Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

177 – Biochemical Camouflage

 

Despite Soo-jeong taking the risk and allowing Ito Kei to use his specialized suit, the gamble didn’t pay off. Even with the suit’s performance enhanced to detect scent particles within a radius of several kilometers, Kei couldn’t identify the smell emitted by the parasite right in front of him.

In the end, Kei approached the parasite directly, despite Soo-jeong’s objections, and used his ability. He raised his hands in surrender.

“It’s no use. This thing is like a counter to my detection abilities.”

“What do you mean?”

“If it didn’t emit any smell at all, it would be easier to find. But it smells too ordinary. It’s like an octopus camouflaging its color to match its surroundings; this creature seems to have a way to camouflage its scent.”

Before using the suit, Kei had been confident he could distinguish the unique smell of the creature. All the other entities he had encountered had distinct scents not found in Earth’s organisms. However, the slug-like creature on the metal shelf emitted no unique scent particles. It only gave off a faint saliva smell that could have come from the female officer’s mouth.

Kei concluded that it would be difficult to distinguish infected individuals using his ability.

“Even with the specialized suit, it’s hard to differentiate an infected person from a normal one if they’re right in front of me.”

Soo-jeong, seeing Kei’s dejected expression, tried to comfort him.

“It’s okay. You did your best. Leave the rest to me.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“If the parasite is embedded inside the body, there’s not much we can do. But with a sample like this, we can figure something out.”

Soo-jeong then turned off the external speaker on her suit and initiated a one-on-one communication with Myung-jun.

“I’m going to take the parasite to the lab in the subspace. I’ll need additional equipment for a more thorough analysis.”

“How long do you think it will take?”

Myung-jun didn’t ask her if she could do it. He only asked how long it would take. Seeing his absolute trust, Soo-jeong felt a surge of confidence and replied,

“Give me ten hours. I’ll figure something out.”

“Then, in the meantime, I’ll think about how to locate the creature inside her body.”

After finishing their conversation, Soo-jeong took the box containing the frozen parasite and moved to a secluded area. Once she was sure no one was watching, she teleported to Myung-jun’s lab in the subspace.

As soon as she disappeared, Myung-jun called for Seung-ho. As one of the two production-class Awakeners in the Liberal Clan, Seung-ho’s alchemist abilities might hold the key to solving their dilemma.

However, the problem Myung-jun wanted Seung-ho to solve was more challenging than anticipated.

“The biggest issue is that the parasite will become active the moment we attempt to thaw her. If we thaw her without removing the parasite, it will release highly acidic fluids into her body as soon as it realizes its connection to the synapse entity is severed.”

“Then we need to locate the parasite while she’s still frozen.”

“The problem is that with our current technology, it’s impossible to find the parasite hidden inside a frozen body.”

Modern medicine had several non-invasive diagnostic techniques to identify foreign tissues without cutting open the body. However, this newly discovered creature not only camouflaged its scent so perfectly that even Kei couldn’t detect it, but it also had the ability to blend seamlessly with the surrounding tissues, evading scans.

“We can’t rely on luck and start cutting open suspected areas. The body is frozen below minus 120 degrees, so a scalpel wouldn’t even penetrate.”

“Then there’s no way to do it?”

“There is one method I’ve thought of. It’s extremely risky and brutal, so I’ve been reluctant to use it…”

“What is it?”

Myung-jun’s ‘last resort’ was to place her in the medical pod and thaw her without removing the parasite.

No matter how perfectly the parasite was hidden, it would have to reveal itself when it self-destructed and released highly acidic fluids. The problem was that the moment they attempted this method, her body tissues could dissolve at a rate far exceeding the medical pod’s healing capabilities.

When Seung-ho pointed this out, Myung-jun sighed deeply and spoke hesitantly.

“That’s why I need your help, Seung-ho.”

“My help?”

Seeing Seung-ho’s puzzled expression, Myung-jun explained his detailed plan.

First, they would create equipment capable of inserting hundreds of needles connected to tubes into her body, matching the speed at which her body thawed. Then, they would attach this equipment to her body and place her in the medical pod to begin the thawing process. The moment the parasite attempted to self-destruct, they would inject a strong alkaline solution to neutralize the acidic fluid.

After explaining everything, Myung-jun saw Seung-ho looking at him with eyes that seemed to regard him as a madman. Seung-ho, staring at Myung-jun, responded firmly.

“That’s absolutely not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Of course, it’s basic knowledge that acids and bases neutralize each other, something even elementary school students know. But that chemical reaction always involves heat. Even if we manage to inject the exact amount at the precise moment and succeed in neutralizing it, the body tissue around the reaction site would be cooked.”

“Yes, but if we can prevent her from dying in the process, the medical pod can heal even that cooked tissue. The medical pod’s ability is to replicate the genetic information of dead tissue and replace it with living new tissue.”

