The Clue (1)
If Mega Corp had its Hulk Mutants, then the Star Union had its Screamers.
The two were alike in more ways than one: criminals forcibly remade into weapons of war, both boasting a horrifying appearance. The main difference was that Hulk Mutants were more often seen fighting on your side as allied mercenaries, while Screamers almost always showed up as the enemy.
Unlike the Hulk Mutants, who retained a diminished intelligence, a sense of self, and at least a measure of freedom, a Screamer's mind remained perfectly intact while its body was entirely under machine control.
A prison made of flesh and machine, literally.
The name meant "the one who screams," yet unless the life-support AI attached to its body granted permission, it couldn't so much as breathe loudly. The Screamer charging at me with a cacophony of noise was no different. It had shrieked "enemy detected" the moment it laid eyes on me, but that was nothing more than an automated line of dialogue output by the AI in response to a pre-programmed trigger.
Close enough now that I could see the veins standing out against its pallid skin, the thing swung its forelimbs. Feet tipped with claws sharp as a spider's legs came slashing down to tear the flesh from my body.
I swung my combat arm to meet the attack head-on. As always, I expected its limb to be knocked away with ease.
But.
With a heavy thunk, its claw bit into the carapace of my arm.
Huh?
The penetration wasn't deep, but it startled me. Since becoming a Young Adult, the last creature to punch a hole in my carapace in hand-to-hand combat had been Muriel.
And it didn't stop there. Its waist bent at a grotesque angle, and the two metal legs at its rear came stabbing toward my eyes.
I whipped my head aside to catch the claws on my carapace, then exploited the rotational force of twisting my body to swing my tail in a wide arc.
My thick-armored tail swept across the floor. The pincer at its tip crashed into the creature. Struck by that mace forged from Swamp King stock, the Screamer was slammed into the corridor wall.
｢Kuuuuh｣｢Kuuuuh｣
I had swung with enough force to pulp it in a single blow, yet it didn't die. Aside from a few bent struts in its metal frame, it looked perfectly fine.
Why is it so damn tough?
I had fought Screamers more times than I could count. I knew exactly what level they operated at.
But this one's defense and attack power were off the charts.
Weak because of the Clever Underdog effect... no, that's not it.
It was true that my shrunken body had lowered my combat capability, but even accounting for that, this machine-beast was abnormally sturdy.
It's been upgraded.
｢Kuuuuh｣｢Kuuuuh｣
The Screamer, having put distance between us, panted heavily and eyed me warily. A single exchange of attacks had apparently taught it that I was no easy prey, because its movements turned cautious.
I, too, probed the enemy carefully.
There's no telling what other functions it might have.
I doubted it, but it could be hiding some means of threatening my life. I would have to fight with caution.
Just then, the thing charged again.
This time it didn't leap across the corridor; instead it ricocheted between wall and ceiling, driving its six metal legs into the surfaces with every bound.
Meant to confuse me, no doubt.
But I could climb walls just as well. Matching its movements, I too clung to the wall and ceiling and launched myself toward it.
The distance between us collapsed rapidly. A heartbeat before impact, the creature raised both forelimbs high.
Its target was my neck. Icepick-sharp blades glinted as they thrust at my throat.
Rather than blocking, I simply dropped from the ceiling. The attack swept uselessly across the carapace at the back of my head.
The Screamer gave up nothing—it leapt onto my back from above, going for my throat.
My tail intercepted it first. The pincer at its tip clamped down on the creature's legs. Shrinking in size hadn't erased my strength. I squeezed.
｢Legs 1 and 2: damage imminent.｣
It issued the warning in a mechanical voice and tried to break free, but with the pincer locked on, its resistance was pointless. Its metal legs snapped one after another under the crushing force, and when fluid erupted from the severed tubes, the creature's two eyes bulged wide.
｢Kuuuuh｣
Its breathing grew ragged. I swung my combat arm.
The thing promptly abandoned its trapped legs. With it releasing them and retreating, my strike swatted nothing but air.
Backpedaling a few steps, it bent what few legs it had left and lunged with tremendous force. The metal-framed creature mounted my back, and from that position its remaining limbs cinched around the carapace of my neck and torso like a noose.
For a moment I thought it intended to strangle me to death—but that wasn't it.
From the creature's rear erupted a long, thin tail shaped like a scorpion's, the only difference being that instead of a venomous stinger, rotating saw-blades were embedded in a triangular array at its tip.
Not on my watch!
