018

–

"Woo wow wow!"

The soldiers who arrived late were shocked to see the situation room turned into a sea of blood. Soldiers with little combat experience vomited on the spot, and officers were saddened when they saw their superior's body.

"You idiots! "Why are you coming now?"

"I'm sorry!"

Yooseong shouted at them. There was no sign of him hiding in a corner and shaking at all from just a moment ago. For a captain who had the duty to protect his crew, Yoosung seemed quite shameless.

"Get it all sorted out from here right now!"

"…All right."

There was dissatisfaction on the soldiers' faces, but their opponent was their superior and the captain of the ship. The soldiers picked up the bodies lying on the bridge without saying anything.

'How many people are dead?'

Unfortunately, it was attacked when the people needed for the voyage were gathered together. Moreover, among all these people, he only selected and killed the most important people.

'The research team leader, the technology team leader, the cooking team leader, the navigation team leader, the crisis management team leader… they're all dead!'

It was especially painful that the technical team leader and crisis management team leader died.

The technical team leader in charge of ship maintenance and the crisis management team leader in charge of combat.

Both were talented people needed when fighting pirates.

Even if he dies, he won't know. The fact that the monster deliberately eliminated those people first.

'If you meet a pirate in this condition, you will never survive.'

Yooseong was completely ignorant of combat. Although this research vessel was based on a combat battleship, he was not a soldier. He was just a rich man who bought a used ship. The chances that he, an ordinary person, would be able to command brilliantly against pirates who were skilled at fighting were close to zero. In that case, it would have been better to select a new crisis management team leader who would be in charge of commanding the soldiers.

"…Who has the highest rank among the soldiers?"

"That's me. "Captain."

"From now on, you will be the crisis management team leader. "I hope you lead the soldiers and protect the ship."

Although he was an officer who had suddenly been promoted several levels, his expression was not bright. He also knew that the battle with the pirates was not far away.

Still, he couldn't show it since he was the team leader, so he saluted in silence and stepped down.

Although Yoosung appointed a new team leader, this is not a fundamental solution. The monster is wandering around somewhere on the ship, and the pirates are scheduled to encounter it in two days.

I thought about just making a promise and running away, but the navigation team leader who was supposed to calculate the route died. Since Yuseong was the captain, he could set the route himself, but he was not skilled at making detailed adjustments.

And the other person is fully aware of this location. Even if you try to run away, pirates will quickly chase you.

'Should I just throw everything away and run away?'

In fact, Yoo Seong's future is only determined if he escapes on an escape ship. Either become a debtor or be chased by Noble Capital. It wasn't a happy ending either way, but Yoosung thought it would be better to be alive than dead.

As he was escaping reality, he could hear the soldiers' conversation.

"Does this look different from a regular pistol?"

"It looks like a weapon, team leader."

Yoosung's eyes widened when he saw what they were holding.

"Hey there!"

"yes?"

"Bring what you're holding here."

The item the soldiers brought was a plasma pistol. After receiving the pistol from them, Yoosung checked the remaining amount.

'60%. good.'

Since there is more than half of the energy remaining, it should be sufficient for self-defense. There was a slight crack in the barrel of the gun, but Yoosung was not a soldier, so he did not know what that meant.

Yoosung sent the soldiers away and blankly watched the ruined bridge.

The medical team leader came to his side. His hands were covered in blood as he had just collected the body with the soldiers.

"Has anyone survived?"

"Everyone died except the temporary research team leader who was attacked first."

"I beg your pardon? "Isn't Senior Researcher Wei dead?"

"I put him in the recovery room. Luckily, he was immune to the monster's neurotoxin. However, he suffered permanent damage to his sight, smell, and taste organs. Even if he survives, he will have to live with a tube for the rest of his life."

"…."

Contrary to the saying that he was lucky, Wei's condition was so dire that he would have been better off dead. Just hearing those words was terrible, so Yoosung shook his head.

"Medical team leader, is there no way?"

"What do you mean?"

