Ch.386Sudden Attack (2)

Entering LV-06 was surprisingly easy.

Thanks to the metallic gremlins drawing attention. If not for them, it would have taken longer than it did now.

[Zzzzz(Where are they?)]

“They’re gone!”

No. 26, with silver tentacles raised like antennas, answered my question.

“They said they’ll come back if I call them! Did I do well?”

[Zzzzz(You did well)]

It can use those tentacles to communicate with metallic gremlins even outside the star system. That’s why I asked it for a favor. As soon as I entered the planet, I wanted it to make the metallic gremlins retreat.

‘They would win even if they fought directly…’

But doing it this way reduces casualties.

I plan to get their help when fighting the rankers later. It wouldn’t be wise to waste them here.

Anyway, they retreated safely. Until I request otherwise, No. 26’s new friends will wander other star systems.

I stopped focusing on them and concentrated on the situation outside the ship.

‘It’s been a while since I visited a Megacorp colony.’

The ship I’ve currently infiltrated has landed in a quiet park. Around the park, buildings that look like they could exist in the real world are densely packed.

However, there was almost no sense of human habitation.

A city built on a massive scale with disproportionately few humans. I can roughly guess why it’s in this state.

‘It seems it’s not filming time yet.’

Megacorp is quite popular in Space Survival.

It’s a human-dominated faction with a social and cultural structure familiar to modern people. Newcomers to the game find it easy to relate to.

However, if you ask veteran players which faction is the most evil in this game, most would answer Megacorp.

The biggest part of Megacorp’s notoriety comes from their “employees.”

In the setting, employees aren’t considered human but rather slightly intelligent livestock or living machines. Since androids are more expensive than employees, they’re essentially very cheap tools.

Their treatment is much worse than slaves. This is why Megacorp receives bad reviews, while the Cult Empire, which also keeps slaves, is classified as a good faction.

To escape employee status, one must “repay” their debt, and failure to do so passes the debt to their descendants.

Colony residents are those who failed in these repayment activities or their descendants. Depending on which colony, most colonists live lives worse than slaves or livestock.

‘It’s not for nothing that they’re evaluated as atrocious.’

Of course, many players say that’s precisely Megacorp’s charm. The setting of a future society that disregards human rights is common in SF media.

‘Well, that’s an assessment one can only make when it’s a game, not reality.’

LV-06, where I’ve come, is a colony that exists for entertainment. Every element on this planet is mobilized for the entertainment desired by the colony’s owner. The parks, buildings, and even people are sets and tools used to create entertainment.

‘Looking at this, it seems to be a place for making period dramas.’

The atmosphere of the park and the design of the buildings are quite familiar. It looks like a place for making videos set in Earth’s civilization before Megacorp was born.

Megacorp citizens like stimulation. They aren’t satisfied unless people actually die or get hurt in entertainment. Because of this, Megacorp entertainment is unimaginably extreme.

‘This place is probably the same.’

When filming starts, the smell of blood will be everywhere.

“Great One” “I” “Outside” “Want to go”

“I want to go out too.”

While I was lost in thought observing the surroundings through the ship’s senses, No. 26 and Adhigh Orr spoke to me.

‘They must be bored just sitting around.’

After landing in the park, Sechan, Sky Mother, and MPS-05 went outside. They’re trying to contact Sechan’s connections. Since there’s a communication device in those buildings, they should return soon.

‘Maybe I should tell them about this place until then?’

Perhaps No. 26 might find it interesting. At some point, it started showing more curiosity about human language and culture. I’ve seen it studying by watching videos on a terminal powered by psychic power several times.

‘For it, it’s probably more like feeling through the skin than watching.’

On the other hand, Adhigh Orr wasn’t as interested in the culture of sentient beings as No. 26. To be precise, it’s not completely uninterested, but its interests are limited to specific areas.

‘It only likes fields that help with hunting.’

Things like human weaknesses and strengths, weapons and defense systems. In that sense, it’s definitely like a Gallergorn. Actually, No. 26 is the unusual case, being an apex creature interested in human culture.

[Zzzz Zz Zzzzzzz(We still need to wait more)]

“The communication just ended. It will take 32 minutes to return.”

[Zzzzz Zz Zzzzz Zzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzz(I’ll tell you about this city in the meantime)]

“I know what a city is! They say it’s a nest where people live!”

“Dwarf” “Nest” “Information?”

No. 26 immediately showed interest. Adhigh Orr had an attitude of listening just because it was bored.

[Zzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz(This is a place where they make movies)]

“Movie?” “What does that mean?”

“What’s a movie?”

“It’s the visual content that the main controller watches on the terminal when studying.”

“Study” “Not really” “Fun” “Boring”

As expected, Adhigh Orr’s reaction wasn’t good. As soon as the word “study” came up, it lost interest and started curling up its body and grooming its wing scales.

“Wow! So we can get movies here?”

“With some modifications for the main controller’s use, yes, it’s possible.”

