Chapter 34

The administrative district of T&C Special Trade Center was unlike other areas saturated with artificial light from billboards. It embodied a different image—a life harmonizing with nature. As the slogan for the administrative district suggested, well-maintained trees and shrubs lined both sides of the marble sidewalks.

Small birds chirped and flew among the trees. Beyond the refreshing forest of trees, white rectangular high-rise buildings rose prominently. These were the branch offices of prominent companies or government offices, including those from MegaCorp.

Passing through the beautiful but flat buildings, as one approached the center of the district, a building with a unique and towering design stood out more than any other in the surroundings. Its spiral exterior brought to mind a doughnut, and its upper section appeared as if two hands were spread wide open, embracing the cityscape.

The majestic building was named "Monument". True to the T&C family's emphasis on efficiency, even the symbol of the first space city bore a simple name—Monument.

At the top floor of Monument, Laila Chamberlin, the youngest daughter of Sam Chamberlin and the overall manager of the Special Trade Center, currently resided. At that moment, she was in a meeting with the city's top officials.

Laila and the heads of each district, as well as the team leaders of government offices, were seated around the mahogany table. Among them, only the deputy head of the Human Resources Management team stood nervously.

Laila, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, was reading a report when she spoke up.

"Human Resources Management team."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"The incoming supplies have decreased by 3% this time. Can you determine the cause?"

In response to her question, the deputy head stammered, "Uh, well, it's because… Z-101 Ranch Planet and P-82 Livestock Planet reported reduced production this year…"

"Our Special Trade Center can replace up to 20% of the 'hires' destined for the entertainment district through alternative routes. However, a 3% decrease in the supply is by no means a small figure. We can't be complacent within the allowable range."

"But, you see, it's just that…"

"Everyone knows that 40% of the revenue in the Special Trade Center comes from the entertainment district. If the supply decreases by 3% from the Human Resources Management team, the burden will fall on the entertainment district's side."

Laila spoke calmly, but everyone understood the warning in her words. She was questioning why they hadn't opened new routes to fulfill the allocation quotas.

"Deputy head, or should I say, Mr. Pissaro?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Do you know what's most important for a trader?"

"It might be credits…"

"Of course, credits are important, but the most crucial thing is trust. You can use difficulty in supply as an excuse this time due to certain circumstances. But what if it damages our reputation? These customers who have come here with great difficulty won't return if they're disappointed."

"I-I'll keep that in mind!"

"Under normal circumstances, I might overlook this, but now is a critical time. You all know that the board meeting is approaching soon."

When she mentioned the word 'board meeting', everyone in the room nodded with determined expressions. Anyone working under the T&C family would know. Not to mention how much the T&C family head desires the CEO position at MegaCorp.

"The first phase of the board meeting is scheduled to be held right here in the T&C Special Trade Center. Enormous tourists will be visiting this city. There can't be the slightest margin for error."

"Understood!"

"Contact the planetary authorities and make sure you meet the quota by any means necessary, even if you have to distribute aphrodisiacs across the entire planet. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

"Now, next person. The entertainment district, is it? I'm always looking forward to this. Go ahead."

"Yes."

While the deputy head sat down, wiping cold sweat, the representative from another team began their report.

After three hours, the meeting came to an end. With all the team leaders gone, Laila sat alone in the conference room and let out a sigh.

"Sigh."

There was just one month left until the first board meeting to select the MegaCorp CEO. Although there was still time, she, as the overall manager, felt like she needed ten more bodies.

"But if I can make this deal happen, the successor's position won't be just a dream."

The T&C family had a unique feature that set them apart from other noble capitals. The precise name of T&C was Thomson & Chamberlin. They were called T&C because they took the initials from the surnames, T from Thomson and C from Chamberlin.

As the name implied, within T&C, two families with different surnames coexisted in a single family. The family member who won in competition between the Thomson family and the Chamberlin family became the head of T&C. Currently, the Chamberlin family held the position of the head, but the next generation was uncertain.

"Thomson's side is making moves."

Once one became the head, they could monopolize all the rights of the family and privileges related to T&C within MegaCorp. Since the Chamberlins had held the position of the head for several generations, tensions were rising on the Thomson side. If Thomson were to take the next head position, there would surely be bloodshed.