With the thing still clinging to me, I slammed my back hard into the corridor wall. My full weight behind a full-power collision—the impact was enough to make the entire ship shudder faintly.
｢Impact detected. Recovery impossible.｣
The blow crushed half of the creature's body. The grip of the legs holding me went slack.
And even so, in one last desperate spasm, it raked its tail across the carapace at the back of my head. Carapace met saw-blade in a brilliant shower of sparks that lit up the dark corridor.
THAT'S the real weapon!
I seized the thing's tail and, swinging it like a baseball bat, hurled it into the wall. Machinery parts and life-support fluids burst from the half-embedded body.
Wrecked as it was, the creature flailed its legs frantically, still trying to deal me some injury. For the finisher, I drove the six horns on my head into its body.
｢Kwieee｣｢Haehaeng-do-dong-bu-bu-bu-bu, f-fu-bu-bu, gaaah...｣｢Kehek｣
With those final sounds, the life-support AI controlling it fell silent. The tubes attached across its body hung severed, every leg was broken, and the tail had been torn out entirely and dangled from my hand.
Presently, it spat out the piece of tubing clenched in its mouth. In battle its eyes had been bloodshot and frenzied, but facing death, it looked far more at peace.
"Th-thank... you..."
It gazed up at me, trying to say something more, and then its head lolled.
Phew.
I had never seen a Screamer this strong before. The fight hadn't lasted long, but it had inflicted damage I couldn't afford to ignore.
To think it could scar my head carapace.
It was only a small scratch, but I couldn't brush it off. If they upgraded these things any further, a mass-produced war machine capable of inflicting grievous wounds even on a Young Adult Amorph would be born.
The kids are in danger!
There were at least three Screamers on this ship. I had barely managed to beat this one—the kids would have an even harder time.
Worse, unlike my heavy defenses, No. 26's and Adhai's were practically nonexistent. One slash from that rotating saw-tail and it would be over for either of them.
Leaving the Screamer's corpse where it lay, I hurried off.
The gunfire that had been rattling the corridor during my fight had gone silent. The battle was already over—and the thought sent an inexplicable wave of dread washing over me.
I sprinted toward Adhai, the closest of them, until a junction appeared ahead. Take the right corridor there, and I'd find her immediately.
I poured on speed, darted around the corner, and scanned the right corridor.
There lay a sprawl of corpses—and Mother of the Sky, standing amid them. Among the fallen I could see the mangled remains of a Screamer.
And one of the downed creatures had a huge pair of wings and a long tail.
Adhai!
The sight of her sprawled on the floor made my heart lurch—I thought she'd been defeated—but then she lifted her head.
｢Tastes bad!｣｢Really!｣｢Tastes bad!｣
｢I told you it would.｣
｢I｣｢friend's｣｢words｣｢distrust｣｢mistake｣
Adhai scraped at the tentacle hanging where her mouth should be with her forepaw, busily shaking off whatever was stuck to it. Then she noticed me.
｢Big Adult｣｢glad｣
｢You came?｣
[Zzzu zuzuzu (Is everyone all right?)]
｢Why so startled? Ah—this thing, I suppose.｣
Mother of the Sky, who had been preening her fur with her beak, glanced at me and answered with an air of perfect indifference.
｢That Screamer was way stronger than the ones I knew. Guess you fought one too.｣
[Zzu (Yeah.)]
From the look of things, Mother of the Sky had handled the other Screamer.
The corpse's head lay separated from its torso. She must have decapitated it with her talons—aiming precisely for the soft flesh instead of the hardened metal plating.
[Zzuzuzu zuzuzu zuzu zzuzuzu (Its metal parts looked reinforced. Good work finishing it.)]
｢Hm? You haven't checked yet?｣
[Zuzu zuzuzu (What do you mean?)]
She said something cryptic. Raising a foreclaw, she pointed at the dead Screamer.
Her claw indicated the thing's neck. Examining the back of it, I found the marks of several failed slashes.
｢These things' bodies aren't ordinary human.｣
[Zzu (What?)]
｢Far too durable for a human.｣
She drew her talon lightly across the Screamer's skin. A gryphon's claws were razor-sharp—even a casual slice should have peeled the flesh away.
Yet the Screamer's skin bore nothing but a shallow scratch.
Ordinarily, a Screamer's head and torso differed little from a standard cyborg's. It was the metal skeleton encasing the body that was hard; the biological tissue itself received no special modification.
That was why, in the game, a Screamer's weakness had always been its soft torso. The head was the exception—depending on the modification, some came equipped with something like a gas-mask helmet.
