Check out my new translation!
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After completing the clearance of the first target location, the Cunning Hares withdrew from the Hollow.
They didn't have the supply capacity to continuously fight such a massive number of Ethereals, and the ammunition for Ignis' autocannon was nearly depleted. Although the flamethrower-like weapons could quickly clear the Ethereal clusters, the leader of the Cunning Hares was in no hurry. Rather than attempting to exterminate all the Ethereals alone, it made more sense to report their findings to the client first.
The meeting location was chosen inside the warehouse storing Leviathan-class Siege Dreadnought. There wasn't any special reason for this; mainly, Grace Howard was busy with engine installation and adjustments. It's difficult to pull a fanatical technician off her workstation, so Koleda Belobog simply selected this location for the meeting.
Moreover, Gotthardt wanted to meet Salamander's friends.
"This… it's really tall!" Nekomata stood at the foot of the Leviathan Dreadnought, craning her neck to look up. "Incredible."
"Hello there, little Felinid," Gotthardt said as the chestplate of the Dreadnought opened. He pushed the sarcophagus lid aside and waved at Nekomata.
"It actually has a pilot? This mech looks so cool," Billy said, excited. "I'm Billy, and I even bought the incense candles to wake you up."
"Man of Iron?" Gotthardt's smile stiffened for a moment, but having seen many news stories about intelligent robots, the Son of Vulkan had grown somewhat desensitized.
"Just like Ignis said when he first met you," Anby came over and patted Billy on the back.
"You're not going to kick me too, are you…" Billy backed up several steps, ducking behind Ignis. "Last time the big guy kicked me, it broke my waist support structure. If you kick me too, I'll probably have to be rebuilt from scratch."
The Son of Vulkan let out a hearty laugh, amplified by the sarcophagus' audio system, echoing throughout the warehouse. "Don't worry. This is my first time seeing a Man of Iron up close, though I've seen some little Bangboo units before. Honestly, a Man of Iron like you almost seems more human than some humans."
The veteran then turned his gaze toward Nicole, standing with her arms crossed in the back.
"You must be the leader of the Cunning Hares that Ignis spoke of—Nicole Demara. Thank you for taking in my younger brother and giving him a place to rest and recover."
Nicole's expression shifted slightly—leader of the Cunning Hares? What kind of title was that? Ignis' taste in names really was questionable. But having seen many high-level situations, Nicole simply smiled.
"Hello. We've also heard some of the legends Ignis has shared about you," the Cunning Hares' leader replied without losing composure. "Mr. Gotthardt Stahlgriff, Pilot of the 'Wrath of Terra.'"
This made the old veteran even happier. "I don't know exactly how my little brother told my stories, but he must have embellished them. He's shared many tales with me—far more entertaining than my peers from my era."
Seeing the topic shift toward himself, Ignis quickly interjected. "Brother Gotthardt, how's the Dreadnought repair going? Grace and the others haven't returned yet?"
The veteran shifted slightly, allowing Salamander to see his side. Grace had really set up a shelf inside, holding magazines, snacks, drinks, and the veteran's phone.
Recently, the old soldier had also learned to use the KnockKnock, added Ignis as a friend, and even mastered emojis. Salamander thought the veteran adapted faster than himself and seemed to be enjoying life.
"Grace said she's figured out the purpose of the pipelines, and planned the engine layout as well as the battery pack and fuel tank installation. In another day or two, installation will begin, followed by adjustments, and then I can start moving around." The veteran extended his left hand, grabbed a beer, popped the cap with his teeth, and took a long swig. "As for replacing the mechanical arm, she said it won't take long. My god, she's a genius. Even the tech-priests I've seen couldn't figure out this Dreadnought setup."
"She said she'll go back to the factory today to test the current engine and return soon." The veteran put the empty bottle back on the shelf. "Other workers of the Belobog Heavy Industries will come as needed. They're quite skilled in construction; I'm looking forward to working with them."
"New Eridu has prosthetic tech. Uncle, do you want to get a prosthetic and step out of that cockpit for a walk?" Nekomata asked, puzzled by Gotthardt's missing arm and leg.
"Little Felinid, of course I want to. But I can't," Gotthardt sighed, showing signs of pain. He turned to display the numerous pipelines connected to his back.
