Ch.25Double Helix (1)

“Hey. Shouldn’t we be going too?”

“The boss told us to help Garlic.”

“I was happy about getting a big cut, but damn…”

Bridge situation room.

The pirates were debating whether to go help their boss or not. The complaining cyborg pirate noticed Garlic diligently working.

She was tinkering with the main computer where the ship management AI was installed.

“Hey Garlic. How much longer?”

“It’s, it’s almost done.”

“What’s taking so long with that stupid tin can?”

Ironically, despite having half his body made of machinery, the cyborg pirate was completely ignorant about computers and advanced technology.

He was so clueless that he didn’t find it strange that code written by someone he didn’t know was working perfectly without any bugs.

He was someone forcibly turned into a cyborg by the Star Union.

Like most lower-class citizens of the Star Union, he was more interested in worldly matters than high-level concepts like robotics or nano-computing technology.

“It may be older generation, but it’s a Megacorp ship’s AI. It’s practically the essence of space engineering and computer science, so it can’t be that easy…”

“Ah, I don’t understand difficult words. Just finish up quickly and let’s go help the boss.”

The cyborg waved his hand dismissively when Garlic tried to give a complicated explanation.

As the pirates lost interest and resumed their pointless chatter, Garlic gave them an awkward smile and focused back on her work.

Or rather, she pretended to focus.

When she turned her head, the previously bewildered expression was nowhere to be found.

Behind her round glasses, her eyes were colder than the metallic mass surrounding them.

‘Arnold did something big.’

Thanks to her subordinate’s sacrifice, she was able to discern that the creature was evolving.

The creature had been caught on camera in the situation room twice. It cleverly used smoke screens both times to hide itself, but she had no trouble reading its changes.

Her eyesight and spatial awareness were incomparably superior to humans thanks to genetic modification.

Among the gene samples implanted in her was one from a creature called a Terror Devil.

The Terror Devil is a type of pterosaur that inhabits desert planets.

Due to its extremely harsh habitat, this pterosaur’s detection abilities evolved in a unique direction.

When prey is hidden in sand, the Terror Devil can comprehensively analyze various factors such as changes in terrain and subtle vibrations on the sand to determine what kind of prey is hiding.

The accuracy is close to 100%, leading the planet’s natives to call it an “x-ray” ability.

Of course, it’s not actually “seeing” what’s hidden behind obstacles, but rather “reconstructing” what’s hidden by reading surrounding information, but still.

Megacorp scientists concluded that the Terror Devil’s “x-ray” ability was possible due to an innate psychic power.

Anyway, she used the Terror Devil’s ability to discern that the creature in the footage was an evolving being.

The creature that had been cautious in front of a plasma pistol appeared with much thicker skin the second time.

By her estimation, it could withstand at most two shots.

‘It raided the lab and absorbed genetic samples in between.’

She was currently accessing laboratory data through the ship’s main computer.

The computer-illiterate pirates had no idea she had finished all checks long ago and were just focused on their idle chatter.

‘It’s not just intelligent.’

The sample loss report sent by the lab’s control AI showed that it had consumed everything without leaving a single sample.

It had precisely targeted only genetic samples, not touching any other chemicals or materials.

This meant it knew exactly what abilities it had and how to use them.

‘A monster that absorbs genes and evolves…?’

She knew of beings similar to it.

‘The same kind as me.’

That was her conclusion.

It was similar to her, a monster that steals and utilizes the genes of other organisms.

‘Elchen can’t win.’

He is merely a monstrosity enhanced by someone else’s will. A pathetic being who doesn’t even know what’s inside his own body.

Someone like Elchen could never defeat a creator of life who can manipulate the very foundation of organisms at will.

She shut down the computer. A smile had formed at the corners of her mouth.

Though she would never know it, that smile resembled the one often worn by the unidentified enemy.

It was the smile of a predator circling its prey.

‘I was annoyed because of that old man, but this is an unexpected gain.’

When she was talking with her faithful servant Arnold, she never dreamed such exciting things would happen.

Noble Capital’s death, Akira Yujin’s orders, Dvara Cartel boarding this research vessel.

Everything was according to her plan. Except for that interesting being.

“Garlic, are you done?”

“If you’re finished, let’s go.”

The pirates called out, but she didn’t answer.

She had no more business with them. After her mission, she would need to infiltrate another organization entering C-08.

‘And I should reduce the number of genes it can acquire.’

She could understand because she too was a being that devoured the essence of life.

She didn’t know exactly how it stole genes, but she knew that without a corpse, genes couldn’t be obtained.

She rose from her seat.

The timidity that had surrounded her until now was nowhere to be found.

Like a chameleon changing its color, the person standing there was a completely different woman. In place of timidity and gloominess was the ferocity and allure one might feel from a large feline predator.

“Huh?”

Her former “comrades” flinched as if sensing their approaching fate.

She slowly removed her non-prescription glasses.

The woman called Garlic in the Dvara Cartel has many names.

Megacorp’s enemies call her the Spiral Witch.

In her family, she is revered as the Shadow.

The head of the family, Akira Yujin, calls her Code White.

The man who was once her father called her Siheyon.

The pinnacle of genetic engineering produced by House Yugin and the sole heir of a forgotten bloodline.

*Sling*

Siheyon Yujin, pulling out a white blade from the back of her hand, smiled at the “sheep” before her.

–

I quietly observed the predator in front of me. The boss also refrained from rushing in, instead scrutinizing me from where he stood.

A battle between beasts.

We were engaged in reconnaissance before revealing our teeth and claws.

It’s similar to human combat, where the outcome is determined by whose strategy is superior or whose weapons are more threatening.

