Ch.297Rest (4)

“Are you trying to experiment with transplanting biological characteristics into my remote control model?”

[Zu (Yes)]

PS-111 pointed at its body with its hook-like claws.

“You may experiment on my body if you wish.”

[Zuzuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu zuzuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzu (There could be side effects. If something goes wrong, you might have to discard your body)]

“Side effects, you say?”

Not all characteristics are beneficial even for AMorph.

There are traits like “Energy Absorption,” which changes the mouth and digestive organs making it impossible to absorb essence, or “Dwarfism,” which permanently fixes body size to be as small as a human. Besides these, there are many other characteristics that can be disadvantageous.

Actually, there’s nothing inherently wrong with these characteristics. Both Energy Absorption and Dwarfism are useful traits for their original owners. They just don’t suit AMorph.

In other words, they might be advantageous only to me, with no guarantee they’d benefit No. 26 or Adhigh Orr. The same applies to PS-111.

“Indeed, significant genetic structural differences make transplantation difficult. This will be useful for confirming compatibility with the remote control model.”

PS-111 seemed to agree with this assessment and nodded.

I extended my combat arm toward the remote control model. The palm inside my four fingers opened, and symbiotic spores shot out from within.

Characteristics can only be transplanted into “friendly organisms.” Based on my experience so far, targets implanted with symbiotic spores are considered friendly to me.

The spores attached themselves to the Screamer body, which consisted of only a face and upper torso. The tick-like spores with short legs seeped into the incomplete torso.

Then the Screamer body synchronized with PS-111 stammered:

“For-foreign, object, confirmed. Confirmed.”

‘I hope being mechanical doesn’t prevent this from working.’

In the artificial body it created, the only mechanical parts were the face, brain, and parts of the skeleton. Everything else was made of tissue or organic materials cultivated in this facility.

Fortunately, when I placed the auxiliary organ below its jaw, a text box appeared.

「Double Helix Monolith activated!」

「Characteristic selection available for transplantation.」

‘Good.’

Now, which characteristic should I transplant?

It can’t be characteristics I frequently use or those essential to my survival. Obviously, traits I suspect might be useful are also excluded.

‘If the results are good, I’ll have to pass them on to the kids.’

Similarly, I’ll exclude special defense-related characteristics. I haven’t acquired those types yet, so I can’t waste them carelessly.

‘For an appropriate experimental characteristic….’

Something not particularly useful but with quickly verifiable results would be ideal.

After brief consideration, I chose “Body Crystallization,” a general environmental adaptation characteristic.

Body Crystallization temporarily hardens the body’s carapace. However, the hardness level isn’t particularly high, and since there’s a superior version called “Variable Bio-weapon,” it’s not an especially necessary trait.

「Do you wish to select the ‘Body Crystallization’ characteristic?」

‘Yes… huh?’

After confirming, the heads on both sides broke free from my control and began moving on their own.

The heads approached the artificial body and opened their mouths wide. From inside emerged something like tentacles, too thick and long to be considered tongues. Two tentacles covered in black mucus gently wrapped around the artificial body.

‘What’s this?’

“Ab-abnormal tongue, phenomenon occurring, abnormal phenomenon.”

“Ab-abnormal tongue, phenomenon occurring, abnormal phenomenon.”

Both the wrapped body and PS-111 showed identical reactions. They both trembled and repeatedly mentioned the abnormal phenomenon.

「’Body Crystallization’ characteristic lost.」

「Characteristic injection in progress. 5 minutes until completion.」

‘…Should be fine, right?’

Just then, a text box appeared. The tentacles retracted back into the mouths, and I regained control of the heads on both sides.

The body wrapped by the tentacles was now encased in black mucus, similar to when I evolve. However, since the entire body wasn’t being reconstructed like mine, the cocoon was smaller.

Once the body with the injected characteristic entered the cocoon, PS-111 returned to normal. It blinked its camera lens eyes as if it had never convulsed.

[Zuzuzu (Are you okay?)]

“Complex and precise chemical reactions confirmed. Genetic rearrangement beyond my analytical capacity is taking place.”

[Zuzuzuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzuzu (It’ll take about 5 minutes to complete)]

“I can sense the synchronized state but cannot control it.”

[Zuzuzu zuzu zuzu zuzuzuzu (That’s what evolution feels like)]

“I will record this.”

It seemed deeply impressed by the mutation occurring in the remote control model.

The mechanical arms in the production bay collected samples of the mucus that had fallen to the floor according to its will. Meanwhile, the main body dipped its hook claws into the scattered mucus and even tasted it.

[Zuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu zuzuzuzu (Don’t touch the cocoon. It’s fragile)]

“Understood.”

AMorph’s cocoon is vulnerable to external attacks. The remote control model, wrapped in an even thinner membrane, would be much easier to damage.

It nodded in understanding and seemed disappointed as it was about to touch the cocoon.

After five minutes, the mucus of the cocoon dried up completely. The mutated Screamer body tore through the brittle membrane as it moved.

“I’ve confirmed that high-dimensional adjustments have been made. I’ll save this data for reference in future model development.”

“High, high-dimensional, adjustment, development, de-development, reference.”

[Zuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzuzu (You should have a new ability you can use. Check it out)]

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

The main body and incomplete clone answered simultaneously.

