Chapter 301:

After MPS-05 activated, we encountered an unexpected challenge.

For it to safely attempt hacking, it needed a high-authority computer to establish a physical connection. If this were its original form, hacking could have been done from any terminal, regardless of location. However, as a downgraded mini-screamer, this capability was out of reach.

The real issue, however, lay elsewhere.

The corridors of this warship were saturated with surveillance cameras. While it's normal for warships to have heightened security, this was the first time I'd seen cameras placed every few meters.

Because of this, the plan had to be adjusted slightly.

The Mother of the Sky waited in the gunroom where the fifteenth gunner was stationed, while I moved together with MPS-05.

Regardless of species, the computer with the highest authority on a ship is typically located in the situation room. This warship was no exception, but reaching it without detection was impossible.

The 'Coat of the Unknown Organism’, a perk of the Clever Weakling trait, could bypass general detection devices, traits, and technologies. But it wouldn’t work when coming face-to-face with a Cult member.

Thanks to the Mimicry Organ, others saw me as the fifteenth gunner. While this helped avoid outright confrontation, it didn’t eliminate suspicion. A mere gunner wandering into the situation room would naturally raise alarms.

Given how difficult it was to target the situation room, the next best option was the Shield Management Station, responsible for the ship's outer walls and shields. To erase records of shield damage from our infiltration and the protective barrier's damage for Gun No. 15, we needed to visit this station at least once.

After waiting for the crew to fall asleep, MPS-05 and I began our operation. Avoiding the patrols of warrior squad members took more time than anticipated, but we reached our destination safely.

While MPS-05 was busy working in the empty Shield Management Station, an unexpected visitor arrived.

One of the two targets we sought on this ship: the Knowledge Keeper.

“Ke-Keek... Sp-spare me....”

The female Cult member, caught in my combat limb, flailed desperately. The commanding air she had when she mistook me for Gunner No. 15 was nowhere to be found.

‘Didn’t expect her to walk right into my grasp.’

I had assumed capturing the Knowledge Keeper would take several more days, but once again, my expectations were overturned.

The Knowledge Keeper also served as the ship’s chief engineer. Inspecting errors in the ship's defense system was one of her duties. She had come to check on the protective barrier error caused by my infiltration.

“Ship. Re-record. Copy.”

“Be careful not to get caught.”

“Worry. Unnecessary.”

Emerging from its hiding spot in the tool room, MPS-05 resumed its work.

‘Time to handle my task.’

I gazed down at the trembling Knowledge Keeper.

Currently, my parasite benefited from two enhancements: the unique trait ‘Great Infector’ and the apex mark ‘Shaper of Forms’. Its size had grown significantly compared to the game version, and its abilities had improved dramatically.

Previously, it could only attach itself to the brains of infected hosts to control them. Now, it had another option: consume the brain and replace its functions entirely. Or...

‘You know what to do.’

I directed a firm will at the parasite crawling from the inside of my hand. Resembling an eel, the parasite twitched its indistinct head or body in acknowledgment, slithering toward my opposite hand.

“?!”

Seeing the parasite approach via my arm, the Knowledge Keeper paled. Her previously beautiful Cult face twisted grotesquely in terror.

Though she clamped her mouth shut and struggled to evade the advancing black eel, it was futile. Tendrils resembling silkworms shot out from the parasite's enhanced body, prying her mouth open by force.

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

In an instant, the parasite forced its way into the Cult woman's mouth.

Once inside, it began its operation. It swiftly devoured portions of her brain and infiltrated her spinal cord. Her body convulsed violently before collapsing limply, as if lifeless.

“Rise.”

At the sound of my voice, the unmoving woman stirred. As I relaxed my grip, she stood on her own, now completely under my control.

"Speak."

"W-what is this...?"

"I hear several gunners have also applied for leave."

"Really? Maybe I should check out Berzan-02 myself."

As the crew exchanged idle chatter, a small personal spacecraft approached their ship. The triangular craft pulled close to the side of the battleship, staying for only about a minute before departing.

Few noticed this unusual proximity. Even fewer saw the shadowy figure that clung to the personal ship as it took off.

The spacecraft joined the flow of hundreds of other vessels flying through the massive architectural construct of the Oversight Bureau. Among the many ships crisscrossing the internal pathways, the triangular ship eventually broke away from the main formation.

Other ships also left the procession, but most aimed for other sectors, not the exterior.

At a large gate located on one side of the outer wall, personal vessels queued for inspection before being allowed to exit. One by one, the inspections were completed, until it was the triangular craft's turn.

「Knowledge Keeper Charas?」

"That’s correct."

「Your stated destination is Berzan-02. What is the purpose of your visit?」

"Vacation."

「Do you have any companions?」

"I am traveling alone."

「For visits to Berzan-02, internal inspection protocols are required. Please cooperate.」

"Hold on. My ship and my destination were reported to the Oversight Bureau earlier this morning, and I was granted clearance. Please verify."

The voice on the other end of the comm fell silent. A few moments later, it returned.

「Verified. Thank you for your cooperation.」

"I appreciate your understanding."

Charas passed through the gate and exited the Oversight Bureau. In the distance, a faintly reddish planet appeared before her eyes—her destination, Berzan-02.

The ship accelerated steadily toward the planet. Though she couldn’t see them, countless turrets on the planet’s surface tracked her vessel.

But with official clearance from the Bureau, no harm would come to her.

As her ship pierced the atmosphere, the view beyond the reinforced glass canopy transformed. A crimson expanse of land stretched out, broken only by an endless forest of towering buildings.

It was a breathtaking sight, yet her expression remained unchanged. From the moment she left the Bureau, her face had been devoid of emotion—a blank stare betraying no feelings.

Her hands, however, moved deftly, preparing for landing. The ship touched down at a small airfield far from the city’s dense cluster of skyscrapers.

"We’ve arrived," she announced.

She was the only Cult member aboard this ship—excluding a certain 'non-Cult entity.'

Behind her, a grotesque maw loomed into view. It belonged to "it."

"So this is Berzan-02," it said in a disturbingly ordinary human voice.

Charas knew what “it,” the 'Three-Headed Demon' she had brought along, would bring to Berzan-02.

It was ruin. Just as it had been in the sanctuaries of the past.

「Been a while since I’ve been here,」 it said.

"High temperatures detected," another voice remarked from the back of the ship.

Entities brought along by the demon approached the cockpit where Charas sat, their presence unmistakably alien and foreboding.

A female wolf with the head of a bird of prey, and a horrific monster with a human head adorned with metal components and dangling legs.

Despite her concerns, the three-headed demon and its minions managed to land on Berzan 02.

「Now, all we need are the little ones.」

The demon grinned, flicking its elongated tongue.