Ch.84Shadow (1)

“Ahem, with this, I conclude my presentation. Ah, are there any questions?”

The head of the autopsy team carefully put down the microphone with trembling hands.

Monument Conference Hall.

Gathered here were those who could be considered the pinnacle of power within the Megacorp.

The elders and heads of Prime Capital.

Noble Capital and current CEO Akira Yujin, along with the Thompson clan of T&C.

And elders from other Noble Capital families.

The Megacorp leadership sat in stunned silence after hearing the autopsy team leader’s presentation.

One of them muttered, “I didn’t know T&C had such deep knowledge of genetic engineering…”

Despite such words being spoken in the presence of Akira Yujin himself, no one called it out.

Even Akira Yujin was so extremely surprised that he couldn’t maintain his composure.

‘Perfect fusion of more than six types of genes. Was that even possible?’

Akira Yujin was certain that even if someone told him the Earth had split in half, he wouldn’t be as shocked as he was at this moment.

And for good reason—the content presented by that shabby-looking man far surpassed the genetic technology of House Yugin.

‘This is dangerous.’

Just as he thought that, someone in the conference room raised their hand.

It was Wei Zhao, the man who controlled Megacorp’s media.

“Haha, I see Noble Capital will also have a generational change.”

Generational change.

It was a pointed remark suggesting that the relationship between Yugin and T&C might be reversed after this presentation.

It also implied that Wei himself would be changing his stance.

True to his profession in media, he was quicker than a bat at changing positions.

With Wei’s words, the atmosphere in the conference room completely shifted.

To one favorable to T&C.

Seeing this, Lila smiled.

‘Finally!’

Although her health had been extremely poor these past few days, this moment was so thrilling that she forgot all her pain.

Her current appearance could fairly be described as a living mummy due to her illness.

With only her eyes shining brightly with madness, she didn’t look normal to anyone.

But no one in this place would point that out.

After all, the autopsy team leader’s presentation was valuable enough to shock even her father Sadam out of his wits.

While everyone was excited about the presentation results, only one person was trying to suppress the anger rising within him.

‘Damn thieves!’

Danver, head of House Egerton, gritted his teeth.

Although Lila and the autopsy team leader packaged it as research they had been conducting for a long time, Danver knew better.

He knew where today’s presentation results had originated from.

‘That creature was originally mine!’

If his relationship with Lila hadn’t been so bad, he might have been able to get a piece of the pie too.

As a reward for helping hunt down the monster.

But their relationship was completely ruined, and Bickers, the vice-captain of the Silver Knight Order who could have explained things, never showed up.

‘At this rate, T&C might cut off funding too.’

There was only one reason Sadam gave him money.

Because the emergence of new Hulk Mutants would narrow Akira Yujin’s position.

But now there was no need for that.

They could make their own using the monster’s corpse.

‘No, it’s not over yet.’

Danver’s eyes grew cold.

The achievements they were praising themselves for came solely from that monster’s corpse.

If that corpse disappeared, the future he feared would never materialize.

‘I need to get my hands on that corpse!’

Conveniently, his knights were currently detained in guest rooms here at Monument.

If he ordered them to take ‘appropriate’ measures, it wouldn’t be impossible to get hold of the corpse somewhere in this building.

While Danver was plotting his dangerous scheme, Akira called for Code Black, who was disguised as a bodyguard.

“Find out about that man.”

“Understood.”

“If necessary, you may take Code Red with you.”

“…I will handle it urgently.”

Code Black quickly left, but Akira’s gaze remained fixed on the autopsy team leader.

The autopsy team leader, now the center of intense interest from Megacorp’s leadership.

At any other time, he would have been very pleased.

If only ‘it’ hadn’t made a nest in his house.

Four days ago, it escaped in a Monument security team truck and hid in his house.

Thanks to that, he had to try to sleep while feeling it watching him from the basement.

‘Someone please save me!’

But his cry would never escape to the outside.

–

‘Hmm?’

A familiar thought wave came from somewhere.

It was from one of the five parasites, the one that had taken residence in the autopsy team leader’s head.

‘You detected stress and shallow resistance from the autopsy team leader?’

With those words, it reported that it had given ‘appropriate’ pain to the insolent host.

‘Is it because of the house?’

Currently, I had left Monument and was using the autopsy team leader’s house as a temporary hideout.

‘Team leaders get houses in the administrative district.’

In the Special Trade Center, Cult members and high-ranking officials are provided with free housing and personal vehicles.

William, whom I had eaten before, also lived in the administrative district, and all the Cult members who have become my slaves now live around here.

‘The autopsy team leader is useful in other ways too.’

He regularly reports about me to the city’s general manager.

Because of this, Monument’s upper management hasn’t been able to connect the sudden employee disappearances with me.

‘And the information leak I was worried about isn’t that significant.’

According to the autopsy team leader, my genetic information hasn’t been registered in the Megacorp data archive.

He said it was because of the general manager’s orders, and I could guess why.

‘It’s because of greed.’

In the case of the Egerton knights, they were caught by me while trying to capture me out of greed.

