episode_0287

Strange things had been constantly happening at the Pax Nova Naval Base for the past three days.

“You know what? If you put your ear to the wall, you can hear eerie laughter…”

“Everyone on night duty these days says it. Every night, we’d hear a scraping sound on the floor, but when we went to check, there was nothing! Isn’t that chilling?”

“Don’t you keep hearing strange noises around here? Don’t you hear a rustling sound? It’s like something’s passing by…”

Rumors abounded among the soldiers about the strange occurrences happening every night. Normally, they would have dismissed it as typical ghost stories common in military bases, but that day, even the officers couldn’t take it lightly.

“What are you doing? Are you watching the surveillance cameras properly? Stop with the useless chatter and focus on guard duty!”

“You’ve lost your discipline… Aren’t you cleaning properly? Don’t you see the water stains there?”

The officers scolded the soldiers, focusing on establishing military discipline. They had a feeling that an unidentified force had been consistently scouting the area recently. They couldn’t afford to neglect their guard.

“It’s obvious when they send drones to hover around! It’s clearly a trick by those Army or Air Force guys!”

“I don’t think so. I believe it’s from the Libria Naval Command. Like Lieutenant General Epher or Captain Braille. They were the ones with the most complaints after the previous regional commander was replaced.”

“Could it be the Clan? The former regional commander was close with the Clan, wasn’t he? They’re definitely after our mine!”

“Well, first, let’s straighten out the kids’ discipline and instruct them to maintain a thorough watch! The Regional Commander-nim is currently carrying out a significant plan.”

The officers held repeated meetings but couldn’t identify the enemy’s precise nature. The enemy always appeared only at night and vanished without a trace. Truly a ghost-like existence.

Of course, their true identity was something else.

The ghosts were actually the Violet Regiment’s forced reconnaissance, aimed at understanding the island’s overall terrain and defense network level.

For three days, the Violet Brigade had been attempting reconnaissance from various angles. Since Violet One Squad had already infiltrated the main island, its capture was only a matter of time, but the more information, the better.

Observing from inside the island and surveying from outside are clearly different.

「We need to divert their attention outside.」

The Violets fell into deep thought. To secure victory, it was most effective to strike them from behind when the enemies were gathered together. If they maintained an appropriate level of vigilance while dispersing their attention externally, internal operations would become much smoother.

Furthermore, there was also Seijis’s request.

“The moment you begin the operation, allied forces are scheduled to approach nearby to swiftly seize the island and expand our sphere of influence.”

“Allied forces are coming?”

“Colonel Kurt is supplying minerals to the anti-Clan, anti-Council factions. The allies plan to swiftly seize control before they can provide support or employ cunning schemes, and then resolve the situation with the support of the pro-Council faction.”

There was no need to act hastily, but they had to completely neutralize the defense system to allow follow-up units to approach the island safely. To do so, understanding the defense network’s composition and operation was an urgent priority. For the Violets, who weren’t well-versed in complex matters, it was simpler to just dive in and figure things out through direct experience.

「Experiencing it firsthand is the best!」

Off the coast of Libria, several gigantic helium balloons, each suspending a Violet, leisurely ascended into the sky. An unstable chair was dangling from the end of each balloon, with a Violet sitting on it. The balloon Violets checked their altimeters and continuously reported their current positions.

「Altitude 10km! It’s quite cold up here! No one around!」

Against the dark night sky, the balloons slowly ascended. Of course, the plan wasn’t to enter the island by balloon. The distance to the island was too great, and there was no way to control the balloons. They already knew from previous attempts that hang gliders would be shot down.

「Altitude 20km… The balloon feels like it’s about to burst…! So sleepy…」

Upon reaching the planned altitude, the Violets in the balloons began creating clones in the sky.

The Violets plunged into the pitch-black darkness. As they focused their magic into their eyes, their pupils greatly expanded, and the faint glittering military base on the island beyond the horizon came into view.

「Alright, everyone, let’s do well as we practiced!」

As soon as they finished manifesting, the Violets pulled thrusters from their inventories and attached them to their backs. Auxiliary propulsion devices for extreme sports. This much should compensate for the insufficient range.

