Two-Person Galactic Journey: Earth Was Destroyed While Imprisoned in Space Prison

Chapter 243

Chapter 243

As they continued observing, the situation gradually became clearer.

First off, the massive Lufate Gainun, which had become a fortress in itself, appeared to be mostly inactive. However, on closer inspection, several smaller Lufate Gainun could be seen flying around the area, seemingly tending to it in some way.

'Captain. There's a strange reaction—'

"Strange reaction?"

'Yes. It resembles the teleportation reaction used by the space eel, but...'

They quickly learned what the observed reaction was. Queen Bee was pushed downward by a strange pressure. When Kait looked up, he saw something that hadn't been there a moment ago.

He thought a massive small asteroid had been teleported in, but then came Emotion's startled voice.

'That's...!? It's Lufate Gainun!'

"What did you say?"

'It's a new type again. It seems to be able to act autonomously while parasitizing a small asteroid.'

This was troublesome. The more they investigated, the more new information surfaced.

Still, the fact that a Lufate Gainun parasitizing a small asteroid was moving toward them was unexpected. Were they planning to implant the larvae inside the fortress?

But then, the asteroid-type took an action that betrayed Kait's expectations.

"Huh?"

As if charging, it accelerated toward the head of the supermassive Lufate Gainun. Its mouth slowly opened. Perhaps a remnant of the parasitic space eel, the mouth split into eight parts.

The asteroid-type flew into the mouth. The mouth slowly closed, and the small asteroid was swallowed into the fortress-type.

"W-What the hell...? Is that not a mouth, but an entrance for the large type?"

'No, Captain.'

Emotion's voice sounded slightly shaken.

Unlike Kait, who was observing visually, she was observing through some other means. Denying Kait's guess, she calmly conveyed the truth.

'That was predation. The small asteroid was pulverized and digested.'

"Along with the parasitic Lufate Gainun?"

'Yes. That individual... it had assimilated with the asteroid to serve solely as a carrier to the mother body.'

"That's insane."

He had certainly thought they were a species that divided roles among individuals. A species that mechanically sacrificed individuals for the survival of the whole. But this was beyond what he imagined.

'There's no mistake. Most likely, the fortress-type cannot move significantly on its own.'

From what they could see, there were hardly any asteroids in the surrounding region of space. They had likely been consumed as food for the fortress-type.

Asteroids flying in on their own probably weren't enough. They had to be collected manually to sustain the fortress-type's life. However, the fortress-type likely couldn't escape the space eel and couldn't move it either. The current Lufate Gainun must have been created to provide food for such a mother body.

"Looks like there are also individuals that grab asteroids and bring them over."

'It seems so.'

As Kait and the others stood dumbfounded, a small Lufate Gainun passed right in front of them. The small types, about four of them, carried a single small asteroid and threw it into the mouth of the mother body, which had opened slightly, before flying off. Apparently, the small types didn't get eaten along with it.

Kait couldn't tell whether the fortress-type had good or bad fuel efficiency. He also didn't know how often food was delivered. If he knew how long it had been since the space eel died here, he might be able to estimate, but strictly speaking, Kait's goal wasn't to study the ecology of Lufate Gainun.

What concerned him now was the meaning behind the gazes of the small types directed at them. The eerie silence was unnerving.

"So, Emotion. Why do you think they're staring at us but not doing anything?"

'Well. One possibility is that the fortress-type is full. Another is that they're observing your life signs and mistaking Queen Bee as one of their own.'

"Being mistaken for one of them... gives me the creeps."

'Absolutely.'

Kait furrowed his brow at Emotion's speculation. But somehow, it felt accurate. The reason Lufate Gainun could distinguish between asteroid-types and regular asteroids—if they were observing the life inside—then it wouldn't be strange for Queen Bee to be mistaken as kin.

In terms of biological nature, Emotion was probably closer to them than Kait. Perhaps they were mistaking Emotion for an ally.

"Well then. If we can see inside the fortress, maybe getting eaten is one method."

'I wouldn't recommend it.'

"Yeah. Logically, the nurturing should be done over there."

With the Barrier from Queen Bee and Kait, even if they were swallowed by the fortress-type, it wouldn't be a problem. However, what they were searching for was likely the central system for long-distance teleportation, originating from the space eel. It was unlikely to be stored inside the fortress-type. The fortress-type had become sluggish, likely due to its massive size.

It was probably inside the corpse of the space eel rather than the fortress-type. They nurtured the larvae to a certain size there and then teleported them long-distance. Otherwise, there'd be no reason to keep the space eel's body around. Its insides were ravaged and turned into a nest. Tuna might've met the same fate. Kait silently prayed for the soul of the corpse before him.

"That said, I'd rather not make a move while we're being watched."

Unless the small types decided they were enemies and attacked. If they headed toward the space eel, they'd probably find what they were looking for. But doing so would almost certainly make the Lufate Gainun inside the fortress react. The reason for their gaze was likely to determine what kind of comrade Queen Bee was. Perhaps the Lufate Gainun were confused too.

A strange silence and stillness dominated the space. Still, they couldn't remain idle. If too much time passed and they were judged to be non-kin or an error among kin, the Lufate Gainun would attack immediately.

"If we just had a trigger, I think we could move in a convincing way."

'A trigger, you say? Like that one, perhaps?'

"Hm?"

At Emotion's words, Kait turned his gaze toward the space eel.

There was an individual transporting a small asteroid toward the space eel's face, not the fortress-type. Its size was similar to the one brought to the fortress earlier. Kait couldn't distinguish the individual clinging to it.

"Is that, perhaps?"

'Yes. Most likely an individual meant to feed the larvae. It appears to be slightly larger than the small types in this area.'

The individuals tending to the new mother body seemed to be elites.

According to Emotion's observation, besides that one, about three more were on their way back after securing small asteroids outside. Moreover, one of them had apparently snatched an asteroid from a small type.

Since the small type fled without resistance, it was clear there was a visible hierarchy.

"If we grab a suitable small asteroid and head that way, we might be able to infiltrate successfully?"

'Yes. I think it's worth a try.'

"Got it. Let's do it."

Once Kait made the decision, he moved quickly. Following Emotion's observation, he teleported Queen Bee and grabbed a suitably sized small asteroid. Next, he planned to transport it toward the space eel.

What concerned him was the possibility of it being seized by an elite. Defeating it would be easy, but he didn't want to raise unnecessary alarms.

That said, they'd just have to play it by ear. Worst case, if they obtained long-distance teleportation reaction data, they could still track it. Though that would make writing the manual a lot more difficult.

"Oh right, can you send the ecological data on those creatures to Professor Gorou too?"

'Why is that?'

"Wouldn't Professor Gorou be thrilled about the ecology of bizarre cosmic creatures?"