Chapter 92
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[Trantor – Jjescus]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s Disciple]
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When the Monument was attacked by unidentified enemies, Denver Eden also evacuated with the dignitaries.
Amidst the general dismay, he saw this as a golden opportunity.
‘Even if the monster’s corpse is looted now, nobody would know.’
The Monument’s leadership, including the overseer, would be too busy dealing with the enemy. By the time they realized, Eden’s departure would have distanced him from the city.
With a resolved mind, Denver summoned the newly appointed deputymander Jacob and a few members.
“Are you saying they want us to retrieve that body?”
“Yes, we must find it by any means necessary. Otherwise, it won’t sit well with the bnce.”
With the council now in shambles, the chances of Samdam Chemblin bing the CEO is far-fetched. Consequently, Denver’s stance supporting T&C within the family has be awkward.
‘With him alone, the project progress would increase several notches.’
If sessful in developing the new Hulk Mutant, there would be no more dependence on T&C. That would solidify their position within the region.
Thus, after leaving Jacob and the team behind, Denver stepped onto the transport ship. Arriving at the port zone, the docks were filled with ships preparing to set sail.
Among those who came to greet the council were the Zhao family’s spacecraft and several administrators from the administrative zone, trying to flee.
“Your majesty, the elders have decided to leave first.”
“I have matters to attend to, so go ahead.”
Soon after, the warship carrying the elders departed beyond the city’s shielding gate.
Denver sat in themander’s chamber, awaiting news from Vice Commander Jacob. As he nearly finished the wine brought by his servant, the awaitedmunication arrived.
“Have you found it?”
“There is nobody in the monument, sir.”
“What? Have you checked ces other than theb?”
“Yes.”
Denver was astonished at the news of it not being in theb.
‘Have they removed the body?’
In his view, the city had copsed into chaos. Would anyone bother about a monster’s corpse when all the officials supposed to safeguard the city were fleeing?
Instead, Denver suddenly considered another possibility.
‘The Monument’s assault… could it be?’
The creature might still be alive. Just thinking about that possibility made him shiver.
‘They didn’t kill it; they captured it!’
Something seemed suspicious. Not only did they massacre the elite ground forces of Eden but also killed a veteran as seasoned as the former Vicemander, Vickus.
He knew well that the ground forces’ armament within the defense fleet wasn’t powerful enough. Their Gauss rifles wouldn’t be sufficient to kill the creature. ‘Especially if it can withstand sma bolters.’
It’s likely that the defense forces subdued the creature withuncher shots and then took it to the Monument’s scientific researchb. There, scientists would have studied it and extracted enough findings to present during the council session.
“Then something went wrong, leading to this chaos.”
“Since the creature isn’t here, we now know who’s responsible for this chaos.”
“Yes, the instigator of this situation is probably…”
Having grasped the full extent of the situation, Denver asked the most crucial question,
“Have you found any trace of the creature?”
“Using the gene tracker, we confirmed the creature escaped the building. However, after that, any traces were eradicated, making it untraceable.”
Even though Jacob mentioned it was impossible to pinpoint the whereabouts, Denver wasn’t particrly concerned. The fact that the creature had escaped the Monument was evident.
“It could be a decoy. Continue tracking inside the building as far as possible.”
“Understood.”
“And immediately transmit the gic data of the creature.”
“Yes.”
After ending themunication, Denver called a subordinate.
“The deputymander will soon send the gic data. Insert it into the bioscanner to survey the city.”
“Your majesty, T&C will definitely protest if we do that.”
“I don’t care. Proceed immediately.”
The bioscanner is a device that, upon inputting gic data, identifies the whereabouts of a specific organism within a certain range. To use it in another family’s territory, permission is strictly regted by the MegaCorpw. Despite objections from the subordinate, Denver persisted.
“The monster in my hands would be T&C’s regretful loss. If Eden gets hold of the creature, we’ll be able toplete the new Hulk Mutant development within a month. Then T&C will desperately plead us to sell it to them, unlike before.”
Soon after, the bioscanner, receiving gic data sent by Jacob, began its operation. The results of scanning the entire city were disyed on arge holographic monitor ced in themand center.
