Descent into the Unknown
The Demensys cruiser was a battalion-level combat asset and a planetary survey management platform.
A single battalion of roughly three hundred personnel was considered capable of comprehensively surveying and administering an entire planet for a set period. Naturally, this assessment rested heavily on the presence of the starship itself and spiritualists of Level 10 or higher.
From what Han Yujin had observed so far, the standard configuration seemed to revolve around a single Nascent Soul investigator leading a dozen or so Core Formation investigators who provided support.
A normal planet would be a piece of cake for them. Especially if the opposition doesn’t possess Nascent Soul-level forces of their own.
Perhaps because of that, the captain’s independent authority felt far greater than he had initially imagined.
Lieutenant Colonel Brenar had decided to eliminate the leaders of the primary continental kingdom on Planet X-24. It was essentially a decapitation operation.
At the same time, taking into account that this civilization was still extremely primitive, they had drawn up a plan to disguise the survey team as divine beings. The strategy was to use overwhelming authority to suppress the natives’ violent tendencies, then locate collaborators and establish the foundation for systematic rule.
Orbital bombardment from the cruiser’s main guns would have made things simple, but that risked destroying any valuable specimens that might exist. Orbital strikes from a starship were not something undertaken lightly.
If the other side possessed ethereal weapons that should not appear at this planet’s level of civilization, it was especially important to investigate the reason behind it.
With that, the broad framework of the operation was established.
The first phase was to conduct a more detailed survey to determine whether the plan was truly feasible. This survey included the capture and “interrogation” of native sentient beings.
For that reason.
One combat company and one survey company that included Han Yujin boarded separate landing craft and began their descent toward the planet’s surface.
Time until arrival: 42 seconds.
While checking the information displayed through the augmented reality interface of his Nexus Band, Han Yujin tried to predict how the situation would unfold.
The operation’s framework was stable and rational. Dealing with a late-stage Core Formation entity didn’t seem particularly dangerous either. The combat unit’s role would likely end after escorting the other personnel and handling a few minor skirmishes.
At this rate, disguising myself as someone who obtained a fortuitous encounter is nothing but a pipe dream.
He swallowed a sigh and once again realized why such opportunities were called fortuitous encounters.
Still, it’s fine. The situation is much better now than when I first thought about faking an encounter.
Back then, he had no connections whatsoever and felt as though he would have to carve out everything by himself.
Now things were different. He had caught Lieutenant Colonel Brenar’s eye and was walking an elite course.
It might be slower than raising my strength by faking an encounter, but it will be far more stable without needing to take unnecessary risks.
There was no need to keep feeling regretful.
Accumulating reasonable achievements and using them to obtain knowledge from the cultivation world that the Galactic Empire likely already possessed was a perfectly viable plan for growth.
Since he could simply train in the Taiyi Five Elements Dao Scripture during the time it took, it wasn’t actually that much of a waste.
No matter how many times he thought about it, the existence of the Five Elements True Spirit Great Stone was truly reassuring. Without this heavenly treasure, training in the Taiyi Five Elements Dao Scripture would never have progressed at all. He would have had to run all over the place searching for spiritual elements to assist his cultivation.
It was no coincidence that the Taiyi Five Elements Dao Scripture had been stored within the Five Elements True Spirit Great Stone.
Just as he was wrapping up his stray thoughts.
The landing craft safely completed atmospheric entry and descent, entering the deceleration phase. Confirming the intuitively delivered commands through the augmented reality interface, he checked his equipment and prepared to move.
It would likely be neither difficult nor strenuous.
After a smooth landing.
Together with the disembarking soldiers, various modular equipment attached to the landing craft’s cargo bay automatically detached and began configuring itself into a field base.
Soon after, an aether radar controlled by technical operators under AI guidance activated. Arc-aether sentry guns deployed across the perimeter, establishing a defensive line.
As the finishing touch, the turrets on both landing craft synchronized with the radar, completing preparations to project even stronger firepower in an instant.
The firepower of a sentry gun the size of a main battle tank would not fall short of a Dharma Soul investigator’s strength. If the landing craft’s bombardment were added on top, it would be more than enough to force even a Core Formation opponent to retreat.
