Chapter 163: Monster Weaponry
“Now, let’s introduce what we’ve learned about the younglings of the
After defeating the
“First, around 400 days post-capture, we confirmed the existence of a defense membrane. Therefore, it appears that the defense membrane of the
The large threat creatures naturally possess this defense membrane. It has been confirmed that it is an innate ability.
“It became evident during a scuffle between the younglings when we used a water jet gun to disperse them! For just a moment, we observed the manifestation of the defense membrane!”
A recording of that moment played. One youngling was biting another when a high-pressure stream of water was unleashed. At the moment of impact, a flash of light emanated from the youngling’s body.
“By the way, after this incident, the conflicts among the younglings intensified, so we isolated each individual. They are now being raised in specialized tanks, with slight environmental changes introduced for each.”
RINGO added this information. The younglings, while larger than typical crocodiles, were currently well-fed and living comfortably. Although they were occasionally subjected to blood tests and various stimuli for experimentation, they were generally living peacefully.
“Moreover, their voracious appetite is remarkable! Theoretically, they seem capable of consuming an amount of food that exceeds their digestive capacity and still move about effortlessly. Their growth rate is astonishing! It has a magical aura about it! I can’t help but wonder if their digestive organs are enhanced or if there are other factors at play!”
Asahi then displayed the next slide.
“The worms we have been raising at the Second Fortress (Black Iron) are also showing significant growth! We only feed them fish, yet they are growing larger by the day! It’s fascinating to see just how big they can get!”
“At the very least, they should grow to be about the same size as that giant worm we encountered before, right?” Commander (Mam) replied, observing footage of a worm that appeared to be around 2 meters long.
“Exactly! The existence of a worm that size is quite alarming for our nation!”
Asahi exclaimed with delight. However, RINGO’s intelligence network and the surveillance systems managed by various outposts had yet to confirm any sightings of such threat creatures. They likely existed, but they had not approached the human settlements within the Afrasia United Kingdom.
“More likely, any humans that ventured into the territory of threat creatures have been wiped out!”
Indeed, the territory of the Afrasia United Kingdom was vast. The land inhabited by humans likely accounted for less than one percent of its total area. Most of it remained untouched wilderness and desolate lands.
“Asahi speculated that the silver dragon (wyvern) appeared because the Gigantia Unit approached its territory! Since humanity cannot fly, our encounter with it might have been the first of its kind! How exciting to be part of a first encounter!”
“…”
RINGO shot a disapproving glance at Asahi, but of course, it went ignored.
However, this line of reasoning was crucial. The forces of
…Or would it?
“As you all have expressed concerns, future encounters and battles with threat creatures are unavoidable! Therefore, Asahi has come up with a plan! Under the current defense system, engaging with massive monsters incurs enormous costs!”
“Is that so?”
“Not particularly.”
In terms of resources used, it was true that ammunition was consumable. However, compared to the amount of metal currently invested in equipment, the cost was negligible, and any damaged weapons could be recovered and recycled. In fact, the overall resource recovery rate was on the rise, making it less of a concern. Moreover, most of the ammunition could likely be retrieved from the battlefield.
“However, if we can repel them more efficiently than we currently do, it is worth considering.”
“Then! Ta-da! The Giant Weapon Construction Plan!”
It seemed the sound effects were self-made. As Asahi’s voice rang out, a silhouette appeared on the slide.
“Now then! How can we counter the threat creatures? They are large, tough, and strong! Engaging them head-on won’t guarantee a victory! We would need to line up a multitude of cannons and bombard them with an overwhelming amount of projectiles, and even then, we can’t be sure we can take them down! Our machines are powerful, but to them, we are merely swarming ants! They could easily crush us with a mere movement!”
“Is that so?”
“Not quite to that extent.”
The multi-legged tanks, which served as the primary ground forces, had high mobility. Even if a giant creature rampaged, it would be easy to escape its attack range. However, the situation would change if it had long-range attacks like the wyvern’s breath…
“To counter the threat creatures, we should throw another threat creature of equal size at them!”
The words “Giant Weapon Construction Plan” reappeared on the screen.
“Cannons consume ammunition, so our primary means of attack will be striking! Most creatures will quiet down if you just hit them hard enough!”
That was quite a bold assertion.
“We’ll need a long tail to generate centrifugal force! And to ensure mobility, we need massive legs! To immobilize distant enemies, we require long-range attack capabilities!”
“You’ve ignored the striking aspect and opted for powerful ranged weaponry instead.”
“Furthermore, to keep maintenance costs down, it would be ideal to have energy replenishment through predation and a self-repair function!”
“Are we creating a monster here?”
While Asahi was intent on creating a new monster, the idea of deploying a mobile fortress for defense wasn’t bad at all. Essentially, it would suffice to defend only the areas rich in resources, and there was no need to exterminate every threat creature in other regions. Once resources were depleted, they could move on to the next area, making a mobile defense base more time-efficient.
“Now, this brings us to the remains of the
Inside the
“This magic stone has also been discovered within the bodies of other threat creatures we’ve recovered! While they remain unidentifiable, it has been confirmed that they possess some form of magical phenomenon!”
In particular, the magic stones within monsters are presumed to enhance their physical forms in some way. If this mechanism could be unraveled, it might allow for the operation of massive structures without the need for inertia or gravity control technology.
“The
“No way! Using a corpse like that is terrifying! Absolutely not!”
“Come on now!”
There were many tasks piling up, but…