Chapter 297 ·Turning point (60)

Turning 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󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂point (60)

"Licorice! Licorice!"

At my urgent call, Licorice turned her head, breaking off from gesturing to the Beta Series.

"Why are you making so much noise all of a sudden? I'm not going anywhere—"

"We need you, Licorice."

I grabbed both her shoulders. Startled by my sudden grip, Licorice looked up at me in surprise.

"M-me? What are you talking about?"

"Did you see the data Celestia sent?"

Licorice's anxious gaze only lingered a moment before she frowned at the mention of "data."

"Data? What data? I appreciate how highly you think of me, but I hope what you want from me was within human capacity. My multitasking has already reached its limit."

"Then please check it now. It could be important."

"Alright, but let me go first. I told you, I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay."

I let go of her shoulders. Licorice tapped her shoulders and shot me a sharp look.

"You grabbed too hard. You probably left a mark."

"I panicked... Did it hurt a lot? Sorry."

I wondered if I'd really gripped that hard, but I apologized first. After all, if the other person says it hurt, denying it doesn't feel right.

"Hmph, it's fine. If you're so curious, let's talk tonight. Hold on—I'll check it right now."

Licorice tapped on her bracelet, connecting to the ship's database. Every activity was recorded in Albatross's main system, and we all stored data there.

When she connected, a flood of system logs from just moments ago flashed up. As her gaze moved, holographic windows closed in quick succession.

Soon, Licorice accessed the data Celestia had sent.

"A mutant found at the refinery was in this form?"

"Yes. Doesn't it look like the Invasion Tree that burst out from under the Archive?"

"... There's a resemblance."

"Don't you know anything about this? Orca said it was the first time she'd seen that type..."

"You mean if there's any information in that knowledge base?"

Licorice instantly caught the nuance in my words. When I nodded, she mulled over it, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

'Does she know something?'

If she knew nothing, she would have said so right away. But Licorice seemed to be collecting her thoughts. Finally, she spoke.

"Those present at the scene, along with Orca, suspect that the mutant's final form might be imitating the Invasion Tree."

"That's what they said. Is that right?"

"Well, I don't know for sure either."

So Licorice didn't really know, then. Perhaps I looked disappointed, because Licorice sighed softly.

"Don't look at me like that. It makes me feel guilty."

"... It's just a shame."

"I said I don't know well, not that I know nothing. Orca's guess is partly right and partly wrong, as far as I know."

According to Licorice, the contamination source at the refinery was not an Invasion Tree, as I had suspected.

"It doesn't even qualify as a subspecies of the other. The seed itself is different from the start. That's not a gap mutation can bridge. If they could just pull off copies of Invasion Trees like this, not just us—Earth itself wouldn't be able to resist and would be destroyed."

"So the similarity in form is just coincidence?"

"That part is ambiguous. Given the countless possibilities, it's hard to say it's just a random outcome. It's likely it's mimicking the Invasion Tree intentionally. Maybe as an instinct. It just can't... actually, not even remotely reproduce its functions."

Licorice said there were plenty of reasons why the giant contamination source at the refinery couldn't properly imitate the Invasion Tree.

The Invasion Tree always contains a "momentum core"—a black sphere of pure energy. Without a momentum core, it can't be called an Invasion Tree.

The refinery was where all the Blue Crystal mined from Titan was gathered, so the energy there was immense. Still, compared to a momentum core—it was laughable. The momentum core, after all, was used as the special energy source for the satellite gravity cannon—unmatched in power.

After all, the black energy beam fired by the Invasion Tree is as powerful as the gravity cannon. Even with today's technology, that sort of thing is considered impossible. I couldn't imagine slapping some bio-tissue together could really imitate it.

I suddenly thought of the bio-warp gate that Lobelia controlled—however, that was an exception. What Lobelia created versus what the Stalker mutated into—the gap was immense. They couldn't be compared.

"So if there had been enough energy at the refinery, could it have become an Invasion Tree?"

"It's not that simple. There's no reliable information in the knowledge that's come over so far. Maybe it hasn't been transferred yet, or Lobelia is controlling that info. But from what I think, energy alone probably isn't enough. At least, I hope not. If that's all it takes, they could mass-produce them."

