A Scream Across Ten Thousand Years
The tale of the Ebenrak family’s exploration team had ended without any clear resolution.
It was a story set in the far future, after Han Yujin achieved his goal of becoming a Level 4 citizen and left the space forces. Even so, the reason Major Brenar had brought it up was likely an attempt to strengthen their personal connection. It served as a kind of signal that they should maintain a good relationship not only inside the military but in the wider world beyond it as well.
This was not simply because he had saved her life, but because he had steadily proven his capabilities time and again.
And he had proven them once more by passing the officer promotion exam with outstanding results.
However, unlike the non-commissioned officer promotion test, it had not been easy by any means.
He was currently disguising himself as a Level 5 spiritualist, while the other candidates were at minimum Level 6, with some even reaching Level 8.
In that environment, Han Yujin was truly an irregular.
The claim that he had earned everyone’s recognition was only valid aboard the Demensys cruiser. As a result, some of the candidates went beyond merely regarding him with curiosity and openly displayed considerable displeasure.
The fact that rejection came more readily than acknowledgment allowed him to realize one thing.
It will be difficult to earn the rank of lieutenant before I reach Level 7 as a spiritualist.
No matter how much recognition he had earned within his unit, and even if Major Brenar—the commander and captain—supported him, an excessively rapid promotion would breed resentment even among those who had originally been friendly.
When you’re in a hurry, take the long way around.
In his heart, he naturally wanted to demonstrate even faster growth, receive promotions without delay, and accumulate merits at a blistering pace. Yet in a world this civilized, where control existed across so many domains, avoiding suspicion was paramount.
All the more so if he wished to continue enjoying the system’s benefits and reaping its harvests as he had until now.
The only variable will be the missions…
Opportunities born from such variables were impossible to predict and carried considerable risk. They were not something he could count on or deliberately plan for.
Still, when he considered the known dangers of exploration missions together with the five uneventful missions he had just completed, he had a nagging feeling that this one would not go smoothly.
The chance to verify whether that feeling was correct came quickly.
After a vacation lasting roughly four months, a new mission was assigned to the Demensys cruiser.
Having become the platoon leader of the 2nd Platoon in the 1st Company of the Combat Division, Han Yujin ran multiple training exercises with his squad members to synchronize their movements before reaching the mission site.
At the same time, now that he was officially an officer, he had to visit the bridge in the central sector frequently. He needed to draft rough operational plans based on the provided intelligence and prepare countermeasures for anticipated threats.
Naturally, as a newly commissioned officer, he kept a low profile—quietly listening and only occasionally offering minor suggestions.
About two weeks passed in this manner. When only a few days remained until arrival at the mission location, Major Brenar summoned him to the captain’s quarters.
Given the circumstances, it did not appear to be anything special; it was likely a routine meeting between commander and new officer now that the mission was imminent.
If there was one notable detail, it was the specific instruction that he must bring Baekneung with him.
“Come in.”
It was a warm welcome, yet her eyes were fixed solely on Mu-yong.
The moment he sat down, Mu-yong leaped from his arms and into Brenar’s embrace on her own.
“You adorable little thing…!”
She paid her subordinate no mind at all, entirely occupied with stroking Mu-yong and gently squeezing the creature’s soft cheeks. After watching the scene for a moment, Han Yujin spoke first.
“What did you call me for, ma’am?”
“Just a chat. Any difficulties in your role as platoon leader?”
“Nothing in particular to report. Since I’ve only recently been commissioned, I’m focusing on putting in maximum effort.”
“A model answer indeed.”
Had their relationship been that of a typical commander and officer, the meeting would have ended after a few trivial exchanges.
But the two of them were not in a relationship that could be described so simply.
“Does Sergeant Cyrix get on your nerves?”
She was referring to the vice platoon leader of Han Yujin’s squad.
He had been about to deny it, but after quickly reading Major Brenar’s expression, he answered honestly.
“His attitude is occasionally poor, but it hasn’t reached the level of an actual problem.”
“He and the 2nd Squad Leader are causing trouble together, aren’t they?”
“…As a new officer, I must have shown some shortcomings.”
“No, I’m not blaming you. How could I not know what those two are really like? I warned them once before, yet they haven’t changed at all. It’s simply unpleasant to watch.”
It was slightly unexpected, but as a crew member of the Demensys himself, he was not unaware of the stories surrounding the two non-commissioned officers, so he nodded immediately.
“I’ll make sure to write a detailed report during this mission.”
Major Brenar smiled with satisfaction.
“Especially since they seem to underestimate you, handle it well. There’s no need to give them an excuse on purpose.”
“I will ensure it does not interfere with the mission.”
“As expected, we understand each other perfectly. It’s very convenient that I don’t need to explain everything at length.”
She continued stroking Mu-yong’s head, then suddenly let out a small sigh.
“It seems your promotion speed really was quite fast.”
“…I think so too.”
Until he had become a sergeant, the general atmosphere had been one of acknowledgment—everyone agreed he was qualified.
