Ch.441The Enemy Within (2)

# “What? Soldiers have gone missing?”

Blair frowned at the sudden report during the meeting.

The Crisis Management Team Leader cleared his throat and continued.

“Ahem, yes. We can’t locate one person from the Quarantine Team, one from the Supply Management Team, and one of the rescued survivors.”

“How long has it been?”

“We estimate the Quarantine Team member and the survivor went missing about 10 hours ago, and the Supply Management Team member about 8 hours ago.”

Blair’s gaze shifted to the Quarantine Team Leader and Supply Management Team Leader.

“Is what the Crisis Management Team Leader saying true?”

“Well, that’s…”

“It hasn’t even been a day, so calling them missing seems a bit…”

“Pathetic fools!”

An enraged Blair shouted and slammed his fist on the table.

Everyone on this ship is required to report their work status to their team supervisor every 6 hours. But looking at when the missing persons disappeared, it’s been well over 6 hours.

“To act so carelessly even knowing that Outspacers handle parasites!”

“We-we’re sorry!”

In fact, they had found a living parasite from one of the survivors they rescued. This was a situation that required heightened vigilance, yet they had committed such a mistake.

“From now on, I’m stripping both of you of your team leader positions. Your former deputy leaders will take over. Understood?”

“Yes…”

“Crisis Management Team Leader. Do you have profiles of the missing persons?”

“I’ll display them now.”

As the Crisis Management Team Leader operated his personal terminal, a hologram appeared in the middle of the conference table. It was a hologram containing information about the missing persons.

While scanning through the data, something unusual caught Blair’s eye.

“That Quarantine Team member was the first to discover the Outspacer parasite. And his last duty was examining survivors.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“A survivor who disappeared during examination, along with the Quarantine Team member who disappeared with him. I must assume the parasite hiding in the survivor transferred to him.”

“Are you saying there are two parasites?”

Blair nodded with a grave expression.

“Should we search for the Supply Management Team member?”

“No. It’s already too late. It would have changed bodies by now.”

Everyone in the conference room widened their eyes.

If that statement was true, this was no ordinary situation. Someone in this very room might be carrying a parasite.

“From now on, I will investigate all personnel on the ship. Navigation Team Leader, until the investigation is complete, suspend faster-than-light travel and switch to high-speed navigation mode.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“For the teams conducting the investigation, I will designate the order of subjects and inform you individually. This is to prevent information leaks. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Next is the Communication Support Team?”

“Yes. Ahem, we believe the current instability in the communication system is due to abnormal stellar activity…”

After discussing a few more matters, the meeting concluded.

“Come to think of it, my deputy leader has been acting suspiciously lately. Could it be…?”

“We need to gather our team members immediately and check…”

The team leaders all left the conference room with grim expressions.

Left alone, Blair glared at the hologram with cold eyes.

‘Damn monsters. Don’t think everything will go according to your plan.’

Few people know this, but he has survived the disaster at the T&C Special Trade Center in the past. Compared to those horrific memories, Outspacer parasites are nothing.

The creature won’t last long and will be caught soon.

With that conviction, he terminated the hologram.

# “Joel’s Personal Record #26”

* This record is made by Joel, a 2nd-year member of the Egerton Silver Lion Knights, assigned to the maintenance team under the Egerton Special Rescue Team.

The team leader gathered all team members this morning.

With everyone assembled, the team leader said:

Norris from the Quarantine Team and Palmer from the Supply Management Team have gone missing. If anyone sees them, report immediately.

Missing persons on a ship in full operation? I couldn’t believe it.

I wasn’t the only one. The others also had expressions that said “what nonsense is this?”

Norris, of all people, wouldn’t do that.

Just yesterday, I invited him for drinks, but he said he had work left to do. Norris is the most diligent person I know. He wouldn’t disappear without reason.

Besides, even if they were missing, where could they go on an isolated ship?

He must have missed his work status report because he fell asleep after working overnight. He might be sleeping heavily in some corner where people don’t notice.

Miles from my team agreed with my thoughts.

While having dinner with the Communication Support Team folks, I heard there are issues with the ship’s communication system. They said it’s due to waves emitted from the star, so it seems nothing to worry about.

“Record saved”

(Modified)

It’s past 11 PM, and I haven’t heard from Norris.

I should visit the Quarantine Team tomorrow.

“Modified record saved”

# “Joel’s Personal Record #27”

Before lunch, the team leader suddenly gathered all maintenance team members.

I thought they had found Norris, but that wasn’t it.

The team leader informed us that the schedule had changed and we needed to go to the lab for physical examinations.

We protested, but the team leader was adamant. He spouted nonsense about immediate execution for anyone refusing the examination, regardless of reason.

Thanks to that, we were dragged to the research team for examinations without even having lunch.

That was already a shitty experience, but then I heard something even worse.

Miles said the reason we were being examined was because of a new type of Outspacer.

He heard from someone in the research team that an Outspacer capable of parasitizing human bodies had hidden among the survivors and transferred to our ship. The examination we received was to detect this.

That’s absurd. Why would these bugs target this ship?

And those monsters only move according to their killing instinct. They’re not intelligent enough to hide in human bodies.

However, Miles did make one valid point. I also don’t understand why the research team, not the medical team, is conducting the examinations.

I asked the research team, but no one would answer. After the examination, I asked the team leader, but that bastard just said all teams are getting examined so don’t worry about it.

Damn, what kind of answer is that. Motherless third-ca(deleted)

“Record saved”

# “Joel’s Personal Record #28”

The missing Norris has been found.

The location was inside the Supply Management Team’s living water storage tank. Palmer, who went missing with him, was there too.

Damn. Some team members had been complaining since morning that the water tasted strange, and I wondered what they were fussing about. I didn’t know it was because there were corpses in there.

