137 Expedition Arc 22 Nearhyum Capture Operation

Apologies for the massive delay.

I collapsed yesterday, suffering from heatstroke.

After telling Kyle about the possibility of organic androids, I was instructed to keep it under wraps.

‘Now I understand why Ethan (the Third Prince) was the only one who survived.

If Ethan’s an organic android, it makes perfect sense why he’d deliberately expose himself fully in front of us.

That kind of behavior would’ve felt like a personal insult to someone as prideful as him.

And if organic androids exist, Henry (the Second Prince) should be suspect too.

We’ll investigate in secret. Mustn’t let them catch on.’

If Ethan (the Third Prince) and Henry (the Second Prince) were indeed contaminated, the Empire would be thrown into chaos.

Should’ve known better. Telling them about the wavelength that could identify Nyahyūm was the mistake.

No point in trying to verify anything now. Not after we’ve already let it slip.

We’ve got no choice but to find a new identification method.

And to do that, we need a sample.

We need to capture and examine Nyahyūm’s core.

But the core’s dangerously infectious. Wondering if there’s any way to contain it.

Then it hits me—antimatter particle cannon’s antimatter cartridge.

If we trap it with an inward-facing Stasis Field, maybe we can suppress the core’s physical invasion method—those cables, the tendrils.

Those cables stretch at a speed that won’t let them break through the Stasis Field.

Should be straightforward—just use transfer to insert the antimatter cartridge, same as capturing antimatter.

"Just need to find a sample of neahyume now."

I set off with high spirits, launching the neahyume capture operation.

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In each system, special wavelength identification checks were conducted at the Dimensional Jump Gates to prevent neahyume infiltration.

And then—first confirmed neahyume incursion.

I warped there instantly.

It was found parasitizing a civilian vessel.

Bad news. Civilian ship means it wasn’t directly infected—this is secondary, maybe even tertiary spread.

The good news is that identification via special wavelength still works.

The civilian vessel has had its thrusters destroyed and is adrift.

Occasionally it extends cables, trying to infect others—but the beam attacks from the distant warship keep it at bay.

Eventually, it ran out of resources for the cables, left the hull riddled with holes, and went silent.

‘You know where this ship docked, right?’

I ask the local officer in charge of this Peril system. I show them the edict from the Emperor’s proxy (Kyle), and the official relayed the info through the regional governor.

‘Yes. According to records, it came from Ald System—the domain of the Second Prince—passed through the Sily System, the main system of the Third Prince, and arrived here at the Peril System. It’s registered under the Ald registry.’

So it’s been through a classic suspicion-riddled system.

“So either they got infected at the Silye System and came here—Peril System—or they were infected at the Ald System and skipped Silye entirely.”

Third Prince’s territory, huh. Ald System’s supposed to have proper quarantine measures in place, right?

Or maybe they’re routing through the Third Prince’s territory just to pin the infection on him if they find it.

Pointless to keep suspecting endlessly. At least now we’ve confirmed the Third Prince’s territory has zero infection checks.

“Anyway, regardless, we’ll be examining the route here. The Prince’s territory’s only responding to orders from the Emperor’s proxy.”

Better report this to Kyle and have him look into it.

“Now then. Capture the core.”

The civilian ship ahead is a wreck—hull torn open, core clearly visible in the void.

I pull a matter-antimatter cartridge from the Dimensional Storage Vault and float it into space.

I activate the transfer device, keeping a safe distance, and funnel the core into the antimatter cartridge.

Capture complete. After a while, I observe the core trying to break through with tendrils—cables, maybe—but it's blocked by the Stasis Field. Seems containment worked.

I repeat the process, capturing five cores total.

Every ship—warship, civilian vessel, transport—was infected. No exceptions.

But every route I check? Almost without fail, it involved the Second Prince’s domain and the Third Prince’s.

The Third Prince’s territory should’ve been cleaned up by me, Kyle, and the Imperial Regulars. Maybe it got reinfected through a different route. Infection spreading again, perhaps.

The Emperor’s Proxy, Kyle, had ordered each prince to personally guard their own star system.

Just a formality. A way to keep each prince chained to their domain, forbidden from moving.

Not saying who, but that’s why they’re worried about organic units walking around spreading infection.

Incidentally, I’ve been ordered to handle the Niahyume situation, so I’m free to move about.

Got the core. Now it’s time for investigation.

I’ve entrusted the analysis of the acquired core to a few people.

The True Empire and the Gern System’s research facilities.

The lost sciences of the True Empire might come in handy. The Gerns are mad, sure—but competent.

Whether organic or mechanical, at the level of sentient life, they’re basically the same.

Once we figure out their ecology, language, and ideology, we’ll know how to handle them.

What’s going on in the minds of those so-called eternal enemies of humanity? Those irreconcilable beings?

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It keeps me writing.

Appreciate the feedback.

I might not reply due to illness or delays, but I read every comment—take them to heart, learn from them, and keep going.