“The target is approaching the port zone.”
“As expected.”
Denver nodded his head. He had anticipated this.
The creature possessed demonic intelligence—a terrifying monster that knew its own power and limitations well.
“It’s likely it ns to escape aboard a spacecraft.”
“Inform the knights onboard. Prepare forbat.”
Rising from his seat, Denvermanded his subordinate
“Allow everyone to equip assault packs.”
“Assault packs, sir?”
Currently, there are a total of 50 knights remaining aboard the gship. Granting all of them permission to use the high-value equipment, the assault packs, left the subordinate astonished.
“The creature is no easy prey. This time, we won’t capture it alive; be prepared withunchers.”
“Understood, Your majesty.”
“And this time, have my reinforced armor prepared as well.”
Denver gazed at the signal of the creature moving on the monitor in themand center.
“The creature will be mine.”
He firmly believed in his victory, never doubting it. He had always felt this way until now.
***
I hid within the sewage to evade the raining sma shots. Upon a check with the auxiliary organ, the number of enemies targeting me increased dramatically in an instant.
‘They were lying in an ambush.’
Fifty detected enemies alone. Sensing a powerful electric surge on their body surface, they were all wearing superior-grade reinforced armor and assault packs.
‘They must have been waiting far away, hidden from my detection, using the jetpack feature in the assault packs to swiftly approach.’
‘How did they know?’
It was unexpected that the Eden knights were lying in an ambush. They must have thought I was already dead. Considering the current situation, I could roughly guess how they found out.
For the past few days, the head of the dissection team presented my gic data at the council. It’s not hard to imagine how intrigued the Edens present there would have been.
Contrary to the game’s settings, the Eden family in reality seemed very interested in gic maniption.
‘Monument’s chaos provided them with an opportunity to steal my body.’
All the families in the MegaCorp were greedy by nature, and it’s highly probable they saw this as their chance and acted on it.
However, I had escaped from the Monument’s researchb long ago. Hence, theb was currently empty. Since my body had cleanly disappeared, they must have realized I was alive.
‘Then perhaps they used the bioscanner next.’
MegaCorp warships are equipped with bioscanners that detect biological signals. Inputting gic data helps locate the position of the organism within a certain range.
‘Normally, using a bioscanner in another family’s territory is forbidden.’
However, the bioscanner can read real-time signals of individuals if it has gic data, making it useful for espionage activities.
Using such a tool in another family’s territory openly implies monitoring their territory. Hence, the MegaCorp families have a pact not to use bioscanners in each other’s territories.
Eden vited this crucial rule.
‘They seem to be in a rush on their side as well.’
After the council presentation, it seems they are hurrying out for some reason.
‘Did you think I would let you slip away?’
Outside, the cries of someone presumed to be themander echoed in. The voice was modted by the reinforced armor, sounding mechanical, yet the obsession and madness within were unmistakable.
‘He’s no pushover.’
To engage 50 knights, each equipped with assault packs, and engage in a pitched battle – a challenging situation indeed. The true potential of assault packs is realized in an open field. Last time, fighting in the narrow confines of the sewage meant the enemies couldn’t fully showcase their skills, but not now.
‘Without the ‘Symbol of Hunt’, my chances of winning are low.’
However, luring them into the sewers wasn’t ideal either.
“Knights! Prepare theunchers!”
Five knights responded to themander’s order, wielding smaunchers and advancing.
The knightmander seemed uninterested in capturing me alive. Given what they had faced in the sewers, this might be a prudent approach.
If it were just me, it would be one thing, but number 26 and Adhai are here too. While number 26 might fare better, Adhai is still recovering from injuries. If I don’t intend to abandon them, I must protect them.
‘What to do?’
The terrain I’m in isn’t favorable for fighting enemies. Even if I attempt an ambush, it’s pointless unless theye in from the other side.
‘Moreover, going outside is also problematic. The exit is restricted.’
The enemies have set up a defensive formation concentrating firepower around the wrecked manhole. The moment I step out, I’ll be trapped.
‘Even if I attempt to take a different route, I’ll be caught by the bioscanner in the warship.’
