The Cult and the StarUnion.
A race that has evolved civilization with psychic abilities and a race of machines that emerged as mechanical engineering reached its extreme peak.
There's hardly any resemblance between them, but at this moment, they seemed somewhat alike.
Because they are pouring all their strength into killing each other.
Spear-like torpedoes resembling thermometers flew wildly, controlled by androids, forming a chaotic swarm like a school of fish underwater.
As the swarm of torpedoes rushed towards their prey, the Cult ships retaliated. Ships, shifting from a diamond formation to a hexagonal one, unleashed violet psychic power.
Just as fishermen catch fish with nets, the nets of psychic power engulfed the torpedoes, triggering powerful explosions one after another.
Amidst the silent fireworks, the mechanical fleets maneuvered to flank the Cult warships. The Cult, not letting their guard down, intercepted the approaching cyborg ships swiftly.
And I find myself in the midst of the battlefield.
Dodging remote-controlled torpedoes and psychic power heat rays narrowly.
'To the right!'
My loyal aide, the auxiliary organ, alerted me to the danger. Connected to the ship, I swiftly maneuvered the hull to evade the torpedo coming from the right.
Four cyborg warships are targeting me.
'Activate psychic cannons.'
While maintaining speed, I activated the psychic cannons of the escort ship I used for preemptive strikes against the StarUnion fleet. Six psychic cannons spewed fire towards the enemies.
One of the cyborg ships trailing closely behind me didn't anticipate my six-gun salvo and got shot down. Witnessing this, the remaining three ships each evaded my attack in their own way.
'Not bad skills.'
Two ships evaded through evasive maneuvers, but one slowed down, deflecting my attack trajectory. It might have been a decent tactic if I were alone, but blind attacks are prevalent here.
As I anticipated, a heat ray from somewhere penetrated the slowed cyborg ship. Flames erupted from a gaping hole in the hull, oxidizing in a chain reaction.
'Good. Things are going smoothly.'
Provoking both sides to clash was my intention, but I hadn't expected the skirmish to escalate this quickly. It's an unexpected stroke of luck.
'With this atmosphere, we can easily move to the next phase.'
My ultimate goal is to shake off pursuit and safely escape this star system.
While it's possible to escape amidst the enemies fighting each other, there's one issue. If pursuit resumes after the battle ends, it will be troublesome.
Given the immense damage caused because of me, the StarUnion will never forgive me. Not until they are certain that I'm "dead".
So, I intend to show them that I am indeed "dead".
I'll demonstrate by blowing up the ship we've already abandoned.
'Let's wait a little longer for the right opportunity.'
I tilted the rapidly flying hull upward. While the strain on the hull wouldn't be light for a regular aircraft, this ship is practically an extension of myself.
Seeing my abnormal movement, the torpedoes following me momentarily lost their target and collided with the debris of other ships or floating wreckage.
The cyborgs also tried to follow my upward direction, but they're significantly slower than me. As they attempted to turn, I fired the psychic cannons while maneuvering behind them.
Chunks of short psychic power, resembling bullets, struck the mechanical warships. A ship hit by six energy rounds simultaneously was torn into four pieces. From within, numerous androids and cyborgs were seen scrambling out into space.
True to the fading consciousness typical of the StarUnion, there were no ships rushing to rescue them. The lone remaining cyborg ship fired torpedoes at me, leaving their dying comrades floating in zero gravity.
'The distance is too short to dodge them all.'
I swiftly angled the hull upwards again. As the torpedoes approached for collision, I tilted the hull diagonally, narrowly avoiding the torpedoes meant to destroy me.
The failed torpedoes hastily tried to alter their trajectories, but I wouldn't let them. With five psychic cannon portals already aimed at the torpedoes, they vanished amidst violet flames.
'All that's left is you.'
The last remaining cannon was for the cyborg ship that fired torpedoes at me. A violet energy round collided with the ship's side. The fusion of violet and crimson flames erupted at the impact point, causing the cyborg ship to twist significantly.
The finishing blow was delivered not by me, but by another Cult ship. Heat rays from afar swept away the remaining enemies.
｢Your skills in the game haven't diminished, it seems.｣
"Of course not. With this many enemies…"
In the game, I've fought countless battles with fleets. I've fought against rankers and engaged in bloody battles countless times.
'Come to think of it, I seem to have more experience with fleet battles.'
In addition to races like MegaCorp and Space Dogs that encourage mercenaries and ship operations, races like the StarUnion and Outspacers often operate large fleets as they progress. While the Cult, with its unique system, allows individuals to become extremely powerful, it's slightly different.
As someone in a hostile relationship with them, I had no choice but to fight with fleets. I remember the struggle to gather these attributes.
'Space battles are completely different from ground battles.'
Attributes that were highly useful on land are often useless in space.
'Even I'm no exception now.'
Many of the physical-related attributes are useless to me, and the same goes for parasitic or nest-related attributes.
Since there will undoubtedly be more battles in space, it's necessary to gather attributes useful for space battles, not just those related to the Horizon of Nightmare.
'There's still much to be done.'
When you go to the Gallagon's Nest, you can acquire attributes necessary for fighting in space.
The planet where the Gallagons reside are inhabited by various beasts and predators. There are also many organisms with traits like space flight, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to clean them up first upon arrival to gather traits.
As I was contemplating this, Adhai called me.
｢Big Adult｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Combat｣ ｢Participate｣ ｢Desire.｣
The little one urged me to let her go out. Seeing the ships exploding constantly outside, she seems to want to fight alongside.
｢Me｣ ｢Flight｣ ｢Fast｣ ｢Enemy｣ ｢Slow.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (I'm sorry, but not this time.)]
Adhai, being smaller and more agile than your typical Gallagons, would fight well if she went out, but it's too dangerous here. One mistake could be irreversible.
'And it will be a big trouble if she doesn't return before we abandon the ship.'
She can detect the psychic power flowing through me, so even if I move to another ship, she'll easily be able to find me. The problem is that the enemy shouldn't know I'm abandoning this ship.
If Adhai boarding another ship is seen by the enemy, it might raise suspicions.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (I will allow you to play next time.)]
｢Disappointed.｣
I continued to comfort Adhai, whose wings drooped, and kept moving the ship.
The situation changed as StarUnion ships successfully approached the Cult ships. This was because the high-risk black hole shells of the Imperial battleship were sealed.
Cyborg ships fired torpedoes at close range or rammed into Cult ships.
Cloaking tactics in the era of space warfare may seem primitive, but they're quite effective when fighting against the Cult. Provided one is well-prepared.
The exceptional defense of Cult ships is thanks to shields composed of psychic power. If we neutralize those shields?
The fronts of cyborg ships that approached the Cult were all stained white. These were APD drones, defensive equipment used to defend against psychic power.
By sticking many of those to Cult ships, we could temporarily nullify the shields in those areas.
'After all, the durability of Cult ships is lower than that of the StarUnion.'
Whenever cyborg ships collided with Cult ships, flashes of violet light followed by darkness occurred. Cult ships with nullified shields could only be torn to shreds by thorn-like emplacements.
Cult ships seemed to be in a state of confusion at the sight, but there were no ships rushing in recklessly. Unlike cyborgs with almost no consciousness, the Cult feared getting entangled with their own and refrained from shooting indiscriminately.
While fighter jets came forward to counter, other Cult ships quickly distanced themselves. Those that couldn't were reduced to cosmic dust by the cyborgs.
Finally, an Imperial battleship appeared at the forefront, witnessing the sight of their own kin dying.
I retreated amidst the advancing Cult ships mixed with my own.
The beautiful ultimate weapon resembling a diamond is equipped with hundreds of psychic cannons. Then, numerous violet energy rounds flew towards the massive number of cyborgs.
Even if the front is protected by APD, the sides and rear are not. Cyborg ships hit by dozens of energy rounds were shattered.
Some reckless cyborgs attempted collision tactics against the Imperial battleship.
'Foolish.'
The Imperial battleship not only had stronger shields but also extremely tough armor, making it difficult to destroy with tactics like this.
As I expected, all their attempts were futile. Later, some ships seemed to try again but quickly halted.
'The commander is blocking them.'
After the cyborg fleet split into multiple directions, each headed towards the rear of the Cult fleet. The plan was to start clearing out the other ships assisting the Imperial battleship first.
Cyborgs charging relentlessly, Cult trying to keep their distance for long-range combat.
It might seem like both sides are evenly matched, but in reality, it's not the case. Cyborgs haven't yet used their ultimate weapons.
'It's about time to switch ships.'
When the cyborg comes crashing towards me, it's the opportunity to switch ships.
I abandoned my evasion-centric movement strategy and actively engaged in attacks, pouring energy rounds regardless of whether it was Cult or cyborg.
After destroying several ships in this manner, I felt the cyborgs were paying attention to me. Along with it, Number 26 sent a message to me.
｢Big guy, looks like that big ugly one over there is up to something.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ (Oh, really?)]
｢Should we put a stop to it?｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (No, leave it be.)]
What Number 26 said was probably an attempt at precise scanning towards me from the enemy battleship. By now, they must know.
About the cyborg aboard this organic ship sending strange signals to themselves. And that this ship is the culprit behind this situation.
A faint wave lightly brushed past my body. The precise scanning must be complete.
Subsequently, the enemy's attacks intensified compared to before. As many as 10 ships began tailing me to mark me.
'Come on, I'm right here, so come at me quickly.'
