Chapter 5

5.

Boom!

There were about 25 of them, Space Marines in heavy steel armor, moving cautiously through the yellow fog, their faces tense.

"Lieutenant, do you think there will be resources necessary for the base here?"

Sierra answered the soldier with a calm expression.

"We've only been on this planet for three months. We'll have to explore to find out."

"But during those three months, we found nothing but useless rocks, not even minerals containing prozium or ceramite, right?"

Another soldier spoke up.

"That's odd. The higher-ups speculated that there were large amounts of prozium and ceramite here, and the base's super AI concluded that there were significant quantities on this planet, yet all we found were useless minerals..."

"Quiet. This is the area we've already surveyed. It's a dangerous zone where our troops have been disappearing, so be on high alert."

Strangely, the connection between the power armor and the super AI was cut off in this area, so they had delayed exploration until the base was more secure. A severed connection with the power armor could mean two things.

First, the power armor had lost all its functions.

However, how often would the power armor be destroyed so quickly that the super AI wouldn't notice? It was unlikely.

Second, the connection was severed due to some strange phenomenon.

Materials that could cause such a strong phenomenon to sever the connection with the super AI were rare. For example, prozium and ceramite.

Therefore, the command at the time judged it to be the second case and planned to send Marines instead of power armor when the base was more stable.

Since this was a dangerous area where powerful power armor had disappeared, there was no need to doubt its danger.

Sierra narrowed her eyes and looked around. If the connection with the power armor was severed here, there should be remnants of the power armor, whether it was destroyed or not.

However, she found neither.

There were traces, though. The power armor had moved further in. Bending down to examine the tracks, Sierra stood up and said to the soldiers.

"I'll brief you again before we enter. There are three exploration objectives. First, prozium and ceramite. Second, the location of the power armor. Third, if the power armor was destroyed, confirm the presence of the enemy. The easiest to achieve is the location of the power armor, so once we confirm its status, I'll give further orders."

Sierra spoke again to the soldiers on guard.

"First squad, move in. Wait... hmm?"

As she was about to give the order to enter, a map function activated on her visor, and Commander Lee Han's face briefly appeared and disappeared. It seemed the control center was completed and the main system was activated. With the help of the super AI, they could now grasp the situation more easily, reducing the risk.

Sierra reported to Lee Han with a calm expression.

*

"Alright... proceed."

They might not know, but Lee Han did. This planet was practically the cradle of the Kra'ktu. He couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling of sending them to their deaths.

'But there's no other choice. If we stay like this, we'll all die anyway. We have to try something.'

As Lee Han watched Sierra enter the unexplored area, he hesitated before giving an order to the super AI and asked a question.

"What should I call you?"

『You can name me, Commander.』

Hmm. Since we'll be fighting endless wars, let's keep it simple.

"Alright? Then... 'War.' War."

『War, sir? Understood.』

"Good. War. What can you do at this point? I mean, what can I do?"

『It's impossible to produce more troops or build new defensive structures due to resource shortages.』

'So, as expected.'

As Lee Han furrowed his brow, War continued.

『However, it's possible to build more effective defensive structures using the remains of the destroyed base.』

What? Is that possible? Well, this isn't 'Space War' where you can only build predefined structures. Lee Han exclaimed with delight.

"Really? Do it immediately!"

『Understood. However, I need to know what kind of defensive structure you want. Should I build it based on the close-combat weapons you ordered the Space Marines to prepare?』

"Huh? Yeah, that's it. Specifically, a facility that can effectively defend against ferocious monsters. Explosives would be even better."

『Ferocious monsters? Is this related to the order to scatter our troops' bodies in a specific area?』

"Yeah. It's inhumane, but it's bait to lure them. At least it will lure the enemy into a more defensible area. If they break into the base, we can't stop them now."

『It's true that the base's defenses are inadequate, but there are no life forms or monsters in the data that can threaten our current defenses.』

Well, if it's a regular life form, one Space Marine could take care of it. And it would be hard to penetrate a Space Marine's armor.

"They don't exist yet. We haven't encountered them."

『Are you saying there are unknown life forms on this planet?』

Lee Han rubbed his temples, looking pained.

"I don't know if I'm having a terrible dream or if I'm dreaming now, but they exist. I hope they don't, but...』

『If you can provide more detailed characteristics of the unknown life forms, I can design more effective defensive structures.』

"That... hmm. I can't describe their exact appearance."

『I need more information.』

"The Kra'ktu are parasitic by nature. They absorb and metamorphose their hosts, taking on various forms. Some adult forms have formidable abilities. If such beings attack, we're as good as dead, no matter what preparations we make..."

As Lee Han spoke, a scene flashed through his mind. It was the form of the Kra'ktu he had seen in the tutorial.

"Quadrupedal... Think of them as giant crustaceans. The ones invading the base will likely be like that."

『Kra'ktu. Quadrupedal crustaceans. Understood. I will start defensive preparations based on the revised design.』

"Didn't you just say you were designing it?"

『Yes. Do you want to make any changes?』

'Well, a super AI is a super AI.'

Lee Han didn't answer and watched the construction robots building defensive structures inside the base. Then a good idea came to him.

'If we don't have teeth, we'll fight with our gums.'

"Equip the construction robots with weapons so they can engage in close combat!"

Even if they're construction robots, they'll fight better than us.

『Understood, Commander.』

*

Beep! Beep! Beep!

When the alarm sounded throughout the base, the Space Marines in the bunker watched the front with terrified expressions.

"What... What is that?"

"Is it a dog?"

"Does it look like a dog to you?"

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch!

They were tearing into the bodies of their comrades so voraciously that the sound of chewing reached them.

Billy, a tall, muscular black man, watched the monstrous life forms with a tense expression.

Did they anticipate this and cut up and scatter the bodies of their comrades? Billy raised his rifle and ordered the soldiers.

"Fire as soon as they enter range. The close-combat weapons the Commander ordered us to prepare will likely be our last lifeline."

The monsters were also crushing the remnants of the steel armor scattered with the bodies. The remnants of the steel armor were probably the Commander's way of instilling caution in them.

He himself had been shaken to his core when he saw it.

"They're terrifying, but... they won't be able to break through the base's defenses."

Shaking his head, Billy spoke, his eyes on the wall and the construction robots still building.

"That would be fortunate, but if that were the case, the Commander wouldn't have ordered us to build these defensive structures. Everyone, stay alert."

*

Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle

Erio fired his rifle continuously until the barrel glowed red.

"Stop them from crossing the wall!"

Gunfire echoed from all directions, but thanks to the communication equipment, orders were accurately relayed to the squad members.

These monstrous life forms had an incredible vitality, surviving dozens of bullets. If they hadn't lured them here with the bodies, and if they had crossed the ridge and entered the base, it would have been terrifying.

The wall, which had seemed like an incomprehensible order, was proving to be a very effective defensive structure. Fortunately, the monsters were instinct-driven.

Beep, beep, beep!

Screech!

"Kreeee!"

"Kreee!"

The sharp blades installed by the construction robots around the wall mercilessly cut into the monsters' flesh.

The blades were ultrasonic, so they would normally shatter anything they touched, but the monsters' bodies were so tough that the blades sometimes broke.

"Fire into the gaps created by the blades!"

"Damn! The high-explosive armor-piercing rounds are running out!"

"Fire anything you have!"

Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle.

They were effectively holding back the Kra'ktu for now, but Erio's expression hardened as he looked at the increasing number of monsters approaching from behind.

Something was seriously wrong. When the planet was surveyed, it was almost devoid of life. Where did these monsters come from?

6. Incomprehensible Orders (3)