…There’s only one way left.
“I might need to take a risk.”
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (Everyone back off)]
?Big baby??
?Hm??
I signaled number 26 and Adhai to retreat before Iy t on the ground, using my head carapace as a shield to minimize the target area.
Submerged in the flowing water of the passage, I concentrated all my senses through the auxiliary systems and waited.
What I was about to attempt, I’ve done a few times in the game. The issue is, even if it’s me, it’s not a 100% foolproof method.
In a game, if I fail and die, I respawn. But this is reality. Even the slightest mistake is unforgivable.
‘Enough of useless thoughts. Let’s focus.’
A knight carrying auncher jumps into the sewage. The ripples they created propagated through the surface and were transmitted to my auxiliary systems. One by one, they entered this area.
The moment they entered, they prepared to attack.
“Launcher ready. Commence protective fire!”
“Charging 10…30%.”
While theuncher user activated it, others fired volters at me.
Purified sma energy poured onto my head carapace. Some parts of the thick carapace fell off upon being hit by sma rounds, and my body was pushed back due to the impact.
‘Pain mitigation activated!’
‘Focus.’
I ntedbat arms into the sewage floor, anchoring myself in ce.
“Charging 60…80%.”
?Wait.?
I sensed number 26’s concern about me enduring the volter shots. I didn’t respond and maintained my focus.
“Charging 90%…”
Just as the energy of the smauncher reached its peak…
The tes on my back moved.
The tes within me connected in two branches, generating ripples extending through the sewer’s passage. The target: the foremost knight. Specifically, not the knight’s body but the armor he was wearing.
The waves controlling advanced devices ovepped with the knight’s reinforced suit. The armor, meant to protect the wearer, broke free from the owner’s control and responded to my will. Although the suit’s mechanisms wereplex and difficult to fully control, I didn’t require intricate movements at this moment.
All I demanded was a simple move: to turn the torso holding the gun backward.
“Huh!”
His body, aiming theuncher at me, swiftly turned backward. Theuncher’s muzzle now pointed towards the knight’srades, not me.
“What?!”
Another knight behind attempted to stop theuncher’s fire directed at hisrade, but my unseen assault wasn’t over yet.
‘The Dreadful Gazer.’
The eye-like patterns on my head carapace emitted a ghastly glow, focusing on the foremost knight.
Momentarily gripped by fear, the knight lowered his reaching hand and, just like the foremost knight, rotated his body. The direction of theuncher he held also shifted backward in sync with the owner’s movement.
Of the five, two knights, holding theunchers, aimed them not at me but in the opposite direction toward theirrades.
“Everyone back…!”
“Charging 100%”
One knight from behind shouted upon witnessing this, but theuncher had alreadypleted charging. Energy capable of toppling even a warship surged from theunchers held by the two knights who betrayed theirrades.
The sma beams fired by the foremost pair were aimed at theunchers held by their fellow knights. The moment the green energy touched the still-chargingunchers, a blinding sh covered my vision.
A massive vibration, unlike anything I’d ever felt before, shook my body. Yet, amidst it, there wasn’t a considerable pain.
My n to cause a chain reaction using the smaunchers the enemies held had seeded. The auxiliary organ informed me that the five knights targeting me no longer existed in this world.
Upon swiftly recovering my vision, I didn’t behold the dark sewers but the panoramic view of the port city. There was no longer anything resembling a sewer passage before me, only a vast area of extensive destruction spreading out like a fan.
[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZ(Now’s the time. Let’s go, everyone.)]
?Yeah!?
?Counterattack!?
I rose above ground with the others. Not many knights were left standing on the copsed concrete ground. A significant number had vanished without a trace due to the sma chain explosion or were buried when the ground copsed.
“This… this is impossible!”
A man among the silver knights, the sole one d in ck armor, shouted in disbelief.
Listening to the voice, it was undeniable that the author was themander.
‘Looks like he is the highest rank here.’
Seeing the man who was uniquely standing out in a ck reinforced suit, one could assume he was an elder of the Eden family.
‘I have to see him.’
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Take care of the others.)]
?I’ll take care of the one who tormented Big Baby!?