I’ve never experienced it directly… but according to what I studied, it should be more than sufficient.
The sight of such a sturdy field base being assembled in less time than it took to drink a cup of tea naturally left one speechless.
If this were a similar force from the cultivation world, the Core Formation investigators would probably have set up formations themselves and embedded dharma artifacts.
The end result would be a base of similar capability, yet the underlying principles were completely different.
The former felt like a display of the Galactic Empire’s colossal collective power, while the latter relied on the outstanding abilities of individual investigators.
Which was superior would depend heavily on the situation.
A short while later, the survey unit split into platoon-sized teams and began moving to carry out their mission in earnest. Naturally, the combat unit responsible for escorting them also split into platoons and moved out.
Their destination was the forest located near the landing site—the same direction where the planet’s sentient natives resided.
Thus, various survey activities impossible through orbital observation and drone reconnaissance began in full swing.
Collecting material samples was basic. What they focused on most intensively was the capture of living organisms.
Grrrr…!
When a massive beast with an owl-like face but a bear-like body appeared, a survey soldier aimed a thick, long capture device resembling a staff and pulled the trigger.
Bang—!
A special net shot out with a rather cheerful sound and instantly wrapped around the beast, restraining it.
A thunderous roar followed by violent struggling ensued, but the creature’s strength rapidly drained as a certain aether wave emanated from the net.
A hexapod—a mechanical beast of burden with three pairs of legs—naturally stepped forward. The captured giant beast was locked inside its cage.
This was not combat. It was literally just survey work.
The captured creatures would be sent to the cruiser via landing craft, undergo several simple studies, and then have their value assessed—along with any potential risks such as diseases or parasites.
The mission proceeded smoothly for half a day. The busiest ones were the hexapods that kept transporting the continuously captured lifeforms.
If the environment had allowed open use of shuttle pods, the mission would have been far easier. However, they could not risk exposing the unit members merely for convenience, so the pace was slightly slower.
Despite that leisurely speed, as they drew closer to a small outer village belonging to the native kingdom on the main continent, a subtle tension gradually rose. After all, the other party consisted of sentient beings.
Finally, when they had approached close enough for insectoid drones to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance, they were given time to reorganize their formation. The hexapods, their cages now empty, quietly waited in the rear.
“Stay alert. Accidents always happen when you let your guard down.”
The platoon leader, a Level 5 spiritualist, disciplined the troops and issued orders that included simple tactical movements. The commands received through the augmented reality interface were extremely intuitive and easy to understand.
It felt exactly like a quest in a game—even though they would undoubtedly end up killing a considerable number of living, breathing sentient beings during the mission.
Soon.
At the scheduled time, the operation commenced. The survey and combat units positioned themselves appropriately to ensure they had sufficient strength while forming an encirclement that would prevent any natives from escaping.
This is going to end anticlimactically.
It was a surprise attack on a small village of barely a hundred people by soldiers of the Galactic Empire equipped with overwhelming technology and firepower. There was no room for variables to appear.
Especially since even the village chief was only at the Initiation Stage.
First, special flashbang sonic grenades were fired, sowing chaos throughout the village.
Special nets were launched at those who rushed out from various places. Individuals the insectoid drones had already flagged as dangerous received merciless arc-aether rifle fire.
Occasionally, some individuals would brute-force their way out by destroying the nets with raw strength.
Up close, their appearances were such that they would probably have been called orcs or ogres if this were Earth. And they were as strong as their looks suggested.
Unfortunately for them, that became their tragedy. Once capture failed, they were immediately subjected to lethal attacks.
Screams and shrieks erupted everywhere. The panicked cries and wails of those still trapped in the nets filled the village.
The soldiers specialized in close combat didn’t even get a chance to step forward. The shooters who had trained in equipment-based cultivation methods and wielded arc-aether rifles as their primary weapons swept away the enemies in an instant.
Ratatatatat—!!
The blue-glowing aether bullets that had been flying from all directions vanished after just a few minutes. All hostile entities had been eliminated.
The only survivors in the village were about forty frail or young individuals. The chief had already been subdued by the non-commissioned officers and fitted with multiple restraints.