Come to think of it, the one I fought was tough too.
I had slammed it into the wall with the thing riding my back. Given my strength, its entire body should have been crushed—not just the tubes and legs. Yet it hadn't died on impact; it had landed a hit with its tail before finally expiring.
Which left only one answer.
｢A human genetically enhanced—or else...｣
[Zzuzuzuzu (A Hulk Mutant.)]
She nodded silently.
Making Screamers out of Hulk Mutants, huh.
I was the one who'd said it, and even I could scarcely believe it.
And no wonder—the Star Union and Mega Corp were at war. Core technology like the Hulk Mutant production process leaking into Star Union hands seemed unlikely.
Even if they'd stolen the method through espionage, actually manufacturing Screamers from it wouldn't be simple.
The Star Union's gene-modding technology is subpar.
In every field except cloning tech, both their technology and infrastructure fell short of Mega Corp's. Possessing the blueprint and actually producing the product were two very different problems.
First I need to check whether No. 26 is safe, and then—
｢What? Why is everyone doing something without me?｣
Just then, a thought-wave came flying to me. It was No. 26.
A heavy bouncing sound echoed down the dark corridor, and a moment later she revealed herself.
No. 26's appearance made both Mother of the Sky and me jump.
｢Big Baby, I brought you food!｣
Having enlarged her body to fill two-thirds of the corridor, she was holding two Screamers captive with the psychic power technique known as Binding.
｢Kuuuuh｣｢Anomaly detected: unknown force.｣｢Kuuuuh｣
｢Anomaly detected: function disabled.｣
Both Screamers were still alive—despite the fact that their metal frames and every one of their legs had been twisted like corkscrews.
At the sight, Adhai fired off a telekinetic blast.
｢Small Elder｣｢that thing｣｢tastes bad｣
｢Really?｣
｢I｣｢tried eating｣｢that thing｣｢gift｣｢unneeded｣
｢Oh? Then I'll just throw them away.｣
[Zuzu zuzu zzuzuzu (Wait. No need for that.)]
Watching the two Screamers' heads bend at unnatural angles the instant Adhai's blast hit them, I hurriedly stopped No. 26.
[Zzu zuzu zzuzuzu zu zuzuzu (I need to grow fast, so I'll eat well.)]
｢Big Baby still getting bigger?｣
[Zzu (Yep.)]
｢Then eat lots and lots and grow lots and lots!｣
[Zzuzu (Thank you.)]
No. 26 released the Binding, and the Screamers flopped to the floor. They tried to move against her, but with every single component in their metal legs twisted out of shape, they couldn't so much as twitch.
So they didn't mix in any blacksilver.
If the alloy had contained blacksilver, No. 26 could never have subdued them this easily. As a gesture of praise, I stroked the body of the creature even larger than myself.
[Zzuzu (Well done.)]
｢Ehehe!｣
She glowed softly all over her body, delighted.
Having finished petting No. 26, I stood before the crippled Screamers.
Let's confirm it right now.
I had one highly useful tool for identifying unknown entities.
Insight—a psionic trait.
I had obtained it long ago by hunting a police detective named William in the space city. It revealed random pieces of information about a target.
All I need is the species name.
As Insight activated, a violet gleam flickered in my eyes, illuminating the dark corridor.
And a translucent text box appeared before me.
Name: ■■■■
Species:Hulk Mutant
Status: Enhanced (Screamer Procedure)
Equipment: ■■■■ ■■
The information Insight revealed matched our prediction exactly.
A Screamer built from a Hulk Mutant.
And what did that mean?
There are people on both sides—Mega Corp and the Star Union—who are cooperating with each other.
The war between the two powers had raged on for centuries. I had personally seen Mega Corp humans sneering at machines in disgust.
Of course, I knew that certain figures in Mega Corp's upper echelons quietly sold Employees to the Star Union for credits.
But leaking the manufacturing process of critical war weapons was an entirely different matter. If they actually lost the war, credits would be the least of their worries.
There's only one kind of being who could pull off something like this.
A player had created this new breed of Screamer for both Mega Corp and the Star Union.
And I had a fair guess as to who the Star Union's player was.
Nobody short of the Machine Committee—or something above it—could manage this.
Only androids could become Supreme Councilors of the Machine Committee. No player could take that seat.
Which meant my opponent was the supreme power of the Star Union, standing above the Machine Committee itself.
The Great Leader.
The current Great Leader was a player who had forged a close relationship with a Mega Corp player.