52: Evidence Concealment

Today's update features four chapters.

This is the second chapter.

"Clear"

The facility was secured smoothly.

There were no signs of people, and no booby traps or combat robots of any kind.

Still, someone had definitely been here just moments ago.

There were drinks left half-consumed in the residential area, seemingly abandoned just about an hour ago, and signs around the warehouse suggested that valuable items had been hastily taken away.

As for the infrastructure... well, it was at least functioning normally, so it was left alone.

"So, Satu. Any signs that someone escaped?"

"None. Not even a trace."

"I see. Then, if everything goes as expected, we should proceed ahead."

And so, as they advanced with the suppression effort.

The final room turned out to be the only one connected to the outside—essentially a makeshift docking area.

"Shh… Sata!"

"Yo!"

Vilijanira opened the room's door, and I leapt inside, quickly scanning the surroundings to check for any danger first.

Inside the room was... a hatch likely connected to the outside, a tank presumably for fuel, a large chest containing what seemed to be parts and tools for basic maintenance, and then... a small spacecraft about twenty meters long, known as a fighter jet.

Skitter, crack, splutter...

"Looks like I'm a little late."

Something resembling a plant writhed inside the fighter jet's cockpit.

And from within the plant, a sound was echoing—something like pressure being applied, crushed, and pulverized.

"Looks like it is. Covering up evidence, perhaps?"

"Covering up evidence... well, that's probably it."

A fighter jet is something humans use.

There's clear evidence that a human was just there.

Given those two points, there's no need to speculate about what the plant has crushed.

Even so, one thing is certain—some unknown entity must have subjected the rocket cone to a twisted transformation, and then crushed it to death.

If that's the case, the corpse would be completely broken down and absorbed by the plant as nourishment, leaving not even a single hair behind.

It's an exceptionally effective method of erasing all traces.

"Is that truly so?"

"Probably, from the mastermind's perspective, punishing the perpetrator is just part of the established procedure—regardless of whether this terrorist act succeeded or failed."

"That... is how it is, then. Indeed, you're right. We've learned about this facility through unconventional means and are entering it using equally unorthodox methods."

"Yeah, it's unlikely they'd punish us just for showing up. After all, if successful, this terrorist attack could've wiped out the entire Grogrobeta system. The mastermind probably didn't want to leave even the slightest trace linking back to themselves."

At the same time, the mind behind this incident becomes briefly apparent.

It's unclear how much information the person who was eliminated possessed, but they likely took precautions to ensure that, in the unlikely event of an investigation, it wouldn't reach them.

Still, given this situation, it wouldn't be surprising if critical information was never recorded in machines—instead, it was entrusted only to the eliminated individual, or if information was passed on, it was deliberately false.

Still, there might be something we can uncover, so we'll secure whatever we can.

"So, Sat. What do you think we should do from here? I expect that, in a little while, a military unit with free capacity will arrive at my coordinates, so personally, I don't see anything else we can do besides deactivating the facility's concealment."

"There's not much to decide either way—I don't see anything else worth doing besides what Vee said. The facility itself is already secured, and we've confirmed there's no abnormality with the infrastructure... wait!?!"

A sudden, unpleasant sensation washed over him.

"Sat?"

It felt similar to the strange presence we sensed during the 'Tsumebakei' incident—a crab-like aura.

"!?"

As Viridianiara assumed a combat stance, I too readied my staff, my eyes turning toward the source of the unpleasant feeling—the plant inside the combat vessel.

This ominous presence... yeah, no mistake this time.

The same kind of presence as when the *Tsumebakei* was attacked by space pirates—more precisely, the aftermath of subduing the pirate vessel that attacked it.

Something is using spatial teleportation to send power into a location, corrupting whatever is there, giving off a foul sensation.

It's transforming things that are normally part of this world, changing them into beings like me—entities that, by nature, shouldn't exist in this world at all.

Transforming them with malice, with ill intent, with enmity.

"Could this… be considered obtaining information that ties into the mastermind behind it all?"

"Probably. Honestly, I'd rather not think about how many people possess the kind of power that could create something like that crab-like creature. Even if the Empire is vast, that's still unsettling."

As the transformation concludes, something begins to crawl out from within the fighter jet.

As if indicating a minor spatial anomaly occurring simultaneously around them, a smell resembling decay begins to fill the air.

It's definitely a cosmic monster... or rather, it doesn't seem to differ that much from the 'Vanilla OS' in terms of its operating system, nor does it appear to be controlling its own modular components. Given its size as well, it's probably best described as a cosmic monster imitation?

"Can you escape? Or shall we send it into outer space?"

It'd probably be safer to stop both of them. If they escape, they'll ruin the other evidence we've carefully secured; and if they make it into space... well, I think they'll suddenly grow out of control, exposed to the influence of the Sw from the Grogrobeta star system, which was probably restricted within this facility.

"...So, from the幕后's perspective, this incident was a two-layered setup with no openings, correct?"

"A rocket cone at the front door, a fake space monster at the back—quite cunning indeed."

Anyway.

What emerged was a creature resembling a mass of seaweed molded into a human shape.

Its arms were slightly longer than average, but that was the extent of its difference from humans.

The main part of its skin consisted of broad, slimy seaweed covering the surface, while inside it appeared to be packed with thin seaweed and a large number of human eyeballs.

Perhaps due to the combat aircraft's malfunction, parts resembling exoskeletons or claws were attached to the aircraft's armor plating.

For now, let's tentatively call it a Seaweed Human.

"Gobuuuuu!"

"It's coming!"

"Yes!"

Then, the Seaweed Human swiftly slid across the floor, raising its arms as it charged toward us.