Ch.12Dark Clouds (3)

The once-quiet ship hangar was bustling with technical team members.

The technical crew was so overwhelmed by the rapidly increasing workload over the past few days that even having two bodies wouldn’t have been enough. Orders had come down from above to service all the carrier-based aircraft.

“Hey, Scott. It’s dinner time. Let’s go eat.”

“Yeah, just let me finish this.”

A blond man called out to a dark-haired man working beside an aircraft. The one called Scott put down his wrench and stood up.

“How much work is left?”

“Enough for overtime.”

“Haa, fuck.”

The two headed to the cafeteria with the others.

“I still don’t get it.”

“What?”

“What are we fighting that we need to overhaul every single plane?”

The blond man, Pincher, frowned as he chewed on artificial meat with an eraser-like texture.

“Scott, you bastard. Do you always have to talk about work while eating?”

“But don’t you think it’s weird? Think about it, Pincher.”

Here we go again.

Pincher sighed as he watched Scott unfold yet another bizarre conspiracy theory.

“What is it this time?”

“I heard something. They say the higher-ups are trying to catch a Metallic Gremlin.”

“Metallic Gremlin?”

Pincher snorted dismissively.

“Hey, if we encountered a Metallic Gremlin, we’d be toast, right? The upper Capital guys might be assholes, but they’re not idiots. They’d run away rather than fight.”

“Listen to the end. Actually, the Metallic Gremlin is already on board. The higher-ups know and are desperate to catch it.”

“What?”

“You’ve noticed that strange smell in the air lately, right? That’s supposedly the Metallic Gremlin’s smell.”

“What nonsense…”

Pincher shook his head.

It was true that there had been a strange odor on the ship lately.

However, if the air was truly contaminated as Scott claimed, the ship’s AI would have reported it long ago. Pincher had never heard of any air quality issues.

“Just listen. My friend in the cooking team said people have been disappearing from the ship one by one since last week.”

“Huh. What bullshit.”

It was exactly what he expected. Pincher couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

There were 222 crew members on the ship. Not a large number. It would be impossible not to notice if people were disappearing daily.

And were the higher-ups idiots? They wouldn’t just sit by while their subordinates vanished. As Pincher said, the Capital team leaders might be assholes, but they weren’t stupid.

Pincher was about to dismiss Scott’s delusion when someone joined their conversation. It was Cameron from the next table.

“I’ve heard something similar. They say the team leader from Material Management went missing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Because of that, the cargo hold manager got promoted to acting team leader.”

“See! Pincher, I told you I was right!”

Scott was childishly excited to find someone who agreed with him. Meanwhile, Pincher’s expression soured.

“Fine, let’s say people are missing. Why are the higher-ups doing nothing about it?”

“They know about it but are keeping it quiet so the crew doesn’t panic.”

“I’m telling you, it’s the Metallic Gremlin!”

“Metal-whatever. What does servicing fighter jets have to do with something killing people?”

Cameron shrugged.

“Don’t know about that. I only heard about people disappearing.”

“Maybe… they’re trying to maintain discipline by working us to death?”

“Tsk, you lunatic. That’s just you.”

Pincher clicked his tongue as he watched Scott scratch the back of his head with a dumb expression.

Dinner ended, and the technical team returned to work.

As time passed, night fell.

Team members left one by one, and the spacious hangar became deserted, as if it had never been bustling earlier.

Scott and Pincher were wrestling with an aircraft in the corner.

“Scott, I’m going to grab some late-night snacks. Want anything?”

“I’m good. Just bring some synthetic alcohol if there is any.”

Scott was using a wrench to loosen screws under the fighter jet. Judging by the dead silence, everyone else seemed to have gone home.

“Scott.”

“Yeah?”

Someone called him while he was replacing parts.

“Cameron?”

“Come over here for a second.”

“I’m in the middle of something.”

“It’ll just take a moment.”

Scott was annoyed that Cameron was calling him when he was so busy.

He promised himself he’d curse Cameron out if it wasn’t important as he crawled out from under the aircraft. In the open space, he could only see the fighter jet and toolbox—no Cameron.

“Where’d you go after calling me?”

“Over here. Hurry up.”

As if on cue, Cameron’s voice emerged at just the right moment to guide Scott.

“The maintenance room?”

What an annoying friend. Scott grumbled as he headed to the maintenance room.

When he arrived, the lights were off.

‘I thought I heard him here?’

As he tilted his head in confusion, Cameron’s voice came from inside.

“Scott. Over here.”

“What are you doing with the lights off?”

“I’m looking for something. Come help me quickly.”

Scott tried the maintenance room switch, but it didn’t work. The central management office must have turned it off due to the late hour.

He reluctantly took out the flashlight from his waist.

The bright light illuminated the dark maintenance room interior. He entered, relying on the light in his hand.

The darkened maintenance room wasn’t a pleasant place. Metal shelves were stacked with parts and tools that looked ready to spill with the slightest shake. The floor was filthy with secretly smoked cigarette butts and dried synthetic alcohol stains.

Plus, the room stank. The smell of oil clinging to tools, the scent of solder from soldering irons, and the sweat of men who hadn’t properly bathed—all sorts of foul odors had permeated the entire space.

