Chapter 190 – Solaver (2)
A 3D map from Yeosu to Fukuoka appears on the central control room screen.
Although it is detailed, there are parts exaggerated or omitted for high visibility, so it feels like a game.
The destination, the Enterprise, floats like a ghost ship in Hakata Bay, off the coast of Fukuoka.
The path is connected by a dotted line, and six helicopter icons are advancing in a triangular formation along it.
But the most important thing about this map is something else. The airship icons that are monitoring the sea area of tens of kilometers near the route are drone carriers.
There is no longer a Self-Defense Force that will come out to intercept an invasion of territorial waters, but there is an entity that is even more fearful than that.
[There is no confirmed movement yet.]
Artemis said.
Her body is resting in the incubator room.
It is her choice to focus on air traffic control support as the full-scale operation is implemented.
“It’s unclear whether they can launch an anti-aircraft attack, but there’s no harm in being careful. Even if it is not just a helicopter, it can cause harm to the aircraft carrier that is the target of the operation.]
A giant mantis shrimp monster that perfectly fits the description of a nuclear punch.
A monster resembling a stingray that detects even small underwater drones and attacks with sonic waves from a distance.
Besides that, there are other monsters we haven’t discovered yet.
These sea monsters, collectively referred to as the Leviathan class, are the number one enemy to watch out for.
Their sensing ability in the sea is incredible. So much so that it can detect and chase even small underwater drones from a distance.
However, if equipment such as sonar is sealed, you will be blind under the sea, so there is no reason to use underwater drones.
In the end, we chose the policy of visual surveillance from the sky, even though it was less efficient.
This is because they are so large and the water in the South Sea is not that deep.
But so far it’s clean.
[I will prepare thoroughly, but try to relax. Because the chances of them showing up are low. It has never been observed in the past few months.]
No matter how sensitive their senses are, it would be difficult for those living under the sea to sense vibrations in the air above the sea surface.
“As you expected, it seems like they went out to the ocean because they had no one else to target.”
[Because there is no other way than filter feeding to maintain that huge size.]
Artemis assumed that these marine monsters’ means of obtaining energy sources was a filter-feeding system like that of baleen whales.
This is because it was not a weight class that could fill its stomach through direct hunting like a shark.
Areas of science fiction such as solar charging or biological generators were excluded. If you take that into account, there is no limit.
The distance between the target location, Fukuoka, and Korea is close.
At the time of entering the sea, the expedition had already passed more than half of the one-way journey.
Soon, the tip of Tsushima Island began to be visible through the helicopter camera.
The first thing that caught my eye was the boat.
Like the Korean survivors, small fishing boats with heavy parts, including motors, removed and oars installed were engaged in fishing near the port.
[Because fishing has been a key industry on Tsushima Island from the beginning. But it’s going to be very difficult now. The main species of fish caught here have to go out to sea, but this would not be possible without borrowing the power of the motor. There are too many mountains, so farming is impossible, and it makes no sense to welcome tourists.]
“By now, there might be people turning their motorboats around thinking, ‘Isn’t it safe now?’ But they’re holding back.”
[Actually, I don’t think I held back. Look at this.]
“Ah.”
Artemis uploaded a video.
It looked like a completely destroyed port. It was torn to pieces, as if the face of God had descended and breathed out its anger.
It was far from human weapons that used heat and explosive power, or the anger of nature that drew a certain pattern.
Heavy concrete breakwaters were rolling around like pebbles here and there, and some were stuck in corner stores or bed and breakfasts.
A tattered fishing boat was left upside down in a rice field. The survivors don’t seem to have the energy to clean it up.
[Looking at the traces, it looks like it was after the infection war, but it looks like they were careless and used a motorboat when they got hit by a huge customer.]
“Have you come to your senses after being bullied once?”
[Well, I guess so.]
“Make sure you film that scene properly. Please also send it to survivors in Jeju Island and the South Sea. Soon, there will be people in our country who want to use motors.”
It has been controlled as much as possible so far, but surprisingly, people become insensitive to safety quickly.
Before Lee Man-cheol died, Goheung’s army also operated motorboats in the West Sea for exploration purposes.
“The numbers are not large. Would this be better in this era?”
Somehow, vegetable gardens were planted here and there, and the people who saw them sparsely showed no signs of desolation or fear.
Although he is poor, he seems to be maintaining a fairly stable life.
