Chapter 90

Chapter 90 Chapter 90 The scout ships pursuing Adhai amount to a total of three. Among them, the compact scout ship model, Aegis, resembling a 40-meter long rectangular box, is utilized in MegaCorp. Even though it’s considered small, it’s equipped with a staggering four plasma cannons, making any reckless moves unwise. ‘What should I do?’ The surroundings offer nothing but ruins destroyed by Black’s psychic breath and heat rays, rendering hiding impractical. ‘If we’re going to flee, the kids might need to use the underground passage to get here.’ However, escaping underground in this situation isn’t necessarily a good choice. Adhai is currently in pursuit. Getting hit by a plasma bullet due to hastily hiding would be disastrous. ‘Moreover, Adhai is injured.’ There’s a scent mingled with human blood on the kid’s body. If not planning to abandon the kids here, I can’t afford more burden than this. ‘To buy some time, is there any means... ah.’ Come to think of it, when I lost consciousness, Number 26 tossed Black and Cult corpses to feed me. ‘After consuming Code Black, a text box definitely appeared.’ Being out of my senses, I knew something flickered in front of my eyes but didn’t specifically examined it. I hurriedly checked the text box. [Predation effect activated! Successfully obtained ‘Majesty of the Dragon’ genetic essence.] [Extracted ‘Majesty of the Dragon’ from biological characteristics of ‘Code Black’.] [Would you like to apply ‘Majesty of the Dragon’?] [Predation effect activated! Successfully obtained ‘Pain Spear’ genetic essence.] [Extracted ‘Pain Spear’ from biological Charecteristics of ‘Code Black’.] [Would you like to apply ‘Pain Spear’?] [Predation effect activated! Successfully obtained ‘Resistance’ genetic essence.] [Extracted ‘Resistance’ from biological characteristics of ‘Code Black’.] [Would you like to apply ‘Resistance’?] All of them are potent traits. Moreover, one of them is immediately necessary for me. Accepting all, a new translucent text box emerged, and mutations began within my body. [Majesty of the Dragon trait applied.] [Can be fused with existing ‘Clairvoyance.’] [‘Majesty of the Dragon’ and ‘Clairvoyance’ traits fused. Evolved into ‘Watcher of Dread’ trait!] [Watcher of Dread: Instills indescribable terror in a specific sentient being. There’s a chance the target may go insane.] [*P.S.: I suppose I don’t need to mention which emotion humans have harbored the longest.] [‘Pain Spear’ trait applied.] [Can be fused with existing ‘Breath of Fire.’] [‘Pain Spear’ and ‘Breath of Fire’ traits fused. Evolved into ‘Decay Fungus Organ’ trait!] [Decay Fungus Organ: Releases fungal spores that deteriorate and contaminate the enemy’s natural healing abilities.] [*P.S.: Decay is just another form of circulation.] This mutation primarily occurred around my head and its vicinity. The itchiness started around my eyes and spread across my entire head. Changes in the surface of my skin resulted in indentations and protrusions, and horns twisted forward on the front of my head. Swirling patterns appeared on the surface as well. Previously, when I acquired the psychic enhancement type, geometric patterns were engraved on the exoskeleton covering my head. Upon that, new patterns resembling pupils were added. True to its name ‘Watcher of Dread’, numerous eyes inside my head made it feel as though they were monitoring the external surroundings. The transformation didn’t just occur above my head. The incendiary organ within my throat vanished, replaced by a new organ that produces and launches microbes. Due to this new organ, my entire neck became much thicker than before. The ‘Resistance’ trait manifested changes within my body, not visibly apparent on the outside. Okay. Having completed the evolution through the new traits, I called for Number 26. [ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZZ (We have to catch the people chasing Adhai.)] 「A person? Referring to the bait with four appendages?」 [ZZZ (Yes)] As it wasn’t exactly a wrong expression, I didn’t point it out. [ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (A person is riding inside that metal box.)] 「Yes, I sense it.」 [ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (I alone can’t capture them all.)] 「Yes, I’ll help!」 It’s fortunate that it catches on quickly. Dealing with not just one but three scout ships alone isn’t easy. In this situation, I need Number 26’s assistance. [ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (You have power.)] 「Power?」 [ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (The power that drives people insane.)] ‘If I can effectively use the ‘Abyssal Terror’ trait, I can incapacitate the crew aboard the scout ships.’ In the game, Sea Demons often focused the ‘Abyssal Terror’ on tanks or supports. The debuff effect of Abyssal Terror is incredibly potent, and even with significant resistance, it’s hard to prevent it. 「This might be reality here, but...」 Moreover, the considerable distance between this place and the scout ships might prevent Number 26’s Abyssal Terror from reaching the ships. ‘No, endless negativity won’t help.’ Number 26 is still young but is a Sea Demon after all. As he screamed, someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Thinking it was a comrade, Soldier 13 turned around and froze in shock. A being resembling the monsters tearing the bodies apart was smiling at him. With black blood running down its eyes and a mouth resembling the torn monsters, it lunged at him with its teeth. “No, no, no!” Soldier 13 fired his Gauss rifle at the creature, causing it to collapse with a hole the size of a ping-pong ball in its abdomen. But then, the other monsters devouring the corpses shrieked and rushed towards him. “Aahh! Die! Die! Die!” With each shot fired from his rifle, a monster fell. Perhaps realizing that a comrade had died, hordes of monsters poured in from another room. As Soldier 13 tried to aim at them, a metallic projectile pierced his head from somewhere. Only after his head was pierced did he realize who the creature he had killed was. “Damn it! This crazy bastard!” “Hey! Snap out of it! Hold on a little longer!” “Medic!” “Headquarters! This is 1408! Soldier 13 has gone insane and fired at friendly forces!” Before he could even regret his actions, Soldier 13’s consciousness plunged into darkness. “Success.” Due to the soldier affected by the Abyssal Terror, seven out of twenty people aboard the ship died. ‘It’s a downgraded version of the Abyssal Terror, but quite effective.’ The Abyssal Terror can be described as an underwater horror that targets individuals. Unlike the true Abyssal Terror, its effect of driving the target insane only activates probabilistically, yet it’s still a potent trait. ‘Especially effective in causing disruption amongst enemies like now.’ While the adversaries were unsure how to react, I sprinted through the passageways within the scout ship. Due to the soldier gone berserk because of the Abyssal Terror, firing wildly in the situation room, the Defense Force members were all gathered in that direction. Unnoticed by them, I sprinted through the corridors, reducing the encounters with crew members. “P-please, spare me! Don’t—ack!” Kneeling, I tore off the head of a pleading crew member, took a single bite, and swallowed it whole. Rushing toward the situation room, feasting on corpses, a volley of bullets flew from that direction. ‘Tungsten rounds. Impossible.’ Regular rounds couldn’t pierce my outer shell. Positioning my head towards the soldiers hiding in the situation room, I opened my mouth wide. Activating the microbe generator inside my throat, I vomited out a mass filled with mold. “Ugh! Damn it!” The projectile of mold soared like a projectile, passing over the heads of the soldiers, landing inside the situation room. There were sounds resembling the throwing of garbage bags on the floor before the mass exploded. “What’s this...? Ugh!” “Cough, ack! Cough...!” The screams of the soldiers hit by the shrapnel of the mass were audible. The decaying mold generator, a fusion of Pain Spheres and Flames Breath, had effects completely different from the materials used. “It’s fundamentally related to infection.” The decay mold generator was a characteristic mold that caused necrosis and decay, creating fungal spores. When the spores burst, the fungi inside infected other organisms. To prevent infection, antifungals or remedies to eliminate the mold needed to be used. “If they could just focus properly, it would be easy to resolve, but during combat, it’s challenging.” In the game, when players are hit by the mold of the decay mold generator, they immediately enter a panic state. This was due to the ongoing agony of the body decaying in real-time after being hit by the mold. Without anyone to assist nearby, performing emergency treatment alone was impossible. “Ugh, aagh....” “Stop...!” The soldiers, who had been screaming in severe pain, were barely breathing. Their faces were covered in pustules, their clothes soaked with sweat, blood, and pus. Some were already oozing black blood from their noses and mouths, perhaps having decayed internally. After confirming that the crew on the ship had been completely neutralized, I entered the situation room. ‘I wish I could pilot it myself, but controlling a military vessel alone is impossible.’ Even if it were a small reconnaissance vessel, the models belonging to the military ship, including the scout ship, were beyond my capabilities to pilot. At best, I could enable autonomous navigation using AI. ‘It’s regrettable, but I’ll have to make do with this.’ I set the direction towards the friendly scout ship indicated on the radar and commanded the AI to engage full speed ahead. The engines of the scout ship roared, and the situation room where I stood shook violently. As the scout ship surged fiercely towards its target, I retraced my steps. Crawling out to the outer hull of the scout ship, I saw one of the remaining two ships already plummeting towards the ground. There was no doubt that number 26 was disrupting the crew with the Abyssal Terror from the surface. Meanwhile, the scout ship I boarded was rapidly approaching the enemy. They belatedly realized the intentions of the ship and hastily altered their course. As the ship narrowly passed by, I extended the bloodsucking tentacle and switched to another scout ship. The infected scout ship, carrying soldiers contaminated with mold, flew towards the city encased in a dome, pilotless. 「Adult!」 Adhai appeared in the distance and sent a signal my way. [ZZZ ZZZZ (Later for greetings.)] All that remained now was this one ship I had boarded. One last small scout ship and twenty crew members inside. They were the final adversaries. If the enemies had ignored the consequences and fired at the scout ship I was in, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. They made the wrong choice, and now they have only one option left. Simply to face annihilation.