ARIWLBBC Chapter 39

“Ah!” The man widened his eyes, seemingly trying hard to appear somewhat cute.

The situation was too bizarre. Detective Gu pondered for a moment, then cautiously approached the front door. He opened it slightly, risking being looked down upon, and carefully observed the man through the crack in the door.

“Ah woo.” The man squatted at the doorway, excitedly crowding around the crack when he saw the teenager approaching. He sniffed eagerly at the crack like a dog.

Frowning, Bo Ge noticed a pocket inside the man’s black jacket. With the man’s silly dog-like movements, it was evident that something hard was inside the pocket.

“Who are you?” Bo Ge asked again. The man stared with wide eyes, seeming full of confusion and a hint of aggrievement.

It was as if he were a loyal dog who had finally found his long-lost master, only to find that the master didn’t recognize him.

But Gu Gu had never kept a dog, only a big cat.

“Are you here to see Sister Amber?” Bo Ge wondered, asking a more plausible question. “Or is there something wrong with your brain?”

The man tilted his head and stuck out his tongue.

Amber’s house was located on a Class A planet, not far from a free trading market frequented by players. Seeing this strange situation, several passing players couldn’t help but stop and watch. Some even gathered around, taking out their light brains to prepare for recording.

Seemingly sensing the teenager’s discomfort, the man snarled and lunged at the surrounding players. In that moment when Bo Ge watched the man snarl, he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

It was just like… that little snow wolf.

“Sorry!” Bo Ge rushed out and grabbed the man by the collar, dragging him back. “My friend here has a bit of a problem with his brain.”

“Huh?” The man looked back at the teenager in confusion.

Bo Ge kept smiling and forcibly dragged the man into the courtyard, activating the anti-interference screen to prevent other players from spying on what was happening inside.

First, reaching into the black jacket, Bo Ge retrieved the hard object from the inner lining. Upon pulling it out and examining it, he found it to be a semi-transparent identity ID card. It was marked with the Interstellar Bounty Hunter Association.

A bounty hunter?

Not understanding the situation, Bo Ge continued to examine the ID card. It displayed the man’s photo, name, bounty hunter level, race, and age.

“Franklin Kittist, Bronze Level 12 Bounty Hunter, Mixed Race, 29 years old.”

Curiously, he opened the star network and searched for information about bounty hunters. Entering the keywords, thousands of results immediately popped up.

The bounty hunter guild has a long history, even existing before the establishment of the Interstellar Alliance. Its members operate freely and independently, only motivated by credit points or rare metals, precious resources.

As for bounty hunters, they not only accept interstellar warrants issued by the alliance but also take on private jobs. Many of them have a history of misconduct.

The current bounty hunter community is also divided. Some have been accepted by the alliance, protected by the alliance, and act as regular bounty hunters under alliance supervision. Another group still lingers in the gray area, accepting credit points for tasks.

Furthermore, bounty hunters are internally ranked. The lowest is Bronze, followed by Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Master.

Bronze Level 12 is the lowest level of bounty hunter, usually the level of newcomers.

While browsing through the data, Bo Ge suddenly saw descriptions of everyday life for legitimate bounty hunters on the star network, mentioning that they generally use eye-embedded light brains to record their actions. If the employer pays extra, they can send the recordings to the employer.

“Eye-embedded light brain?” Bo Ge stared at the man. According to the information he found on the star network, he grabbed the man’s hand and pressed it against the external broadcast point where the forehead and temple connected. As expected, a screen appeared in front of the man’s eyes.

In the recorded document, Bo Ge found the latest file, opened it, and saw a familiar lawn.

“According to the information released by the patrol, the last place where the little snow wolf was seen is here,” the man’s voice rang out. “From the direction it left, it should still be in the living leisure area. Rusev, with your keen nose, maybe you can find its trace.”

The man turned his head, and Bo Ge also saw Rusev, with his face full of muscles, and a worm-like black scar on his face, stretching from his forehead to his jaw, which looked terrifying at first glance, and even scarier upon closer inspection.

“Get lost, I’m not sniffing.” Rusev seemed to be in a bad mood, giving the man a disdainful look. “I haven’t forgiven you yet.”

“Fine.” The man squatted down himself, sniffing the ground, following the scent of the little snow wolf.

“Franklin, I really don’t understand,” Rusev reluctantly followed behind the man. “Why sacrifice your future for a piece of broken wood? Just one more task, and you could have advanced to the Master level. Isn’t that your dream?”

“That’s not just a piece of broken wood, it’s a sacred object from the planet Kasaj. Without the sacred object, their crops won’t grow, and there won’t be new life. That piece of wood has been irradiated by the energy of the Saiji. You should understand its importance better than me,” the man said seriously, without a hint of regret. Seeing this, Rusev could only helplessly raise his hands.

“Alright, Franklin, you’ve offended the employer now, and violated the guild regulations. Congratulations on being demoted to Bronze. The guild has made it clear that they won’t assign you any more tasks. In the future, you’ll only be able to do petty jobs,” Rusev said.

“Mmm, the scent is getting stronger.” The man sniffed the scent of the little snow wolf and took out a delicious meat pie from his backpack.

“Be careful, this is your last possession,” Rusev said with a gloating tone. “Don’t lose the meat pie if you don’t catch the dog.”

The man smiled helplessly, but then suddenly, Rusev clutched his neck with both hands, a look of disbelief on his face. Blood gushed out from between Rusev’s fingers, and his body flickered twice before disappearing on the spot.

[“Intelligent Blur Activated.”]