Deliberately dodging torpedoes by a hair's breadth seemed to have really provoked the cyborg ships. It was evident from their ignoring of the Cult fighter jets restraining them and solely pursuing me.
And finally, the opportunity I had been waiting for arrived. I sensed a cyborg ship rushing towards me from afar.
'We have less than 2 minutes left.'
Urgently, I shifted our position to a nearby spot that wasn't the atomic core. Except for MacF, who had been holding on since earlier.
"Huh, wha… Me too…"
His final shout was lost as he buried himself in the moving wall.
Having completed the move safely, I quickly released the "Horizon of Nightmares." As my metal and alloyed body separated and fell to the ground, I activated the "Organic Evolution" trait.
This time, the special transformation I aimed for was…
'Crafty Weakling!'
As the trait activated, my body rapidly shrunk.
At the same time, the ship shook violently.
-x-X-x-
[Successful collision of ship number 98.]
"Hmm, seems remarkably sturdy. It didn't explode immediately, as expected."
"The estimated durability is nearly identical to that of X10-class ships."
"It's like a medium-sized destroyer. I have no idea where such a monster came from…"
Sanadaeff, acting commander of the Nemea Fleet, observed the battle situation through external cameras. As per his orders, ship number 98 successfully rammed an unidentified bio-ship.
"Where's MacF's position?"
[A signal chip has been detected inside the bio-ship.]
"I'd like to capture and interrogate the prisoners, but orders are orders."
According to the Machinery Committee, they were warned not to approach the bio-ship as it was an extremely dangerous entity. Despite Sanadaeff's attempts to subdue it with long-range attacks due to that warning, it wasn't easy.
Initially, they thought four ships would be enough, but they were quickly all sunk. Whoever the pilot was, they were maneuvering that huge escort ship like a fighter jet. Despite facing numerous enemies before, rarely had Sana seen someone evade torpedoes so adeptly.
He dispatched ten ships against the bio-ship. Indeed, it seemed the bio-ship struggled against ten ships.
"If it had fled, it might have lasted longer. Foolish."
In his sight, the damaged figure of the bio-ship appeared at the upper right end.
The front of ship number 98 was so deeply embedded that it would now be difficult for the bio-ship to move. Whether it was a real ship, its lifespan was now ended by the attack, and if it was a biological entity, the injuries were likely fatal.
Whatever it was, all that remained for it now was death.
"Just in case, dispose of it with torpedoes and leave no traces."
"Psychic cannon operation detected from the Imperial flagship."
"Damn it! Ships 1 through 12, execute evasive maneuvers; ships 70 through 80, defend with APD."
"Confirmed."
"Ship number 98, handle it yourself and leave a record. Report to the Machinery Committee and make the record as detailed as possible."
"Order received and executed."
He wanted to see the bio-ship blow up in a spectacular fashion, but right now they were in the midst of battle.
With regret, Sanadaeff continued to command.
"20% damage to the ship's frontal section."
"Insane! 20% damage? Retreat and fire torpedoes immediately."
"The cannons are too damaged for use."
Captain Keynes of ship number 98 confirmed the hull's condition.
A 3D model of the ship floated above his eyes, connected to the ship's computer. As ship number 98 had said, many of the cannons at the front had been damaged, all due to the recent collision.
"Surely, we received APD support. Why is this happening?"
"The ship in question lacks shields, so the effectiveness of APD is diminished. Estimated to have the same outer wall durability as X10-class ships."
"That explains it. Contact other ships and instruct them to fire immediately if we're in trouble."
"Understood."
"Activate undamaged front rockets, and engage the side rockets. Also, deploy drones and send the tech team as soon as we detach."
"Command confirmed. Front thrusters and side lateral thrusters activated."
Following Keynes's command, Ship 98 immediately activated the rockets. As the hull moved, the gravity inside the ship shifted, causing slight vibrations in the internal facilities.
They were trying to quickly disengage after the collision when suddenly they felt a larger vibration than before.
"Impact detected from the exterior of the hull.'
"What's happening suddenly…"
"Urgent report! High-energy flow detected in the front! Atomic reactor overload suspected!"
"What? Damn it! Increase the output of the side rockets!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Keynes felt an unprecedented pressure. Metal cracks could be heard from the inner walls of the hull, and in some areas, items stuck to the ceiling or floated in mid-air due to gravitational anomalies.
"When we disengage, back off straight away!"
"Confirmed."
Along with Ship 98, other ships also distanced themselves from the bio-ship. The cameras attached to the ships showed the bio-ship. The black outer walls cracked like eggshells, and purple light emanated from within.
"Great idea! Drone, push the remaining ones to the Cult's side!"
Keynes communicated with other cyborgs connected to the drones. Repair drones quickly flew out and pushed the bio-ship away.
The Cult ships also sensed something strange about the bio-ship and began to retreat.
"Too slow!"
Soon, a bright purple flash erupted. Two nearby Cult ships exploded,;triggering a chain reaction.
"That's it. Ship 98, did you record everything?"
"Recording completed."
"Record the internal damage as well and hand it over to the acting flagship commander."
"For preservation of evidence, it is recommended to retreat to the rear."
"Well, openly retreating feels a bit… Side rockets, how are they?"
"Right the thruster was damaged by 30%. While the left thruster was damaged by 70%."
"Damn, it's not good. Let's retreat for now."
"Confirmed."
Keynes's mission ended here. Ship 98, escorted by other cyborg ships, withdrew to the rear.
"Phew, that was close."
The other ship came crashing in deeper than expected, almost causing the reactor to explode. When I'm in control, there's no issue, but it's different when I unlock the horizon of nightmares.
A ship that has undergone corrosion becomes irreparable. Since the reactor is also damaged and rendered inoperable, I thought there was nothing to worry about.
However, it was my mistake. When the front of the other ship collided, it touched the reactor, almost causing everyone to die because of it. Number 26, the most proficient in Psychic Power control among us, managed to defend against the explosion somehow, but Adhai and The Mother of the Sky are definitely gone.
***
'I was in danger too.'
Currently, I'm in a special state where I can transform into 'Organic Evolution' and have mutated into a state called 'Crafty Weakling'. If I were in my normal state, I would have survived without fatal injuries thanks to the thick armor, but not now.
As my size decreased, so did my defense.
'Seems like a blessing in disguise.'
Although we almost died, the explosion of the reactor diverted the enemies' attention.
'At least the infiltration was successful.'
As we thought about where we could find a place to catch our breath, Adhai poked me with her wingtip.
｢Elder｣ ｢Yes?｣ ｢Confirm｣ ｢Needed"｣
'Hmm?'
He was continually tilting his head, finding my transformation quite awkward.
Adhai's reaction wasn't particularly strange. My transformation felt awkward to me as well.
The changes that occurred to me were not best described as mutations or transformations. Literally, it was closer to 'evolution'.
Firstly, my overall size decreased to about 5 meters, including my tail. The tail was about 2 meters long, and the body stretched for about 3 meters.
As the tail shrank, changes occurred in the body as well. The combat arms located near the armpits and pelvis descended and began to function as legs.
In short, it was akin to the physique of a centaur from Greek mythology.
Although four of the combat arms were lost, there wasn't as much decrease in combat power as expected. This was because the small arms located near the chest had grown significantly, comparable to the combat arms.
'The form is a bit different.'
The development of the muscles and the covering of the outer shell on the area that had become long arms, or more precisely, now had elongated arms, were impressive.
Although they appeared weak for defensive purposes like other arms, they seemed capable of easily crushing a human skull.
Aside from the changes in physique and arms, there weren't significant changes in other parts, such as the six horns, the giant head carapace, or the pincer at the end of the tail.
The only difference was that the proportion of faces with human features had increased due to the decrease in size of the body?
'No, there's a huge change besides that.'
What I called evolution wasn't because of changes in physique.
It was the fur.
Thin, long fur had sprouted all over my body except for the head carapace, covering everything in dark purple fur. From a distance, it might seem like I was wearing a fur coat inside out.
'An Amorph with fur.'
of fur-growing traits in the game, but there wasn't a trait that would change
Even Number 26, who always speaks kindly, expressed an opinion that I looked strange. This was the first time Number 26, who had diligently observed my evolutionary process, found me peculiar.
As I remained silent, Number 26 quickly added,
｢But you're still big, so it's good!｣
[Horns] ｢Cool｣ ｢Stems｣ ｢Peculiar｣
It seems that my appearance is out of place according to the standards of both alien creatures.
Finally, when I looked at Mother of the sky, she awkwardly shook her head with her eyes.
｢It's like Wendy without fur covering her head.｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Isn't it more like a centaur?)]
"…It feels like Wendy grew eight legs."
Among the creatures that Wolph can transform into is Wendy. It possessed tremendous power, but I remember that its appearance wasn't rated highly.
"Hmm. Seems fine to me."
Despite much negative opinion, there was one fortunate aspect. It was that this fur wasn't ordinary fur.
When transformed into the Crafty Weakling, some traits were restricted in use, but new bonuses were gained.
True to that, this fur was a new body part formed by a powerful bonus effect.
[Mysterious Creature's Fur Skin: A bonus provided by the 'Crafty Weakling' trait. It provides a stealth effect that allows the user to evade detection equipment, traits, and technologies through the subtle vibrations of the fur.]
[*Note: Some electronic devices may not be affected by this effect, so be cautious.]
[Sealed traits due to being in the 'Crafty Weakling' state: Bone Axe, Aerial Membrane, Reinforced Large Tail, Corrosive Tentacles.]
