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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 444
｢Scan complete. No abnormalities detected.｣
“Next, we’ll proceed with an internal inspection. Please cooperate.”
“Another inspection? Come on, just skip it already, will you?”
The NEO-3 star system had three security gates to ensure its defense. Anyone trying to enter the system had to pass through one of the massive fortress stations that served as checkpoints.
NEO First Gate City was one of those entry points.
This colossal structure, built to accommodate and resupply entire fleets, was as busy as ever hordes of visitors came and went each day.
“If you refuse, we have orders from command to subdue you with force. We ask for your cooperation.”
“What? What capital are you from?!”
“If you have a complaint, please file it formally with the Edgerton family.”
“You son of a—!”
At the mention of ‘Edgerton’ from the soldier conducting the inspection, those who understood the weight behind that name quickly fell silent.
“Hey, time for shift change.”
Only after inspecting dozens of ships did the long-awaited break arrive. The exhausted soldiers gathered in a quiet corner, e-cigarettes in hand.
“Damn, the flow just won’t stop.”
“All because of those goddamn monsters. I heard half the sectors are already screwed.”
Their own system was holding off the Outspacers well enough, but not everywhere was so lucky. Both the media and the base were filled with stories of star systems reduced to ruins.
“Didn’t you say you're from the frontier? What about your family?”
“They moved to Triton last year.”
“Triton? As in the Triton, in the Solar System?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why the hell are you busting your ass here? Rich bastard.”
“Heh, rich my ass. Took out a loan just to get in. One slip, and I’m a wage-slave for life.”
“Tch. Rich guy problems. What about you, Rodman?”
A soldier named Rodman tilted his head at the question.
“Huh? Oh, uh… I can’t really remember.”
“What the hell? You forgot where your wife lives?”
“Haven’t been sleeping much. My memory’s been weird lately.”
“Sleep, my ass. You’re probably hopped up on something.”
“Tch. I get where he’s coming from. I wire money every week, but I only hear back maybe twice a year. I can’t even remember what my kids look like anymore.”
“One guy’s so fried he forgets his wife, another’s got his kids on Triton and barely remembers their faces. What a mess.”
“I’m telling you, I’m not on anything.”
Even during their break, the soldiers couldn’t help but sink into grim conversation.
NEO First Gate City itself had never come under direct attack—but the same couldn’t be said for the people stationed here. A large number of their comrades had been dispatched to fight the Outspacers… and never came back.
Every time word of another ambush reached them, more empty seats appeared in the mess hall. It was only a matter of time before they, too, would be called out. The constant dread was eating away at their minds.
“Damn monsters. How long is this going to go on…?”
“Hey, you guys.”
Just then, someone approached them from across the hangar.
“Enough smoke break. Give us a hand.”
“Come on, our break’s not even over yet.”
“Command said once we get this done, we’re off for the day.”
“Seriously?”
That bit of good news perked everyone up.
“Alright. What’s left?”
“See that rescue ship that just came in? Just inspect that and you’re done.”
“A rescue ship? You mean that one?”
“That thing’s huge. We’re supposed to inspect all of it?”
“Don’t worry. Command already cleared it. Just do a quick scan and call it good.”
“Oh, well, that’s a relief.”
The soldiers stubbed out their vapes and made their way toward the rescue vessel their colleague pointed to.
A man in crew uniform stood at the front of the ship to receive them.
“Greetings. I’m Joel.”
The man introduced himself with a smile.
But his expression aside, Joel didn’t look well at all. His eyes were glassy and lifeless, like those of a drug addict. If it weren’t for the uniform, he could’ve easily been mistaken for a terminal patient.
“Uh, ahem. Nice to meet you. We’re from the Zone 5 Inspection Team. It’s about the internal check, so we’d appreciate your cooperation.”
“Yes. I’ll assist with the tour.”
Of course, poor condition or not, duty couldn’t be delayed.
Following Joel’s lead, the inspection team entered the rescue ship.
Unlike its spotless exterior, the interior was rougher than expected. It wasn’t dirty per se—but signs of patchwork were visible on the walls, ceiling, and doors.
“These look like blast marks. Why are there traces of explosions here?”
“And where is everyone? There aren’t many people aboard.”
“There was a mutiny during the return trip. That’s why the crew number is reduced.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”
“One of the people we rescued was infected by an Outspacer parasite. Once it spread, the crew went berserk. That’s how this happened.”
Only then did the soldiers begin to understand—why the ship’s interior bore signs of destruction, and why Joel looked the way he did.
A surprise attack in a confined space, without knowing who the enemy was… even seasoned veterans would struggle to survive that. In fact, surviving at all in that condition seemed nothing short of remarkable.
“Fortunately, our rescue vessel belongs to the Silver Lion Knight Order. Many of our crew, including the captain, are long-time members. Myself included.”
