Chapter 188
Translator: uly
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Outpost Survivors
I wonder if the soldiers and superhumans at the outpost made it out okay.
If they'd been inside, they would've been goners for sure, but if they were quick on their feet and managed to escape somehow, they might've survived.
Clinging to that faint hope, I scanned the surface, but a massive dust cloud blocked everything from view.
"Frederick! Any contact with survivors?!"
-We're trying.
"Keep at it!"
The surface was a total wreck.
Centered around the Space Crawler, dozens of kilometers of ground had cracked open like a drought-stricken field, with lava oozing out between the fissures.
If the thing hadn't slowed down to protect itself, things would've been way worse.
"You think everyone's okay? Even if they evacuated in time, the aliens surrounding the outpost would've left them nowhere to go..."
I wasn't the only one worried.
Roze muttered anxiously, and the rest of the team looked grim.
"Don't worry. Senior Shepin's the guy who always finds a spot to survive against all odds."
I said it, but it wasn't just the superhumans' lives at stake.
The combat crew was supposed to stick with the team at all times.
This wasn't a full hatchery assault, so we'd brought minimal personnel, but that still meant forty people.
'The non-supers probably didn't make it...'
Now that some time had passed, my brain was finally kicking in.
Even if they'd evacuated ahead, there was no way to deal with the aliens encircling the outpost.
Plus, regular soldiers wouldn't have withstood the shockwave from the Space Crawler slamming into the ground.
"What're you doing?"
As I geared up to jump down, Merdi approached.
"Going down."
"To search?"
"Nah, that thing's our opponent either way."
The Space Crawler still hadn't recovered, showing no signs of movement.
Probably repairing the damage.
It needed massive energy to blast back into space, so now was the time to strike.
"I'll come with!"
"Alright. First ten who make it, you're with me. Everyone else, guard the ship."
With that, I leaped off first.
I deployed my barrier and fired up the jetpack.
As I picked up speed, someone zipped up alongside me.
"I'll help too."
"The examiner's joining in?"
"No examiners in an emergency."
I glanced back.
Roze and Merdi included, about ten had jumped down right behind.
'Three squad leader levels. That should do.'
The damage from the Red Cannon barrage had mostly healed.
I could probably fire one more solid shot like this.
-Beep! Require assistance?
"Of course. Max output this time."
We'd already entered the atmosphere.
I opened my mouth, and the superheated air mixed with the cool air, forming a misty breath.
"Feels refreshing!"
Who knew cooling off like this was possible.
The chill wind rushing over my body felt incredibly invigorating.
I stretched out my arm, using R3D3's help to precisely target the Space Crawler lurking under the dust cloud.
-201% amplification complete!
"Here goes!"
I thrust my hand forward and unleashed the Red Cannon.
BOOM!!
A crimson beam pierced the sky.
The path lit up my vision, revealing the Space Crawler along its trajectory.
Did it sense me?
Too late.
The Red Cannon had already slammed into the back of its head.
Its raised neck buckled under the pressure, chin smashing into the ground, while the barrier flared wildly, reflecting intense light.
"Direct hit!"
"The barrier's still up."
"My turn."
Tana Silva.
The Central Superhuman Unit's number two.
Ever since joining the Central Unit, she hadn't had much chance to show her stuff.
Some whispered she only had influence because of her closeness to Darmosa and lacked real skill, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Just getting into the Central Unit proved her caliber.
Especially since Darmosa had persuaded her multiple times to join.
And no one without skill would've landed a key position, even if they were tight with Darmosa personally.
"Here I go...!"
Tana's speed suddenly spiked.
Even at max jetpack output, she was several times faster.
The squad members buzzed.
"What's Tana's ability?"
"Isn't she pure physical? She fights so fiercely."
"Nah, I heard she has one."
Opinions flew everywhere.
Little was known about Tana's ability.
It wasn't flashy, hard to spot.
Only Roze and I, who'd briefly been in the Central Unit with her, knew a bit.
"Tana sis can control her body weight."
"...Body weight?"
"Yeah. Heard she can go up to a thousand times."
A woman built like Tana probably weighed around 60 kilos.
But she was a martial superhuman.
Martial types were way denser than normals, so minimum 100 kilos, easy.
That meant at least 100 tons.
"A thousand times...? That's busted!"
"Totally busted.
And controlling weight meant she could lighten up too.
No wonder she pulled ahead with the same thrust.
"Then colliding at that speed... how strong is that...?"
One squad member murmured.
Right now, Tana was a human missile.
Even at 100 tons, way lighter than the Space Crawler, but her speed exceeded Mach speeds several times over.
"Impact!"
The barrier shattered in an instant on collision.
Tana punched a massive hole through it and slammed into the Space Crawler's back.
CRUNCH!!
Impressive sound for a puny human hitting a 10km behemoth.
GRRROOOOAAARRR!!
The Space Crawler arched its back and screamed.
In agony, its tail shot skyward then whipped down, smashing the ground and triggering another quake.