“What the hell are you people?! Why… why are you doing this to us…!!”
At present, only Han Yujin could understand the chief’s desperate screams.
The other captured sentients were also crying out names that presumably belonged to family or close friends, which naturally caused him to frown. He hadn’t deliberately managed his expression because several other soldiers wore similar looks, and he thought it would be more fitting for a new recruit.
Serving as a soldier of this “Empire” naturally required such resolve, but even if his heart didn’t waver, it still didn’t feel pleasant.
Suddenly, he recalled the memory he had obtained through the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art—the sight of nomadic tribesmen branding those who had left to become citizens of the Empire as traitors and driving them away.
“Quickly erase all traces and withdraw.”
At that moment, the platoon leader issued a cold command. Since they had completed the capture of the most important sentient being in this survey, they needed to return to the field base for now.
Several devices for trace removal were deployed, and the unit members began moving briskly once again.
The chief continued to spew all kinds of shouts while locked inside a hexapod’s cage during transport.
He begged, asking why they were doing this, then expressed hatred by saying he would kill them all, and sometimes asked in fear what their identities were.
Of course, no one except one person could understand him, so everyone simply moved in silence.
However, as they moved farther from the village, the chief’s cries began to catch Han Yujin’s attention more and more.
“No…! No…! We have to go back! You people really don’t know anything! If you do this, everyone will die!”
It was far too desperate and terrified to be mere hateful curses.
Even though they couldn’t understand the words, the strange atmosphere was impossible to miss. The platoon leaders briefly showed interest as well. However, they did not stop the transport. After all, they needed to send them to the cruiser for “interrogation” in order to understand what they were saying.
Han Yujin briefly considered using the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art but shook his head. There were too many eyes watching. There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
A short while later.
Upon safely arriving at the field base, a squad was selected to temporarily return to the cruiser along with the captured sentients. Coincidentally, it was the squad Han Yujin belonged to.
The chief, still in a state of panic, kept shouting that this must not happen and that everyone would die, but since no one could understand him, the soldiers had already lost interest.
Everyone boarded the landing craft without any issues, and the captured sentients were loaded into the cargo hold like luggage.
The landing craft that had taken off began breaking through the atmosphere and had reached a considerable altitude when—
Boom…!
A sudden noise shook the craft once. Everyone’s eyes instantly turned toward the direction the sound had come from.
It was the side with the cargo hold.
Immediately afterward, the lighting turned red, and a chilling warning message appeared through the augmented reality interface.
Level 4 Xenos reaction detected inside the craft. Respond immediately.
Xenos…? Of all things?
Rather than surprise, bewilderment came first at the completely unexpected situation.
It was only natural. A reaction from the space monsters they had assumed had nothing to do with this survey mission had been detected. Even as everyone thought that, they followed their training, grabbed their equipment, and put on the emergency escape packs stored beneath their seats—just in case.
Kwa-kwa-kwaang—!!
A far louder explosion rang out, shaking the craft as if it would flip over.
Level 5 Xenos reaction detected inside the craft. Respond immediately.
A slightly altered warning message appeared in the corner of their vision once again. What immediately came to mind was the multitude of living creatures that had been loaded together in the cargo hold.
The nickname Infinite Devourers for the Xenos was not given for nothing.
Level 6 Xenos reaction detected inside the craft. Evacuate immediately.
Before even a second could pass, another warning message with changed content appeared. However, among those on board, only the squad leader who was a non-commissioned officer and Han Yujin could focus on the message. Everyone else seemed preoccupied with simply holding onto nearby objects inside the violently shaking craft.
At that moment, the augmented reality interface that had been clearly visible in their vision distorted wildly and vanished.
Kwa-kwang—!!
Then, a single ashen tentacle sharply pierced through the metal wall on the cargo hold side.
The mind-hacking wave that burst forth with vivid intensity caused the alarm sounds the landing craft’s AI had been emitting to warp grotesquely. All optical panels flickered and began malfunctioning. It was as if a monster from a nightmare had appeared.
…Isn’t this the kind of situation where everyone is supposed to die to look natural?
Han Yujin thought briefly with a troubled mind.