Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

179 – The Inspector’s Identity

 

Soo-jeong looked at the contents of the box with a shocked expression and asked Myung-jun, “Wouldn’t it self-destruct immediately if it wasn’t in a frozen state? How did you capture a live specimen?”

“Of course, we initially captured it in a frozen state. We tried to anesthetize it, but its neural transmission system is completely different from any terrestrial organism, so conventional anesthetics didn’t work.”

“The Army’s failed attempt to use sleeping gas was probably for the same reason.”

Initially, Myung-jun also intended to keep the newly captured parasite in a frozen state. However, seeing the parasite floating in the medical pod sparked a brilliant idea in his mind.

“Medical pod, is all the information from the treatment process recorded separately?”

[To discover new diseases and treatments and to study unrecorded physical characteristics, all information within the medical pod is digitized and stored in the archive.]

“Then show me all the information recorded from this surgery.”

[Please select a device to review the records.]

“Can you display everything on a holographic screen at once?”

[Impossible. The volume of data is too vast to display all at once in a single space.]

The data registered in the medical pod’s archive was meticulously recorded from the moment Myung-jun brought the patient into the medical room, down to the millisecond. It included every physical and chemical state of the patient, making it nearly impossible for a human to review all the information. The medical records even documented the damage state of the cells repaired by the billions of nanobots during the surgery.

Realizing the impracticality of reviewing all the records, Myung-jun decided to request only the necessary information from the medical pod. He specifically asked for all the changes that occurred immediately after the thawing of the live parasite captured in the upper left arm.

Although this still included an overwhelming amount of data, Myung-jun systematically excluded irrelevant information to narrow down what he needed. With Seung-ho’s help, he finally managed to find the crucial information he was looking for.

“So, you’re saying the parasites communicate with each other through some form of telepathy? They send out a signal and if there’s no response within a certain time, they self-destruct?”

[I provide information but do not interpret its meaning.]

“But the only signal the parasite sent out before attempting to self-destruct was this, right?”

Myung-jun couldn’t define the nature of the ‘signal.’ The faint signal detected inside the medical pod bore no resemblance to any human communication methods. It wasn’t a frequency, sound wave, pheromone, or any known electrochemical signal. It was an unknown element.

“If it’s not a physical or chemical signal, how did the medical pod detect and record it?”

[The signal is a type of psychic wave. It’s a form of communication some civilizations refer to as ‘telepathy’ or ‘mental waves.’ The medical pod is equipped with sensors capable of detecting such signals.]

“Can it be translated?”

[Negative. The signal is an emotional wave rather than a message with specific intent, making it impossible to translate into a comprehensible language.]

“Hmm…”

After pondering for a moment, Myung-jun spoke to the medical pod. “Is it possible to replicate the signal?”

[The design for a psychic signal emitter is included in the available schematics. Access to this schematic is limited to one use. Would you like to manufacture a device capable of emitting the requested signal at the factory?]

“If there’s only one access, it means my senior must have deemed it potentially useful but didn’t need it immediately. Let’s create a new containment device for the parasite with this equipment.”

Myung-jun then called up the design system, ‘Blueprint.’ A holographic table, reminiscent of the one from the Iron Man movies, appeared before him.

“Whoa! What is this incredibly cool device?!”

“It’s the design system we use to create new equipment inside the subspace. The ‘Hedgehog’ system we used during the thawing process was also made with this.”

“Ah, no wonder you could whip up whatever we needed so quickly. You had this all along?”

“It’s not mine. Originally, it’s a specialized ability used by Senior Soo-jeong. I’m just using it with access permission. Plus, my proficiency is nowhere near hers. What she can create in an hour takes me at least three hours to design. Still, the quality is ridiculously good for the complexity of the task. Blueprint? Create a containment unit that can hold a hazardous creature about the size of a palm in a live state. Print a list of all usable components.”

As soon as Myung-jun finished speaking, a long list of what seemed like hundreds of components appeared before him. He meticulously checked each item on the list, selecting only the necessary parts, and then commanded the system to display the models of the selected components as holograms.

About twenty components remained, and Myung-jun began assembling them into a box-like structure, much like putting together a Lego set.

“Flatten the compressed container attached to the emergency cooling device.”

[Shape modification complete. The change in container shape has decreased internal stability.]

“That’s fine. We can reinforce the material to make it sturdier.”

[Confirmed. Replacing container material with reinforced titanium alloy.]

Seung-ho watched the entire process with a mesmerized expression, filled with admiration. “Wow, you really live in a completely different world, Captain.”

