"They hatch fast." The infected soldier muttered in terror. "Please, in my last moment I want to be the one in control, not the creatures that would slowly eat me from the inside out."

The crew halted, varying expressions of despair evident on their faces.

"Is there really no other way? M—Maybe if a Grandmaster like myself guided the spiritual energy in his body, we could save him?" Claire suggested.

Greg shook his head somberly, having seen sights like this a lot by now. "Not possible; controlling the energy in another person's body isn't the same as having mastery over it yourself. Countless have tried by now… The fate of the poor fella is sealed."

Michael's eyes remained cold as he raised Devil's Tongue high in the air.

"Is it really fine killing him? He is in a state of shock… It's not like he can think rationally." Ava whispered quietly.

"This is his final wish. I prefer to honor it and grant him peace rather than letting him experience a slow and agonizing death. A soldier of humanity is entitled to at least this much." Michael proclaimed bringing down his soul weapon.

Slash!

Cleanly he sliced the neck of the soldier, considering it to be the most painless way to end one's life.

"You have fought hard, soldier. You can rest now." Michael reassured, waiting for the man's eyes to dim.

"Thank y…"

Unable to utter more than a word, the soldier found peace.

"Find someone with fire technique, and burn the body as soon as possible." Michael commanded with authority that left no room for disobedience.

Wordlessly the crew went back to the military base. The fight with the Hreh'tar had been far from their most daunting battle, yet due to the hot atmosphere, they found themselves desiring a shower.

"I will speak frankly. Your skills are wasted on us." Greg admitted, seated across from them.

"Even though it hurts my pride saying these words, we are far from the biggest settlement on the planet. Not to mention that alien attacks here are rare but devastating. I advise you to scour Venus and arrive at other bases that are in need of aid."

Michael didn't argue with the commander. In the first place, he had come to acquire a detailed map of Venus' topology as well as any useful data the commander may possess.

Initially the plan was to scout Venus and eliminate the bigger threats they came across. However, one thing piqued Michael's interest.

"There are a lot of reports of soldiers and civilians disappearing." Michael exclaimed, realizing that this was one of the infamous cities for the recent increase in disappearances.

"Indeed it is." Greg glanced at the ground, ashamed.

"The worst part is, we don't know why this is happening. Most of the disappearances happened at the flying city above us, meaning the aliens couldn't be responsible, since we would be alerted if that was the case. That leaves serial killers, yet there is no proof of that."

'It seems that returning to the floating city is inevitable.' Michael sighed. His instinct told him that these disappearances were too chaotic and bizarre to not be connected to a bigger case.

"Good news to you all. We will delay fighting on the planet's surface for now and investigate these cases. Certainly there is more than meets the eye." Michael declared, boosting the morale of his crew.

At the same time, Greg blinked a few times, stunned by how casually a Master ordered Grandmasters around and how eagerly they followed him.

'Forget it, understanding powerhouses is pointless.' Greg thought before expressing his thankfulness once more.

Not lingering for more than necessary, the crew boarded the elevator once more, going towards the flying city.

"Now this is new. Investigating crime is something I don't have much experience in." Victoria admitted, deep in thought.

"Indeed, where do we even begin?" Claire sighed.

"That's easy!" Richard proclaimed. "First of all, we rent rooms and showers. Being dirty reminds me of the days when I was locked into a prison cell."

Unsurprisingly, everybody agreed. It didn't even matter whether they would go to a luxurious place or the cheapest one; taking a bath proved a priority.

One of the benefits of being a soldier was that they were doing well financially. As such, they decided to head to a rather nice place, renting several rooms equipped with baths.

Michael and Richard shared a room, and Enzo and Leo shared another. Meanwhile, Victoria, Claire, and Ava would reside in a larger room that allegedly contained certain types of minerals that improved skin health, making it shinier and softer. Intrigued, they didn't hesitate to pay, despite it costing more than the ordinary rooms.

As for Amelia, she had other plans that included Cyberfang. According to rumors, the cities on Venus were renowned for their unconventional mechanics that could upgrade mechas in a way most could only dream of. Deciding that she wanted to learn from them, she began her search.

Taking into account that Cyberfang had exceeded Michael's expectations in the recent battle against the Hreh'tar aliens, he concluded that her judgment could be trusted, letting her do as she thought best.

While the crew took a well-deserved breather after the long journey towards Venus, a woman locked into a room with her personal android assistant stumbled on the ground in fear.

Her breath hitched witnessing the being that was meant to comply with her wishes acting out of its own will.

"Stop! Abort! Heed my words!" She repeated the commands she had read in the instruction manual, yet the AI of the android refused to obey.

"Please—"

Interrupting her, the android forcefully took a firm hold of her mouth, its crimson gaze locking on her skin. Utilizing a kitchen knife, it delicately carved a little flesh, analyzing her body composition.

[No abnormalities detected. Approximate age of subject: 23 years, female. Cognitive function, immune system, and fertility markers are all in acceptable parameters.]

The android analyzed with scary precision, injecting the woman with sleep serum.

[Subject #64,983 successfully secured.]

[Drop point established.]

[Initiating search for next suitable target…]

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