Chapter 97: Launch
“The target, Tefen, has begun moving towards the oil fields. It has been approximately two hours since it started its actions, and there are no signs of a course change.”
“Ugh… So it’s coming this way…”
While it wasn’t an emergency, it was a situation that warranted notification. With a heavy heart, Ringo decided to inform Commander Eve as soon as she woke up.
“Yes. At this speed, it will reach our defensive perimeter in about twelve hours. Currently, we are preparing the aircraft at the Second Fortress for deployment. However, the runway at the Oil Port is still incomplete, which raises concerns about our immediate air combat capabilities. Fortunately, the drone base has been operational in time.”
According to the map information displayed by Ringo, Tefen was moving at a speed of approximately 10 km/h. Given its massive size, it seemed to be strolling leisurely. Well, moving such a colossal body would require a significant amount of energy. This might just be its cruising speed.
The defensive perimeter around the oil fields was set to a radius of 5 km, which is quite expansive. Therefore, constant monitoring was maintained through fixed sensors and reconnaissance vehicle patrols. Patrols by multi-legged tanks and multi-legged reconnaissance vehicles were also in place, ensuring a robust surveillance system.
However, this also meant that our defensive forces were dispersed, so we were in the process of expanding our immediate response capabilities. In particular, maintaining air power would reduce the burden on the Second Fortress, and construction had been ongoing day and night, but unfortunately, we were not ready in time this time.
“Since the objective is unclear, we can only gather our forces in response.”
“That’s true. We could have armed the aircraft for bombing runs. Are we prepared?”
“Yes, Commander. If we use conventional explosives, we can be ready immediately. However, due to the small blast radius, we will need to execute precision drops. It might be better to launch missiles equipped with fuel-air explosives from the Second Fortress.”
“I see. We still don’t know the threat level of the Selket. If it has any anti-air capabilities, our main propeller aircraft could be shot down…”
Propeller fighters have a maximum speed of around 500 km/h. The enemy is technically a biological entity, and we have not received any information about monsters with anti-air capabilities thus far. However, in the Northern Continent, we have never seen any air power, nor have we confirmed the existence of flying monsters.
Thus, we cannot determine whether this Selket possesses anti-air capabilities.
“At the very least, the Forest Country has the power to attack at altitudes of 20 km. Therefore, the concept of anti-air attacks does exist. It would be overly optimistic to think that a gigantic monster couldn’t attack an aircraft flying at 1,000 meters.”
“Yes, Commander. If it comes to combat, we may have to resort to aggressive reconnaissance.”
“Okay. I can accept some damage. Even if it’s a threat on the level of a Rain Croin, I believe we can handle it now… But set the damage tolerance line appropriately. If we exceed that line, we will retreat immediately.”
“Yes, Commander. Understood.”
As Tefen moved, it did so surprisingly quietly for its massive size, stirring up only a small amount of dust. It glided smoothly, skillfully maneuvering its eight legs without dragging its body.
However, despite Tefen’s relatively quiet movement, a vast cloud of dust was being kicked up. This was due to the swarm of smaller scorpions following in its wake.
Six hours after Tefen began its march, the number of accompanying small scorpions had risen to fifty. Their movement was generating a significant amount of dust. The fact that the current route was through clay rather than sand also played a major role.
“The swarm of scorpions centered around Tefen continues to move towards the oil fields. Fortunately, there has been no movement from Mestet’s side. If both had moved simultaneously, we might not have been able to respond.”
“True… But what are they really after? The fact that they’ve gathered in such numbers makes me wonder if they truly intend to invade…”
“It could simply be a migration for hunting grounds, but we have no materials to speculate further.”
“This is troubling. Well, I suppose it’s only natural since we were the ones who initiated the invasion first.”
However, the existence of such a large threat creature in the desert was unexpected. There was still so much we didn’t know about this world. Securing oil would stabilize our resource situation significantly. It might be time to settle down and focus on gathering information more seriously.
