The Hungry Fortress Wants to Build a Battleship in Another World – World of Sandbox

“Revuadel, Grent. Something’s approaching.”
“...Huh!?”
Two men, seated around the campfire while on night watch, were startled by the voice of 27 Zipwunt-Twanzig.

While Paraiso’s escorts handled most of the security, completely lowering their guard wasn’t an option, so they rotated night watch shifts.
However, this was the first time anyone had raised an alarm.
“Bandits?”

The two immediately jumped to their feet, drawing the cutlasses they had prepared.
“The footsteps are soft and light. Multiple—likely more than ten. Appears to be quadrupeds.”
“Four legs? A pack attack... Wolves? Or maybe hyena-type monsters?”

The humanoid mechanical communicator reported its observations, prompting Revuadel to respond.
Hyenas.
They’d been briefed earlier about this possible threat—creatures that typically roamed grasslands far from settlements.

“I’ve heard rumors about them attacking small caravans on occasion...”
“Seen them before?”
“Not personally. Maybe Agritend or Leon has, though.”

Their response procedure had already been decided in advance. If something suspicious was detected, they would raise the alarm. If danger was unavoidable, everyone would be notified immediately.
“Too much noise might provoke them. Wake everyone—quietly.”
“Got it. Revuadel, wake the others. I’ll go get Agritend.”

“Understood.”
The multi-legged tanks stationed around the perimeter activated silently. Their infrared cameras picked up the silhouettes of the creatures as they moved cautiously.
Launching drones was considered, but the noise risked exposing their position. Instead, they received live footage from a recon drone stationed 20 kilometers overhead.
Luckily, the sky was clear—no clouds or fog to obstruct visibility. The image resolution was somewhat grainy but sufficient.

A full-area scan identified the targets—18 creatures in total.
Estimated body length: 60 to 80 centimeters.
The creatures began encircling the camp, and the tactical AI immediately initiated a threat-level assessment.

“Commander Ma’am. I need you to wake up.”
“...Mmm...?”
Ringo, who had been sleeping soundly while clutching Eve, gently shook her awake. While the danger was low, ignoring an attack on the delegation was not an option.

The local time was approximately 11:30 PM. Due to the planet’s larger radius and different rotational speed compared to Earth, the time zones didn’t align perfectly.
“Commander Ma’am. The delegation is surrounded by a pack of creatures.”
“...Huh?”

Eve stirred and peeked out from beneath the sheets.
“Report...”
“Yes, Commander Ma’am. The camp is being surrounded by quadrupedal creatures, likely hyena-type monsters. The threat level is low, but combat may be necessary. Local forces have shifted to Level 1 Combat Alert.”

“Hmm... Threat level...?”
“Still under evaluation. Estimated E rank—manageable locally.”
Since this wasn’t a high-priority emergency, Eve wasn’t particularly concerned. She was, however, still very sleepy.

“Let me sleep... if it’s manageable.”
“Yes, Commander Ma’am. I’ll alert you if it escalates to C rank or higher.”
“Thanks...”

Leaving the situation in Ringo’s hands, Eve immediately returned to sleep.
Threat Level E wasn’t worth losing sleep over—if it had been B-level like the worm incident, she might have stayed awake. But Ringo had grown far more experienced, and the equipment was better than ever.
Satisfied, Eve clung to Ringo again and drifted back to sleep.

“No reports of wolves in this area. Definitely hyena-type monsters.”
That was the assessment of Agritend Levania, the delegation leader.
“Unusual?”

“Very. They almost never attack caravans. Maybe it’s because we’re small in numbers—most groups travel with at least 30 people, burn large bonfires, and keep plenty of horses.”
“Makes sense.”
The humanoid mechanical communicator relayed this information while the multi-legged tanks analyzed the situation.

True, their group size was small—just six horses and a handful of guards.
However, they also had two tanks and one main support vehicle, massive war machines that should have intimidated any ordinary wildlife.
Yet these hyenas showed no fear.

One even approached the ground support vehicle as if it hadn’t noticed its presence.
For some reason, the hyenas didn’t seem to perceive the tanks or vehicles as threats.
“Eliminate them. Recover samples. Lethal force authorized—firearms, blunt weapons, and grenades.”

The tactical AI calculated the most effective methods of attack.
“They’re coming.”
“Ready!”

The hyenas moved.
Three lunged from the left, opposite the lake.
“I’ll—”

“I’ll handle it.”
20 Twanzig interrupted and raised her assault rifle.
Using her powered assist suit, she fired three shots.

Bullets pierced the first hyena’s lungs and heart, exiting through its back.
The second fell when she drew a combat knife and slashed its spine.
The third died instantly as her reinforced foot snapped its neck with a kick.

Three bodies hit the ground.
The rest of the mechanical communicators opened fire.
The multi-legged tanks activated spotlights and unleashed gatling guns, cutting down the rest.

12 down.
The remaining three hyenas panicked and tried to flee.
A grenade launcher mounted on the tank fired, scattering metal shrapnel into the air.

Two were shredded by the blast.
The final hyena didn’t stand a chance.
30 Dreissig charged with her extendable baton, using superhuman acceleration enhanced by the assist suit.

The carbon-reinforced baton crushed its internal organs in a single strike, killing it instantly.
It was utter annihilation.
For the delegation, it was the first time they’d witnessed the machines’ full combat capabilities—especially the powered assist suits.

“Clear. All targets eliminated.”
“Enemy activity neutralized. Declaring the area secure.”
While 20 Twanzig and 27 Zipwunt-Twanzig remained on alert, Dreissig holstered her baton.

The tanks, still illuminated by their spotlights, made it seem like daylight in the camp.
The men in the delegation collapsed in shock and exhaustion.