Chapter 29: 029
A lilac flower blooms on black drawing paper.
Sihyeon Eugene, who has a hole in his head, is trying to fly into outer space, spattering blood.
'You can't miss it.'
It would be really sad to say that there was no reward for defeating a powerful enemy.
I extended my upper arm towards her. The serrated tentacles stretched out like arrows that had left the field and wrapped around her waist.
There was a sound of bones breaking and her waist was half folded, but she was dead anyway. I didn't care and retrieved her body.
"baby! Help me!」
'Oops.'
No. 26 seems to have been unable to hold on and is about to fly away. I quickly grabbed him with my other arm before he wandered forever in the black abyss.
A thin tentacle that I had never seen before rose from its body.
I know what those tentacles are. And what the 'real' race of No. 26 is.
'We'll think about that later.'
I have to get out of this place first.
[Zuzuzu zu (don't let go)]
「Yes.」
There are shielding doors in each area of the research vessel. The place I am now is the nest, the power area where the ship's nuclear reactor and related facilities are concentrated. There is a shielded door sealing off this area not far away.
I held the corpse in one arm and No. 26 in the other and walked to the shield door.
When I operated the terminal next to the door with my small arm, I heard the sound of air escaping and the shield door closed. A low alarm sound from the environmental maintenance device was heard from the other side of the door.
'This ship is finished now.'
A human-sized hole appeared in my stomach. There are also limits to the ability of environmental maintenance devices to maintain a stable environment within a ship.
If there were people, they would shield and stabilize the area with the hole, but there are very few crew members left on the ship, except for the pirates. Moreover, since they are hiding from me and not coming out, they must have no idea what is going on.
"baby? What's wrong with your arm?
'Huh?'
After listening to No. 26's words, I looked at the lower arm and saw that the spine firing organ was changing. Four fingers protruded from the muzzle, and their length shrank to the same size as the other arms. Additionally, I felt like the weight that was pressing on my entire body was gradually becoming lighter.
The psionium effect has ended.
'It's a shame.'
Still, I'm glad it wasn't painful when it came off. If you get quite a few injuries from fighting Si-hyeon and the pain from Jin-hwa adds up, wouldn't you faint right away?
'But I got a more important reward than that.'
The result of high risk, high return is in front of me.
On average, Megacorp rankers in the game have more than 100 genes. It may not seem like a lot, but these genes are all from rare organisms that are difficult to find using general methods. Even if the number is small, the value is never small.
Of course, Sihyeon Eugene is a high-level player who is not ranked, but she still probably has quite a few genes in her body.
'It's no different from sample intake, so this time there will be at most three.'
The difference is that no matter which one you choose, there will be no failure. Honestly, I wish I could pull out Gallagon's claws because I can only pull out one.
'Then I will eat well.'
I need to eat it quickly and then go clean up the cyborgs in the situation room.
The moment I thought that and was about to speak.
"I was eating a corpse."
"When only the lower half of my body was left, a huge energy explosion swept me away."
"I was dead."
'Ah! bomb!'
Seeing my predator senses suddenly activated, I remembered something I had forgotten. Although I was distracted by fighting a powerful enemy, the timer on the bomb that the boss had installed in the reactor was still running.
'How much is left?'
In the future shown by the predator sense, a bomb exploded with only the lower body of Sihyeon left behind. It takes me between 10 and 15 minutes to eat every last part of an adult male corpse. Since Sihyeon is a woman and has a smaller body than a man, she probably eats faster.
Then, the remaining time is roughly 5 minutes.
Should we rush to the reactor now and disarm the bomb, or should we leave this ship in a hurry?
I agonized over two options.
'There's not enough time to defuse the bomb.'
I've defused bombs several times while playing Aimorph, but if it's a type of bomb I don't know, it takes time to defuse it. I managed to catch a vision at best, but I have no intention of risking my life again.
There is no time to think more. Even now, the clock inside the bomb continues to tick, rushing toward destruction.
I made a decision.
'Let's abandon ship.'
It's unfortunate that the genes of the cyborgs in the situation room and the bosses I couldn't eat are not enough to risk my life. Anyway, Sihyeon and Eugene here have overwhelmingly better genes and there is always a chance to eat the cyborg.