Next, the girls unleashed the true potential of their replication ability, changed into pitch-black wingsuits, and began their descent at high speed. As the Violets plummeted at super high speed, the main island, glittering with lights, drew closer in their vision.

「Alright, Team 1, begin reconnaissance and filming! Team 2, prepare for disruption!」

The moment they approached the island, a blaring alarm siren wailed. Faint sounds of military boots and soldiers’ whispers could be heard amidst the fierce wind. The shouts and orders of non-commissioned officers and officers intermingled with those sounds.

「They noticed us so quickly, even though I ordered them coated with stealth paint…」

「They say it’s a new quantum radar. I don’t know what it is, but its performance must be incredible!」

Soon, a thunderous roar enveloped the entire island, and beams of light shot out from all directions. Thin yellow ether beams sliced through the sky, and tracer rounds embroidered the night sky. The Violets precariously surged towards the island like bees flying through a storm.

「Let’s make a bet! Who will be the last one alive!」

「Wow! That sounds fun!」

As their magic-enhanced superhuman vision and physical abilities harmonized with their extensive wingsuit flying experience, the Violets continued their flight, narrowly weaving through the artillery shells. Some Violets shattered into pieces after being hit by guided missiles, but most managed to capture images of the island with the cameras on their chests.

「Hey! There’s an anti-aircraft gun emplacement over there! It wasn’t in the intel. It must have been concealed! Do your reconnaissance properly!」

「It popped out of the ground! How were we supposed to find that?! Besides, you died from an infantry missile. A soldier pulled that out of a warehouse and fired it. It was even covered with camouflage netting! You idiot!」

「I’m not an idiot! You’re the fool!」

While the spy Violets bickered with the flight unit, the Violets who survived the barrage flew close to the water’s surface before splashing in. The Pax Nova Naval Base’s air defense network was both ruthless and sophisticated.

「Aerial reconnaissance complete! It’s the marine team’s turn now. How are things going over there?」

As Unit 3441 completed its mission and returned to the network, asking, the Command Violet suggested a vision share. Unit 3441’s vision plunged into the dark water. Underwater, where the waves rippled, the diving Violets were busy at work. The purpose of their work was a reconnaissance mission to locate mines and wire fences for future removal. For their covert operation, the Violets relied on faint red lights as they surveyed their surroundings.

「No mines here. No nets either!」

「This seems to be the shipping lane. Comparing the Violet strategic map with the map here…」

Ships appearing to be pirates regularly came and went through this area, conducting trade. They would exchange various liquors, tobacco, and sometimes even women for money. One could truly understand why they were treated as a pirate warlord despite being the navy. To trade with pirates.

It had been a mystery how ships traveled in and out from outside, but now a rough nautical chart began to take shape.

「On the day of the operation, let’s detonatethese mines! Then everyone’s attention will be drawn here.」

「People will rush to come and watch, everyone!」

After finishing their work, the Violets giggled as they erased their traces and disappeared.

While the external reconnaissance team thoroughly explored and scouted the island’s outer terrain for three days, the Violets inside the island were not idle either. The girls moved tirelessly day and night. While the enslaved Violets in the mine spread strange rumors and prepared for a rebellion, the Violets on the main island diligently infiltrated their comrades inside, operating like shadows.

「We’ve located the officer quarters and barracks.」

「That looks like the fuel tank!」

「And I’ve also confirmed the most important information.」

「The professor is underground! I witnessed them entering!」

According to the internal spy Violets, the professor would go for a walk under the soldiers’ supervision every two days. The place they followed them into after the walk was underground. From that point on, the security was strict, but that only made them more certain.

Synthesizing various clues and information, it was highly probable that they were in a submarine docking facility carved out within the island.

「Alright, let’s infiltrate immediately once we pinpoint the location.」

Everything would unfold simultaneously. Everything would be over in the blink of an eye. The Violets carried out their espionage activities, using stolen military uniforms, height-increasing insoles, blurred appearances from perception-inhibiting devices, and Helios-made camouflage equipment as their tools. Thanks to their long experience, they could cautiously approach key facilities without drawing too much attention. Furthermore, the dormant bodies hidden throughout the island could also be used as teleportation markers.

