Ch.159Uninvited Guest (3)

“The engines were neutralized earlier, and communications are now blocked. A good start.”

The broken communications equipment in front of me sparked one last time before shutting down. I scattered the cables and wire bundles I’d been holding onto the floor.

Thanks to No. 26 hiding in the garbage disposal area, I was able to easily neutralize the security in the communications room. I had sneaked in here while the security androids were temporarily disabled by the EMP effect.

“No. 26 could have maintained the power, but…”

The reason I’m doing this legwork is because there’s a possibility the enemies could trace the psychic power signature he left behind. Even the APD has tracking capabilities as a supplementary function in addition to its psychic power blocking feature.

The hideout will be discovered eventually, but it’s not good to be exposed so soon.

After destroying all the machinery, I opened the door of the communications room and stepped out.

The androids, still not recovered from the EMP effect, stood with their heads drooping.

The psychic power No. 26 fired has an effect similar to an EMP, but it’s not an actual EMP. They’ll return to normal in a few minutes.

Of course, by then, I’ll be long gone. I moved on to my next target.

Originally, after damaging the engines, I had planned to hit the drone management facility rather than the communications room. This facility is unique to Star Union ships, not found on vessels of other species like Megacorp or Cult Empire.

“Star Union uses a lot of machinery, after all.”

On Star Union ships, which look like rectangular boxes with spikes sticking out, the longest cylindrical spike near the top or bottom center is the drone management facility. As the name suggests, it’s a control center for managing drones and androids.

Destroying that facility won’t stop all drones and androids. After all, they’re ultimately managed by the ship’s central computer.

However, it can disrupt the behavior of drones and androids. In other words, taking out the drone management facility makes it easier to seize the ship.

That’s why I had targeted it after the engines, but the situation changed rapidly.

While crawling upside down on the ceiling toward the drone management facility, I noticed a change in the movement of drones and androids. The machines that had been outside the ship were coming back in.

There’s only one reason why drones would return when they should be focused on repairs during an ongoing battle.

The end of combat. They must have collected all the drones because they needed to enter FTL travel to return to where they came from after the battle ended.

“It ended earlier than expected.”

As soon as I realized this, I quickly changed direction toward the communications room, crawling rapidly. Along the way, I sent a signal to No. 26 to cause malfunctions in the ship’s machinery.

“The timing was perfect.”

Before completely destroying the communications equipment, I checked the communication records. The last record was contact with the flagship. Probably reporting that the FTL engine was damaged.

“If the communications block had been even slightly delayed, they would have certainly requested support.”

From the uniform vibrations I felt in my hands and feet, and the much more intense heat than before, I could tell that the ship’s thrusters were working furiously.

They had clearly chosen to move to the safest star system possible and perform self-repairs.

“That’s the captain’s biggest mistake.”

Not requesting repair ships or support troops, but deciding to repair themselves. That choice determined this ship’s fate.

“External communications are cut off, and means of movement are limited.”

It’s the perfect environment for me to play in.

–

“Can you see? This isn’t damage from a collision.”

“Captain, I think there’s something else on this ship besides us.”

“…”

Kainzku groaned as he checked the video transmitted through the cable.

“After the engines, the communications equipment, and now the drone management facility has been neutralized.”

He knew what this meant.

Ship No. 98 was under attack by an unidentified entity. And not from outside the hull, but from within.

“Isn’t there any way to repair it?”

“Well, the circuits have been completely dissolved by some kind of acidic solution? It will take at least 6 hours, possibly up to 12 hours, for the drone management facility to be restored to normal.”

“What about the communications equipment?”

“Similar situation there.”

This meant they might have to remain in a vulnerable state for up to 12 hours. At least the thrusters weren’t damaged, so there was no problem moving to another star system, but he couldn’t feel at ease.

Whatever was on this ship clearly had hostile intentions toward them, regardless of its purpose.

“Damn, I was too complacent.”

He had a rough idea of where this entity came from. The biomechanical ship that was the reason Nemea Five fleet, to which Ship No. 98 belonged, had come to the JP-99 star system. The intruder must have boarded his ship when they collided with it.

“Send all available repair drones and androids to that area for now.”

“Thank you.”

“And has anything been caught on the surveillance system?”

“The strange thing is that nothing was captured on cameras, whether in the communications room or the drone management facility.”

Star Union officially promotes atheism. For androids made of metal parts and muscle fiber modules instead of flesh and muscle, the afterlife holds no meaning.

Even Kainzku, a cyborg, doesn’t believe in ghosts or such superstitions, but at this moment, he almost wondered if this was the work of a spirit.

“No. 98. Have you confirmed where the EMP was fired from?”

“Confirmation impossible due to insufficient traces and information. Only confirmed that it originated from inside.”

“So it’s somewhere on this ship. Arrange for cyborgs, androids, and drones to be mixed for guard duty.”

“Insufficient cyborg personnel on the hull.”

“Tsk, fill in the gaps with Screamers.”

“Confirmed.”

Just hold out for 12 hours. That’s what Kainzku thought.

He realized that assessment was a misjudgment three hours later.

All the cameras and lights in the ship’s corridors went out.

“Damn it! Just the cameras and lights are out? Don’t tell me the ship’s reactor was attacked?”

“No abnormalities in the reactor. Error in the wiring facilities. Presumed to be due to external factors.”

“And still nothing was caught on camera? How is that possible?”

He couldn’t understand it.

There are hundreds of cameras on this ship. They’re high-performance cameras equipped with various viewing functions including heat detection, not just general surveillance.

The cameras placed near important facilities were especially arranged to eliminate blind spots.

It should be impossible for something to avoid detection completely.

As he struggled to make sense of this incomprehensible situation, the true disaster was just beginning.

“Cyborgs 31 through 35 deployed in the wiring facility area, contact lost. No life sign responses.”

“What?”

He hurriedly brought up the information related to the cyborgs’ life signs. The computer’s statement was true.

Five of the cyborgs’ signals had turned black.

The intruder had begun a full-scale attack.

–

“All guard units, prepare for attack! Use whatever weapons you have, just kill it somehow!”

“Damn it!”

“Vision switch complete.”

“Defense preparations complete.”

Six combat androids responded immediately as the order came down.

Looking much more mechanical than Megacorp androids, they were also quite capable in performance.

Unlike Megacorp, which fears robot development due to machine rebellions, Star Union has no such constraints, so continuous improvements have been made.

Models that walk on four legs, or those with five arms and two heads, and so on.

The models, optimized for combat rather than human form, activated their weapons. They were all equipped with Heavy Launchers, which dramatically enhanced the firepower and rate of fire of Storm Guns.

Resembling multiple rocket launchers, Heavy Launchers are weapons that unleash tremendous firepower in an instant through multiple barrels, but they have the disadvantage of lower accuracy. They’re so difficult to control that unmodified cyborgs struggle with them, so Heavy Launchers are mainly used by Star Union androids.

However, in a battlefield with a one-way corridor structure like now, that low accuracy is hardly a disadvantage.

“Shoot it as soon as you see it!”

“Confirmed.”

Two cyborgs, each controlling three androids positioned on either side of the corridor, operated drone control terminals. Normally they would have joined the battle themselves, but that was impossible in this situation with problems at the drone management facility.

To precisely control drones, they needed to operate them while monitoring through terminals like this.

As the cyborgs operated the terminals, spherical drones with three gun barrels mounted on their bodies rose into the air.

These were Star Union’s support drones. They’re useful for detecting invisible enemies or supplementing androids’ vision, as in this situation.

Finally, they adjusted their eyes, which had been replaced with special cameras, to switch to heat detection vision. This was necessary because the corridor lights were completely out, making it impossible to see anything.

With all preparations complete, the two cyborgs tensely watched the front and rear.

Nothing, not even an ant, was visible on the corridor, which appeared in the ashen colors characteristic of heat detection vision. The corridor was so quiet it was hard to believe someone was targeting them.