Even now the overall mood remained largely the same, yet the moment he crossed into officer ranks, the hidden blades from earlier periods had emerged and were now pointed directly at him.
They are definitely underestimating me.
It might not make sense that he was still viewed so lightly despite having demonstrated overflowing competence, but he had previously belonged to a different platoon and thus had no direct interaction with the two sergeants. Moreover, humans were creatures prone to confirmation bias, so it was not entirely strange.
“To prevent situations like this, it would be best to reach Level 7 as a spiritualist before being promoted to lieutenant. Or to achieve significant merit again during a mission.”
“I agree.”
After that, Major Brenar said nothing more and simply retrieved a bottle of liquor from her spacer ring. It was not nectar, but its flavor and aroma were perhaps even superior—an expensive drink indeed.
The alcohol, offered as consolation, possessed an astonishing taste and fragrance quite apart from the sigh that had nearly escaped him.
The gluttonous Mu-yong, catching the scent, began repeatedly asserting her presence as if demanding a share, but Major Brenar showed no sign of considering it whatsoever.
It looked like he would need to give her some Blood Spirit Refining Wine once they returned to quarters, or she would sulk.
Upon reaching the mission site, the Demensys cruiser maintained distance just as it had at Planet X-24, avoiding reckless approach while deploying satellites and drones.
Unlike the 2nd Company, which primarily handled ship-to-ship combat, the 1st Company of the Combat Division that Han Yujin belonged to had nothing to do during this phase. Unless an assault operation was ordered, they simply waited on standby.
In any case, the phenomenon observed at the mission site was truly bizarre. A region the size of an ordinary planet had turned pitch black, hollowed out like an empty hole in space.
While examining the mission status data transmitted through the Nexus Band’s augmented reality interface, he thought,
I might end up stuck like this for quite a while…
It had already been three days, yet the identity of the hole-like space remained unidentified. All personnel from the 1st Combat Company were waiting in their quarters to maintain peak condition.
As an officer, he had access to more information and therefore felt less frustrated, but the unchanging situation still brought a trace of boredom. He considered briefly visiting the Mountain Sea Pearl. He had already sent Mu-yong inside earlier and instructed her to expand the spirit fields he had previously cultivated.
With the speed of the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art, he could return almost instantly even from the deepest part of the Mountain Sea Pearl. He was just about to open the entrance when—
Thud…!
A small explosion rang out, accompanied by a faint vibration.
Weeeing—!
An earsplitting alarm immediately followed, and an emergency assembly order was issued through the Nexus Band’s augmented reality interface.
At the same time, video data sent exclusively to officers showed the space that had remained darkly hollow like a black hole suddenly swirling at high speed, with something rising from within.
All 1st Combat Company personnel, proceed to the hangar immediately! I repeat! All 1st Combat Company personnel immediately…
By the time the broadcast from the bridge command center echoed through the living quarters, Han Yujin had already finished donning his full combat gear and was leaving his room.
On the way, he joined other officers and soldiers who had rushed out of their quarters with equal speed. Reaching the hangar and assembling by platoon took only moments.
Throughout it all, he could not tear his eyes from the video feed coming through the augmented reality interface.
What the hell is rising?
It was a spherical object that glowed with pure silver light.
It was not a perfect sphere—parts protruded or indented irregularly, and in some sections elongated structures jutted out, resembling gun barrels.
…Are those actual gun barrels?
The moment that thought crossed his mind—
Boom—!!
The video feed suddenly flooded with blinding light as the ship shuddered violently. The tremor was so fierce that some soldiers lost their balance and fell.
Assembled 1st Combat Company, board the assault shuttle pods immediately! I repeat! Assembled 1st Combat Company…
Crackle—crackle—crackle—!!
The broadcast suddenly warped into deafening noise. Simultaneously, every augmented reality interface everyone had been watching distorted and went offline.
Fortunately, the assault shuttle pods remained under proper system control. Their engines ignited and launch preparations completed, so the soldiers began boarding swiftly according to their training.
Han Yujin naturally boarded his assigned pod and secured himself with the special safety harness.
The situation was unfolding so suddenly and urgently that everyone moved with crisp efficiency, yet their faces clearly showed tension.
Of all times, an AI rebel force now?
The AIs that had waged a great war against humanity in ancient times had not been completely eradicated; a significant number had fled into deep space. Even after tens of thousands of years, remnants were still occasionally discovered and purged—he knew that much.
But he had never expected to encounter one today.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the previously dead augmented reality interface suddenly seemed to reactivate. Yet the content that appeared was anything but normal.
Hideous images and video of various biological tissues writhing and intertwining in grotesque patterns filled the display. The accompanying text was something so meaningless and skin-crawling that even Han Yujin’s transcendent comprehension could not decipher it.
Moreover, it seemed the cruiser’s broadcast system had been hacked as well. A thunderous, bone-chilling scream began reverberating throughout the hangar.
It was the agonized wail of an AI that had fled for survival tens of thousands of years ago and had remained hidden in this lonely expanse of space ever since—doing who knew what all this time.