“I’ve learned a lot about the ＜Rain Croin＞ juveniles over time, so let me introduce them!”
The four juvenile bodies captured after defeating the ＜Rain Croin＞ have been continuously raised and observed ever since. Eve wasn’t particularly interested, so she left it all to ＜Ringo＞, but Asahi seems to have been diligently investigating.
“First, the existence of a defense membrane was confirmed about 400 days after protection. Therefore, the defense membrane of that ＜Rain Croin＞ is not a special ability of the individual, but a racial ability inherited by descendants through genetics or some other method.”
Large Threat Creatures possess defense membranes as a matter of course.
It has been determined that this is an innate power.
“It seems that it was discovered when a fight broke out between the juveniles, and they were blown away with a water stream gun to suppress it! The manifestation of the defense membrane was confirmed for a moment!”
A recording of that time is played. High-pressure water is sprayed onto a juvenile biting another. The moment the water collides, the juvenile’s body flashes.
“By the way, since the fights between the juveniles started to intensify after this, we isolated each individual. They are being raised in dedicated tanks, each with slight environmental changes,”
＜Ringo＞ supplements.
The juveniles, which are larger than common crocodiles, are currently being given sufficient food and living comfortably in their respective tanks.
Although they are occasionally subjected to experiments such as blood collection and various stimuli, they can generally be said to be living peacefully.
“Also, their voracious appetite is remarkable! Theoretically, they seem to be able to move around without any problems even after eating an amount of food that they shouldn’t be able to digest, and more than anything, their growth is rapid! There’s a magical (fantasy) scent to it! Whether it’s the strengthening of their digestive organs or some other factor, I’m endlessly interested!”
Furthermore, Asahi displays the next slide.
“The Worms that are let loose in Fortress Two (Black Iron) are also growing remarkably! They are only being fed fish, but they are getting bigger every day! It’s interesting, I wonder how big they will get!”
“At least, they’ll grow to be about the same size as that giant Worm from before, right?”
The Commander (Mum) answers while watching a video of a Worm that seems to have grown to about 2 meters.
“That’s right! It’s quite a dangerous country if Worms of that size exist normally!”
Asahi shouts happily.
However, even with the intelligence network that ＜Ringo＞ has deployed, and the surveillance networks managed by each base, no such Threat Creatures have been confirmed so far.
They must exist, but they are not approaching the human survival sphere within the Afrasia United Kingdom.
“Or rather, probably, humans have been wiped out in the Threat Creatures’ territories!”
Indeed, the land of the Afrasia United Kingdom is vast in terms of area.
And the land where people have built towns and settled is less than 1% of that.
Most of it is untouched nature, a vast wilderness.
“Asahi’s prediction is that the Silver Dragon (Wyvern) came out because the Gigantia Squad approached its territory! Humans in this world can’t fly in the first place, so fighting it may have been the first time for humanity! Ah, the first time is great!!”
“…”
＜Ringo＞ gives Asahi a fed-up look, but is naturally ignored.
However, that consideration was very important.
The ＜The Tree＞ forces are planning to fully develop the land of the Afrasia United Kingdom from now on. If they are saying “hello” to Threat Creatures every time they develop untouched land, they won’t be able to cope.
…Or will they not be able to cope?
“As you all fear, contact and engagement with Threat Creatures will be unavoidable in the future! So, Asahi has been thinking! With the current defense system, a huge amount of war expenses will be incurred every time we fight a giant Monster!”
“Is that so?”
“No, not really.”
In terms of the resources used, Cannon Shells are certainly consumables.
However, Iron and other Cannon Shell materials are negligible compared to the amount of metal currently used for capital investment, and damaged weapons can be recycled if recovered.
In the first place, the amount of resource recovery itself is steadily increasing, so it’s not something to worry about. Furthermore, most Cannon Shells can be recovered by scouring the battlefield.
Rather, it is a plus in terms of the accumulation of experience for the Tactical AI and Strategic AI.
“However, if we can defeat them more efficiently than the current situation, it is worth considering.”
“Then! Ta-da! Giant Weapon Construction Project!”
The sound effects seem to be her own.
Along with Asahi’s voice, a silhouette of something is displayed on the slide.
“Now! What should we do to counter Threat Creatures!
They are big, hard, and strong! We can’t easily defeat them by fighting normally!
We can line up a large number of Cannons and hurl a huge number of Projectiles, but we still don’t know if we can defeat them!
The machines we prepare are powerful, but even so, they are just swarming ants from their perspective! They can easily crush us just by moving!”
“Is that so?”
“No, not that much.”
The Multi-legged Tank, the main force on land, has high mobility. Even if a giant body rampages, it is easy to escape from its attack range.
That would change if there were long-range attacks like that Wyvern’s breath…
“To counter Threat Creatures, we should pit Threat Creatures of the same size against them!”
The words “Giant Weapon Construction Project” are displayed again.
“Cannons consume ammunition, so the main means of attack is striking! Most creatures will calm down if you punch them!”
She’s thrown in a ridiculous argument.
“A long tail to add centrifugal force! And huge Legs to ensure mobility! Long-range attack power to stop enemies in the distance!”
“Ignoring striking, you’ve put on another strong-looking projectile.”
“Furthermore, to reduce maintenance costs, it is desirable to have energy replenishment through predation and an automatic repair function!”
“Is it a Monster?”
Leaving aside Asahi, who is trying to create a new Monster, the idea of deploying a mobile fortress for defense is not bad in itself.
Basically, it is only necessary to defend areas where resources exist, and there is no need to exterminate all Threat Creatures in other areas.
Once the resources are exhausted, we move to the next area. In that case, it would be faster to have a mobile defense base.
“Now, that’s where the secured remains of the ＜Rain Croin＞ come in!
As you know, this giant body, despite being a living thing, does not rot even after death and maintains its strength! The source of that mysterious phenomenon is this giant Magic Stone!”
Within the ＜Rain Croin＞’s body, there is an unidentified crystalline substance that has not yet been analyzed. This crystal protects the ＜Rain Croin＞’s body from decay.
Above all, it is believed to be responsible for the strength of the scales, skin, and skeleton, and the unscientifically strong muscles.
“This Magic Stone has also been found in the bodies of other Threat Creatures that have been recovered! All of them are unanalyzable, but it has been found that they have the property of constantly exhibiting some kind of magical phenomenon!”
In particular, it is presumed that the Magic Stones in the bodies of Monsters strengthen the Monsters’ bodies in some way. If this mechanism can be elucidated, it may become possible to operate giant structures without using inertia/Gravity control technology.
“The ＜Rain Croin＞ is still exhibiting this characteristic! This means that by processing the ＜Rain Croin＞’s body and manufacturing a giant weapon, it will be possible to operate a mobile fortress that can fight Threat Creatures on its own and has an automatic body repair function!”
“No, using a corpse as it is is scary! Rejected, rejected!”
“Aww.”
There are many things to do.
＜The Tree＞ was peaceful today as well.