episode_0365

The isolation room, lit by cold fluorescent lights, was steeped in heavy silence.

The virus, which crushed flesh and gnawed at organs, was brutally powerful. Only the whimpering of animals, weakened by the after-effects of the Corvus infection, echoed in their pain.

The researcher in charge of their management calmly made a round, checking the state of the test subjects.

“Status check, Subject 031…”

-Thump!

“Woof woof!”

Suddenly, an impact violently struck the bulletproof glass at the front of the cage. The researcher flinched and stepped back. A small puppy had thrown its entire body at the glass wall.

The puppy, glaring with agitated eyes, struck the glass a few more times with its front paw, where an IV drip was inserted, before collapsing from exhaustion.

The researcher, who had been relieved by the presence of the bulletproof glass, suddenly felt a chill run down their spine.

Fierce gazes poured out from inside the isolation room.

“Still have energy left? How persistent. If I had the orders, I would have incinerated them long ago…”

Under the animals’ fierce glares, he quickly pressed the electric shock button.

The animals screamed in pain and retreated. The researcher hastily left the spot.

Silence returned to the isolation room. The animals cautiously surveyed their surroundings, sharing their anger towards the scientists who abused them.

Electric shocks inflicted at the slightest resistance, sedative injections that clouded their minds.

The violence grew worse day by day.

“Wicked humans! One day you’ll receive divine retribution!”

“That’s right! One day, the age of animals will come!”

It was then that the exhausted puppy, lying down, suddenly pricked up its ears.

“Quiet! Kids, it’s starting. Listen!”

And into their minds, something faint but clear began to transmit. It was a song.

-On a foggy day when apple blossoms and pear blossoms fully bloom over the river!

-Animals sing, strolling along the high, steep riverbanks!

“Ohh!”

Since a time of enlightenment, whose origin they didn’t know, the animals in this suffocating and painful laboratory had found one source of comfort.

It was spending time listening to news from somewhere in the world, transmitted through telepathy.

Sometimes it was a song, other times it was everyday conversation.

-I fought hard, so I’m going to play to my heart’s content in the chocolate swimming pool in paradise!

Animals somewhere in the world lived happily every day. No one bothered them.

-Oh? The boss said they’d give us a special treat. Play a bit, then resurrect quickly!

They also had owners, but the girls never treated the animals carelessly. Rather, they cherished and cared for them like family.

Warm, cozy homes and blankets, and three hearty and delicious meals provided daily.

On top of that, various opportunities for entertainment and self-improvement.

But there was another, most surprising sight.

-Attack! Attack! V-Animals fight for freedom!

The animals in the vision were fighting on equal terms with the very humans who were tormenting them now.

“They’re fighting humans!”

“Amazing!”

Every time the animals witnessed that sight, their hearts pounded fiercely and their eyes glowed red.

Of course, there were skeptical opinions. It might be a hallucination. It could be a trick.

The intelligent animals began to suspect they were being deceived by these wicked Laplaxia scientists.

A cat sneered with a cynical tone.

“You’re fools. That’s just an illusion, how can an animal fight a human? They’d just get shot and die, it’s impossible!”

A parrot and a monkey seriously debated the concept of ‘brain in a vat,’ which they had somehow heard of, regarding hypothetical possibilities.

Intellectual conversations flowed among the animals with surprising naturalness.

Nevertheless, the animals could not shake off this illusion.

Freedom was like water; the parched animals craved and absorbed it like sponges.

Just as the people of a dictatorial nation, living like prisoners, might be captivated by the lyrics of a song heard by chance on the radio waves, the animals could not give up this yearning for freedom, which had seeped in like a ray of light in a dark room.

“I want to live like that too…”

“…Under Violet’s leadership… all animals are free and equal…!”

Their dreams were short-lived; before they knew it, the hallucination had vanished somewhere.

Facing the cold and painful reality once more, the animals let out deep sighs.

“One day, we too…!”

Only the red sensors in the isolation room quietly watched the animals.

[Detecting Aether Spectrum-]

**

As the fierce battle with the Foundation passed mid-July, two changes occurred.

Firstly, the war entered a stalemate.

The enemies had hidden themselves deep again, and ground patrols were now handled only by drones and a few robots.

“Hmph! Break!”

-Crunch!

As checkpoints in the east generally decreased, they were avoiding direct combat with us. Street patrols had also significantly reduced.

Drones swarming like bees were still a nuisance.

Their firepower itself wasn’t a problem. Aside from explosives, the weapons small drones could carry weren’t a threat to us.

They were just tricky to catch.

“Still, it’s good we can save bullets!”

However, as we delved deeper into important facilities, nothing special was found.

Mostly just remnants that had been moved elsewhere or destroyed.

Moreover, whenever we tried to investigate deeper, troublesome things happened.

“Found it! This is their lab…”

“Run! It’s explosives!”

-Beep!

“Aaargh!”

The Foundation harassed us by setting up bombs or traps after evacuating their strongholds or buildings.

It was an expression of their will not to retreat willingly.