'Indeed.'
If the Monster King in the Organic Evolution's special state was akin to a combat mode, the Crafty Weakling was closer to a survival mode. I wasn't sure how powerful the stealth effect of the mysterious creature's fur would be, but considering the Monster King, it was expected to be significant.
'The downside is that some physical abilities are sealed.'
Especially disappointing was the disappearance of the Corrosive Tentacles, which was a side effect of the Horizon of Nightmares and one of my main weapons. Instead, faces formed by the trait of Human Features took their place where the Corrosive Tentacles used to protrude.
'Though the decrease in combat power is regrettable.'
In situations like sneaking onto a ship unnoticed, it's actually an appropriate trait.
'But let's think about this later.'
Right now, we are inside the Cyborg ship. When we crashed into the Cult Escort Ship, the front of our ship was damaged, and we took advantage of that gap to enter.
'Drones will come to repair the damaged parts soon.'
Until then, we need to hide in a safe place.
As in the old days of hazarding, I affixed auxiliary equipment to the ship's interior wall.
The heavy sound of the reactor running, the footsteps of androids and cyborgs bustling around the ship, the noisy alerts of flying drones, and even the smell of rusted iron and synthetic petroleum mixed with sweaty flesh.
It felt like being connected to a living, breathing ship. Even the cyborgs directly linked to the ship wouldn't be able to sense it as intricately as I did.
'We often used this on the research ship to track enemy movements.'
The performance of the current auxiliary equipment far surpassed that time.
A cyborg ship with a much larger and more complex structure than a research ship. I swiftly read the structure of half of the ship in an instant.
[ZZZ (Over here)]
Having found a safe location, I led everyone there. Along the way, there were drones and androids, but we didn't encounter any trouble.
Having thus avoided all threats, we arrived at the safest spot on the ship.
｢Trash disposal site?｣
[ZZZ (Yeah)]
'…It should be safe, indeed.'
There are no surveillance cameras inside the waste disposal site, except for one near the entrance.
Although the entrance to the disposal site was right in front of us, I stopped the group.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (Wait a moment)]
"Are you going to test that fur?"
Having a fellow ranker present made understanding swift. Before entering, I planned to conduct an experiment targeting that camera.
"Is this square enough?"
I pressed against the wall, moving just within the camera's sight range, and extended my tail enough to be barely visible to the camera.
'The fur of the mysterious creature nullifies detection equipment.'
Cyborg cameras support various detection systems, and even in normal mode, they ensure much higher image quality than those of the MegaCorp surveillance cameras.
So, if someone on the other side were to see this, they'd surely send surveillance drones.
'If not…'
I extended my tail a few more times to ensure it was captured by the camera. However, there were no drones coming here even after some time passed.
'It's effective.'
After waiting for more than ten minutes without any response, I crawled up the wall and adjusted the angle of the camera.
'This should do.'
If I move along the wall's edge, I won't be caught by the camera. The tricky part is to hide behind large covers like the crane used to move garbage before entering the disposal site.
Having disabled the camera, I finally touched the terminal next to the entrance of the disposal site. It was to find out when the next scheduled garbage disposal was.
Upon checking, there was still a long time until the next disposal. Having completed all the checks, I called out to the others.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Turn behind the crane and enter]
'What's the crane for?'
'Just go that way.'
That way, we were able to safely leap into the garbage disposal site.
｢Wow! So many toys!｣
｢Fascinating.｣
｢Don't go near the compactor. It's dangerous.｣
Number 26 and The Mother of the Sky seemed to be enjoying the inside of the garbage disposal site. She followed the children, cautioning them not to do anything dangerous.
There is a very famous sci-fi movie that entered the museum long before I was born. In that movie, there's a scene where the protagonists fall into a trap set by enemies and get trapped in a garbage disposal site.
'Was that where the robot saved them?'
In the movie, it was a place where the protagonists found themselves in dire straits, but not here. This dirty place will be our way out.
-x-X-x-
Quietly sneaking onto the ship, I managed to secure a safe spot. So, what should I do now?
'I need to sabotage the warp drive.'
This ship is part of the StarUnion fleet. Once the battle is over, it will return to its original space station for repairs. If the warp drive malfunctions, we're done for.
The warp drive, the pinnacle of hyper-scientific technology, is as delicate as an overloaded reactor. Failing warp navigation could strand the ship in an entirely unexpected place, that could even be within a star.
Failing a warp navigation in the game means instant death. Top-tier equipment and ships won't save you.
I've been in that situation before, forced into a star during a battle with the Vortex ones. It's likely to be similar in reality. It's an extreme case, but not impossible. We can't afford reckless moves unless it's an emergency.
I attached the auxiliary organ to the wall inside the garbage processing chamber. Intermittent vibrations and a strong flow of energy were felt from the ship's side. The ship is in a difficult state to engage in combat due to heavy damage to the front rockets and hull. We'll probably retreat to the rear of the fleet to avoid the cult's attacks. We don't know when the battle will end, but it likely won't be long.
'That cyborg battleship we saw earlier.'
That ship, appearing more than three times the size of others, is a model I recognize.
'A Z2-class heavy battleship. Looks like it's been modified somewhat, though.'
StarUnion battleships typically carry anti-ship torpedoes.
'Gremlyn torpedoes.'
Among StarUnion's inventions, this weapon stands out for its ability to corrode metals like a nanomachine. The Gremlyn torpedoes loaded onto the battleship can specify the metal they consume.
'For instance, attacking with a Gremlyn torpedo specified for moonsilver will continue corroding until all monsilver in the vicinity is eradicated. And there's only one faction that uses monsilver to build ships around here.'
'It can be fired during a battle without any issues. Its only drawbacks are its high cost and vulnerability to EMP.'
'But the cult can't use EMP.'
Unless they have skilled psychics on the level of Number 26, or Cult Prophets, defending against Gremlyn torpedoes with regular shields is difficult.
'They'll probably aim for the Imperial battleship opportunistically.'
Firing a Gremlyn torpedo will end the battle. Until then, we need to deal with the engine issue.
The target is set. It's time to move.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (I'll be back soon)"]
｢Where are you going? I want to come too.｣
｢I｣ ｢together｣
｢Wait for both of us. Amorph… uhh, the big one has something to attend to.｣
｢Something?｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (Just taking a quick look around. I've been idle for a while)"]
｢Yeah. Come back safely!｣
｢I｣ ｢farewell｣
"…"
Watching the Mother of the Sky, embarrassed by her own words, was quite amusing, but time is of the essence. After telling the kids to rest, I crawled out of the garbage processing chamber.
Normally, I'd move with them, but not this time.
'We have to move quietly, that's why.'
Everyone rampaging together is only safe after security is assured.
Coming out of the processing chamber, I moved upside down, clinging to the ceiling. Despite numerous cameras in the corridor, they failed to detect my presence.
The fur sticking downwards due to the wind, a characteristic of "unknown creature fur."
'If I were a cyborg, they would have been startled to see me, wouldn't they?'
They said it's a stealth effect to avoid detection by detection equipment or traits, but normal cyborgs should still be able to see me fine. Androids or drones might not, though.
'Let's experiment with that later.'
It's better not to run into anyone right now. With eight arms and legs, I stuck closely to the ceiling, choosing paths where I couldn't sense android or drone movements.
Luckily, most drones and androids seemed to be deployed for ship repairs, as there weren't many robots roaming the corridors. As I got closer to the engine room, I sensed a large movement in the distance.
'A walker?'
But I quickly reconsidered. The closer it got, the more certain I became that it wasn't a walker.
To avoid it, I slipped away at a junction and hid against the corridor wall. Eventually, a spider-like machine appeared beyond the corridor. It had a human head and torso, but instead of arms and legs, it had six robotic legs attached where they should have been.
'A screamer, huh?'
The gruesome-looking screamer wheezed through tubes attached to its mouth. As chemical fluid was injected through the tubes into its body, cold sweat dripped incessantly.
After scanning the corridor with bloodshot eyes, it clattered off with its six legs, leaving only a metallic skeleton behind.
'It smelled of sweat.'
I thought they might be cyborg soldiers, but they turned out to be screamers.
Screamers are quite the creation, reflecting the tastes of space survival developers. In summary, they're akin to punishment units once operated by communist states.
Instead of sending the worst criminals or anti-establishment figures to prison, StarUnion turns them into screamers. Rather than waste individuals deemed useless to society for being potentially mechanical, they're repurposed into combat machines.
Once turned into screamers, they lose all control over their bodies, becoming little more than puppets. They might as well be called bio-drones.
Once their sentence ends, they're supposedly restored to normal cyborgs, but most end up dead in battle before that happens.
"It's strange to see screamers in an elite fleet."
From the Machine assembly's perspective, since they're all criminals, they're not well-organized into such good fleets. I heard there's a unit in the StarUnion's elite forces consisting solely of screamers, but this ship isn't part of that unit.
'Let's be careful of screamers. They're not like androids and have significantly higher combat capabilities.'
They tear into enemies like rabid dogs. Dealing with them one by one like this is a nuisance.
Later, I confirmed there were two more besides the one I encountered. Since screamers periodically roamed, I had to take a long detour to reach the engine room.
It took longer than expected because of them, but it wasn't all wasted time.
'Let's consider we've familiarized ourselves with the ship's layout.'
I checked the necessary information for attacking the ship, such as the security level of communication facilities and the location of auxiliary terminals where propulsion output can be verified.
After gathering information while bypassing them, I finally reached the upper level of the engine room.
