Ch.160Clue (1)

If Megacorp has Hulk Mutants, then Star Union has Screamers.

They’re quite similar in that they’re both criminals forcibly modified into combat weapons, and both boast horrific appearances.

The difference is that you’re more likely to see Hulk Mutants as allied mercenaries rather than enemies, while Screamers typically appear as adversaries.

Unlike Hulk Mutants, who have somewhat diminished intelligence but retain self-awareness and a degree of freedom, Screamers have intact minds but bodies controlled by machines.

‘Literally a mechanical prison.’

Though they’re called “Screamers,” they can’t even breathe properly unless the life-management AI attached to their bodies permits it.

The Screamer charging at me with a clamorous noise is no different. It shouted about discovering an enemy as soon as it saw me, but that was merely an automatic line output by the AI for specific situations.

It swings its foreleg as it gets close enough for me to see the protruding blood vessels on its pale skin. The pointed claw-tipped foot, like a spider’s leg, flies toward me to tear off my flesh.

I swung my combat arm to counter its attack. As always, I expected its foot to bounce off easily.

But.

With a thud, its claw embedded itself in my arm carapace.

‘Huh?’

Though it didn’t pierce deeply, I was startled. Since becoming a Subadult, no one except Muriel has been able to puncture my carapace in close combat.

That wasn’t the end of it. The creature’s waist bent grotesquely, and two metal feet attached to its rear aimed for my eyes.

I quickly turned my head to block the claws with my carapace and used the rotational force generated by twisting my body to swing my tail widely.

My tail, covered with thick outer skin, swept across the floor. The pincer at its end collided with the creature. Hit by the iron mace from Swamp King, it was slammed into the corridor wall.

“Kuuuu” “Kuuuu”

I had swung with enough force to shatter it in one blow, but it didn’t die. Apart from a few bent metal frames, it looked fine.

‘Why is it so tough?’

I’ve fought Screamers to the point of tedium. I know exactly what their capabilities are.

But the defense and attack power of this Screamer before me was beyond standard.

‘It’s not just that I’ve weakened from the Clever Weakling effect…’

It’s true that my combat abilities have decreased as my body has shrunk, but even accounting for that, this mechanical beast is abnormally sturdy.

‘It’s been upgraded.’

“Kuuuu” “Kuuuu”

The Screamer, having created distance between us, watched me warily while breathing heavily. Perhaps recognizing through our exchange that I wasn’t an easy opponent, its movements became cautious.

I too carefully examined my enemy.

‘I don’t know what additional functions it might have.’

Though I think it unlikely, it might be concealing means to threaten my life. So I need to fight with caution.

At that moment, it charged at me again.

This time, instead of jumping onto the corridor, it moved between the walls and ceiling, stabbing its six metal legs into them as it went.

‘It’s trying to confuse me, but…’

I can climb walls too. I jumped toward it, clinging to the walls and ceiling just like it did.

Our distance closed rapidly. Just before collision, it raised its two front legs high.

Its target was my neck area. The ice-pick-sharp weapons aimed for my throat.

Instead of blocking its attack, I jumped down from the ceiling. Its attack barely grazed the carapace on the back of my head.

Not giving up, the Screamer pounced on me from above, trying to go for my neck.

Before it could, my tail intercepted it. I grabbed its legs with the pincer at the end of my tail. Just because my size has decreased doesn’t mean all my strength has disappeared. I applied pressure with my pincer.

“Legs 1 and 2 at risk of damage.”

It tried to escape with a mechanical voice, but being firmly held, its resistance was futile. Its metal legs couldn’t withstand the pressure and broke. When fluid sprayed from the tubes connected to the broken legs, it widened its eyes.

“Kuuuu”

Its breathing became rougher. I swung my combat arm.

But it abandoned the trapped legs. Because it retreated by sacrificing its legs, my attack missed.

After retreating a few steps, it bent its few remaining legs and pushed off forcefully. With its solid metal skeleton, it landed on my back. In that position, its legs tightened around my neck and back carapace like a noose.

I thought it was trying to strangle me to death, but that wasn’t it.

From near its rear, a long, thin tail similar to a scorpion’s emerged. The difference from a scorpion was that instead of a poison sting, it had a triangular rotating saw blade.

‘Where do you think you’re going!’

