Episode 96: The Giant Scorpion ＜Serket＞
A cloud of dust billowed into the air. Focusing on the ground, I could see countless scorpions scurrying about.
And behind them…
Though obscured by the dust, a massive shadow was slowly moving.
“This is…”
“An extremely large scorpion is on the move. This footage is from about an hour ago, and it was spotted at this location.”
＜Ringo＞ displayed a marker on the map.
Approximately 200km southwest of the oil field.
It wasn’t yet a threatening distance, but it seemed this desert harbored a truly monstrous creature.
“Based on optical observation, its body length is approximately 40 meters. Naturally, it doesn’t fit within the framework of ordinary creatures. It’s a monster. Classified as a Threat Creature.”
The video paused, and a wireframe image of the monster was displayed. From the tip of its claws to the end of its tail, it measured roughly 40 meters.
With its tail raised, it was estimated to reach a height of 20 to 30 meters.
It didn’t seem like a size humans could contend with…
“Are there a lot of these things in this desert…?”
“No, it’s unlikely we would have overlooked monsters of this size. The population is expected to be very small.”
A wide-area aerial survey had been conducted by the Supersonic High-Altitude Reconnaissance Aircraft LRF-1 (Vulture).
While we hadn’t checked every nook and cranny of the desert, we wouldn’t have simply missed something like this.
“Currently, this monster is on the move. Observation from above has revealed distinctive tracks on the ground.”
The giant scorpion and the smaller scorpions swarming around it. Their movement in the same direction left a pattern-like trail on the ground.
Because it was a desert area, the wind easily weathered the tracks, but in some places, remnants remained.
“We re-analyzed the aerial images. As a result, terrain patterns similar to these tracks were discovered in various locations. Initially, we had identified them as unique wind patterns, but…”
Distinctive tracks were found in various parts of the desert. Plotting them on a map allowed us to estimate their approximate distribution.
“It is estimated that 5 to 8 giant scorpions inhabit the entire desert, or rather, within the area surveyed by air.”
“…Still, that’s not exactly a small number.”
“Yes, Ma’am. We are currently dispatching reconnaissance aircraft to the areas where tracks have been confirmed. They are probably submerged in the ground during normal times. They likely only emerge when movement is necessary, such as for hunting.”
With such massive Threat Creatures prowling around the base, we couldn’t operate with peace of mind.
We wanted to drive them away, or if possible, eliminate them.
“For now, let’s identify their habitat… including whether they have territories. If they don’t approach us, we only need to be vigilant.”
However, we had already encountered a part of their swarm once. We could only hope they would see us as a threat and stay away, but there was also the possibility they would attack us.
For the time being, we had no choice but to remain vigilant.
“Ma’am. We have confirmed the appearance of 5 giant scorpions. We believe there are 2 remaining, and their existence is almost certain based on their tracks.”
“…Oh? So, we’ve confirmed the existence of 7 in total?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Further exploration may be detected by the Forest Country (Lebresta), so it’s best to avoid it. The only unexplored area is near the Lebresta Fortress. It’s quite far away, so I don’t think it’s necessary to search it specifically.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. So, the problem is the ones closer to us…”
The map displayed the 5 giant scorpions whose appearances had been confirmed, and the 2 whose tracks had been found but not photographed.
Of these, two scorpions were within 100km of the oil field’s mining plant.
“We have assigned callsigns to the 7 confirmed individuals. They are Tefen, Befen, Mestet, Mestef, Petet, Tetet, and Matet, respectively.”
Names appeared on the 7 scorpion markers.
The two near the oil field were Tefen and Mestet. Tefen was confirmed on the west side, and Mestet on the east side.
“The scorpion that infiltrated us the other day came from the west. It was likely sent out as a scout from Tefen’s swarm.”
“I see. By the way, who named these scorpions?”
“Akane suggested them from literature. She said they are the names of scorpions from ancient Earth mythology. Do you not like them?”
＜Ringo＞ asked, and she shook her head.
“No. I just thought you had given them proper names. It’s fine.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Then we will use these callsigns from now on.”
Commander (Eve) searched for the names and found the corresponding mythology. It seemed to be a myth from ancient Egypt.
“Hmph… Well, let’s call these giant scorpions ＜Serket＞ from now on.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Defining the species name as ＜Serket＞.”
The ecology of the giant scorpion, now known as ＜Serket＞, was unknown. However, we knew that they usually remained submerged in the sand and moved for some reason.
And they also possessed a social structure, sending out scouts.
“So. We’ve actually defeated 3 of the ＜Serket＞’s children…? Has there been any reaction to that?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Tefen has been moving repeatedly in short bursts and is very active. Upon observation, it appears they are hunting.”
“Hunting, huh?”
So, the three that happened to be hunting had identified the Multi-legged Tank as prey and attacked?
However, in the first place, we were just driving along, and the Multi-legged Tank had only cut into their path.
Besides, if those three were acting as scouts, how were they exchanging information?
Without communication technology, it seemed strange that they would charge in so recklessly. If they needed to bring back information, at least one of them had to return.
However, all three that we detected ended up attacking.
In that case, it might be better to assume there was a mechanism for remote communication. In other words, there was a possibility that our information was being grasped to some extent.
“Tefen and Mestet are particularly active. Considering they are hunting, our advance into the oil field area may have triggered this.”
“…Us?”
“Yes, Ma’am. For example, if the species that inhabited the oil field area were pushed out and dispersed to the surrounding areas, the number of prey around Tefen and Mestet would temporarily increase. That may be the reason for this result.”
“I see,” she nodded.
Naturally, she was aware that the activities of ＜The Tree＞’s forces were changing the habitats of animal species. Because of the threat of monsters in this world, understanding animal movements was an important matter.
It had been reported that animals around the Oil Port and mining plant were fleeing from the moving Multi-legged Heavy Machines and Multi-legged Tanks.
“Hmm… Well, it can’t be helped, I guess… For now, these two are the ones moving actively. What about the others?”
“It’s just a guess because the sample size is small, but they seem much calmer compared to Tefen and Mestet. It’s likely because there is less prey.”
“I see. Then, it’s not a change that would be noticed by the Forest Country (Lebresta). It would be a pain if they noticed something, so that’s fine. For the time being, pay attention to the movements of these two.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
And so, a few days after the focused monitoring of the two giant scorpions (＜Serket＞), Tefen and Mestet, began, Commander (Eve) was informed upon waking up that Tefen had started moving again and was approaching the oil field.