Why the upper level instead of the engine room? The reason is simple.
'It's too risky to go straight to the engine room.'
Being a military vessel, the security level of the engine room is incomparable to that of research vessels that we have encountered so far.
The most important facility on this ship is guarded by ten heavily armed androids and twenty combat drones. They tirelessly monitor and guard against unauthorized intruders, turning them into bee-like hives without a moment's rest.
Moreover, various types of sensors are installed throughout the corridor leading to the engine room.
While "unknown creature fur" may not trigger the cameras, it could trigger motion sensors detecting vibrations.
So, I've decided not to directly assault the engine room.
'Just need to disable other things essential for engine operation.'
For instance, the cooling system or circuits that supply energy from the reactor, etc.
After adjusting the direction of cameras installed above the corridor, I leaped down to the floor.
Landing silently, I immediately crawled close and pressed the auxiliary device beneath my chin against the metal floor.
From the dark gray walls, intense heat and subtle yet stronger vibrations were sensed.
'This should do.'
Since I just adjusted the cameras, this area won't be caught on tape.
I carefully scratched the metal plate on the floor in case noise might attract attention.
Soon, a hole appeared, revealing wires and tubes inside.
I widened my mouth above the hole.
'Melting these will be tough, huh?'
The corroding fungus between my oesophagus and trachea activated.
Soon, acidic fungal masses poured out of my mouth.
***
[The Imperial battleship was damaged by 78%. Disabled.]
"Phew."
Looking at the video feed coming through the cables connected to the ship, Keynescue sighed.
In the center of the video he was watching, there used to be the Imperial battleship.
The cult's battleship, the "Gormos 03's Condemnation" was hit by Gremlyn torpedoes and sinking.
"It was intense. Truly."
As the battle dragged on, at some point, the Imperial battleship began to falter.
Perhaps because they knew we'd finish it with Gremlyn torpedoes.
Other cult warships also made sure not to let their ships get within the range of the torpedoes.
'More bothersome than I thought.'
Due to the cult ships' sacrifices, even targeting the battleship with Gremlyn torpedoes became a challenge.
"The cult fleet is retreating."
"Tch, about the time they ran. Bloody idiots."
As the cult proved to be more troublesome than expected, Vice Admiral Sanadaeff of the Nemea Fleet opted for a very StarUnion-esque strategy.
They targeted our ships with torpedoes, coated with nanomachines, then charged toward the Imperial battleship.
This resulted in the destruction of about ten ships, but ultimately, the Imperial battleship succumbed to the Gremlyn torpedoes' nanomachines.
And that's what Keynescue is watching now.
"No need to pursue. The fleet will return to the ESS-22 system."
Thus, the brief battle came to an end.
Keynescue doesn't know how significant the outcome of this battle will be.
"But it's none of my concern anyway."
All decisions are made by the esteemed members of the Machine Council.
Maybe Vice Admiral Sanadaeff will be a bit annoyed because of this battle.
"Order the repair drones to return and prepare the navigation warp."
"Confirmed."
The computer of Ship 98 relayed Keynescue's orders.
In the meantime, he checked the information of the 'special machines' onboard the ship.
"Damn, why conduct new Screamer experiments on my ship?"
Originally, all StarUnion Screamers were managed by Android Pyra Eleven of the Machine assembly.
Normally, they would be responsible for conducting Screamer experiments.
However, the situation was different this time.
The suggestion to test if Screamers could blend in well with regular soldiers came from higher ups.
Currently, a small number of completed prototypes are being tested on regular ships, and Keynescue's ship happened to carry one of these Screamers.
"Why bring criminals on board in the first place?"
Even if they're fully controlled, no captain likes criminals roaming their ship.
Furthermore, having to constantly observe how well these criminals adapt and file reports makes the situation even more unpleasant.
But Keynescue couldn't voice his complaints.
Pyra Eleven holds the rank of a Supreme Councilor. His rank is equivalent to that of the Supreme Councilor Nemea Five, who is the overall commander of the Nemea Fleet to which he belongs and also a Supreme Councilor of the Machine Council. There's nothing he can say to an android in a position even higher than Vice Admiral Sanadaeff, the deputy fleet commander.
"Sigh, if it's a problem, it needs to be dealt with. Ship 98, are we still far off? Why haven't we departed yet?"
"The warp engine is experiencing issues."
"What? What kind of issues?"
"The cooling function is inactive. Energy supply rate from the reactor decreased to 40%. Probability of error during hyperspace jump in this state is 63%."
"What did you say? No way, what the hell is that nonsense?"
Why would the perfectly fine hyperspace engine suddenly go haywire? Keynescue was baffled. Then a communication came from the battleship.
[Ship 98, what's going on? Why haven't you returned?]
"Uh, there's an issue with the warp engine. It's risky to jump with a 63% chance of error."
[You are still in the JP-99 system, we don't know when enemies will return. Move to the nearby system urgently, repair quickly to reduce the error probability to 10%, then return.]
"Understood!"
After ending the communication, Keynescue contacted Ship 98 again.
"Which is the nearest system from here?"
"It's the AD-100 system. We'll arrive within 3 days with the current propulsion status."
"Alright. Let's head there first for repairs…."
As Keynescue was about to issue orders, the image that was floating in front of him suddenly cut off. Moreover, the lights in the situation room where he was seated all went out.
[What's going on? Ship 98? What's happening?]
Silence from the ship despite his outcry.
A moment later, power returned to the ship's situation room. Ship 98 sent a message again through the connected cables.
[Urgent, unknown cause, direct EMP occurred. Currently under recovery.]
"What? Suddenly an EMP? What's the cause?"
[Unknown. Currently investigating.]
"Try to investigate the cause by connecting to Starlink."
[Not possible. Communication function currently inactive.]
[Damn it! How did this happen!]
Communication function inactive. That meant one thing.
Distress.
They were in the enemy's territory just a moment ago, engaged in combat. To crash in such a damaged state, and not only that…
[Confirmed EMP source. Presumed to be inside the ship.]
"…Inside?"
Upon hearing Ship 98's report, Keynescue felt a chill run down his spine.
Being stranded alone is already a problem, but having an unknown entity with them is even worse.
-x-X-x-
'The engines have been disabled, and the communication blockade has just been completed. It's a good start.'
The broken communication equipment in front of me ceased operation, sparking its last spark. I scattered cables and bundles of wires on the floor.
Thanks to Number 26 hidden in the garbage disposal, I could easily disable the security of the communication room. Seizing the opportunity when the security androids were momentarily halted due to the EMP effect, I sneaked in here unnoticed.
'Number 26 can maintain power, though.'
The reason I'm doing this rather clumsily is because there's a possibility that enemies might trace the psychic power traces used by that guy. Even apart from the APD, there's a tracking function attached as an auxiliary function besides blocking psychic powers.
Although hiding places will eventually be discovered, it's not good to be exposed too soon.
Having wrecked all the machinery, I opened the door of the communication room and stepped out. Androids still not fully recovered due to the EMP effect stood with their heads drooped.
The psychic power shot by Number 26 produces a similar effect to EMP, not an actual EMP. It'll return to normal in a few minutes.
Of course, by then, I'll probably be gone already. I moved my steps towards the next target.
Originally, after disabling the engine, I planned to hit the drone control center instead of the communication room. This facility is unique to the StarUnion, unlike other species' ships like MegaCorp or Cult.
'StarUnion relies heavily on machines.'
At the central top or bottom of the rectangular box-shaped StarUnion ship with protruding thorns, the longest cylindrical thorn is the drone control center. As the name suggests, it's a control center for managing drones and androids.
Destroying that facility won't stop all drones and androids. After all, they are managed primarily by the ship's central computer.
However, it can disrupt the actions of drones and androids. In other words, without the drone control center, it becomes easier to take control of the ship.
So, I intended to target the engine next, but the situation changed abruptly.
While moving towards the drone control center, attached to the ceiling, I sensed a change in the movements of drones and androids. Machines from outside the ship weren't entering one after another.
In the midst of battle, the reason why drones that should be focused on repairs are returning is one.
The end of the battle. To return to where they came from after the fight, they need to enter superluminal navigation mode, so they collected all the drones.
'It ended surprisingly early.'
Immediately realizing this fact, I swiftly crawled towards the communication room. Along the way, I signaled to Number 26 to send out waves instructing the ship's machinery to malfunction.
'It was a timely move.'
Before making a mess of the communication equipment, I checked the communication records once. The last record was about contacting the headquarters, probably reporting the fact that the warp engine was damaged.
'If the communication blockade had been delayed a little longer, they would have definitely requested backup.'
Feeling the uniform vibration from my fingertips and toes, and a much stronger heat than before, I could tell that the thrusters attached to this ship were moving fiercely.
It was clear that they had chosen to move to the safest territory possible to carry out self-repairs.
'That was the captain's biggest mistake.'
Choosing to repair on their own rather than requesting repairs or reinforcements. That decision sealed the fate of this ship.
***
"External communication is severed, and mobility is limited."
Fortunately, it's an environment where I can frolic around.
"Can you see? This isn't damage from a collision."
"Captain, it seems like there's something other than us on this ship."
"…"
Cain, who received the video through the cable, let out a sigh.
"After the engines, now the communication equipment, and even the drone control center have been neutralized."
He knew what that implies.
Ship 98 is under attack by an unidentified entity. And not from outside the hull, but from inside.
"Is there any way we can't recover?"