"My internal organs are mostly damaged. Without the sarcophagus' life-support system, I'd be dead long ago." The veteran rubbed his wide jaw. "I got separated from my squad and ran into an enemy tactical unit—ten of them. Their position happened to be at a blind spot of our defense. I believe fate sent me there. I had to make a scene or eliminate them to prevent our weak point from being exposed."
"I didn't hesitate. Before they noticed me, I charged in. First, I vaporized the leader's head with a plasma pistol. Then, in the enemy's shock, I rushed forward. My first strike with the power sword took down four. The remaining tried to fight back but I felled three more. During this, I was shot multiple times; my armor pierced—I almost didn't make it."
"My mind made up, thinking I'd die anyway, I'd take some with me and create a distraction so our brothers would know about the weak spot. So, I activated a melta bomb I carried, originally intended to destroy enemy tanks or other large targets."
The old soldier paused, his gaze sweeping across the group, finally resting on Ignis.
"Later, the Apothecary who put me in the sarcophagus told me it was a disaster. The melta bomb's heat almost completely destroyed my heart and lungs. Without the mechanical support, I couldn't breathe or pump blood. The apothecary tried many ways to rebuild my body but failed—frontline conditions made supplies scarce. Yet, to give me a proper burial, he painstakingly reconstructed my face and skin, implanting supports in my throat for the airway and esophagus."
Gotthardt tapped his face with his left hand. "My face was mostly burned to the bone back then. Now it's all synthetic implants. They'd given up on me, but the legion had just received a batch of Leviathan Siege Dreadnoughts, and my battle-brothers installed me in one to continue serving the Emperor."
Seeing everyone's serious expressions, the veteran laughed. "Don't worry. I'm fine now. As long as the sarcophagus' power is steady, I can live to old age. Before, I relied on backup power, but now it's connected to a generator—plenty of energy."
"You're in a good mood today, old man," said Ben, the Bear Thiren, as Belobog Heavy Industries' staff arrived, except Anton Ivanov.
"Sorry, some issues with the Public Security delayed me after work today," said the petite Koleda Belobog, looking exhausted.
"I checked—the engine can be installed as soon as tomorrow. The related adjustments, fuel tank, and battery pack installations will be completed within two days. We can start testing soon." Grace immediately updated Gotthardt on the progress. "You'll be able to move again."
"That's fantastic," Gotthardt said, giving Grace a thumbs-up. "By the way… any beer? I've finished mine."
"I'll have Bangboo fetch some. Later you can even ask them for small errands—they love helping out," Grace said, noting it down.
"Old man, you'd better help out properly! Repairing you cost us a lot of money, so don't keep all your engineering knowledge to yourself—teach us more," Koleda Belobog waved at the veteran.
"No problem. By the way, should I call you 'President' like the others?" The old soldier took things in stride. Back when he piloted Dreadnoughts for sieges, his retirement plan had been to help rebuild the Imperial worlds after they were destroyed. Now he was just doing construction in a different place—no big deal.
"We'll provide a suitable salary, though it will be issued as equipment maintenance funds," Ben produced a pair of glasses seemingly from nowhere and placed them on his nose. "Due to your special status, it'll probably have to come out of Grace's accounts."
"No worries, I'm quite satisfied with my current life," Gotthardt laughed heartily, the audio system amplifying his voice. "Whether it's you all or my little brother's friends, it's all good."
Grace ignored such matters and crawled into the rear of the open Dreadnought, continuing to determine the engine installation points and space for other equipment.
"Big sis, you…" The petite president looked at Grace, absorbed in work again, feeling a headache coming on. After all, Grace had a history of researching AI cores to the point of malnutrition. But with the veteran around urging her to rest, she had at least restrained herself somewhat.
"Forget it…" Koleda shifted her gaze to Nicole. "You said you had some findings to tell us. What is it?"
Nicole opened her briefcase and took out a small black flashlight, partially covered with ether crystals. "This was found by Ignis."
"I found it on a Corrupted body. It still had a human appearance, wearing a makeshift protective suit, with an opaque helmet covered in ether crystals. It was the only Corrupted among that pile of Ethereals," Salamander explained the circumstances of the discovery. "We suspect it was recently attacked by Ethereals and became this way."
