Ch.114Houston? We have a problem.

# Chapter 114: Houston? We Have a Problem.

With our stealth equipment suddenly gone, our ship was essentially floating in space without any cover whatsoever.

And that meant…

Those nano-machine fleets that had seemed like distant background objects could now open fire on us at any moment.

“Is there no way to repair it, Minister Vermut?”

I asked our head technician, Minister Vermut, to resolve this issue, but—

“Impossible. It was exposed to temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius for an extended period… It’s essentially the same as if we’d thrown it into a blast furnace.”

“Is that so? The exterior looks perfectly fine, though…”

“As I mentioned, even though it looks fine, it’s like it was put in a furnace and taken out—the interior has completely melted like sugar.”

It seemed that even for a madman who could freely manipulate mechanical tentacles and perform all sorts of crazy feats, some things were simply impossible.

—————————————

But we couldn’t just sit around doing nothing.

While enduring the silver blizzard, we decided to hide in a nearby asteroid belt and observe the situation.

“Minister, what about recasting the melted parts into something new?”

“Do you think that would actually work?”

While there, we also got to witness the spectacle of cyber-voodoo practitioners trying to resurrect the liquefied stealth devices.

But I knew better than anyone that we couldn’t stay like this forever.

Of course, the reason was…

[Pause]

[Event: Those Who Stand Against the Gray Nightmare]

[Planets consumed by nano-machines are generally considered devoid of all life.]

[However, even in such extreme conditions, some have managed to survive.]

[At first, most were barely able to survive day to day in the face of crisis…]

[The 1st Allied Fleet formed by galactic nations.]

[And with the 2nd Allied Fleet—a massive force organized according to the Federation’s crisis contingency plans—being dispatched to save the Riksi Congressional Territory, the discovery of survivors has begun to spread hope throughout the galaxy that this crisis too can be overcome.]

[+10% damage to Nano-machine Fleets for Galactic Nations]

[+10% Goodwill from Federation member states toward the Riksi Congressional Territory]

Events like this, or…

[Event: Counterattack of the Gray Nightmare]

[With additional reinforcement fleets from the gates and the exponential increase in nano-machine fleets emerging from consumed planets, the Allied Fleet’s frontline has been temporarily pushed back.]

[+5% damage from Nano-machines]

[Additional random event will occur within 5 days]

[Event: Counter-counterattack]

[The Sebelli Empire’s fleet, which served as firefighters on the frontlines during the Warlord War, has once again succeeded in preventing the collapse of the front.]

[Thanks to their accumulated experience, some officers have been distinguishing themselves in recent battles.]

[Increase in available Admiral positions in the Holy Sebelli Empire]

Events like these.

While we were here performing pointless tasks like stretching out our melted stealth equipment that had turned into something resembling taffy…

I alone was aware of the current battle situation in real-time, which no one else knew due to the communications blackout.

“Minister, what are you going to do now?”

Watching them, I inwardly sighed deeply and said:

“Once the stealth system is fixed… we should be able to proceed with the operation, whatever it may be.”

“Well, that’s not wrong, but…”

As I had told Riel, moving recklessly without the stealth system was out of the question.

No matter how overwhelming the Leviathan’s class and how monstrously powerful this battleship was…

If it were to be hit twice by fleet-scale bombardment or ultra-long-range particle beams like those fired from fortresses, that would be the end.

‘Don’t get impatient. There’s nothing more foolish than getting impatient in situations like this.’

So I continued to clear away the mass of event messages that kept popping up with familiar notification sounds, blocking my view, while waiting for repairs to be completed.

—————————

But perhaps there was something strange about my behavior.

Levia, who had been silently observing us, approached me for the first time, tilting her head curiously.

“Excuse me, Minister? There’s something I don’t understand…”

“What is it?”

“Why aren’t we advancing anymore?”

Since the ship wouldn’t be moving anyway.

I had gotten up from my throne and was doing some light stretching when Levia’s question made me pause in confusion.

“What do you mean, Levia?”

“Exactly what I said. The damage to this vessel is clearly minimal, so I don’t understand why we aren’t advancing.”

From Levia’s words, I realized she was still completely clueless about anything not directly connected to her “body.”

So I adjusted my posture and spoke to the puzzled Levia, maintaining the brightest tone I could:

“Levia, I assume you’re aware that all our stealth equipment is currently damaged.”

“…”

“Honestly, rather than moving unnecessarily and becoming a target before repairs are complete, wouldn’t it be better to finish repairs properly and then move within a safe range?”

Of course, not being an expert in this field, I was merely repeating what Riel and others had told me.

But seeing my explanation, Levia tilted her head even more in confusion…

Eventually, with her characteristically emotionless face, she spoke to me matter-of-factly:

“Minister, I seem to have forgotten to mention this directly, so I’ll tell you now.”

“What is it that you’re being so mysterious about?”

“My body, the Leviathan, has its own cloaking capability.”

“…What?”

“To be precise, this vessel has been equipped with the complete invisibility function—the cloaking technology that you and the Empire have been aiming for.”

What are you saying, Levia?

Such a sudden revelation left me truly perplexed.

Why hadn’t she mentioned this earlier if she knew about this function?

At first, I thought it was absurd, but…

“Of course, I understand it might be difficult for you to believe right away.”

‘Yet you’re telling me this anyway.’

As if reading my mind,

Levia stood up and activated a massive screen near where I was sitting, demonstrating that her claim was indeed correct.

“Activating ship’s stealth system… complete.”

“…Huh.”

“And it doesn’t just hide us—it makes our very existence undetectable to others.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Specifically, it creates localized space-time distortions on the ship’s surface, interfering with the enemy’s ability to observe us…”

I couldn’t help but make a complicated expression as I watched Levia make such bold claims.

“Levia, there’s something else I’d like to ask.”

“Ask anything.”

“If we utilize this vessel’s built-in stealth capabilities, what’s the limit of the planetary fortress’s surveillance network?”

At my question, Levia appeared to be calculating, and after a moment…

“As long as we don’t descend to the planet’s surface, I can confidently say we won’t be detected.”

I found myself nodding at her self-assurance, which was evident despite her expressionless face, as she promised such remarkable performance.

But that aside.

What I truly wanted to ask was something else.

“Levia, why are you only telling me this now?”

I was too curious about why she’d only share such valuable information after we’d gone through so much trouble.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked directly.

After some careful consideration, Levia finally replied:

“Well… you never asked?”

In that moment, I was freshly reminded of the importance of communication.