Every time they went out to explore, he consumed Nen birds like water. Although it wasn't a situation where he could afford to be stingy, the Nen birds scattered so fleetingly that he wondered what all his effort up to now had been for.
With the 400 paper patterns used in this operation, his stock will be almost gone. Practically speaking, this is the last chance to acquire the Return. If he doesn't make it succeed here, he truly won't know what he has been working himself to the bone for until now.
The outline of the operation is simple. Use a massive amount of Nen birds for a diversion, and while they are distracted, the main unit runs through to the collection point.
A sensory net made of threads is stretched across the Worm habitat, and the presence of intruders is immediately detected. These threads are extremely thin, making them difficult to sense without actually touching them. Furthermore, this sensory net is not limited to just the ground; it extends between the trees and even into the sky above the forest.
A warning net is formed even in the sky by attaching threads to floating stones. Unlike the ones on the ground, the nets in the sky are tough and adhesive. They seem to be strung for the purpose of capturing prey like a spider web. Because of these threads, the floating stones are tethered to the vicinity. The reason the Worms flock to this place is probably to utilize these floating stones for hunting. Intrusion from the sky is currently impossible.
Since the sensory net on the ground is thin and lacks strength, there is no choice but to choose this route. The reason the ground portion is deliberately made easier to invade might be a trap to lure prey deep into the forest. Whether for predation or breeding, that probably suits them better. However, they would take advantage of that warning net and launch a simultaneous assault from multiple directions with the Nen birds to confuse the enemy.
In fact, this disruption strategy had been introduced experimentally before and had yielded results. No matter how much of a threat they are, the Worms' intelligence is low. They possess an instinct to prioritize attacking objects that move more violently on the sensory net, making them easy to lure.
The Nen birds rampage flashily to attract the Worms' attention. In the meantime, the investigation team secretly infiltrates. Grasping the Worms' positions via the video from the cameras carried by the Nen birds, they safely break through the Worm forest using Chel and Katroi's enemy detection. Even if they were to encounter a Worm, the danger of infection can be avoided thanks to the gas masks and night vision.
It is an operation they have checked repeatedly for any oversights. It is the best move they can take at present. Still, considering unforeseen situations, success cannot be absolutely guaranteed, but there's no end to it once one starts thinking about that. Tokunosuke saw off the taking-off Nen birds, half entrusting his luck to the heavens. The actions were pre-programmed; once activated, there wasn't much for him to do.
The sight of a flock of hundreds of birds taking off into the sky was spectacular. He himself rarely had the opportunity to fly 400 birds, his maximum operational number. Among the few times, what he recalled was the scenery of his training when he lived in Japon.
It isn't a good memory. Only the memory of being reprimanded by his father for being immature remains. Still, the reason he recalled it might be due to Quinn's influence.
The girl who was supposed to have been raised on the Dark Continent was, for some reason, excessively knowledgeable about Japon. Ever since Tokunosuke revealed that he was from Japon, Quinn had thrown several questions related to it at him. There was some incorrect knowledge regarding place names and people's names, but she generally had an understanding of Japon's food and culture. Was it wisdom instilled by Mr. Luan? Like her, her father was also a figure full of mysteries.
He didn't think he was attached enough to indulge in sentimental nostalgia this late in the game, but once he started thinking about it, he couldn't get it out of his head. On the brink of life or death, blurred memories revived. Back when he dashed out of the house where he was confined as if being killed with kindness, he was just a child who longed for freedom. He probably never dreamed that he would now be in a special forces unit of the United States, stepping on the soil of the Dark Continent.
When everything is settled, maybe I'll try visiting home.
Will father forgive me? If I tell him a souvenir story about bringing back a Return, a hope for humanity, what kind of reaction will he have? No good. That person would probably come to kill me without a second thought.
Even so, he couldn't help but find his own feelings of not refusing to meet him comical. Chuckles welled up and he couldn't suppress them. Seeing his state, Captain Gragg warned him to stay sharp. That angry figure overlapped with his father, and Tokunosuke finally couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing.
We run through the silence. No one made a sound with their footsteps. We ran earnestly, suppressing even the sound of our breathing. Tension was transmitted as if nerves ran through even a single strand of hair.
I distribute my gaze to the surroundings. That scene was being visualized through the mask. Quinn is fine with that, but the main body is not wearing a mask. There was no choice, so I have covered the main body's head with a supply bag. Vision is completely blocked, but considering the enemy threat, I had to do this.
Small water droplets danced on invisible threads. Everywhere, threads thin as fibers were strung around. They break without resistance but entangle one after another. It was an annoyance as if the discomfort of a sweltering dense fog had been multiplied many times over.
But there was no sound. The insect calamity I heard about did not appear. We passed through the forest in about 10 minutes and arrived at the top of the hill. In terms of straight-line distance, the Worm forest isn't that vast. It must be entirely due to the diversion of the Nen birds Tokunosuke released working effectively.
For some reason, there are no sensory nets in the hilly area. This place is in the center of the Worm forest, excluded from the habitat like a left-behind small island. There seem to be no Worms on this hill.