Koleda took the small device and pressed the switch. A green laser shot out from the lamp head, seemingly high-powered and very bright.
A laser pointer? What would a Hollow Raider need this for? Koleda wondered.
Nicole crossed her arms, smiling. "Sometimes, if a Hollow Raider encounters Ethereals but lacks the strength to fight, they use a laser pointer to guide them away."
"From the Carrots you provided, we suspect that those concentrated Ethereals were deliberately gathered," Anby said directly, presenting the Cunning Hares' conclusion. "This Hollow isn't active. Ethereals shouldn't appear in such dense numbers."
This deduction made Koleda and Ben's expressions darken. After the Public Security removed the Sacrifices, the Hollow Investigative Association had inspected this area. Their conclusion clearly indicated that the Hollow's ether activity was very low, and it might even shrink or vanish. Belobog Heavy Industries' Hollow work teams were capable enough to handle the area themselves.
But if someone deliberately lured a large number of Ethereals here…
The old metro renovation project had attracted envy from many parties, especially after Vision Corporation's troubles. Belobog Heavy Industries won the development rights by exposing Vision's schemes and offering more reasonable prices, which triggered continual interference attempts.
Their raw material suppliers were tampered with once, raising certain prices and even refusing to sell some materials. Belobog Heavy Industries had no choice but to buy from alternative suppliers at higher cost.
Fortunately, the gate-blocking incident had been handled by Salamander. After seeing that Belobog Heavy Industries could afford to hire enforcers, no one dared intervene further. With a Public Security squad now stationed at the entrance, anyone causing trouble would be reckless.
So, this recent event is highly likely to be intentional. Someone paid Hollow Raiders or others to lure Ethereals near the construction site to disrupt work.
Previous attempts to involve Public Security and the Defense Force promised investigation but yielded nothing, suggesting some level of collusion.
However, anyone in construction knows how to play dirty. With evidence of deliberate luring in hand, Belobog Heavy Industries could now pressure both departments to send personnel and restore production safety around the site.
"Good, I understand," Koleda nodded. The petite president's eyes flashed sharply. "Ben, settle the remaining payment. After that, we handle the rest ourselves."
"No problem, President. Though it's already dark, so the bank's corporate services will have to wait until tomorrow," the Bear Thiren accountant looked at Nicole. "I hope you understand—we've had a lot of expenditures recently, so payment might take a few days."
"No problem, no problem. You've been a reliable client," Nicole waved it off. "Belobog Heavy Industries is reputable enough not to delay this small commission."
"I think you should scale back operations for now," Ignis offered his advice. "Before the Public Security or Defense Force completes the purge, it's best not to resume construction. I'm worried they might lure Ethereals to attack the workers. Even without casualties, it could damage Belobog Heavy Industries' reputation."
"Yes, I understand," Koleda nodded. "I've already sent Anton to reassure the workers and give them a temporary break. Ben, remember to pay salaries as usual, then request a reimbursement from the client. If we find the culprit, we'll directly claim compensation for economic losses."
"Understood, President," Ben nodded, taking out his phone to record the task.
"I'm afraid their motives aren't that simple," Gotthardt spoke. "I suggest having the workers stay vigilant and prepare defensive tools. I worry they're using Ethereals to keep you from acting, forcing you to hide and defend, then exploiting the concentrated workers to strike. It's an old tactic, but effective."
Though Ignis thought the veteran was overthinking, anyone in civil engineering has some dirty tricks. However, using them like this outright defies New Eridu law—it's a provocation against social order. Even in unfair business competition, this wouldn't go this far.
And Belobog Heavy Industries employs hundreds of strong bear-Thiren workers. Unless the opponent mobilized a heavily armed force with ranged weapons, cold weapons alone would be no match for them. Hiring a black-market army just for this? Would the profit justify it?
Koleda listened silently, only she and a few others knew that Sacrifices were far from ordinary. She didn't have all the Cunning Hares' intel, but she knew the creature hid a major secret. This wasn't just about a metro project; the goal could be to silence anyone with knowledge permanently.
"I understand," Koleda nodded, her face serious.
Nicole's phone suddenly buzzed. She checked it and rolled her eyes before closing it. I wonder why Rain sent me a blank message today…