82: Incidents that have occurred so far

"A cosmic monster imitator... You're telling me something like that actually exists...?"

"Dead serious. I'll explain in detail, so please prepare for recording and sharing."

"Y-Yes, got it."

Now, Mebokushi is explaining to Joharis about the cosmic monster encountered during the incident involving the 'Tsumebakei' and the event in the Gurogurobeta system, as well as the likely mastermind behind it.

So, we decided to gather information about the series of previous serial murder cases in the meantime.

Even though Vee's eyes warned us that staying cooped up like this would only make the threat grow stronger due to our lack of information, we had no choice but to stay inside.

And we quickly realized it.

"Is this the first crime? A hunter man was attacked deep in the mountains of Planet Flaretanbo 1."

"Regarding the subsequent crimes, it seems they generally occurred at night, targeting isolated victims in areas without people or cameras."

"But gradually, the scenes are moving closer to urban centers, and there's already one incident reported at the Prime Colony."

"And now, even during nighttime, they're committing crimes openly in public. It's clear there's no time to waste—immediate action is essential."

"Yeah. It's not surprising anymore if someone gets attacked at any time, anywhere."

As the perpetrator's actions grew bolder and bolder.

Probably, they've gotten addicted to their own method of committing crimes.

Well, I can understand the mindset, at least.

I know from knowledge that overwhelming someone with a force they can't comprehend brings a strong sense of pleasure—something deeply rooted in biological instinct.

Later, I also understood why the suspect had remained undetected until now.

The perpetrator hadn't appeared on any cameras or sensors, and scent-based tracking seemed impossible—perhaps due to some deodorizing mod being used.

Well, it's not like anyone would expect a remote-control mod with specs capable of penetrating military-grade shield mods, so there was nothing we could do about it.

Even if we disregard elements like invisibility or silent operation, the power requirements still amount to that of a large automobile, and when combined with other mods, would necessitate a spacecraft-level power source—making it highly implausible that such a device could cause incidents across various locations on a planet.

"Um, another incident occurring near the first event... there was a collision accident between surviving members of the Gigarok Space Pirates near the Flaretanbo star system. No survivors. However, since the ship originally belonged to space pirates, there's no information on how many people were on board."

"Could it be... the Gigarok Space Pirates...? I can't believe it, but was there a fake among them?"

It's possible. Even a fake monster is still a space monster. From there, it descended toward Planet Flaretanbo One... But then again, it would be affected by the influence of Sw in the Flaretanbo system. If it weren't affected, it couldn't have reached that size in the first place.

"No, there might have been something attached to the recovered material. So... there's nothing unusual about the recovered items. It's not entirely impossible that it's some kind of non-carbon-based alien monster, but based on the inspection results, it really does seem just like ordinary wreckage. Still..."

I look toward the Vilijanira.

Vilgianila nodded, looking at my face.

There's some kind of connection. My eyes are telling me so.

"Could it be that someone secretly brought back a strange object? And that the name of Baron Spafena is clearly listed among the investigation team members?"

Many possibilities could be considered.

So even if I say something odd, it would just be speculation.

But one thing is certain: there is definitely a connection between the Gigaroku Space Pirates and the mastermind behind the imitations. And it's now also certain that the accident caused by the Gigaroku Space Pirates is linked to the Spafena noble family.

The Spafena baronial family... to be precise, Margelina Spafena's connection to the series of bizarre murder cases has only been confirmed through the eyes of Virijanira... but in a way, one could say the link was solidified by this morning's incident.

Moreover, Margelina seems to be a follower of the 'Cosmic Monster Cult,' so even if it's just a fake, encountering her might still lead to something unusual.

Yeah, for now, I'm personally convinced there's some kind of connection between the culprit and that fake cosmic monster.

It's safer and more reliable to act with that conviction.

"Well then, what do we do from here?"

"Explanation, complete."

"Huh... this is turning into something really serious... well, it's already serious enough, but still..."

"..."

Given everything so far, Vilijaniara is now pondering something.

It seems the explanation from Meqoxi's side has concluded.

For now, we'll wait for Vilijaniara's decision on what to do from here...

"Satu"

"What?"

"Please go to the crime scene and the location where this morning's victim was examined, and assist with analyzing the mod used in the crime. We'll handle obtaining the necessary permissions, so please conduct a thorough investigation."

"Got it. Should I also look into where the eyes were taken?"

"If possible, please do."

"Understood."

For now, I'll assist with the investigation.

That means I should head to the scene first to confirm things.

Then, I'll go to the autopsy site and check the victim's wounds—probably the best way to get a quick start.

"What about the Vee team?"

"I'll slightly adjust the original plan and begin the inspection in a location away from Flaren Paddi. Staying here or remaining within 'Pumpkin Witch' for too long doesn't seem advisable after all."

"I see. Then I'll meet up with you once we're done."

"Please do. Until then, we'll proceed with the utmost caution here."

And so, we would temporarily go our separate ways from Vilegiani and the others.

Yeah, in that case, we'd better hurry.

How could I know where the safe zone is, if I don't even understand their tactics?

Vee-sama, Sata-sama. Contact and permission have been secured.

Then, I'll head off right away.

Yes

So, once Memoqui got the permission, I changed the coordinates to the location where the doll was.

And then, they teleported from inside the ship of 'Pumpkin Witch' to a secluded alley a few hundred meters away from this morning's scene.