Chapter 5: Panic in WER-489: The Unseen Threat

Chaos had already erupted on the two habitable planets within the WER-489 Minor Star System. A video was circulating wildly across the network, plunging the inhabitants of both worlds into extreme panic.

“Oh my god, look at this monster! It’s bigger than an entire planet!”

“I hope that monster is just passing by…”

“The defense forces should be on alert now!”

“The Alliance army! We need to request protection from the Alliance army!”

In this world of highly advanced networks, almost everyone carried an extremely portable network system. Such extensive connectivity offered excellent benefits for information dissemination and daily life.

However, such a system was not without its downsides. Panic, for instance.

Just moments ago, several ordinary wanderer spacecraft, idly cruising through space, inadvertently captured footage of an unbelievably massive super cosmic creature. Its location was alarmingly close to the two planets where people resided.

Although a small fraction of the population maintained an optimistic outlook, believing this colossal cosmic creature might merely be passing through without any intention of attacking their home planets, most were not so sanguine.

Indeed, the majority concluded that this giant cosmic creature was likely targeting them. Having completely lost their sense of security on the planets, some financially secure individuals had already boarded ships bound for Alliance Central, causing an unprecedented rush at the WER-489 Minor Star System’s spaceports.

Meanwhile, the system’s government officials observed the wildly fluctuating spaceport revenues, deliberating whether to dispatch forces to engage the creature in outer space.

To date, the entity had shown no signs of attacking the two habitable planets. Perhaps, as some online suggested, it was merely passing by, harboring no significant ill intent.

Rashly sending troops to harass it might provoke an adverse reaction, drawing the ire of the massive cosmic creature.

Consequently, the government officials unanimously decided to submit all available image data to the Alliance. Though only a short video clip from a wanderer spacecraft existed, it was sufficient. With the creature’s appearance documented, the Alliance’s cosmic creature scientists could likely analyze and identify its type.

Just as the Prime Minister prepared to click ‘send’, the outer guard rushed in, breathlessly announcing the appearance of a new cosmic creature, accompanied by incredibly valuable close-range footage.

After summoning the data holder, the individual, looking utterly exhausted, removed their armor and placed their helmet on the office desk. A quick operation activated the helmet’s projection equipment.

A horrifying scene of cannibalism then unfolded before their eyes.

“Damn it, what kind of monster is that?”

Everyone watched in stunned silence as the cosmic creature, having leaped from the bottom of the Mining Shaft, tackled a team member. Even after its head was destroyed by a Gauss Rifle, it continued to move freely, its head regenerating instantly before it began devouring humans.

The short video left all the officials with a chilling sense of dread.

Clearly, compared to the potentially transient gigantic cosmic creature, this human-sized one posed the most immediate and dire threat. Fortunately, this video had not been leaked online; instead, a team member had brought it back.

It was then that an official suddenly noticed the team’s identification number, finding it eerily familiar. After a moment of thought, as if a memory had clicked, they shot up, demanding an answer.

“Only you from your team made it back alive!?”

“Ah? Yes… yes, that’s right…”

Upon hearing the definitive reply, the official’s eyes lost their light. They slumped back into their chair, collapsing in a daze.

“What’s wrong?”

Someone noticed the official’s distress, growing curious about the composition of the team. Could it be that his illegitimate child had been assigned to such a unit?

As the official slowly regained composure, they projected a meticulously hidden document onto everyone’s public screen. All present curiously opened the file and reviewed its contents. For a moment, a deathly silence filled the hall.

“It’s over, it’s all over! Lord Odinxis’s child died here… The Alliance will never forgive us!”

Finally, one official, unable to bear the suffocating silence, slammed their hand on the table, shouting hysterically.

“You bastard! How many benefits did you swallow to dare hide from us that such an important figure was assigned to such a dangerous post?! Couldn’t your horse-dung-filled brain comprehend the consequences we would face if something happened to that lord?!”

“All of you, shut up. There’s still a chance to salvage this. I promise that after this incident, I will share all the benefits I’ve received with everyone…”

“Salvage? How will you salvage it? By sending troops to that damned mineral planet to retrieve a body that might already be fully devoured, then kneeling before Lord Odinxis to beg for forgiveness?! That lord will only tear you into shreds, just like a corpse!”

Watching the officials on the platform angrily accusing and berating each other, the lucky survivor from the team stood somewhat dazed. It seemed… there had been someone quite extraordinary in their team all along.

“Alright, alright, everyone, calm down.”

The Prime Minister, unable to tolerate the cacophony, adjusted his megaphone to its highest volume and, with an exceptionally loud voice, temporarily brought an end to the heated arguments.

“Everyone, please calm down. I will punish the main culprits responsible for this matter.”

The Prime Minister paused, glancing at the official slumped in their chair, seemingly beyond words.

He then cleared his throat and continued, “However, this could also be an opportunity. Combining these two videos, I’ve reconsidered the Mining Shaft. It was confirmed by an Alliance survey team long ago that there were no signs of life there. This implies that this cosmic creature didn’t simply appear out of nowhere.

“Furthermore, the appearance of the previously filmed gigantic cosmic creature and this smaller one occurred almost simultaneously. I worry that if there’s any connection between the two, it could spell a catastrophic blow for our star system.

“Ordinary data alone might not garner the Alliance’s attention. But by leveraging the sacrifice of Lord Odinxis’s child, we might just secure the support of the Alliance’s power…”

After listening to the Prime Minister, everyone calmed down and pondered his words, agreeing that he made a good point. Moreover, Lord Odinxis had more than one child. Perhaps, with careful consideration, they could even gain some benefits from this situation?

Thus, they exchanged glances and began discussing the next course of action.