While Nobita was gearing up, the villains at Galtite Mining weren't sitting idle either.
At their base on Koya Koya, a man in a red Galtite Mining uniform—unlike everyone else's black—stood out as the boss. The staff all lined up, waiting nervously for someone important.
Soon, a Galtite Mining ship, similar to the others, touched down.
Everyone, even the boss in red, tensed up and stood straighter.
The ship landed, and as the hatch opened with a hiss of hydraulics and clouds of white vapor, a tall figure emerged—his silhouette looming in the mist.
The red-uniformed boss hurried up, sweating nervously. "My deepest apologies for not greeting you sooner, Head Boss! Welcome!" he said, bowing and fawning.
The footsteps echoed—thud, thud, thud—and the man emerged: tall, cloaked in black, black cowboy hat tipped low, golden hair spilling out the sides, and—creepiest of all—his eyes were all white, no pupils. He radiated murderous intent.
He strode up to the boss. "Chief Borgant, what have you been doing? You almost let those cops figure out our plans."
Cold sweat poured down Borgant's face. "Th-this…"
Before he could explain, the fat and skinny goons Nobita beaten up (and who'd just gotten released) staggered back into the base, covered in bruises.
Borgant saw them and seized the chance to vent his anger. He stormed over and yelled, "You useless idiots! What happened out there?!"
"Chief, you don't understand! That kid isn't normal!" the skinny one blubbered, dropping to his knees.
"You got beaten by a kid? How am I supposed to explain that to headquarters?!" Borgant roared, ready to kick him.
"Chief, that kid's like some kind of superman!" the fat one stammered.
"Yeah! He's not normal!"
The others chimed in, nodding desperately.
Head Boss, who'd been watching this farce, finally spoke up. "Stop making excuses," he said coldly. He turned away, but not before saying, "Anyone who gets in our way—eliminate them. No exceptions."
His footsteps echoed across the silent base. Nobody dared say a word until he disappeared through the automatic doors.
…
Inside the command center, Head Boss put his feet up on the console, showing off his black military boots. Borgant stood respectfully by, not daring to protest that his spot had been taken.
Head Boss stared at the huge terrain map of Koya Koya on the main screen. "This planet's not bad. I like it," he said, almost lazily.
Borgant tried to sound helpful, "It's just that the settlers are so stubborn. They're tough to deal with."
Head Boss said nothing at first, just took out a pistol with an elaborate scope and polished it. Borgant jumped, afraid he was about to get shot.
After a while, Head Boss finally said, "Hmph. Looks like I'll have to handle this myself." The way he handled that gun—no doubt, he was a real pro.
…
…
…
Meanwhile, I was out in the fields with Roppuru and the others, helping with farm work. Nothing urgent for now, and who knew when Galtite Mining would show up again. Besides, working out here let me keep an eye on things—if they did show up, I'd be first to know.
Koya Koya's farmland felt like something out of a giant machine-run ranch. I rode a cultivator, plowing furrows and sowing grain as I went.
Clem and her mom, both with white scarves on their heads, were picking crops that looked like corn in a ready-to-harvest field nearby.
Seeing this peaceful scene, I felt unusually calm inside.
"Nobita, Roppuru! Come eat!" Clem and her mom called, laying out a picnic blanket full of food.
"Coming!" I replied cheerfully.
As we sat together on the blanket, I couldn't help but glance at Clem, so cute and lively, and a thought popped into my head.
Oh right, in the original story, I had a killer trick for charming girls. (Didn't work on Shizuka, though.)
"Clem!" I said with a big smile. "Want to see some Earth string tricks?"
And so, for a short while, we enjoyed some rare peace.
…
…
…
But far away, out of their sight, black smoke was rising.
A herd of giant snail-like creatures was being driven by Galtite Mining staff riding yellow ram-like animals, prodding them with guns.
The huge snails trampled straight toward the fields, flattening crops as they went.
A chubby kid jumped up and down, trying to stop them. "Stop! You're destroying all our crops!"
But the Galtite Mining guys just sneered from their mounts. "We're helping you get rid of pests. You should be grateful."
"What the hell?! I'm calling the police!" the kid shouted, furious.
"If you do that, who knows where these slugs might run off to," they smirked.
"Get out of my fields! Or I'll make you pay for this!" a man who looked like the kid's father charged out with a pitchfork.
"Careful, old man. Get out of the way," one of the mining guys said, shooting the pitchfork out of his hands.
"Dad!" the boy cried, rushing to help his father up.
"Let's go," the mining guys said, turning their yellow rams and riding away. Today's job was just to drive the slugs—they didn't need a full-on fight.
<><><>>><><><><><><><>
Advanced chapter here: p-atreon.com/Sajaboyzzz
<><><><><>><>>><><><><>
Keep the Chapters coming - Support with Power Stones!
Every 200 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter!