Chapter 128 – New Category (6)
“Yeah. What’s the plan you thought of, Eve?”
“Waiting for others to give us opportunities and then snatching them isn’t our style. We need to create our own opportunities.”
Eve’s change of mindset didn’t dramatically alter our plans.
Eve decided to maintain our identities and also chose to keep her human form.
However, she denied my plan to gradually fit into the existing order and instead declared that she would manipulate that order herself.
I listened to all of this and felt reassured.
It was a radical approach that I wouldn’t take, but at the same time, I judged it could be a decisive action that might clear the obstacles in our way.
“Here is Eagle! Respond, main unit! Respond…”
A signalman, gripping the communicator inside the fiercely traversing vehicle, was desperately trying to reconnect with the main unit that had lost contact.
In a way, we might be miraculously surviving, having fallen into the enemy’s trap, but considering that the enemy’s scheming wouldn’t end with us, we couldn’t be too happy.
If the main unit had been ambushed, that would indeed be a great crisis.
“Ah… damn it.”
As we neared the pre-planned location for the main unit’s ambush, a hunter observing ahead through binoculars let out a sigh.
Eve and I didn’t need to look. The closer we got, the clearer the sounds of gunfire, screams, and the grotesque roars of monsters became, amplified by our heightened hearing.
“I shouldn’t be saying this to you who’ve already overcome a large crisis once. But I will fight again. I need to repay the debts from the previous battle.”
Jason’s voice crackled slightly through the radio.
Having suffered an unexpected blow and injury during the battle with the trolls, he suppressed his anger and declared he would fight once more.
“The mission is over, so now it’s my decision. Only those willing to join me come. I cannot just watch those monsters.”
“I’m going too.”
Eve was the first to respond to his solemn declaration.
I could see everyone else visibly surprised and murmuring. After all, they might have thought that Eve was seriously injured and her mental state was unstable.
However, the moment Eve’s eyes sparkled and she looked at them, they could no longer use her injuries as an excuse to dissuade her.
“Thank you so much.”
Jason didn’t say much to those who volunteered to fight again.
We were now completely close to the scene. The ambushers of the main unit were, indeed, not the overlord.
The trolls were smashing through the main unit’s defensive line and wreaking havoc. It seemed that those who ambushed us were smaller than the special one we had faced.
‘Let’s go. First, we’ll kill all those dreadful monsters, and then our plan will begin.’
The moment the vehicle came to a stop, Eve pulled my hand.
We once again brandished our chipped swords and charged forward.
And we swung at the trolls, who were startled by the sight of the blood-red flaming sword coming at them from the side.
*
“Impressive… this could provide enough data.”
Thanks to the urgent support from the fighter jet’s missile bombardment, the battle was nearing its end.
The main force of the enemy, primarily made up of trolls, was almost annihilated; the allies had also sustained significant damage, making further operations impossible.
“Are you… alright?”
“Of course. Absolutely.”
Pyles, one of the alliance’s dispatched researchers, who couldn’t take his eyes off the holographic screen, nodded vaguely at the worried words of the Earth-side aide.
The vehicle he was in was positioned in the rear and hadn’t directly engaged in the battle, but there had been moments of crisis, such as when dirt golems summoned by the trolls approached nearby.
“Still, it’s a relief. I thought we were done for when the trolls suddenly appeared, completely outnumbering us.”
“Just a few joined, and the tide of battle changed.”
As the aide wiped his brow, Pyles kept his gaze fixed on the screen.
The screen showed Commander Jason freezing the last remaining troll’s entire body and smashing it to pieces.
Of course, Jason wasn’t the only one who had been active in freezing the area.
There was also a black-haired girl, who had previously been injured and was now wrapped in bandages on her arms and legs, alongside a black-haired man who was paired with her.
The intruding hunters were gradually taking down the trolls that had been neutralizing the military’s firepower with their bizarre magic.
“The hunters… we’ve reached a point where the war cannot be established without them.”
“In fact, the upper echelons are most interested in them. Once this situation is settled, could you arrange a meeting? I’m just a researcher, but we’d like to celebrate their contributions!”
Reacting to the aide’s mumbling, Pyles replied with a faint smile.
Though the intent was obvious, the alliance had rapidly emerged as an important ally to the united forces. The aide nodded and temporarily stepped out of the room.
