Chapter 83: The Last Piece of the Puzzle
Ryuko looked at Aoi for a long moment, her golden eyes narrowing as she thought carefully about the implications of everything he had just revealed. She finally spoke, her voice steady but filled with genuine concern:
—Aoi, you have the plan to get her blood, but do you have a plan for how we're going to get to Jupiter? After all, the distance is huge—hundreds of millions of kilometers. And even if you have the money and intelligence to build a space shuttle from scratch, you know those things need government approval, permits, international agreements. It's not something you can just launch without the whole world noticing.
Nemuri nodded in agreement, her expression serious as she leaned forward slightly.
—Yes, it's true. And even if you build it in secret somewhere remote, the launch itself would make a lot of noise—literal and figurative. Rockets create massive shockwaves, fire plumes visible for miles, and seismic readings that agencies monitor. Not to mention that the moment you leave the atmosphere, satellites from all over the world—military, scientific, private—would detect the trajectory immediately. They'd track it in real time.
Fuyumi, her face pale with worry, asked in a soft but anxious voice:
—But then, how is brother going to send the insects and all the necessary materials to transform Jupiter? It sounds impossible without being seen.
Aoi smiled calmly, as if he had anticipated every single one of these questions long ago. He leaned back in his chair, his tired but confident demeanor reassuring the room.
—I know exactly what you're all thinking. Jupiter is over 600 million kilometers away at its closest approach. A conventional human ship would take years, if not decades, with current technology. But we'll get there in less than a day—safely, discreetly, and without leaving a trace for anyone to follow. — Aoi extended his hand dramatically, and a small, detailed holographic projection of a bee appeared hovering above his palm, its wings shimmering with digital light. — Meet my future Logistics Elite.
Shoto frowned in confusion, leaning closer to examine the projection.
—Bees? You're going to take us to space... using bees, brother?
Aoi's smile widened, the gleam of someone who had already hacked the fundamental laws of the universe shining brightly in his eyes.
—They're not ordinary bees, Shoto. These will be engineered masterpieces. They're going to carry ten percent of the portal quirk. I intend to track down that villain who attacked us at the USJ—the one with the warp gates—and get a sample of his blood. Then I'll program them to treat me as their Queen. They'll create what I'm calling a "Dimensional Highway." Millions—no, billions—of them will position themselves in a perfectly straight line extending all the way to Jupiter, each one opening a portal to the absolute limit of their individual range.
If that villain's full quirk limit is five hundred kilometers per gate, the ones with 10% of his quirk will manage stable portals of about fifty kilometers each. The first bee opens a portal with its full limit directed toward Jupiter—fifty kilometers forward. It then steps through and exits at the maximum point the next bee can reach from there. From that new position, it opens its own portal another fifty kilometers toward Jupiter. And we repeat this relay process millions of times until we have a continuous, stable space highway leading all the way there—a chain of overlapping portals forming one seamless tunnel through the void.
I'll have to invest even more work into them, incorporating other quirks to enhance their survival and performance. I'll improve their genetics drastically so they can withstand the vacuum of space, extreme cold, radiation, and have enough sustained energy to keep these portals open for hours at a time. Because every single one in the chain needs to maintain an active portal for the highway to function without interruption. So I think I'll have to scale them up—create bees the size of a human fist. Because unlike the disposable Architect insects that only need enough energy to reach Jupiter, deliver their New Order command, and die ten minutes later, these Logistics Elite can't be treated as expendable. They'll be the ongoing transport and communication backbone. They need to be robust, long-lived, and strengthened in every way. Well, I think I'll end up adopting them as my personal pets—they'll be part of the family in their own way.
Fuyumi let out a long sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing visibly as the image sank in.
—So... we're not going to have to fly through the vacuum ourselves? Exposed to space?