After flying for a while after passing Tsushima Island, we have now officially entered Japan’s territory.
If you really walk down the street, you can feel that you are just a stone’s throw away from your neighbors.
The huge land of Kyushu, the Japanese archipelago, began to appear from beyond.
Helicopters reached the skies above Genkai Island on the outskirts of Hakata Bay.
Sunken aircraft carriers and frigates are visible beneath the sea. There are probably also ships belonging to the Self-Defense Forces.
“Aren’t all islands safe? Well, maybe it’s natural.”
[Because once a closed system spreads, it cannot be controlled.]
Genkai Island was a paradise for infectious agents. The walkers crowding the dock of that small island are clamoring for a helicopter.
Countless hands reaching for the sky are always an unpleasant sight to see. Especially if there are a lot of small hands like ferns.
[I’m sorry. It looks like the children were temporarily evacuated.]
Little monsters wearing yellow kindergarten clothes. These poor dead people are following the helicopter.
Soon, he was swept around and bumped into by adult walkers much larger than him.
One by one, they began to fall, and merciless footsteps rained down on them.
Could it be their parents, the teachers who guided them, or adults who never met them but were there for them with sympathy and protection?
They forgot the virtues of their lives and followed the helicopter, driven by their killing instinct, trampling on small monsters.
The place where the walkers stopped was in front of the breakwater. There was a wrecked passenger ship with its entire body crushed.
“It’s terrible.”
The sea is still calm. The movements of the giant monsters are not detected at all.
Radio waves remain silent. Whether it is the Japanese government or the possible warlords in the Fukuoka area, no one has yet responded to our invasion.
Finally, the target, an aircraft carrier, came into view.
Enterprise.
The symbol of America’s strength and humanity’s spirit of challenge. That crystal.
[There is no movement on the deck.]
Broken helicopters, warship planes, and fragments of unknown origin are scattered around. However, there are no traces of infection.
The helicopters didn’t bother to land. While hovering for a moment at a moderately low altitude, the robots descended all at once.
Some jumped onto Island (aircraft carrier control tower).
After sending out the last one, the helicopters landed in nearby Fukuoka Island City.
This is because fuel is limited, and we cannot stay in the air forever.
There were infected people in Fukuoka City, but the number was small, and they were located far enough away to not attract attention due to the noise of the helicopter.
[Kyushu, including Fukuoka, is in a kind of jungle state. Survivors and infected entities scattered dot-by-dot coexist competitively. Among them, the port must have been a target of plunder several times because it had a lot of supplies.]
“There must have been quite a bit of fighting.”
There were white bones here and there in the port that looked like they had been killed with holes in their skulls or had been cut with an axe.
If you look at the mutations in the teeth and skeleton, it is not human. It is believed to be an infectious agent that Japanese survivors picked up while searching for supplies.
“I’m sure someone has noticed we’re here by now, right? He was observing helicopters through a telescope somewhere.”
[Even so, what’s the problem? You’d think there would be something interesting to see. Now, let’s focus on work.]
The lives of the Japanese survivors were interesting, but as Artemis said, that’s not what’s important right now.
The camera showing downtown Fukuoka changed to a view of robots disembarked on the aircraft carrier.
Everyone was already gathered at the entrance to the ship, preparing to open the hatch.
And that moment.
[Enemy found! We engage.]
Bang!
A door on the control tower side opened with the force of breaking and something flew out.
Without a doubt, it is a walker.
A skinny walker wearing a U.S. Military uniform floundered and flew dozens of meters.
Plop!
A few seconds later, the noise of battle was heard simultaneously from all over Ireland.
In fact, it felt more like suppression or cleansing than a battle.
Yellow flashes flashed several times from the dark windows on each floor, and walkers that were broken in several places fell limply and were smashed.
[Power is cut off.]
The robot that cleared the control tower in an instant reported.
[All computers in the control tower are inoperable. Unable to monitor internal situation.]
This much was expected.
When I nodded to Artemis, the robots waiting at the entrance moved.
The hatch, which had been closed for a long time, turned, rusty parts screamed, and pieces of paint fell out.
The ship, revealed in this way, is full of darkness as there is not a single emergency light on.
Red-eyed soldiers who know no fear are sent one after another.
“Let’s take a look, Senior. How important was it that you called us? How on earth did this damn infection start? Why did it send a distress signal and destroy our planet? There are so many things to ask.”
Now the cold monsters are going in to catch the warm monsters.
