairs of compound eyes radiated puzzlent. It had sent ssages repeatedly, yet not a single reply had returned.
Could sothing have happened?
Thus, its colossal body began to move through space, scanning nearby energy traces to determine the movents of its crew.
After a brief search, it swiftly located the remnants of its fleet's ships.
Judging by the energy residue, this happened only a few days ago.
Only a few days, yet no reply to its signal?
Could it be…
That soone had tried to flee?
Realizing this possibility, the creature's erald eyes instantly turned a fierce, seething red.
It continued to track ticulously, quickly pinpointing the ships' last known location.
However, upon arriving there and seeing the ships firsthand, it fell into stunned silence.
Wreckage drifting through space told the story of a fleet's forr glory.
But past glory was aningless now. All that remained was scrap tal—re space junk.
Floating in the galaxy, debris no one would even bother recycling.
Examining closely, the Great Leader quickly detected unmistakable marks on the ships.
No doubt remained: its crew had been utterly annihilated by another force!
This discovery sent it into a rage.
Its spider legs struck out repeatedly, smashing the remains of the ships into scattered fragnts.
It seems I've been idle for too long—organic life has forgotten the terror of my na.
The Spider Pirate Gang's dominance in this region wasn't solely reliant upon fleets of ships.
During their early, ruthless expansion phase, they didn't even have the luxury of such ships.
They relied entirely upon this very creature, the Great Leader alone.
Now, it was ti to remind these organics of the dread it once inspired.
And soon enough, it found the being responsible for wiping out its subordinates.
From the ships' recordings, a figure with scarlet eyes shone ominously in space.
That very being had easily dispatched its vice-captain.
Kan Rider?
It sneered contemptuously as it spoke the na.
Then let be the one to inform you—your ti is up, Kan Rider!
Let swallow you whole, and remind the universe of true terror!
It roared into the void, its massive mandibles yawning wide, spinning blades shredding everything nearby.
...
"This ship's wear and tear is unprecedented in cosmic history."
The ship-maintenance center staff spoke incredulously to Hoshigaki Sora: "Honestly, the fact it's still even capable of space travel is a miracle."
Setting aside all other factors, the ship's paraters had deteriorated dangerously.
Besides the nearly depleted power reserves, the ship's physical deterioration was beyond alarming.
The head technician could hardly believe the damage report in front of him.
Thrusters almost lted from continuous overload, power conduits deteriorating rapidly—not to ntion structural integrity…
Such extensive damage would typically ground any ship imdiately.
Yet this ship had sohow kept going until now.
Truly inconceivable. The technician, astonished, muttered aloud:
"Were you running it at full throttle, nonstop, without rest for several dozen days?"
"Hahaha, not several dozen days," Sora said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Ah, then I suppose that's understandable. Continuous travel for hundreds of days could naturally produce this result."
The technician nodded knowingly. Not dozens of days—so hundreds, then?
Hundreds of days of travel would explain such severe damage.
"Hehe, actually, it was less than twenty or thirty days," Sora casually clarified.
The technician fell imdiately into speechless shock.
"You're telling you've owned this ship for less than thirty days total?"
"Yep! I kept careful track."
After all, Sora rembered clearly—his powers had refreshed multiple tis during that period.
And, calculating quickly, the next refresh was just a few days away.
Whatever Sora was pondering, the technician had no way of knowing. He had only one question:
How the hell did you destroy a brand-new ship this badly in less than thirty days?!
He stared at Sora in utter disbelief.
What kind of monster could ruin a ship like this in less than a month?
Even the galaxy's most ruthless performance testing facilities probably couldn't achieve this result in such a short span.
Just who exactly was this guy?
"What's wrong? Is maintenance gonna cost too many credits?" Sora suddenly felt a pinch of anxiety.
He should've brought Robin along—if he ran short, Robin could've helped cover the difference.
"No. With damage this severe, I'd suggest going directly to after-sales service."
The technician recomnded the optimal solution to Sora: "Even though you're our platinum mber and replacent parts are inexpensive, I'd still advise you to contact after-sales."
Sora instantly looked confused.
Since when had he beco a platinum mber here?
Was this place trying to scam him?
Sora's senses sharpened abruptly. He wasn't great at a lot of things, but he had a keen instinct for scams!
"Since you put it that way, I'll just go call after-sales then."
Convinced of their suspicious behavior, Sora naturally opted for people he could trust.
Sora's departure was expected by the technician.
Yet, shortly afterward, he noticed sothing odd about the ship.
On the real-ti monitoring system, one of the paraters flickered slightly.
Was it his imagination?
The technician rubbed his eyes and stared fixedly at the parater that had just jumped.
But this ti, nothing changed—it seed like a false alarm.
He glanced toward the ship, silver hull gleaming under the artificial sun.
"If that wasn't an illusion, could it be… the ship's repairing itself?"
Laughing at the absurdity of his guess, he dismissed the thought.
How could that be possible?
Did the ship magically repair itself after being in the sunlight?
Yet, unnoticed by him, another parater quietly ticked upward once more.
Sora dialed Felice from after-sales directly, planning to handle his ship's issues swiftly.
"Hello~~" answered a lethargic voice the mont the call connected. "What business can I handle for Mr. Hoshigaki today?"
"Just as a friendly reminder, you've already purchased every available entertainnt and lifeti insurance plan. Please reconsider if you're calling about those services again."
"Huh?" Sora froze in confusion.
He checked the na on the phone carefully—it was indeed the IPC specialist responsible for his after-sales service.
I dialed correctly. So, why is she already talking about new services?
"Eh? Your voice sounds familiar—have you called here befo—holy shit!"
Suddenly, Felice cursed loudly into the phone!
Her swollen, tired eyes widened in disbelief at the caller ID displayed on her screen.
Those two characters represented the very person she'd desperately tried to reach for days without success!
My God—you actually called back!
She felt like she'd t her savior, overco with emotion, tears welling instantly.
"Mr. Hoshigaki~ You finally called back!"
The overly affectionate voice made Sora shiver involuntarily.
He hurriedly ended the call, waiting for the chills running down his back to subside.
"I didn't dial wrong, right? What the heck just happened?"
Could it be…
Today isn't a good day to go out?!
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