「This is the generator, that’s the barracks, those far away are the officer quarters, and those two are the hangar and the ammunition depot!」

「And where we are is the mess hall. The food is delicious.」

Deep in the dark freezer storage room in the middle of the night, Spy Violet Unit 2544 mumbled as she crammed meat into her mouth. On her plate were leftovers from dinner, about to be thrown into the trash. That day’s dinner menu consisted of fried rice and various roasted meats with gravy.

「The quality is better than I expected. This warehouse alone is piled high with meat. Oh, right! Try putting the sauce on the rice and mixing it! It’s savory and delicious.」

「Wow, it really is!」

「This box! It’s full of ice cream. To even provide dessert…」

The spy Violets savored the military food, expressing their admiration. For a pirate warlord, the soldiers’ meals were surprisingly plentiful and delicious. Their rations were also varied. Just looking around this area, there were plenty of snacks. Unit 1222 opened a box, took out a tub of ice cream, scooped a spoonful, and tasted it. Elsewhere, Unit 3213 brought over leftover drinks and sipped them.

「There’s so much meat here, isn’t there? When the operation is over, we’ll take it all and eat it ourselves!」

「That’s a good idea!」

Already, some Violets had secretly picked out delicious-looking items and put them into their inventories. As they were enjoying their meal, footsteps could be heard from afar.

「Oh no, it’s a patrol! Hide!」

Swiftly erasing their traces, the Violets vanished. Not long after, patrolling soldiers abruptly opened the door and inspected the inside of the warehouse.

“That’s strange…? I distinctly heard a sound.”

The soldier muttered to himself, shining his flashlight around. His comrade next to him replied nonchalantly.

“Isn’t it a swarm of rats? My buddy was just saying that food supplies have been disappearing little by little these days…”

“Couldn’t it be the officers taking them? Last time, I saw the captain of Patrol Ship No. 3 taking the sausages from lunch back to his quarters, saying he’d eat them as a snack with drinks.”

“Really? They say things keep disappearing from the commissary too… That might be why.”

The soldiers looked suspicious, tilting their heads before closing the freezer door and leaving.

“Professor, is the modification work proceeding smoothly?”

The Colonel’s red bionic eye sharply scanned above the hangar. Bernike frowned, annoyed at being interrupted.

“It would go much better if you didn’t backseat drive.”

Bernike grumbled, wearing gloves and manipulating a robotic arm. The body of the monster was covered with temporary scaffolding. For the past few days, she had even set up her workstation directly on top of the monster’s body. Various monitors installed above constantly displayed pulse, blood flow, magic levels, and wavelengths, while diverse measuring devices continuously operated, reporting the situation.

“You said you deal in superconductor raw materials, but you military types seem to have quite a bit of money. I wonder where you got all this equipment. It’s all Laplaxia-made cutting-edge gear. Very… rare items. And I never expected to find Luminexa’s artificial neural fibers in there too.”

“I only acquired them because they were necessary.”

“You acquired them in less than an hour, quite resourceful.”

She licked her lips again and manipulated the surgical robotic arm. The Paronodon’s head was incised, revealing a brain somewhat small for its body. The brain was embedded with various artificial nerves, devices, and artifacts, interwoven to create a complex apparatus. Upon closer inspection, one could see the unique shimmering light of magic flowing through it.

After finishing the core work, she took off her manipulation gloves and walked towards the tail, opposite the head. The tail section was also incised, revealing an organ that looked like a slightly smaller brain.

“There was another brain?”

“Some large monsters have auxiliary brains in their central body or caudal regions. Biologists theorize that it’s a differentiation of some spinal nerves as their bodies evolved under the influence of Aether. After all, a bio-structure this large and complex wouldn’t have existed in basic species before the Aether mutation. At the monster level, without such a sub-brain, it’s difficult to control a much more complex body structure than even Trist’s animals. High-level commands for the central nervous system come from the cerebral cortex, while various trivial, repetitive motor nerve activations and peripheral nerve fine-tuning are handled by these auxiliary brains!”

She prattled excitedly, taking out chemicals and constructing a frame over the auxiliary brain. While the modification work was underway, a smooth mechanical arm, reminiscent of a tentacle, suddenly popped out from behind her back, inside her collar.