“It just looks a bit flashy. What I’m doing isn’t much different from what you do, Seung-ho. I find it impressive how you mix substances in the alchemy table to create new materials. The process varies depending on each person’s abilities.”

Myung-jun continued to adjust the positions and shapes of the components, gradually completing the design of the containment box. Finally, satisfied with the performance of the design, he spoke to the air.

“This will do. Start the automatic production.”

[How many units would you like to produce?]

“Make five, just in case.”

[Automatic production process initiated. It will take 30 minutes to complete all units. Would you like to name the new equipment?]

“Let’s call it the Inspector Box.”

[The new equipment has been named Inspector Box. What would you like to do with the completed units?]

“Bring them here.”

[You will be guided to retrieve the items once they are ready. Please collect the new equipment from the storage box on the wall when prompted.]

During the roughly 30 minutes it took for the Inspector Boxes to be completed, Myung-jun and Seung-ho engaged in casual conversation. They talked about Seung-ho’s experiences in the underground of the Gate Research Institute and the process Myung-jun went through to establish the Liberal Clan and gather his comrades.

When the system message indicated that the Inspector Boxes were ready, Myung-jun moved to the wall of the medical room. He opened the large retrieval box and pulled out the completed units. These boxes were designed to capture live parasites by mimicking the psychic signals sent to synaptic entities, effectively returning the signal to the parasites.

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“Wait a minute, just replicating and playing back the signal doesn’t guarantee the parasite won’t self-destruct, right? You might need to send back a signal saying ‘son’ instead of ‘mother.’”

“That’s true. It was a gamble. If the parasite stabilized upon hearing the replicated signal, we’d leave it be. If it attempted to self-destruct, we’d freeze it again immediately.”

“What’s the liquid inside?”

“It’s the medical pod’s treatment fluid in gel form. It simulates an environment similar to human tissue, so the parasite doesn’t feel out of place.”

“Hehe… My boyfriend is so smart. You can’t even imagine how many experiments we can conduct with a live parasite.”

“Just don’t overdo it. We only have one, and it was a real struggle to get it.”

“The Captain is right. Just thinking about that time… Ugh!”

Seung-ho felt the urge to vomit again as he recalled the scene of extracting the parasite from the melting body. Soo-jeong, seeing his reaction, smiled kindly and said, “Seung-ho, are you curious about what would happen if you vomited inside my Shadow Hawk?”

“…I’ll vomit outside.”

As Soo-jeong opened the hatch of the Shadow Hawk, Seung-ho ran out, covering his mouth. Watching him with an amused smile, Myung-jun spoke.

“Senior.”

“Yeah?”

“We should go too. Everything is ready, and now it’s time to resolve this situation.”

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***

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Less than 24 hours after capturing the infected, Soo-jeong had completed a device capable of distinguishing the infected, leaving EDA Director Yoon Se-ah in utter astonishment. The parasite, which no existing diagnostic equipment could identify, was easily detectable with the device Soo-jeong had created.

To identify the parasite, Soo-jeong employed technology that was literally ‘not of this Earth.’ Radiation, electrical signals, magnetic fields—none of these could distinguish the parasite from human tissue. Soo-jeong focused on the fact that the parasite originated from a universe other than Earth’s. She realized that to detect such an entity, she needed to use energy from beyond Earth’s universe.

Based on this idea, she created a device that dispersed faint crystal energy into the space, much like how an X-ray machine emits radiation. This detection equipment, akin to an alien-specific X-ray, could perfectly display the location of the parasite hidden within the human body.

“Though I’ve heard about it, the technology possessed by the Liberal Clan is truly astonishing. To complete such a device in less than 24 hours… It might have been a stroke of genius to seek your help.”

“Thank you for the compliment, but it’s too early to be relieved. The device my senior created can only locate where the parasite is inside the body; it can’t safely remove the parasite.”

Myung-jun explained that the most challenging part was yet to come. At the center of the infected unit, there would likely be a synaptic entity connected to all the parasites. Attempting to remove it could result in the simultaneous death of all infected soldiers. Moreover, Myung-jun suspected the existence of a higher entity controlling the synaptic entity.

“Judging by the range of the infected soldiers’ movements, the synaptic entity’s control range isn’t very wide. Despite this, soldiers stationed at outposts far from the main unit are also suspected of being infected. This suggests the presence of a higher entity controlling the synaptic entities over a broader range.”

“A higher entity…”

“In StarCraft terms, it’s like a Hatchery. A central host that nests in one area and controls a wide range of synaptic entities.”

Myung-jun’s intuition warned him that this crisis wouldn’t end with merely purifying a single unit.