At that moment, the conference room door opened, and a secretary entered.

"Miss, here's a list of names from the individuals who have applied to visit on the board meeting day as you mentioned."

Laila checked the tablet pad handed to her by the secretary, scrolling through the names one by one. When she reached the last name, she was taken aback.

"…Is this list accurate?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Akira Yujin is attending?"

"Yes. The Yujin family contacted us an hour ago. They said he will only be doing city tours and won't be attending the board meeting."

"Ha."

Laila chuckled at the absurdity of it all. A centuries-old noble casually touring the city. It was an uninteresting joke.

'Akira Yujin, the current MegaCorp CEO, is coming here.'

Laila was well aware of his legacy and notoriety, often referred to as the 'Usurper'.

"Usurper".

Laila casually mentioned Akira Yujin's nickname. 'Usurper' was a term he despised, used by other noble capitals to mock him. As his nickname suggests, Akira Yujin wasn't originally meant to become the head. His name itself indicated that he had no qualifications to inherit the family.

'The Yujin family places great importance on lineage'.

The five major noble capitals each had their own defining factors. The T&C valued competition, the Yujin family placed importance on lineage, the Garimelda family was known for technological advancements in terraforming, and so on. They all had guiding principles that matched their respective fields.

Akira, as befitting a lineage-focused family, became the head due to his bloodline tracing back to the traditional roots of their people.

'In an era of constant terraforming, they still cling to their ethnicity.'

She couldn't understand it, but in any case, Akira's bloodline was distant from the Yujin family's true roots, so he wasn't the official heir.

The reason he became the head was simple. He was the only person in the history of the Yujin family, or any noble capital for that matter, to become the head through a coup d'état.

'Jungwoo Yujin, was it?'

Originally, he was supposed to smoothly run the family, but he was the unfortunate head who was removed by Akira. After his death, all his descendants met a miserable end.

'Moreover, that insane nobleman Akira even turned Jungwoo yujin's daughter into a shadow.'

The reason Akira Yujin earned a reputation for cruelty wasn't solely because he killed people indiscriminately. It was because he didn't spare his fellow nobles, members of the same family. He would kill or torture them without hesitation, which drew criticism.

Laila herself enjoyed hunting humans on the ranch planet every year, but she didn't needlessly harm her family's assets. In that regard, Akira could be considered an aberration among the noble capitals.

The reason this eccentric managed to maintain the position of head of the family, despite not fitting the noble capital image, was his competence.

It was a sad affair for Jungwoo Yujin, but after his death, the Yujin family prospered unusually well. Laila, being in a position of authority, understood that ruling with fear was not easy.

She might not be able to handle the monster who had ruled the Yujin family for nearly a century.

'A formidable opponent.'

As her father struggled against him, it was highly likely that she would be brutally crushed if she attempted to confront Akira directly.

'No, failure is the foundation of growth. Even if I lose to him, I can use it as an experience.'

As an heir of the T&C family, she wasn't afraid of competition and challenges. She believed that, with plenty of time ahead, she could recover from any setback.

But did she truly understand?

The fact that a terrible danger was already taking root in her territory.

***

[ZZZZ (Tasty?)]

｢Yep.｣

Compared to the cyborg's house, the neighboring one had a distinctly lived-in feel. The furniture was tidy, and it seemed like they cleaned regularly as the entire house was spotless. The fridge was stocked with food, including artificial meat sandwiches and dried vegetables.

I looked at Number 26, who was diligently emptying the fridge, with a satisfied expression.

'I'm hungry too'

When I saw the owner of the neighboring house, whose waist had been severed by a tail, I couldn't help but want to tear into that fresh flesh. But there were still things to be done.

I quickly finished the sandwich Number 26 had taken out of the fridge and got up from my seat.

[ZZZ ZZZZZZ ZZZZZ (I'll be going next door for a bit)]

｢Okay. Be careful, Baby.｣

Once I entered the cyborg's house, I looked for his communication device. I turned on the communication device lying next to the bed and entered the password.

'Let's see, office number….'

As I scrolled through the saved contacts, one name caught my eye.

'Crazy Bastard. This must be it.'

