Ch.16Spider Web (3)

‘How will the enemy respond?’

This is not the end.

Those who sent the soldiers, and more soldiers remain.

Six have died, so there are about 90 soldiers and officers left on their side.

I know this ship lacks combat suits, but the real problem is weapons. If the enemies bring weapons beyond laser equipment, like plasma weapons, my chances of winning become slim.

‘Even a Juvenile can’t block plasma-grade weapons.’

With a physical enhancement type, I could withstand it twice at most, but before that, there’s no way to block it. A direct hit means instant death.

It can’t be helped since plasma weapons were developed with fleet battles in mind. They’re high-powered weapons designed to destroy ships or tanks, so their firepower is tremendous.

However, most plasma weapons are too heavy for one person to carry. There are lightweight plasma weapons, but they’re eye-poppingly expensive.

‘The only thing they might have here is a plasma launcher.’

The plasma launcher is a heavy weapon that Megacorps distribute one per squad. Honestly, given their terrible supply situation, they probably don’t even have plasma launchers, but you never know.

‘It’ll be difficult to deceive the enemy any further.’

A significant portion of my cards have been exposed. Unless they’re fools, they won’t fall for the same trick twice. I might be able to deal with a few dim-witted ones, but it’s impossible to deceive all 90 troops.

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

Unlike the inexperienced leader Eusung, Arnold is a thorough soldier. A soldier who plots conspiracies. I don’t know what his plan is, but he’ll definitely try to kill me before we reach C-08.

‘So I’ll aim for the head here.’

This is precisely when a blitz is needed. Before the enemy regroups, I’ll strike at their leadership first.

Conveniently, team leaders and above are gathered in the situation room. If I attack the situation room and reduce the number of team leaders, their command structure will be completely disrupted.

Having made my decision, I left the corpses behind and ran toward the bridge.

On the way, through a vent in the floor, I saw soldiers running in the opposite direction. Their destination was the place A1 had reported—the agricultural sector.

They seem to think I’m preparing to fortify there, which is completely wrong. While the soldiers are searching in the wrong place, I’m right in front of them.

Through the metal mesh of a vent installed in the wall, I can see a snow-white floor. The situation room, the cleanest space on the ship after the laboratory.

In contrast to the marble-like floor, the walls display the inky blackness of space. It looks like that because cameras mounted on the ship’s exterior reflect the outside scenery in real-time.

The people in the situation room were noisily arguing, seemingly blind to the beautiful spectacle of countless dancing stars.

“Crisis Management Team Leader! Where did that crazy monster come from? No, more importantly, what exactly is it?”

I couldn’t see him from here, but just from his voice, I could easily tell that Eusung was in a state of panic. Not far from him, Arnold’s voice was heard.

“…I don’t know. When I checked the Material Management Team Leader’s list, there was an unregistered organism in the database. I suspect it might be that creature.”

“How can you make such an irresponsible statement! I even lent you the team leader’s combat suit, but you gained nothing!”

So that was a team leader’s suit. Combat suits are lifelines in space, yet they skimped on them.

If there had been a few more intermediate combat suits, or even just advanced ones, I wouldn’t have been able to hunt so easily. Eusung was cutting expenses at the cost of his own life.

Apparently sharing my thoughts, Crisis Management Team Leader Arnold’s voice was mixed with anger.

“If the equipment had been just a little better, this disaster wouldn’t have happened, Captain.”

“What?!”

“And it’s wrong to say we gained nothing. We learned that the enemy is a dangerous creature with high intelligence, and at the same time, can mimic human voices.”

“You call that information?!”

“Information gathering is paramount on the battlefield. Now that we have information about the enemy, we just need to formulate a response strategy based on it.”

“…Tch.”

Though slightly annoyed, Arnold’s voice remained unwavering. Eusung, seemingly at a loss for words, could only click his tongue.

“So do you have a plan?”

“I’ve already sent soldiers, but there’s something additional I’d like to request.”

“What is it?”

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

“What!”

A plasma launcher. I suspected it, and it seems they really do have one. From the nuance, it doesn’t seem like every squad has been supplied with one.

The plasma launcher is a magic wand that solves most problems, but the team leaders showed disapproving reactions.

“Are you crazy? We agreed to use that weapon only when fighting pirates!”

“This is inside the ship! Even if the battleship was converted into a research vessel, using a plasma launcher inside! If you want to commit suicide, go outside into space and die alone!”

“Silence!”

When the Navigation Team Leader and Technology Team Leader squawked, Arnold shouted and intimidated them. They seemed to hesitate momentarily but then attacked Arnold again.

“Did you just yell at us?”

“I absolutely cannot approve of using a plasma launcher on the ship!”

Until now, Arnold had achieved excellent results in whatever task he was assigned, but this operation was a major failure. As a result, his charisma had plummeted beyond recovery. A typical reaction from Megacorp affiliates where results are everything.

‘It’s about time to make my move.’

The superiors are arguing irrationally, and the subordinates are hesitating whether to intervene or not. This situation, with the enemies in confusion, is the optimal moment to strike at the prey’s throat.

AMorph’s delicate auxiliary organs began searching. The target was every movement occurring inside the situation room.

The tentacles at the tip of my chin twitched, feeling the air. Then, a wave of information, like a swirling Milky Way, washed over me.

Electromagnetic waves and heat from computers and electronic devices, subtle mechanical sounds made by precise parts moving whenever the ship’s AI operates, human breathing, the sound of clothes rustling, the smell of sweat, muscle tremors, heart pulsations, the sound of blood flowing through vessels.

It was a world that humans could never perceive. I surveyed potential targets while peeking into this dimension of hypersensitivity.

Arnold is the top priority target, but he’s too far from my position. Knowing that I use ventilation ducts, he deliberately positioned himself far away.