[Zzzzz Zzzz Zzzzzz Zzzz Zzzzzzz(I’ll look for something good if there is any)]

No. 26 glowed its body to show it was pleased with my and PS-111’s words. Isabelle, watching this, opened her mouth in curiosity.

“No. 26, you really do seem quite intelligent.”

“Yes! That’s right! I’m smart!”

Like me before, Isabelle seems deeply impressed by No. 26’s intelligence.

“I don’t see anything unusual. Is it related to food?”

She tilted her head when nothing showed up with her ‘All-Seeing Eye.’

I had also checked No. 26 with the ‘Insight’ trait before. Nothing showed up then either, just like now.

‘It must be innate.’

Looking back, there have been similar cases. Like the Black Gallergorn that could foresee the future, or the Mountain Crawler that grew to an overwhelming size, and so on. I think its exceptional intelligence might be a kind of mutation like those other cases.

‘Adhigh Orr is also a special individual.’

I’ve preyed on countless Gallergorn in the game, but I’ve never seen one with mixed characteristics of White Gallergorn and Red Gallergorn like it.

Adhigh Orr, feeling my gaze, looked at me while grooming its scales.

“Great One” “I” “Scales” “Groomed” “How do I look?”

[Zzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz(Always beautiful)]

It wagged the tip of its tail while lying at an angle. It seemed to like my compliment.

As everyone spent time in their own way, 30 minutes passed in an instant. Sechan, Sky Mother, and MPS-05 returned to the ship after finishing their contact.

“We’ve arranged a meeting. We’ll meet for drinks at 11 PM tonight.”

“Today?”

When I sent Sechan out, I told him to call the contact at a convenient time. But I didn’t expect it to be today.

The one who answered my question wasn’t him but Sky Mother.

“They say the other person just got promoted to executive secretary team leader under the general manager and is busy.”

“Secretary team? Weren’t they originally in the genetic design team?”

“The upper management completely changed about 10 days before we arrived.”

At her words, I looked down at Sechan.

“Why am I only hearing about this now?”

“Th-that’s because when I deal with Client S, I don’t contact other clients. Th-they demanded it to prevent possible information leaks or problems.”

“So you’re saying you didn’t hear the news?”

“Th-that’s… Aaaargh?!”

The parasite in his head begins to activate at my will. Sechan trembled with foam in his mouth from the pain of his brain being squeezed.

I watched him for a moment before instructing the parasite to stop. Sechan, who had been feeling pain while losing control of his body, fell to his knees.

“P-please spare me! I-I’ll never make such a mistake again…”

“Enough.”

“…”

“What’s the name of the new general manager? Is it still from House Zhao?”

“Y-yes! A member of Prime Capital, Lee Zhao!”

“Lee Zhao?”

The name ‘Lee Zhao’ – I think I’ve heard it somewhere before.

‘It’s a common name though.’

I’m sure it was an important name, but I can’t remember. As I tried to recall the hazy memory, PS-111 joined the conversation.

“Is it true that LV-06’s new general manager Lee Zhao worked at the weapons research base on Mercury before coming here?”

“I-I’ve only heard rumors so I’m not certain, but I heard they conducted joint research with House Garmelda on Mercury.”

After hearing Sechan’s words, PS-111 closed her mouth. Her face, covered with metal skin, was expressionless as usual, but I could sense a subtle emotion.

She’s disturbed right now. Seeing her twin sister’s strange reaction, Isabelle approached her.

“Sis? What’s wrong?”

“AMorph. I’ve mentioned the name Lee Zhao to you before. Do you remember?”

“Huh?”

At her words, something flashed in my mind.

When I first met PS-111 on that ice planet, she mentioned her creator.

Cloe Garmelda, head of House Garmelda.

And…

“Senior Researcher Lee Zhao of House Zhao.”

“Wait. Are you saying the general manager here is the one who created PS-111?”

Sky Mother is right. The person who participated in creating the Mutant Screamer model, PS-111’s prototype, has now become the ruler of the planet.

“Yes. The one who manipulated my genes was Research Director Cloe Garmelda and Senior Researcher Lee Zhao.”

“Plus the Grand Archon of Star Union.”

PS-111 nodded at my words.

“Is Lee Zhao here?”

“What? No. According to the secretary team leader, they left the colony two days after taking office.”

“Where to?”

“I-I don’t know that well… B-but! If you command me, I’ll find out somehow!”

I cut off my attention from the trembling Sechan and thought.

‘Lee Zhao is likely a player too.’

PS-111 was created using a clone of the Coldblood ranker Penelope as material. All the key people involved in developing the Mutant Screamer are likely rankers.

‘I came to LV-06 thinking there would be no players here.’

Of course, I was as careful as possible on the way here, but if the enemy is a player, that’s different. They would likely deduce not only my infiltration but also the relationship between me and the metallic gremlins.

‘At least they’re not here, which is fortunate.’

The enemy doesn’t know about my infiltration yet.

There’s only one thing I can do in this situation.

“Where are we meeting the secretary team leader?”

What I originally came here to do.