Chapter 21


    Infiltrating the gship wasn’t too challenging. While they had some security measures in ce, they were rather rudimentary, especially whenpared to the research ship.


    ‘Well, they are pirates.’


    These individuals were ustomed to piging, so they probably didn’t consider the possibility of being looted themselves. My subdermal imnt, located beneath my chin, started tracking the vibrations. The heart of the metallic gship wasn’t too far away.


    Having confirmed the location of the reactor, I sprinted down the corridor. The gship’s corridor was surprisingly messy for what was supposed to be a military vessel. It seemed like they had patched it together using parts from other ships, resulting in walls of different colors and boxes of plunder scattered about haphazardly.


    It was like running through a garbage dump, and I sensed movement from the enemy. Two of them, to be exact—one human and one insectoid.


    ‘Let’s take care of this right here.’


    I crouched behind some nearby boxes. As their footsteps drew closer, my tail took precise aim at the human’s throat.


    “Keh!”


    “!”


    A fountain of blood erupted from the severed neck, leaving the insectoid in shock at the sight of his fallenrade.


    While a regr person might have gone into shock, this individual was clearly a pirate, and he reached for hismunication device.


    I extended my palm, and the de-tipped tentacles shot out, coiling around his wrist. The sharp des on the tentacles mercilessly tore into his flesh.


    “Kyaah!”


    His forearm became a gruesome sight, ground into pulp by the tentacles. Themunication device he had pulled out fell to the floor, unutilized.


    Upon retracting the tentacles, now coated in the insectoid’s green blood, the items stuck to their surface were absorbed into my body. The taste was different from that of human blood.


    “It’s like grape vor.”


    While human blood had a stimting taste, the insectoid’s blood had a refreshing fruity vor. I wished I had more time to savor it, but the circumstances didn’t allow for it. I focused my strength and lunged at him. It was a short charge, but with my enhanced physique, it packed a substantial punch. The insectoid was mmed against the corridor wall.


    “Kek!”


    A short scream and the sound of bones snapping echoed through the corridor. If he had been human, he would probably have gone into shock, but this insectoid disyed tenacious resilience. He was still alive and struggling to escape.


    Using my lower tentacles, I pinned down his arms, while the upper ones gripped both sides of his head.


    “Kyaah! Spare… keh.”


    I was growing tired of hearing pleas for mercy. I applied force to my gripping tentacles, tearing his head apart. The corridor was now painted in green blood.


    I didn’t bother with the human corpse and quickly devoured the insectoid’s body.


    ‘As expected, NPC species don’t count.’


    In the game, the insectoids were ssified as sentient beings, but they were an unyable alien race. As such, they didn’t count toward my evolutionary progress.


    ‘Let’s just have this and move on.’


    I would have savored the moment under different circumstances, but there was still much to be done. I swiftly chewed and swallowed the insectoid’s meat.


    After licking up the blood on the floor, I neatly stashed the human corpse inside one of the boxes.


    [Patrol team, what’s going on? Why no response?]


    “It’s nothing.”


    [Then answer quickly, you brat. Get out of there.]


    “Sorry.”


    I gave a brief response to themunicator that insectoid had dropped before dying. Thanks to my mimicry ability, the other side had no idea that the owner of themunicator was already inside me.


    After concluding the short battle, I resumed my journey towards the reactor. Along the way, I didn’t encounter any new enemies.


    It would have been nice if the security around the reactor had been equallyx, but my wish remained unfulfilled. Android security guards were patrolling the area around the reactor. These guys, who seemed to spare no expense on security, had suddenly deployed expensive androids here. It appeared they had ced the spoils of their raids here.


    ‘Androids can be quite troublesome.’


    Destroying them isn’t a problem in itself, but whates afterward is. The moment I attack, the android will send a signal to the central AI of the ship. Unless I’m prepared for a full-scale battle, I should avoid confronting the androids.


    ‘How should I deal with this?’


    The auxiliary organ under my chin squirmed as it searched for a weak point in their defenses. Unlike humans, androids had no significant vulnerabilities due to their mechanical nature. Moving around on the ceiling or walls as I had done on the research vessel was not an option since androids had heat tracking devices.


    ‘I don’t necessarily have to face them head-on.’


    I turned back and headed upstairs towards the reactor. Passing through rusty metal stairs and chaotic corridors, I arrived at someone’s bedroom.


    The bedroom had a nauseating and foul odor. The mattress used as a bed was discolored, and empty bottles were scattered on the floor.


    Using my four hands, I lifted the mattress. The insects hiding beneath it were taken by surprise and scurried away.


    ‘This should do.’


    I stood in the spot where the mattress had been and used my lower hands to extract spores from below. The acidic secretions from the spores began to dissolve the floor. A pungent smoke rose, and the dirty metal quickly developed holes.


    Beneath the holes, I could see the upper part of the reactor. If it had been a human, they would have noticed the reactor’s upper level melting away, but my opponent was an android. It was vulnerable to unexpected situations because it operated ording to predefined programs.


    ‘I’ll clear the engine with this.’


    I poured the spores upwards toward the reactor.


