I Became an Evolving Space Monster

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

‘How will the enemy emerge?’

This is not the end. The ones who sent the soldiers, and more soldiers, are still left. So, what should I do?

With six dead, there are a total of 90 soldiers and officers on the other side. It’s highly likely that they will go all out after receiving my warning.

I know that they’re short on reinforced suits, but the real problem is the weapons. If the enemy comes armed with more than laser equipment, say, plasma weapons, my chances of winning become slim.

‘The plasma class is unstoppable.’

With enhanced physical types, I can withstand it only twice at most, and before that, there’s nothing I can do to stop it. One hit would be instant death.

It’s inevitable because plasma weapons are developed for fleet battles. They’re such high-powered weapons that they’re used to destroy warships or tanks, so one shot packs quite a punch.

However, the majority of plasma weapons are so heavy that they can’t be carried alone. There are lightweight versions, but those are prohibitively expensive, as if their prices were through the roof.

‘All I can expect to find here is a plasma launcher.’

The plasma launcher is a heavy weapon supplied by the division in MegaCorp. Honestly, given the dismal supply situation, it doesn’t seem like there would be any plasma launchers either, but you never know.

‘It’ll be difficult to deceive them any further.’

Since a significant portion of the cards I hold has been exposed, I couldn’t deceive the enemy in the same way. I might be able to handle a few of the less experienced ones, but it would be difficult to deceive and surpass the 90-strong force.

‘Arnold won’t stop until he confirms my death.’

Unlike the amateurish aspects displayed by the Captain Samuel, Arnold is a meticulous soldier. Moreover, he’s a soldier who conspires. I don’t know what his plan is, but he will undoubtedly try to kill me before arriving at C-08.

‘In that case, I’ll go for their heads here.’

Now is the time for a speed battle. Let’s tidy up the information about me and strike the headquarters before they organize their front line.

Just then, I ran to the bridge.

On the way, I saw soldiers jumping to the opposite side through a ventilation hole in the floor. Their destination was the agricultural area that A1 had reported.

It seemed like the enemy thought I was preparing a siege, but that was a completely wrong judgment. While the enemy was searching in the wrong place, I was already here, right in front of them.

Beyond the iron grill of the ventilation hole in the wall, I could see a white floor. It was the command center, the cleanest space after the laboratory on the spaceship.

Compared to the marble-like floor, the wall displayed a dark cosmic space. It was showing the external scenery in real-time through cameras attached to the ship’s exterior.

The people in the command center seemed oblivious to the beautiful spectacle of countless stars dancing and were simply making a lot of noise.

“Crisis Management officer! Where did that insane monster come from? No, more importantly, what on earth is its identity?”

You couldn’t see it from here, but you could easily guess that the Samuel was in a state of panic, just by listening to his voice.

Not far from there, Arnold’s voice could be heard.

“…I don’t know. When I checked the list of materials management officers, there was an organism that wasn’t registered in the database. Maybe it’s that thing.”

“Such irresponsible remarks! I lent you a officer’s reinforced suit, and you got nothing in return!”

So, that was a officer’s suit. Reinforced suits are a lifeline in space, so they should’ve spent a bit more.

If there had been a few more intermediate reinforced suits, or even just advanced ones, I wouldn’t have been able to hunt them easily. Trying to save money will cost Samuel his own life.

It seemed that he had similar thoughts to mine, as anger crept into Arnold’s voice.

“If we had slightly better equipment, this disaster wouldn’t have happened, Captain.”

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“What?!”

“And the statement that we got nothing is incorrect. We obtained information that the enemy is a highly intelligent, dangerous organism that can mimic human voices.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“In the battlefield, gathering information is more important than anything else. We’ve obtained the minimum information about the enemy, and we need to act based on that.”

“Ugh.”

There was a hint of irritation, but Arnold’s voice remained steady. Samuel had no words to reply and simply clicked his tongue.

“So, is there a solution?”

“We’ve already sent the soldiers, but there’s something else we need to request.”

“What is it?”