Is it due to tension? Or anticipation for the fight? The acidic blood flowing inside me boils, and my outer skin heats up.

‘So this is what it feels like.’

It’s an exhilaration I couldn’t feel while playing the game.

If I had a human body, I might have licked my parched lips.

The opponent’s muscles tense. With just one stomp on the ground, he charges right up to my face. This huge guy is unusually fast.

The floor caves under his fist, and metal fragments scatter into the air. The white debris shooting upward looks like snowflakes dancing in the wind.

As I twist my body to avoid the attack, I simultaneously dive into his inner space.

Perhaps he felt my movements were more nimble than expected. He’s slow to withdraw the fist that had just shattered the floor.

Having no intention of going easy on him, I jabbed my combat arm into his stomach.

“Ha!”

It seems I wasn’t the only one who predicted the attack. He lifted his knee to deflect my arm, neutralizing my attack.

My tail attached to his shoulder, but he chose to dodge rather than block. The massive Hulk mutant kicked the alloy plate so hard it left footprints. The 3-meter giant flew through the air, retreating quite a distance.

He hadn’t simply retreated. During our exchange, he had planted pulse grenades without my knowledge.

When his first attack missed, he stiffened his body—I thought he was surprised, but it was actually a feint to throw the bomb.

As soon as I realized this, the grenades exploded, and a powerful electromagnetic field swept over my body.

‘Ugh.’

My body was fine, but the psychic organ at the back of my head stung as if I’d eaten spicy food.

It was incorrect, but throwing a pulse grenade assuming I was a combat android wasn’t bad intuition. With this level of skill, he probably rarely finds worthy opponents.

“Tsk. Not one of Star Union’s new weapons then.”

The boss clicked his tongue in disapproval. Through our brief exchange, he seemed to have clearly recognized that I was no easy opponent.

“…Shit. Where did a monster like this come from?”

The boss cursed and reached for the rifle at his waist. It was a modified laser rifle, but due to his enormous size, it looked almost like a slightly long pistol hanging there.

After a moment’s consideration, he took his hand off the rifle.

A wise decision. Though more powerful than a standard rifle, it’s still a laser weapon.

All his subordinates had attacked with laser rifles and failed. Since I showed no injuries during our exchange, it’s reasonable to assume laser weapons are ineffective against me.

He roughly brushed back his mane. I could see a switch on the right side of his neck.

‘Berserk switch.’

It seems he decided to trust his own fists rather than rely on weapons. As he was about to press the switch with fingers almost the size of beer cans, he stopped.

“Hey. Can you understand me?”

That was unexpected.

Until now, no one except No. 26 had faced me and spoken. They had only left words about not wanting to die or begging for their lives.

I don’t know what his intention was, but he succeeded in piquing my interest. As I slightly lowered my threateningly raised tail, he raised the corner of his mouth.

“I’ve planted a bomb in the reactor. The control device is synchronized with my heartbeat. Kill me, and this ship explodes—everyone dies.”

‘A bomb?’

I checked the medical team leader behind the boss. His pale complexion and the way he wiped sweat with his sleeve showed that the boss wasn’t lying.

The bomb installation itself is true, but the important question is whether the boss would actually detonate it.

‘He seems quite attached to life.’

High intelligence, transcendent physique, and arrogance. None of these factors would lower his will to survive.

“……”

Despite being the one to speak to me, he seemed to have no intention of explaining further as he silently pressed the switch.

With that signal, the Hulk mutant’s characteristic transformation began.

The gene arrangement in his cells twisted, and his flesh contorted.

Bones inside broke through skin and protruded outward, while blood that should have been circulating within vessels spilled outside.

Steam rose from his skin surface due to the energy raging inside, and as his muscles swelled, his outer clothing tore.

“G-gr, grrrrrr.”

The monster growls in the pain of transformation.

The artificially created Hulk mutant—naturally, its transformation process is unnatural. It must be extremely painful.

Having completed the transformation in a short time, he slammed both hands on the floor. The ship shook violently from the tremendous force.

If his normal state already looked inhuman, his appearance after completing the berserk transformation truly deserved the term “monster.”

His arms were much longer compared to before.

Not only that, but the inner bones had protruded to form armor-like protection around his arms, resembling small shields.

Not just his arms, but his head, legs, and other parts were also covered with bone armor.

The completed form resembled an armored gorilla more than a human.

Near his chest, additional exoskeletons had formed to protect vital points, similar to mine. The difference was that the material of his chest-covering exoskeleton was alloy. The alloy exoskeleton rising from his back and wrapping his entire chest looked like a steel spider embracing his torso.

Bones protruding through torn skin, alloy exoskeletons still wet with blood from bursting out, abnormally long arms—

True to being a Hulk mutant, he exuded an ugliness as if the creator had played a prank.

‘Just throwing genes together isn’t everything.’

Looking at what was essentially an inferior version of an AMorph, I estimated the genes in his body.

First, the bone covering his arms, which I expected to be his main weapon. I could guess which organism’s characteristic it was.

‘Must be Mountain Crawler.’

The Mountain Crawler is a predator sharing habitat with Rock Walkers, looking like an Armored Skink blown up to about 10 meters.

Nicknamed the “rock dragon” for its extremely hard outer skin, it was notorious even in the game.

The boss seems to have received only the best parts of the rock dragon genes.

He roughly tore off the tattered remnants of his clothes.

Standing at the boundary between savagery and reason, the Hulk mutant pounded his chest and roared.

“GRAAAAAAAH!”

「Grrrrrr」

Is my AMorph body resonating with that howl of pure destructive desire? My body also trembles, feeling the approaching festival of blood and violence through my skin.

‘Come.’

The monster and I roared simultaneously as we charged at each other.