"There are monsters, but we also have pirates left."

"…."

The medical team leader is a person who is skilled at treating others, not a person who kills others. Yoosung also knew that, but he was so frustrated that he just asked.

"…How about surrendering to the Space Dog instead?"

"what? haha. You're also good at joking. Will Megacorp leave us alone?"

Yoosung laughed at the not-so-funny joke, but the medical team leader had a serious expression on his face.

Since the Space Dogs were a pirate group that plundered, there were few forces that liked them. Because they waged war against all kinds of races, the lives of Space Dog members were worse than flies.

As a result, they always lacked highly educated professionals. Professional workers, such as doctors, who are essential for navigation and combat.

And the medical team leader is the best doctor on this ship.

'This guy only wants to live for himself.'

When Space Dog captures a wealthy person, regardless of which cartel, he first removes the scalp. Yoosung, the richest man on the ship, had no desire to be added to the cartel leader's bast mask collection.

"I hope you will stop talking nonsense and comfort your subordinates well. Do you understand?"

"Hmm."

Yoosung glared coldly at the medical team leader who was clearing his throat.

There was fire right away, and no one could be trusted. The soldiers who stayed behind cleaned up the situation room, the officers who were struggling to come up with countermeasures, and the medical team leader whose head was filled with other thoughts. Everyone couldn't believe it.

The only trustworthy person was being carried out on a stretcher as a headless body.

'What should I do next…'

Yoosung sighed and left the situation room.

Everyone was having a hard day, but they didn't know it yet.

Hell has just begun.

–

'Most of the important people were eliminated.'

Even though Yooseong left behind, he is far from being my opponent. When Arnold, who had the greatest brain power, died, the future of the crew was almost decided.

Moreover, the best engineer on board died at my hands. This means that even if there is a problem with the machinery that operates the ship, it has become difficult to fix. Even if AI reports a problem, it will take time to process it.

In the meantime, I have work to do.

'Expansion of the nest.'

The time has come to take control not only of the ventilation passages but also of the main facilities within the ship. When enemies are at a loss, you must first neutralize places with high-level security AI, such as armories or laboratories.

I have no intention of destroying those facilities myself. Instead, they plan to pollute the facility by laying a new nest.

'Because the slime that comes out of the spores is toxic to humans.'

I stroked the cute spore. The spores spewed out a thick liquid as if responding to my affectionate touch.

When the mucus hardens, it becomes difficult to break it with ordinary tools. And if only part of it is destroyed, it regenerates instantly. You can never get rid of it unless you destroy it from the root with a weapon like a flamethrower.

The reason such a useful nest has been kept so far is because there are limitations in making it. In the hatchling state, only one can be provided, and in the fluid state, one to two more locations are added.

In other words, the total number of nests I can currently have is three. There is a nest in the cooling room, so you can choose two new locations.

'Where should I install it?'

First of all, the number one priority is the restaurant. The act of eating is the most important factor in human survival. If you build a nest in a restaurant, you can contaminate the food stored inside and cut off enemy supplies.

The problem is where to build the rest of the nest.

'It's either an armory or a laboratory.'

A plasma launcher is stored in the armory. It's a weapon that can finish me off, so it's right to get rid of it right away. If I were a normal Amorph, I would act like that.

'I'm going to steal the launcher.'

The plasma launcher is extremely heavy, so an ordinary human cannot lift it alone, but I am an Amorph. If you have four strong arms, you can carry more than enough.

Due to its physical structure, it cannot be used as skillfully as a human, but since it knows how to use it, it is not a big problem.

'I originally didn't intend to do that, but…'

Arnold's words were caught.

The one he serves is Sihyeon Eugene.

I don't know what he was doing, but I was certain he had something to do with pirates. Maybe they come here mixed in among the pirates.

There is nothing more scary than an unknown enemy. Here too, you need to collect as many useful cards as possible.

'Let's acquire only the launcher from the armory and set up the nest in the laboratory.'