Granule-like structures began to form on the upper body of the remote control model lying on the floor. What initially looked like water droplets grew larger and covered the skin surface. They resembled scales made of cubic crystals.

‘Did it work?’

When AMorph activates Body Crystallization, it doesn’t look like this but rather covers the body with obsidian-like carapace. I touched the material covering the skin with my combat arm.

‘It’s hard.’

Though the appearance was different, the feeling was identical to when using Body Crystallization.

[Zuzu (How is it?)]

“A crystallization-promoting substance has been secreted on the upper body. The secretory organ appears to be a genetically mutated version of an existing organ in the body.”

[Zuzuzuzu (Any side effects?)]

It twisted its neck about 200 degrees on the spot. The remote control model twisted its neck identically.

“The crystallized material has hardened into thin scales, so there’s no problem with movement.”

That’s good news. It means the transplanted characteristic adapts somewhat to the recipient organism’s body.

‘Let’s try one more experiment.’

The Double Helix Monolith can transplant up to two characteristics.

For my next choice, I selected “Neurotoxin Gland,” a fusion characteristic related to the body.

There are two reasons. First, to verify how far characteristics adapt to the body.

‘The body PS-111 created is incomplete and has no resistance to toxins.’

The main body, being a combination of various organisms’ genes, has immunity to various toxins.

But the clone doesn’t. In this state, we need to see whether the immune system for neurotoxins will be applied along with the transplant, or if only harmful toxin glands will develop.

‘And second.’

Neurotoxin is no longer useful to me.

Since becoming a subadult, many enemies I encounter have resistance to toxins, giving neurotoxin fewer opportunities to be effective.

‘It served me well.’

Neurotoxin Gland, a fusion characteristic I obtained on the research ship where I first opened my eyes. Thanks to it, I overcame many crises.

It’s time to let go of this helpful characteristic. I transplanted Neurotoxin Gland to the remote control model.

After going through the same cocoon-wrapping process, it was time for PS-111 to check its body again.

“A paralyzing chemical substance has spread throughout the body, making movement impossible.”

After confirming the result, it shook its head.

“A gland secreting toxic substances has formed in the body, making detoxification impossible. This remote control model cannot be used until an immune system that neutralizes the toxin is built.”

[Zuzu (Really?)]

The Neurotoxin Gland that had helped me for so long continued to help me even as it departed.

‘It doesn’t apply organically like with AMorph.’

The result was different from Body Crystallization. Only the toxin secretion gland was created without the immune system for that toxin. It seemed impossible to create at least two independent organs in the body.

‘It’s too early to be certain.’

We need to verify more.

“This is an interesting experiment. I believe it will be useful for creating and improving remote control models. I recommend additional experiments.”

It spoke as if reading my thoughts.

‘What we need are characteristics for experiments, and….’

Both our gazes turned to the mechanical equipment busily working inside the production bay.

[Zu zuzuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu (What do you need to make more?)]

“Biological tissue, skeletal tissue, and minerals to serve as materials for mechanical parts.”

[Zuzuzu (Understood)]

Now I knew how to spend the rest of my vacation time.

Time flew by, and 10 days had passed.

Three days after the scheduled date, Sky Mother arrived at the new dragon’s nest.

「Wow. I really didn’t expect this.」

Sky Mother, who arrived in a damaged Screamer support ship, gaped at me and PS-111.

[Zuzuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu zuzu (This is what happened while experimenting)]

「…Are these still Screamers?」

[Zuzuzu (Sort of)]

In truth, as she suggested, calling them Screamers isn’t quite accurate. After all, one wouldn’t call a creature with a woman’s head and eight metal legs a Screamer.

“These are models created in the most efficient form for genetic transplantation experiments. They consume minimal energy and have excellent survival capabilities.”

“Excellent!”

“Excellent!”

Five mini-Screamers with PS-111’s face simultaneously repeated the word “excellent.”

Since we focused on characteristic transplantation experiments, unnecessary functions like language modules were removed. That’s why they can only speak in single words now.

「Wow! So many little friends!」

No. 26, who came with Sky Mother, seemed to like the mini-Screamers.

「Little friends, just like friend!」

「Body」「None」「Hurt?」

“This is their original form.”

No. 26 gently picked up a mini-Screamer with its tentacles. Adhigh Orr beside it, with curious eyes, tapped the mini-Screamer with its front paws.

Seeing this, Sky Mother pressed her fingers hard against her eyes.

「…I think I’m going to throw up.」

“This is the result of collaborative work between myself and AMorph. Please reconsider your statement.”

“Collaborative! Reconsider!”

“Collaborative! Reconsider!”

「Collaborative?」「Work?」「Result?」

「Little friend cute!」

As PS-111 said, making them this way allowed us to conduct multiple experiments in a short time.

‘It helped PS-111 too.’

Those five mini-Screamers each have at least one of my characteristics transplanted into them. Thanks to using Hunting Aspect daily to collect characteristics and immediately implanting them.

Each of the five possesses different characteristics, and PS-111 controls them simultaneously. They’ll be a great help for PS-111’s future activities.

‘Anyway, Sky Mother has returned.’

The 10-day vacation, short in some ways and long in others, had come to an end.