My Children Swarm the Cosmos – Chapter 35.2

The technology they acquired from humans has become a material that can enhance the chimeraz. The molecular structure they used in their newly designed armor made the chimeraz’s exoskeletons lighter and stronger, and the cable method they used for power supply dramatically improved the organizational efficiency of the chimeraz’s blood vessels and neural tissue.

In addition to these commonly enhanced aspects, each of the leaders visited the evolution chamber in the colony on the 4th planet.

This was so that they could receive additional enhancements from the evolution chamber controlled by Kreion.

Ludwig’s brain capacity increased, allowing him to remember more things and consider more possibilities. Rather than simply serving the species and being loyal to Kreion, he has evolved to think more deeply as the number 2 adjutant.

Nazar’s photoreceptor cells in the part of his large eye where images are formed became much denser, allowing him to see light from distant places in finer resolution. In addition, Nazar’s pupils no longer have a limit to how much they can contract and expand. From now on, Nazar will be able to pick up even the smallest wavelengths and see things in detail beyond the dark nebula.

Gats has come to share the radioactive material that powers the propulsion devices in his body with his cellular metabolism as well. Thanks to this, Gats is now able to rapidly recover from even the most serious fatal injuries, just like Kreion’s black armor.

Phlegeth’s internal structure has been reconstructed so that instead of purple flames, he can now breathe out extremely high-temperature plasma itself. This is because Phlegeth’s body is now able to store more energy than usual.

The colony on the 4th planet and the immobile Berne on the 5th planet have formed bio-nuclear fusion tissue underground and acquired a semi-permanent power source.

As the number of chimeraz, which had been dwindling, skyrocketed and the expansion rate of the colony on the 4th planet increased, the surface of the 4th planet was soon covered in black Xenotera.

Anima, whom Kreion rescued from the Apoptology, demonstrated her legion-commanding power that rivaled Kreion’s, as befitting a ruler-type individual.

She managed the colony on the 4th planet together with Ludwig, and the high legion-commanding power that had been added to the collective consciousness made it possible to form more chimeraz and more structures.

If a human who did not know about the chimeraz were to see the colony on the 4th planet, they would probably describe it as a bizarre city of alien life forms.

Tall structures and nests were formed around the colony, becoming homes that safely protected the egg cases that were always exposed to the outside. The height and scale of these structures became relatively larger and taller as one moved closer to the center of the colony, where nutrition and energy were supplied quickly.

In the past, the colony, which stood alone on the plain covered in Xenotera, and the egg cases that had spread around it were easily exposed to enemy attacks.

However, the colony is now protected by living structures, and the egg cases are safely growing inside the structures, under the systematic management of the Hydras.

Ludwig, Nazar, Gats, and Phlegeth gathered in the throne room following Kreion’s orders after undergoing the evolution chamber.

Kreion sits on the throne, which is the farthest from the wall. Ludwig stands to Kreion’s right, and Anima stands to his left.

And at the forefront of the Elite Guard lined up neatly on either side in front of the throne is Gats, and Nazar and Phlegeth stand side by side in the passageway between the Elite Guard.

“Berne. Are you listening?”

—𝐘𝐞𝐬. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Kreion presents a topic for discussion.

“We have acquired a considerable amount of radioactive material from our two victories. It’s more than we can use in this colony. How do you think we should divide it up?”

Ludwig speaks first.

“I think it would be right to move it to a storage structure and stockpile it in case of an emergency. . .”

“Why do you think so?”

“To prepare for the possibility that the enemy will land on the ground and wage a ground war, just as they did before. . . If we had stockpiled enough radioactive material before, . . . we would have been able to create more Cresecters in the colony. . . And if we had been able to produce more Cresecters, the surface would not have been so easily exposed to orbital bombardment. . .”

As expected, Ludwig is thinking about the future of the species. The more stockpiled resources there are, the more stable the production capacity of the colony and the swarms will be, and in particular, it is right to save resources that are difficult to obtain easily from nature and require a high degree of processing.

“Yes.”

Kreion nods once and turns his gaze to Nazar.

Nazar realized that it was his turn.

“What is important in war is fleet warfare. If we lose in fleet warfare, our orbit will be breached, and if our orbit is breached, the sky will be open, and if the sky is open, the enemy will come down to the ground and form a battle line to deploy their tactics. If we had repelled the enemy in space in the first place, Berne would not have suffered like that, and so many children would not have died.”

“So?”

“If you give me enough radioactive material, I will use it to mass-produce Lemegeton warships so that our species can gain supremacy in space.”

Lemegeton must be created directly by Kreion or the leaders. This is because it is too inefficient for a living being to be born and grow to that size, such as being born from an egg or growing up to adulthood. And the complex design of Lemegeton’s heart or the nuclear fusion tissue that serves as its power source also makes it difficult to standardize.

Another reason why it is difficult to increase the number of Lemegetons like other individuals is that a lot of radioactive material is required to operate the nuclear fusion tissue.

If Nazar is given the radioactive material he has acquired this time, the number of Lemegetons will increase considerably.

“Master. Nazar-nim’s words about the importance of fleet power are reasonable, but in my judgment, the important thing is firepower.”

This time, it is Phlegeth’s turn to speak.

“Our species’ firepower is important?”

“Yes. I imagined it as I watched the orbital bombardment that fell to the ground. If what fell to the ground was not armor-piercing shells, particles, or energy weapons, but nuclear missiles. . . Even if we missed just one nuclear missile, what would have happened if it fell on the head of the legion?”

“Anything left on the ground would have been wiped out.”

“I will try to design an anti-air defense structure based on the Organic Accelerator Cannon used on Lemegeton warships. I need a huge amount of energy to conduct the experiment, and what the nuclear fusion heart of my colony supplies is not enough. If you give me the radioactive material I have acquired this time, I will definitely create a weapon that will protect the sky.”

Each Lemegeton has its own nuclear fusion tissue, which is why the warship can use the Organic Accelerator Cannon. However, there is only one nuclear fusion tissue in the colony, and in order to create the ‘ground-to-air Organic Accelerator Cannon’ that Phlegeth is proposing, it will require a larger energy resource than the nuclear fusion energy of the colony.

If Phlegeth gets what he wants, the chimeraz will possess an anti-air weapon capable of hitting targets in orbit.

“Berne.”

—I agree with Phlegeth-nim.

“I see.”

After confirming the opinions of the leaders, Kreion finally asks Anima.

“What do you think?”

Anima, who had been watching how the chimeraz made decisions, hesitates at the unexpected question.

“Don’t you have your own thoughts? As a ruler.”

“Darwin Foundation has lost almost all of its power. . . The human force called New Ark is the problem, but we don’t know when they will come?”

“I don’t know. They could invade us tomorrow. We can’t be sure of anything about how they will move in the future.”

Anima’s opinion will influence the decision of an entire species. That’s why she hesitates. Whether she, who knows nothing compared to the leaders, should really voice her opinion in this place.

“You had a troubled look on your face a little while ago. So I know you have something on your mind.”

“ . . . ”