Chapter 452
Jake and Catalina silently watched the Commander, waiting for him to continue.
“The most important thing is that you can’t destroy a nest from the outside,” he explained. “Its exterior can withstand enormous amounts of damage and is capable of repairing itself with incredible speed.”
“It’s the sa in New Hope,” Catalina said. “We’ve always been fascinated by their regenerative powers, and we never figured out where they draw so much energy to rebuild so quickly, even after sustaining heavy damage.”
“Each nest has a core inside it,” the Commander explained. “That’s what keeps the nest alive. The core constantly absorbs mana from the surrounding air, energizing the entire structure, allowing it to develop ravagespawn and heal whenever necessary.”
“So, as long as the core stays intact, it’s impossible to destroy the outer organic layer of a nest, right?” Catalina asked. “That’s because the core is what regenerates any damaged sections, isn’t it?”
“That’s correct,” the Commander said. “And destroying a nest from the outside is not possible, not even with our advanced weapons.”
“So, to eliminate a nest, you need to destroy the core?”
“Yes. That’s the only way to destroy a nest. Once the core is destroyed, the nest loses its energy source, and after that, it can only exist for a very short ti before collapsing into nothing.”
“Destroying the core makes the nest dissolve on its own?” Catalina asked.
“Yes. All the organic matter of the nest essentially vaporizes, leaving behind nothing but the shell of the building on which the nest grew.”
“But the core’s inside the nest, isn’t it?” Catalina pressed. “If you can’t breach the outer organic layer, how do you even get in?”
“Yes, it’s impossible to destroy it completely, as it constantly regenerates itself. But, as you know, it’s not completely indestructible,” the Commander said. “So we don’t need to try to destroy it entirely. Instead, all we have to do is carve an opening in the organic wall and slip through before it grows back.”
Catalina’s eyebrows lifted. “Your weapons can manage that?”
“Yes, but we must focus the energy fire of several of our weapons on the sa spot, maintaining continuous fire for several seconds. That concentrated effort will burn right through the organic matter, creating an opening. However, it only remains for a brief amount of ti before the nest begins to seal itself.”
“What if the opening you create leads you directly to the concrete wall behind it?” Catalina asked. “After all, the organic layer is built over the walls of the original structures.”
“Actually, whatever the organic matter is, over the many months it’s been covering the buildings, it seems to have been eating away at the walls, slowly disintegrating the concrete. So, after destroying the core, all the organic matter of a nest disappears, and what’s left behind is only the skeletal frawork of the structure: bare tal columns and beams. So, if you carve out an opening, there’s a high chance there will be nothing to block your entry.”
“I see.”
“And once inside a nest, all you need to do is locate the core and destroy it,”the Commander finished.
“What does a core look like, by the way?” Catalina asked. “And how do you even know it’s the core, the thing you need to eliminate?”
“A core is huge, and it looks like… well, it’s kind of hard to describe. But trust , when you see it, you’ll know instantly. It’s impossible to confuse it for anything else.”
The Commander turned his attention to Jake. “Here’s the plan. I’ll send a team, and you’ll accompany them. They’ll breach a nest, and all of you will go in together. Once the core is found, my squad will work to destroy it while you defend them from the ravagespawn.”
“And what about the Titan?” Jake asked. “When is it expected to appear?”
“And where exactly?” Catalina added.
“From what we’ve learned, a Titan begins to take shape shortly after the core is attacked,” the Commander answered. “It happens not far from the nest that is being attacked.”
“So, it spawns outside the nest? Not inside?” Catalina clarified.
“Correct. Outside.”
“Good.”
“The reality isn’t nearly as encouraging as it sounds,” the Commander said, his voice dark and heavy. “A Titan may be massive, but it can form incredibly fast. More tis than I’d like to rember, a fully-grown Titan was ready for battle by the ti my team shattered the core and pulled out of the nest. I’ve lost far too many of my people to those monsters.”
“That’s awful,” Catalina said.
“The very first ti was the worst,” the Commander shared. “My people were ecstatic when they managed to shatter the core of a nest, watching the organic matter the nest was made of dissolve right before their eyes. But when it vanished completely, there stood a towering beast, waiting to attack.” The Commander shook his head. “And after that, even knowing what was coming, it never got any easier. Every core we destroyed always ca at a heavy cost in the lives of several of my people.”
“But despite that, you kept raiding the nests and destroying the cores, even knowing all the risks,” Catalina said, clearly admiring him.
“What choice did we have?” the Commander said grimly. “Just sitting on our asses was out of the question. We were, and still are, determined to completely destroy the Ravage and clear our city of that plague, or die trying. Simply hoping for sobody to co and save us was never in our minds, even though I always believed there might be other cities out there, with survivors like us.”
