novelzi Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 43
Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 43
Chapter 43: The Wandering Terror
It slowly surfaced from its domain, a being rarely sighted and passed down only in legends—a massive beast known as the Wandering Terror. Without clear intent, it roams, driven solely by hunger and the instinct to survive.
Far as the eye could see stretched the vast ocean. Across this expanse of water, something floated.
Carved into the prow of a ship was a wooden goddess, her serene gaze fixed on the horizon as she swayed gently with the waves.
A waterbird descended from the sky, landing cautiously atop her head. After scanning its surroundings, it began preening its feathers.
Moments later, a low growl broke the stillness as a colossal shadow approached.
The prow of a ship sliced through the waves, sending ripples outward and rocking the wooden goddess. Startled, the bird flapped away in a flurry of wings.
A ship with a pristine white hull approached, its name etched along the side:
"QUEBEC 017 THE TREE"
“Commander Ma’am, we’ve located a large artificial drifting object.”
“A large one?”
Called over by Ringo, the commander arrived to find the monitor displaying an image of a ship’s prow being lifted by a crane.
“Uh... still in progress?”
“This image was taken during recovery operations. The object has already been retrieved, and we’re en route back to base.”
“Got it.”
The displayed item was the prow of a wooden ship, seemingly snapped cleanly off. It measured roughly 10 meters in length, the break so sharp it might as well have made a snap sound.
“You’re right. I guess we’ll have to proceed steadily.”
Each Swift drone had limited coverage. Adding communication equipment reduced its capacity for observation, requiring separate drones for each function. Although mass production was possible, the reliance on rare metals for motors, batteries, and electronics meant overproduction would impact other essential manufacturing. Expanding rare metal production facilities was a prerequisite, but until then, resource shortages would hinder surveillance network growth.
Balancing priorities wasn’t Ringo’s forte, so these decisions were left to Commander Eve. As a central AI, Ringo’s nature leaned toward perfectionism and risk aversion, resisting postponement, downsizing, or abandonment of tasks.
“Hmm... Let’s reduce the northern continent’s lines to a single system. Reallocate the next batch of manufactured drones for backup. The freed-up resources can go toward ocean exploration. Sound good?”
“Yes, ma’am. However, if equipment on the northern continent malfunctions, repairs could take at least two hours. Are you sure this is acceptable?”
“It’s within acceptable risk. Even in standalone mode, two hours shouldn’t be an issue. Besides, the failure rate is... 0.001%? Negligible.”
The northern continent’s infrastructure and autonomous machines operated under Ringo’s direct control. While communication relied on radio signals, the Swift drones acted as relays to connect points beyond
In the event of a communication failure, destroyers equipped with onboard computing units could temporarily handle operations, aligning with the commander’s risk assessment.
“Understood, ma’am. I’ll consolidate the backup and main Swift systems and redirect excess units to ocean current exploration.”
“Thanks~!”
In this satellite-less world, Swift drones were an invaluable low-cost solution. However, alternatives needed to be considered. Flying at altitudes of 20 kilometers, they weren’t entirely undetectable from the ground or sea. Anomalies could eventually attract unwanted attention if the drones became too numerous.
“...Should we consider laying cables?”
Stretching submarine cables to the northern continent wasn’t impossible. Materials were abundant, though the process would be time-consuming, and unknown oceanic conditions could pose challenges. Still, wired connections between key bases offered significant advantages.
Solar flares, though yet unobserved, could disrupt communications. In severe cases, such events might even incapacitate the entire Swift fleet.
“Ringo, can we begin investigating submarine cables? It doesn’t need to be a high priority, but I’d like Telek Harbor connected sooner rather than later. Even if we start with a single line, we should eventually establish multiple routes.”
“Yes, ma’am. We can repurpose the Alpha-Class Destroyer No. 17 Quebec for survey missions and begin seabed mapping for cable deployment.”