It was once again an unnamed planet.
Unclaimed and valueless.
The atmosphere was likely a remnant of a half-baked terraforming project before they withdrew.
Still, forests had formed; there seemed to be a massive amount of trees, grass, and insects.
The temperature was high—a tropical climate.
It felt like it should be comfortable, but I suspected pathogens were rampant.
I mean, there's no way a tropical region in the middle of nowhere remains uninhabited without a catch.
Something was bound to be terribly wrong.
There were no signs of enemies... which was scary in itself!
Yes... it was scary.
I was freaking out even though nothing was there.
"There are life signs. Based on the thermal signatures, they might be mammals."
Kevin reported, taking his role as a scout quite seriously.
Claire assisted him, but nothing appeared.
We didn't see so much as a single rabbit.
There were artificial structures, but most were decaying.
Among them, we discovered an exceptionally massive military-style facility.
Since I was so on edge, we descended in our Humanoid Fighters nearby.
A marshland stretched out across the area, and the land near the river had become a jungle.
After landing, the first thing I did was dig into the soil.
Ugh, it was waterlogged.
Peat Soil.
It was soil where organic matter hadn't decomposed.
Agriculture would be a nightmare here.
Even if we improved the soil, the distance from the Imperial Capital made the prospect of recovering any investment impossible.
"Leo, how is it?"
"Ah, yeah... it's land with zero profit potential."
Hydroponics would be the same. In the end, costs would skyrocket if we couldn't produce fertilizer locally.
Even if we pawned this off on some Baronet, they'd just end up as a slave to the nearby nobility... though that might actually be the better outcome.
In reality, if they had nothing to offer, they’d just be left to rot and die out.
Imperial subsidies wouldn't be granted either unless there was a possibility of future growth.
I didn't understand it until I became a lord, but Economic Rationality is quite important.
It’s about whether you can keep your people fed.
That’s why the people who abandoned this place were actually competent. They used their reason to resist the Concorde Effect, refusing to pour more money into a sinking ship. They were impressive.
I didn't feel like I could imitate them if I were in the same position.
"How ephemeral... hm?"
I thought I saw something flicker at the edge of my vision.
Eddie and his group arrived.
Isono spoke to me with the casual energy of someone asking to play baseball.
"Yo, Leo. What's up?"
"Something’s here."
"Something? You mean like a Crayfish?"
I was sure there were crayfish, but I’d seen something green...
"GYASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Huh?"
It was the grass.
The 'grass' suddenly lunged, draping itself over Isono's Machine from above.
Upon closer inspection, I saw insectoid legs sprouting from it.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
That was a genuine, blood-curdling scream.
I’d be screaming like a little girl too if that happened to me!
"Get it off! Get it off me, hurryyyyyyy!!!"
Isono was practically sobbing as he begged for help.
Snapping out of it, I delivered a kick to the bug. It was surprisingly light—likely because it was an insect.
"Waaaaaah! I’m ruined! I can never be a Groom now!"
Covered in sticky fluids, Isono wailed like a child. I’d be crying too!
The insect had been camouflaged as a patch of grass. It was likely a carnivore that had pounced the moment it sensed us moving.
Isono's Machine... was fine. Just some scratched paint. I took back my previous thought; this place was dangerous enough to make the Concorde Effect look like a joke.
If it had been just one bug, it would have been a funny story. But reality was far harsher.
"GYASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
The sound of clicking mandibles and screeching echoed from every direction. Weren't we surrounded?
"Prepare for battle!"
As I shouted, everyone frantically readied their weapons. I’d had a hunch, but we were completely boxed in. A significant portion of the grass in the marshland consisted of these creatures.
Of course no one could colonize this planet with bugs this big running around!
"Are these things Zork!?" Eddie yelled, firing his rifle.
"Probably not!"
I started picking off the insects as well.
"Master! Switching to my Shotgun!"
With that, Ren initiated a Charge with her Shotgun. When it came to fighting dangerous lifeforms, Ren was the most reliable person I knew. After all, the Beast Race was originally a race created to fight dangerous creatures.
...If a cockroach ever gets into our room, I'm definitely leaving it to Ren.
Even a Crab is creepy, so an insect with green, grass-like hair is out of the question!
Ren tore through them one after another. Our attacks were effective. They didn't seem to have intelligence, but it was a terrifying Violence of Numbers.
Fortunately, we weren't taking any real damage. Their attacks weren't powerful enough to punch through the armor of the Humanoid Fighters. It was just incredibly disgusting!
Furthermore, we couldn't step out of our machines. If we were in our raw bodies, we might get injured. I hate this planet!
"Leo! I'm dropping the bombs!" Kevin called out.
Sniffle.
It was Napalm. Because the planet was so rich in oxygen, the resulting explosion felt like a death sentence.
Chudoom.
Essentially, the surfaces of our machines were charred black. I wanted to cry. Still, the insects kept coming. It was as if they didn't know the fear of fire... Or perhaps they really didn't. The surrounding bugs were incinerated... I was just glad the peat didn't ignite.
Scrambling over the insect corpses, we bolted toward the artificial structure.
Since we couldn't use the Roller Dash in the marshland, we were truly running for our lives.
"H-Here comes the second wave!"
"S-Stay away from meeeee!"
"Are you kidding meeeee!"
It was pure chaos.
"Opening the door!"
The Fairy hacked the system, the door opened, and we slid inside.
"Close it!"
"Roger that!"
The heavy doors shut, finally cutting us off from those revolting insects.
"Eddie, I'm glad we didn't bring Suematsu-san along."
"...Agreed."
I’d considered bringing him as a gag character, but he was currently on the battleship guarding Tatiana and One-oh-one. He’s slow; if he’d been with us, he wouldn't have made it before the door closed.
Alyssa was the only one on the front lines.
But it was fine. I was convinced now. This was a gag world. For now.
The interior of the facility resembled a factory. Hmm, was it Imperial? Was anyone actually still here?
"I'll investigate with the drones," Kevin said, sending them further inside.
What was with this place? The mental exhaustion was becoming overwhelming...