BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Chapter 1037: Not a Vacation (3)



As dawn approached, the Chimaeric Demons took the soldiers' places throughout the base. To all appearances, it was business as usual at the outpost.

But now, key positions were held by Erik's clones, and not by Hin's soldiers. Not that Erik needed to control the outpost. The only thing he had to do was to find a place where he and the Chimaeric Demons could fix the ship's damage, or at least take another one.

<It would be great if Hin's troops fixed the ship for us.>

But that, of course, required Erik and the others to know what the situation there was. Did they have the tools to make the fix? Did their protocols allow that? What would happen if they arrived on the island? Would they be attacked because of such protocols?

That was why Erik sent the Chimaeric Demons there. He might have done that alone, but what was the point of having the Chimaeric Demons if he ended up doing everything himself?

...

...

...

The clone impersonating Captain Roth sat at the desk in the command center, looking every inch the part of a tired but dutiful officer.

He picked up the communication device, keying in the secure frequency that would connect him directly to Erik's ship.

"Base to Shadow, everything is ready," he said, using the predetermined codename for Erik's ship.

There was a moment of static before Erik's voice came through. "This is Shadow. Report." "Infiltration successful," the clone said. "We've secured key positions within the outpost, as requested. No alarm-raising kills made, no suspects raised."

"Excellent," Erik said. "What's the situation there?"

The clone paused for a second. There was much to tell.

"The base layout comprises a central command center, barracks, storage facilities, and docks. We have approximately 150 personnel on-site, including 30 officers and 120 enlisted soldiers. Supplies include enough food and ammunition to last several months. Defenses include automated turrets, a perimeter fence, and several guard towers."

"There are fewer troops than we expected," Erik said. He wasn't obviously sad about this. On the opposite, it was great.

"Yes, sir. This won't be a hard mission."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Yeah. Is there something else?" Erik asked.

"Yes, sir. There have been multiple sightings of thaid movements in the nearby waters. Their activity seems to be increasing, possibly due to a recent migration."

"Most importantly," he said, "there's been no mention of us or the stolen ship. It seems our stunt hadn't drawn attention to us. For what I found out, they still couldn't send communication to the working outposts. Most likely, they had to send a squad on foot to tell the situation about the stolen ship to the blackguards. I don't think we have a lot of time before that happens."

There was a pause as Erik contemplated what to do. The fact there had been no news about them to the enemy headquarters was good, but it was also true what the Chimaeric Demon said, and that it was a matter of time before Hin reached their allies and told them about the stolen ship.

"Good work," Erik said. "What's your assessment of the situation? Can we dock the ship there to make our repairs, or do we have to take the base?"

The Chimaeric Demon paused for a second.

"Yes. According to their protocols, ships may dock here for repairs. We would just need the authorization from the officers. Fortunately, we've already replaced them all with our own."

"Proceed with caution," Erik said. "We'll approach under cover of darkness tonight, and as soon as you give us the authorization to proceed."

"Understood, Master," the Chimaeric Demon said. "We will let you know."

As the communication ended, the clone leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips. Phase one of their plan had been executed without problems.

Now they just had to maintain their cover until Erik and the others arrived. But first, he had some things to make that happen without trouble.

Throughout the day, the Chimaeric Demons played their roles to perfection. They issued orders, oversaw operations, and interacted with the base personnel as if they had been there for years. Their perfect memory and ability to mimic allowed them to not arouse suspicions.

They also subtly altered patrol routes to create blind spots the other could use in case something went badly, and manipulated the supply records to make it so their master could restock without trouble.

The protocols allowed the outpost to restock ships, but there was a limit. However, what the clone did would allow Erik to take more than he should.

As night fell, tension among the Chimaeric Demons grew. Everything had been set already.

The false Captain Roth stood at the window of the command center, looking out over the darkened base. In the distance, he could see the faint outline of the docks where, soon, its master was going to put the ship.

He turned to the Chimaeric Demon, impersonating Lieutenant Vega. "It's time," he said.

From afar, the silhouette of Erik's ship took shape against the dark horizon. Slowly, it approached the dock. The sound of the parting waves reached them.

As the ship arrived at the dock, the Chimaeric Demons acted. They went there and secured it to the docks. They threw thick ropes and tied the ship, ensuring stable mooring.

As night fell, the few soldiers and engineers on duty gathered at the docks, having been briefed earlier about an incoming vessel in need of urgent repairs.

However, everything had been weird. Whispers circulated about Captain Roth's unusual fixation on this particular ship.

Some speculated that it might be carrying sensitive cargo or high-ranking officials, while others wondered if it was part of a classified mission.

A Chimaeric Demon, pretending to be a senior officer, greeted the engineers and soldiers at

the dock.

He got straight to the point. "The ship is damaged. We got hit by a thaid swarm. We need it fixed fast." His tone left no room for questions.

The engineers were very interested in this mysterious situation. They listened carefully to the

explanation.

Once they understood how serious it was, they got to work. Soon, the dock was busy with activity. Repair vehicles were turned on, their lights shining in the dark. Many people worked around the ship, using advanced tools and materials the Chimaeric demons had never seen to

fix it.

After examining the ship, the head engineer came to talk to the disguised Chimaeric Demon. "Sir," he said, sounding both professional and worried, "the damage is bad, but we can fix it. It will take at least two days of non-stop work to repair it properly. But if it's really urgent, we could make it ready to sail in about 36 hours, though we'd have to cut some corners."

The Chimaeric Demon nodded, knowing that even this longer time was fine for Erik. Their plan to sneak in and trick everyone had worked perfectly. Now, they just needed to keep pretending until the ship was fixed and ready to sail again.