Chapter 247 – Tanis – March
We did a little reorganization before departure.
The flash of welding emitted by Echo’s emergency repair equipment was covered by Solaver’s camouflage cloak.
The exoskeleton system that was ripped apart and broken off melts in front of the welder. The ugly pressed metal is bound to be weaker than before. I just hope you can hold on until this journey ends.
The damage to her left arm, which she gave up to avoid being fatally wounded while being trampled by the Wendigos, was severe.
Broken artificial muscle bundles could be reattached using the self-repair function imitated by the assembler, but the strength efficiency that could be produced would be cut in half.
[Repair completed. Self-scanning. Startup efficiency 93%. Combat efficiency 82%. Return to mission.]
Alpha reported while checking his wrist.
“Do you need more rest?”
“No.”
Solaver, who was sitting and inspecting the thunder cannon, got up immediately.
“Exos are a race of strong nature, so it’s okay. Besides, time is not on our side. Your stamina, food, batteries, and ammunition will continue to decrease. “I should go when I can.”
“I benefited greatly from that weapon. “If it weren’t for you, there might have been a loss of personnel.”
I pointed to the thunder cannon.
“It has weak direct killing power, but is very useful. “It is a type of weapon that cannot yet be replaced with Earth’s technology.”
“I really want that.”
“It’s already yours. “I’ll just leave it to you for a while.”
We walked through the wasteland. The terrain on all sides is reminiscent of the surface of Mars.
Wherever you look, you can see hills big and small. Half of them are sand dunes and the other half are rocky hills.
The only things that can be called mountains are Rocky Mountains reminiscent of the Grand Canyon. It seems that it is extremely rare to find a water source like the cave in the mountain range we passed by.
It is definitely suitable for use as a prison camp. Even if you escape from a place like this, you will perish in the storm without being able to find anything to eat or drink.
“What do the mutant infectious agents in the forest originate from?”
“Well, it was so deformed and covered in protective colors that it was difficult for even me to recognize the original. “Why do you care?”
“A little bit. It’s a planet of desolation itself, isn’t it? Because the environment was like this, everyone lived crowded together in the few residential spaces.”
I looked around in all directions as if I was spinning in a hip-shooting position. No matter where you look, it’s brown or yellow.
“There would have been no place for survivors to escape to when the infection spread. Those who escaped regardless would have died in that wasteland or been swallowed up by the storm.”
“A very small number of survivors were lucky enough to find natural shelter and hide. Do you think that the words of those poor people are the mutants we dealt with earlier?”
“Isn’t it reasonable?”
“That’s true, but I hope you don’t think about this anymore. “Compassion is the most beautiful virtue, but in today’s situation, it’s just a burden.”
We moved along rocky hills as much as possible.
This is because you never know when another storm will strike.
If you set up a temporary barrier on a caved rock wall, you can withstand quite a storm, and if you are lucky enough to find a cave, you can rest inside it.
And it’s not just storms you have to worry about.
Charlie, who had been moving in front of her, raised her fist and stopped. All of us following behind stop and go into a state of alert.
Charlie opened his fist and raised his index finger, pointing in a direction. There was a sandy area at the end.
A particularly eye-catching place among sand piles of various shapes such as rising, flat, or sinking.
It is round and sunken downwards. The slope is very steep, and the perimeter is neat. It’s as if it was artificially refined.
The grains of sand that occasionally roll down the funnel look very ominous.
“No matter what, I should avoid that place.”
“I agree.”
We tried not to leave any sound or even vibration.
We moved mainly to rocky areas as much as possible, and when taking a break, we went into at least a small cave, even if it was a bit difficult.
Such efforts took more time and stamina, but they paid off in return.
“It’s a storm again.”
A magnificent noise as if millions of drums were being struck simultaneously. Clouds of sand were falling like an avalanche from the top of a huge mountain range on the other side.
We stopped moving and entered the rock cave we had seen in advance.
Scary-looking robots, aliens, and soldiers in full-body suits entered the narrow, black cave.
A few minutes after that.
Beyond the narrow cave entrance, a storm rages, ready to tear apart everything in the world.
