Communication was dead.
Needless to say, both Latarnia and the Taikyoku Nation were in a total uproar. Even if you consider a neighboring country a nuisance, it’s a terrifying prospect when a nation you have diplomatic ties with suddenly goes radio silent—especially when you can't reach your own citizens living there.
Both governments were in a state of "We can't possibly explain this to the public!"
Protests were already flooding in from every angle. At the foreign ministry headquarters of both nations, the families of Chronos Residents had begun a sit-in protest.
While the Galactic Empire seemed largely unaffected, the Kamishiro Group had already expanded into Chronos. The employees of our Chronos Branch—a mix of Latarnians, Taikyoku citizens, and members of the Pirate Guild—were currently staging their own sit-in right in front of our building.
Hey, we don't know what's going on either!
For the time being, I gave them an explanation and opened up the warehouse in front of our head office building, which had been emptied due to the logistics freeze. I started distributing Cervantes' Bento to everyone.
A normal private enterprise couldn't pull this off, but since we were effectively a state-run company, we made it happen!
Next, I contacted the Pirate Guild. Chronos was the territory of one of the five Taijin, Oliver. I managed to get through to him immediately. He told me their facility colony served as the Chronos Hideout, which was why they were safe for now.
"I'm sorry. Correspondence with Chronos has been severed. How are things on your end?" I asked.
Oliver let out a heavy sigh. "It's the same here. We can't get in touch with anyone at the Chronos Hideout."
He looked exhausted, his face covered in rough stubble. He’d clearly been up all night.
"I see. Let me know if you hear anything."
"Understood."
"I'll send some sake your way later."
"That’s much appreciated."
I believed that nurturing these personal connections would pay dividends down the line, even when dealing with a pirate. In this specific case, I wasn't worried about betrayal. If he intended to double-cross me, he would have lied and said, "Actually, I've heard something through a back channel..."
If he said he didn't know, he truly didn't know. There was no reason for him to hide information, and a pirate wouldn't likely stumble upon a secret so significant that an entire nation would move to cover it up.
For now, we just wanted to know if people were dead or alive. If we couldn't get a signal, then a direct investigation was the only option. It would be an act of infringing on their sovereignty, but...
Time to consult with the relevant countries. The reason for the consultation was to spread the blame among everyone. If all three parties—Latarnia, the Taikyoku Nation, and the Galactic Empire—claimed, "We only went in because we couldn't contact our embassies or civilians," our position would be rock solid. No matter what Chronos said, we could push through with, "Well, it’s your fault for not answering!"
So, after everyone signed a memorandum that essentially said "We’re all accomplices," the investigation began.
Latarnia searched with their prized battleship. The Taikyoku Nation brought out a Huanglong-type. Since we didn't have a formal justification for war, we conducted our investigation by scattering Kevin’s drones from a transport ship. They were standard disaster-relief models that could switch between tires and legs.
If a fight broke out, I’d leave it to Latarnia and the Taikyoku Nation. We were strictly there to rescue our company employees.
Man, unlike during the Zork War when the law was barely a suggestion, there were way too many restrictions now! If anyone said to me, "Leo, you’ve changed..." I’d punch them. Shut up! I’m doing my absolute best over here! This is exactly why I said I didn't want to be in charge!
Anyway, I dumped the actual work on Kevin, who was currently being considered for the position of General Manager of the Veronica Fleet Scout Squad. However, the fact that he’d once nearly killed me was being treated as an issue by the upper brass, so the promotion was on hold.
That said, making the reason public and punishing him would be a disaster, considering how popular Kevin had become thanks to the Kamishiro Squad Girls Photobook. I’d given my blessing for the promotion with a smile, but rumors were now circulating that "I’m planning to kill him myself," and the debate was getting heated.
What are you people talking about? Why would I kill a precious human resource who can take work off my plate? (Grinning like a villain). If anything, I’ll hold that attempted assassination over his head forever to make him do my chores! Otherwise, I’ll be killed by overwork before he ever gets another shot at me!
Also... to those certain circles spreading the theory that Kevin is my secret lover—especially you, Mom! I’m never forgiving any of you!
"Dropping the drones!"
With that, the Boob Fiend deployed the drones. The target was one of Chronos' Core Urban Planets. The name was one of those where the pronunciation was a nightmare.
La... La... Laomei? Wait, how do you even pronounce the next part? I couldn't read it at all. I mean, it wasn't like an Impossible Game where the pronunciation involved something like "the sound of rubbing teeth and tongue together" like in the Proone Language, but it was still hard. I gave up. Omitted. Apparently, it meant "Flower Planet." It seemed to be a tourist destination.
These were the Scout Squad's pride and joy: the latest model drones. This time, they weren't slaughter machines, but rescue units. The Scout Squad members, usually treated like a grim Assassination Unit, were in surprisingly high spirits.
"Squad Leader Kevin, we've reached the surface. Feeding the visual through now... What in the world is this!?"
"L-Leo! I'm sending the footage to you!" Kevin called out, sounding panicked.
Wondering what was wrong, I looked at the screen and was left speechless. What I saw was straight out of an apocalyptic wasteland. Buildings were collapsed and crumbling.
Of course, it wasn't nuclear fire that caused this. The culprit had just lunged at the drone.
"S-Something’s closing in! I-It’s the locusts! The drone’s malfunctioning—they’re eating it! Signal lost!"
Those of us who had fought them directly—me, Claire, and Rikochi—as well as Tatiana’s guards, could only fall silent. Those locusts were no joke. We wouldn't lose to them, but we couldn't exactly win, either.
Even dispatching Tatiana would be too dangerous. No, this was impossible.
"Latarnia and the Taikyoku Nation have restored satellite communications! They say the civilians are taking refuge underground."
"Wifey... what do we do about this?"
"I am at my wit's end," Veronica replied. "There is nothing left but to burn it all down, is there?"
"Ugh... that’s the only way, isn't it? Thoroughly crushing the economy like this... Hey, Locust Developer-kun, do you even have a human heart!?"
This weapon was the kind that would leave a permanent scar on population statistics, a deed that would never be forgiven. It was effectively an Extermination War. Even the Galactic Empire was still reeling from the demographic scars left by the Zork War. It was only being overlooked now because of the post-war economic boom.
Are they idiots? Sure, if they were as alien as the Zork, I could understand, but that’s why the Zork were wiped out. If you don't understand the concept of "don't overdo it," you're destined to perish. Because eventually, your opponent will resist by staking their entire existence against you.
"How... are we going to rescue them?" Kevin asked.
There was no one left who could answer him.