The only sounds were the faint metallic noises from the hull and a subtle static. Perhaps because of this atmosphere, those sounds somehow felt unfamiliar.

“Wait, static?”

The cyborg guarding the rear wanted to focus on surveillance, but the inexplicable static kept bothering him. Some part of his modified brain was warning him not to miss this, as if it were crucial.

Finally, he slightly adjusted the system responsible for his hearing.

Thanks to this, sounds became louder than before. It was like the sound of something soft hitting a hard metal plate.

“What is this?”

He recalled the sound his feet made when walking barefoot on the floor before his legs were modified. As his gaze was about to turn toward the source of the sound, his colleague in front suddenly tapped his shoulder.

“What is it?”

“Shh.”

His colleague pointed to the far end of the corridor. At the end of the corridor, which should have shown nothing but darkness, a faint heat signature was emanating from a living being.

Soon after, dozens of small heat clusters began rapidly approaching them.

“Damn it! Open fire!”

“Heavy Launcher activated.”

An enormous amount of ammunition poured out from the six bizarrely-shaped androids. These fearsome weapons, each firing over a hundred depleted uranium rounds per second with considerable power, tore into the creatures.

“Beep, enemy flanking detected.”

“Response complete.”

The creature, or rather creatures, moved along the walls and ceiling, evading bullets.

But that’s why they had deployed drones. The support drones floating in the air relayed the creatures’ movements to the androids in real-time while firing.

The battle ended quickly. The androids stopped firing after confirming the enemies had been annihilated, and the two cyborgs stepped forward.

“I wanted to see what kind of creature it was, but with this…”

“Yeah.”

The Heavy Launcher is a weapon that can make a head and upper body completely disappear when aimed at a human head. None of the creatures hit by this weapon left proper traces.

The largest remaining piece was the upper body of one of the creatures.

“Looks like a fucking insect.”

“For an insect, its teeth are excessively developed. Look at these teeth. They’re not even human teeth.”

“Damn, I’m afraid this will appear in my dreams.”

The two shuddered at the hideous appearance after examining the corpse fragments.

“There might be more of these fucking creatures. Let’s report first…”

The cyborg who was about to report to the captain stopped mid-sentence.

He heard that noise again. His gaze turned toward the ceiling where the noise was coming from.

“The drones… are gone?”

The three drones that had been there until just now were nowhere to be seen.

He quickly turned his head to alert his colleague.

The moment he turned, something warm splashed on his face.

“Kuhuk?”

Then he heard his colleague coughing. He watched as his colleague slowly rose into the air and was then cut into three pieces.

“K-kill that thing!”

Terrified by the sight, the cyborg retreated behind the androids.

However, despite his command, the androids showed no reaction. They appeared docile to an unbelievable degree, considering they had been indiscriminately pouring firepower just moments ago.

“I said shoot! Shoot and kill it!”

“No enemy detected.”

“Unable to fi—AAAAARGH!”

Then the androids met the same fate as his colleague. Something invisible mercilessly tore the androids apart.

As an android with five arms had its arms torn off, synthetic oil poured onto the floor, and a four-legged android had its upper and lower body separated and smashed into the wall and ceiling.

The wide corridor, which had only smelled of metal, was instantly filled with the smell of blood and oil. That stimulating odor awakened the cyborg who had fallen into panic.

“I-I need to escape!”

He ran down the corridor, trying to get as far away from the creature as possible. As he ran, he faintly heard sounds from a distance.

It was gunfire.

Similar events must be happening elsewhere.

“I-I need to hide!”

His eyes caught sight of a door on one side of the corridor. It was a food storage room for cyborg combat rations. He hurriedly opened the door, went inside, and hid in a corner.

“T-this should be safe!”

Cyborg combat rations have an extremely foul odor, as unpleasant as their tire-like taste. This smell should prevent the creature from finding him.

As he crouched down and held his breath, the sounds from outside seemed even clearer. The gunfire he had heard before entering this place still hadn’t stopped.