“Please authorize the use of the plasma launcher in the armory.”

“What?!”

I had my doubts, but it seemed they actually had a plasma launcher.

It didn’t seem like it had been supplied to the entire unit judging by the nuance, but still.

The plasma launcher was like a magical wand that could solve most problems, but the officers didn’t seem to approve.

“Are you insane? Weren’t we supposed to use that weapon for fighting pirates?”

“This is a spaceship! Even if it’s been modified into a research vessel, using a plasma launcher on board? If you want to commit suicide, go outside into space by yourself!”

“Enough!”

As the Navigation officer and the Technology officer continued to squabble, Arnold shouted at them. They hesitated for a moment and then confronted Arnold again.

“Are you raising your voice at us?”

“We cannot approve of using a plasma launcher on board!”

Arnold had excelled in everything he had done until now, but this operation had been a huge failure. As a result, his charisma had fallen irrecoverably. It was a reaction befitting a MegaCorp member who always placed results above all else.

‘It’s about time to leave.’

The superiors were in a state of turmoil, and the subordinates were in a quandary about whether to stop them or let them go. This was the perfect moment for the prey to be choked in the enemy’s confusion.

Amorph’s delicate auxiliary organs began their search. The target was any movement within the command center.

The tentacles at the tip of my chin twitched and felt the air. Then, a wave of information, like a swirling galaxy, poured in.

The electromagnetic waves and heat emitted by computers and electronic devices, the faint mechanical noises made as precision components moved every time the ship’s AI operated, human breath, the sound of clothes brushing against each other, the scent of sweat, the tremors of muscles, the beating of hearts, the sound of blood flowing through veins.

It was a world that humans could never perceive. I glimpsed into the dimension of super-sense perception and searched for my target.

Arnold was the top priority target, but he was too far from my location. He had deliberately chosen a distant position because he knew I would be using the ventilation ducts.

‘The one closest to me is…’

The information detected was that of a familiar individual I had seen several times before.

A man with a somewhat timid appearance, with half of his head exposed, named Wei.

He had become the temporary research officer in place of Keisaragi Yujin and still tortured Experiment Subject 26 everyday.

‘I’ll go for him.’

I had always planned to kill him someday. Fortunately, a good opportunity had presented itself, so there was no need to hesitate.

I smashed the iron grille of the ventilation duct with my combat arm. The thin alloy grille shattered into pieces by my reinforced arm, which had become fluid.

The AI would send a warning signal, but humans had to respond. Everything would be over before they saw the AI report.

I gave strength to my legs, enhanced by the ‘Enhanced Reflexes’ trait.

[TL/N: ‘Enhanced Reflexes’ was previously translated as ‘Enhanced Angular Momentum’. Will be using ‘Enhanced Reflexes’ moving forward.]

My body leaped high as if stepping on a spring. While my body remained suspended in the air, Arnold was the first to react to the sound of the broken grille. His gaze turned towards the damaged ventilation duct.

His eyes widened. He had recognized the attack. Soon, he would let out a scream of alarm, but by then, one person would already be dead because I was already above Wei’s head.

It was only after my body covered him that Wei reacted. He struggled as I perched on his shoulders, and I bit into his face.

In an instant, his face was covered in blood due to my razor-sharp teeth. His facial skin tore apart, and his eyes and nose were damaged to the point of dysfunction.

“Kaaah!”

Wei, who had his face ripped apart by my sharp teeth, let out a scream of pain. Seeing his pitiful state, the other officers who had been watching in a daze turned pale.

“Ugh, ugh, it’s a monster!”

Wei, who collapsed to the floor, covered in blood, and I moved to another officer who was nearby.

The vivid MegaCorp uniform was stained with blood and flesh.

“Aaaah!”

“Please, spare me!”

“Com…Communications Officer! Inform the ship!”

I couldn’t leave them like that. I stopped attacking the officer and turned to the Communications Officer.

“Eek?!”

Unlike the soldiers who had entered through the ventilation duct, he seemed to lack much combat experience. Seeing my bloodied appearance, he froze and couldn’t move. I had no intention of showing mercy, so I lunged at him.