“I got a hint from that and attached something similar. Of course, it’s not for calculation, but it’s quite useful.”

She proudly tapped the head of the white tentacle as if handling a pet snake.

“Say hello! This is my assistant, Little Broca. Hehe…”

The tip of the robotic arm snapped open like the maw of an alien creature. Six petal-like appendages fully unfurled. Soon, the tentacle arm inserted a probe, injected a contrast agent, and then meticulously implanted bio-chips into key neural areas.

“By the way, Colonel, you said you needed a weapon, but this is just one monster. Will this be enough?”

“It’s enough. I plan to use that Paronodon to capture other monsters.”

“Oh?”

“After capturing monsters with a monster, I intend to modify those monsters again. For capturing marine creatures alive, other marine creatures would be far more useful than human ships. By increasing their numbers in such a way, a marine monster legion will be born. Oh, don’t worry. I will keep my promise. I’ll release you once you organize the manufacturing methods and blueprints.”

“Haa, that’s a relief. I could just picture my kids in the lab trembling at the thought of not being able to graduate because I’m stuck here. They’re good for nothing except having a slightly better decoration on their heads than others, but they’re still my students, aren’t they? Though, it’s doubtful whether those dim-witted fools will be able to make a decent living even if they graduate. At the very least, I’ll need to find them jobs at my company. If I’m not here, graduation will be out of the question. And if they go to those other idiots who snagged professorships by relying on their parents, they’ll surely be treated like dogs and chased away.”

Light emitted from the tip of Little Broca, performing a quick scan of the monster’s auxiliary brain. The Colonel, appearing intrigued, stepped onto the scaffolding installed on the monster and walked up to the workstation. Colonel Kurt’s left bionic eye gleamed eerily.

“Anyway, what exactly do you plan to do with this monster? Even if it’s strong, it’s not as if there are no weapons in this world that can counter it.”

Bernike’s yellow eyes gleamed like a snake’s, meeting the bionic eye. The Colonel’s gaze, even from his healthy eye, was utterly vacant.

“He who controls the sea controls the world. And historically, shifts in paradigms have overturned the nature of warfare. In ancient times, Partona’s ram ships crushed the Eragon Empire’s navy, and in the Middle Ages, gunpowder and cannons, which led to naval battles, brought down Alabiya’s fleet. This will be the new era’s ship of the line, armored cruiser, battleship, and aircraft carrier.”

The Colonel stared as if entranced at the rippling water beyond the submarine hangar.

“With just this, I can bring these foolish surrounding fellows into my grasp… And… even the terror hidden deep within that abyss can be plunged back to the ocean floor!”

“Terror?”

As the professor repeated the word spoken in a mumble, Colonel Kurt suddenly gasped and grabbed the professor by the collar.

“…Terror! That’s right! That terror that chills me to the bone and freezes my heart every single day! Something ordinary people like you can’t even imagine and don’t need to know…! What lurks in the darkness of that sea! You wouldn’t know at all!”

“Alright, you’re very brave. Now, would you mind letting go?”

After releasing the professor, the Colonel gasped for breath and stumbled back.

“The fools won’t know… Only I know… Yes…”

Bernike watched Colonel Kurt’s retreating back with a look of contempt. She had thought he was just a greedy soldier, but it seemed he was a madman gripped by delusions.

Well, still, doing this kind of research after a long time was quite interesting. She herself didn’t take the Colonel’s promise of release at face value once the work was done, but personally, it had been a truly exciting and fascinating project.

She took a sip of the coffee on the workstation. As caffeine and sugar were replenished, her momentarily hazy brain regained its vitality. With a whirring sound, the white tentacle crawled onto her shoulder and stretched out.

“That’s right, Broca. Move… 3 millimeters, no, about 2 millimeters. Perfect.”

While Bernike immersed herself back into the modification work, the water surface in the docking facility subtly rippled. A small periscope suddenly popped up, scanned its surroundings, and then fixed on one spot.

A pair of red eyes in the water spotted the professor’s figure.

「Found them!」

Upon recognizing the fact, the Violet Command made a decision.

「Operation Siren, begin preparations!」

「Operation start time: Two nights from now!」