Scott sensed something unfamiliar amid the familiar yet disgusting smells.

‘What is this smell?’

As someone who handled metal parts daily, he could tell. Mixed in the maintenance room’s air was something similar to but different from the smell of iron.

“Where the hell is this guy?”

“Over here. This way.”

Something was off. The voice that had been coming from near the door was now coming from deeper inside.

Following the voice, he passed between metal shelves. In the space-like darkness, he truly couldn’t see anything without his flashlight.

He almost tripped while walking, relying on the light from his hand.

“Fuck?!”

Scott had stepped on a screw rolling on the floor. After barely regaining his balance, he realized something important.

Even with a flashlight, he could barely see ahead due to the darkness. So what was Cameron doing in the pitch black?

He recalled their conversation in the cafeteria.

The Metallic Gremlin roaming the ship. And the missing people.

Scott called out to Cameron with a trembling voice he couldn’t control.

“C-Cameron?”

There was no answer.

As Scott turned to flee, it jumped out in front of him.

–

“Scott?”

Pincher, returning with late-night snacks, found it strange that no one was around the fighter jet.

Though Scott was a bit odd, he was diligent with his work. He never left his post when work remained.

“Scott!”

Pincher called loudly for Scott. His colleague’s name echoed through the quiet hangar.

“Over here.”

As if in response, his voice came from somewhere in the distance.

“Where are you? I brought the synthetic alcohol.”

“I’m in the maintenance room. Come over here.”

“The maintenance room? Why’d you go there?”

“I need to find something. Help me out.”

Scott was a friend who did good work but was quite annoying in personal matters. Pincher grumbled as he headed to the maintenance room.

“What are you doing with the lights off?”

“I have something to move. Help me.”

“Ugh, you idiot, seriously.”

Pincher entered the pitch-black maintenance room with his flashlight. He could faintly see light beyond the shelves.

It was the light from Scott’s flashlight.

“Hey, what are you doing… huh?”

Scott wasn’t there. Only his abandoned tool remained.

“Why is this here?”

Pincher grabbed Scott’s flashlight. Scott was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, water dripped onto the back of his neck.

“What’s this?”

Thinking it might be a leak, he rubbed the back of his neck. The liquid that had fallen from above was hot and sticky.

He checked the liquid on his palm with the flashlight.

“Blood?”

His palm was stained bright red.

The droplets falling from the ceiling were blood.

Realizing this, he gulped. His trembling hand pointed the flashlight upward.

It was there.

A creature about 1m long was hanging from the ceiling, holding Scott.

It looked like a Gallergorn, called the dragon of space. A mythical dragon was now devouring Scott.

The last thing Pincher remembered was the dragon reaching for him.

After that day.

No one ever saw the three technical team members again.

–

‘Am I good at fishing?’

I was sitting in the dark maintenance room, chewing on someone’s leg. The leg’s owner lay sprawled with his neck torn out along with his spine.

“Mimicry. So convenient.”

From my mouth came the voice of the leg’s owner, a person named Pincher.

Mimicry.

Among the creatures the Material Management team leader had tried to smuggle was a larva of what they called a Red Worm.

Red Worms are giant worms that live only on desert-type planets and possess an extremely rare characteristic.

They can mimic the voices of other creatures. It’s said to be an evolutionary result for effectively hunting other creatures in harsh environments.

I ate the Red Worm larva stored in the container and fortunately acquired its genetic essence. Thanks to that, a very complex vocalization organ now sits in my throat.

‘The downside is that my ability is inferior to the original.’

Unlike the Red Worm, I couldn’t imitate just any voice. I could only mimic the voice of the creature I had most recently eaten. I couldn’t imitate Scott or Cameron’s voices from before.

And I couldn’t speak complex sentences, only short sentences or words. If the speech got even slightly longer, growling would mix in, creating a strange sound that was neither human nor monster.

‘Still, it’s a good enough ability.’

It feels strange yet fascinating to hear a gruff adult male voice coming from my mouth instead of a low growling.

I tested the voice a few times while thinking about my next target.

‘Tomorrow I’ll eat someone from the cooking team. Was his name Pierre? He doesn’t seem close to Pincher, but that shouldn’t matter.’

Even if it’s a stranger, people will pay attention if someone calls them. Tomorrow evening will be taken care of with this Pierre fellow.

He doesn’t know that he’ll die because of the useless things he said to Scott.

After finishing my meal, I went to the runway and entered a ventilation duct in the wall.

‘Should I stop by before going to the nest?’

While crawling through the passage, I changed direction toward the laboratory.

I wanted to see the Bubble Amoeba, the one I call No. 26.

As I approached the lab, its wavelength was transmitted to me.

“Hello.”

The tentacles at the back of my head tingled.

Until now, I thought the psychic organ was useless, but I was wrong. After these tentacle clusters formed, I could communicate with creatures that converse through wavelengths.

When playing the game, I always pursued efficient gameplay and never paid attention to traits with such minor effects.

‘I wouldn’t have bothered with a trait that lets me talk to Bubble Amoebas anyway.’

