070

Ep. 70

–

Vickers couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes.

Signals that appear one after another on the manager screen.

It was chaos itself.

'What's happening!'

Although it was clearly an abnormal situation, Vickers did not immediately dispatch Team 4.

'…Situational judgment comes first.'

Vickers called the crisis management team leader and human resources management team leader who were also on site.

A sturdy man and a neatly dressed woman entered the camp looking for Vickers.

"Look at this."

"What is this?"

"Hmm…"

They both looked at the controller screen and sighed. They also never expected this situation.

Vickers asked the assistant team leader.

"Could this happen due to a problem such as a transmission error?"

"Radio instability has become a problem throughout the city due to recent EMP measures, but it is not causing problems in this way."

"So these are all defectors?"

"It's unlikely, but maybe…"

The assistant team leader trailed off. Vickers turned his gaze to look at the head of the human resources management team.

The management team leader shook his head as if that could never happen.

"It's impossible. Because they all have obedience devices implanted in their heads. There is no way they don't know that if they leave, they will die."

"Then is it possible to identify those who deserted using the signal from the obedience device right now?"

"Are you saying you want to compare the two signals?"

"exactly."

"Let me check."

The management team leader operated the terminal pad and connected it to the signal manager. Then, after tapping the pad for a while, two types of signals appeared on the screen.

The two types of signals overlapped in location.

"This can't be happening. "I think it's true that they all left."

"Is that possible?"

"well. "This is my first time doing something like this."

The management team leader manipulated the pad a few more times with an expression of disbelief, but the result was the same.

Numerous signals flying around on the screen. Those are all deserters who disobeyed orders.

'It all happened only in Group 3.'

Were there particularly many reactionaries in Group 3?

I looked at the management team leader with such doubts, but she decided that it could never be like that.

"Our TNC Special Trade Center's policy is to always provide only the highest quality products to our customers. "Products that are found to have defects through strict inspection are discarded immediately rather than delivered."

"hmm."

Vickers thought she couldn't be wrong. If this happens frequently, the special trade center will never be able to operate.

"Vice-captain. "Looking at the signal, something is strange."

"You think it's strange?"

"If you look at the stray signals, they are clustered in several places."

"Aren't we moving together as a group?"

"Even if we assume that, we are too attached. "It's like one or two people carrying multiple devices and chips together."

"Unlike the chip, it is impossible for an individual to separate the device. "It is deeply embedded in the brain and cannot be removed without special equipment."

As he listened to the two, a thought passed through Vickers' mind.

'It's a trap.'

The monster they are chasing is a very clever being. I don't know what kind of trick he pulled, but we shouldn't overlook the possibility that this situation was also a trap created by him.

'He has many special abilities. Among them, there may be the ability to control humans.'

Egerton's Order of the Silver Lion has been collecting various genes to be used in the Hulk Mutant.

That means I have experienced several battles with extremely dangerous wild creatures.

On several occasions, Vickers survived battles so fierce that more than half of his comrades died. That's why he never looked down on his enemies.

"Human Resources Management Team Leader."

"yes?"

"I think the enemy has set a trap. So please. "Can you activate the obedience device here?"

"…."

When the obedience device is activated, electromagnetic waves that are extremely harmful to the human body are generated.

The power of electromagnetic waves is so strong that it turns the brain into something like an egg in a microwave.

It goes without saying, but no one survives even if their brain melts.

'If the signal continues to move even after the obedience device is activated, there must be a monster where the signal is.'

Vickers decided that the monster must have a beacon.

Whether it was manipulating the escapees in an unknown way, or whether it was eating the escapees and carrying a signal inside its body, it was clear that among those signals was a monster.

The assistant team leader nodded to Vickers' opinion, but the management team leader did not seem pleased.

She opened her mouth, furrowing her well-groomed eyebrows.

"It's not my place to say anything since it is a resource that has already been promised to be lent, but are you going to waste precious resources?"

"No way. I don't mean to just throw it away. The one we are chasing is a highly intelligent and dangerous creature. "With its intelligence, it would be possible to disrupt signals using deviants."

"Is that true? Deputy team leader?"