?Agreed.?
Leaving the handling of the remaining knights to number 26 and Adhai, I dashed towards the knight in ck armor.
“Protect His Majesty… Gasp!”
One of the knights tried to shout at me but was suddenly choked by something invisible.
From a distance, number 26 extended tentacles, casting ‘restraint’. Above, Adhai soared through the air, shooting purple lightning at the knights.
It was a newly acquired skill she acquired upon transforming into a Green Gagon: the Purple Lightning. Its prating and destructive power was devastating, but its fortey in being an area attack and, most importantly, in causing electrical shock.
As most present were enveloped in alloy from head to toe, the damage could only be significant. Many knights fell victim to Adhai’s purple lightning while those outside the range utilized jetpacks to ascend into the sky.
“I’ll… deal with that monster first… Gasp!”
“Hic… h-help! It’s a monster!”
Knights who attempted to strike Adhai from above began to scream in unison, starting to plummet.
The creepy sensation I felt indicated who was behind this.
Number 26, twisting the knights’ necks with restraints, now had over half a dozen pupils visible on its body, observing the knights.
In this cosmic city devoid of even ake, the terror of the abyss was consuming them.
?Heh! hehe! Die! Die!?
“Get a grip!”
“Aah!”
Amidst the confusion caused by the coordinated attack of number 26 and Adhai, I swiftly approached the ck knight.
“Your Majesty! Requesting support from the gship!”
“We’ll handle it here!”
Two other knights stepped in to protect the ck knight.
‘Get out of the way, you’re interfering.’
Ished out with a tentacle at one and hijacked the other.
“Gah?! What is this?!”
I forcibly moved the arm holding the volter, striking the downedrade’s head with the tentacle. His head, struck by the sma bolt, exploded like an egg in a microwave.
“Dammit!”
I manipted the cursing knight’s body again, directing it to aim at the ck knight.
The knight tried to resist, but couldn’t ovee the power of the reinforced suit. The fingers enclosed in the suit pulled the trigger of the volter as per my will.
The sma bolt fired from the volter struck the ck knight’s back.
“Urgh!”
Perhaps due to his high rank, despite being hit by the volter, his armor wasn’t significantly damaged. However, he copsed from the impact that wasn’t fully absorbed.
I brought him down and grabbed the head of the hijacked knight with mybat arm. Despite his attempts to resist, it was futile. The reinforced suit, always meant to protect its wearer, had be a prison working against him.
“You…Your Majesty, quickly escape… Aargh!”
Using the ghost w, I rummaged through the knight’s helmet, causing his body to tremble. Subsequently, blood trickled through the gaps in the reinforced suit.
As I released my grip, the knight’s lifeless body fell.
“Grr, grrrr!”
The ck knight struggled, unable to fully control his body after the impact from the volter. I approached him.
“Don’t, don’te any closer!”
There was no one here to protect him.
I tore off his helmet. The person inside had dark skin. He looked up at me, fear filling his eyes. As my sharp teeth drew closer, he began to tremble.
“You… are… the…mander..?”
“You can speak?!”
His two pupils widened in shock at my unexpected speech.
He seemed quite taken aback that I, a non-human entity, couldmunicate in hisnguage.
“Hulk mutant… hit… is this kind of tech possible?!”
I’m not such a vile being, but I don’t need to exin that to my enemy.
As I revealed this, he urgently shouted,
“W-Wait! I am Denver Eden! If you spare me…”
Definitely a different reaction due to his high status. There haven’t been many who have tried to negotiate with me.
‘After so many battles, he still doesn’t seem to know much about me.’
After tearing off his pauldron with mybat arm, I sank my sharp teeth into his shoulder.
“Argh!”
The neurotoxin from my bite spread through his veins, entering his bloodstream. At the same time, Denver’s blood flowed into my throat.
“Not… needed…”
“!”
Due to the mimicry effect of my organic systems, a voice almost identical to his flowed out of my mouth, widening his pupils in surprise.
Since he seemed unaware, I think I should enlighten him:
‘An Amorph doesn’t negotiate.’
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[Trantor – Jjescus]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s Disciple]
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