Chapter 8 In the Forest
An enlarged map of Gaia was displayed on a giant monitor. Yukawa Town was in the center, and the surrounding area was painted red in an almost circular shape.
"Eos manipulated the weather to cover this area with thick clouds, but they didn't stop multiplying right away," Nelson explained.
"The proliferation finally stopped within a radius of about 200 km. Several towns were engulfed." Nelson said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"What about the townspeople?" asked Crane.
"Most residents were unable to escape."
"Are they hiding behind a building or a tree?" asked Crane.
"No," Nelson looked down.
"We think the humans who were left behind became prey to silicoinsects or silicozoans."
"Why? Even if they eat humans, they'll be full of water and won't taste good to them at all, right?"
"Crane, humans have a lot of calcium. In our bones. For them, we humans are a great calcium supplement."
"Ah, now that you mention it, you're right." Crane happily agreed. Yoshida gave him a sidelong glance, and he panicked and returned to his serious face.
"Is there any guarantee that they won't spread further?" Newton asked.
"Not at all. That's why Eos is currently covering all of Gaia with thick clouds. We won't be able to see the sun for a while."
They stared at the red box on the screen. Yukawa Town was located in a relatively sparsely populated area in the arid region of the continent, and was about 1,000 km away from Tokio City, which was located on the coast where they lived. However, Yoshida did not think that the distance was that far.
"Where is Dyson?" Newton asked.
"It seems that his laboratory was also swallowed up. He fled to the Union for his life."
"How many victims?"
"Everyone except Dyson and one other man failed to escaped. According to what he said, everyone who remained was hopeless."
'Goo'
Yoshida heard the sound of someone's stomach growling. Lee panicked and held his stomach in embarrassment. Yoshida looked at the clock, it was almost 1 o'clock. It was quite a long fasting period for Lee, who hadn't eaten anything since morning. Yoshida decided to have lunch with Lee.
"What the hell happened?" Glenn said looking at Lee who was eating greedily. "This is the first time I've seen Lee eat lunch this late."
"There's a little incident happening on Gaia right now."
"Oh, What kind of guy is that?" Glenn asked.
"A very dangerous creature has appeared."
"If it ever comes around here, just tell me and I'll deal with it." Glenn rolled up his arms.
"Yeah, please."
Lee looked up at Yoshida in dumbfounded. Then he stopped eating and said, "Do you think that forest will grow bigger and come over here?"
"There's not much sunlight, and there's not much energy available. I don't think they will spread any further. For now." Yoshida said.
"What if they come over here?"
"We have no choice but to run away, on a whale."
Lee looked anxiously into space. "I wonder what's going on with that jellyfish?"
"We should just shoot it down with a fighter jet. It might have been shot down by now."
Lee shook his head. "It will probably end up being chewed up by silicon insects like the missile."
"If we leave the forest and go higher up in the sky, those insects won't be there."
"Yeah, I hope so. Because there will be no fighters to act as guards. But if that doesn't work, we'll be in big trouble."
"Why?"
"Once it passes through the troposphere and reaches the stratosphere, our fighter jets can't fly that far, and there are no clouds to block sunlight, so they can store and use as much energy as they want. If that happens, those jellyfish will multiply and may eventually cover the sky."
"No way, you are worrying too much. Because, the silicon and metals necessary for proliferation are nowhere to be found in the sky. It's okay, it's okay...maybe."
When Yoshida and Lee returned to the basement, the red map of the Silicon Forest was still visible on the screen. Nelson was gone. Crane and Newton were staring at the screen. The red area on the enlarged map had changed slightly. It seemed to Yoshida that it was shrinking, albeit only slightly.
"Is there anything unusual?" Yoshida asked.
"The military has once again erected a barrier around the forest and is encircling it and attacking it. They're slow to react because they don't have enough energy. Apparently one out of every few short-range missiles hits the forest." Newton said, looking at the screen.
While Yoshida was watching, a white dot appeared within the red forest area on the screen. Then it flickered and disappeared.