I slammed my back hard against the corridor wall with it still attached. The impact was so strong that the entire ship trembled slightly, as I used all my strength plus my weight.

“Impact detected. Recovery impossible.”

The impact half-crushed its body. The legs holding me lost their strength.

Yet in a final desperate act, it sliced off the carapace on the back of my head with its tail. Intense sparks flew as the carapace and saw blade collided, illuminating the dark corridor.

‘This is it!’

I grabbed its tail and swung it toward the wall like a baseball bat. Mechanical parts and life-sustaining fluids sprayed out from its body, which was half-embedded in the wall.

The mangled creature desperately flailed its legs, trying somehow to harm me. As a finishing move, I stabbed its body with the six horns on my head.

“Kyieee” “Hae-haeng-do-dong-bu-bu-bu-bu, bul, bu-bu-bu, ga-a-a-a-a-a….” “Keeek”

The life-support AI controlling it fell silent after those words. The tubes attached throughout its body were all severed, all its legs broken, and its tail completely torn off and held in my hand.

Soon it spat out the tube fragment it had been holding in its mouth. Though its eyes had been bloodshot while fighting me, it looked much more peaceful facing death.

“Th-thank… you…”

It looked at me, trying to say something, then dropped its head.

‘Phew.’

I’ve never seen such a strong Screamer before. The battle wasn’t long, but I took significant damage from it.

‘To think it could damage my head carapace.’

Though it’s just a small scratch, I can’t ignore it. If they upgrade these further, they could create mass-produced weapons capable of inflicting fatal wounds even on AMorph Subadults.

‘The kids are in danger!’

There are at least three Screamers on this ship. If I had difficulty defeating one, the kids will find it much harder.

Unlike me with my sturdy defenses, No. 26 and Adhigh Orr have negligible defense. If they get sliced by the rotating saw blade on its tail, that would be fatal.

I hurried away from the Screamer’s corpse.

The gunfire that had been loudly echoing through the corridor during my fight with the Screamer was now silent. That means the fighting has already ended. Realizing this, an inexplicable anxiety swept over me.

As I ran to find Adhigh Orr, who was closest, I came to a fork in the path. If I take the right corridor from there, I’ll reach Adhigh immediately.

I increased my speed and quickly checked the right corridor.

There were multiple fallen bodies and Sky Mother. Among the fallen bodies was a mangled Screamer.

And one of the fallen creatures had large wings and a long tail.

‘Adhigh!’

My heart sank when I saw Adhigh lying face down on the floor. I thought he’d been taken down fighting the Screamer, but then he raised his head.

“Disgusting!” “Really!” “Disgusting!”

“I told you. I told you it would taste bad.”

“I” “Friend” “Words” “Distrust” “Mistake”

Adhigh was vigorously scratching the tentacles that replaced his mouth with his front legs. As he was busy removing whatever was stuck to his tentacles, he noticed me.

“Big One” “Happy”

“You’re here?”

[Zz zz zzz (Is everyone okay?)]

“Why so surprised? Ah, because of this one?”

Sky Mother, who was grooming her feathers with her beak, saw me and answered with an unconcerned attitude.

“It was much stronger than the Screamers I knew. Looks like you fought one too.”

[Zz (Yes)]

It seems Sky Mother handled the Screamer.

Looking at the Screamer’s corpse, I saw its head was separated from its body. Sky Mother must have decapitated it with her talons. She precisely targeted the soft flesh instead of the hard metal parts.

[Zzzz zzzz zzz zzzz (They seem to have reinforced the metal parts, but you handled it well)]

“Huh? Haven’t you checked yet?”

[Zzz zzzz (What do you mean?)]

She made an incomprehensible sound. She raised her front talon to point at the dead Screamer.

She was pointing at its neck area. Looking at the back of its neck, I could see marks where someone had tried to cut it several times before succeeding.

“These creatures’ bodies aren’t ordinary humans.”

[Zz (What?)]

“They’re too tough for humans.”

She lightly scratched the Screamer’s skin with her talon. A griffon’s talons are extremely sharp, so even a light cut should have removed flesh.

But only a slight scratch remained on the Screamer’s skin.

Normally, a Screamer’s head and body aren’t much different from an ordinary cyborg. The metal frames covering its body are sturdy, but the biological tissue parts aren’t specially modified.