    ***


    It had been ten years since Elchen Davara started pirating.


    A Hulk Mutant involved in piracy, no one could have expected Elchen to continue her activities for so long.


    Originally, Hulk mutants had short lifespans; their genes were manipted to ensure they died within two years.


    If he hadn’t been an improved Hulk Mutant by Eden, he would have surely died not long after. Even if he had survived, if his intelligence hadn’t been up to par, he wouldn’t havested this long.


    Elchen has surpassed both of these adverse conditions. He has be a respected figure among the space-dogs, even an elder statesman.


    Seeing what is happening in front of him right now is quite shocking, even for Elchen, who has been through all sorts of trials and tribtions.


    [Request for assistance! This is themand center! The intruder is attempting to break down the door!]


    [Damn it! We don’t have any personnel to send!]


    [No, I don’t want to die!]


    [Where’s the captain? Where’s the officer!?]


    [The officer died earlier! Get yourself together!]


    [Hehe. We’re all dead. Hehehe.]


    [Anyone with remaining ammunition!]


    [It’s breaking into the room! Prepare forbat!]


    [Damn it! It’s a smoke grenade!]


    [It’s inside… Aaah!]


    [Aaaah!]


    [Save us… Ugh!]


    With screams as the final notes, the recorded video on themand centerputer came to an end. The hologram turned off, but no one in the room dared to speak.


    ‘What in the world is happening?’


    When Elchen first boarded the ship, he found it strange. Apart from the odd vegetation growing everywhere, the most ring issue was theplete absence of any people.


    Even if they had all died due to an attack, there should have been traces on the walls or the floor. Bloodstains, shell casings, something. However, there was none of that on this ship. It was as if the research ship had been a ghost ship from the very beginning, with no human traces whatsoever.


    Elchen realized he needed to learn more about the attackers. So, he gave orders to his subordinates to dig through the recorded footage and gather information about the situation.


    The result was the video he had just watched.


    The individuals who had been holed up in themand center, facing an unknown adversary, appeared to be in dire straits, even to the ruthless pirate Elchen.


    Even beforeing here, they had experienced several battles, and few among them were unscathed. Some were missing limbs, while others had lost their minds.


    The video ended with themand center’s door being breached, and it wasn’t hard to imagine what had happened to them.


    “y the footage from before this.”


    Elchen instructed one of his subordinates, who then yed the previously recorded video.


    [This is themand center. B3. Join us as soon as maintenance isplete.]


    [The path isplex. Everyone, move cautiously.]


    On the screen, a muscr soldier with short hair was giving orders via amunication device. Several individuals in fancy attire stood beside the soldier.


    The yback showed the process of their first encounter with the unidentified creature and their subsequent search.


    ‘The soldier is likely responsible for the ship’s defense. And the one in the delicate attire in the back, is that Captain Samuel?’


    It started off calmly, but the atmosphere quickly changed. Screams of soldiers echoed through themunication device, and the leaders in themand center began to panic.


    ‘The dispatched troops have been wiped out.’


    Elchen had thought that, but the situation was not over yet. What happened next left him truly astonished.


    While the leaders were in turmoil, the unknown creature suddenly burst forth.


    ‘Is it going to attack here?’


    Elchen wondered where it hade from, but the creature seemed to attack indiscriminately, killing people as it moved. The white temple floating above the ck sea of stars was stained with blood.


    The person who managed to momentarily stop the creature was the soldier who had been leading the troops. He drew a sma pistol from his holster and fired at the creature.


    Unlike before, the creature reacted differently to the soldier’s weapon. It seemed to recognize the soldier’s weapon as a threat and retreated, deploying a smoke screen from a hidden source beforeunching an attack on the soldier.


    ‘It’s intelligent.’


    Not just intelligent, but highly intelligent, a high-risk organism. Elchen, who had been exposed to various life forms through gic modification procedures, had an intuition that this creature was the first of its kind discovered in this universe.


    If MegaCorp had known of such a dangerous creature’s existence, they would have captured it and extracted its gic material long ago.


    Nevertheless, the battle between the creature and the soldier ended with the creature’s victory. It was more the soldier’s misfortune than his mistake. A stray shot from one of the soldiers had caused significant damage to the soldier, ultimately leading to his defeat.


    The creature, seemingly aware that reinforcements were on the way, retreated immediately after killing the soldier.


    ***


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    ***


    ‘Damn it.’


    When Elchen had decided to take on this task, his main concern had been the Noble Capital, particrly how to deal with retaliation from the Yujin family. However, after watching the video, it seemed they should be more concerned about safely retrieving the bodies from the ship.


    “Hey, Garlic.”


    “Yes, sir?”


    Elchen called for Garlic, who had been lost in thought while staring at the hologram. She returned to her usual timid demeanor upon being addressed.


    “They lost contact only yesterday, right?”


    “Yes, that’s correct. The original n was for us to meet them yesterday. However, since the ship didn’t arrive, we spent a day searching.”


    During the journey, Elchen had already obtained the personnel records of the research ship.