The medical pod installed in Myung-jun’s subspace since he first unlocked his abilities was, in fact, an overpowered healing device. It could not only mend broken bones and remove blood clots from blood vessels but also remove tumors and restore severed body parts. The only thing it couldn’t do was revive a completely dead corpse.

In reality, the existence of the medical pod was why they could push Icarus trainees to conquer gates beyond their limits.

Even if someone sustained severe injuries during the conquest process, to the point of losing body parts, the medical pod could perfectly regenerate the lost parts, though the recovery period would be longer. Myung-jun trusted the medical pod’s healing capabilities and was willing to take the gamble.

“Of course, this method isn’t without risks. Even though the medical pod can restore dissolved brain tissue, it can’t recover lost memories or cognitive abilities. If the parasite is hiding in her brain, no matter how advanced the medical pod is, it won’t be able to return her to her original state.”

“What if it’s in her heart?”

“Surprisingly, that has a higher chance of recovery. When inside the medical pod, the healing fluid supplies oxygen and nutrients to the entire body. Even if her heart stops, the medical pod can sustain the other tissues until it regenerates a new heart.”

“So, as long as it’s not hiding in her skull, we should be able to manage.”

“That’s my theory. It’s all hypothetical, though.”

“How long will it take to create the equipment?”

“If I use the manufacturing facilities in the subspace, it will take about five hours. In the meantime, Seung-ho, please prepare the alkaline solution to neutralize the acidic fluid using the alchemy setup you’ve prepared.”

“We don’t know the exact concentration of the parasite’s fluid, so it’s hard to make the precise solution.”

“That’s why we need you, Seung-ho. You’re the only one who can adjust the concentration and amount of the solution in real-time as we monitor the thawing process.”

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***

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Returning to the subspace, Myung-jun indeed came back to the Shadow Hawk five hours later with a strange device equipped with hundreds of sharp needles. He then approached Yoon Se-ah, who was lingering around the Shadow Hawk.

“The equipment needed for thawing is ready. Soo-jeong is developing the equipment necessary to distinguish the infected.”

“Is she working inside the Shadow Hawk? Can it accommodate such equipment?”

Since the details about the subspace were kept secret, Myung-jun gave a vague explanation about Soo-jeong.

“It’s more spacious inside than it looks. We’ve minimized the equipment to fit more inside, so there’s quite a lot we can do.”

“That medical pod…”

“It’s also installed inside the Shadow Hawk. Of course, the portable medical pod is incredibly difficult to make, so we only have one.”

This was a lie. While the pod itself was small enough to fit inside the Shadow Hawk, the other equipment connected to it was enormous, almost the size of a small building. Therefore, the medical pods were only installed in locations that could accommodate such scale, like Liberator and Liberty City within the Liberal Clan.

If the Shadow Hawk could accommodate it, it would have been extremely useful, but Soo-jeong had given up on miniaturizing the medical pod due to its insanely complex design. Hence, Myung-jun planned to carry out the thawing process in his subspace, where all the necessary equipment was available, and he could call on Soo-jeong for help if needed.

To keep the subspace information secret, Myung-jun had to lie to Yoon Se-ah.

“We’re about to start the thawing process, but information about the medical pod is classified within the Liberal Clan. So, you must not enter the Shadow Hawk during the operation. I’ll ensure the hatch is closed, so you won’t be able to enter even if you want to.”

“What if something goes wrong during the process?”

“Soo-bin and Kei will be on standby outside, keeping watch. And I will…”

Myung-jun snapped his fingers, summoning dozens of turrets from the ground. The turrets swiveled their barrels, ready to devastate the surroundings. Myung-jun continued,

“I’ll instruct the turrets to automatically fire on anyone within a 500-meter radius who isn’t part of the Liberal Clan. So, pull back your soldiers and ensure no one approaches.”

“What if someone does enter…”

“Even if the President himself tries to enter, they’ll be turned into minced meat. I’ve warned you, so we won’t be responsible for any casualties.”

With a stern warning, Myung-jun turned towards the Shadow Hawk. He delivered a final caution to deter any further thoughts of interference.

“For the record, my turrets can detect and snipe even the highest-level stealth operatives. You can try to breach the perimeter, but don’t blame us for any fatalities.”

With that, Myung-jun walked into the Shadow Hawk’s hangar, where the frozen female officer was stored.

— Today at 11:47 PM

After ensuring the hatch was completely closed, Myung-jun placed his hand on the shoulder of the frozen female officer and spoke.

“Grant guest access. The subject is an external individual currently in contact with my body.”

[Please state the purpose of the visit.]

“Medical pod usage.”

[Access granted. Would you like to warp directly to the medical room with the guest?]

“Yes, proceed.”

In an instant, with a blinding flash of light, Myung-jun and the frozen female officer vanished from the hangar of the Shadow Hawk. This marked the first time an outsider had entered Myung-jun’s subspace.