"Is this an acidic solution in the circuit? It must be because of this, it completely melted. It could take at least 6 hours, or up to 12 hours for the drone control center to be restored."
"What about the communication equipment?"
"It's similar here too."
It means unfortunate fools might have to stay in a dumb state for 12 hours. At least the thrusters weren't damaged, so there were no issues with moving to another sector, but there was still no assurance.
Though I didn't know what purpose the entity on this ship had, it was clear they harbored a distinct hostility towards us.
"Damn, I was too careless."
I can vaguely guess where that entity came from. Ship 98 is a bioship belonging to the Nemea fleet that came to the JP-99 sector. It's likely that the intruder boarded his ship when it collided with that.
"For now, send available repair drones and androids there."
"Thank you."
"And are there any intruders caught on surveillance?"
"Strangely, there's no footage of the communication room or the drone control center on the cameras."
The StarUnion officially espouses atheism. To androids made of metal parts and synthetic fiber modules, the afterlife holds no significance.
Cyborgs like Cain didn't believe in ghosts or such superstitions, but at this moment, it felt like it might not be entirely out of the realm of possibility.
"Ship 98. Have you confirmed where the EMP was fired from?"
"The traces and information are too scant to confirm. Only the fact that it originated internally is confirmed."
"It means it's somewhere inside this ship. Arrange a mixed patrol of cyborgs, androids, and drones to monitor."
"There's a shortage of cyborg personnel on the hull."
"Tsk, fill the shortage with screamers."
"Confirmed."
Just hold out for 12 hours. Cain thought so.
He realized he was wrong about that thought three hours later.
All cameras and lights in the ship's corridors were off.
"Damn! Only cameras and lights went off? It couldn't be that the ship's reactor was attacked, right?"
"There's nothing wrong with the reactor. Error in the wiring. Presumed to be due to external factors."
"But still, no footage on the cameras at all? Does that make sense?"
It was incomprehensible.
There were hundreds of cameras on this ship. High-performance cameras equipped with various vision functions including thermal detection, not just basic surveillance functions.
Special care was taken to ensure that cameras placed in important facilities didn't get disabled.
But the fact that they weren't catching anything was absolutely impossible.
He tried to somehow comprehend this inexplicable situation, but the true disaster was only just beginning.
"All security units, prepare for assault! Use all available weapons, just kill the bastard by any means necessary!"
"Damn it!"
"Field of view transition complete."
"Defense readiness complete."
As soon as the orders came down, six combat androids immediately responded.
Unlike MegaCorp androids, which are much more humanoid, these ones looked much more mechanical and were also quite efficient in terms of performance.
Unlike MegaCorp, which had fears about robot uprisings, StarUnion had no such constraints, so continuous improvements were made.
Models with quadrupedal locomotion, or models with five arms and two heads, and so on.
Models optimized for combat, departing from human forms, activated their weapons equipped with heavy launchers that explosively enhanced both firepower and rate of fire, commonly known as Stormgunners. These heavy launchers, resembling multi-barreled rocket launchers, unleash tremendous firepower in an instant, but they suffer from low accuracy. They are difficult to control for unmodified cyborgs to the extent that Heavy Launchers are primarily used by StarUnion androids. However, in a battlefield like the one with one-way corridors, such as now, the low accuracy might not be as much of a disadvantage.
"If you see them, shoot them on sight!"
"Affirmative."
Two cyborgs positioned three on each side of the corridor controlled terminal devices for drone operations. Normally, they would have joined the battle as well, but given the situation with the drone control center malfunctioning, it was impossible. To precisely control the drones, they had to operate them while checking through the terminals.
As the cyborgs operated the terminals, spherical drones with three barrels each floated into the air.
They were StarUnion support drones. They could be useful for detecting unseen enemies like now or assisting androids' field of vision.
Finally, they adjusted their own eyes, replaced by special cameras, to thermal detection mode. Because all lights in the corridor were completely off, nothing could be seen. Thus, after completing all preparations, the two cyborgs vigilantly monitored the front and rear.
On the ashen-colored corridor, characteristic of thermal detection, not a single ant could be seen. The corridor remained silent to the point where it was hard to believe someone was targeting them.
The only sounds were faint metallic noises and murmurs coming from the hull. Was it because of this atmosphere? The sound somehow felt unfamiliar to them.
"Wait, a noise?"
The cyborg guarding the rear wanted to focus on his guard duty, but the unknown noise kept bothering him. It was as if a warning was coming from some modified part of his brain, telling him not to miss it.
In the end, he slightly adjusted the system responsible for his hearing.
Thanks to that, the sound became louder than before. It sounded like something soft hitting a hard metal plate.
"What's this?"
He remembered the sound from when he used to walk barefoot before his legs were modified. As his gaze turned towards the direction of the sound, suddenly, his colleague from the front tapped his shoulder.
"What's up?"
"Shh."
The colleague pointed across the dark corridor. There shouldn't have been anything visible except darkness. At the end, heat emanating from a living being was faintly visible.
Soon, dozens of small heat clusters began approaching rapidly towards them.
"Damn it! Commence firing!"
"Heavy Launchers, engage."
From six androids with eerie appearances, an immense amount of bullets were unleashed. The terrifying weapons, firing hundreds of incendiary uranium rounds per second, decimated the targets.
"Beep, enemy flanking detected."
"Response initiated."
The targets, or rather, the creatures, clung to the walls and ceiling, dodging the bullets as they moved.
But to prevent this, drones were deployed. The support drones hovering in the air simultaneously relayed the targets' movements to the androids while providing cover fire.
The battle ended quickly. As the androids confirmed the annihilation of the enemies, they ceased fire, and the two cyborgs stepped forward.
"I wanted to see what kind of creatures they were, but this is how it turns out."
"Indeed."
The Heavy Launcher is a weapon that makes heads and upper torsos disappear when aimed at human heads. There were no traces left by those hit with this weapon.
The largest remaining part among the targets was the upper torso of one of them.
"These bastards look disgusting."
"Their teeth are excessively developed for bugs. Look at these mandibles. They're not even human teeth."
"You son of a bitch, it's scary to even think about them appearing in your dreams."
The two who confirmed the body fragments shivered at the gruesome sight.
"These damn bastards might still be around. Let's check ahead first…"
The cyborg who was about to report to the captain stopped speaking. It was because that noise came to his ears again. His gaze turned towards the area near the ceiling where the noise was coming from.
"Drones… are missing"
The three drones that were there just a moment ago couldn't be seen anywhere.
To inform his colleague of this fact, he quickly turned his head. As soon as he turned his head, warm liquid splattered on his face.
Gulp?
And the sound of his colleague coughing. His colleague, visible in the thermal detection view, slowly floated up into the air and was split into thirds.
"Kill that… thing!"
The cyborg recoiled in horror at the sight, and the androids retreated behind him.
However, even at his command, the androids showed no reaction. They looked remarkably docile, almost unbelievable considering they had just indiscriminately poured out firepower.
"Shoot! Shoot and kill that thing!"
"No enemy detected."
"Fire con…trol…looooooost."
Subsequently, the androids met the same fate as his colleague. Something unseen mercilessly tore the androids apart.
As the android with five arms was torn apart, synthetic petroleum flowed onto the floor, and the quadrupedal android had its upper and lower body separated and pinned to the walls and ceiling.
The wide corridor, which only smelled of metal before, was quickly filled with the smell of blood and petroleum. The provocative smell woke up the cyborg who had fallen into panic.
"I…I have to run!"
He sprinted down the corridor as far away from the creature as possible. Amidst his running, he faintly heard a sound from afar.
It was the sound of gunfire.
Somewhere else, similar events were surely unfolding here.
"I…I have to hide!"
A door on one side of the corridor caught his eye. It was a food storage room for cyborgs. He hurriedly opened the door and hid in a corner.
"I…I should be safe here!"
Cyborg combat rations had a smell as repulsive as their distinctive tire-like taste. With his body crouched down and holding his breath, the sounds from outside seemed even clearer. The gunfire he heard before entering here still hadn't stopped.
Perhaps the situation on the other side wasn't any better. He swallowed hard.
"Please, someone come to help!"
Was his prayer answered by Lord Jubaka? The sound of the food storage room door opening reached his ears. His gaze turned to the door, but there was nothing to be seen.
"Why can't I see anything… Wait."
Suddenly, a sinister thought struck him. He cautiously deactivated the thermal detection view. Instead, he switched to a mode that used vibration to perceive objects, synchronized with his hearing and vision.
As his view shifted, a new world unfolded before his eyes.
The combat rations pouring in as he rushed in. Neatly stacked boxes. And a tail split into two at the end.
"A tail?"
His eyes moved up from the tail, adorned with pincers.
Four sturdy legs supporting the ground along with the tail. All covered in the same hard carapace and fur as the tail. On top of that, there were the thick torso and four arms. The arms, made of sturdy carapace and strong muscles, had sharp claws attached to them. Like weapons that had torn androids and cyborgs to shreds.
And above that was the head.
With a slender elongated muzzle reminiscent of a cold-blooded creature, a giant carapace extending backwards, and six mighty horns, "it" stared at him.
"Indeed. It seems you can't hide from vibrations."
Despite the ordinary female voice coming from its mouth, he couldn't feel relieved.
Now, "it" was approaching him with its mouth split into two branches, wide open.
Picking up the combat rations scattered on the floor of the food storage, cleared of cyborgs in one go.
'Cyborgs don't taste great.'