“Have we not been able to extract any information about the Selket from the ambassador of the Forest Country?”
“Yes, Commander. There is no information regarding the giant scorpion. It’s unclear whether they are hiding it, deeming it unnecessary to explain, or if they genuinely do not know. Considering the location of the Selket’s discovery, it’s entirely possible that it simply hadn’t been discovered until now. Given the level of civilization, aerial reconnaissance would be challenging, and moving on the ground would also be difficult.”
“I see. Well, thinking about it, I wouldn’t expect a fortress of that size to be able to defend against a Selket. It could easily overcome it.”
“Yes, Commander. Therefore, it seems reasonable to consider it as undiscovered.”
“I feel like we keep encountering monsters that are either undiscovered or have very few sightings…”
She said this with a contemplative expression, and indeed, it was true. Whether in the open sea, during long-distance travel, or in the desert, there was a certain probability of encountering such creatures, and those who did often did not return alive. Given the long activity hours of The Tree’s forces, it was almost inevitable that they would encounter such monsters.
Twelve hours had passed since Tefen began its movement. Its speed remained nearly unchanged, but there were slight variations in its route, including changes and meandering. It had now reached a distance of about 5 km from the defensive perimeter, with only 30 minutes remaining until arrival.
“The multi-legged mother units, multi-legged tanks, and ground attack drones have been deployed. The installation of composite sensors is progressing as scheduled. All deployments will be completed five minutes before contact. The bombers are on standby above.”
Once again, the command was being led by the five sisters. Ringo and Commander Eve were in observation mode. Given the current situation, it was determined that Ringo’s intervention would not significantly affect the outcome. Essentially, the local strategic AI would be in command, with The Tree providing only policy guidance.
“We have a total of two multi-legged mother units, eighty-five multi-legged tanks, sixteen ground attack drones, four bombers, and two reconnaissance vehicles for this operation. The highest-level AI is currently set to the multi-legged mother unit stationed at the Oil Port. Defense and information gathering are our priorities. We will set a damage tolerance line of 20%, and if we exceed that threshold, we will decide to retreat. We have about twenty minutes until contact.”
The multi-legged tanks were arranged in a multi-layered formation to ensure clear lines of fire. They were capable of simultaneous firing with railguns, and there were more of them than the confirmed number of enemies. At the very least, the scorpions other than Tefen could be eliminated. The main concern, however, was Tefen itself…
“I’ll deploy a reconnaissance vehicle above.”
To assess the enemy’s movements and gather detailed information, one reconnaissance vehicle was moved above Tefen. Just to be safe, it was set to pass by without flying directly overhead.
“The reconnaissance vehicle has begun its course change.”
At an altitude of 1,000 meters and a speed of 480 km/h, the reconnaissance vehicle began its approach. It would reach its closest point in about a minute, and the icon displayed on the map was rapidly closing in on Tefen.
“Huh?”
In the telephoto footage from another reconnaissance vehicle, Tefen moved.
With a motion that seemed to evoke the sound “whoosh,” it used its pincers to toss one of the scorpions into the air.
“What!?”
Naturally, such a movement from Tefen’s massive body generated considerable acceleration. The thrown scorpion spun in the air, rapidly gaining altitude.
“Wait, is it going to be okay?!”
“Yes, Commander. It’s not on a collision course. While it’s a near miss, it’s not within range unless it has long-range attack capabilities.”
The footage from the approaching reconnaissance vehicle displayed the scene. Remarkably, the scorpion spread its limbs wide, stabilizing its position. It was far from the behavior of a ground-crawling insect.
“The trajectory calculations are complete. If it maintains this posture, it will reach the apex of its parabolic flight about 15 meters above the reconnaissance vehicle. Since its head is facing the reconnaissance vehicle, it may be aware of our observation.”
“I don’t understand any of this!?”
And just as Ringo had predicted, the scorpion passed by the reconnaissance vehicle without incident and began its descent.