I tapped Solaver on the shoulder as he looked helplessly to see when it would end.
“There is a saying in the military: Don’t run when you can walk, don’t walk when you can stand, don’t stand up when you can sit, sleep when you can lie down.”
I twisted my body around and secured a place in the cramped cave.
Thanks to this, the poor robots were pushed further out and had to take strange positions, but I believe they won’t complain.
“Young Master, please close your eyes for a moment.”
“… I guess so.”
Solaver’s camouflage cloak was handed to the robots blocking the entrance to the small cave with their bodies.
When I hung it like a curtain at the entrance, it immediately turned into a rock-like texture. From the outside, it will just look like a rock wall.
“There is no password today. “Shoot anything that comes your way.”
[Roger.]
Charlie, peeking his eyes out through the gap in the curtain, answered.
I closed my eyes and had my first sleep in Tanis. Under the guidance of the nanosuit, my consciousness quickly sank below the surface.
* * *
The storm stopped about 4 hours later.
My whole body was irritated because I went to bed crumpled up like a lump of luggage from an unfriendly delivery driver, but thanks to the suit, I woke up in excellent condition.
“Oh my.”
Of course, I think you would die without this auxiliary function.
We came out of the cave and moved forward, but soon stopped.
“As expected, it was suspicious.”
The land was devastated by the sandstorm, and a creature that didn’t like it was busy decorating its nest.
A funnel-shaped sandpit that is broken in various places. There, the huge antennae and front feet move disgustingly.
Its black front paws have countless saw blades, like those of a praying mantis. Each of them is 4 cm long, so if you hit them once, even a lion or a tiger will be dragged away.
We waited so as not to provoke him unnecessarily. The huge monster waved its front paws non-stop and quickly created a funnel pit and hid inside it.
We circled around and passed by. March, and more marches follow.
It is a barren planet with extremely limited areas of civilization. Except for a few sections, there were few encounters with infectious agents or indigenous creatures.
“Isn’t there something like an abandoned car somewhere? “I think you can understand that there are a few infected people inside.”
“It’s like a sailor stranded at sea hoping that an abandoned yacht won’t show up.”
Seeing Solaver politely accepting my complaints made me feel fortunate that I came here with him.
What would have happened if I had given up and come to Tanis alone with two robots?
They were probably annihilated by an attack by the infected before they even reached the first base. Even if he survived, he would have rushed forward recklessly in infinite silence, without even a single joke to tell.
“Why but?”
“No, nothing.”
I think I looked at you too lightly. We moved forward, slightly modifying the pre-determined course depending on the weather and situation.
Finally, huge structures are visible beyond. It somehow feels too early.
“Have we arrived already?!”
“Unfortunately no.”
[Number of infectious agents detected within the field of view. Minimum 1000 units.]
Charlie took her eyes off the ultra-high magnification telescope and handed it to me. When she took it and checked, hell had unfolded.
The strangely designed alien buildings are charred black, as if they had already been set on fire.
The building’s windows are all broken, and infected organisms can be seen slithering around in the dark interior.
Large towers of unknown purpose stood high in the sky.
“Terraformers. That place is a pioneer village. I was in charge of maintaining this prison planet so that it didn’t become too livable or too harsh. “It’s spread out over several planets.”
Giyiing.
I adjusted the lens and looked around the village, but I could see no traces of the infected organisms leaving the village.
“It seems like the infectious agents instinctively stay in the village because of the sandstorm.”
“This planet’s harsh environment was originally intended to confine evil beings. “I never thought it would function in this way.”
Solaver muttered softly.
“How about secretly infiltrating the village and stealing a vehicle?”
I’m tired of walking on barren land now.
“I cannot agree. The risk is too great.”
“But. “I brought this up, but it seems crazy.”
Although I am the type of person who prefers high risk, high return, there are too many invisible dangers on this planet.
Infectious agents attack from beyond the rubble and sand curtain, ambushes of mutants in the bushes, and giant monsters under the sandpit. I was suspicious of what else was hiding there.
How long did I walk past the pioneer village?
Finally, the sandy area ended and a terrain similar to a plateau unfolded in front of us.
