Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: Infiltration (1)
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After the Mother of the Sky returned, we began preparing to depart the planet.
Adhai and I went on one final massive hunt for prey. It was to make sure the Gallerons could eat their fill for quite some time.
In the meantime, PS-111 left aboard the Screamer support ship with four Mini Screamers, heading out via the Gigacracker first. The single Mini Screamer left behind was tasked with maintaining and managing the support ship.
The Mother of the Sky took on the role of transporting the four Mini Screamers and PS-111. She let out heavy sighs, clearly reluctant, but ultimately accepted.
The Gallerons were quite disappointed to hear we were leaving.
The ones responsible for childcare were especially saddened by the news that Specimen 026 was departing. They knew things would get that much harder for them without it.
The flagship Ort seemed regretful as well that its daughter was setting off on another long journey. Adhai must have felt the same, spending time with its mother from the end of the hunt until departure.
After tidying up over the course of a day, we returned to the Gigacracker.
Entering the Gigacracker's situation room, I was greeted by a device I'd never seen before.
It resembled a miniaturized obelisk, about a meter tall. Its surface was a bright silver with intricate geometric engravings.
'A Cult interstellar communicator?'
The Cult, with their fascination for geometry, often incorporated their aesthetic into special equipment and ships. But I'd never seen an interstellar communicator shaped like this.
'A modified version?'
Not only did its appearance stand out, but the base—which should have been empty—had several ports. Currently, cables and wires from inside the situation room were connected to them.
"It's something that rolled in from the black market, so it works with power sources other than psychic power."
The Mother of the Sky, back in her anthropomorphic form, explained as if reading my mind.
[Zuzuzuzu Zu Zuzu Zuzuzu (It looks different from what I remember)]
"Yeah. It's a modified model based on a Cult-style interstellar communicator."
It looked like they'd ripped out and brought the entire communicator from storage.
[Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzuzu (Weren't you just going to make contact?)]
"You could call it anticipated, but things got a bit complicated."
She furrowed her brow slightly at my question.
"I kept trying to reach out right after arriving, but no response from their end. The signal's going through, so it's not broken."
[Zuzu Zu Zuzuzuzu (They're just not picking up)]
"So we're checking another way."
[Zu Zuzu (Another way?)]
"Yeah. It has a location-sharing feature between linked devices."
"Location coordinate analysis complete. Displaying hologram."
As PS-111, who had been working beside the communicator, spoke up, a massive hologram appeared in the center of the situation room.
The Cult Empire's territory filled the room as a video projection. The vast hologram zoomed in on one particular point, starting from the star system, then the star, the planet, and finally down to the city level inside the planet before stopping.
"Berzan01 in the Auro Star System."
"Berzan01? They're there?"
"Do you know it?"
Auro99's Berzan01. One of the empire's most prosperous planets, it's famous for two things.
'The Prophet Order's main branch is there.'
The Prophet Order's true headquarters is actually on a desert planet called 'The Guide,' not Berzan01.
But that place is more of a cultural and historical center, while Berzan01 holds the real power. The Prophet Order's military force, the Priests of the Eye of Revelation, are also stationed there.
[Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzu Zu Zuzuzuzu (Wasn't 22nd a Coldblood? That's unexpected)]
"It is, but what's going on here?"
In the Cult Empire, most Coldbloods are treated as heretics or criminals. Their image is even worse than the Volf, who at least get some respect as slaves.
For one of them to be hiding in a place with top-tier religious influence in the empire.
'The darkest place is under the candlestick.'
Thinking it over, it wasn't entirely strange. Even as a Coldblood, there were ways to operate in secret.
Berzan01, home to the Prophet Order's main branch, has another distinction: it's the planet with the most active slave trade in the empire. Disguising as a slave makes entering the planet itself not so hard.
'What happens after that is a different issue.'
I'd visited Berzan01 a few times in the game myself. Even as an Adult, planetary conquest there was pretty tough.
The moment you start rampaging on the planet, the powerful Priests of the Eye of Revelation, massive garrison forces, and swarms of Cult players pop up everywhere. And that's on top of the planet's defense systems.
'I could fight now if I had to, but there are complications.'
The 7th-ranked Cult ranker, Beomho.
In the game, Berzan01 is one of the Cult's key strongholds. If I were him, I'd definitely have forces set up there too.
'Running into them would be trouble.'
Unlike the game, death here is permanent. Better to avoid all-out war until I have solid intel.
"Can't take the Gigacracker. That would start a real war."
The Mother of the Sky voiced the same concerns I had. She's right—bringing a planet-destroying weapon is an instant declaration of war. If the whole planet descends into chaos, the odds of meeting 22nd drop, and we might even end up clashing with 7th. Even if I were 22nd, I wouldn't want to talk to an Aimorph dragging a Gigacracker along.
"Then do you plan to hijack a new ship?"
I fell silent at PS-111's question.
I did have a ship, technically. The Cult pirate ship I'd used before getting the Gigacracker. It's still on that dwarf planet the Gigacracker was mining.
'Or maybe not anymore.'
