Chapter 309: Advance and Collapse
The image from the Jumper moving through the forest suddenly distorted.
With a jolt, it turned in an unexpected direction and shook violently. Then, while it lay on the ground, the transmission cut off.
“Big Sister, this is the latest footage!”
“There’s something vaguely visible, isn’t there?”
Utsugi and Erika reported to Eve. The situation was dire as the Jumpers sent to the front lines were being lost one after another, causing great concern among the members of The Tree.
“Look! Big Sister, look at this!”
“It looks like a hand, doesn’t it?”
They zoomed in on a section of the footage where what appeared to be a hand or foot of the culprit was visible. It resembled the five-fingered hand or foot of a primate, like a monkey.
“Could it be a monkey…?”
“From palm to fingertip, it’s about 15 centimeters long. That’s quite large, isn’t it?”
“We might want to switch to a full-surround camera. It would strain the communication bandwidth, though…”
“…We might have to lower the resolution…”
The Jumper was not equipped with advanced information processing devices. It was dispatched with the understanding that it would likely be lost, and due to limited communication capacity, high-precision sensors could not be utilized.
“If we scatter electromagnetic waves too flamboyantly, we might attract unnecessary creatures!”
The intensity of the electromagnetic waves was set under Asahi’s supervision, with limits established. By randomly varying the frequency used and reducing the intensity, they aimed to lower the probability of detection from afar. Given the reconnaissance nature of their mission, they had to avoid attracting Threat Creatures by carelessly broadcasting microwaves.
“If we operate in standalone mode, we won’t be able to share information in case of loss…”
It might be necessary to consider a method that specialized in stealth and information lockdown, deploying units individually. However, if they were destroyed for any reason, there would be no way to retrieve information.
“If we deploy too many, we might disrupt the ecosystem and cause chaos!”
“That’s what they call a Stampede. If something like that were to happen here, it would be catastrophic!”
If the Demon Forest were disturbed, it could unintentionally trigger a mass migration of Monsters. If such a phenomenon were to crash into the under-construction forward base, it would undoubtedly lead to devastation.
No one could predict how far-reaching the consequences of their actions might be. Who could have imagined that the disappearance of just a few Wyverns would cause a widespread Stampede of Monsters?
Well, it was quite possible that the Wyverns were special cases. Moreover, it wasn’t just the Wyverns involved; the massive Threat Creature known as the Mountain Boar was also a factor.
“For now, our primary target for elimination is the owner of that hand?”
“Yes! Um, according to my classification, it’s a monkey-type Monster, specifically the Black Monkey. The way it appears in the footage looks just like a pitch-black monkey!”
“According to the data held by humanity, it’s a rumored Monster! The Chimiya Family referred to it as the Black Monkey, and there were combat records too!”
Erika explained. The Black Monkey was a monkey-like Monster less than a meter tall, living in groups and possessing a territory.
Given its ability to destroy Jumpers, it was undoubtedly enhanced by Fantasy.
“Interestingly, there seem to be signs that the Jumper has been preyed upon.”
Naturally, the Jumper was a mass of metal and plastic. It seemed that remnants of it had been found, indicating it had been gnawed on.
It could be said that it was omnivorous, or perhaps even a scavenger.
“It doesn’t seem like they’re actively eating it, though…”
In any case, the reconnaissance units sent out by the Jumper were gradually being destroyed. While it would be easy to increase the number deployed, it didn’t seem like that would dramatically improve the information gathered.
“I wish we could observe the Monsters without being noticed and uncover their ecology…”
“All the cameras we set up randomly have been destroyed. It seems they eliminate foreign objects!”
They had planned to establish a forward base and extend their path from there. However, it seemed quite challenging. Ideally, they wanted to gather solid information first.
“…I suppose we have no choice but to advance. Sending out Jumpers alone only tells us that there are aggressive Monsters around…”
“Alright! Let’s try to advance about 500 meters!”
“Though it’s shallow, it’s our first base, so let’s give it a test run!”
◇◇◇◇
Days passed as heavy machinery was sent to the front lines for base construction. They managed to clear a path 500 meters long and move wheeled heavy machinery to the forefront.
Currently, they were clearing the surrounding area in a circular fashion to secure land for the base’s construction.
“Is it noisy underground?”
“Yes, Older Sister. It seems that a considerable number of Monsters are active underground…”
As a result of geological exploration, multiple sources of noise were detected. It was likely the sound of some small creatures digging underground.
“Like Worms?”
“However, there are no matches for that. We suspect it might be a new species.”
That said, it didn’t seem to be happening too frequently. They would have to proceed with construction while remaining vigilant.
Two more days passed since the advance to the front lines. Without any particular issues, the construction of the power transmission tower was completed.
“Microwave power transmission was convenient, but maybe we should consider something else…”
“We might need to think of something for advancing into the Demon Forest.”
With just this one tower, the power transmission range expanded several kilometers. Using the power supply drones above would significantly increase the range, but due to energy loss from diffusion, they preferred to use the ground-based transmission tower.
Diffusion meant that microwaves would be scattered over a wide area, increasing the risk of attracting Threat Creatures.
“Internal combustion engines have the highest energy density, but they are noisy.”
“If we’re considering quietness, electric energy would be better.”
As Akane and Eve discussed this, a warning alert icon popped up on the development map.
“…Older Sister. An anomaly has been detected in the foundation of the power transmission tower.”
“Hmm?”
The yellow icon blinked several times before changing to an urgent red.
“Hmm!?”
“Anomaly detected in the structural foundation. The power transmission tower is tilting.”
The image switched to show the local work machines capturing the problematic power transmission tower.
At first glance, the tower appeared to be standing without issue, but…
“…Oh no, it really is tilting!”
Image analysis indicated that the tower was tilted several degrees from its original position. It was inconceivable for automated machines operating under perfect control to construct such a flawed structure.
This meant that after construction was completed, an external factor had caused the foundation to tilt.
“…Tilt increasing. The foundation anomaly is expanding. The embedded foundation piles are being destroyed.”
This power transmission tower was a simple structure, fixed in place by multiple foundation piles driven into the ground. The piles were meticulously calculated and arranged to withstand natural degradation and anticipated natural disasters.
However, if they were intentionally destroyed, the structure’s resilience would not hold up. Especially if one side was continuously destroyed, the holding power would twist, leading to a high possibility of sudden collapse.
“Ah!”
Before Eve’s eyes, the power transmission tower slowly began to tilt. As the underground structure became exposed, dust erupted from the tower due to the collapse, and the wires meant to maintain its structure snapped and flew away.
“The power transmission tower has collapsed.”
The automated machines all retreated from the collapse zone of the falling tower. The fallen structure landed on the now vacant ground.
“…………”
“…………”
In just a few hours since its completion, the power transmission tower had collapsed. It had risen quickly, but it had also fallen just as swiftly. No one wished for such a rapid rise and fall.
“…Investigate the cause and prevent recurrence. I’m counting on you…”
“Yes, Older Sister.”
Thinking about the ecosystem is quite enjoyable! I want to introduce various elements!