There are weeds everywhere, and alien trees resembling bamboo shoots, cacti, and mushrooms are growing. You can even see a babbling stream in the corner.
A slap.
It seemed like it was raining in this area, so there were puddles here and there. We have entered an area where the ecosystem is functioning properly.
“Areas close to pioneer villages benefit more strongly from terraforming. Accordingly, a small ecosystem is created.”
“Now that the terraformers have been wiped out, the ecosystem will die out in the future.”
“Yes.”
Solaver laughed bitterly.
“This was a place where experiments were conducted by exposing various samples from the laboratory to the natural environment. Follow me.”
Solaver led me to one edge of the plateau. Then, in the distance, large buildings shining silver-white came into view.
“Can you see it?”
“Sure. I can see it very clearly.”
“The hope of the entire universe sleeps right there.”
The destination you’ve been waiting for so long. It is a storage facility for vaccines that will wipe out infectious agents in one blow. The research center has finally appeared before us.
“Then there is no reason to procrastinate. Let’s go.”
Crook cluk-!
Flying creatures such as flying squirrels fly above our heads. These are the birds that welcomed us when we first arrived in Tanis.
It felt like a messenger blessing our journey, which brought a smile to my face. That seems to be the same for Solaver.
In my heart, I want to go straight towards the research institute, but there is a steep cliff ahead.
“It will go back down a bit, but after that there will be no sandstorms, and it will be flat.”
The moment I turned back with Solaver smiling and talking, I felt something was wrong.
The flying squirrels that flew past us stopped in the air.
“Kiyaaaaa-!
It was flapping its wings vigorously, but couldn’t move at all, as if it was being held tightly by something.
When I looked closely, it was caught in something that looked like a spider web. It’s like a spider’s web, and each strand is almost as thick as a baby rope.
It was transparent enough to see through the other side, so it wasn’t noticeable despite its thickness.
“Kkiikik-!”
When nearly 10 birds cried at the same time, it was very noisy, which led to disaster.
Boom!
A loud sound coming from the other side.
Boom!
Like a scene from the movie Jurassic Park, ripples appeared in the puddle in front of us.
“This is not good.”
Even if you try to hide, it’s not worth it. In front is an open area and in the back is a cliff. In a word, it’s a scam.
I glanced at Solaver, but his face was also filled with tension and questions. It seems we don’t know what’s coming to us.
The planet Tanis is equally hostile to both humans and infected organisms. It seems she has no intention of letting the intruders go smoothly.
“Shaaaaa-!!!”
A horrifying roar was heard from over the hill on the side. It is as loud as the roar of a juggernaut, but it vibrates very sharply.
A few seconds later, a shadow the size of a house jumped over from the hill.
Kuuuuung!!!
All kinds of birds take off in surprise from all directions.
A huge monster appeared before us. It looks like a mixture of the body of a crustacean and the upper body of a tarantula.
Boom!
“Kkiiiii-!”
Flying squirrels caught in spider webs tried to escape, but were unable to do so.
Boom!
After a few steps, the monster approached them and stuck out its segmented snout.
The open mouth is like an escalator heading to hell. They are black and ravenous, taking turns interlocking and craving meat.
Ten small creatures were chewed alive from the outside. They disappear one by one, trapped in a spider web and unable to move.
And while he was eating the food right in front of him, he never took his eyes off us for a single moment.
Several black eyes that appear to be 50 cm in diameter are staring at us.
Every time the huge mouth opened, thick bodily fluids, flying squirrel fur, and blood drops poured down.
In any case, there is no way out or anywhere to hide. Rather than irritating the monster needlessly, we stayed quiet.
I was hoping that he would be satisfied with 10 flying squirrels and leave quietly, but that doesn’t seem to be enough.
There is now nothing around the mouth of the hideous monster. The black tongue just licks the sauce around the mouth as if it were regretful.
A huge bridge with a rock-like texture slowly lifted and lowered.
“Damn.”
The body, which had been twisted to eat prey caught in a spider’s web, is now facing us directly.
Kirik.
All robots, including me, simultaneously removed their safety devices and lowered their posture.
To spread fire in all directions as soon as it attacks.