By now, the former owner, Saint Kay, is probably tearing the place apart looking for his lost superweapon. He'd have checked the star system where the Gigacracker vanished long ago, so he'd find the ship I left behind. High chance it's been recovered.
'Getting a new one is tricky too.'
Berzan01's surveillance is tight, so picking the right ship to hijack is crucial.
Frequent visitors might slip by, but a ship that's never been there before? Caught nine times out of ten.
And pulling off something like mind-controlling the port guards at Kesha Arma isn't feasible either. Berzan01 has a population rivaling a fortress world, so tons of surveillance personnel. Dominating them all? Unfortunately impossible.
'Tougher than I thought.'
Of all places, it's the infamous Berzan01. Infiltration's a nightmare. Even in the game, conquering it required heavy prep.
'I've grown into an Adult, got the Gigacracker... maybe just go straight in?'
In the game, it was solo with no tools, but things are different now. 7th might be there, but who knows if it's true.
As I wondered if I was overthinking, another idea struck.
'Body size.'
Metallic Gremlins, scourges of the stars, are considered natural predators of ships. Their pack-hunting rep isn't why they're infamous. If it were, it'd be the 'pack' with the notoriety, not individuals.
I know how they slip through tight radar nets to board ships. Back as a Subadult, I mimicked their methods to infiltrate space cities and planets multiple times.
[How long to get to Berzan01 from here?]
"With the Gigacracker's engines, two weeks."
[Zu Zuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zu Zuzuzu Zu Zuzu (How long if I go myself?)]
"Analyzing accumulated between three and five weeks."
[Zuzu (Good)]
To execute my plan, I need certain traits. A month to Berzan01 isn't bad.
"You're going yourself? How?"
[Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzuzu (Time to use the old method)]
"...I have a bad feeling about this."
[Zuzuzu Zu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzu Zu Zuzuzuzu (How many interstellar comm functions again? Five?)]
"Planning to take MPS-05?"
I pressed my combat arm to the floor, and the Mini Screamer named MPS-05 climbed onto my palm.
[Zu Zuzuzu Zu Zuzuzuzuzu (Yeah. I'll borrow this one's power)]
I'd injected it not with combat traits, but others—to efficiently support interstellar communication.
'To make this plan work, I need PS-111's help.'
More precisely, the PS-111's.
I smiled down at MPS-05 gazing up obediently from my palm.
-
The Surveillance Bureau in the Aur Star System, home to Berzan02.
The Bureau's job is recording the hyperspace power energy flows from ships entering the system. It's set up to catch unregistered flows or ships fleeing via hyperspace after causing trouble.
Today, as always, the staff were busy monitoring the countless ships passing through the Aur Star System.
Sudden unregistered energy flows weren't special to them. Dispatching Bureau fleets to the observed locations was routine.
"Approaching hyperspace jump point."
"Should be observable by now. Knowledge Keeper?"
"Hm. Can't get a proper read due to the intense magnetic field."
"Magnetic field? From another system?"
"Unclear. Continuing analysis for now."
The Bureau's elite fleet closed in on the area radiating the unidentified magnetic field.
In the situation room, Cult crew members projected images from external cameras and surveillance radar into the air.
Meanwhile, Charas—the Knowledge Keeper dispatched by the Bureau—sorted through data in her head. Comparing to stellar emission wavelengths yielded nothing unusual.
The closest match wasn't stellar activity. It was a planetary incident's observed wavelength.
'The Saigil08 disaster?'
She recalled the event still whispered about ominously.
The imperial mothership Damus08's Judge and mothership battle group, sent to purify contamination, were annihilated by an unknown entity. The Imperial Council dubbed the monster the 'Three-Headed Devil.'
And the wavelength observed by the Bureau closely resembled the energy storm that thing emitted.
'...Though there are differences. What to do?'
The wavelengths weren't identical. Back then, it was a massive energy storm from condensed power. Similar flow to the emitted waves, but that's it.
No huge storm or monster here now.
'Per the Council report, it can't fly.'
Aur Star System is insanely far from Saigil08's holy system. Even if it could fly, reaching here is physically impossible without hyperspace capability.
"Found a few matches on the wavelength. Hard to confirm, so requesting Bureau review."
"Hm, better safe than sorry."
"Entering the magnetic field zone."
Entering the sudden magnetic zone made the ship's lights flicker briefly. Rare, but not unheard of—no one panicked. Same for other ships, including Charas's.
Quickly restoring systems, they reached the energy surge point—the hyperspace jump site.
Cameras less affected by the field, plus psychic search tech from warrior squads: nothing found.
"Nothing? Weird."
"What now?"
"Reported everything to the Bureau?"
"Yes. Under review."
"Just in case, leave some ships here. I'll contact the others directly."
As the captain reached out, a new image popped up in the situation room, from shield duty.
"Ship shields restored to 99.9% normal. Collision with a small object."
"Size of the collision?"
"Under 5m."
"Probably a drifting rock fragment."
Coincidentally, after the report, the widespread magnetic field began fading.
With the anomaly resolved, the Bureau ordered a return. Deemed natural, but leave some behind for caution; rest withdraw.
And so the sudden magnetic field incident fizzled out anticlimactically.