"Another missile hit. Soon, they will all into a state of energy starvation. This is what is called a starvation tactics."
"Good. Things are going well." Lee looked relieved. "What happened to that jellyfish-like creature?"
"They sent some attack planes and fighter planes, but they're all missing."
"Oh" Lee's face darkened again.
"How many jellyfish are there?" Yoshida asked.
"About 100 jellyfishes have been confirmed to have escaped. Since then, all the ones that have appeared in the forest have been shot down by missiles while ascending."
"Are there any videos of what jellyfish are doing in the sky?"
"The video hasn't been sent yet. A reconnaissance plane will probably send it sometime soon."
"What is Dyson doing now?" Yoshida asked, curious.
"It seems he's hiding in the Union's nanotech lab and doing something."
"I didn't know that Union was also doing nanotechnology research."
"Of course there is. Although the staff is small, they have the most advanced equipment."
Snake was leisurely sipping coffee in the staff room. Martial law was declared, classes were closed for the time being, and he didn't have to see the noisy kids anymore. From now on, every day is Sunday. Snake was savoring his happiness. Suddenly, Principal Koizumi burst into the teacher's room.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"The order was given to close the class, so all the children have just gone home. We're just taking a breather right now."
"You guys have no business here for the time being. We're in a state of emergency right now. It's a war, a war. The enemy is an incredible monster."
"What kind of monster are we fighting against?" someone asked fearfully.
"I don't know, but it seems like several towns have already been destroyed and hundreds of people have died. It's going to shatter the town into pieces, grab us humans, and eat our heads off."
They trembled violently.
"You don't have to be here for the time being. Go do something useful somewhere."
"What on earth should we do?" Snake said in shock.
Koizumi walked towards Snake. Then he handed the item he was holding behind his back to Snake. It was a sturdy military hat. Snake opened his eyes.
"If there's nothing to do, go to the front lines!"
Snake rolled his eyes.
Yoshida looked at the clock, it was already 4 o'clock. The red area of the silicon forest displayed on the screen was shrinking little by little. Small dots appeared and disappeared within the area from time to time.
"It's a lot smaller now, about two-thirds of its original size," Lee said, looking at the screen. "If we keep attacking like this through the night, everything will be gone by tomorrow morning."
"I hope so," Yoshida muttered.
Nelson's face appeared. "I got a call from someone who went scouting for jellyfish. He said he lost them."
"What! They disappeared?"
"Lee, Gaia's sky is wide. Even if there were 100 of them with a diameter of just a few tens of meters, it would be hard to find them right away. And we don't even know what altitude they are at right now. It is unclear whether they are still in the troposphere or whether they has already reached the stratosphere. We are looking for it with radar, but they are almost indistinguishable from clouds. It is possible that they may have reached the end of their lifespan and disappeared. In any case, the search will continue into the night."
"Is it possible that they are traveling by following the sun?" Crane said so. Nelson twisted his head.
"It's possible. I'll let them know about this possibility as soon as possible. By the way, on a different note, something strange is happening above the forest."
The screen has changed. It was a distant view of the silicon forest. Straight shadows were rising here and there above the forest. It looked like a cylinder of tornado wind. It twisted diagonally and swayed over time. They could see countless white pillars as far as their eyes could reach.
"A tornado in the woods? That's strange," Crane said, twisting his head.
Military vehicles were moving in rows along the streets of the town. A vehicle full of soldiers in military uniform left the line and stopped right in front of Snake and the others.
"Can you have two?" Principal Koizumi said to the man in the driver's seat. The man nodded.
A man on the carrier opened the back side and climbed out. Then he forcibly dragged the blue-faced Snake and Paul onto the loading platform. The loading platform slammed shut.
"Principal!" Snake and Paul clung to the carrier and shouted at Koizumi.
"Good luck! If you're lucky, come back alive." Koizumi said waving his hand.
Snake and Paul let go of the edge of the carrier and turned around in fear. The men with dusty faces all stared at the two with sharp eyes. They were like two mice thrown into a pack of tigers. The two swallowed thickly.