Like them, the ruler of this city concealed the autopsy team leader’s research to monopolize the rights to me.

Because of that, research on me is being handled entirely by the autopsy team leader and his ‘subordinates.’

‘Though the higher-ups don’t know the researchers are dead.’

It was a mistake made because they decided to operate the project team with minimal staff to maintain confidentiality.

‘How foolish.’

In their obsession with the illusion of ‘achievement,’ they had no idea what was happening in reality or what had gone wrong.

‘The city is dying, and they talk about achievements.’

Currently, death is spreading in this space city.

Death in the name of a space bacteria variant.

Those who fought me in the sewers are still busily spreading an unidentified disease throughout the city.

The space bacteria itself isn’t lethal enough to kill people.

At most, it’s no worse than a cold or flu virus.

But combined with all sorts of contaminants in the sewers, it has now transformed into something so terrifying it could be called a plague.

‘If it weren’t for the Egerton knights, it wouldn’t have spread to Monument and the administrative district.’

Without them, it would have ended with just neutralizing the defense fleet.

My intention was only to infect those who were the biggest obstacles to my escape from the city.

But thanks to the knights participating in the hunt and then being detained under the guise of accommodation at Monument, the transmission range became much wider than I intended.

By now, most people inside Monument would be infected.

‘In just a few more days, it will be uncontrollable.’

There’s no more serious problem than a plague spreading in a closed structure floating in the middle of space.

And if the structure’s managers become the first victims of the plague? This place would clearly fall into a state of complete chaos.

Of course, if the general manager and Monument’s upper management had recognized the danger and dealt with it early, the space bacteria variant could have been easily eradicated.

‘But now they’re distracted by other things.’

Thanks to their foolish judgment, I was able to fulfill my evolution conditions more easily.

「’Juvenile->Subadult’ Evolution Conditions

Shapeshifting Sentient Beings 20/20 (Completed), Humanoid Sentient Beings 20/20 (Completed), Psychic Power Using Sentient Beings 12/20 (Incomplete)」

‘Only 8 more Cult members to go.’

Before coming to this house, I ate the night shift Volf from the security team, and after coming here, I ate additional Cult members from the administrative district.

Thanks to that, I’m not far from fulfilling all the evolution conditions.

‘By the time I finish eating them all, the defense fleet will be completely neutralized by the pandemic.’

When that happens, I can leave this place with No. 26 and Adhigh.

Even if they want to chase me, they’ll lack soldiers and officers to put on ships.

Of course, there’s the option of using androids, but Megacorp doesn’t put androids on ships after the Star Union rebellion.

Therefore, unless they somehow solve the space bacteria variant I’ve spread, tracking me from this city won’t be easy.

‘Everything is moving according to plan.’

I got up, ending my rest.

‘I wonder how the kids are doing?’

Being so far apart made it difficult to communicate with each other.

The waves I sent did reach them, but they kept getting interrupted, making proper communication impossible.

I could keep trying, but this is where Cult members live.

Beings sensitive to psychic power could intercept the waves sent by me or No. 26.

‘A Cult member in the First Central Control Room could do it.’

The Cult members there are on a different level from the ones I’ve eaten so far.

It would be dangerous to fight just one of them one-on-one, and if three attacked together, I would certainly lose.

‘Yak-horned Cult members are incredibly strong.’

Cult members have different types and powers of psychic abilities depending on the shape of their horns.

For example, goat horns specialize in support-type psychic powers, while mountain goat horns specialize in close combat psychic power techniques.

When using techniques that match their horn type, their power increases more than twofold.

‘Yak horns are specialized in four types of psychic power techniques.’

They are strong in close combat, ranged combat, buffs, and crowd control, and when using techniques in these categories, they receive more than triple the synergy.

Although my defense has strengthened due to my characteristics and type, psychic power used by yak-horned Cult members is still overwhelming.

‘That’s why I’m targeting other Cult members.’

I left the autopsy team leader’s house.

Today, my hunting targets are two Cult members from the Second Central Control Room.

After tracking them for two days, I found they are lovers living together.

‘Both are goat-horned Cult members. Not high in combat power.’

Thanks to my psychic resistance trait and complete organism trait, my defense against psychic power is very high. In this city, no Cult member except those with yak horns can harm me.

Moreover, I have no intention of facing them head-on.

‘It should be this way.’

I disabled cameras with my hijacking trait as I ran toward the Cult members’ house.

Well-ordered streets with neatly planted trees.

White houses and green lawns visible between them.

The image of the administrative district resembled an American drama’s suburban housing development rather than a dystopian space city.

Since it was before quitting time, there were no people on the streets.

Through my auxiliary organs, I detected someone inside the house, but they showed no signs of noticing me.

‘There it is.’

A house with traditional Cult patterns drawn on the front door.

I stood in front of the house and examined the door.

Seeing a handle and keyhole, it seemed there were no special security devices.

I activated my ghost claw trait.

Thanks to the trait, my hand turned translucent with a faint purple glow.

I inserted my hand through the door and slightly deactivated the trait at the tips of my claws. Then I unlocked the door from the inside.

With a click, the door opened.