"That's... horrifying."

Even if they weren't as formidable as the original, if those things started showing up everywhere, it would be suffocating. Actually, that would be the least of our problems. I hated imagining what could happen.

"Relax. At least, the ones here seem to act only as plants."

"Plants... They can only operate on the surface, right? They won't be flying around in space like our ships? Since they're organisms, it would be hard for them to survive in space... right?"

"..."

Licorice almost laughed, then her face turned serious. She parted her lips as if to speak, then closed them. That made me really uneasy. I pressed her for an answer, hoping she'd deny it.

"What is it? Why are you silent? You're worrying me."

"... The possibility isn't zero."

"...."

This time, I was left speechless. If the mutants started as a carrier vessel, growing their numbers from cocoons and expanding their territory—not on a planet's surface or upper atmosphere, but in outer space—no planet in the rear line could be considered safe.

With their propensity for mutation, they might eventually mimic active stealth on a high-tech level. If that happened, our defensive lines could be breeched with ease.

If an undetected plant dropped onto a planet or moon, another disaster like Titan's could play out anywhere. Rear-line supply planets falling to contamination would be just the start.

'It's not something I need to worry about immediately.'

Even so, the very thought was enough to give me a headache.

"Well, it's not like we'll always be in such a desperate situation as now—even if they show up, we could deal with them more easily. It's just tough now because we're like refugees; but don't forget our own technology isn't for show."

"That's true."

I nodded. That was a relief. At least our technology wasn't powerless against mutants.

Even the special types—bud units and giant mutants—could be destroyed by the core. If the day came even the core didn't work, we'd just have to find another way. The core wasn't the final word in tech anyway.

Due to various reasons, we couldn't communicate with Earth. It had been a while since the Reformist passed on news from Earth, but I wasn't too worried.

Earth is the cradle of all humanity's technologies. The military power there would surely be enough to overcome the disasters. The Invasion Tree had already appeared there, and they'd managed to suppress it. It was said the front lines were at Mars, so those lines were likely still holding.

"Forget about plants for now. You said everyone outside burned the ones at the refinery to ashes, right?"

"Yes."

"Then they can't interfere with escape from Titan. It's a good thing. Essentially, they've been taken care of ahead of time."

Licorice shrugged. She went on.

"So, are we done? If you have more questions, ask."

"Licorice, do I have some kind of power to command mutants, or something like that?"

"What are you talking about? Oh—are you talking about when Woof-woof was hurt?"

"Yes. But, have I ever told you about that?"

I looked puzzled. I hadn't mentioned driving away the mutants, but the fact that Licorice brought up the moment Nadia got hurt made it certain she knew.

'Did she overhear through comms at the time?'

That was the only explanation. After all, I hadn't even told Carrot.

Licorice hesitated to answer.

"Hmm..."

"If it's too hard to answer, you don't have to. I just wondered if you might know the reason."

"Bow your head."

"...?"

It was abrupt, but I obediently followed Licorice's instructions. Figuring she wanted me to get to her level, I bent my waist. Knowing I'd done it right, she reached out to touch me here and there.

"Lee Hyun-woo, you know it too. The more mutants you kill, the more fragments of that strength gets absorbed into you. That's probably the reason. You were already in the midst of absorbing Blue-Eye's power, so your emotions probably blended with it and projected unconsciously."

"Ah, so that's why. To them, I must have looked like a higher-rank entity?"

"That's right. Every time you exceed your limits, a blue ring forms in your eyes. They must have seen that. With the Blue-Eye's power inside you, your shout was registered as a higher-rank's command. That's my guess."

Licorice said that the blue ring in my eyes was part of that effect. She reached out and gently touched my eyes. From her hands, I felt a strange heat. No, it actually felt more like the energy inside me was reacting. My vision even tinged blue for a moment.

"Feel that? With the power I've come to control, I'm stimulating your psionic energy ever so slightly. At the refinery you couldn't use supernatural powers, but the energy you'd already absorbed didn't go anywhere. So, depending on your emotions, your psionic energy could temporarily activate. This is probably what it looked like."

Licorice used her bracelet to show me my face. My irises, which were normally black, now had a blue ring. It looked a little odd, but not completely unnatural.

