Battlefield of Monsters
The landscape of the Ark was gradually changing.
Excluding the command center, the facilities that had been grotesquely collapsed were one by one regaining their original forms.
Under Karen's command(?)—or rather, lack thereof—the mass-produced ECHO units were busily moving around, restoring the Ark's fading production facilities.
Now, essential resources like drinking water and electricity were being supplied stably without interruption.
"Hmm..."
And a new product had been added to the lineup.
Milk—no, it couldn't be called by its original name, but anyway it was a milk like substamce.
It was produced in such minuscule quantities that the ECHO units couldn't drink it, and the production method was a closely guarded secret. It was just an unknown white liquid at this point.
How the hell do they even squeeze it out?
From what I could see, it seemed like a joint effort between Pomen and Noah... but I couldn't quite picture it.
It had a slightly thicker taste than regular milk, but it was delicious anyway.
In this world, it was a product that couldn't be consumed by just anyone.
[How is it made?]
[Hmm... Commander~ Shall I tell you? If you really want to know... I can~]
That was why I didn't bother prying into its origins.
Asking unnecessarily might lead to killing the golden goose, and I'd be the only one at a loss.
Anyway, gazing at the peaceful scene beyond the reinforced glass of the commander's office, a sigh escaped me naturally.
There was still a long way to go.
Above all, this fragile peace was merely maintained by burning through our dwindling resources.
[Commander.]
Wanderer's calm voice echoed in my ear.
"I see it."
I replied while staring at the holographic monitor.
The status graph showcasing the Ark’s resources that I received every morning through Wanderer.
That downward-trending line was slowly but surely heading toward the bottom.
It was a predictable outcome.
There was nothing in this Ark that could produce resources on its own.
Even the existing production facilities merely ran on resources scavenged from outside.
In other words, we needed to send squads outside to secure stable resource routes.
I can put out immediate fires with my Money Compass, but it can't sustain the entire Ark indefinitely. Plus, who knows what might happen in the process.
In the end, for survival, we had to venture out.
We needed to find new resources and expand our area of operations.
But there was a name gripping our ankles—and sending chills down my neck.
Carapace Lord.
The first named-class enemy that I'd encountered in this world, even though it was only quasi-named at best.
In the game Echoes of Humanity - ECHO, it only appeared in the anniversary event's side story, but its danger was no joke.
As the Crawler Queen's closest confidant, it was canonically a brutal and cunning being that had plunged countless Arks into terror and destruction.
After we dealt it a major blow in Hongwei-7 Command HQ...
It was undoubtedly sharpening its blades of revenge against our Ark 69.
Just looking at the growing hordes of zombies in the vicinity of Hongwei-7 Command HQ made it clear.
According to the Cerberus Squad, those were produced in the Carapace Lord's nest.
"...Hah."
With such a time bomb planted right there, it was hard to simply send squads to other sectors for resource gathering.
Not when we couldn't even properly touch the resources inside Hongwei-7 Command HQ, just a day or two away.
"Wanderer."
[Shall I display the map, Commander?]
As if reading my mind, Wanderer responded immediately.
I still didn't fully trust the thing, but as the Central AI managing the entire Ark, Wanderer was incredibly competent.
"Yeah."
A massive 3D map unfolded before my eyes.
Centered on the Ark, it was marked with countless red danger indicators.
These were contact points with zombie hordes recorded by squads on external reconnaissance.
The red dots clustered together, forming a massive sphere of influence.
"...Looks like zombies are swarming from the north."
[I agree with your assessment, Commander.]
And by estimating our allies' engagement positions, I could guess the location of what seemed to be the Carapace Lord's nest.
"North of Hongwei-7... What's up there?"
[According to my data, there's Ark 74.]
A blue dot appeared at the northernmost edge of the map.
It looked to be at least 150 km away—farther than I'd imagined.
"So there's a high chance the Carapace Lord's nest is between Ark 74 and ours... But isn't the search area too broad?"
[Moreover, searching won't be easy. That region is mountainous, not a flatland.]
Wanderer then proceeded to pin several red markers on specific spots on the map.
Like a treasure map, the glittering markers dotted the heart of the Carapace Lord's territory.
"All these? Are they the suspected nests of the Carapace Lord?"
[No. These are industrial resource deposits in the northern region.]
Industrial resources?
"You mean iron and copper?"
[Correct. According to my data, they can be sufficiently secured even with mass-produced ECHO mining teams. If safety is ensured.]
"......"
Isn't that the hardest part?
"So there's iron and copper up there?"
[Something similar, sir. Iron, graphite, and coal are present. Essential resources for expanding the Ark's infrastructure and producing weapons.]
"Really?"
Just hearing about it made my mouth water.
But Wanderer's explanation was far from over.
In fact, the main point was just beginning.
[Using coal and graphite, we can produce carbon nanofibers. If we also secure copper, we can manufacture superconducting copper wires.]
"...Explain it more simply."