The flesh itself was passable, but there were so many mechanical parts that it felt extremely gritty every time I chewed. It felt like eating ribs with lots of bones and little meat.
'What about this one?'
I put a packet of combat rations into my mouth without opening it.
'Ugh… It's bitter.'
StarUnion's combat rations tasted more stale and bitter than the 100% cocoa I had tasted before. While the taste itself was better than MegaCorp's calorie bombs, the texture was worse.
'I should eat this after taking over the ship.'
The plan was to infest the ship with parasites implanted in the captain and a few seemingly useful cyborgs.
There were two main reasons for this cumbersome process. Firstly, to prepare for the possibility that cyborgs from other ships might contact this one. Since it was a ship that had left due to malfunction, there might be contact from the command side halfway through.
'But the inability to use the corrosive tentacles is the biggest issue.'
In fact, that was the main reason. Without being able to use the corrosion tentacles, it was impossible to corrode the ship on the horizon of nightmares.
'We can't even confirm if it's a target for corrosion.'
To dominate the ship, it was necessary to release the "intelligent weakling" state and then seize control with the corrosion tentacles. The transformation ability, 'Organic Evolution' had a cooldown period of one month, which was not short at all. Therefore, the plan was to minimize potential risks on the ship and then seize control.
'Should I go out and clean up the other side too?'
Leaving the food storage, I moved along the corridor. From a distance, I could hear the sounds of Number 26 and Adhai, as well as the noise of the Mother of the Sky raging.
'Looks like everyone's been bored.'
Once the corridor was cleared, it would be fine to gather and occupy the important facilities.
Thinking about this, as I moved, I felt something lurking in front of that corridor. Gradually, with rough breathing, it revealed itself.
Kuoo, Kuoo
"Screamer."
From the previous battle, I knew that androids and drones couldn't detect me. However, the cyborg I had last consumed was aware of me even before the battle.
'Sounds and vibrations can't be hidden.'
The 'unknown creature's fur' property disrupted observation equipment, preventing detection of fur movement. It didn't hide vibrations or sounds.
Using the enhanced adhesion property to move as quietly as possible, but since I was a living being, I couldn't completely conceal the sound.
'If it's a screamer, what's going to happen…'
Kuoo
"Enemy detected. Eliminate."
Kuoo
'Ah.'
Contrary to my expectations, the screamer looked at me with bloodshot eyes.
A monster half-human, half-machine with six metal legs rushed towards me, its eyes full of malice.
-x-X-x-
If there were Hulk mutants in Megacorp, then in StarUnion, there are Screamers. They are quite similar in the aspect of forcibly modifying criminals into combat weapons and boasting terrifying exteriors. One difference is that Hulk mutants are often seen more as mercenary allies than enemies, whereas Screamers primarily appear as adversaries.
Unlike Hulk mutants, who possess some intelligence and a degree of autonomy despite being under machine control, Screamers are merely sound in mind while their bodies are subjected to mechanical control.
'Quite literally a machine's prison,'
As it's said. Though named 'Screamers' if the embedded life support AI doesn't permit, they can't even properly emit a sound.
Just like the one rushing towards me now, making a raucous noise. It spotted me and shouted about finding an enemy upon seeing me, but it's merely an automatic dialogue output based on specific situations inputted to its AI.
As it closes in, its sharp, spider-like claws aim to tear flesh from bone. I swing my combat arm to parry the attack, expecting its foot to easily bounce off, as usual. But…
With a thud, its claw pierces my armored exoskeleton.
'Huh?'
It's not deeply embedded, but it surprises me nonetheless. Since becoming a Junsei, this is the first time someone has pierced my exoskeleton in melee combat since Muriel.
But it doesn't end there. Its waist twists grotesquely, and the two metallic legs attached to its back glare at me menacingly.
Quickly, I twist my head to block the claw with my exoskeleton and pivot my body, using the generated torque to swing my tail forcefully.
The thick tail covered in armor brushes past the ground. At its end, the pincer collides with the creature. The Screamer hit by the Swamp King's club is slammed into the corridor wall.
Kuuu, Kuuu
Despite the momentum enough to shatter upon impact, it doesn't die. Apart from a few bent metallic bones, it seems intact.
'Why so resilient?'
I've fought Screamers countless times, knowing their capabilities fairly well. However, the defense and offense of this one before me are beyond standard.
'It's been upgraded.'
Kuuu Kuuu
Backing off, the Screamer exhaled roughly, wary of me. Whether it recognized through our exchange that I'm not an easy opponent or not, its movements are cautious.
I, too, carefully assess the foe.
'Who knows what additional features it might have gained.'
Though unlikely, it might be concealing means to threaten my life. Thus, I must remain vigilant during this fight.
Then, it lunged at me once again.
This time, instead of leaping onto the corridor, it traversed between the walls and ceiling, pounding six metallic legs into them.
'Perhaps to sow confusion.'
I can also traverse walls like it does. Following its lead, I leap towards it, sticking to the walls and ceiling as I advance.
Our distance rapidly closes. Just before collision, it raises two front legs high.
Its target is my neck. Like an icicle, its sharp blade aims for my throat.
Rather than blocking its attack, I simply drop from the ceiling. Its strike grazes futilely against my rear exoskeleton.
Undeterred, it attempts to cover above me, aiming to seize my throat. But before that, my tail intervenes, grabbing its legs with the pincer at its end. Despite shrinking in size, it hasn't lost all its strength. I apply force with the pincer.
[Risk of damage to legs 1 and 2.]
The creature attempted to break free with mechanical noises, but being firmly held, its resistance was futile. Unable to withstand the tightening force on its metallic legs, they snapped. As liquid sprayed from the tubes connected to the broken legs, the creature widened its eyes.
Ku-u-u
Its breathing became coarse. I swung my combat arm.
At that moment, the creature gave up on the restrained legs. Withdrawing as it discarded the legs, my attack ended in vain.
Taking a few steps back, the creature bent its remaining legs and forcefully pushed. With its sturdy metal skeleton, it climbed onto my back. In that state, its legs coiled around my neck and the exoskeleton of my back like a noose.
I thought it was attempting to strangle me, but that wasn't the case.
Near the creature's grip on me, a long, thin tail resembling a scorpion's tail emerged. Unlike a scorpion, it had rotating saw blades instead of a venomous sting.
'Where—!'
While still holding onto the creature, I forcefully slammed its back into the corridor. With all my strength exerted along with my weight, the entire hull trembled slightly.
[Impact detected. Irreversible damage.]
Due to that impact, the creature's body was partially contorted. The legs holding me loosened.
Yet, as a final act, the creature's tail slashed at my rear exoskeleton. Upon collision with the exoskeleton and saw blades, intense sparks flew, illuminating the dark corridor.
'This is it!'
I grabbed the creature's tail and swung it towards the wall as if swinging a baseball bat. From the creature, which was partially embedded in the wall, machine components and life-sustaining fluids spurted out.
Despite the mess, the creature vigorously wriggled its remaining legs to harm me somehow. As a finishing move, I stabbed its body with the six horns on my head.
Queee Gaaaaa…Keek
The life support AI controlling the creature fell silent after those words. Tubes attached all over its body were severed, all legs were broken, and its tail, torn off entirely, was in my hand.
Soon, it spat out the tube fragment it had in its mouth. While it had a murderous glint when fighting me, facing death, it looked much more serene.
[Th-thank… you…]
It tried to say something while looking at me, then shook its head.
'Phew.'
I've never seen a Screamer this strong. Though the battle wasn't long, it inflicted considerable damage on me.
'It damaged my head exoskeleton.'
Though a small scratch, it's not to be ignored. If it's further upgraded from here, it could become a mass-produced weapon capable of inflicting fatal injuries even to an Amorph.
'The kids are in danger!'
There are at least three Screamers on this ship. Even I couldn't defeat it easily, It would be much harder for the kids. Moreover, unlike me who has sturdy defenses, Number 26 or Adhai's defenses are nothing special. If they get hit by the rotating saw blades on the creature's tail, they'll die.
I quickly moved away from the Screamer's corpse.
Until I fought the Screamer, the constant sound of gunfire echoing through the corridors had now ceased. It meant the fight was over. With that thought, an inexplicable sense of unease crept over me.
As I ran towards the nearest Adhai, a fork in the corridor appeared before me. Taking the right corridor would lead straight to Adhai.
I increased my speed and quickly checked the right corridor.
There, I found numerous fallen bodies and the Mother of the Sky. Among the fallen bodies, I spotted the mangled Screamer.
And one of the fallen creatures had large wings and a long tail.
'Adhai!'
The moment I saw Adhai lying on the floor, my heart sank. But then, the creature lifted her head.
｢Disgusting!｣ ｢Seriously!｣ ｢Disgusting!｣
｢I told you. It would be disgusting.｣
｢Me｣ ｢Friend｣ ｢Talk｣ ｢Distrust｣ ｢Mistake｣
Adhai scratched with her front paws, equipped with tentacles instead of a mouth. The creature, diligently cleaning her tentacles, spotted me.
｢Adult｣ ｢Welcome.｣
｢You came?｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Is everyone okay?)]
｢Why so surprised? Oh, is it because of this guy?｣
The Mother of the Sky, grooming her feathers, looked at me and responded indifferently.
｢This one was much stronger than the Screamers I knew. Looks like you fought one too.｣
[ZZZ (Yeah)]
It seemed like the Mother of the Sky was in charge of the Screamers.
Looking at the Screamer's corpse, its head was separated from the body. The Mother of the Sky must have decapitated it with her talons. She precisely aimed for the soft flesh rather than the tough metal parts.
