We focused on rescuing the injured in the warehouse.
I wanted to get them out of there as soon as possible, so I assigned half the boys to evacuation duty. They looked a bit dissatisfied with being relegated to transport, but they followed my orders.
While the maintenance squad conducted their inspections, Claire and I took a breather. I gnawed on a calorie bar as I watched them work.
"Who else here took the medic course?" I asked.
"Kevin did," Claire said with a wry smile.
Colony citizens had a tendency to hoard as many certifications as possible, provided they were free. They wouldn't go out of their way to pay for a course like I did, but if it was complimentary, they’d never miss a session.
Kevin was no exception. He had aggressively collected certifications for everything—medic initial training, maintenance, operator, and even public relations. Because of that, he was far more active as support than on the front lines. In fact, our shifts would have massive gaps without him. He was the one member we absolutely couldn't lose; when I made the schedule, his time off was always the first thing I had to consider.
In short, it would be a major problem if he got hurt. Even with his medic license, I couldn't risk putting him on the vanguard. We had no choice but to have him help carry others.
The boys loaded the rescued workers onto floatboards and began the trek out. Once we saw them off, it was time for us to resume the search.
"Off we go, then."
We started by scouting with drones. However, the corridors remained empty.
"Rikuto-san," I said, opening a channel to his machine. "I get the part about the 'meat,' but what was that about Master Yashichi becoming a Zork?"
"...You might think it sounds ridiculous, but this happened a few days ago. Master Yashichi turned into a monster."
"He didn't turn into a woman?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"This is confidential, but I almost died a while back after getting shot by someone who had suddenly transformed into a woman. Apparently, the Zorks are seeding spies among us who’ve been genetically modified."
"...And that spy is?"
"He’s on medic duty today."
"Why didn't you kill him!?"
"He’s a friend, so I didn't really want to. While I was busy being indecisive, it just kind of turned into me forgiving him..."
"Are you actually terrible at internal affairs? I heard you were some cold-blooded combat maniac!"
"Well, look... I was the only victim, so I figured as long as I kept my mouth shut, it wouldn't be a problem."
"You're the head of a Marquis House! Do you really think that's how things work?"
"Actually, I was hoping I could use the power of the Marquis House to make the whole incident disappear. If any idiots try to use it against me, I can just kill them, right?"
"Extreme! Your logic is way too extreme!"
It seemed Rikuto was the straight man type. He peppered me with a barrage of retorts.
"At any rate, I’ve realized you’re abnormally soft on your own people. Now, back to my story."
"Right, go ahead."
"Master Yashichi became a monster... that meat. At first, he had the shape of a creature, but then he suddenly collapsed and melted."
I felt a sudden chill. Maybe the planets where Kevin and everyone else turned into women were actually the lucky ones.
It made sense. A forced biological transformation in such a short period of time couldn't possibly have a high success rate. Kevin was likely a rare, compatible anomaly. Statistically, turning into a heap of flesh like Master Yashichi was probably the more common outcome.
Wait... if those parasites were involved...
I contacted my wife.
"What is it, Lord Groom? You look like you're trying to experience every emotion at once."
"That meat... it’s what Kevin would have ended up as if the change failed."
"...Explain yourself."
I laid out the details for her. In short: if the transformation didn't take, you became a monster.
"I suspected as much, but it seems they truly do view us humans as nothing more than experimental subjects."
"They clearly have intelligence, but it feels like we can't even find a starting point for negotiations. The gap between us is as wide as the one between a human and a crayfish."
"And they care not what happens to their subjects... much like how we treat the local wildlife we capture."
That applied to humans, too. We’d likely capture and dissect them if given the chance. Regarding the Humanoid Zorks, Veronica and Thomas had already issued internal memos prohibiting inhumane treatment.
If the truth about the meat monsters ever got out, morale would tank. We fought with such intensity because we believed we were up against "Zorks, the evil creatures that suddenly invaded." If the soldiers realized they were fighting people they had lived with until yesterday—people turned into lab rats—their will to fight would vanish in an instant.
Maro’s actions were already a ticking time bomb.
"Anyway, I'm heading back into the fray."
"You have the Bolt Thrower equipped, yes?"
"Yeah, though I'm not sure how effective it'll be."
"Umu. Do not overreach, and come back to me alive. You have a habit of almost dying, Lord Groom!"
"I'll do my best."
Once the report was finished, the drone search concluded as well. The problem lay in what the optical cameras had captured.
"Look at this scene," the Fairy said, beginning her analysis.
The drone's camera showed nothing at first. But in the next second, a mass of meat was suddenly clinging to the wall of a ventilation duct that had appeared empty a moment before.
"...Optical camouflage?"
"I believe it is simply incredibly transparent. I'm not sure why the ultrasonic sensors missed it, but this is going to be troublesome."
I finally understood why the Samurai had been defeated so easily. They were likely stronger than Melissa, yet they had lost. They must have been caught completely off guard.
"So, what's the plan?"
"Hmm... You said this meat was formerly human and possessed high intelligence," the Fairy mused. "In that case, it might have a complex regarding you, Leo-kun."
"Because of my Fake One-inch Punch?"
If the person had been a warrior in their human life, they might have even been able to use things like Breath Power or Aiki. Or maybe a Rocket Kick that could bridge the gap of an entire arena.
"Even if it’s 'fake,' the destructive power is the real deal," the Fairy countered.
"Wait, is there a chance it’ll target me obsessively instead?"
"..."
"Don't go silent. It makes me anxious."
"That might actually be a good thing," she said brightly.
I had a bad feeling I was about to be used as live bait. But how was I supposed to fight something I couldn't see?
"Its learning ability is remarkably high. It understands that as long as it doesn't attack, the drones won't detect it."
"Should I just blow myself up?"
"We want to fight on our own terms, so for now, we'll pretend we haven't noticed it."
So, our side had some learning ability too. If I thought of the enemy as a mere Zork, their strategy made no sense, but if I viewed them as a human, I could predict their moves to an extent.
I needed to come up with a plan of my own.
Time to get to work. Whatever the case, that meat was in my way.