Nelson came down the brightly lit hallway. He opened the door to a room with a plate saying '3D Vision Room.' Dyson, who had been in the room with his hands behind his back turned around.
"Dyson, it seems like you have something to do. What is it about? I'm busy, so I'll ask you to be brief."
"I attached a small camera to a silicon bee that I made in the nanotechnology laboratory. I had my subordinates release several of them near the front line in the Silicon Forest. It's almost time to receive images from the bees."
"Hey, are you planning to look inside the forest? It looks pretty interesting, but I'm afraid they'll be attacked by silicon insects soon."
"There is some risk of that. But those silicon insects must have evolved seeing my bees, so it's possible they still remember them. They'll think my bees are friends. I'll take a chance on it."
The lights in the room suddenly went out, and projectors in several places began casting images onto the surrounding walls. There was a pitch black forest in front of them. It was slowly approaching. Nelson looked down at the floor beneath his feet and saw the ground several meters below. He had the illusion that he was floating in the air and being sucked straight into the forest.
"The video playback speed has been slowed down to make it easier to see." Dyson said.
The viewpoint plunged into a pitch-black forest. It swayed up and down and left and right among the countless intertwined branches of the trees. Suddenly, several large mosquito-like creatures appeared in front of them. The large wings on its back were flapping busily as it stood still, swaying in front of the viewer's eyes, looking towards them. They were clearly confused and wary of the intruder. One of them moved closer to the viewpoint. It looked like he was sniffing. Suddenly, all the mosquitoes disappeared from sight. Dyson breathed a sigh of relief. The perspective progressed through almost darkness. From time to time, flying insects of various shapes flew in swarms in various directions.
"This area is still a moat." Dyson said.
"Looks like there are only flying insects." Nelson
Suddenly, something that looked like a gently‐sloping mountain appeared in front of them. It was almost pitch black in color. Mountain-like lumps were stuck here and there among the large trees.
"What are these?" asked Nelson.
"It's strange for a mountain or hill, and it doesn't move at all. It's probably not a living thing. They have no hands, feet, or sense organs. It might be some sort of waste."
Eventually, the mountain mass disappeared. The field of vision opened up towards the ground, and things that looked like shining crystals or metal crystals began to line up. They had various shapes, including plant-like objects, mushroom-like objects, and cactus-like objects.
"This is the same one I saw before. It's the one that degenerated and became a parasite."
The forest of silicon mushrooms continued for a while. Eventually, the appearance of the grove changed. The large trees disappeared, and the vine-like groves became countless intertwined bushes. They couldn't see the ground again. The trees were intertwined in countless ways, making it seem like they were flying through a sponge.
"Is this the main body of the silicon forest?" asked Nelson, doubtful.
"No, I don't think so. I think it's a wall that separates the outside world from the inside."
"I haven't seen a single silicone animal yet."
"I was curious about it too. Maybe we overlooked them somewhere. Or maybe they went extinct."
"Extinct?"
"Insects are enough in the forest. Animals are just a nuisance to them and they don't need them. Oh, what is this? "
Nelson looked in the direction Dyson was looking. A shaky, round object was floating in the darkness. It was emitting light, flickering like a firefly, and moving through the air changing shape like a bubbly soap ball. When they looked around, they saw the round objects floating around in the darkness. Some were heading forward, others were drifting towards them from beyond.
"What are these?" Nelson asked Dyson.
"These are floating life forms. Like that big jellyfish, they are obviously alive."
"Since it's floating, I wonder if it's stuffed with some light gas inside its body, like hydrogen."
"No, they have heat in their bodies. Ordinary air, nitrogen and oxygen will suffice. Hydrogen has the risk of exploding due to the heat."
"Are these plants or animals?"
"Since they don't synthesize sunlight, they can be considered animals. They may also be related to jellyfish."
The sight of a sea of spongy trees continued on and on. As they progressed further, the number of jellyfish-like creatures floating around increased. There were mixture of jellyfish-like creatures moving forward and things coming towards them from the other side. Nelson was fascinated by the sight.