“You’re so of the toughest people I’ve ever t,” Catalina said earnestly. “I thought surviving in New Hope was hard, but what you’ve gone through here is beyond words.”
The Commander allowed a faint, bitter smile. “Yeah. We’re tough motherfuckers. One of the reasons we call ourselves the Spartans.”
“So after the core is destroyed and the organic matter disappears, I’m supposed to engage a Titan, which should already be fully developed by that ti, right?” Jake said, steering the conversation back on track.
“That’s right,” the Commander replied, shifting his attention back to him. “But as I said before, you don’t have to face it alone. My people can assist you in battle, provided you keep the Titan’s attention on you and away from my people. It’d be great if you could summon your creatures to aid you in the fight with the Titan as well.”
Jake nodded without saying anything.
“The battle shouldn’t last long,” the Commander continued. “Between you and my people, a Titan could be killed within twenty to thirty minutes, assuming my assessnt of your abilities is correct. Maybe even less if you make use of your creatures.”
“So all five remaining Titans could be defeated in a single day?” Catalina asked, her voice laced with surprise.
“Not quite,” the Commander replied. “My people need downti after destroying a nest and taking down a Titan. Unlike our friend Jake here, who can operate tirelessly as long as he has enough mana, we, humans, need rest from ti to ti. That’s why I rotate my teams instead of sending all of them to take on a Titan at the sa ti.”
“But wouldn’t it make more sense to throw everyone at it together?” Catalina pressed. “More firepower ans an easier kill, doesn’t it?”
“Actually, not at all. Smaller teams are more effective when clearing nests, as you might expect. These nests usually resemble cramped building interiors, leaving little room for my entire squad to maneuver. The tighter the space, the harder it is to move without bumping into one another. Packing too many people into such tight quarters only increases the risk of crossfire. And when it cos to battling a Titan, having more fighters in the area just spawns more ravagespawn, raising the chances of casualties. So a smaller team works better both for clearing a nest and for defeating a Titan.”
“I see.”
“Given how few people I have left, and factoring in rotations, I’d estimate that, assuming everything goes smoothly, we’ll finish off the remaining Titans and clear enough nests to drop the percentage of the city’s contamination down to zero in just a few days, maybe only two or three.”
“That’s great,” Catalina said. “Thought it’d take longer.”
“Not at all. As long as nothing unexpected slows us down, we should wrap this up quickly.”
“Alright,” Catalina said. “Where do I fit into this? What do you want to do?”
The Commander shook his head. “You’re not one of my soldiers, so I can’t give you orders. You’re a guest here, so you can just stay in the safety of my base while Jake and my people clear the nests and defeat the remaining Titans.”
“Absolutely not,”Catalina said firmly. “I’m not gonna just sit on my ass while you people do all the work. I want so action, want to pull my weight, too.”
“Want to help clear a nest? Or defeat a Titan?”
“Both.”
“Alright then. I’m definitely not gonna refuse your help. I’m short on soldiers, and even one more fighter makes a difference. An extra gun in battle is always good.”
“When’s the next operation to clear a nest?” Catalina asked.
“I always have fresh troops ready for action whenever needed,” the Commander said, turning his gaze to Jake. “So it all depends on when Jake is ready. My people can mobilize at a mont’s notice. Are you ready to move out right now, Jake?”
But he wasn’t actually willing to go on a Titan hunt right away. Before doing that, he wanted to leave the Spartans’ base and explore Dead City on his own for a little while, at his own pace.
Before he could say anything, the Commander looked back at Catalina and asked, “Jake might be ready to go right now, but what about you? Are you sure you can head out imdiately? Won’t you need so rest first? I imagine it’s been a long journey from your city, followed by a couple of stressful hours in ours. Don’t you want to get so rest before moving out again?”
Catalina’s lips curved into a small smile. “Now that you ntion it, I suppose a little rest wouldn’t hurt.”
“Then I’ll make the arrangents,” the Commander said. “It’s almost night outside, and going on a mission after dark is suicide in our city. Rest tonight, and tomorrow morning, you and Jake can et for a Titan hunt.”
The Commander glanced around the cavern, clearly trying to call for soone who could arrange a place for Catalina to rest.
“Before we go, can I ask you one more question?” she asked.
He turned back to her. “Shoot.”
“I think I already ntioned that my people were contacted by soone when they flew into your city. But apparently, that wasn’t your people, was it?”
The Commander frowned. “No. Definitely not.”
“Are there other survivor groups in your city besides yours, the Spartans?”
“None that I know of.”
“Then who could have contacted my people?”
The Commander was silent for a mont, eyeing Catalina with a frown. Then his eyes lit up as a realization struck.
“Damn,” he muttered. “I think I know who you’re talking about.”
“Who?”
“Sobody I believed was long dead.”
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