“Ah, you’re with the Silver Lions?”
Now it made sense—why the command had ordered them to wrap up the inspection quickly and move on.
Not just NEO First Gate City, but the entire star system was under the oversight of the Silver Lion Knight Order. The officers commanding the inspection team were also members. There had likely been communication with the rescue ship long before it arrived.
“Ahem… I believe we’ve seen enough. You’re cleared to depart whenever ready.”
“Thank you.”
“Take care, then.”
With the situation understood, there was no reason to drag things out. The inspection team gave the ship a cursory check and then disembarked.
“All done. Who’s up for drinks?”
“You lunatic. You got wasted just last night.”
“Not like there’s anything else to do in the dorms.”
“Tch. Fair.”
“I’m beat. I’m heading in.”
“Ease up on the meds.”
“I’m not on anything, dammit.”
Rodman, who was clearly not all there, declined the invitation.
As he parted ways with his colleagues and headed toward the dormitory, he suddenly felt a gaze on him. He turned to look back.
Far in the distance, he could see the rescue ship they had just inspected. It was still docked in place, perhaps waiting for resupply.
It was a common enough sight in this sector, yet Rodman couldn’t shake a strange feeling—like someone inside the ship was watching him.
“…Tch. Don’t be stupid.”
Maybe it was just the lack of sleep making him sensitive. Brushing off the unsettling vibe, he continued on toward his quarters.
He arrived by subway at the residential block reserved for soldiers and walked directly to his unit.
The place was a mess, like it had been neglected for weeks. The moment he stepped into the familiar clutter, he collapsed onto the bed buried under piles of garbage.
“…I should clean up…”
But a wave of unnatural drowsiness hit him, pinning his body like lead. Unable to lift a finger, he mumbled to himself—and then slipped into sleep.
***
How much time had passed?
When Rodman opened his eyes, a building stood before him.
It was late—any entrance should have been locked by now—but the door was ajar, as if expecting a visitor. Without hesitation, he pushed it open and walked inside.
He didn’t know what this building was. He’d never been here, not once in all his time posted in the city. He didn’t even remember how he got there.
And yet, he wasn’t surprised. The reason was simple:
Everything he saw was part of a dream.
At some point, Rodman had started having this bizarre recurring dream. The details were always the same: he would descend into the basement of an unfamiliar building and meet someone there to talk.
That was all.
His consciousness, as it always did, descended into the underground.
As he went down, he saw others.
A man in military uniform, a cultist immigrant who worked in the commercial district, a maintenance laborer from the city—people from all walks of life stood gathered there. Rodman found himself among strangers he had never seen before.
Across from him, their lips moved ceaselessly. No sound reached him, so he couldn’t tell what they were saying. Perhaps he too was speaking—but he had no way of knowing.
In the end, all he could do was silently watch the soundless conversation of unfamiliar people.
And usually, if he just stayed like that, at some point he'd naturally wake up in his bed back at the dorms, greeted by morning.
But not tonight.
The lips that had been moving non-stop suddenly stopped, and all eyes turned to Rodman.
No—more precisely, to something behind him.
"Interesting."
A man’s voice. One Rodman had never heard before. It came from behind him.
He didn’t even have time to flinch before his body reacted violently. Cold sweat burst from every pore, and the hair on his neck stood on end. Even in this dream, he could feel his heart hammering in his chest.
What he felt was unmistakably fear. And the others felt it too.
The once-still figures scattered like they’d rehearsed it. All at once, they tried to flee.
Rodman’s legs finally moved too, trying to pull him away from the voice behind him.
“I’ve seen parasites before, but this is different. Is it because of the special trait?”
As the man spoke, Rodman’s legs froze mid-step on the stairs.
He wasn’t the only one. Everyone else down there had stopped as well.
It was like time had stopped. Bodies were frozen mid-run, faces twisted in panic—yet nothing moved.
Then they began to rise.
The ones who’d started up the stairs—Rodman among them—were lifted into the air by an invisible force and pulled back down into the basement.
It was then that Rodman saw the source of the voice for the first time.
The man wore a captain’s uniform. His face was obscured by shadows, and in one hand, he held a small pink balloon.
“I heard from Isabel…”
He approached Rodman. As he stepped under a flickering overhead light, his face came into view.
Utterly average. A tired-looking middle-aged man with dry skin and sunken eyes.
“…But it’s always better to see with my own eyes.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the man’s jaw began to split open—grotesquely, unnaturally. Something pale and scaly began to emerge from within the gaping maw.
Rodman watched and thought:
This is a dream.
Even as a shrill scream burst from his own throat and echoed in his ears, even as the acrid stench of urine spread from the front of his pants—he was certain of it.
This was a dream. No more than that.
It just felt a little more real than usual.
He’d wake up soon, tucked into bed, safe and sound.
That hope vanished the moment that something reached out and grabbed his face.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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