Due to wearing protective armor for endangered species, the blood in front of Bo Ge’s eyes turned into mosaic, and Rusev’s expression became very blurry. Even so, it still startled Bo Ge.

The man squatted on the side in a dog-like posture, watching the scene in front of him, his eyes slowly becoming clear.

“Rusev!” The man tried to log out but found that he couldn’t.

The man’s breathing became difficult, as if his neck were being choked, struggling on the ground in pain, his fingers digging into the grass, the delicious meat pie falling to the ground. A furry figure walked over, grabbed the meat pie in its mouth, and happily wagged its tail.

“Help, help me…” The man’s figure also began to fade, and the little snow wolf looked at the man, seeming to be thinking about something.

The man gradually lost strength, and seizing the opportunity, the little snow wolf put down the meat pie and rushed towards the man’s fading body. Then, the little snow wolf disappeared, and the man’s originally fading body solidified, his eyes becoming identical to the little snow wolf.

The man crawled over, picked up the meat pie, hugged it with both hands, and ate it. While licking his hands, he suddenly seemed to smell something, his eyes lighting up, and he ran happily in a certain direction.

“It’s them… Rusev…” The man stood up, staring closely at the screen, his eyes filled with anger and hatred.

Suddenly hearing a voice beside him, Bo Ge was startled and took two steps back, warily keeping his distance from the man.

“I’m dead.” The man touched his neck. “The little snow wolf saved me, it prevented my consciousness from being completely deleted.”

Bo Ge swallowed hard, slowly backing away, quickly searching for the ID of the big cat on the light brain.

It’s not that Bo Ge was timid, but for matters like this, it’s best to let professionals handle it.

“Don’t be afraid, my name is Franklin, I’m a bounty hunter,” the man noticed the teenager flipping through the light brain nearby. His eyes were sincere but without a hint of fear. “I hope you won’t tell the patrol about my information. I know my situation is very special, but if I’m taken away, I won’t be able to ensure that those who killed me get the punishment they deserve.”

“I… haven’t contacted the patrol,” Bo Ge said truthfully.

“Thank you.” Franklin’s eyes, at that moment, showed signs of fusion with the little snow wolf.

“The little snow wolf seems to recognize you and really wants to come find you,” Franklin controlled his desire to stick out his tongue and scratch his head with his hind leg. “You must have fed it a lot of meat pies.”

“I just contacted someone.” Bo Ge stared at Franklin. “I think you can seek help from him.”

“No one can help me,” Franklin sighed. “My death involves a big force, and you can’t help me.”

“What force?” Bo Ge’s curiosity was piqued.

“The Laplace Demon, have you heard of it?” Franklin frowned. “When I took on the task, I didn’t know it was their mission until I met the employer.”

Hmm?

Bo Ge tried hard not to show his surprised expression. “You mean, the mad scientist Laplace?”

“It seems you’ve heard some rumors too.” Franklin’s eyes showed caution. “Laplace is their spiritual leader, their god. Laplace’s crazy followers are willing to do anything for her, as long as she orders it. Her influence is everywhere, penetrating into any field. I suspect that even within the patrol, there are her spies. If she finds out that I’m not dead, I could be in big trouble.”

Frank scratched his head, and then couldn’t help but touch his tail bone, feeling oddly itchy. “Are you sure the person you contacted isn’t one of her followers?”

“I’m sure.” Bo Ge stared at the furry ears slowly emerging from Franklin’s head.

“She wants the sacred object that has been irradiated by the power of Saiji this time. Do you know about Saiji’s power? It’s a miraculous power that can transform inorganic matter into organic matter. Many experiments have shown that on some nascent planets where life is about to appear, this kind of power exists.”

Franklin looked embarrassed as he rubbed the pillar with the bone of his tail. “I’m having a bit of trouble controlling myself.”

“It’s okay,” Bo Ge said calmly. “Please continue.”

“Saiji is the legendary god of souls, usually taking the form of a soul butterfly, or a girl with butterfly wings. Oh, and this goddess is also the wife of the god of love.

There are rumors that Saiji’s power can also control the souls of living beings. I suspect that Laplace wants to use Saiji’s power to control someone she cannot deceive, but I don’t have any evidence yet.”

After rubbing for a long time, Franklin breathed a sigh of relief, and finally, his tail bone stopped itching.

A furry big tail swayed behind the man, and Franklin accidentally rubbed a hole in his pants.

Bo Ge looked down at the light brain and then at the courtyard gate. The expected figure of the big cat didn’t appear. He might be busy.

“Are you looking for your friend?” Franklin wagged his tail. “Why isn’t he coming?”

“He has many important matters,” Bo Ge said seriously. “He’s very busy.”

“The Chief of the Alliance? So busy?” Franklin teased.

Bo Ge glanced at Franklin and then at the message he sent.

“I have a strange person here who seems to be involved in a homicide case. Come quickly (coordinates).”

After some thought, Bo Ge decided to retract the previous message and re-edit it.

“Laplace wants the sacred object irradiated by Saiji’s power. Take care.”

“Forgive my bluntness.” Franklin walked around the courtyard and pointed to the anti-interference screen in the courtyard. “Turn this on before sending the message.”

With an embarrassed expression, Bo Ge opened the anti-interference screen. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Franklin. “Can I use your light brain to send a message?”

“Why?”

“I’m afraid he’ll worry about me and put down important matters to come find me.” Bo Ge pursed his lips. “Actually, I’m fine, and I don’t miss him that much.”

¹TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”

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  TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”