The reason for targeting the laboratory is simple. Because a large amount of genetic samples are stored there.

Some races, including Megacorps, have technology to purify genes. Since it only collects and extracts extracts from living things, the predation effect is activated even if I eat it.

Looking at it this way, it may seem convenient to only target genetic samples, but this method has a major drawback.

'The probability is very low.'

Compared to the probability of obtaining a characteristic by eating a normal creature, it is less than 10%. The probability of activating the predation effect by eating a corpse is not high, but it becomes even lower, so it can be considered difficult to obtain the trait.

'Even if I eat all the samples in the lab, at most 5?'

Still, you can get the physical enhancement type by securing just two body-related characteristics. The psychic power enhancement type only needs one more characteristic, but it is unlikely to obtain additional characteristics related to psychic power from this ship.

'In addition to the samples, there is also psionium.'

If you have psionium, you can use the abilities of the subadult, so it is necessary when fighting pirates.

'Now that the goal has been decided, let's get moving.'

Now is the time for the crew to eat. Let's install it in the lab first.

I walked straight to the laboratory that way.

The laboratory was much more messy than before. All the soldiers were mobilized to search, so there was no one guarding them. The security level was still strict, but the technical team, like the soldiers, was not relaxed enough to pay attention to it.

I took a seat a short distance away from the laboratory.

｢Hello!｣

'Huh?'

I was about to spit out mucus from my mouth when someone called me. It was bubble amoeba number 26 in the laboratory.

'You look like you're in a good mood?'

Even the wavelengths feel vibrant. I answered him with the psychic organ at the back of my head.

[Zuzu zuzuzu (in a good mood)]

｢Yes! No pain!

'There was no experiment today?'

When I thought about it again, the inside of the ship looked like this, and the possibility of researchers entering or leaving was low. Everyone will probably stop experimenting and hide in their own rooms.

'Then shall we go out a little more boldly?'

I moved up the lab little by little. The AI installed inside detected the vibration and emitted red light. By now, the ship AI would have detected the abnormality and relayed it to the technical and security teams.

｢What are you doing?｣

[Zuzu (waiting)]

｢?｣

I waited for about 30 minutes and didn't see a single person. I checked the surrounding area with auxiliary equipment, but no humans were approaching.

It is certainly.

The ship's security system has not yet been restored. There was no longer any need to hold your breath and move. I broke the vent and stepped onto the floor of the lab.

[Zuzuzuz (It's been a long time)]

｢Yes.｣

It's been a while since I saw No. 26, and he looked healthy. I always saw it in a pure white state, but today the bubble amoeba's characteristic pink color was vivid.

When I see this guy acting cheerfully, I suddenly start to worry.

'Shall I take you?'

Number 26 is the only creature on this ship with which I have formed a friendly relationship. If it had useful genes, it would have been eaten without hesitation, but it is a bubble amoeba. There is no need to kill it unless it is extremely deprived of nutrients and needs to eat anything.

'If I stay here, I'll starve to death.'

We don't know when the researchers will return.

Bubble amoeba, like a space jellyfish, is immune to toxicity, so there is no problem if I keep it in the nest or take it with me. As for food, you can just give it calories or human meat.

[Zuzuzuz (Do you want to go out?)]

"Go out?" Where?｣

[Zuzu zuzuzu (out of the lab)]

｢Yes! "I want to go out."

was the immediate answer. With that, the fate of No. 26 was decided.

I gave him a signal to be careful and broke the test tube. I held the guy with my hand as he almost got swept away along with the liquid inside.

The guy, who had been submerged in drugs for a long time, suddenly felt awkward about being exposed to fresh air. The shrinking guy repeatedly inflated and shrunk until he finally got used to it and returned to its original state.

"thank you! thank you! "Thank you!"

I guess I really liked the taste of freedom. He was happy and clung to my arm. I lightly stroked him with my small arms and placed him on the floor for a moment.

[Zuzuzuzu (wait)]

｢What are you doing?｣

[Zuzuzuzu (I'm going to make a nest)]

With the guy watching me, I sprayed the slime all over the lab.

