Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: A Natural Cave
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"This looks like a natural cave."
The mercenary leader scanned the area once before speaking.
I stepped closer and peered into the passage.
If Aliens had bored through it, the ground and walls should be smooth, but the ceiling here still had stalactites hanging intact.
The floor, however, had been flattened, likely from Aliens moving through.
"Are there many caves like this around the city?"
"This is the first we've seen of one like it."
It was a massive cave formed over a kilometer underground.
No one would find it without deliberately searching.
'That explains a lot.'
Right now, Aliens were popping up sporadically across a wide area.
At first, we'd thought it was due to the defense forces' lax searches allowing hatcheries to emerge, but if caves like this dotted the landscape, expansion would have been easy while evading human eyes.
Their mobility made sense too.
"Shall we venture deeper?"
"...I'd like to, but it's too risky. The team's exhausted anyway."
I glanced at the mercenaries.
It had been six hours since leaving the city.
Their condition wasn't great after maintaining high alert through constant searches and fights.
We confirmed the cave's direction and pulled out of the hatchery.
After escaping underground, pressing the detonation button wrapped up the destruction of the three hatcheries.
Vibrations from deep below rippled through our bodies several times.
*
It was the second day since the disturbance on Quebillion Planet.
Alien activity was intensifying by the hour.
In some spots, fully grown hatcheries had already burst through the ground to the surface, and local militias rushing in recklessly had been routed.
Casualties were already approaching five million by rough estimate.
"We need to hit the hatcheries now!"
"I agree, but the military's stretched thin just holding defense points. Better to wait for reinforcements."
"When will they even arrive? If we leave things another few days, who knows what'll happen? By then, it might be beyond handling, even with backup."
"We've reported our situation in detail—they'll send adequate forces. And if we charge hatcheries now, what about civilians? You planning to get them all killed?"
The conference room was chaos.
Everyone raised their voices, arguing priorities.
They all had valid points.
"Colonel."
"Ah, you're here."
At the voice of the aide who'd escorted me, one of the debaters stood from his seat.
He was the defense force commander stationed on Quebillion, and we'd exchanged brief greetings via comms earlier.
"Welcome, Superhuman. Take this seat."
"Thank you for the hospitality."
"We should be thanking you. Without your unit, we'd have lost many more lives. You took out a hatchery too?"
"Yes. That's what I wanted to discuss..."
There were three people seated around the large table.
One was a planetary assemblyman, the other the militia head.
They'd questioned my sudden arrival until the colonel explained, finally showing interest.
"A Superhuman with an independent unit, you say?"
"I just got activity clearance. I stopped here to recruit crew for my ship, but things escalated."
"Oh, right—the battleship that requested docking clearance. That was yours?"
Any warship movement was something planetary leaders tracked.
The conversation circled a bit more.
Amid the grim news, they brightened at the report of a destroyed hatchery.
"No Superhumans stationed on-planet?"
"There were three. Two died defending key points early on; the last is in critical condition."
"What?"
"Aliens targeted the supply depot first. They clashed unprepared, but the Superhumans' stand saved it. Otherwise, it'd be far worse."
I was stunned.
Losing those crucial Superhumans meant no assault on hatcheries?
Hatcheries breaking surface meant they had decent defenses.
No casual firepower would scratch them—you'd need a fleet pounding for ages to strip barriers.
And surviving Alien swarms during that? Even tougher.
'Guess we really have to hold defensive until reinforcements.'
I'd planned to suggest hitting known hatcheries to the colonel.
Smashing from outside was hard, but an infiltration team with Superhumans could make it easy.
With just Roze and me, it'd be tight, so I'd hoped to bring the planet's stationed Superhumans—but no dice.
"The supplies you requested will be provided as planned. Don't worry—load up as much as you need."
"...Thank you."
"No trouble at all. We've got excess until reinforcements arrive. What we're short on is people to use it."
The colonel added that, misreading my grim expression.
"Any prior signs at all?"
