Descent into the Nox-4 Jungle
Nox-4 Planet — Jungle
The Night Raven had entered orbit around Nox-4 and was holding a stationary position. The planet visible through the viewport was a deep green swirled with clouds, beautiful yet radiating an ominous aura.
"Alright, everyone, listen up."
Bani projected topographic data of Nox-4 onto the holographic table. Gone was his usual laid-back, neighborly uncle vibe. His eyes were sharp, his tone laced with the stern authority of a veteran explorer.
"The place we're heading to is Nox-4. A very young planet by cosmic standards—only about 1.4 billion years old, with no intelligent lifeforms evolved yet. The entire world is blanketed in a massive primordial jungle."
He highlighted a specific zone on the map in red.
"As I mentioned before, the dominant species here are the basilisks. Quadrupedal reptiles that grow from 10 meters to a maximum of 15 meters in body length as adults."
A holographic model of a ferocious reptile materialized. Its armored shell, serrated teeth, and especially its thick, long tail stood out.
"Academics debate their aggression levels. It's not just hunger-driven hunting—they have an instinct to kill anything that moves in their territory. In short, if they spot you, they're a headache."
Bani's expression grew grave as he set vials on the table.
"And this planet has fine toxic spores floating in the atmosphere. Not instantly lethal, but prolonged exposure can cause nerve paralysis. Beyond basilisks, there are highly venomous insects, toxic plants... it's a minefield everywhere."
He distributed syringes and pills to each of us.
"These are strong antibiotics and antidotes. Take them before we go down."
Lydia, Eve, and I followed Bani's instructions and swallowed ours. Eve wrinkled her nose at the pill's bitterness, but gulped it down with the water I handed her.
"Good. Prep's done. The last signal from my ship, the Nomad, came from that canyon area in the jungle's heart. We'll take the Night Raven as close as possible and drop in."
"Understood. Everyone, buckle up."
I moved to the cockpit. Time to enter the green hell.
Kuuuung!
The Night Raven pierced the atmospheric barrier. The hull shook violently. Flames from friction heat engulfed the view outside, soon giving way to thick cloud layers.
The control yoke vibrated wildly. The ship AI activated auxiliary systems to assist with attitude control, but the primitive planet's turbulent atmosphere offered no easy path.
Kwarung! Flash!
Lightning streaked past the ship. Lydia screamed and gripped the safety bar, while Eve peered out the window with sparkling eyes, as if riding a thrill ride.
"Breaking through the clouds!"
I pulled the throttle. The Night Raven punched through the thick cloud deck and descended.
Our view cleared. And in that instant, an overwhelming sight unfolded before us.
A green ocean so vast it stole our breath. Towering trees hundreds of meters tall pierced the earth toward the sky. Their trunks were building-thick, their leaves large enough to blanket the Night Raven.
An empire of living organisms pulsing with primordial life force.
Vines bridged tree to tree like spiderwebs, while below, unidentified glowing plants shimmered beside flowing rivers amid thick mist.
It was as if the entire planet breathed like a massive lung. Untouched by civilization, raw majesty in its purest form.
"Whoaah…."
Eve had unbuckled and pressed her face to the window, exclaiming in awe.
"Kal! Look! The trees are sparkling! The river's glowing too! It's like a fairy forest!"
In Eve's eyes, this menacing jungle looked like the worlds from some kiddie show we'd seen recently.
Emerald light filtering through dense foliage, fluorescent hues dancing in the mist. It was captivating enough to make one forget the terror.
"Beautiful… Dangerous things always are."
Lydia murmured, entranced by the view, her artistic fingers twitching as inspiration stirred.
"Save the sightseeing. Landing zone's that rocky plateau!"
Bani pointed to a flat rock formation rising amid the jungle—sparse vegetation, good visibility, relatively safe.
The Night Raven's landing gear touched down. Engines powered off, filling the air with eerie bird calls and insect chirps.
*
As soon as the Night Raven's airlock opened, humid external air seeped in. Even in our hazmat suits, the air's texture felt different against our skin.
Thick, heavy, sticky. Like walking underwater.
We opted for foot travel over the small shuttle—the jungle was too dense for flight.
"Mmm~ So thick and humid. This clingy air feels great, like home."
Lydia rubbed her arms delightedly.
"You like that part too, like a spider?"
"Rude to call a lady buggy, isn't it?"
"…Apologies. Tuck that arm away, please."
Unlike her, Kal and Bani couldn't block the unpleasant dampness seeping through their suits.
Kal scanned the surroundings. Towering trees blotting the sky. Their bark looked black and steel-hard, but red moss atop it writhed.