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (Seems like it had reinforced the metal parts. Well done.)]
｢Huh? You haven't checked yet?｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ (What do you mean?)]
Making incomprehensible sounds, she pointed at the dead Screamer with her front claw.
She indicated the creature's neck area. Examining the back of the neck, I saw traces of several attempted slashes.
｢Their bodies aren't human.｣
[ZZZ (What?)]
｢They're too sturdy for humans.｣
She lightly scratched the Screamer's skin with her claw. Gryphon's claws were extremely sharp, so even a light scratch should have torn flesh. However, there was only superficial damage to the Screamer's skin.
Originally, there wasn't much difference between a Screamer's head and torso and that of a regular cyborg. The metal skeleton covering its body was sturdy, but the biological tissue wasn't modified separately.
Hence, in the game, the weakness of Screamers was precisely their vulnerable torso. Depending on how the head was modified, sometimes they came out wearing helmet-like masks, so it should be considered an exception.
'Come to think of it, the one I fought was also tough.'
Earlier, I had slammed the creature into the wall with it still attached to my back. Considering my strength, not only should the tubes and legs have been crushed, but its body itself should have been shattered. However, it didn't die immediately, and after delivering a valid strike with its tail, it died.
Then there's only one answer.
'Genetically enhanced humans, or…'
[ZZZZ ZZ (Hulk Mutant)]
She nodded silently.
｢They made Hulk Mutants into Screamers.｣
Although I said it myself, it was hard to believe.
Understandably, the StarUnion and MegaCorp are at war. The likelihood of core technologies like the Hulk Mutant production method flowing to the StarUnion is low. And even if they somehow obtained it through espionage, turning it directly into Screamers wouldn't be easy.
'The StarUnion's genetic manipulation technology isn't advanced.'
Apart from cloning technology, in other areas, both in terms of technology and infrastructure, it lags behind MegaCorp. Having the technology alone doesn't solve the problem of production.
'First, let's see if Number 26 is safe…'
｢What? What are the kids doing without me?｣
At that moment, a wave of psychic energy flew towards me. It was Number 26.
In the dim corridor, there was a thudding sound, and soon after, it revealed itself.
The Mother of the Sky and I were surprised to see Number 26's appearance.
｢Brought a big guy for dinner.｣
Due to its increased size, the creature, occupying about two-thirds of the corridor, was holding two Screamers with the psychic power technique 'Bind'.
Kuuu
[Anomalies detected due to unknown power.]
Kuuu
[Activity impossible due to unknown power.]
Even the two Screamers were still alive. Despite their metal skeletons and legs twisted like pretzels, they were alive.
Upon seeing that, Adhai fired a telepathic message.
｢Little adult｣ ｢That｣ ｢Disgusting｣
｢Really?｣
｢I｣ ｢Tried it｣ ｢Disgusting｣
｢Is that so? Then I guess I should dispose of it.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (Wait, there's no need to do that)]
As soon as Adhai's telepathy ended, I quickly gestured to Number 26 as I saw the heads of the two Screamers twist oddly.
[Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Zoom (I need to grow quickly so I'll eat well)]
｢Does the big one want it for growing?｣
[ZZ (Yes.)]
｢Then eat a lot and grow a lot!｣
[ZZZ ZZ (Thank you.)]
As Number 26 released its restraint, the Screamers collapsed to the floor. They tried to move to attack Number 26, but with every component of their metal legs twisted, they couldn't budge.
'Looks like there's no Black Silver mixed in.'
If it were Black Silver alloy, Number 26 wouldn't have been able to subdue them so easily. I affectionately patted the body of the creature larger than me in praise.
[ZZZZ ZZ (Well done)]
｢Yes!｣
The creature glowed faintly with delight.
Having patted Number 26, I stood before the incapacitated Screamers.
'Let's check right away.'
I have a useful tool for identifying unknown entities.
One of my psychic abilities, 'Insight'.
Obtained from hunting a policeman named William in the Space City in the past, this ability randomly reveals information possessed by the enemy.
'All we need to confirm is the species name.'
As Insight activated, purple flashes emanated from my eyes, illuminating the dark corridor. And before me appeared a translucent text box.
[Name: ■■■■
Species: Hulk Mutant
Status: Enhanced (Screamer Surgery)
Equipment: ■■■■ ■■]
The information confirmed by Insight was as we predicted.
A Hulk Mutant turned into a Screamer.
What does this mean?
'There are individuals cooperating between StarUnion and MegaCorp.'
The war between the two factions has lasted for hundreds of years. There have been sightings of humans from MegaCorp expressing hatred towards the machines from the StarUnion.
Of course, it's known that there are individuals in the upper echelons of MegaCorp who secretly sell employees to the StarUnion for credits.
But leaking important war weapon manufacturing techniques is a different matter altogether. After all, if they lose the war, credits won't be the issue.
'There's only one entity that would do such a thing.'
There are players in both MegaCorp and the StarUnion who create new Screamer variants.
And it's fairly easy to guess who the player from the StarUnion might be.
'Unless they're part of the Machinery Assembly, or even more than that, they couldn't do this.'
Only androids can be part of the Machinery Assembly. Players cannot enter.
So, the opponent must be someone more powerful than the Machinery Assembly within the StarUnion.
'The Grandmaster.'
The current Grandmaster has close ties to players from MegaCorp.
-x-X-x-
'The Grandmaster might be a player too.'
So far, I've known a total of four players. Muriel, a space-dog player who can transform into different species while being a cyborg, the Mother of the Sky, who helped Muriel, and I also know that there are players in the MegaCorp and the Cult. But now, a player from StarUnion has been added to the mix.
'StarUnion's presence is bothersome when they're enemies.'
Since they operate mainly with machinery, they don't align well with Amorphs, who collect genetic essence to evolve. No matter how many machines an Amorph consumes, It can't become stronger. Additionally, it's impossible to utilize deceit tactics through complex political structures when facing StarUnion.
Unlike MegaCorp, where power is divided among various families, and Cult, where multiple political factions proliferate, StarUnion's power structure is solely singular: the Machine Assembly. And the leader of this assembly is none other than the Grandmaster. Hence, being at odds with him is tantamount to being hostile to the entire StarUnion.
'No. There's no need to worry yet since nothing is confirmed.'
However, there's a more pressing issue at hand: identifying the MegaCorp player cooperating with the Grandmaster.
'Someone proficient in manipulating Hulk mutant technology and easily accessible to the upper echelons of StarUnion.'
Suddenly, the MegaCorp player who supported Muriel comes to mind.
'Could it be?'
I speculated that the player who assisted her might hold a high position within the Garamelda family, known for reinforced armor development.
But upon further consideration, all the equipment she used was of StarUnion origin. While psionium, as per the setting, is a stimulant traded even within MegaCorp, it's ultimately a drug developed by StarUnion. Blood River is also a device only cyborgs can produce.
Initially, I thought the equipment the cyborg Muriel obtained was modified by the Garamelda players. However, if it's not the case, and instead involves a StarUnion player, a Garamelda player, and Muriel, then…
'No, there's insufficient evidence.'
Blood River is an advanced device, but given enough resources, it's easily replicable. As a cyborg pirate capable of disguising as other species, Muriel could easily produce it. Even if there were another StarUnion player aiding Muriel, there's no guarantee they're the Grandmaster.
'Perhaps they're separate factions.'
Supporters of Muriel and Screamer operators. Viewing them as two separate entities seems reasonable.
If luck isn't on my side, these factions might even cooperate. In such a case, I'd have not only Muriel's supporting faction to contend with but also the Screamer operators.
'It's still uncertain.'
I forcibly quelled the incessant speculation.
While it's not wrong to be vigilant, excessive caution can hinder proper judgment. It becomes a shackle obstructing correct decisions.
Returning to square one, the MegaCorp player who aided in creating the Screamers is at least Prime Capital or above. Genetic manipulation technology is unavoidable if they want to use it.
And when it comes to producing Hulk mutants, the options narrow further. Only Prime Capitals, like the knights from the Eden family I saw before, can manipulate genes to such an extent. To produce Hulk mutants, one would need to ascend to Noble Capital.
'Moreover, among the Noble Capitals, the Yujins have the most advanced genetic manipulation techniques.'
Previously, there were Si-hyun Yujin and Code Black, creations of the Yujin family. They didn't exhibit any noticeable side effects despite harboring multiple genes within their bodies.
Other Noble Capitals can't create to that standard.
'Yet, creating these Screamers doesn't seem to require such advanced technology.'
I scrutinized all the Screamers. While they appear as cyborgs, closer inspection reveals some distinct features.
'This part seems to be extracted from Cold Blood's keratinization gene, and this one looks like a result of muscle enhancement genes.'
They're all Hulk mutants synthesized with two or three genes. Noble Capitals other than the Yujins can also create Hulk mutants at this level.
'I'm confused.'
In this state, it seems impossible to guess who's involved with the Screamers.
I told my guess to the Mother of the Sky, who is also a player.
｢The Grandmaster might be a player too since being a cyborg is a prerequisite for reaching the ending.｣
[ZZZ (Hmm.)]
｢Perhaps, as you speculated, a ranker from Garamelda has made a deal with the Grandmaster.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Hmm? Why?)]
｢Screamers are classified as half biological, half mechanical. If they're going to mass-produce Hulk mutants to use as Screamer material, they'll need an understanding of machinery and weapon technology.｣
It's a valid point. In the realm of mechanical weaponry rather than bioweapons, Garamelda is superior to the Yujin family.