Every office worker tends to have a love-hate relationship with their boss. I pressed the name 'Crazy Bastard'.

As soon as the signal went through, the other party picked up.

[You lunatic, Ras! Why aren't you here when you're supposed to be working?]

"I'm off duty."

[What? Are you insane?]

"Have a good day."

[You crazy son of a…!]

Using the mimicry function of the mimicry organ, I ended the call and pressed the disconnect button.

Here, countless extraterrestrial laborers come in every day, every hour. Even if one of them quits for no apparent reason, there are plenty of people to replace them.

While it's possible to develop deep bonds with colleagues at work, it doesn't seem to be the case for the owner of my voice, Ras. His reactions as a team leader and the way he keeps to himself when you look at his contacts and call history suggest he's more of a loner.

'Maybe he'll be forgotten once today is over.'

Just like the harbor worker I devoured before, Ras will likely be forgotten.

'But it's probably best to finish things properly.'

I opened the laptop that was in the living room. If I send a resignation email from his work laptop, it shouldn't cause too much trouble.

'It could be handled over the phone, but just in case.'

Maybe later, when I've devoured more people, I won't have to worry, but for now, I should be cautious.

It's a wealthy space city with a significant presence of androids and a small but well-equipped defense fleet stationed here. Compared to the research ship I was on before, it's much more spacious, offering plenty of hiding places. However, the surveillance network here is incredibly detailed, unlike anything I've seen before.

'I still need to be cautious.'

It's best to avoid getting caught for as long as possible after I've devoured someone. I won't be able to hide it forever, but I should delay it as much as possible until I become strong enough.

'So, let's see who this person is.'

To send an email, I need to know roughly who the person is, so I started examining the files on the laptop one by one.

The owner of the laptop, Ras, doesn't seem to have led a particularly diligent life for a cyborg. Despite being a work laptop, it's filled with non-work-related content.

'Being a workaholic in the space age is very rare.'

I had no interest in the cyborg's sexual preferences, so I deleted the irrelevant files. I continued to open and close files while inspecting them when I noticed a peculiarly titled file.

'Smuggling Animal Surveillance Team Seizure List?'

As I clicked on the file, the monitor filled with dense text. As the name suggests, it contained a list of seizures related to animals smuggled with the aim of trafficking.

'Smuggled animals, huh?'

Even a cursory glance showed that there were many different kinds. Most of them had already been transported to other planets, but there were still a considerable number of creatures left here on the port Earth.

'If I consume these, I could gain a substantial amount of genetic essence.'

While this apartment can be considered a decent hunting ground, it's not as abundant as the smuggled animals at the port Earth. Devouring just half of those creatures would significantly aid my growth.

'But surveillance won't be easy to overcome.'

If the animals I'm managing suddenly disappear, anyone with half a brain would figure it out pretty quickly. If they report it to the police and an investigation starts, it's going to be a big problem. So, there are two options.

'Hiring employees or finding a smuggled animal broker.'

Hiring employees isn't particularly difficult. Since I can mimic Ras with my artificial body, I can just call in another employee. After devouring that employee and forging the transport documents myself, I can probably get away with swiping a few of them easily.

'But if I want to devour more than that, I'll need a broker.'

Looking at the list, there were ambiguously filled sections where the destination of the creatures was left blank. This is probably where the broker intervened.

'It's probably best to either intercept the broker and steal the creatures or devour the broker and mimic their role to seize my prey.'

'I should make good use of Ras's identity.'

He left behind a lot when he died. It's a shame it would have been much more enjoyable if he had tasted better.

After sending the email, I took the laptop and returned to the neighboring apartment.

***

｢Hey, come here quickly, baby.｣

[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (I won't eat that)]

｢You shouldn't be picky about your food.｣

[ZZZ ZZ Z ZZZZZZ ZZZZ (I'm going to eat something else)]

｢Something else?｣

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Yes. You eat it.)]

Number 26 blinked its lights as if it didn't understand my words. I nodded to indicate that I was okay, and it cautiously began devouring the man next door.

As I watched the man's face melting under Number 26's influence, I thought to myself, 'Something even tastier is waiting for me.'

I savored the anticipation of the pleasure of consuming genetic essence.