That probably meant the situation wasn’t going well over there either. He gulped.

“Please, someone come help!”

Perhaps Grand Marshal Jubaka heard his prayer. He heard the door of the food storage room opening. His gaze turned to the doorway, but nothing was visible.

“Why can’t I see… wait.”

A sinister thought suddenly struck him. He carefully deactivated his heat detection vision. Instead, he switched to a mode that visualized objects through vibrations by linking his hearing and vision.

As his vision changed, a new world unfolded before his eyes.

Combat rations scattered on the floor from his hasty entrance. Neatly stacked boxes. And a tail split into two at the end.

“A tail?”

His eyes moved up from the tail that had pincers attached to it.

He could see four sturdy legs supporting the ground along with the tail. Like the tail, they were all covered with what appeared to be hard carapace and fur.

Above that was a thick body and four arms. At the ends of those arms, made of hard carapace and solid muscle, were four sharp claws. They were weapons in themselves, fitting for arms that had torn androids and cyborgs to shreds.

And above that was a head.

“It” was staring at him—with an elongated snout resembling a Coldblood, a massive head carapace extending straight back, and six robust horns.

“Indeed. It seems you can’t hide from vibrations.”

Despite the ordinary female voice coming from its mouth, he couldn’t feel at ease.

“It” that he was seeing right now.

Was approaching him with its bifurcated mouth wide open.

–

After devouring the cyborg in the food storage room in one bite, I picked up a combat ration that had fallen to the floor.

“So cyborg meat isn’t that great.”

The meat itself is decent enough, but there are so many mechanical parts that it’s very cumbersome to chew. It’s like eating ribs with bones but no meat.

“I wonder how this tastes?”

I put the combat ration in my mouth without even opening the package.

“Hmmmm. Interesting.”

Star Union combat rations had a more dry and harsh taste than the 100% cacao I had eaten before. The taste itself was better than Megacorp’s calorie bars, but the texture was worse.

“I’ll eat these after taking over the ship.”

I plan to take control of the ship after implanting parasites in the captain and some useful-looking cyborgs.

There are two reasons for doing it this troublesome way. First, to prepare for the possibility of cyborgs from other ships contacting this one. Since this is a ship that broke away due to malfunction, the flagship might try to contact it.

“But the bigger reason is that I can’t use the Infection Tentacles.”

This is actually the main reason. Since I can’t use the Infection Tentacles, it’s also impossible to infect the ship with the Horizon of Nightmares.

“I can’t even confirm if it’s a valid infection target.”

To dominate the ship, I need to deactivate the “Clever Weakling” state and then take control with the Infection Tentacles. The transformation ability “Organic Evolution” has a cooldown of one month, which is definitely not short. So I plan to minimize potential risks on the ship and then take control.

“Should I go out and clean up the other areas too?”

After leaving the food storage room, I moved along the corridor. From a distance, I could hear the sounds of No. 26, Adhigh Orr, and Sky Mother rampaging.

“They must have been bored.”

It might be good to gather everyone and occupy key facilities once the corridors are cleared.

As I was thinking this while moving, I sensed something ahead in the corridor. Eventually, with rough breathing, it revealed itself.

“Kuuuu” “Kuuuu”

“A Screamer.”

From the previous battle, I learned that androids and drones couldn’t detect me. However, the cyborg I ate at the end was aware of me even before the battle.

“I can’t hide sounds or vibrations.”

The “Unknown Creature’s Fur” has the characteristic of disrupting detection equipment by moving its fur to prevent detection. But it doesn’t hide vibrations or sounds.

I’m moving as quietly as possible using the enhanced suction cup characteristic, but as a living being, I can’t completely eliminate sound.

“I wonder how a Screamer will react…”

“Kuuuu” “Enemy detected. Eliminate.” “Kuuuu”

“Ah.”

Contrary to my expectations, the Screamer stared at me with bloodshot eyes.

The monster, half human and half machine, rushed at me, rapidly moving its six metal legs.