It was a trait more suited for Bubble Amoeba enthusiasts.

Anyway, since it greeted me, it’s my turn to respond. I focused my consciousness on the back of my head. The tentacles wriggled, gathering invisible energy.

[Zzzzzz (Hello)]

“Hello. Hungry again today. Food.”

There’s something new I’ve learned since being able to talk with No. 26 without seeing it.

‘Its vocabulary has increased.’

As far as I know, Bubble Amoebas aren’t creatures that evolve. When they reach adulthood, they only grow in size without any evolutionary changes.

But this one is different. It communicates complex ideas beyond its species’ limitations.

Moreover, it seems to be studying somewhere, as its speaking ability improves remarkably each time we meet.

‘They said they were experimenting with Psyonium. Is there an effect I don’t know about?’

I’m not sure if it’s the Psyonium or if this one is special.

Anyway, it’s not disadvantageous to me if it gets smarter. I decided not to worry about that issue.

[Zzz Zzzzzz (Sorry. Food difficult today)]

“What’s difficult?”

[Zzzzzzz (Can’t give it)]

A wave of gloomy emotion came from it.

I could understand. For a creature that endures experiments all day, its only joy was eating the calorie bars I brought.

‘I haven’t been able to give it calorie bars since it grew larger.’

Currently, the lab security is at the second-highest level after the reactor and cooling room. After the research team leader went missing, the security team leader maximized lab security.

As a result, even the ventilation passage above the lab, which had been safe until now, became dangerous. They installed vibration detectors inside the lab, so any careless movement would immediately be detected.

In this situation, all I could do was talk to No. 26 from a distance like now.

[Zzzz (Are you okay today?)]

“Hard. Hurts.”

After Kisaragi’s death, the Psyonium experiments stagnated. The subordinates conducted experiments daily but didn’t inject the recklessly large amounts like before.

Of course, that doesn’t mean No. 26 is fine. Even in small amounts, Psyonium is toxic to the body.

[Zz (Leaving)]

“Goodbye. Take care.”

‘Tsk, hang in there.’

It’s not that I don’t want to help, but the risk is too high. Even with powerful traits in my hands, engaging in all-out war with the ship’s crew is unreasonable.

At least I need to be a Juvenile to conduct guerrilla warfare. As a Juvenile, I could easily annihilate a squad equipped with reinforced suits.

‘The problem is that the Juvenile evolution conditions are demanding.’

To evolve into a Juvenile, I need to kill 10 individuals from each of two sentient species that users can play as, and eat their genes. On this ship, humans are the only ones who satisfy the condition, so Juvenile evolution is impossible.

‘There are pirates, but that’s uncertain too.’

Depending on which cartel the Space Dogs in this area belong to, I may or may not be able to evolve. Some cartels consist of a single species, so if I encounter a human cartel, it would be useless.

‘A few days at most.’

Judging by the atmosphere on the ship, there isn’t much time left before encountering Space Dogs. The technical team members I ate were also working overnight to service the fighter jets.

As I was heading to my nest, a group of people passed below me. They were soldiers with the Crisis Management Team Leader.

“I have business to attend to, so I’ll be going.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Crisis Management Team Leader, after parting with the soldiers, walked off alone.

‘I should eat the Crisis Management Team Leader too.’

He seemed like a difficult target, so I had been putting it off. But this is a good opportunity. Even if I don’t eat him right away, it wouldn’t hurt to learn his weaknesses or daily patterns in advance.

I followed the Crisis Management Team Leader.

He headed to the fitness room. Inside, soldiers and crew members were diligently working out.

‘What? He’s just going to exercise?’

After quickly changing, he sat down at an exercise machine and began strength training. I watched for 10 minutes to see if anything would change, but he just kept lifting weights.

‘Hmm. I should check out someone else.’

There was no need to watch prey exercise. As I was about to leave, he put down the equipment and took something out of his pocket.

‘A phone?’

It was a small earpiece-type phone. He held it in his hand and looked around. After confirming that no one was paying attention, he put the phone in his ear and resumed exercising.

Intrigued by this, I focused my auxiliary organ on him.

“Report… contact… near C…”

His voice, which had been coming through in fragments, became clearer.

“Yes. Proceeding according to plan. Yes. Yes. What?”

‘Plan?’

“The House has issued orders? Ah, no. How could I question it?”

For a moment, shock flashed in the Crisis Management Team Leader’s eyes, but he quickly recovered.

“It’s just as well. Miss Kisaragi has already been eliminated. The ship will arrive at C-08 as scheduled. Yes. All of Eusung’s orders have been recorded.”

‘What?’

“Yes. Yes. It’s fine. Everything is for the House—no, for Junwoo Yujin’s will. I’ll bear it. Yes. Understood. Goodbye.”

After hanging up, he focused on exercising again. He looked every bit the fitness enthusiast, but my wariness of him had skyrocketed.

‘I thought he was a bear-like person, but he’s completely a fox.’

I knew the Crisis Management Team Leader had persuaded the captain to rendezvous with Space Dogs.

But judging from the conversation just now, he might be planning much more than that.

Whether that will benefit or harm me.

I quietly watched him from the darkness.