"I feel like I've seen something like this somewhere..." Nelson said thoughtfully.
"Oh, what's that?" Dyson turned to Nelson.
"It's a movie I saw a long time ago, and it was a revival of a very old movie. A micro-sized expedition team swam through human blood vessels in a submersible."
"Is it 'Fantastic Voyage'?"
"Oh, that reminds me of the red blood cells swimming in those blood vessels. Don't you think there's something similar to that?"
"Oh, I see." Dyson put his hand on his chin and looked at the jellyfish-like creatures floating around.
Their vision suddenly opened up. They opened their eyes and gasped.
The densely intertwined sea of trees suddenly broke off, and the jellyfish-like creature in front of them swayed and jumped out into the vast space. It was possible to see far into the distance, and huge trees towered over the vast space, spreading their branches to the sides as they rose higher, forming a pitch-black canopy far overhead. Countless shining jellyfish-like creatures that jumped out from the sea of trees were floating in the air, swaying in the air. Then, they slowly descended and were floating on a mat-like object with various shapes spread out on the ground. Table-shaped things, spherical things, things with countless branches growing out, and various mat-like masses covered the ground as far as the eye could see. It spread as far as the eye could reach, disappearing into pitch black darkness. The surface of the mat-like object was divided into small cells, each of which shone with a variety of light, and each clump of mat was silently flickering repeatedly.
"What's this?" Nelson finally spoke. His eyes remained glued to the scene before him.
A jellyfish-like creature that was floating on top of the mat came into contact with the mat's cell many times. Each time a sharp spark appeared between the jellyfish-like creature and Cell.
"The jellyfish-like creature and that mat-like thing are interacting. They must obviously be exchanging something." Dyson said.
"Is that alive?"
"Judging by its shape, it looks exactly like coral in the sea. It is probably a collection of individual life forms. Obviously they are alive. In other words, they are coral-like creatures."
"What kind of interaction do they have? Energy?"
"No, in that form, it doesn't seem like that. Let's take a closer look."
The bee's perspective moved over the coral creatures. In front of their eyes, colorful jellyfish creatures swooped down onto the coral, then flew back up again. Each time, a light flashed across the coral, changing its color in a blinking manner. There were also coral creatures that blinked in each cell.
"Look. Don't the coral cells, you could call them cells, get bigger and smaller every time they come into contact with the jellyfish creatures?"
Nelson narrowed his eyes. "Uh, I don't really understand."
Nelson stared even more intently at the coral below. The whole coral shook a little, as if shuddering.
"Oh, it's true that the shape has changed a little. I guess it's gotten bigger overall?"
"Each time they interact, the cells of the coral organisms reorganize. Sometimes the cells disappear, and sometimes they multiply."
"Will it increase or decrease?" Nelson looked at Dyson. "That means...."
"These are storehouses. These coral creatures are storehouses of matter for silicon creatures."
"Oh, I see," Nelson nodded. "In other words, it's a center of substance metabolism. If this silicon forest were to be a living organism, this place could be called its liver."
"Hmm," Nelson twisted his head. "But if that's the case, why don't those bugs come here? There are only jellyfish creatures, right?"
"Those jellyfish creatures are probably organisms that transports substances. The insects probably receive the necessary metal substances from the jellyfish creatures that exit from here."
Suddenly, a sharp flash of light appeared in a corner of the pitch-black canopy. Then, the center of it burst open, and something like red sparks flew out and came flying down.
"It's a missile." Dyson's face turned pale.
After a while, another flash appeared in another part of the canopy.
"The defenses in the heart of the forest have begun to collapse," said Dyson, stunned.
"Hmm, I guess we can't help it. At this rate, this place will probably collapse in about an hour." Nelson said.
"Please let them stop. I need at least half a day. If I had that much time, I could research this place." Dyson approached Nelson.
"Unfortunately, I don't have the authority. We have no choice but to talk directly to Fujimori."
Dyson turned off the projector. Then he quickly left the room, leaving Nelson behind.