Ch.458Nero and Mecharshetentakel.

The problem was that the structure of the Assimilation Assault Ship wasn’t particularly strong in terms of raw firepower like regular assault ships.

As the name suggests, it was optimized only for “capture” – designed to ram into enemy vessels like a missile and take control from within.

Due to the inherent limitations of the assault ship class, its tanking ability was truly pathetic.

I felt quite ambivalent looking at this assault team with the remarkably complicated name “Mechakrschententakel.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if it might be better to terminate their employment altogether.

However, after the assault team completed their warp and docked at Tannhäuser’s mooring facility, I decided to temporarily shelve the idea of canceling their employment when “Nero,” who could be considered the leader of this mercenary group, appeared at the command center.

And the reason for that was none other than…

-Clank, clank, thud!

-Screech, squeak.

“Heheheheh, h-hello…”

“Hmm.”

“N-nice to meet you, I’m… the chief researcher at Spiralis Laboratory… no, I’m N-Nero, in charge of Mechakrschententakel… heheh.”

“Hmmmm.”

With a very gloomy appearance, green hair, purple eyes, wearing seemingly ordinary clothes topped with a slightly dirty lab coat.

The moment “Nero” introduced herself while floating in mid-air using mechanical arms that looked like they belonged to an octopus doctor designed to fight spider-people, stuttering severely…

‘Wow, those breasts.’

Despite her hunched posture with her waist half-bent, she was sporting “science pouches” that could rival those of Commander Lephan or Pashtra, or exaggeratedly speaking, even Pashtra or Bendaloph in “combat mode” in terms of size and beauty.

I put aside all other trivial thoughts and greeted the gloomy science pouch Nero-nero with a warm welcome.

“Welcome to our base and the neutral zone of the central area, Commander Nero!”

“P-please call me Doctor… I’m in ch-charge of the assault team for r-research purposes…”

And Bendaloph, who was standing blankly beside us, looking at Nero-nero’s appearance…

After glancing back and forth between me and Nero-nero for a moment, she eventually nodded and muttered a dry assessment.

“It seems my thoughts about the Commander’s preferences were not wrong after all.”

After such a welcoming ceremony(?).

While Doctor Nero was being led by Jessica on a tour of the base, I decided to check Nero’s status window to understand the nature of her science pouches and assault team.

But when I actually saw her traits, I understood why Nero asked to be called “Doctor” rather than “Commander.”

—————————————-

<Nero>

<Level 50>

<Type: Mass Close-Range>

<Traits: Mad Scientist, Gloominess, Research, Enhancement, Frailty>

<Stats>

Health: Negligible (Ordinary person)

Attack Power: D-

Physical Defense: D-

Magical Power: SSS-

Magical Defense: S+

Mobility: A-

—————————————-

‘What is this?’

The structure was clearly different from the status windows of other base mercenary groups, or rather mercenary commanders, that I had experienced so far.

There was no trace of the “Commander” or “Master” traits that most mercenary commanders typically possessed.

Although her type was “Mass,” it was also “Close-Range,” yet her health, attack power, and physical defense were either at ordinary person level or D-, which didn’t suit close combat at all.

In contrast, her magical power, which represented intelligence, was extraordinarily high, and her mobility was also quite high.

From the type, traits, and stats in the status window, I could understand how to use Nero and what the fleet’s concept was.

‘Hey, this is completely similar to Griyanar’s style.’

First of all, based on Nero’s “Mass” trait and terrible base stats, I could tell that like Griyanar, she didn’t fight directly herself, but rather had her created or commanded weapons and troops fight for her.

If I had to categorize it, I’d call it a “command type.”

And while Nero and the other superhumans were away chatting, I checked the “Assimilation Assault Ships” at the docking facility through the command center’s surveillance cameras.

Though they looked similar to regular assault ships on the outside, the interior was essentially no different from monster-type assault ships…

And since there were tentacles and blood vessels visibly writhing on the exterior as well.

I could automatically deduce that the concept of the “Mechakrschententakel” mercenary group was a mad scientist’s(?) fun and exciting biological weapon experimental unit.

And just as I was reaching this conclusion, our Doctor Nero was returning to the command center with Jessica after touring the base, when…

“Commander~ I was trying to develop something amazing this time~”

At that moment, as always, Griyanar, who had come to create something and secure a budget (resources and gold), proudly appeared riding her pet tentacle(s) through another door.

Since Jessica apparently hadn’t taken Nero to the Nest of Life, Doctor Nero naturally turned her head toward Griyanar’s voice.

Of course, Griyanar also naturally shifted her gaze in that direction when she realized I was looking somewhere other than at her.

“Huh?”

“Oh my.”

“…”

“…”

The two mad scientists exchanged glances at each other’s appearance, as well as at the pet tentacles and mechanical arms they had brought with them…

Eventually, instead of moving themselves, they slowly approached each other using their tentacles and mechanical arms to carry their bodies.

Then, with somehow incredibly passionate and intense gazes, they shook hands firmly while silently nodding to each other.

And then, still without additional words, they promptly departed together somewhere in harmony.

‘Wait a minute, come to think of it, it was already difficult enough with just Griyanar, and now another mad scientist is being added to the mix.’

I could feel a creeping thought in the corner of my mind that I might have brought about some kind of “disaster.”

Of course, it was just a vague anxiety, so I decided to shake it off quickly, thinking that nothing strange would happen.

But as a result of Gri-gri and Nero-nero locking themselves up in the “Nest of Life” while declaring “we’re best friends from now on,”

Although Gri-gri was good at everything, given the nature of my faction, it was inevitable that she leaned more toward the “biological” side in the fusion of biology and machinery.

When Nero, who also pursued the fusion of biology and machinery but leaned more toward the “mechanical” side, joined Griyanar,

The brains of the two mad scientists went into overdrive with a proper balance that wasn’t skewed to either side…

And as a result of the two crazy doctors being able to do all sorts of things with nearly unlimited resources and time…

“Since when did the conveyor belts here change into living larvae?”

“At least they can still be used for cargo transport.”

“Tentacles are coming out of the toilet!!!”

“It’s cleaner and more comfortable than a bidet.”

“Why are screws growing on plants, and gears rolling around?”

“It makes parts procurement easier.”

All kinds of crazy things were happening in real-time, and the base’s transformation through the “Nest of Life” became so severe.

Some stored chimera test subjects were modified, causing our superhumans to suddenly find themselves in a “space of death.”

“Commander Icarus.”

“Ah, Leonard? What’s the matter?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk about Marian… wait, sorry, but drink this first.”

-Gulp.

“Hyaaaaaaah♡ It feels like my whole body has turned into nipples!”

“Aaaaaaaargh!!!”

As it turned out, someone had tried to put a TS potion in my iced americano but accidentally put in an aphrodisiac 3,000 times more potent instead.

Leonard drank it and ended up in the situation described above, among other incidents and accidents that continued to occur.

I quietly called Jessica and had her bring the two people to me.

Shortly after.

“I’ve brought the troublemakers, Commander.”

“…You both know what you did wrong, right?”

“Ugh…”

“Sorry, what happened to Leonard wasn’t intentional.”

I had to thoroughly scold the two people who had been subdued by Jessica and dragged in tied up along with their mechanical arms and tentacles, ordering them to restore all the modified parts of the base to their original state.