That’s why in the game, a Screamer’s weakness is its vulnerable body. The head is an exception as it sometimes comes with a gas mask-like helmet depending on how it was modified.

‘Come to think of it, the one I fought was tough too.’

Earlier, I slammed into the wall with it on my back. Considering my strength, its body should have been completely crushed, not just its tubes and legs damaged. But it didn’t die instantly and even managed to land an effective hit on me with its tail before dying.

Then there’s only one answer.

“Genetically modified enhanced humans, or…”

[Zzzzz (Hulk Mutants)]

She silently nodded.

‘Screamers made from Hulk Mutants.’

Though I said it myself, it was hard to believe.

After all, Star Union and Megacorp are at war. The chances of core technology like Hulk Mutant production methods flowing to Star Union are low.

And even if they obtained the production method through espionage, it wouldn’t be easy to immediately turn them into Screamers.

‘Star Union’s genetic manipulation technology isn’t that advanced.’

Except for human cloning technology, they lag behind Megacorp in both technology and infrastructure in all other fields. Having the technology alone doesn’t mean you can produce it—that’s a different issue.

‘I need to check if No. 26 is safe first…’

“What? Are the kids doing something without me?”

Just then, a wave of energy reached me. It was No. 26.

A bouncing sound echoed through the dark corridor, and soon he appeared.

Sky Mother and I were shocked by No. 26’s appearance.

“I brought food for Big Baby.”

Having increased his body size to fill about two-thirds of the passage, he was holding two Screamers captive with his psychic power technique “Binding.”

“Kuuuu” “Abnormality detected due to unknown force.” “Kuuuu”

“Activity impossible due to unknown force.”

Moreover, both Screamers were still alive. Though their metal frames and legs were all twisted like pretzels.

Seeing this, Adhigh sent a thought wave.

“Little One” “That” “Disgusting”

“Really?”

“I” “Ate” “That” “Gift” “Unnecessary”

“Is that so? Then I should throw them away.”

[Zz zz zz zzzz (Wait. That’s not necessary)]

Just as Adhigh’s thought wave ended, I saw the Screamers’ heads bend strangely and quickly stopped No. 26.

[Z zz zzzz z zzzz (I need to grow quickly, so I’ll eat them well)]

“Big Baby is still growing?”

[Zz (Yes)]

“Then Big Baby eat a lot and grow a lot lot!”

[Zzzz (Thank you)]

When No. 26 released the binding, the Screamers sprawled on the floor. They tried to move to attack No. 26, but with every part of their metal legs twisted, they couldn’t budge.

‘Seems they didn’t use Black Silver.’

If they had been made with Black Silver alloy, No. 26 wouldn’t have subdued them so easily. I stroked the body of the one larger than me as a form of praise.

[Zzzz (Well done)]

“Yes!”

He glowed softly with his body, showing his happiness.

After stroking No. 26, I stood before the incapacitated Screamers.

‘Let’s check right away.’

I have one useful means to identify unknown entities.

One of my psychic ability traits: “Insight.”

This trait, which I acquired by hunting a police officer named William in a space city, randomly reveals information about enemies.

‘I just need to confirm the species name.’

As Insight activated, a purple light flashed from my eyes, illuminating the dark corridor.

And a translucent text box appeared before me.

“Name: ■■■■

Species: Hulk Mutant

Status: Enhanced (Screamer Procedure)

Equipment: ■■■■ ■■”

The information confirmed by Insight was as we predicted.

Screamers made from Hulk Mutants.

What does this mean?

‘There are collaborators between Star Union and Megacorp.’

The war between the two communities has continued for over hundreds of years. I’ve actually seen Megacorp humans showing hatred toward machines.

Of course, I know there are people in Megacorp’s upper echelons who secretly sell employees to Star Union for credits.

But leaking important war weapon production methods is a different matter entirely. If they were to lose the war, credits would be the least of their concerns.

‘There’s only one entity that would do this.’

There’s a player who created new Screamers for both Megacorp and Star Union.

And I can roughly guess who the Star Union player might be.

‘Without being a member of the Machine Committee, or even higher, this wouldn’t be possible.’

Only androids can become high commissioners of the Machine Committee. Players can’t enter.

So the opponent must be Star Union’s highest authority, surpassing the Machine Committee.

‘The Grand Marshal.’

The current Grand Marshal is a player who has established a close relationship with a Megacorp player.