‘The one closest to me is…’

The detected information was familiar—someone I had seen several times before.

A man with a half-balding head and a timid impression named Wei.

He was the temporary Research Team Leader who replaced Kisaragi Yujin, and he still tortures No. 26 every day.

‘I’ll target him.’

I was planning to kill him someday anyway. Now that a good opportunity has come, there’s no reason to pass it up.

I broke the metal mesh of the vent with my combat arm. The thin alloy mesh shattered into pieces under my arm, which had been strengthened when I became a Morphlet.

The AI will send a warning signal, but humans must respond. Everything will be over before they see the AI’s report.

I put strength into my legs, enhanced by the ‘Muscle Enhancement’ trait. My body leaped high as if I had stepped on a spring. While I was suspended in the air, Arnold was the first to react to the sound of the breaking mesh. His gaze turned toward the damaged vent.

His eyes widened. Recognizing the attack, he opened his mouth wide. Soon a shout would burst from his mouth, but by then, one person would already be dead.

Because I was already above Wei’s head.

Only after my body pounced on him did he react. Mounted on his shoulders, I bit his face.

His face instantly became bloody under my razor-sharp teeth. His facial skin was shredded, and his eyes and nose were damaged beyond function.

“Aaaaargh!”

When Wei, whose face was being scraped off while fully conscious, let out a pain-filled scream, the other team leaders who had been staring blankly were also shocked.

“U-uwaaaaah! Monster!”

Leaving Wei who had fallen to the floor, I rushed at another team leader nearby. The bright uniform characteristic of Megacorp became stained with blood and flesh.

“Aaaaargh!”

“S-save me!”

“C-communications officer! Alert the ship!”

I can’t allow that. I stopped slicing up the team leader and turned my head toward the communications officer.

“Eek?!”

Unlike the soldiers who had invaded through the ventilation passage, he seemed to lack combat experience. Seeing my blood-covered appearance, he froze and couldn’t take any action. But I had no intention of sparing him, so I rushed at him.

“Uwaaaaaa…guk!”

After knocking him down with force, I finished him with my tail. The stinger on my tail, now as large as a dagger, pierced his eye and destroyed his brain inside.

As I was retrieving my tail from his head, an energy bullet flew from somewhere and hit my back.

Looking back, it was Arnold. In his hand was a small laser pistol.

‘Must be an officer’s pistol.’

I expected him to run away, but this was unexpected. I swung my tail widely to shake off the blood.

Whether he had something to rely on or not, he didn’t retreat and fired the pistol again. I easily avoided it by twisting my body and approached him.

‘No combat suit but still so bold?’

His attire was a uniform like the other team leaders. Perhaps because he was a soldier, it was red instead of white, but it had no defensive function whatsoever.

In other words, if I swung my arm, he would be separated into upper and lower body, staining the white floor with blood.

“Gu, grrrrr….”

After finishing off Wei, who was groaning beside me, with my tail, I prepared to leap at Arnold.

Just as I was about to push off with my legs, my auxiliary organs vibrated greatly.

「My body floated in the air.」

「Arnold fired his pistol belatedly, but all shots missed.」

「My tail pierced Arnold’s abdomen.」

「He pulled out a plasma pistol from inside his clothes.」

「I tried to dodge, but my tail was stuck in his body, so I couldn’t.」

「The plasma bullet destroyed my head.」

「I died.」

‘Damn!’

Scenes flashed by at an incredible speed, like a video played dozens of times faster. It was the future prediction effect through predator senses.

‘A plasma pistol!’

Arnold had a weapon I never expected.

The plasma pistol is one of the few plasma weapons that succeeded in lightweight design. Its lethality is excellent while being as light as a pistol, making it an incredibly good weapon, but it has one drawback.

It’s astronomically expensive. That pistol alone costs as much as three of these ships. Without the wealth of Noble Capital or Prime Capital, it’s equipment you’d never see in your lifetime.

‘Damn, so he does have connections with House Yugin.’

That money pit, a plasma pistol, can kill me. A hit to the head or chest means instant death, and even a graze would be at least a critical wound. So I need to move carefully.

As my movements became cautious, Arnold frowned.

“So you noticed, as expected.”

He pulled out a thin, silver pistol-shaped plasma pistol from inside his clothes. Eusung and other team leaders, who were hiding in corners watching us, let out exclamations that sounded like screams.

“A plasma pistol?!”

“Such an expensive weapon!”

Arnold smiled leisurely, as if his tense face from earlier had been an act.

“You, I don’t know what you are, but you give me déjà vu.”

「Grrrr….」

“A monster with various abilities. You resemble my master, Siheyon Yujin.”

With those words, his gun barrel pointed at me. I, who had been extremely activating my auxiliary organs to read his body in advance, quickly threw myself aside.

A green light bullet exploded where I had been. The alloy plate, which would be unfazed by rock fragments flying in space, was shattered by that single shot.

“I’ll eliminate variables before he arrives.”

Avoiding his weapon, I took cover behind a computer.

The position we were standing in was the bridge. Being an important facility, he couldn’t fire recklessly either, but I didn’t know how long I could hold out. Time was not on my side. Everyone on the ship was an enemy, so the longer I dragged this out, the more disadvantageous it became for me.

‘The situation isn’t good.’

This is the greatest crisis I’ve faced since being born in the cargo hold. There have been various elements threatening my survival, but never has death been this close.

No.

To be precise, since ‘possessing AMorph’s body.’

‘I’ve experienced countless dangers worse than this.’

In Space Survival, I experienced the worst situations on a daily basis.

Did I give up? Or was I defeated?

None of the above. The one standing at the end was always me, AMorph.

‘You’ll eliminate me?’

Arnold was wrong.

No matter who comes, the one to greet them will not be someone like Arnold, but me.