"There was one. Three days ago, we picked up a signal from a missing soldier on patrol. Thought it was a distress call, sent a rescue team—led right to a hatchery. That's when it all started. Aliens swarmed from everywhere, like poking a beehive."
I paid close attention to the details he offered.
Hatchery locations, Alien types and numbers spotted.
Linking it to Alien movements I'd observed and surfaced hatcheries, a strong hunch hit me.
'This place is likely the center.'
The soldier's hatchery was probably the first.
Others were offshoots, explaining the total reaction to one poke.
Destroy that, and we'd neutralize the biggest threat.
I looked up, then remembered the stationed Superhumans were mostly dead—headache incoming.
'Not doable with just two.'
Based on intel, it was at least late stage 4, possibly stage 5.
Just two stages above the three we'd destroyed, but no joke.
Hatchery growth scaled by production: one stage difference was about tenfold.
Stage 5? Hundred times more Aliens than stage 3.
"If you have spare capacity, could you check surroundings too?"
"Don't worry. We'll protect civilians come hell or high water."
They were polite, grasping at straws—and maybe because I was the last Superhuman on-planet.
As I left the conference room, I asked the aide,
"Where's the injured Superhuman being treated?"
"Next building over. Want an escort?"
"Yes. I should check on her."
One extra Superhuman would help, wounds or not.
If savable, save her—I asked for a guide.
"Here. She's hanging on, but contamination's too deep—treatments aren't taking."
The aide looked worried.
I thanked him, then made a request.
"You can really do that?"
"Worth a shot. So..."
"Superhuman secret technique, huh? Security's on me—no one'll peek."
I'd braced for persuasion, but he agreed readily.
Recalling his behavior since we met, he was a big Superhuman fan.
Not surprising.
Civilians idolized Superhumans.
I'd rarely mingled with them, but soldiers I worked with showed it plenty.
With the aide's help, all room monitors shut off.
I entered as he eagerly stood watch.
'Lost the arm recently?'
The woman on the bed was a mess.
One arm severed at the elbow, fingers gone from the other hand.
Imagined the fight she'd endured.
At least, her build suggested non-physical type—good news.
That damage would cripple a physical Superhuman, but ability users managed fine minus an arm.
'Lucky I came prepared...'
I pulled two syringes of treatment serum.
One down her throat, the other injected into her arm for absorption.
Then treatment began.
For normals, I'd go slow for shock, but she was Superhuman—blasted through in ten minutes, expelling all Alien factors.
Contamination blocked normal care; now she'd recover on her own.
"Ng..."
Wondered if I should wait for her to wake—no need, I decided, and left.
The aide, expecting longer, looked puzzled at my quick exit.
"L-Lady Lilia...?"
"She'll wake on her own."
Given her state, two days' rest and she'd be fine.
I asked the excited aide to keep quiet and left.
*
I headed to the docked battleship, shifting position slightly.
At the depot, waiting soldiers loaded my requested supplies.
I approached the sergeant overseeing.
" Mind if I browse more?"
"Look around all you want. Orders are to give whatever you need."
He guided me personally.
The depot was huge.
Browsing yielded several tempting weapons.
"New addition. Most stock's fresh. Superhumans barely saved it all."
Regret tinged his face.
I listened, selecting and loading crates one by one.
"Good thing. Losing this would've kept me up nights."
"Nights? Our lives would've been gone too."
"Were you stationed here then?"
"Yes. Tunnels burst open, Aliens everywhere. We fired missiles nonstop, but they kept coming."
Even vets chill at hordes in an isolated spot.
Surviving made a lifetime tale.
Then, a fast corvette pierced atmosphere overhead, heading straight here.
"Defense force corvette?"
"We have some, but not that one."
"Reinforcements, then."
"Ah! Right."
Timing matched—advance guard, like when I deployed to Lachesis.
Main force took longer for assembly.
I hoped for solid troops aboard.
But then, my wrist panel buzzed with a message.