"I didn't know my eyes turned blue."

I'd occasionally felt something strange, but brushed it aside. Nothing had really gotten in the way.

"You wouldn't know—you don't stop during battles to look in the mirror. Even when your reflection does appear, you're focused elsewhere."

Licorice withdrew her hand from my face. In her palm was a dark-red—no, nearly clear crimson energy. That was the very mystery that Lobelia handled.

It felt fundamentally similar to that mysterious power, but it didn't give me a bad feeling. Instead, it seemed to harmonize well with my own psionic energy. I even felt a peculiar sense of liberation.

As I stared at the red energy, Licorice hurriedly pulled back her hand, looking embarrassed. She cleared her throat.

"It's safe to use?"

"Not much. If I try to manifest as much power as I did unconsciously back then, my body suffers. My temperament changes, too—I get really aggressive. At that point I can't control myself."

"Could you do what you just did again?"

"That's not hard but... why?"

"It's just, when I get in touch with that power, it feels good. The ring seems clearer too."

"Wha—?"

Licorice snapped her hand away just as she'd naturally started reaching out to me again. Her face was flushed, and she looked as if I'd done something indecent. Her eyes seemed to glare at me in panic.

If I'd pulled her a little closer, I could have savored that strange sensation again. A shame—I found myself unconsciously licking my lips.

"You—you're addicted!"

"... Addicted? That was only once, though?"

"It's always the first try that's dangerous!"

"Aren't you curious, Licorice? Why I feel the power that way? Or is it just me? Didn't you feel anything?"

I hadn't expected to get such a feeling from the very mystery Licorice handled. I was the most confused by it, more than anyone. That's why I wanted to learn the reason.

"Uh, did I? No... maybe it's just because you were right in front of me—no, no, anyway! There's nothing to worry about. You only absorbed the bud's power, you haven't actually become one!"

Licorice, flustered, hurriedly rerouted to the main subject. Anyone could tell she was scrambling for words. If I pressed her further, she looked ready to claw at me, so I left it alone.

She explained that the effect of commanding those kinds of creatures was only a temporary phenomenon, unlike the original.

So, the Stalker's retreat at my shout was only for that single moment, and the fact that the plant at the refinery allowed Celestia's team to burn it with no resistance wasn't directly related to my shout.

"Good now? Go on—go help Woof-woof! If you keep staring at me, your gaze is going to burn straight through me!"

At her shout, I glanced back. Nadia, who had slipped into the cockpit and tried to hide herself with her tail, was peeking out at us. Her tail fur looked badly messed up, as if she'd chewed it out of frustration.

"Alright, I'm going—I'm going. I'll—...ah."

"What is it now?"

Licorice asked wearily as I turned to her again.

"There's one more thing."

"... You're turning me into an Archive! Fine, I said you could ask everything. What is it?"

"Kyle is struggling with an engine problem. He can't decide whether or not to use a doubling structure."

"Oh. Yeah... That's a tough one. Even the stuff we got this time is just medium-large, not a proper large-grade. I'll look into it. Any more questions?"

"That's it for now."

"For now... whew. Yeah, for now. Go on, then. I've got work piling up and can't hang out any longer. The external operations team are preparing to return, too; if the work gets delayed, it'll get messy."

Licorice shooed me away. As I left, I told her to let me know any time she needed help.

Just as I turned completely to leave, Licorice called me back and grabbed my arm.

"Lee Hyun-woo."

"Yes?"

"Keep your evening free. I'm going to talk to Carrot and find out exactly what happened earlier. I'm curious, too."

I nodded and waved. Since I didn't sense any negative feelings, I wasn't worried, but it seemed Licorice thought it was best, as I did, to clear things up.

After that, the storage bay became extremely busy. Together with Nadia, I almost finished restoring the power loader, and the new production line for converting security robots into Beta Series units was completed.

As the mountain of work was chipped away item by item, the once-empty storage bay filled up again, and time passed quickly.

The external team returned to Albatross, having collected a large batch of security robots from the robot production facility. But it wasn't just security robots they brought back.

Metal containers stamped with an unfamiliar logo piled up in one area. That was the surprise Celestia had mentioned.

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