The escape ship is anchored on the runway. The runway is located directly opposite the nuclear reactor, so it takes 5 minutes to get to the runway through the corridor. This is because the hallways are complicated and twisted.
It's already too late to activate the escape craft on the runway, but I know how to get there quickly.
'I guess I should use that.'
I held No. 26 in my arms and ran to the nest in the cooling room.
I quickly arrived at the cooling room and picked up the plasma launcher standing in the corner.
「Flashing!」
[Zuzuzuzuzu(Yes, it's flashy)]
No. 26 changed the color of his body to green to match the color of the plasma launcher's energy bullet. He didn't understand the concept of a plasma launcher, but he didn't seem to forget that people exploded every time the green light flashed.
Plasma launcher.
It looks similar to the final weapon gun that appears in classic FPS games, but is over 1m long and weighs over 50kg. Of course, it is impossible for an ordinary person to shoot with bare hands, so it has a holder, but since I don't need that, I am using it without the holder.
'Of course, I have no intention of shooting at people right now.'
I grabbed the launcher and went out into the hallway. And I aimed at the part closest to the outer wall.
「Charging 10…20…50…80…100%」
When I operated the terminal on the launcher, the launcher started charging energy. Number 26, who was watching from the side, climbed onto my shoulder.
Launcher charges in seconds. I pulled the trigger.
A huge amount of recoil hit my arm, and a green beam shot out from the launcher's muzzle. The energy beam that destroyed everything passed through not only the walls of the hallway but also the outer walls.
A huge hole in the ship sucked us in, like a vacuum cleaner sucking in air. I surrendered myself to the flow and escaped out of the spaceship with the air.
Before I could get too far away, I shot out my tentacles and grabbed hold of the outer wall of the ship.
Although it is outside the ship, I know well where the hangar is located.
I pulled the tentacle, landed on the ship, and ran toward my goal.
"and! "It's fun!"
No. 26 exclaims after witnessing the endless night. We are on a white paper-like ship floating in a black sea where neither oxygen nor gravity exist.
A six-legged beast runs on a ship with a woman's corpse on its belt, a plasma launcher on its belt, and a pink balloon on its shoulder.
The surreal journey you might imagine after taking drugs was not long.
Less than two minutes later, I arrived at the hangar and activated the plasma launcher. The green beam easily melted the thick exterior wall like melting ice with a torch.
Before I could bounce back due to the semi-elastic force, I shot out tentacles with both hands and pinned them to the outer wall. Meanwhile, the plasma launcher, which had completed its mission, flew beyond outer space.
'great job.'
It was a powerful weapon, but it wasn't a waste of money. There are plenty of opportunities to get it in the future. I crawled into the hole made by the launcher.
You can see the aircraft and escape ship maintained in the hangar.
"It's fun."
We approached the escape ship with No. 26, who liked the idea of jumping in space. The escape ship's door was open to see who was trying to board it.
'Well, it's good that it saved me some trouble.'
[Zuzuzu zuzuzu (Hold on to something)]
"Yes, yes." Perhaps
it was an escape ship for high-ranking officers or leaders, but the facilities inside were luxurious. I sat in the cockpit, leaving No. 26 looking at the gorgeous decorations.
'Let me see.'
I've flown the Megacorp small spaceship a few times. Fortunately, the escape ship's steering method was satisfactory.
'Except for the tail making it difficult to sit.'
I broke down the uncomfortable chair and pressed the switches on the dashboard to adjust the car for driving. Then the containment door opened and the runway lights came on.
'Then let's go.'
When I pulled the control stick, the escape ship rushed forward. The scene that appeared to be tempered glass was replaced by a cold metal wall, replaced by a plain paper studded with colorful rainbow stars.
Where I first set foot in this world.
It is goodbye to the research vessel that was the foundation for growth and evolution.
–
"I thought you were fucking searching."
Elchen shuddered as he recalled what happened at the reactor a while ago.
When he finally arrived at the reactor with his slightly paralyzed body, the timer had exactly two minutes left. I was barely able to dismantle it with 5 seconds left until the explosion. If it had been even a little bit later, he would have been blown up by the bomb he had planted.