—No, absolutely not. We'll use the space highway they create to travel inside a fully pressurized, comfortable transport module—think of it like a luxurious car trip to the beach, complete with climate control, gravity simulation, and all the amenities. — Aoi explained patiently, gesturing to an expanding holographic map that illustrated the relay chain in vivid detail. — And the best part: this tunnel isn't just for us. It serves to carry my Architects as well. Quadrillions of specially designed insects programmed to terraform the planet in coordinated ten-minute waves. They cross the portal chain in massive swarms, execute the critical work of solidifying the planet's weight and gravity to an immutable value first—locking the physics in place. After that most important foundational part is complete and stable, we can send follow-up waves to handle the other tasks, like creating fertile land, vast oceans, breathable atmosphere, and the full biosphere. The process repeats in controlled phases. In fifteen days—or perhaps even less with optimizations—the "Space Junk" that humanity dismisses will be transformed into solid, habitable ground.
Rei looked at her son, her voice still carrying a trace of caution but noticeably less trembling than before, as the practicality of it all began to ease her fears.
—And after we're there... will we be trapped forever? Completely cut off? If we miss our world, or if you ever want to check how things are progressing here on Earth?
Aoi walked over to his mother with gentle steps and held her hands firmly but tenderly in his. The stern "General" tone that had dominated his explanations vanished completely, giving way to the deep, raw sincerity of a devoted son.
—That's the true secret of my elite bees, Mom. Since they're practically living space portals in bee form—and even if they grow to the size of an adult human fist for power and stability, they'll still be incredibly stealthy and undetectable—they can open return portals whenever we want, from anywhere. If you feel a sudden longing to watch a sunset on Earth again, or if I need to quietly monitor some emerging threat from afar, they can bring us here and take us back in the blink of an eye, without triggering a single radar, satellite alert, or hero patrol noticing a thing.
He turned to look at his partners and siblings, his gaze warm and reassuring.
—Jupiter will be our Kingdom, our sanctuary, but it's not a prison cell. We'll hold the keys—the full control. Humanity will never figure out how we got there or where exactly we are within it, but we can always take a discreet look at them whenever we choose, like someone observing an old aquarium from the distant past. We'll be completely safe, protected beyond anything they could imagine, but never truly isolated from what really matters to us—family, memories, or even the occasional visit.
Rumi gave Aoi a light, playful punch on the shoulder, her wide grin showing her full approval and excitement.
—A private interdimensional tunnel, pet bees with superpowers, and a beach house the size of a planet... You really are an exaggerated idiot, Aoi. But damn, I liked the plan—a lot.
Aoi laughed genuinely, the sound echoing with relief as he felt the heavy weight of paranoia finally lessening on his shoulders. Checkmate was ready. The logistics were fully mapped out and flawless. The next step was the infinite expanse of possibility.
Shoto listened to all of that, smiled thoughtfully, and said:
—If we could just wear a simple mask and the world couldn't recognize us anymore, everything would be so much easier.
Aoi heard that innocent comment and felt a light bulb turning on brightly in his mind—a spark of pure inspiration.
Aoi stopped dead for a second, his eyes fixed on an invisible point in the air as the idea crystallized. Suddenly, he stood up abruptly, slamming his hands on the table with a wide, triumphant smile, overtaken by an excitement and energy that the family hadn't seen from him in quite a while.
—That's it! — he exclaimed, gesturing wildly with uncontained enthusiasm. — We're not just going to build a wall or a fortress. We're simply going to disappear completely from humanity's map—vanish without a trace.
He started pacing back and forth across the room, explaining the newly evolved plan with vibrant clarity and passion:
—The ultimate secret to avoiding any war, any invasion attempt, any conflict at all is never giving them a single reason to even look up at the sky in suspicion. My very first order with New Order will be to create an absolute, unbreakable illusion. For any telescope, satellite, or human eye that doesn't carry our specific DNA signature, Jupiter will continue to appear exactly as it is today: a worthless dump of toxic gas, ammonia clouds, and deadly eternal storms with absolutely no value whatsoever.