No matter how it was phrased, a liberal arts guy like me couldn't follow.
All I knew about this world were the ECHO units' names, their squad affiliations, possible combinations, and character backstories.
At my words, Wanderer zoomed out the map and instead displayed an ECHO design blueprint.
The intricate skeleton and neural network were visible at a glance.
[With certain conditions, mass production of standard ECHO units becomes fully feasible.]
"...What conditions?"
[Securing liquid metal for reinforced frames, the core of military ECHO units and heavy armor equipment. And...]
Wanderer paused for a moment.
Though invisible, I could feel Wanderer watching me.
[The Money Compass—an artifact only you can activate, Commander—solves the liquid metal issue to some extent. In short, securing the northern industrial resources alone would expand the Ark's forces to double, no, several times current levels.]
"Through mass-produced ECHO units?"
[Yes.]
This meant not just troop augmentation, but transforming the Ark into a truly self-sustaining force.
It was a place we absolutely had to claim.
Dangerous, but it’s also a massive opportunity, isn’t it?
But the Carapace Lord had entrenched itself there.
An opponent we'd have to clash with eventually. Striking first might be to our advantage.
Of course, it was risky.
But the longer we wait, the worse it gets for us.
Ark 69's resources were finite.
Yet the damn futanari monster could endlessly produce zombies from its nest.
I organized the future plans in my head and zoomed the map back in. Then, slowly, I spoke.
"Wanderer. Summon the Arclight Squad and Cerberus Squad members."
For now, we needed to secure external resources and scout the Carapace Lord's forces.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Ark 69's elite forces were fully mobilized.
Arclight Squad led by Arva, along with Cerberus Squad.
Thanks to that, the Ark's defenses were left wide open.
Still, we'd left Madeline of the Bread Garden squad behind, so any lost zombies wandering into the Ark could be handled easily.
"Commander, perimeter sweep complete. No immediate threats detected."
"...No zombies either?"
"Affirmative."
At Arva's words, I tilted my head and glanced to one side.
In the distance, Silva, securing a high point on a building and standing guard, signaled all clear with a circling finger toward me.
Hmm... She's pretty far, but I can see her gesture perfectly fine.
I could feel my physical abilities strengthening from the drugs bought with the Money Compass.
"Is this a good thing?"
"What?"
"It means the Carapace Lord's horde hasn't reached here yet."
"Or something else happened."
Helena, with her shotgun in hand, wore an uneasy expression at Pomen's words.
And like Helena's face, I felt something was off too.
There was nothing special around our Ark, yet no zombies could be found after a certain point.
"Head to Hongwei-7 Command HQ for now."
At my order, the squad members' movements sharpened.
We maintained formation and cautiously headed north. Soon after, we noticed the oddity easily.
"This is..."
Pomen groaned in a low voice.
Zombie corpses littered the entrance to Hongwei-7 Command HQ.
Pomen turned back to look at Cerberus Squad.
"Did the original squad sweep through here? Was it your Ark 74?"
"...No, it's not that."
Helena shook her head while surveying the strewn-about zombies.
This wasn't the result of standard combat.
No bullet marks or shrapnel from explosions.
Each one was savagely torn apart or twisted at grotesque angles by something.
As if an invisible giant beast had rampaged through.
"Commander, this is..."
"Yeah. It's that one."
Arva and I immediately knew the culprit behind this bizarre scene.
The resident anomaly of Hongwei-7, the Hachishakusama.
This was undoubtedly her handiwork. And as Helena, unaware of the Hachishakusama, turned to me with a puzzled look to ask—
[Kueeeek!]
An agonized death cry echoed from not far away.
"Right side!"
"Near the shopping mall!"
We bolted toward the source.
And there, we witnessed the perpetrator of this bizarre massacre firsthand.
"......"
The central hall of the shopping mall.
[Po— popo...]
In the spot where sunlight poured through the collapsed ceiling, a massive woman was facing off against zombies.
Hachishakusama...
With a flick of her hand, a Runner's body snapped in mid-air and slammed into the ground.
Then, a Spitter's head, preparing to call more zombies, exploded without warning.
[Popopopopo!!!]
True to her status as a powerful anomaly, the Hachishakusama toyed with and slaughtered the zombies like playthings.
Watching her, I tilted my head.
Zombies, anomalies, mechanical monsters.
The lore stated that these three factions that drove humanity to ruin were hostile not just to humans, but to each other as well.
There are chapters where the protagonist commander profits from clashes between enemy factions. But why are they fighting?
Yet there was always a clear reason for their conflicts.
Did the zombie horde invade her territory, pissing off the Hachishakusama?
At that moment, a quiet voice came over the radio.
It was Silva.
[Commander. Three o'clock direction, unidentified signals from two individuals detected in the abandoned building approximately 150m ahead. Signal patterns suggest they are ECHO units.]
"...Huh?"
Her report snapped me to high alert.
What the hell is this now?
Unidentified ECHO units?
What the heck was going on in Hongwei-7?