Choice Two

The hatch closed without a sound, and the team members switched the control pods into stealth mode.

When the equipment was first developed, the researchers had envisioned all sorts of scenarios. Since the Z-Series Squad was a fleet defense unit, their deployment generally meant that enemies had already infiltrated the warship's interior.

That meant the inside of the warship was no longer safe, while the Z-Series Squad members, who needed to remotely control robots in combat, had no way to protect themselves.

To address this, the control pods were not only exceptionally sturdy but also offered multiple selectable modes, such as the stealth mode currently in use.

Once this mode was activated, an opening appeared in the metal floor beneath the control pod, allowing it to sink down perfectly. The floor then sealed itself again, restoring the room's calm appearance—though it now seemed much emptier.

However, what the squad did not know was that the things one feared most often had the greatest chance of happening, with an extremely unlikely possibility being magnified without limit.

A flash of fluorescence glimmered in a corner of the ceiling. On closer inspection, it turned out to be an incredibly tiny crawling insect.

At the Komok's level of technological development, although they were among the weakest of the Mid-Ring Civilizations, they were still a Mid-Ring Civilization—a colossal civilization that all Outer-Ring Civilizations had to look up to.

With technological capabilities at this level, many systems that had needed to be laid through pipelines during the early stages of technological civilization had long since been replaced by more advanced technology.

For example, energy transmission channels had evolved from the separate wiring design of early electrical cables into today's integrated design. These transmission channels had long been built directly into the hull through specialized manufacturing processes.