Chapter 8

chapter 8

the airship’s conference room.

this is where the senior leadership of the ship gathers for meetings when something important comes up.

life inside the ship is usually static. so, when something important happens, it undoubtedly means a serious problem. everyone in this room was aware of that, but no one could have imagined that a nuclear bomb would go off.

“what... should we do?”

the one asking the question was the the chief medical officer responsible for the crew’s health. his gaze was directed toward the empty chair.

in any other seat, perhaps, but that one should never remain empty.

the empty chair belonged to the chief research officer.

“damn it. i don’t know.”

“...”

samuel muttered a curse, but no one in the room pointed it out because they all felt the same way.

samuel splashed his face with cold water.

it was bewildering to think about how to handle this situation. he wanted to take drugs or get beaten to forget everything, but samuel was the captain of this ship. everyone was waiting for him to say something.

“uh, have you identified the cause?”

“when i looked with my naked eye, it seemed the research officer was attacked and killed. it looks like she was slashed with a small saw, but we’ll need a detailed examination to be sure.”

“a detailed examination... does that mean an autopsy?”

in response to samuel’s question, the medical officer nodded.

they both knew that the word “autopsy” had been mentioned, but it was impossible to carry out an autopsy on the noble capital.

regardless of the family, the noble capital did not like anyone touching a corpse. they were people who cherished their own bodies and did treat others’ bodies as playthings.

if even the slightest trace of a scalpel were found on the corpse, the noble capital would not leave the medical officer, who led the autopsy, alone.

“security officer. how far has the suspect search progressed?”

“we’ve checked all the surveillance cameras on board, but there was nothing unusual. the primary suspect, the security guard, is currently being interrogated.”

“do you think he’s the culprit?”

“based on the information we have so far, it’s unlikely.”

“...report as soon as the search results come in.”

the most important person on the ship had died, and the culprit was unknown.

samuel barely suppressed the urge to abandon the ship and run away. he knew what had become of the researcher who didn’t listen to keisaragi’s words.

the researcher had his brain extracted while still alive and became an experimental subject. a promising talent had suddenly become nothing more than a brain floating in a test tube.

the same fate awaited anyone who didn’t listen. it was hard to imagine what punishment those involved in noble capital’s death would receive.

“everyone knows what happened in the lab.”

“...”

“...ugh.”

“if you don’t want to end up with just your brain and subjected to electro-torture, you have to come up with some kind of plan.”

the word “brain” and “electro-torture” made everyone in the room shudder. to avoid the worst possible outcome, they all desperately put their heads together.

“accident during the experiment? what are you talking about?”

“think before you speak, navigation officer. we’re not talking about just one or two researchers here. how do you expect us to handle this?”

“sigh, you talk tough. but we’re still a middle capital, you know?”

“what did you say?”

“then how about this? food poisoning....”

“then we’re screwed upside down! if you want to die, do it alone, tech officer!”

“what did you say? those who can’t do anything besides eating shouldn’t dare speak up! which capital are you from?”

in a state where anxiety filled their minds, the meeting was not going well at all. the conference room quickly turned chaotic.

amidst the shouting and bickering, someone slammed their desk forcefully.

“quiet!”

he was the crisis management officer who commanded the soldiers.

“all this internal squabbling only complicates the situation.”

after calming everyone down in an instant, he paused for a moment and then spoke.

“captain, our current location is near planet c-08.”

“what’s that got to do with anything?”

“c-08 is in the territory of the space dogs.”

samuel raised an eyebrow, trying to understand what the crisis management officer was trying to say.

“are you telling me this because of those pirate bastards?”

“yes. they attacked us, and i couldn’t figure it out sooner because there were no alarms.”

samuel stroked his chin.

the space dogs were marauders who roamed space, looting and pillaging. they were one of megacorp’s enemies.

in battles between fleets, they were always a nuisance, often causing damage even to battleships led by veteran soldiers.

if a battleship could suffer damage, what about a research vessel like this one? it was only natural that significant damage would occur.

in the process, ‘unfortunate accidents’ could easily happen.

“if we report that we were attacked by them, we can probably mitigate the death of the research officer.”

of course, samuel, who was responsible for the crew’s safety, would have a hard time avoiding responsibility, but there was a high chance that it would be settled with fines, considering the danger of the space dogs.

the noble capital would also aim their revenge at the space dogs rather than samuel.

“it’s not a bad idea, but there’s a problem. with our weapons, we can’t really stand up against the space dogs.”

[race: unidentified aggressive space morph

status: metamorph

objective: survive (1st evolution successful)

special traits: predator sense (fusion), wings, chitinous exoskeleton, robust vitality, paralyzing stinger, enhanced exoskeleton, acidic blood.

type: undetermined]

when i displayed the text box, there was new text next to the objective.

