Ch.52Harbor District (2)

“A persistent bad connection.”

On the research ship, Arnold Russell tried to kill Kisaragi Yujin, but I ate him first.

Here too, someone named Jade Russell brought a Gallergorn for terrorism, but that Gallergorn is now traveling with me.

‘He must have targeted me after seeing me with the Gallergorn.’

Since Adhigh always rides on my head, it’s not strange that enemies would think that way.

Anyway, the enemy attack has already begun. I need to prepare to face it.

Currently, there are 4 enemies approaching, but the sniper is probably not among them.

‘The effective range of a sniper coil gun is 1.5km. They likely shot from a building outside the Earth boundary.’

Compared to ordinary sniper rifles, its effective range isn’t particularly impressive, but it has excellent firepower and penetration. Enough to easily pierce even my hardest head.

Unlike other sniper rifles, sniper coil guns are used at relatively close distances to maximize their strengths. The enemy probably shot me from high ground about 1km away.

‘The problem is that I can’t detect the sniper’s exact position.’

Excluding the sniper, I can sense 4 people within my perception. Three are relatively close, and one is positioned further back.

Based on the lack of artificial skin smell and minimal electrical signals flowing through their bodies, there are no androids among the approaching beings.

There was one who moved particularly mechanically, but the strong smell of blood instead of rubber from their skin confirmed they were a cyborg.

‘Plus, there’s a Cult.’

I can detect a subtle flow of psychic power from the one positioned at the rear. The amount of power is only slightly better than Adhigh’s, but I can’t tell if they’re actually weak or not.

What makes Cult abilities frightening is their diversity and uniqueness. Cults are one of the few races with potential for all kinds of psychic power techniques. Rushing blindly at a Cult is a perfect way to be toyed with by their extraordinary supernatural abilities.

‘To confirm their ability, I need to see their appearance first.’

My auxiliary organs analyze various elements like smell, sound, and vibration to determine the opponent’s condition. Since it’s difficult to read detailed aspects of appearance, I need to see them directly with my own eyes if I’m curious about their looks. I would normally rely on my auxiliary organs, but with Cults, it’s different.

‘Different horns specialize in different supernatural abilities.’

Unlike humans, appearance is very important for Cults. You can determine whether a Cult has an aggressive style or is specialized in support by looking at their horns.

In other words, horns are one of the few weaknesses of the otherwise powerful Cults.

Cult players are well aware of the disadvantages of horns, so they often deceive enemies by shaving them or altering them, but I was confident my opponent wouldn’t do that.

‘In the setting, Cults revere their horns.’

In Cult society, occupations are determined by the shape of horns, so damaging them is a serious crime. So if they’re not players, they would never touch their horns.

Even if they changed the appearance of their horns, they would only decorate them with accessories.

While hiding and analyzing the enemies, something small flew toward me from a distance.

‘Grenade!’

I quickly moved away from that spot. Then a powerful explosion occurred where I had been. The explosive force was so tremendous that a container weighing dozens of tons flew into the air.

The enemy didn’t seem to care about hiding their rampage in this city. Otherwise, there would be no reason to fire a grenade that causes explosions visible even outside Earth.

‘Tsk. This is going to be troublesome.’

I’m currently being pursued by armed police. William is distracting the police on my orders, but if I cause this much chaos, I’ll definitely get caught.

‘I need to wrap this up quickly.’

I have no intention of sparing those who put me in danger anyway.

‘So far, I’ve detected a Cult, a cyborg, a heavy weapons user, a sniper… One is missing?’

There was definitely one more, but I can’t see where they went. Since they’re not detectable by my auxiliary organs, they’re probably keeping their distance while looking for an opportunity to attack.

‘Excluding the missing one, there are 4 of them.’

I need to decide who to eliminate first.

‘It would be best to kill the sniper first, but it’s difficult under current conditions.’

I have a total of 2 long-range attack methods. The spine projectile organ and the monster’s tentacles.

I can’t use the monster’s tentacles because they consume too much energy, so the spine projectile organ is essentially my only long-range weapon.

‘With the spine projectiles, I could face the sniper, but…’

The problem is that the enemy is at a high position while I’m at a low point.

