ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (2)

Destroy the Base!

October 27

211 km east of Hannan, Great Sou Empire

Four days after the Special Operations Group landed on the Shungyou Continent, Shimazaki Team was about to reach its destination after a forced march. After passing through a harsh mountainous forest area, they came upon an uninhabited plain.

"So... that's the base of the saucers."

The team leader, Captain Shimazaki, peeked through binoculars to confirm the target while hiding in the mountain forest. The base of the saucers, which JAXA had captured on satellite images several months earlier, was spread out there. The structure of the building clearly does not fit with the culture of the Great Sou Empire, implying that it was not built by this country.

"There is not a soul in the vicinity... it looks deserted, and I suspect it has already been abandoned."

As one of the team members said, there was no sign of anyone at all at the base, and there were no saucers to be seen.

"Either way, we're just doing the job we've been told to do. Now... let's go!"

"Okay!"

No matter what the situation was, what they were going to do was the same. The 10-men team under Shimazaki rose from the bushes and proceeded to the abandoned saucer base. A few dozen minutes later, they climbed over the fence surrounding the base and entered its grounds. It seemed that a month had passed since no one had been there, and the area where the saucers had been parked was now covered with grass.

"If it's uninhabited, there's nothing to be afraid of. Let's split up and set off some explosives, and meet back here in an hour."

"Yes, sir!"

Immediately after the order from the team leader, the 10 members dispersed into the deserted base. They then planted C-4 explosives in the location they had spotted from satellite photos. The work proceeded without a hitch, unobstructed by anyone. The area of the building was not that large, and the explosives they had brought with them were sufficient to destroy it. Captain Shimazaki then went to the first floor of the south wing of the base. He drilled a hole in one of the pillars supporting the building and inserted a C-4 with a detonator into the hole. But then he found a document scattered on the floor.

"What is this...?"

Shimazaki picked up the document. It had a photograph of a saucer that had struck off the coast of Kujukurihama. Around it was a text written in a language he had never seen before, so he could not read it.

"This is a document about the saucers!"

Shimazaki realized the importance of the contents and picked up the scattered materials. It was probably some kind of research material on the disk. However, there was also a photo of something other than the disk attached to it.

"What the heck... is this? It looks like a design proposal for a sci-fi movie."

It showed a variety of weapons that looked like something out of an old science fiction Western movie. He continued to flip through the pages with a dumbfounded look on his face. On the last page, instead of a photograph, there was a saucer-like object different from the one at Kujukurihama.

"Huh...?"

Shimazaki stared at the page. At that time, however, a message from his subordinate came into his radio.

"Team leader, all personnel have completed the installation of explosives."

"Ah, understood. I'll be right back."

After receiving the report, Shimazaki hurried to the assembly point with the materials he had picked up. After that, the 10 members reassembled outside the base, and each connected the detonating cord pulled from the location where the explosives had been planted to the detonator. After confirming that all members had assembled, Shimazaki pressed the switch on the detonator.