“Uuaaaah…argh!”

I used my strength to topple him, and then I finished him off with my tail. Now, my tail, which had grown to the size of a dagger, pierced his eyes and penetrated his brain. As I retrieved my tail, which had created holes in his head, an energy projectile came flying from somewhere and struck my back.

When I turned around, it was Arnold. He held a small laser pistol in his hand.

‘A officer’s pistol, I see.’

I thought he would run away, but it was unexpected. I shook my tail vigorously to flick off the splattered blood. Maybe he was just putting up a facade of trust, but he didn’t back down and fired his pistol again. I lightly twisted my body to avoid it and approached him.

‘He’s not even wearing enhanced armor?’

Like the other officers, his attire was a uniform. Perhaps because he was a soldier, the color was red instead of white, but there was no defensive functionality. In other words, if I swung my arm, his upper and lower body would separate, and he would sprawl on the floor.

“G-gra…”

Having finished off Wei, who was groaning next to him with my tail, I prepared to leap at Arnold. As I prepared to kick off with my legs, the auxiliary organ vibrated heavily.

[My body floated in the air.]

[Arnold fired his pistol belatedly, but all the shots missed.]

[My tail pierced Arnold’s abdomen.]

[He took out a plasma pistol from his holster.]

[I tried to dodge, but my tail was stuck in his body, so I couldn’t avoid it.]

[The plasma round destroyed my head.]

[I died.]

‘This is…’

It was like scenes passing by at an incredible speed, as if I had sped up the video dozens of times. It was an effect of precognition through the predator sense.

‘A plasma pistol!’

Arnold had an unexpected weapon in his possession.

The plasma pistol was one of the few plasma weapons that had successfully been lightweighted. It had excellent killing power and was as lightweight as a handgun, making it an excellent weapon. However, it had one downside.

Its price was astronomically high. One of those pistols cost as much as three of these ships. Unless you had the wealth of a Noble Capital or a Prime Capital, you wouldn’t even dream of owning such equipment.

‘Darn it, it seems like he’s connected to the Yujin family.’

That money-eating glutton, the plasma pistol, could kill me. A shot to the head or chest would result in instant death, and even a graze would be at least a severe injury. So, I had to move cautiously.

As my movements became more cautious, Arnold frowned.

“As expected, you’ve figured it out.”

From his pocket, he pulled out a silver, thin, gun-shaped plasma pistol. Samuel, who had been hiding in the corner, along with the other officers, let out gasps of amazement.

“A plasma pistol?!”

“That expensive weapon!”

Arnold’s tense expression from earlier turned into a relaxed smile, as if the tension had all been an act.

“You, I don’t know your identity, but I have a feeling.”

“Grrr…”

“A monster with various abilities. You resemble my master, Si-hyun Yujin.”

As he spoke, his gun was aimed at me. With my auxiliary organ extremely activated, I had read his body in advance, and I quickly leaped away.

In my previous position, a green energy projectile exploded. The alloy plates, which were tough enough to withstand space debris, were shattered in a single shot.

“I will eliminate variables before my master arrives.”

Dodging his weapon, I took cover behind a computer.

Our location was the bridge. It was an important facility, so he probably couldn’t fire indiscriminately, but I couldn’t be sure how long we could hold out. Time was not on my side. Since everyone on board the ship was my enemy, the longer I delayed, the more disadvantageous it became for me.

‘The situation isn’t good.’

This was the biggest crisis I had faced since my birth in the cargo container. There were various factors threatening my survival, but there had never been a time when death was so close.

No.

To be more precise, it was from the moment I possessed Amorph’s body.

‘I’ve faced greater dangers than this.’

In space survival, I had experienced the worst situations as if they were nothing.

Did I give up? Did I lose?

Not at all. The one who always stood at the end was me, The Amorph.

‘You think you can kill me?’

Arnold was mistaken.

Regardless of whether it was his master or anyone else, the one who would greet them would not be someone like Arnold but rather me.