"I agree with the vice-captain's opinion. It has already escaped the androids' and police's radar several times in the Port District and Residential District. "If you use bait to reveal his plan, it will be beneficial."

"Once the obedience device is activated, most of the signals running rampant here will stop. "If there is a moving signal among them, that is probably the signal it is sending."

The management team leader gave a rebuttal to the two's words.

"We always maintain the output of the obedience device at maximum in preparation for unexpected situations. "If electromagnetic waves are generated, the beacon will stop working, right?"

"That's no problem. Because it was manufactured for military use, it can withstand strong electromagnetic waves and shocks."

The management team leader sighed briefly in response to the assistant team leader's answer.

"…I hope it's not a waste. "I will activate the obedience device."

She operated the terminal pad. After a while, a message window appeared on the screen asking to activate the obedience device.

When she lightly touched the pad, the various signals on the screen stopped in place, as if time had stopped.

Those who went into the sewers dreaming of freedom.

They died in that filth.

'Where are you? 'Where is it?'

All three held their breath and stared at the screen.

Beep beep

'It's here!'

At that time, a signal started moving on the screen again.

Vickers quickly picked up the communicator.

"That's 1 trillion Vickers! 2 Inform Group 3! The signal that moves from the signal machine is a bastard! "Send the troops on standby and chase him down!"

｢Team 2 Jacob, I will follow your orders.｣

｢Understood.｣

During the communication, Vickers pressed a button on a small mechanical device in his pocket without the team leaders knowing. This would have sent a signal to Yanek, who was waiting on the ground.

'bloke! I will never miss it!'

Demon hunting operation.

Vickers had no doubt that the operation would end successfully.

–

'Human psychology is very strange.'

Once you start doubting, there is no end to it, but on the other hand, if you start believing in something, you can easily let go even if there is a little 'strangeness'.

Like now.

In front of me, a silver helmet hung on a makeshift structure made of bones.

If you ask me where the owner of the helmet is, I can answer that half of it went into my stomach and the other half was broken into small pieces and held in my fighting arm.

'Things are going well.'

The enemies do not yet know what is happening here.

I took a bite of the leg of the knight I was holding.

Like peeling a boiled crab, the sweet flesh and juice flowed out from inside the hard armor.

The good thing about Aimorph is that its teeth are strong enough to chew boiled crabs without tools.

'To be honest, my employer wasn't very good, but I'm glad I did.'

Excluding the person who planted the parasite, they ate about a dozen of the remaining humans, but none of them tasted good.

I don't know if it wasn't for the taste, but the predation effect only activated once.

'Still, I should take comfort in the fact that I gained some good traits.'

The name of the trait I acquired while preying on employees is 'dexterity.'

As the name suggests, it is a characteristic that strengthens the function of the hands to the point where craft activities are possible.

As dexterity was applied, the small arms near my chest became capable of more diverse activities than before.

For example, this bone structure in front of me.

It is the result of collecting the bones and flesh of employees and creating a small arm.

The bone structure, which is fixed on top of a shallow hole in the bottom of the sewer, is durable enough not to collapse unless there is a strong impact from the outside.

Unless I create a large current, it is unlikely that the bone structure will collapse.

Thanks to this, I was able to comfortably place my knight's helmet here and enjoy my meal.

'After all, modified humans taste good.'

Would you say it is the threshold of taste? I used to eat only tasteless food, but then suddenly I eat something delicious, and it feels so good that I can't help but hum.

After eating all the remaining parts of the article, I grabbed the communicator and got up.

'I'm sure they've realized that something happened underground by now, right?'

I first attacked five teams of employees who entered the sewer, leaving only one person from each team, and planted parasites on them.

And I waited until they had completed the designated route.

'After reaching the designated point, we switch routes.'

Once the route is completed, all teams from group 3 gather in one place. Where they first started, i.e. in the same area where I was just a moment ago.

What was waiting for them when they returned was not the driver, but me.

I hunted down all but five people and distributed the chips and devices I obtained from the dead to the five people.

Some of them protested that they couldn't lift it because they were bare-chested, but the solution I came up with was simple.

'You just have to swallow it.'

There is no need to carry the device and chip by hand.

When I growled, all five of them obeyed me obediently.

All but one of those who had the device and chip stored in their bodies were released. Go out of the sewer or whatever you want.