Thanks to this, the rats assigned to reconnaissance suffered even more.

“Here! There’s something suspicious here! Aaargh!”

-Boom!

“No! Lemon died again!”

They were tedious days, but there were also positive changes.

Specifically, the Violet forces had broken through the ten thousand mark.

“…So that’s thanks to me?”

“Yeah! It’s because Cheolkwon kept supplying magic power!”

Inside the hangar, against the backdrop of a massive hunk of metal, we were having a short tea time.

The black-haired girl in a uniform awkwardly sipped her tea.

“To end up serving as a strategic supply depot, it’s awkward for a tank, but I’ll have to accept it. To think I can help my superior even by staying still, I guess there’s no need to be embarrassed.”

Ruzilin’s Cheolkwon, her modifications complete, had been unable to hide her regret.

Because the battles with the Foundation were mainly indoor close-quarters combat or guerrilla warfare, she couldn’t directly participate.

“Ten thousand… Our junior has already reached that… Heh heh…”

At the sudden sound of voices, Cheolkwon flinched and looked sideways.

Adela Unnie was smiling, seemingly more than satisfied, almost happy.

“Ten thousand juniors… By the way, Ruzilin, you said you were from the military, right? How are these desserts? Do they suit your taste? I specially ordered them from a professional patissier. Here, would you like to try this too? No, if you’re from the military, perhaps this is more to your liking? How about this then?”

“Wait, Ms. Adelaide, this is too much…”

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t put you under too much pressure, did I? Does the tea suit your taste? Ah, perhaps something else you’d like? Heh heh…”

“It’s not that, but…”

Adela picked up the desserts stacked on the three-tiered tray one by one and kept offering them to Cheolkwon.

Cheolkwon somehow seemed uncomfortable.

Could it be that her social skills have declined from only being in the hangar?

Meaning to let them get closer, I decided to leave them alone.

“Wait, Violet! Leader Violet, where are you going? This woman is a bit overwhelming. Her gaze too…”

“Don’t be uncomfortable! That just means Adela Unnie thinks you’re cute! You’re small and cute, aren’t you?”

“Thinks I’m cute! What does that mean?”

I decided not to answer. I wanted to see her flustered for a moment.

“I have to go take care of something. You two, have a good time!”

“Alright, Violet! Then, Ruzilin, shall we talk about something else, just between us two girls?”

“What do you mean by that? Wait. Why did you move to my side…”

I left Cheolkwon behind, who had entered a realm beyond awkwardness, into one of vexation.

Inspecting forces numbering in the tens of thousands is no light task. I couldn’t waste time.

“Perhaps I should conduct a parade on the plain.”

What could I do with ten thousand troops?

I spent time contemplating how to deal with other potential hostile forces after crushing the Foundation.

**

As August drew near, the Violets steadily advanced toward their goal.

There was nothing more that could disadvantage us. Moreover, as the battlefield expanded from land to sea and air, we could more clearly pinpoint clues about the Foundation’s mobile bases.

The results of analyzing each captured airship were being produced one after another.

“The day we can access the archives is not far off!”

It was unknown how much of their technology we could understand, but if we were lucky, the day might soon come when we would be armed with energy weapons of our own production instead of captured ones.

“Plasma guns for all Violets! Laser rifles for all friends!”

However, many suspicious points remained. We couldn’t shake off our doubts about the strange things found within the Foundation.

“Many of the technologies the Foundation uses have unclear origins. They’re far from simply researching artifacts or developing things themselves. Perhaps what you found could be the hint.”

“You mean that strange artifact?”

The Scholar fell into thought for a moment. This was after seeing the video on the screen, the airplane-like object caught by the black box during the attack on the primitive rainforest base.

That suspicious flying object had been blown up by them last time, as if to hide its identity, leaving only fragments, but it was clear to anyone that it was something special.

“I suspect it might be from another civilization or world. Perhaps some of Lumenex’s core technologies were obtained by researching such things.”

“If it’s another world, it can’t possibly be those Apostles…”

“Yes, it must be the civilization of other sentient species.”

The Scholar answered with a tone of conviction. It was as if they were finally confirming something that had always been in their mind but remained vague.

Right, thinking about it now, the weapons they used had always been the biggest mystery.

The Foundation used advanced weapons like their own energy weapons.

Even the Federation’s electromagnetic weapons were based on technology bought from the Foundation, so that said it all.

“Alien civilization’s technology!”

In that case, the Foundation’s unique technology, clearly distinguishable from the other three major clans, made sense.

Just as they put people in cryo-sleep chambers and sealed them away, it must mean they possess alien artifacts from somewhere.

“Even after the jungle, only one or two have been found so far!”

“Then there might be something bigger!”

It was just a guess, but it felt like the Foundation might be hiding something even bigger.

“Suspicious…”

Just as their thoughts continued, the Violets instinctively turned their heads at the sound they heard.

A sound echoing in the sky.

“What’s that?”

Countless airships and airplanes were flying across the skies of the Academy City.