304: Countermeasures Against Proliferation

"Alright, we've managed to complete our investigation thoroughly."

The eight Imperial soldiers who had been tailing us had mysteriously become nine.

Due to this unusual situation, Vilijanira promptly contacted Dragstarck, requested permission to investigate and deal with the incident, and was granted approval.

"But that's precisely the problem that's likely to arise from here on out."

Viljaniira's gaze fell upon the growing number of imperial soldiers.

The imperial soldier was a man with red hair and an ordinary face, with nothing particularly distinctive about him.

And as far as I could tell with my own eyes, another man who looked exactly the same stood beside him.

The two of them stood side by side, their expressions clearly conveying, "What on earth should we do about this?" — clearly very uncomfortable.

Well, I can't say I don't understand how they feel.

"Satya. Please send the test results via message, not orally. The same goes for Memokushi."

"Understood."

"Affirmative."

"W-Will they not be made public, Your Excellency Vilijanila?"

The highest-ranking imperial soldier among the nine spoke up in response to Vilijanila's words.

"It's not that we're choosing not to disclose it—we simply can't. Given how slow our response was, it's highly likely that the mastermind behind this is Fuunaka. Among the incidents we suspect Fuunaka of being involved in, there was one where the perpetrator transformed into an alien monster-like entity the very moment we realized they were the culprit. If over a hundred impostors were to simultaneously transform into these alien monster-like beings, the damage they could cause... you can't possibly claim you don't understand the severity."

"...I'm sorry."

Bowing his head immediately after hearing Vilijanira's explanation.

Honestly, it's troublesome that Funaka could probably do it.

Given everything we've seen so far, if the preparations were made in advance, Funaka could create alien monster-like creatures at any time, based on whoever was set up.

How many could be created simultaneously is unknown, but there's no way to be optimistic about that aspect.

Therefore, if we can distinguish between the genuine and the fake... they'll likely strike at that very moment.

Given the incident at the Nerialni Potts system and their own behavior, it's certain they possess some form of perception ability.

"Well..."

With that, I say nothing aloud, remaining completely still right here, while my main body generates a report and transmits the analysis results to the information terminal for Vilijaniara.

Memoqsi does the same.

I don't know what Memoqsi's results show... but I've gathered quite a bit of information, so Vilijaniara should be able to deduce many things from it.

"Hmm, hmm."

I recall the analysis results.

First, the timing of the proliferation was just a few minutes before I noticed.

The soldier who became the source of the proliferation had left his seat to go to the restroom, and while inside, he unknowingly underwent proliferation.

And when he came out of the restroom, that's when I noticed the anomaly.

Through meticulous examination, I discovered that the space-jump-related mod had activated both before and after the proliferation.

However, since we were in superluminal travel at the time, we couldn't determine where it had come from or where it had gone.

We couldn't determine whether the proliferation originated within the fleet, something moving parallel to the fleet, or something stationary in a fixed position...

However, one final distinction was possible—if we relied on tongue-based mod detection.

As long as we could read the composition mods, one individual was clearly a normal human being, using only common, everyday mods.

The other was an android, and multiple mods used in android manufacturing were detected.

Still, it was remarkably human-like in appearance—so much so that noticing anything unusual would be difficult even with the kind of equipment found aboard a fleet.

Yet, in a way, this was precisely the most troubling aspect.

Funaqa was definitely involved.

Only someone who'd personally interacted with Funaqa could say this with certainty—but there was something distinct about the configuration of the mods, a unique signature that only Funaqa could have left behind.

It's hard to put into words—or even theorize—this part, but the configuration of the mods tends to reveal individual quirks, and for some reason, these quirks just feel distinctly like Funaqa.

Given that, Vilijaniira's concerns and vigilance were entirely justified.

"I see. For now, please isolate the two of them."

"Understood."

Vilijaniira appeared to have finished reading the message.

The two clones were led away from the room, accompanied by other imperial soldiers.

"Satā. Is the number sufficient?"

"Marginally. Actually, what I need is time. We must achieve immediate results."

"I see."

Fortunately, there is a countermeasure.

By using Heikyomōryu and my custom mod, we can eliminate Fnakā's influence from the cloned individuals.

As for delivery method—either injection or food... Regardless, we just need to decide quickly and simultaneously, leaving no room for Fnakā to act.

Once Fnakā's influence is eliminated, they'll just be artificially created humans made with extreme precision, so there won't even be a need to eliminate them.

The problem is... whether we'll have enough time to develop them... I'm putting everything into crafting the main body right now, but... hmm.

"Then, please let me know when it's complete. I'll negotiate with Lord Dragstarque and arrange for simultaneous administration."

"Understood."

Well, there's nothing left but to do our best.

It's like carrying around a bomb whose detonation time is unknown—unless we act now.