‘1st evolution successful must refer to becoming a metamorph, right?’

amorph’s status was divided into six stages, and it underwent five evolutions:-

hatchling, metamorph, pre-saint, quasi-saint, saint, and finally ascendant.

reaching ascendant status is considered as clearing space survival. in other words, it’s equivalent to achieving amorph’s ending.

‘the problem is, reaching the ending is incredibly difficult.’

‘very few players have seen the species ending in space survival. i can check the list of players who have cleared it in the game, and there are only about 20, including me.’

among all the amorphs, i was the only one to achieve the ending, which is ascendant.

‘ascendant...’

in the game, when an amorph ascends, the secrets of their species’ origins are revealed.

where they came from, what their identity is, and other hidden clues are unveiled.

‘it’s likely that reality is similar.’

if i succeed in ascending, i might learn how i became an amorph and why i ended up in the world of space survival.

‘the problem is how to get there.’

i checked the newly added category in the text box, which was ‘type.’

[unlockable ‘types’ do not exist.]

[would you like to view the list of potential specialized ‘types’?]

becoming a metamorph marked a significant turning point for amorphs. it was the moment when they determined their ‘type’. in comparison to other species, you could think of a type as a profession. the difference was that when you obtained a profession, related abilities were unlocked. however, for amorphs, it worked the opposite way. if you met the conditions, your type would be unlocked, and it would synergize with related abilities.

for example, if you had many physical enhancement attributes, you might unlock the physical enhancement type. in that case, your existing physical combat-related attributes would become much stronger.

‘considering my attributes, i might become the physical enhancement type.’

i personally liked that type. especially if the chitinous exoskeleton was enhanced by the type, it would practically turn me into a living tank. just charging at the enemy could turn them into minced meat.

‘but let’s see what’s available. view the list.’

[currently, there are two potential specialized types.]

[physical enhancement type (6/10), psychic enhancement type (1.5/3)]

as i expected, the physical enhancement type had almost fulfilled the conditions. thanks to the enhanced exoskeleton and acidic blood traits that resulted from becoming a metamorph, i could secure a total of six attributes related to physical abilities.

‘but what’s this?’

the number next to the psychic enhancement type was unusual.

‘one has to be the predator senses, but what’s the 0.5 for? none of the attributes i have can explain that.’

to obtain genetic essence, you had to consume almost the entire corpse. judging by the 0.5 designation, it was probably due to leftovers or failed acquisitions for some reason.

i recalled the things i had eaten so far.

spiders, cockroaches, cat. among them, there was no creature capable of having psychic abilities.

‘i never left any leftovers before... oh.’ i remembered.

keisaragi yujin.

she was the only one i left behind.

‘i noticed she had a strong sixth sense... could it be because of psychic powers?’

in the game, while individuals with psychic powers were rare among humans in megacorp, they were not non-existent. perhaps she had latent abilities she herself was unaware of.

‘i definitely have to consume psychic powers.’

the physical enhancement type was a matter of personal preference, but psychic powers were a different story. having them or not made an enormous difference.

‘let’s find the corpse.’

i used my jaw’s auxiliary system to check the airflow. considering the temperature, humidity, and the condition of the dried-up nest, i estimated that i had been in the repair state for about a day. by now, post-mortem rigidity should be in progress, and i needed to consume the body quickly before it began to decay. the more damage to the corpse, the harder it would be for me to acquire the genetic essence intact.

‘let’s start with the corpse.’

i decided to leave the nest recovery for later and prioritize obtaining the traits. i exited the refrigeration room.

‘the first place to go is the bathroom.’

there should be traces of where keisaragi went in that direction. i followed those.

as i headed toward the bathroom, i found myself detouring into the hallway. there were areas where i couldn’t navigate with my enlarged body.

‘maybe it’s because it’s nighttime, but there’s no one around.’

the auxiliary systems that had grown to tentacle-like proportions were not just longer but had also become more intricate. although the range hadn’t expanded, they had become more detailed. no human presence was detected within a 50-meter radius. the only movement was the mumbling of people sleeping soundly in their beds in the bedrooms.

beyond a fork in the hallway, my auxiliary systems alerted me that guards were stationed in front of the bathroom. i could sense the vibrations in the air they created with their yawning. the guards who had been on duty all night showed signs of fatigue.

‘not the right time now.’

the fact that the enemy’s condition wasn’t normal was an advantage for me, but their numbers were too many. besides, i had already traced the traces of the corpse. i decided to save dinner for later and moved in a different direction.

i continued down the corridor, following the traces. except for the hallway in front of key facilities, there were no surveillance cameras, so i could proceed without being monitored.

as i walked, i entered an area where the ventilation duct expanded. i crawled up toward the ceiling.

even as the location changed, my senses didn’t miss the scent of the body. while i was crawling, the smell of meat wafted up from below.

the mortuary.

the place where the deceased were laid to rest. the space where the dead found their final peace was right below me.

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