After his brief banter with Lydia, Bani paused while checking gear. Eve was strapping on a backpack as big as herself, marching along briskly.
"Huh? Eve, why are you geared up too?"
Bani asked, flustered.
"Stay on the ship. It's dangerous even for adults."
"No way! I'm going too!"
Eve shook her head firmly.
"Can't send Kal into danger alone! I have to protect him!"
"Huh…."
Bani looked incredulous, like roles had reversed. He glanced at me, signaling You talk her down.
But I just shrugged awkwardly. Eve's stubbornness was unbreakable, and honestly, she didn't need protecting.
Nahibi was thinly spread over Eve right now. Her power likely outmatched anything on this planet.
Bani sighed and glanced around. Something crawled under nearby bushes.
"Look there, Eve."
He pointed. A massive centipede-like arthropod slithered by—over 50cm long, dozens of legs wriggling grotesquely.
"That's a venom fang centipede. Bites an adult out cold. This forest is full of creepy crawlies like that. Scary, right? So stay with Lydia sis on the ship…."
Bani figured kids fear bugs and she'd back down. But he was wrong. Thwack.
Eve's little hand moved.
"……?!"
Before Bani finished, Eve reached into the bushes and grabbed the centipede's head barehanded.
It thrashed with a kieeek!, but her grip held it immobile.
"Whoa, so many legs!"
Eve lifted it to her face, eyes full of curiosity. Then.
Crunch.
"……???"
Bani's jaw dropped. Lydia screamed and rushed over. I rubbed my forehead. Here it comes.
"Eve!!"
Eve had bitten into the centipede's tail end.
Crunch. Nom nom. A crisp, chilling chewing sound shattered the silence.
"……."
"……."
"……Ptooey."
Eve spat out the chewed bit, frowning.
"Tastes bad. Bitter."
She lost interest, tossed the half-eaten bug aside, and dusted her hands.
"Kal. This tastes bad. Don't want it."
I sighed, forehead in hand.
"Eve. I told you not to pick up stuff from the ground and eat it. You'll get a tummy ache."
Like scolding a pup for eating trash. Lydia looked ready to faint.
"E-Eve!! Heavens! Why eat that?! I packed snacks in your bag!"
"But… it was wiggling, looked tasty…."
Eve pouted sullenly.
Bani stared blankly at the centipede corpse. Had he hallucinated? She'd casually chomped a venomous horror like a snack.
'Experiment… that's what he called her.'
Kal's words echoed in Bani's mind. Apex's creation… Staring at Eve, he first wondered if she was something other than a child.
A normal kid would've freaked, but that nonchalance? Yet Eve, oblivious to his turmoil, grinned innocently and tugged Bani's hem.
"Uncle Bani! I'll be good? Take me? Pleeease?"
Those sparkling eyes. Hard to believe they'd just munched a bug. Bani shook his head in defeat.
"……Haa. Fine. But never stray from our side."
He looked to Kal, who nodded silently.
Lydia, still shaken, stuck close to Eve to watch her—no more bug snacking.
"Let's go! Adventure time!"
Eve dashed ahead excitedly. And so we stepped into the green hell.
Every step squelched squelch, squelch underfoot. Not mud. The thick moss layer covering the ground sank like sponge, oozing mystery fluid.
"Squish squish~"
Thrilled by the feel unlike alloy decks, Eve stomped harder—miraculously without slipping.
"Eve, it's dark. Be careful not to trip like last time."
"Got it!"
The jungle depths were dim. Giant trees blocked the sky, making midday feel like night. Fluorescent moss and mushrooms lit the path instead.
Bani led, machete hacking vines with precise, efficient swings.
After a while.
Whiiing—click. Chiik… chiik. Lydia's wrist-mounted terrain scanner blared.
"Oh? What's wrong with this?"
Lydia tapped the hologram frantically. It should show terrain within 1km ahead, but red dots flickered on and off by the hundreds amid noise.
"Must be busted. Life signs… heavens, over 500 around us?"
As I tensed to scan around, Bani waved me off.
"Not broken. Shut it off—wastes battery. Useless anyway, Miss Lydia."
"Huh? But it's the latest model…."
"See that fog blanketing the forest."
He nodded at the knee-high haze. Up close, metallic particles glittered faintly in the light.
"High concentration of magnetic particles in the fog. They jam signals and ghost sensors."
Bani scooped soil, revealing iron flecks clumped like to a magnet.
"Trust machines here, and you'll walk off a cliff thinking it's flat. Rely on eyes, ears, and gut."
Chided, Lydia pouted and powered down the scanner. High-tech failed here. This was a land ruled by wild laws.