"Whoa..."
"Ahaha..."
We weren't just shocked by Tana's strike.
The Space Crawler felt all too real up close.
Now we truly grasped its size.
Someone called us ants, and damn if that didn't fit.
Worse than ants, maybe.
Dust from its claws felt more apt.
Getting stepped on was beyond fatal—we'd passed that ages ago.
Size was violence.
I shouted at the hesitating squad.
"Charge!"
"Charge? No way, Squad Leader!"
"We'll just season it from here!"
"You're physical too."
"Ugh, don't wanna die!!"
"Not saying fight head-on."
Unity my ass.
I shook my head.
"No need to freak. On the ground, it's basically a slowpoke. Just watch the tail and head. Legs? Ignore 'em!"
"...That slow?"
"Yeah. Target the body, no worries about getting stepped on. It does speed up sometimes, but telegraphs it big time, so stay sharp."
"Ooh...!"
"Gravity's the boss!"
Yeah, gravity's power.
Would you believe a 10km thing crawling just 100km in 24 hours?
Fine in space, no gravity, but here its bulk was a huge weakness.
"But what's that?"
"Parasitic aliens. Tons inside, watch out."
Targeting the body wasn't easy.
The Space Crawler's gut housed a hatchery producing these parasitic types.
The leech doc whose trait I snagged was one.
Plenty others with attack powers too, so we couldn't just rip it open recklessly.
"Senior! You okay?"
"No... not okay..."
Landing on the body through the barrier hole, Tana appeared.
Pale, staggering with every step—condition was rough.
I reached to support her, but she waved me off.
"No need. I did what I could. Handle the rest."
"You did plenty."
Her hit wrecked its waist.
Proof: couldn't walk right.
No moving properly till it healed.
"Here they come. Totally like parasites."
"Super small! Wait, that one's huge...?"
"All sizes."
No one mocked the small ones.
Aliens existed to kill other life.
Tiny or not, their venom melted people easy, sharp teeth and claws standard.
Tough too.
Even severed, they kept coming.
"Tanky bastards!"
Best to burn 'em all at once.
So physical supers supported ability users, destroying vital-looking bits as they popped up.
Minus the parasites, no real threats.
This way'd take time, but safe.
The Space Crawler shuddered.
Pissed, probably.
Stamped and whipped its tail, but waist injury limited it.
Instead, blasted random mountains with mouth beams, pointless venting.
'Keep it up.'
More rage, more stray aliens hurt.
No humans around, just wasting energy.
Then, comms connected suddenly.
-...Squad&le! We...!
From a squad member we'd lost contact with.
Fearing dropout, I replied fast.
"Can't hear! Say again! Where are you?"
"...Here...*Ding!*"
Signal weak, words garbled.
But holding connection let R3D3 analyze and pinpoint.
"Location?"
-Approximately 4km ahead, toward the head.
"How'd they survive?"
-Likely used underground passage. Surface analysis shows high chance trapped. Voice suggests severe injuries probable.
"Ah...!"
Emergency escape tunnel.
Forgot about it.
Outpost basement had one for crises.
Usually 6-8km long.
Bunker-tough, stocked with rations.
'Rescue 'em?'
Torn now.
Surface this deadly—better leave 'em?
But watching the Crawler's rampage nixed that.
Plus, severe injuries—how long could they hold?
GRRROOOOAAARRR!!
Space Crawler going berserk.
Waist be damned, tail pounding surface, head gouging earth.
Each hit quaked the weakened ground.
Finishing it might take hours.
'Can't abandon.'
Not just sentiment.
Cold calc: nine super lives on line—worth the risk.
Crawler barely mobile anyway.
"Roze! Help!"
"Uh... yeah?!"
I dashed, checking R3D3's data.
'Original depth 300m. But uplift raised ground. Tunnel sideways, reach quick.'
Jetpacked over its forehead.
Hit cliff, drew blades, started digging.
R3D3 smashed boulders, easing work.
Under ten minutes, found the escape tunnel.
"Here!"
Faced metal wall, jammed blade, cut perfect circle.
Not too thick, luckily.
Kicked out the slice, entered.
Someone waited inside.
"Shepin? You're alive?"
"Heh heh, you came."
Shepin raised a hand, grinning smugly, but bad shape.
Legs crushed, useless; body lacerated.
Dark blood vomit traces too.
I played upbeat, ignoring it.
"Grinning like that, you look fine. Everyone here?"
"Sorry. That's it."
Only about sixty inside.
All mangled, hard to ID.
R3D3 sorted: five supers, seventeen Golden Fleet combat crew, thirty-five outpost garrison.
Pathetic for a base housing over 100k.
"Let's go. Stick behind me."
Raised left arm.
Entry path collapsed from quakes.
No time for safe tunnel.
'Thinnest that way.'
RUMBLE!!
Max-wide barrier, crude Red Cannon—earth exploded, revealing outside.
And the Space Crawler's massive face, closing in.