｢Maybe both families have made a pact.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ (Are there players from both families?)]
｢Honestly, I think the likelihood is low, but you never know. Even if it's not the case, a player from one side could have persuaded the other family.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (It seems far-fetched, but there is nothing to lose in being cautious.)]
｢I'll speak up if I recall anything or find a clue.｣
Ultimately, I didn't obtain concrete information about making Screamers. I can only speculate that players were involved.
'What's left.'
Fresh prey brought by Number 26.
｢Big guy, eat quickly. It'll taste bad if time passes.｣
｢Denial｣ ｢It's｣ ｢Bad｣
｢Quiet.｣
In the original game, killing Screamers didn't yield genetic essence because they were classified as mechanical despite being a mix of biological and mechanical.
'But not here.'
With Hulk mutants, genetic essence is a given. If I kill the remaining Screamers, all the traits within them will be mine.
'Should I use the Symbol of Hunt?'
Using the Symbol of Hunt significantly increases the chance of prey. It's the only way to obtain a large amount of genetic essence when you want to secure multiple types.
However, the drawback is the side effects after the Mark fades. This transformation consumes massive amounts of energy, leading to immense hunger after it ends, to the point where maintaining sanity becomes difficult.
'That Hulk mutant has one decent genetic essence.'
As confirmed earlier, one of the Screamers had genetic essence from Cold Blood.
'Cold Blood has many traits related to internal organs.'
So far, I've acquired a total of four types, with three types unlocked conditionally. Originally, there were only two types: Special Defense Type and Cosmic Monster Type. However, a few hours ago, I unlocked a new type by devouring StarUnion's supply line in its entirety.
[Type ⑦ Internal Organs-related: Muscle reinforcement, heat emission, enhanced digestive fluid secretion.]
[-Fused traits related to internal organs: Revenant Organ]
The StarUnion supply line I consumed contained a variety of intelligent beings, allowing me to acquire many internal organ-related traits that aren't easily obtainable.
'The 'Internal Organs' trait focuses on enhancing and modifying various organs within the body. While it doesn't offer many direct combat-related traits, it's specialized in supporting the effects of other traits.'
'Most traits in this category are duds, but some are very effective.'
Currently, the only useful internal organ-related trait I have is the 'Revenant Organ' made from 'Household Waste.' However, there are other useful traits included besides that.
'In particular, traits that modify the nervous system synergize well with psychic-related traits.'
Just as there is synergy between infection-related traits and nest-related traits, psychic-related traits have synergy with several internal organ-related traits.
Moreover, traits that increase my energy consumption efficiency are also classified as internal organ-related traits.
'However, there's no guarantee that consuming them will yield immediate results.'
I hesitated as I looked at the remaining Screamers.
'Come to think of it, there was talk about conserving energy in intelligent weaklings.'
It was written in the description. After a moment of contemplation, I made a decision.
'Let's try it this time.'
I might end up using the Symbol of Hunt while in the state of an intelligent weakling later. In the current situation, where I'm not directly threatened, it's better to confirm in advance to avoid problems later.
I cautioned the kids that I might lose my mind again. In that case, they should quickly pass the body to someone else.
｢Poor big guy, must be really hungry.｣
｢Big adult｣ ｢Gourmet｣
Number 26 sent waves of pity mixed with Adhai's teasing mockery. After giving them all a glance, I looked at Mother of the Sky one last time.
She silently nodded. It was a sign that she would help, so I shouldn't worry.
Feeling relieved, I activated the Symbol of Hunt.
***
'Damn it!'
Captain Cain of Ship 98 cursed as he continuously observed the incoming bio-signals screen, filled with black fires. Since the assault of unknown monsters began, communication with the cyborgs had been cut off one by one.
Moreover, the Screamer received from the Machine assembly were rapidly dying off. Cain knew that Screamers were criminals, but they were also very effective in combat as war weapons.
The fact that such powerful weapons were being destroyed without resistance meant the enemies were beyond the usual level.
"Activate emergency power and reactivate the camera."
"Darn it, it's not just one!"
Due to the destruction of the drone control center, it was impossible to view the camera footage remotely, but the androids were not affected.
Synced with dozens of android perspectives, Cain could see the monsters that had boarded the ship.
Two invisible creatures, a four-legged hairy beast, and even a pink balloon-like creature using unknown powers.
Even in the StarUnion's arena of beasts, such monsters were unheard of.
"What about the analysis of these creatures?"
[Analysis of unidentified organisms types C and D is ongoing. Type C is assumed to have very agile movements, with strong claws and beaks. Type D is suspected to use high-density prophet-grade psychic powers.]
"What about A and B? They're not visible, why is that?"
[Type B is assumed to possess the ability to fly at high speeds. Estimated to move faster than a fighter jet based on the damage level when androids were attacked.]
"…How many drones capable of automatic navigation are there on this ship?"
[Due to the destruction of the drone control center, only 6 are currently available.]
"Damn, for now, transmit all the information we've gathered so far through those drones."
[Transmitting.]
"After I leave, launch them in automatic navigation mode, and set them to send out a distress signal after 10 hours."
[Confirmed.]
With that, Cain unplugged the cable behind his head. He did this to somehow convey information to the fleet he belonged to, the Nemea Fleet.
"Judging from their strategy of attacking key facilities, these creatures aren't just strong monsters."
If they were creatures that moved strategically to this extent, they might expect him to escape on a fighter jet. If there was no way to escape anyway, he was prepared to fight to the end.
"My revenge will be carried out by the Nemea Fleet. You monsters!"
Standing up, he armed himself with the weapons in the situation room. As he was about to leave armed, Number 98 reported to him.
[Setup complete.]
"…Alright. Good job."
[Safe travels.]
It was a message that always appeared when leaving the situation room, but why did it sound like it was cheering him on for his determination?
Cain emerged into the dark corridor.
Despite the destruction of numerous cyborgs and androids, the corridor in front of the situation room remained silent.
With a lightweight version of the storm gun in hand, he controlled the drone terminal. A neat spherical drone rose above his head.
Even with the androids and screamers wiped out, his chances of defeating the monsters were slim, given his lower level of armament compared to them.
"It doesn't matter."
His revenge plan was already in motion. He clenched his jaw and surveyed the corridor ahead.
As he stared into the darkness of the corridor, he suddenly felt a vibration.
Though he had spent a long time on this ship, the vibration beneath his feet felt strangely unfamiliar. The irregular vibration caused the alloy walls surrounding the corridor to tremble with a uniform rhythm.
"They're coming!"
Cain tightened his grip on the pulse gun. Not long after the strange vibration was felt, he heard a sound.
It resembled the breath of a screamer but was much rougher and deeper. It reminded him of the sound of a hyperspace engine moving, but more ferocious.
Cain easily recognized the sound as the growling of a monster.
"Darn it! Where are they?"
As the sound and vibration grew closer, the creature's presence remained unseen. Even the reconnaissance drone continued to circle the area without spotting it.
"I can hear footsteps, but they're not visible on the heat detection sensors… Wait, what's that sound?"
Quickly, Cain adjusted the options of the reconnaissance drone and his own field of view. It was a mode to identify the enemy's movements through vibration and waves.
In doing so, he saw the figure of the creature standing at the end of the corridor.
The sight of the monster, filling the corridor, was truly terrifying.
With six long, thick horns reaching the ceiling, the creature's face resembled an animal's skull. Its elongated snout gripped the severed head of a screamer, and where eyes should have been, there were sharp spikes and plates protruding, sometimes appearing like eyes, only adding to the fear.
Below its jaw were four sharp bone blades, menacing as the horns above. The bone blades twitched incessantly, as if ready to slice through an enemy at any moment.
The body below was covered in long fur, making it difficult to see clearly. Merely glimpsing the legs that appeared whenever the creature breathed hinted at the presence of multiple limbs.
Cain, facing the creature, lost all his composure.
The thought of buying time against that monster was nothing short of a terrible joke.
[Enemy sighted.]
If the drone hadn't reported, he would have died without moving a muscle. Regaining his senses, he ran madly down the opposite corridor.
As he fled, the creature swallowed the head of the screamer in one gulp and moved. With every step of the massive creature, the corridor echoed with a rumble.
Straining himself to run as fast as he could, Cain suddenly felt a chilling sensation behind his neck. At the same time, the blade attached to the creature's jaw cut through the corridor, cleanly slicing through the sturdy alloy wall like scissors through paper.
"Gah!"
He narrowly avoided the attack, but his posture crumbled. Several steps later, he collapsed completely.
"S-Stay back!"
Sensing imminent death, he tightly shut his eyes.
However, time passed, and he did not die. When he cautiously opened one eye, he saw the creature's face in front of him.
"Y-You… are you the captain?"
The voice that came from the creature's mouth was feminine. He was too tense to respond properly.
Trembling, he was asked again by the monster.
"I'll ask one last time. Are you the captain?"
"Y-Yes!"
Satisfied with his answer, the creature withdrew its head.
Attempting suicide with a gun, only to have it misfire, must feel something like this. Cain, who had just faced death and somehow survived, sighed heavily. But what followed froze him in place.
"I almost killed a useful one."
With those words, it extended its arm. Inside the thick fur of the creature, something squirmed as if trying to emerge.
"From now on, you will serve the Andromeda, not the Star Union."
Seeing the wiggling black worm emerging from the fur, Cain wished he could just faint instead.