‘Good.’

Having successfully infiltrated, I looked around the house.

The house structure was identical to the autopsy team leader’s house.

‘Three rooms and one bathroom on the first floor, two rooms and one bathroom on the second floor. And a basement.’

Though the structure was identical, the feel was completely different.

Compared to the autopsy team leader’s nerdy-feeling house, this place looked much better.

With wooden tables and furniture showing clear annual rings, chairs smelling of aged leather—the whole house had a strong antique feel.

‘I can hide here.’

I crawled into the basement.

–

“Oh, oppa, don’t do this here…”

“Why not? It’s nice.”

“We just got off work. Let’s wash up first.”

“You mean shower together?”

“Really!”

“Hehe, alright. I’ll set things up while you take your time washing.”

The Cult couple, who had been passionately kissing since entering the house, reluctantly separated.

As the female Cult member was about to go upstairs, her lover suddenly called her.

“Hey, wait a moment.”

“Huh? What?”

He gently held her face as she turned around and kissed her.

“Mmm, haa, oh, slurp, oppa…ah!”

During the kiss, the male Cult member skillfully used his psychic power to stroke her back.

Feeling an electrifying ecstasy, the female Cult member moaned.

“Haa…slurp, mmm, yes! Mmm, oppa…ugh! S-stop!”

Barely holding onto her senses, she pushed her lover away with both arms.

With her neck and ears flushed red, she glared at him.

“Oppa, seriously!”

“What? Why?”

“…Sigh.”

Seeing her lover’s grinning face, she couldn’t stay angry even if she wanted to.

She sighed and went upstairs.

“Well, let me prepare.”

The male Cult member took out a bottle of premium wine and two glasses that he had hidden in the cupboard.

It was something he had specially imported from Earth for today.

As he was about to go upstairs with the gift, he heard a voice from above.

“Oppa, the hot water isn’t coming out properly!”

“Again? Alright! I’ll check it in the basement!”

After shouting back to his girlfriend, the male Cult member opened the basement door with the gift in hand.

“Huh? What’s wrong with this again?”

He turned on the basement light, but there was no response.

He considered looking for a flashlight.

“It’s probably nothing.”

The male Cult member went down to the basement with the wine and glasses.

Since this happened often, he was familiar with the basement’s layout. Even though he couldn’t see anything in front of him, he moved without hesitation.

“Is it this one?”

He operated the machine that controlled the water temperature.

The light from the machine changed from red to green, and he heard his girlfriend’s grateful voice from upstairs.

“I’ll go back up…”

As he was about to turn around, he sensed it.

That something was behind him.

Crash

The wine bottle in his hand shattered on the cold floor.

The liquid flowing from it was too red to be wine.

–

“Hmm, hmm hmm.”

The female Cult member hummed as she enjoyed the warm water.

Having finally left work on time after consecutive nights of overtime, she was in a good mood.

‘I wonder what the surprise is?’

Before coming home, her boyfriend had told her he would give her a surprise gift.

He said he was originally going to give it during the year-end holiday, but due to the difficult workplace atmosphere recently, he decided to give it today.

She was curious about what her boyfriend’s gift might be, but he wouldn’t tell her.

He just told her to look forward to it.

As she wondered what kind of amazing gift it could be, she heard the bathroom door open behind her.

‘He’s here!’

With a fluttering heart, she turned around.

–

‘That was too easy today.’

The Cult couple seemed to have been planning some enjoyable time together and didn’t notice at all that I had entered their house.

So they were taken out one by one without any resistance.

‘Even for city Cult members, I didn’t expect them to be this careless.’

If I had gone to the planet where Cult members live, I wouldn’t have been able to win so easily, even against goat-horned Cult members.

Anyway, having achieved my goal, I left the house and headed for my hideout.

Since it was evening, there were scattered people on the streets, so I took a different route than when I came.

‘Just six more to catch and it’s over.’

The autopsy team leader’s house wasn’t far.

‘Huh?’

I saw someone standing in front of his house from a distance.

As soon as I recognized their presence, a brief scene flashed before my eyes and disappeared.

「I encountered an unavoidable danger.」

「I died.」

‘What?’

The moment I realized it was a danger premonition effect sent by my predator sense, my combat arm was severed.

‘Ugh?!’

「Pain Reduction Activated!」

I almost lost consciousness from the overwhelming pain, but as pain reduction automatically activated, the pain quickly subsided.

I quickly threw my body backward.

By a hair’s breadth, the pavement block where I had been standing was shattered by an invisible object.

‘Psychic whip?’

The object that cut off my arm and turned the road into rags was a weapon made with an ability I know well.

But as far as I know, that ability shouldn’t have this level of destructive power.

“Indeed. So that’s what it was?”

The woman standing in front of the autopsy team leader’s house.

The woman in black clothes reminiscent of mourning attire was the one who had made the impossible possible.

“If we capture you for research, achieving such research results wouldn’t be difficult.”

As she extended her hand, a vivid purple whip appeared in the air.

Yak horns had already sprouted at her temples.

“I must offer you to Lord Akira.”

A whip over tens of meters long flew toward me.