The Hungry Fortress Wants to Build a Battleship in Another World – World of Sandbox-Chapter 23Vol 3. : Firing

“Target, Tefen, has begun moving toward the oil field. It’s been approximately two hours since it started moving, and there have been no indications of a change in its course.”

“Ugh... So, it’s heading our way...”

Though it wasn’t a state of emergency, it was still a situation that warranted reporting. Feeling somewhat guilty, Ringo decided to notify Commander Eve as soon as she woke up.

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. At its current speed, it will reach our defense perimeter in approximately 12 hours. Currently, aircraft from Fortress No. 2 are being prepped for sortie. Since the runway at Oil Port is still incomplete, our immediate aerial response capabilities are limited. Fortunately, the drone base is operational.”

According to the map data Ringo displayed, Tefen’s speed was approximately 10 km/h.

Considering its massive size, it was practically a leisurely stroll.

Well, moving such a massive body would certainly require a considerable amount of energy. Perhaps this was its cruising speed.

The oil field’s defense perimeter was set at a 5 km radius. Due to the vast area, they maintained constant surveillance using stationary sensors and patrols by reconnaissance aircraft.

Multi-legged tanks and multi-legged scout units also patrolled the perimeter, ensuring thorough monitoring.

However, this also meant their defensive forces were spread thin, so they were in the process of bolstering their rapid response capabilities.

If they could maintain sufficient air power, it would reduce the burden on Fortress No. 2.

Construction work had been ongoing day and night, but it wasn’t ready in time for this encounter.

“Since we don’t know its objective, our response is limited to gathering our forces.”

“Right. We can load bombs onto the aircraft, right? Are they ready?”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. If it’s conventional explosives, we can deploy them immediately. However, since the blast radius is limited, precision targeting will be necessary. Alternatively, we could launch fuel-air explosive missiles from Fortress No. 2.”

“I see. And we still don’t know the threat level of the <Serqet>. If it has anti-air capabilities, our main propeller aircraft could potentially be shot down...”

Propeller-driven aircraft had a top speed of around 500 km/h.

While the target was technically a biological entity, they hadn’t encountered any monsters with confirmed anti-air capabilities thus far.

However, the northern continent had never seen aerial warfare, and no airborne creatures had been observed either.

Thus, it was impossible to determine whether or not the <Serqet> had anti-air capabilities.

“At the very least, the Forest Kingdom of Levresta has demonstrated the ability to attack at altitudes up to 20 km. So, the concept of anti-air attacks does exist. And assuming that a massive monster can’t strike at an aircraft flying at 1,000 m is... too optimistic.”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. If we end up engaging it, we may have to commit to a risky recon mission.”

“Okay. We’ll accept the risk. Even if it’s as dangerous as the <Rain Croin>, we can handle it now... but make sure to set the damage threshold appropriately. If it exceeds the limit, withdraw immediately.”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. Understood.”

Tefen continued to advance. Despite its enormous body, it moved with surprising quietness, stirring up only minimal dust.

It didn’t drag its body; instead, it moved smoothly, coordinating its eight legs skillfully.

However, the reason there was still an overwhelming amount of dust being kicked up was due to the small scorpions following in its wake.

Six hours had passed since Tefen started moving. The number of small scorpions had increased to 50.

Their movement stirred up a significant amount of sand, forming a large cloud of dust.

The clay-rich terrain of the current path also contributed to the dust storm.

“The scorpion swarm centered around Tefen continues moving toward the oil field. Fortunately, there has been no movement from Mestet. If both moved simultaneously, we might not have been able to handle it.”

“Yeah... But what exactly are they doing? Are they really planning to invade, given how large the swarm is...?”

“It could simply be that they’re moving to a new hunting ground, but we don’t have enough information to speculate.”

“That’s troublesome. Well, I suppose we were the ones who first initiated the invasion, so maybe it’s inevitable...”

Still, it was unexpected for such massive threat-level creatures to exist in the desert.

They truly didn’t know enough about this world.

If they could secure the oil, resource stability would be much improved. Perhaps it was time to start focusing more on information gathering.

“What about these <Serqet>? Couldn’t we extract any information from the Levresta envoy?” ƒгeewebnovёl.com

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. There was no information regarding giant scorpions. Whether they’re hiding it, deem it unnecessary to mention, or genuinely don’t know... Considering the location where <Serqet> was discovered, it’s quite plausible that they were simply undiscovered until now. Given their level of civilization, aerial reconnaissance is likely beyond their capabilities, and ground-based surveys would also be challenging.”

“I see. Well, considering that even a small fortress couldn’t hold off a <Serqet>, it would just plow right over it.”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. Thus, it’s reasonable to assume they remain undiscovered.”

“It feels like we keep running into creatures that have never been seen or reported...”

Eve muttered, her expression pensive.

In reality, that was likely the case. Whether it was the open ocean, long-distance travel, or the desert, there was always a chance of encountering monsters.

And if those who encountered them didn’t survive, then the information would never spread.

Since <The Tree> had been active in this world for a considerable time, their chances of encountering such creatures had naturally increased.

Twelve hours had passed since Tefen began its advance. Its speed remained constant.

However, the route had slightly altered course several times, and now it was only 5 km away from the defense perimeter—about 30 minutes away from contact.

“Deployment of multi-legged mother units, multi-legged tanks, and ground attack drones is complete. Sensor installations are proceeding as scheduled and will be ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) completed five minutes before contact. Bombers are currently on standby in the air.”

Once again, command was in the hands of the Five Sisters.

Ringo and Commander Eve were in observation mode.

Whether or not Ringo intervened would likely not change the outcome.

Operational command was primarily handled by the local strategic AI, with <The Tree> providing only overarching directives.

“Current forces consist of two multi-legged mother units, 85 multi-legged tanks, 16 ground attack drones, 4 bombers, and 2 reconnaissance planes.

The highest-tier AI is stationed within the multi-legged mother unit at Oil Port.

Defense priority: high.

Information gathering priority: high.

A 20% loss threshold is set. If damage exceeds this line, withdrawal will be initiated immediately.

Estimated contact in 20 minutes.”

The multi-legged tanks had been arranged in multiple layers to maintain firing lines.

With railguns, they could unleash a concentrated barrage, outnumbering the confirmed scorpions.

At the very least, they could likely eliminate all but Tefen.

But, of course, Tefen itself was the primary problem.

“We’re redirecting the reconnaissance plane overhead.”

To gather more information and observe Tefen’s behavior, a recon plane was sent to pass over Tefen’s position.

However, it wouldn’t pass directly overhead, only skirting the area for safety.

“Recon plane, course adjustment initiated.”

The recon plane approached at an altitude of 1,000 m and a speed of 480 km/h.

Its path would bring it closest to Tefen in approximately one minute.

On the map, the icon rapidly moved closer to Tefen.

“Huh?”

In the long-range footage from another recon plane, Tefen moved.

In one swift, casual motion, it picked up one of the smaller scorpions and flung it into the air.

“What!?”

With Tefen’s massive size, such a motion generated tremendous acceleration.

The scorpion spun through the air, climbing higher and higher.

“Is it okay?!”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. The trajectory doesn’t intersect. It’s a near miss, but without ranged attack capabilities, it shouldn’t pose a threat.”

The footage from the recon plane showed the scorpion spreading its legs and stabilizing its posture.

Not the behavior of a simple ground-dwelling creature.

“Trajectory calculation complete. If it maintains this posture, the apex of its arc will pass approximately 15 m above the recon plane. It’s currently facing toward the plane. It might be observing us.”

“What the hell...!?”

As Ringo said, the scorpion passed by the recon plane and then began its descent.