'Those damn monsters…'
On the way here, Elchen thought that the ship was screaming for the first time in his life. A steel ship over 200 meters in diameter was being harpooned by two small beings less than 1/100 the size.
Elchen had never thought of herself as weak in her entire life, but those two were an exception.
So Elchen gave up on killing the two himself. Of course, he had no intention of leaving the two alone, as he was reputed to be particularly vicious among the vicious Space Dogs.
"Fuck, you bastards, lie down together."
He set the bomb to auto-detonation mode and set the timer again for 10 minutes. When he escapes in the escape ship, those monsters will become ghosts of space along with the ship.
I thought that way already 5 minutes ago.
He had almost reached the hangar.
'Damn it. Feeling returned to my legs, but my eyes…'
Since he was an improved Hulk mutant, all the poison had already been detoxified, but the problem was his destroyed heart. This was because the destruction of the auxiliary heart affected the brain, causing significant damage to the five senses, including sight and hearing.
In particular, his vision was strangely damaged, and he was now in a state of extreme farsightedness. All you had to do was press a few designated buttons, but since you couldn't see, you almost set off a bomb.
Anyway, since there was not much time left, he walked diligently. The guys who were fighting noisily just now were quiet now. It was clear that one of the two had lost.
'The remaining cubs that were left behind will not be safe.'
Perhaps because of his mood, he heard the sound of wind in space, but he dismissed it as something he heard wrong. As he continued walking, the sound of footsteps reached his ears.
'huh?'
He thought it was a subordinate, but the person who appeared at the end of the hallway was someone he didn't expect at all.
"Hi! A pirate?!"
"what? "You're the captain, right?"
Surprisingly, the opponent was the ship's captain, Samuel Yoo.
I thought he had run away a long time ago, but Elchen was taken aback when the captain suddenly jumped out.
The appearance of the meteor was very different from what Elchen had heard from Garlic. His hair was a mess, and he had dark circles under his eyes. Moreover, there was an alcohol smell coming from his body, as if he had been drinking.
Elchen, seeing his pitiful appearance and roughly understanding what had happened, narrowed his eyes.
'Originally, I was going to escape on an escape ship, but I felt like it would be a waste to abandon the ship, so I hid.'
Among the high-ranking members of Megacorp, there is no one who is not greedy. The closer you get to Noble Capital, the more severe that tendency becomes. The Samuel family is Third Capital, the third highest tier in Megacorp. It was worth prioritizing money over life.
'I guess they came out to check because the ship was quiet.'
Yoosung had no idea that Elchen was reading his thoughts one by one. In front of the intimidating Elchen, he trembled and took out a small object from his arms.
Elchen snorted when he realized it was a pistol.
"under. Are you going to shoot me with that?"
"Don't come any closer! "This is a plasma pistol!"
"hey. "Why don't you tell me about the plasma and the safety device?"
"Huh? Oh, a safety device?"
When Yoosung, embarrassed, turned his gun to check, Elchen rushed at him. Yooseong, who hit his large body, lost sight of the pistol.
"Hah's chewy is making people scared. "There's no safety device on that fucking plasma pistol."
Yoosung's face was filled with despair as he realized that it was a pirate's bluff.
Elchen laughed at him and picked up the pistol. As it fell to the floor, the original crack became more visible, but he did not notice it because of his hyperopia.
"If I had more time, I would skin it, but I don't have time right now."
"Hee hee! Save me! "If you ask me to be your subordinate, I will be your subordinate!"
"There is no need. "Goodbye then."
When he pulled the trigger, the pistol emitted a green light.
If Elchen hadn't had his heart destroyed, he would have realized there was a problem with the pistol. At least, if he had just gone to the hangar instead of trying to kill Yoosung, he would have been safe.
Arrogance and cruelty.
Because of his shortcomings, he made the wrong choice twice in a row.
Since the plasma pistol was an extremely lightweight version of the powerful plasma weapon, its durability was not very good. It had already cracked after being hit on the floor once by a monster, but since it received an additional shock, the pistol had long since exceeded its limit.
