Chapter Eleven: Calm Waves

Page 1/3

The combined fleet stood ready in the open sea, yet the surface of the water was unnervingly calm. The more peaceful it seemed, the more the officers and crew members felt a tightening in their chests. The destructive power and resilience of the monster’s first appearance had been terrifying. All personnel involved in the operation had watched the internal footage of that initial attack, so this time they were prepared. Despite the commander’s confident words before the director, whether they could effectively kill this target remained uncertain.

“Fog is rolling in…” The fleet commander squinted as he watched the thick mist creeping over the sea. He had listened to the combat recordings from high above when the monster had first appeared. As soon as the pilots noticed the fog, the creature had quickly emerged from within it.

“All ships, prepare for battle!” he ordered decisively. “Fighter jets, take off!”

Sonar swept repeatedly across the seabed at the designated target area.

“Commander! The spatial index in the target zone… is spiking rapidly!” As expected, the observer reported loudly. “It’s breaking the critical point!”

Suddenly, huge waves crashed across the sea’s surface. This was only natural, as something enormous had just appeared beneath the water.

Shakia and Traum were en route—would she make it to the battlefield in time?

Violent explosions erupted from the ocean floor, instantly churning the surface into a roiling tempest. Even the combined fleet’s ships, stationed far from the blast zone, began to pitch violently. Yet the crew remained calm, for the deep-sea bombs laid in advance had been triggered by the monster’s appearance.

“The first wave of attacks is effective! Target ascending rapidly!” the observer relayed to all ships. “The air squadron is in position.”

“Good! Break formation! Entire fleet, missiles and torpedoes, aim for the target area!” The commander of the world’s strongest navy truly was a master of military strategy and tactics.

The creature burst suddenly from the sea! Through the high-powered telescope, it appeared as a grayish-white entity, starfish-like in shape. Indescribable, as if some twisted being from the depths of hell itself.

“Target surfaced! Distance: 10 kilometers!”

“Fire!”

The latest cruisers and submarines from the world’s major powers unleashed volleys of firepower in unprecedented coordinated attack. In a sense, this was humanity’s pinnacle of combat capability on Earth.

Countless anti-ship missiles screamed through the air! These missiles, capable of striking hundreds of kilometers away, hit the target at just 10 kilometers almost instantaneously.

Explosions rippled across the distant monster’s body.

Above the sea, the transport planes received the combat initiation signal. Shakia was already in the cockpit, standing by.

“So it’s begun…”

“This time, the enemy is the UN forces. Let’s see what they’re capable of.” Shion sat just outside the open cockpit.

“Shion, I heard these monsters all came for the Svarg underground root cube. Why are they appearing at sea this time?”

Page 2/3

Shakia’s concern didn’t seem to be about the military’s results against the monster.

“Well… it seems these creatures don’t really get to choose where they appear… haha…” Shion seemed caught off guard by the question and tried to deflect with an awkward laugh.

“I thought you knew everything.”

“I’m not the director… this is all I know.”

Shion smiled wryly.

Not just Shakia—even someone as experienced as Shion wasn’t fully informed about the whole situation. But she believed clarity would come in time. When she first joined the bureau, Shion had requested more information about her organization from the director, who willingly provided it. Yet Shion found herself even more confused; much of the material the director gave her was incomprehensible.

“Well, when the day comes, your generation of humans will gradually understand,” the director had said, leaving those words behind.

“…Is that really so?” Shakia pondered Shion’s explanation, wondering when she might see those documents herself. Perhaps they had something to do with her.

“All units, attention: approaching target sea area!” The transport plane’s broadcast crackled.

“Alright, prepare to depart…” Shion patted the cockpit and stood.

“Mm…” Shakia readied herself for neural synchronization.

“Attack order canceled! Repeat, Traum attack order canceled!”

“Huh!?” The message stunned both Shion and Shakia.

Not only them—other crew members ready for action also showed puzzled expressions.

“Although sudden, this is per the combined fleet commander’s request,” the broadcast continued. “Our aircraft will now proceed to rendezvous with the military base at the port city of Da Nang.”

“What the hell?” Shion and Shakia exchanged glances.

“Looks like we’ll only know after we get there…” Shakia sighed and climbed out of the cockpit.

At Da Nang’s military base, the transport plane’s airstrip stood next to a naval port. Perhaps this was the first time so many international warships had docked simultaneously—a spectacle akin to a naval review. That night, the port buzzed with unprecedented activity.

“Hello, I am Commander Mike Ansell of the Combined Fleet.”

“Hello, sir. I am Shion Fujiwara from the Svarg Bureau.”

At the naval port, Svarg Bureau personnel met the UN Navy on the deck of an aircraft carrier. Shakia accompanied Shion. Upon hearing Shion’s self-introduction, it became clear she was a foreigner… at least to Qin Yun. Yet her fluent local language put Qin Yun at ease. Since the Svarg Bureau gathered talent from all over the world, this was understandable.

Page 3/3

The monster was reportedly destroyed by the combined fleet. This shocked Shion deeply. In theory, this was good news, but she worried the opposing commander might have been overconfident.

“Don’t worry. Your director has received this news as well and expressed the same concerns you have. I understand where you’re coming from—after all, this is humanity’s first encounter with such a creature,” Commander Mike said slowly, drawing on his cigar.

“I can guarantee that even if it returns, we will shatter it again.”

“Good. I want to see your combat footage,” Shion was quick to request.

“No problem. In return, we’d like to see your mobile weapon.”

As expected from a commander of the world’s leading military power, his curiosity about weaponry was intense. Fortunately, the director had instructed that if the military was curious about the machine, they could tour it freely. Thus, Shion felt confident about handling this situation.

Meanwhile, Shakia was assigned to remain on standby inside the transport plane.

Indeed, if the attacking monster was eliminated by military might, that would be ideal. At least it meant less trouble for her. Perhaps today’s trip was in vain, but not wasted. Thinking this, Shakia stepped off the transport plane and asked a base soldier for instant coffee, preparing a cup.

Suddenly, many soldiers entered the hangar, striding toward Shakia.

“What are you… planning to do?”

Shakia paused mid-sip, raising an eyebrow at them.

“Could this be the robot? We’ve been authorized to come take a look!” the lead soldier asked excitedly. They had come for a tour.

“Mm…”

“Are you the pilot?” The soldiers eagerly surrounded her, chattering away.

“Mm…” There was no need to answer, as Shakia was still wearing her pilot suit.

The soldiers peppered her with questions, creating a lively scene.

Looks like it was best to just let these curious soldiers have their tour.