    There were a total of 222 people on board, with 96 of them being soldiers. If Elchen ordered it, his subordinates could eliminate them all within half a day.


    ‘The problem is that we don’t know the creature’s identity.’


    After watching the video, Elchen quickly realized the creature’s strengths. It was the type thatpensated for itsck of physical power with intelligence and various abilities. Attacking the creature without any information would be akin to ordering his subordinates tomit suicide.


    Of course, Elchen was not one to care whether his subordinates lived or died. However, he didn’t enjoy wasting resources unnecessarily. Even if his subordinates died, he wanted to extract as much information as possible from the creature before they did.


    “Nevertheless, we’re fortunate.”


    “Sir?”


    “The creature doesn’t know we’re here.”


    Since all the individuals in their group were hardened pirates, they had infiltrated the research ship as quietly as possible. Unless the creature had cameras ced throughout the entire ship, detecting their movements would be nearly impossible.


    “Let’s find the creature first and corner it. We’ll deal with the bodies afterward.”


    As Elchen was about to issue orders to his subordinates, one of them rushed in from outside, holding amunication device. His face was pale, as if he had seen a ghost.


    “Boss, something big has happened!”


    “What is it?”


    “The ship’s engine ispletely fried!”


    “What!”


    Elchen eximed in disbelief. The engine was working fine, and the sudden malfunction was iprehensible.


    Though facing an enraged boss was never a good idea, the subordinate had no choice but to exin the unfortunate situation. After all, if they concealed it and were caughtter, the consequences would be far worse.


    “After checking from that side, it appears that the engine ispletely corroded, and recovery is impossible!”


    “Damn it! Give it to me!”


    Elchen snatched themunication device from his subordinate, his frustration evident in his actions.


    “Damn it, Garlic!”


    “Yes?”


    “Can this ship still function?”


    “Well, we’ll need to check…”


    “Damn it!”


    “No, wait. Yes, it can still function!”


    “You, and you. Help Garlic. The rest of you,e with me. We’re going after that damn creature. Follow me.”


    “Yes!”


    Elchen led his subordinates out of themand center. He made a vow to himself that capturing the creature wouldn’t be the end of it.


    ***


    ‘Oh, he’s angry. He’s really pissed.’


    Back at the nest, I was aware of their movements. The boss, with his heart racing twice as fast, was storming through the ship, and his subordinates were following him closely.


    ‘Should I wait until they scatter?’


    The research ship had a moreplexyout and more facilities than the battleship. Moreover, the intruders had just arrived. To efficiently search this unfamiliar ce, they had to divide their personnel.


    They probably didn’t know, but there were survivors on this ship. There were about 20 individuals scattered throughout, including the captain and some of themand staff. Naturally, they weren’t left alive out of kindness.


    ‘MegaCorp really despises pirates.’


    There might be some defectors, but most of them would attack the pirates. While they fought among themselves, I could pick the fruits that fell from the tree.


    ‘But that guy’s a problem.’


    The human who remained in themand center. Disguised as ordinary, she was moving around the room, seemingly performing some tasks.


    Only three individuals were with her. It would have been a good time to attack, but I had an uneasy feeling.


    Amorph’s unique intuition was warning me. That individual was a dangerous presence, and I needed to be cautious.


    ‘Could she be the person Arnold mentioned?’


    Si-hyun Yujin.


    She was someone Arnold had mentioned as being simr to me. What had Arnold seen to make thatparison?


    ‘Perhaps she’s a gically modified human like me.’


    In a society where MegaCorp valuedpetition as the highest virtue, the obsession with extending life was incredibly strong. Especially at the top of the pyramid, the Noble Capital, they wouldmit heinous acts without hesitation as long as it allowed them to live longer.


    The advancement of gic modification technology in MegaCorp was a result of this societal atmosphere. Hulk mutants were nothing more than byproducts of that.


    ‘Even MegaCorp yers are ultimately into gic modification.’


    In the game, there were users who went beyond simply modifying their appearance to the point of bing inhuman. Some used artifacts that allowed them to use cult-like abilities, while others flew through space on their own without a spaceship. There were all sorts of people.


    Given that, it was entirely possible that the Yujin family’s scion had been modified to an extraordinary degree.


    ‘Keisaragi was nothing special, but what about that woman?’


    As expected, if she is a gically modified human, she would be a formidable opponent for me now. Just as my enemies don’t know my abilities, I don’t know what abilities she might possess.


    If they had modified her to the level of yers, defeating her wouldn’t be easy.


    ‘A gically modified human, huh? It’s been a while since I’ve had a fight like this.’


    I didn’t say it was difficult; I didn’t say I would lose.


    I had devoured countless MegaCorp yers. Facing a formidable opponent not only aroused a sense of danger but also piqued my interest.


    ‘For now, let’s hold off on the one who appears to be Si-hyun Yujin. Let’s clean up the pirates first.’


    There was no point in fighting recklessly and then dealing with trouble if reinforcements arrived.


    I turned my attention back to the pirates.


    Coincidentally, they were approaching the captain’s quarters, where survivors were hiding.


    ***


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    ***