But naturally, it is not a safe zone. We cannot say for sure that the Worms in the forest won't enter the hill. We need to collect the Return immediately. We moved to the next action without resting.
"Watch your footing."
The ground is light. With just the slight impact of stepping forward, the footing floats up softly, and it feels like the whole body is about to be lifted into the sky. Looking only at that spectacle, it is like a zero-gravity space. The mass of the substances originally in this environment has changed. Our body weights don't seem to have changed for now, but it wasn't a place I wanted to stay long.
The largest hill has a giant depression like a crater when peered into from above. The target object was in the center of it. It is a black object about 5 meters in size. It was said to be a mineral crystal, but it didn't look very much like one. It has a distorted shape, bulging bumpily like bubbles floating in boiling water that had solidified as is.
"It's called a botryoidal crystal, and this shape itself isn't that rare, but I wonder to what extent it's okay to apply it to existing minerals discovered so far."
To prepare for any contingency, only one person goes to collect it. The rest wait at the rim of the crater. It was Gragg who went for the collection. The captain himself handles the task. He began carving out the crystal with something that looked like a power tool he had brought.
The mission proceeded so smoothly it was anticlimactic. But this is a result derived precisely because they had planned with great care. It didn't mean everything went off without a hitch; damages had already occurred.
The survey team Quantum suffered a crushing defeat in the previous operation, and most of its members died. The reason this operation is going smoothly is precisely because they learned from that failure. It's not just that they happened to be lucky.
Originally, they had intended to carry out the operation with the remaining four members. It wasn't desperation prepared for honorable death, but a meticulous calculation. There is no turn for me. At this rate, it looks like it will end with me just following them this far without being able to show off anything.
However, I am not so foolish as to wish for an unexpected disturbance to occur here. After all, when it comes to a threat of the class called a calamity, I don't want to deal with it. Hearing about the Worms made me think that again. It's best if nothing happens.
As for friendly relations with humans, I was able to interact with them during the time it took to reach here. This should be fine. Maybe... I'm not entirely confident, but at least it should have been conveyed that I have no hostility. I couldn't demonstrate great power, but that in itself saves me from making them overly wary. The rest depends on accompanying them back to the ship and the negotiations from there.
The cutting of the crystal seemed to take a little trouble. Apparently, it was quite hard. The fragment shaved off was about the size of a pinky fingernail. That was the limit of what could be carried. It is too heavy.
It is thought that this metal might have the property of absorbing only the weight of surrounding substances. To the extent that the surrounding soil and rocks have become lighter, weight has transferred to this metal. That is why even a tiny fragment possesses weight that a grown adult cannot lift.
Even for a Nen user who can enhance their physical abilities, the amount that could be carried was insignificant, but it is still a precious Return. Its value is immeasurable. It was strictly sealed in a transport capsule that had been prepared.
It seems Chel will carry the capsule. I had assumed Gragg would hold it. Since Chel is an Enhancer, her muscular strength is the highest among them. She demonstrated lifting the capsule, which Gragg had brought holding with both hands, with one hand. However, although she is acting playfully, it is not light. Considering the return trip on the path we came, the burden is heavy. They will be forced to act more cautiously than ever before.
In any case, it is the long-awaited acquisition of the Return. Since the situation was hurried, words were few, but they were patting each other on the shoulder. Everyone is wearing gas masks so expressions are unknown, but everyone seems happy. There was even one making a guts pose. It is a gesture humans make when they are happy. Quinn also made a guts pose just in case.
Regarding this Return, I also had a thought about personally collecting some at this opportunity. I possess a phagogenesis ability that incorporates the properties of things I eat. I had an expectation that if I ate a mineral that influences mass, I might obtain a special ability corresponding to it.
However, considering the danger, I decided against it. Assuming the same property was equipped to the main body, if it continued to absorb mass from the surrounding environment, wouldn't it become steadily heavier and unable to move? Besides, the result of phagogenesis appears in the next generation's offspring. It doesn't mean the current main body can obtain the ability.
I rethink that right now, leaving this place quickly takes precedence over worrying about such things. If we can just return safely to the ship after this—
"It's here."
Katroi announced briefly. He turned around, looking behind. Beyond his gaze, only the dark, continuing forest could be seen. However, he had sensed something.
"Toku, can you confirm with the camera?"
"Yes, right away."
Nen birds are rotated in the direction Katroi indicated. Relying on the images collected from multiple cameras, Tokunosuke was accurately grasping the enemy's movements.
That is exactly why the one who should have noticed the approaching enemy earliest among them was Tokunosuke. The problem is that Katroi noticed before him.
Katroi searches for enemies by reacting to the bloodlust emitted by the enemy. If the enemy had just wandered into this place by chance, he couldn't sense it. In other words, it means an enemy with clear hostility is approaching.
Something bad is coming.
Even the time to retrieve the spread-out equipment is regrettable. Taking only what is essential, checking the Return firmly, and leaving the rest. We prepare to flee. Tokunosuke captured the image of the enemy.
"Ah... eh...?"
"Is the enemy a Worm? Distance?"
"Huh, something just now."
He is not making sense. Why can't he say it clearly? What is he saying he saw? What is he so,
"In my, eyes..."
Frightened of?