Moreover, the effective range of my spine projectiles is 500m. Compared to the weapon they’re holding, my effective range is less than half. To fight properly, I need to somehow close the distance with the sniper.

The enemies, if they’re not fools, won’t let me approach freely. That heavy weapons specialist facing me will try to block me.

‘I need to get closer somehow… oh no.’

My auxiliary organs reported that reinforced alloy bullets fired by the enemy were piercing through containers and rushing toward me.

I immediately made a short leap forward. The bullets aimed at my head once again failed to achieve their purpose and only hit the ground.

‘They shouldn’t be able to see me from their position?’

This was clearly an attack that defied common sense. Until just now, I had been lying flat on the ground behind a container, keeping my body low.

To see me, they would need to either approach my position closely or climb to a place high enough to view the entire port district.

‘Could it be?’

Having figured out how the enemies were reading my movements, I dashed forward.

Within seconds, two grenades fell on the container where I had been. If I had stayed there even a moment longer, I would have been caught in the explosion.

As expected, the enemies were reading and coordinating against my invisible movements. I know where this ability comes from.

‘It’s the Cult’s Soul Link technique.’

Among the psychic powers used by Cults, there’s a technique called “Soul Link.” It’s a supernatural ability that connects senses with specific allies to assist them. For example, if there are players A, B, and C, and A links vision with B and C, all three share the same vision.

In the game, the vision sharing effect was implemented as a mini-map at the top or bottom of the screen, so players who enjoyed support roles used it frequently.

‘Soul Link means they’re a supporter type.’

If so, the enemy Cult’s horns would resemble those of a goat. If they unfortunately had deer-like horns, it would be hard to guarantee victory, but that’s probably not the case.

‘I should assume all enemies are sharing vision.’

The effective range of Soul Link is up to a radius of 700m from the caster. It automatically disconnects beyond that. So the sniper attacking me must be sniping from a place not beyond the effective range of Soul Link from the Cult.

‘Being able to guess the sniper’s position is a gain, but…’

While I was jumping between containers, the enemies’ attacks didn’t stop. Due to their indiscriminate attacks, the containers carrying smuggled animals that I was planning to eat were rapidly decreasing.

‘I need to deal with that heavy weapons specialist first.’

At this rate, there won’t be any genetic essence left for me to eat.

While running, I fired my spine projectile organ backward. A biological bullet shaped like a sharp ice pick flew toward the enemy’s head.

The enemy wasn’t wearing any special protective equipment. There should be no way to avoid my spine projectile.

Or so I thought, but my prediction was wrong.

“Hehe, can’t let that happen.”

The cyborg wearing thick gloves deflected the spine projectile with a hammer. More than the hardness of the hammer, I was surprised by the opponent’s incredible reflexes.

‘He deflected that?’

For a cyborg to exert that kind of strength, most of their body must be replaced with machinery. It’s a level rarely seen outside the Star Union, so I didn’t expect to see it here.

‘The enemy is no pushover.’

I never expected to encounter such a formidable opponent in this unexpected situation.

‘I need time to regroup.’

If this continues, I’ll be defeated without even landing a counterattack. As I feared, the enemy under the cyborg’s protection fired a grenade at me.

‘…Ugh.’

I was caught in the explosion after dodging too late. My outer skin has resistance to fire, but it only reduces the pain rather than completely negating it. I endured the burning pain of my outer skin and kept moving.

“Fucking bug won’t die!”

Ignoring the enemy’s curse, I took cover behind another container. While the enemy was reloading the grenade launcher, I quickly checked the traits I possessed.

‘Spine attacks won’t be easy because of that cyborg and Cult. Saw tentacles? I’ll be immediately neutralized if I get sniped during the fight. But close combat isn’t a good idea either.’

Since both spine projectiles and close combat are difficult, the neurotoxin trait I usually use effectively is also sealed. The wing trait is difficult to use with a sniper present.

‘There must be a way… ah.’

Suddenly an idea came to mind. Fortunately, the container carrying “that” is nearby.

I moved to a large container box not far away. With no time to leisurely open the terminal, I tore off the door using my teeth and combat arms.