He stopped pacing, looking directly at Rei and Fuyumi to make sure they fully grasped the profound safety this provided.
—But I'll go even further for perfect protection. I'll create a physical "Russian Doll" barrier system—layered realities nested within each other. From our side, inside the true world, it's completely possible to see out, to observe Earth or the stars, and it won't block important things like sunlight or cosmic rays we need. Most importantly, our real, vibrant world will be safely protected deep inside a perfect outer shell that simulates the old, hostile Jupiter exactly as humanity expects it to be.
If any ship or probe ever tries to dive in to investigate some anomaly, it'll be trapped forever in an eternal labyrinth of simulated gas, radiation, and endless storms—wandering in circles without ever finding solid ground or anything of value. They won't see the beauty we've built, they won't see the light of our cities or oceans... they'll just conclude that the planet is the same hostile graveyard it's always been and that there's been no change at all. No reason to waste resources exploring further.
Aoi smiled broadly, relaxing his shoulders as the full weight of paranoia finally gave way to pure triumph.
—No one will ever try to hunt us because no one hunts what they genuinely believe doesn't exist. Humanity will look at Jupiter and see absolutely nothing of interest. And since they won't see anything unusual, there's no reason for them to even think about acting against a planet that, in their eyes, has no value at all. If there's Mars closer and more promising, let them chase that dream. And if I, Rumi, Ryuko, and Nemuri disappear quietly before they ever notice the matters of the new race coming to light, that means there's no perceived threat left on Earth. Even if Shoto, you, Mom, Natsuo, and Fuyumi decide to stay behind and live normally, because they wouldn't have any reason whatsoever to act against you if they don't know anything about what we did or where we went. So it's just us leaving—quietly, cleanly.
Without any dramatic victory announcement, without armies massed on borders or public challenges. Just silence. We'll have our complete peace and freedom, and they'll have their familiar gas dump to stare at through telescopes. It's the absolute end of any chance of war—before it could even begin.
The tension that had hung heavily over the table finally disappeared completely. The plan wasn't merely a defense or an escape—it was the perfect, elegant disappearance. They were no longer targets in anyone's crosshairs. With this refined approach, some of them could even continue living on Earth with completely normal lives if they chose, without any repercussions.
Aoi looked gently at Shoto, his mother, and Fuyumi, who still seemed a bit confused and emotional about the choice of going or staying. Aoi smiled reassuringly and said:
—You really don't need to worry about us at all. I have the girls by my side, and it won't be a permanent separation or anything like that. We can meet many times whenever we want using my space bees as discreet transport. What you have to do is take this time to think carefully if you're going or not. This decision is yours alone—only you can make it, with no pressure from anyone.
Rumi smiled confidently and said:
—Yes, mother-in-law. You can take all the time you need to make your decision. We'll take good care of him even if you decide not to go right away.
Nemuri smiled warmly and said:
—Yes, you don't need to worry about him being alone or anything. We'll keep him out of too much trouble.
Ryuko, smiling softly, said:
—We'll always be right by his side, no matter what.
Rei, her eyes misty but smiling gratefully, said:
—Thank you, girls. Thank you so much.
Aoi then clapped his hands together lightly to wrap things up and said:
—Well, it's definitely time to sleep now. Today was a very exhausting day for all of us: from discovering that I'm essentially the enemy of the entire world to finally finding a solid, complete solution that protects everyone.
Shoto smiled and said:
—Yes, after all, the sports festival is coming up soon, and you promised to help Izuku and the others with their training.
Aoi sighed tiredly but with a hint of amusement and said:
—I, a guy who's literally going to create and rule an entire planet, am going to have to train hard to participate in the school sports festival. It seems kind of unreal when you put it that way.
Nemuri smiled and said:
—Because you're finally not carrying the full weight of the world on your shoulders anymore. But let's sleep. I'm very sleepy.
Aoi, smiling gently, said:
—Well, let's sleep then.