Number 26 followed me around, as if he was amazed at what I was doing. I swallowed some of the mucus because I was curious about the taste, but I was fine because I was immune to the poison.

Within a few hours, the once spotlessly clean laboratory was transformed into the most contaminated space on the ship. As the translucent mucus hardened, it turned into an ugly black-brown stalk, and spores everywhere poured out a disgusting and unpleasant liquid. The appearance was reminiscent of a cursed and corrupt swamp rather than a laboratory.

'This is the end of the lab.'

Thanks to the fact that no one came, we were able to quickly expand it significantly. As I made the nest much larger than the ventilation shaft, I quickly became hungry. I broke the test tubes and took out the brains and organs inside.

'The taste is not good.'

Compared to people, it didn't taste very good. Rather than enjoying the taste, we should focus on providing nutrition.

As I was biting into my brain, thinking I was eating a bad hamburger, No. 26 landed on my shoulder. I thought he was hungry too, so I gave him a little bit and he happily ate it.

After filling my stomach, I looked into the freezer. Inside, a large amount of genetic samples were stored.

I swept up the samples and put them in my mouth. The security bell on the wall rang like crazy, but I ignored it.

A translucent text box appeared in front of my eyes a few times, but I ignored it and focused on eating. I was halfway through eating when my auxiliary organs alerted me to the approach of a person.

'It's finally coming.'

There were a total of two signs of someone approaching. One of them appears to be a soldier, as his stride is consistent, and the other is a civilian. Probably a researcher.

Even if one squad came, it wouldn't be enough, so two people. I wanted to snort, but unfortunately Eimov has no nose.

I stopped eating and left the freezer.

"omg?!"

"What is this!"

Two people standing at the entrance gape at the sight of the contaminated laboratory. I can't believe I'm stuck in a situation where even if I request support, it's not enough.

The only reward for foolish behavior is death.

I hid myself among the dark brown branches and lunged at the soldier first. He was startled and pointed his laser rifle at me, but I could tell. This is because the auxiliary organ calculated the author's movements and the direction of the gun's muzzle in an instant.

As expected, the laser missed and hit the wrong place. My tail, on the other hand, did not stray. The poisonous needle, which was like a living dagger, shattered his ribs and tore his lungs to shreds.

"Hey!"

The soldier coughed up blood and lowered his head. After killing the soldier instantly, I approached the researcher.

"Hee hee hee! help me!"

His legs became weak and he sat down. Yellow liquid was flowing from the lower abdomen, and a foul odor of ammonia was detected by the auxiliary organs.

I was about to cut off his neck without paying any attention, but I felt No. 26 on my shoulder look excited.

[Zuzu (What's wrong?)]

｢It hurts! It hurts!」

'It hurts? ah.'

I was momentarily confused due to No. 26's limited vocabulary.

This person seemed to be one of the people who participated in the bubble amoeba experiment. He must have been angry because the person who harassed him was right in front of him.

'Even bubble amoeba can kill people.'

The size of the thing is roughly a little bigger than a basketball. In other words, a human head can be melted and eaten.

I nudged the researcher with the tip of my tail. As the neurotoxin spread through his body, he became like an immovable piece of furniture. Number 26 was placed on his head.

"!"

Number 26, who understood what I meant, spread his body wide and covered the researcher's head.

Do you feel sorry for the soldier who died instantly, or do you feel sorry for the researcher who died after suffering his head melting?

You're going to die anyway, so what's so important about the process? While No. 26 was eating, I also ate the soldier's corpse.

There were no new visitors after that. I put No. 26, who had completed my first revenge, on my shoulder and returned to the laboratory nest. The researcher's body, with only his head turned white, was left alone behind us.

After finishing all the errands in the lab, a new translucent text box appeared before my eyes.

｢There is 1 'type' that can be specialized.｣

｢Would you like to unlock the 'Body Enhancement Type'?｣

I smiled as I achieved my goal.