Moreover, according to rumors from that area, the condition of the discovered bodies was very strange.

Only skin was found, with no flesh, bones, or internal organs.

I heard they completely emptied the storage tank to send the contaminated water to the purification facility, but nothing else was found.

After the news spread, the team atmosphere was shattered. Especially those whose quarters are near Storage Tank 3 were throwing up like crazy.

Anyway, there was a broadcast from Blair in the evening regarding this. He said the Crisis Management Team is currently investigating surveillance cameras and the Supply Management Team, so we should rest assured.

Any other time, I would have taken comfort in that, but not this time.

Human skin found in water? It’s extremely ominous to actually experience something like the ghost stories that commonly circulate among crew members. It feels like something terrible is happening somewhere I don’t know about.

I’m not the only one who thinks so. Everyone else is equally anxious.

I hope tomorrow brings only good news.

“Record saved”

# “Joel’s Personal Record #29”

When I came to work this morning, there weren’t many people around.

Probably because of yesterday’s incident, many took sick leave.

Normally, our team leader, that jerk, would have made a fuss, but not today. He was taking the day off too. Damn him.

With the team leader absent, we spent time just chatting.

And I heard one piece of good news after a long time.

The Crisis Management Team found out who put the bodies in the drinking water storage.

The culprit was the newly appointed Supply Management Team Leader. Cameras caught him carrying skinned corpses and putting them in the storage tank.

When the identity behind this nightmare-like ghost story was revealed, I felt relieved but also deflated.

All that talk about Outspacer parasites and space monsters that skin people was nonsense. The truth was simply the crime of a deranged murderer.

Miles still insisted it was due to Outspacer infection. His evidence was that the team leader’s personality changed after his promotion, which was suspicious.

That’s an absurd claim. By that logic, I’ve been feeling depressed these past few days—am I under the control of an Outspacer too?

Anyway, now that the culprit has been identified, it’s only a matter of time before they’re caught.

Soon everything will return to normal.

“Record saved”

# “Joel’s Personal Record #30”

This morning, I heard new information via the ship’s broadcast. The murderer was shot dead at dawn.

The problem has been resolved.

Colleagues who took sick leave didn’t come in today either, but they should all return to normal duty tomorrow. Of course, I’d prefer if the team leader, that bastard, continued to stay away.

In the evening, I had drinks with team members.

Again, Miles spouted conspiracy theories, saying it was suspicious that they had to kill the culprit, and wondering if there might be a spy in the Crisis Management Team.

While the Crisis Management Team may have handled it a bit excessively, it’s not incomprehensible.

The Supply Management Team Leader was a member of the Silver Lion Knights and had undergone genetic modification surgery. It would have been impossible to subdue him with just a laser shot or two.

If they had responded inadequately, the Crisis Management Team would have suffered greater damage.

Despite explaining this logically, Miles, that stubborn fool, wouldn’t listen. He’s consistently stubborn.

However, this time there were quite a few people who agreed with Miles. They openly criticized the Crisis Management Team, even though they weren’t particularly drunk.

It’s not normal to criticize another team in public, even if the team leader is absent. I think they’re anxious because of the various incidents that have happened recently.

Anyway, we drank moderately and parted ways.

On my way to my quarters, I saw the team leader who had taken sick leave. He was standing in front of the medical room with his body wet, as if he had just bathed.

From his appearance, it seemed like he came out to get medicine. To avoid a headache, I deliberately took a detour.

“Record saved”

(Modified)

I hear screams from outside.

I don’t know what’s happening. I need to go quickly

“Record time exceeded”

“Modified record automatically saved”

# “Joel’s Personal Record #33”

I haven’t been able to record for the past few days due to lack of time.

Just as we barely suppressed a sudden shipboard rebellion, an unidentified epidemic broke out.

Some people died vomiting blood from their entire body, while others died with black spots appearing all over their body. Even those who touched the bodies of patients died from an unfamiliar disease.

The symptoms varied, but there was one commonality: once infected, you die.

If the medical room had remained, we might have been able to treat it somehow. But the facilities for treating diseases were all burned down during the rebellion. The only medicine available is the small amount of treatment agents loaded in the reinforced suits.

People die with each passing day. Even those not infected with the disease don’t know when they might die.

Even if we wanted to request external support, the ship’s communication system has gone dead. The Communication Support Team is working on repairs, but they can’t guarantee results.

In other words, we are all isolated and dying.

That fact drives me crazy.

I’m not the only one. Even among team members, the looks they give each other are extremely hostile.

We have reached our limit.

“Record saved”

(Modified)

I was attacked by a colleague trying to steal my treatment agents.

I barely survived, but I don’t think I can rest in my quarters anymore.

“Record saved”

# “Joel’s Personal Record #36”

I was lucky enough to return to my quarters.

Miles once said something. That an Outspacer parasite had infiltrated the ship.

That’s wrong. It’s not bugs that have taken over the ship.

It is something filled with endless malice.

The entire ship has become a moving hell due to chaos wearing human skin.

There are no ordinary humans here. Wherever you go, monsters of unknown identity and humans who have surrendered to madness and chaos are watching.

There are still survivors like me, but it doesn’t matter. Neither they nor I have many days left to live.

I hear Miles’ voice outside the door.

He was taken by a monster while coming here with me. The person calling me now is not Miles.

Chaos wearing my friend’s skin is calling me.

I don’t want to die.

“Record saved”

(Modified)

There are no problems with the ship’s operation.

Blair’s group, which interfered with normal navigation, has been successfully suppressed.

This ship is expected to arrive at its destination quickly under the guidance of the new captain.

I can’t wait to meet my colleagues.

“Record saved”