It had been the right choice to establish communication with Experimental Subject-chan.
After a few minutes of stalemate, the Locust-B-Gone was finally deployed.
Note to self: I should prepare a liquid version for next time.
Powder was lighter and had a longer shelf life, but it had its drawbacks.
We were all wearing our Chemical Warfare Combat Suits—and you know what that meant?
It meant this!
A massive, simultaneous burst of Locust-B-Gone sprayed directly over us.
Splaaat!
Even if it was harmless to humans... wasn't this a bit much?
They must have added a propellant to make the dispersal easier.
My eyes... I couldn't see a thing!
Suddenly, a tentacle whipped through the air.
"Urgh!"
I dodged through sheer instinct.
But the enemy was in the same boat. It couldn't see anything either!
The problem was that the poison's effect wasn't instantaneous. The mold toxin worked in two stages. The first was a neurotoxin, though I wasn't sure exactly how effective it would be on this thing.
The second stage triggered a reaction when it mixed with a Locust's digestive fluids, turning it into a lethal poison.
It had no effect on humans—for now, at least. Technically, it only worked on modified Locusts, but inhaling a large quantity was still a bad idea. That was why the Chemical Warfare Equipment was recommended.
I couldn't really complain, though. This stuff had completely bypassed every standard safety and approval procedure for agricultural chemicals.
The monster's screams—and even its mimicry of a child's voice—had vanished. It was simply flailing its tentacles blindly.
Was this a sign that the poison was ineffective, or was it a sign of its tremendous power?
Regardless, no one in our group was going to be hit by an attack of this level.
"Hey, everyone!"
I caught a glimpse of everyone's backs.
Huh?
"Retreat! Fall back! Keep running until the poison's effect is confirmed!"
No way! They were even faster at retreating than I was!
I sprinted alongside them. Once we were outside the room, I shouted.
"Fairy! Seize the door controls and lock that thing in!"
"You got it!"
"Is everyone here?!"
"All present!" Eddy called out.
A moment later, the door slammed shut.
Exhaustion suddenly hit me, but I pulled myself together for one last shout.
"All units, roll call!"
Roll calls were vital. I had to make sure no one had been left behind.
"Where's Suematsu-san?!"
"He was the first one out the door!"
"Good!"
Impressive! Honestly, I was the one who had been lacking a sense of crisis this time. I needed to reflect on that.
While the roll call continued, I set a simple trap on the door. I knew it would probably only buy us a little time, but it was better than nothing. If it alerted us to an attack, the labor cost was more than worth it.
I used Duct Tape to secure a Plasma Grenade to the side of the door and attached a tripwire to the safety pin. Since the creature used tentacles to move, it was unlikely to avoid it. I left a bit of slack in the wire.
The moment it touched that wire—boom.
"He’s setting traps with such practiced ease... it’s almost scary. Believe it or not, that guy is our Grand Duke."
"Who said that?!"
Melissa’s composure completely shattered at my shout.
"Pff—hahahaha! Stop it, Captain! You're killing me!"
As she laughed, a knocking sound echoed from the other side of the door.
"Open up... it’s dark in here..."
It was a child's voice. The creature likely didn't even understand the words it was speaking, but the sound grated on my nerves. It was a voice designed to trigger a human’s protective instincts.
My reason knew it was a deceptive camouflage, but it still felt like foul play.
The voice shifted into agonizing screams and high-pitched shrieks. If anyone had heard this without knowing the truth, they would have rushed to help and been devoured.
The monster’s undoing, however, was its lack of intelligence. It was rampaging violently while screaming like a dying child. There was no way the poison wasn't working.
The knights reacted in different ways. Some covered their ears. Others braced themselves, determined to remain unmoved. Some were simply simmering with quiet rage.
Me? I’d always anticipated encountering an enemy like this, so I felt nothing but a hollow emptiness. The Fairy was the same. In fact, she seemed relieved that the enemy was actually less dangerous than the ones in our prior simulations.
Gradually, the voices grew quieter.
To assume the enemy was dead just like that was probably too optimistic.
"Kevin! Where's the drone?"
"Standing by!"
He sent over a video Link. The monster had collapsed.
"Kevin, attack it."
"Copy that."
The muffled thump of a Self-destruct Drone's explosion echoed through the door.
"It’s not moving! Wait... sorry, I take that back. It’s still twitching. Looks like the poison is finally setting in."
So it wasn't an instant kill. I didn't know if this pitiful creature deserved a slow death, but I couldn't help but feel a flicker of sympathy for its inability to just end.
"Should we take a break?"
Perhaps I shouldn't have said that.
With its final burst of strength, the monster slammed into the door. The metal buckled, and the creature began to crawl out.
In that instant, my trap triggered.
The Plasma Grenade exploded.
But the destruction didn't stop there. The room was filled with fine insecticide powder, Kevin's Self-destruct Drone, and various flammable lab materials. The final catalyst was likely the propellant from the sprayers.
One after another, they ignited in a massive chain reaction.
"Deploy Personal Shields!"
Everyone had their shields up before the words even left my mouth. Excellent reflexes! Even so, if we hadn't been in Chemical Warfare Equipment, we would have been toast. My helmet was literally scorched!
My Personal Shield hissed as it overheated.
"Is... is everyone alive?!"
"We're good!"
I really thought I was a goner. I almost died in the middle of a literal explosion skit. To go out on a punchline that stupid would have been unbearable.
Oh, wait!
"What about Experimental Subject-chan?!"
"NO... PROBLEM."
"I kept the door closed, so she's safe!" the Fairy chirped.
"Nice work, Fairy!"
Locking the door was important. Really, really important.
"And the enemy?"
"Blown to bits!"
And so, we successfully completed the mission, adhering to the golden rule: a field trip isn't over until you’re all the way home.
Afterward, I finished the Life Support System and brought Experimental Subject-chan outside. My plan was to relocate her to the Chronos Palace.
Experimental Subject-chan stared up at the sky.
"The weather is beautiful today. Just make sure you don't look directly at the sun."
"BRIGHT... BUT... BEAUTIFUL..."
A small bird landed on the case housing Experimental Subject-chan.
Once the monster was defeated, the discharge of Pollutants ceased. To be precise, since we blew up the entire room, we weren't exactly sure which part of the explosion fixed the problem, but it stopped nonetheless.
With the pollutants gone and the Land Purification Project underway, the local wildlife slowly began to return. They must have been hiding somewhere nearby.
"There goes the Captain again, recruiting more wild animals for his subordinates," Melissa teased with a laugh. I hadn't even done anything!
The little bird tilted its head as it looked at Experimental Subject-chan.
"I... CAME... OUTSIDE... HAPPY..."
"Yeah. I’ve downsized the Life Support System, so let's go for a walk in the Palace Garden sometime."
"YES."
A lot had happened, but all's well that ends well.