“The Earth people are in a panic because communication has been cut off. What can those relic-level devices accomplish properly?”
“From their perspective, that is likely their best option.”
Pyles, now alone, picked up the communicator. The moment a connection was established, his superior chuckled while reviewing the reports.
The Earth’s communication equipment was still experiencing disruptions due to enemy interference, but their own gear was unaffected.
“I’ve reviewed all the sent footage. Approval has been granted, so try to secretly contact those marked. It’s not a task a mere researcher should undertake, but you are an excellent personnel… am I right?”
“Understood.”
The upper management made decisions based on the real-time data Pyles had sent and analyzed from the scene.
The orders given were none other than ‘contact’ orders.
In fact, the orders weren’t only for Pyles. Similar commands had long been sent to others dispatched elsewhere.
“Although we should never let our guard down, I hope this will at least provide us a moment to rest.”
The battle had unfolded in an unexpected way, resulting in significant losses.
Nevertheless, the united forces had successfully seized the strategic point they had set as a target. Thanks to that, they avoided the worst situation of incurring nothing but losses.
What remained was to await support to strengthen this base further. Until then, all that was left was to care for the injured and recover from the damage.
‘There they are.’
Present at the scene, Pyles spotted several people targeted and authorized by upper management during the ceremony honoring the fallen and introducing those who had achieved heroic acts.
He approached them cautiously. As a representative of the alliance, he was an important figure being watched within the united forces. Naturally, many gazes followed him.
“The commander is treating his injuries with the kits we provided. I’ve heard Ms. Eve has also been injured.”
“Alliance researcher Pyles.”
“Y-yes. You recognize me…”
Having approached casually, Pyles momentarily stiffened as he met Eve’s gaze. It was a completely different look from the brief eye contact they had shared during their handshake before.
It was like the eyes of a predator hunting its prey; a pair of red eyes stared at him piercingly.
“It’s not a serious injury. Do you need to see Eve for something?”
“Indeed. I need to see both of you. If it’s alright, could we talk separately?”
With Shin Woo’s interruption, Pyles, who was barely regaining his focus, forced a smile and spoke again.
Fortunately, the two nodded in agreement to his words without any suspicion.
‘Well, they’re just regular Earthlings. When they realize what we can offer, they’ll have no choice but to bow down.’
Regaining a bit of confidence, he ignored the gazes of others and led the two away.
The place he guided them to was, of course, the trailer where his equipment was stored.
“Actually, I was able to watch all of you in action during the fight. I was truly impressed by the hunters I saw for the first time and longed to meet you. My upper management feels the same way. You’ll surely find my proposal intriguing.”
He confidently explained his purpose to the couple following behind him.
“That’s great to hear. We wanted to meet you too, in a place as discreet as this.”
“…What?”
At that moment, Eve spoke up.
His surprised expression at the unexpected response instinctively made him turn around as powerful hands descended upon him faster than he could react.
“Ugh!”
Pyles frantically struggled to free himself from the grasp of Shin Woo and Eve, but in this dim evening with all senses focused on external vigilance, no one was there to help him as he was caught by the hands of superhumans.
‘Indeed, they’re rightly called nanomachines. This is bothersome, but in the end, that’s all it is.’
Eve grinned as she drove the modified hand she had transformed into into Pyles’ abdomen and poured her cells into him without reserve. Not a single drop of blood was drawn.
The infective agents of the Legion infiltrated his body and waged war against the nanomachines flooding his bloodstream.
The nanomachines fought against these external bacterial entities, which they had previously repelled, but the situation was entirely different from when they had invaded the bloodstream only slightly in the past.
Not only the bloodstream but all his bodily tissues were becoming nourishment for the infective agents, attacking him from all sides.
Most importantly, Eve also remembered the components of her opponent.
“Gah…”
With a choked sound, black veins began to spread across Pyles’ entire body.
Finally, when all the nanomachines that had filled his body were exterminated, and in their place, the Legion’s infective agents took hold…
He slumped down in disbelief.
‘I’m giving you a chance. A chance to obtain true glory. Everyone has liked you until now.’
Eve’s will, which had come to dominate his entire body, including the nervous and sensory systems, was forcefully implanted into his mind. The reason for choosing this method was simple. Eve herself wasn’t confident she could perfectly mimic Pyles by eating him.