As a result, the barrel broke before the plasma energy charged in the pistol could pass through the muzzle. The energy that has nowhere to go explodes right on the spot.
The remains of Elchen, whose entire upper body had been blown away, fell to the ground.
–
Yooseong looked down blankly at the corpse of the pirate. His face distorted slightly. Then he laughed like a crazy person.
"uh? hahahahahahahaha!"
he thought. As expected, his judgment was right.
Yoosung never abandoned ship. He tried to escape on an escape ship while the soldiers were buying time. But when he actually got on the escape ship, regret took over him.
These research vessels are not cheap. Even though it was cheaper than the price of my life, I thought it would be okay if I waited a little longer.
'The soldiers might succeed in killing the monster. Or another passing ship may come to help.'
In fact, Yoosung was out of his mind because of fear, but by nature, a crazy person thinks he is sane. He thought it was an extremely rational decision.
Anyway, after driving the soldiers to their deaths, he waited while squandering the alcohol provided in the escape ship. They have a vain belief that someone will save them.
But a miracle happened. The screaming and vibrations inside the ship stopped.
He debated whether to go out or not, but finally made up his mind and went out.
And finally, Yoo Seong Samuel survived.
He survived until the end despite both monster attacks and pirate attacks.
Yoosung, the eldest son of the Samuel family, the great descendant of the Titans, felt his heart pounding and spread his arms wide.
"I am invincible!"
With those words, white light originating from the nuclear reactor enveloped his body.
–
'Oh my.'
"crying! Baby!」
[Zuzuzu (Calm down)]
The reactor finally exploded, and an enormous shock wave shook the escape ship. I adjusted the controls according to the warning sound of the escape ship.
As if my work had paid off, the warning sound quieted down and the escape ship became stable.
[Zuzuzu (Are you okay?)]
When I turned around, I saw that No. 26 had fainted after hitting the wall. Since there was no real danger to his life, I placed him on the bed inside the escape ship.
'what. Has anyone had a drink?'
I kicked away the alcohol bottles rolling around on the floor and cleaned up the inside of the escape ship.
In order to eat the meal I've been putting off, I need to keep my surroundings clean.
The body of Sihyeon Eugene was buried in a corner. Finally it was time to eat that.
I put the escape ship back on autopilot and pulled out her body.
Then he ripped off her lovely leg and took a big bite.
'….'
There are more than hundreds of creatures that I have eaten so far. So I roughly know which creatures make me feel delicious.
The most delicious creature I have ever eaten is Kisaragi Yujin. She tasted neat and well-calculated, like a high-end Korean meal.
It's probably because of genetic modification. In that case, I thought the vision of Eugene here would be similar.
But it was my mistake.
I can say without a doubt that Sihyeon Eugene's taste was so good that it would not miss the top spot among all the creatures I have eaten and will eat in the future.
'…Maybe I should go to Earth later.'
Originally, I was planning to go to the Megacorp capital a long time later, but after eating Sihyeon Eugene's meat, my decision wavers.
I shook my head and took another bite.
It was amazing. Usually, you would feel that the first time you eat something is the most delicious, but she was the opposite. The more I ate it, the more I chewed it, the more delicious it became.
It's just me and No. 26, who fainted here. No one can interrupt my meal. I tasted her meat leisurely, as if I was enjoying a high-class French meal.
At the end of what seemed like eternal happiness, a translucent text window announced the end of the banquet.
"Predation effect activated! Successfully acquired the 'Gallagon's Claw' gene essence.」
「Taken away 'Gallagon's Claw' among the creature characteristics of 'Sihyeon Eugene'.」
「Do you want to apply 'Gallagon's Claw'?」
「Predation effect activated! Successfully acquired the 'Camouflage Skin' gene essence.」
「Stolen 'Camouflage Skin' from the biological characteristics of 'Sihyeon Eugene'.」 「
Do you want to apply 'Camouflage Skin'?」
「Predation effect activated! Successfully acquired the 'Clear-eye' gene essence. 」
「Take over 'clairvoyance' among the creature characteristics of 'Visionary Eugene'.」
「Do you want to apply 'clairvoyance'?」