I was finally released from quarantine after being held for about forty-eight hours.
They inspected every single nook and cranny on my way out—and I do mean every cranny.
...My marriage prospects are ruined! (Not that it matters, since I’ve already married into a family.)
"Were you doing okay?"
Claire was waiting for me outside.
"I was so bored I thought I’d die. How were things on your end?"
"I was stuck in inspections the whole time, too. Mostly because I ate the food you made."
Oh, crap! So that was it! I was the reason!
"I’m sorry..."
"It couldn't be helped. No one noticed the risk at the time."
"So, what’s the word on Sariel?"
"I kept the details from you because there was a concern your brain might have been compromised," she said.
"Please stop telling me terrifying things so casually."
"Just listen. The Sariel fragment grew massive by absorbing metal. Once the crew evacuated, the ship was destroyed using the self-destruct system."
"Whoa... how scary. Any human casualties?"
"Many injured, but it seems no one was taken over."
"...So that means Sariel can only assimilate metal."
In that case, there was a high probability he was either a cyborg or an android. That was better than the mass of flesh that had appeared back at Melissa’s family home, at least mentally.
"Well, I’m going to go check out the latest weapon."
I headed toward the hut housing the Shaping printer.
The new hardware was being output as we spoke. If the enemy was controlled by electronic circuits, a weapon like the Bolt Thrower should be effective—even if it was a defective piece of junk that scorched the user along with the target.
Looking at the output, the new weapon appeared to be a Grenade Launcher. I had a bad feeling about this. I was probably the one who’d have to use it, after all.
When I stepped out of the hut, I ran into Eddie.
"Yo, Leo. Finally out of the slammer?"
"Stop making it sound like I was in prison! Did they inspect you too, Eddie?"
"Just X-rays, a CT scan, and blood work. No issues found."
I was glad it had only been that much for him. Ha ha ha.
"Well, that’s good to hea—"
The ground suddenly lurched. A high-pitched alarm began to blare.
"Earthquake! Everyone, stay alert!"
I was currently outside. There were no desks to crawl under. I dropped to the ground on the spot, curling up like a turtle to protect the back of my head while I waited for the shaking to stop. In this Japanese-descended Empire, earthquake drills were the one thing everyone took seriously.
My military uniform was already covered in dust. And after I just got a brand-new one, too! I mean, sure, I’d been wearing it for two days, but still!
"What was that?! What happened?!"
The tremors subsided after about a minute. Eddie shouted over the alarm.
"Enemy attack! We have an intrusion from outside the atmosphere! To your stations!"
This was the temporary base we had supposedly finished leveling just a few days prior. When I tried to stand, my feet sank into the earth. It wasn't quite full liquefaction, but the soil had become dangerously soft and mushy.
I wobbled my way into the headquarters, struggling to maintain my footing. Eddie managed to follow close behind.
"What's coming?!"
At my question, Kevin, who was glued to the monitors, answered me.
"I don't know! But something just dropped out of orbit! It's falling right toward us!"
Nina-san adjusted her Head-mounted Display.
"I'm deploying the Self-propelled Guns and Tanks to the predicted landing zone for now."
"I’ve got the backup drones heading that way, too."
"Wait, from space? Then what caused that earthquake?"
"That was something else entirely!"
Are you kidding me...?
While I was waiting for more info, Wifey came rushing in.
"Lord Groom! I have been searching for you!"
"Wifey, you need to get out of here! I’ll hold them off!"
"N-No, but!"
"Just go! Piggett! Respond! Wifey is at the Operations Headquarters. Collect her and evacuate. I’ll buy some time."
"Understood."
Piggett arrived instantly and whisked Wifey away. Honestly, I thought it would have been safer for her here, but better safe than sorry.
Claire, Melissa, and Ren arrived a moment later. It seemed Ren and Melissa had been on cooking duty; they were both still wearing their aprons.
And based on the smell, the menu was almost certainly meat-heavy.
"I spent so much time making charshiu! But the pot flipped over!" Ren wailed.
Considering she was cooking for the whole unit, the number of overturned pots must have been staggering.
What a waste...
"Dammit! I spilled all the napolitan! I won't forgive this!"
Wait a second. Were you planning to serve charshiu and napolitan together? What kind of menu were you two putting together? Seriously.
O-Oh, I see! Side dishes. That must be it!
"Crap! They even ruined the main dish!"
Napolitan was the main dish?! And you had charshiu... w-was there rice too?
"I was just about to fry the frozen minced meat cutlets..."
"And the fried gyoza..."
I could feel the sheer chaotic energy of a menu conceived by schoolboys. Since we were at a temporary base, they weren't exactly prioritizing nutritional balance; they were just cooking whatever was on hand. But still... to create a meal as uninhibited and calorie-dense as a sumo stable’s feast... you two really outdid yourselves.
So far, no sissy items like 'salad' had even been mentioned. I was naive to think that putting chili shrimp on fried rice was going too far!
As I was distracted by these trivial thoughts, a piercing burst of static erupted from the PA system. The noise gradually coalesced into a human voice.
"Hello, Leo Kamishiro. It took quite a bit of effort to reconstruct my body. Now, shall we resume our negotiations?"
"Shut your mouth, you damn liar!"
I was so sick of this Sariel! We spoke the same language, but he was incapable of actual conversation. Or rather, he did nothing but lie. There was no point in talking to him.
T-That’s it! The new weapon!
"I'm going to go grab my gear!"
I sprinted back out, with Eddie, Melissa, and Ren following in my wake. We reached the Shaping printer hut, and I snatched up the finished weapon. This part is the grenade, and this is the cartridge.
"Leo-kun! Be careful! You might actually die if you use that!"
The Fairy was sounding frantic.
"What is it, is it cursed? Is this poison gas?"
"No! It's just... well, if you were over fifty, it might be fatal... anyway, just be careful! If you pass out, I’ll call a doctor immediately!"
That is way too terrifying!
The ground lurched again with a heavy thud.
"Leo-kun, let's play."
Stepping outside, I saw an amorphous, liquid mass swaying in the distance. To make matters even worse, I saw Crabs falling from the sky.
The difficulty level just spiked through the roof! Couldn't someone have handled the difficulty balancing a little better than this?!