'Escape would be impossible anyway.'

In fact, the future was decided, but they did not give up hope. They left the community believing that they would somehow be able to survive if they got out of here.

'It's almost time, so I should take care of this too.'

I caught a carcass catfish swimming in the water. The carcass catfish started jumping around and resisting me, but when I put some pressure on the hand I was holding, it soon calmed down.

I picked up a live carcass catfish and went to the only employee I wouldn't let go.

At that moment, I saw the back of a person's head struggling to walk through the mud in the distance.

It was Brody, the survivor of Group 15 that I first attacked. Just in case, I ordered him to move along the originally planned route.

As I approached, he trembled and handed me the device and chip.

"If I keep doing this, are you letting me go? Yes?"

It was a question that didn't need to be answered, so I didn't bother to say it.

Those here will die anyway even if the obedience device is not activated. Because I would have been infected with space bacteria from my body.

"Please! Please save me… 100 million?!"

Brody, who had been pleading with me, stopped in that position. Then he grabbed his head with both hands.

"Ahhhh! evil! It hurts so much! Argh!"

Brody started screaming like crazy, as if he had forgotten I was in front of him.

Smoke rose from his ears, and the back of his hands, which were tearing out his hair, turned red.

'It has begun.'

They realized that there was a deserter on the other side and activated the obedience device.

Seeing that even Brody, who moves according to the route, is in pain, it seems like they are planning to kill all the employees in Group 3.

Next, I felt strong waves and heat from the obedience device in my hand.

The electromagnetic waves coming from obedience devices are quite powerful. So, the average person takes a huge amount of damage to their body just by holding it.

'It was made that way in the first place.'

I looked at the obedience device in my hand, emitting deadly electromagnetic waves intently.

There is nothing wrong with my body because I am an Amorph and not an ordinary person.

Even though Aimorph's skin has no special characteristics, it has many good effects such as high fire resistance and radiation immunity. It is possible to survive for a certain period of time even in outer space.

It's just that the light is fading because this is a space survival world where plasma energy, psychic power, and countless transcendental attack weapons are rampant.

In any case, Brody, who does not have a brain as strong as Aimorph's outer shell, was unable to block the electromagnetic waves of the obedience device. His brain was completely cooked and he collapsed.

I threw away the obedience device that had stopped working and fed the signal chip to the carcass catfish. And the carcass catfish's skin was wounded to the point where it bled.

'Originally, I would have used parasites.'

Currently, all 5 parasites I can use are dead.

Since the obedience device was a device that melted the brain, the parasites attached to the brain while manipulating the employee had no way to survive.

Even if all parasites are used up, they will be replenished, but they cannot be used right now.

So, you need to monitor its movements with the blood of the corpse catfish.

'Because it's an inducement.'

After confirming that blood was flowing, I released the corpse catfish. The guy was scared and quickly disappeared into the darkness of the sewer.

I dived in to detect the scent of blood.

The auxiliary organ under the chin easily captured the reverberation of blood flowing in the water.

'They'll think the catfish is the monster they're chasing.'

A signal chip and an obedience device are placed in a person's body, and when the obedience device activates, the person dies.

However, if the signal chip moves, there is only one conclusion that can be drawn from the other side.

I thought that guy was a monster.

'You'll think I'm running around eating people, right?'

Now I'm going to chase the catfish with all my might over there.

Just as the enemies are not gathered in one place and have split the underground exploration team into several parts, it is highly likely that the personnel waiting above ground will do the same.

'Catfish are fast, so they must be rushing as much as possible.'

It is not likely that the team on the ground will gather at some point underground and slowly chase the catfish. If they miss it, they will have to start the exploration operation all over again from the beginning.

You should aim for the moment when they are not yet grouped and are about to chase the catfish.

'Let's break each one down.'

I ate every last bit of Brody's body and then chased after the catfish.

While the enemies split up and pursue the catfish, I will follow them.

When the enemy cheers for reaching the wrong target, that is the moment for me to pounce on them.

Just as the enemy set traps for me, I do the same.

Just as my enemies threw bait to me, I also threw bait.

This sewer will become the tomb of the silver knight of our arrogant enemies.

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