As expected, a huge beast was sleeping behind the bars installed inside the container.

With a tail included, it was about 6m long, covered with an outer skin that looked like it was forged from metal blades. It had a total of 6 legs, as big and thick as elephant feet.

It was the offspring of a Mountain Crawler, the creature that appeared in the ledger created by the cyborg Ras, whom I ate second after coming to this city.

I entered by bending the bars with my combat arms and activated the parasitic colony. Parasites that crawled out from my fingertips slipped into the Mountain Crawler’s ear canal.

“Grrrr?”

Perhaps sensing something strange from the parasites entering, the Mountain Crawler opened its eyes. Four large eyeballs rolled around before fixing on me.

“Grrrrrr”

Whether by animal instinct or because of the parasites, it didn’t resist me.

Its armor is much harder than my outer skin. Being still a cub, it has no armor on the lower parts like the belly, which is a weakness, but it’s still rightfully called a living tank.

I ordered it through the parasites.

Go out and rampage freely.

“GRRRRRRRR”

With a roar that literally sounded like a tank moving, it jumped out through the bent bars.

As soon as it went out, reinforced alloy bullets flew in, but they couldn’t penetrate the Mountain Crawler’s incredibly hard back armor.

“What the hell! What is that?!”

“It’s a Mountain Crawler!”

The enemies are panicking at the sudden appearance of the beast. Using the time bought by the Mountain Crawler, I left the container and ran in the opposite direction.

“Are you okay?”

[Zzzzz (You all?)]

“Me and the little one are fine. The food is fine too.”

[Zzzzzzz (That’s good)]

During my run, a wave sent by No. 26 arrived. From what he said, it seems all three of them haven’t suffered any attacks.

Since the enemies came here looking for the Gallergorn, they seem to have postponed attacking Adhigh’s side for now.

‘The problem is No. 26 and William.’

It doesn’t seem like the enemies will spare other beings besides Adhigh. They’ll probably try to kill them right after dealing with me.

While I don’t care about William, No. 26 is useful to me.

In the current situation, it’s not easy for me to protect No. 26. He needs to join me and fight against the enemies.

‘He should have gotten stronger after growing.’

It’s difficult to gauge No. 26’s level, but he’s certainly improved from before.

I’d like to confirm his strength from a safe place first, but that’s not possible in the current situation. I’ll have to test his strength through combat.

‘Along with that, I need to deal with their vision first.’

Even focusing on my auxiliary organs again, I can only sense 3 of the enemies. The sniper might be too far for me to detect, but that still leaves one missing.

‘The person in charge of vision. It’s definitely not just one person.’

The Cult responsible for the link.

And the one providing wide vision to everyone.

Among the enemies targeting me, there are a total of two in charge of vision.

‘Right now, the sniper and three others are focusing on the Mountain Crawler.’

That means the defense of the remaining one is vulnerable. Of course, there’s a high possibility that they’re hiding some trump card, but in the current situation, this is the only way.

Having decided, I sent a wave to No. 26.

[Zz zzzzzz zzzzzz zzz (Help that one, not me)]

“That hard one?”

[Zz (Yes)]

“What about the big one?”

[Zzzzz zzzzzz zzz (I have something to do)]

After telling No. 26 to help the Mountain Crawler, I ran toward where the hidden enemy might be.

It’s not difficult to guess where they’re hiding. My position hidden between huge containers can be easily identified, but when I’m inside a container, they can’t see what I’m doing.

The enemy is looking down at us from a very high place.

And in this port district, there’s only one high place.

The container crane.

That’s where someone is sharing vision and looking down at the battlefield.

‘I could send Adhigh and No. 26 there, but…’

There’s a reason I didn’t do that.

Partly because I don’t know what trump card the opponent might have, but also because I’m the one familiar with this kind of combat, not them.

Even in the game, I’ve faced countless enemies who used vision sharing to corner me like this.

Fighting such opponents, I learned one method.

A way to properly educate those who rely on each other’s vision.

‘You want to use the Gallergorn to turn this city into a wasteland?’

They are terrorists who came to bring fear and chaos to the space city.

I should show them what true terror is.