Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: The Living Maze
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Aimorphs have a limited number of times they can establish nests, but the setup itself isn't all that tricky.
Compared to Outspacers, whose nest-building conditions are ridiculously stringent, this is practically no conditions at all.
That said, it's only the installation that's simple. If you want to properly grow the nest, even Aimorphs have to weigh a bunch of factors.
Evolution stage, available energy, suitability of the surrounding environment, and so on. A whole bunch of conditions have to line up to form a large-scale nest.
And right now, I meet every single one for crafting the ultimate nest.
This gathering spot for the injured Gallerons has a lake, which helps the mucus spread nice and easy.
That's not all. The dragon's lair sits in a region dense with psychic power. The walls of this cavern where I'm standing thrum with an insane amount of it. There's nourishment overflowing for the mucus that's detached from my body.
I dyed the lake black in an instant and slapped symbiotic spores onto the downed Gallerons.
Some were hurt so bad that right after implanting the spores, I chucked them straight into the contaminated lake. Nel Germa was one of them.
[Zz zz zz zzz(It's fine. Don't worry about it)]
His gut was spilling out from a nasty abdominal wound. Without a Galleron's hardy build, he'd have croaked ages ago.
But not everyone had his tenacious life force.
Adhai let out a psionic wave in front of a Green Galleron corpse it had drawn. Its profound grief echoed through the cavern.
'A lot of them died.'
Counting as I moved the injured Gallerons, only 13 adults had survived, Nel Germa included. Four White Gallerons and nine Green ones.
Most of the Gallerons I'd worked so hard to acquire were gone.
[Zzz zzz zz zzz zzz(Adhai, check if the hatchlings are okay)]
The Gallerons had given their lives to protect the nest, so the young ones should be fine. Probably hiding, waiting for things to calm down.
To console Adhai, lost in the shock of losing kin, showing it the live Blue Gallerons would be way better than words.
A less-injured Green Galleron led Adhai away from the open space.
'Who would've thought it'd turn out like this.'
The best spoil from hunting the Odd Grad was actually this Galleron pack. I planned to lead them against Apex creatures on other planets or space fortresses.
But those Screamer bastards outside wrecked everything. Even with the hatchlings left, raising them will take a ton of time.
'They dared touch my Gallerons?'
I haven't been this pissed in a long while. My blood's boiling like when my evolution got interrupted in the game.
Those disgusting scrapheaps... no way I'm letting them leave like this.
'Only one way to kill them all.'
I sprawled out over the lake brimming with sticky black fluid. As my sub-organ under my jaw touched the lukewarm mucus, my senses lurched downward.
My consciousness slipped free from this bulky body clad in heavy chitin and sturdy scales, merging with the vast cavern and the broad lake. It didn't stop there—my senses expanded further along the passages linked to the cavern.
How to describe the sensation? Like when you wake up and feeling returns to your body. Actually, nothing special. My mind had shifted to the nest, making the lake my heart and the black mucus my limbs.
In the past, I'd linked with nests in Mega Corp research ships, space cities, and such. To scout where to fight enemies, when to strike, where to lure them, and plan ahead.
Same deal this time.
Linking successfully with the nest, I began scrutinizing the Gallerons' home structure in detail.
I could sense what was happening atop the tunnel network stretching like an ant colony. Blue Gallerons as big as Adhai, trembling in fear. Adhai confirming their and the eggs' survival, relieved. Empty caves too.
'Don't need to see everything.'
I shifted senses from Adhai to focus on the entrances in the cliff face.
Four entrances total, including the cave we'd entered. Plenty more holes, but those were dead ends, blocked midway—decoys.
At my will, the nest's mucus surged toward the passages connected to the cliff entrances. With ample resources sustaining it, the expansion was explosive.
At this rate, the tunnels to the entrances would be mucus-coated in hours.
Disconnecting from the nest, I summoned No. 26 and PS-111.
[Zz zz zzz zz zzz(We'll lure the enemies here and take them out)]
I plan to wipe them in this natural labyrinth. For that, I need the kids' help.
"How do you plan to handle suicide attacks?"
"I doubt they'll do it."
Maybe outside, but once inside the nest? Low chance. If they intended to, they'd have buried the dragon's lair with a suicide rush already.
One reason they didn't.
'Galleron genes.'
As PS-111 said, for Pira Eleven's mutant Screamers, they need genetic info. Not just any—high-grade Seed Demon level stuff.
Can't fabricate that on the ship, so they gotta harvest outside. No spot more tempting than a Galleron nest. Burying it via suicide gains them zilch if all Gallerons are lost.
Besides, they've fought me once. They know collapsing the cliff won't kill me.
So, they'll try other ways to subdue me.
'Whatever it is, their moves are pointless.'
No terrain suits Aimorphs better than a dark, cramped maze packed with tunnels.
I explained the battle plan to No. 26 and PS-111.
The Screamers who dared assault the dragon's lair will pay dearly.
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"Enhanced detection gear capabilities applied."
"Newly acquired 'Galleron', biological traits of hazardous creature 'Hellside Hornet' integrated."
"Ranged attack options need improvement."
In the frozen forest, countless Screamers readied for battle. Back-to-back fights had whittled their numbers to 100.
209 units deployed for the Galleron nest assault and Special Target A elimination: 189 S-Models, 20 PS-Models. Survivors: 90 S-Models, 10 PS-Models. Over half neutralized.
Yet the Mechanical Council's android, Pira Eleven, didn't give up. The remaining 100 had their prior weaknesses patched, performance skyrocketing.
Thanks to gene data from wrecked Screamers and ship drones, these 100 were vastly improved.
All Screamers had eight legs regardless of model, but these varied: some 16, some 12.
The organic parts were far worse. Red flesh ballooned on some, smothering tubes and frames. Others sprouted scythe-like claws everywhere.
No two identical among the 100, but one commonality.
They looked like demons sculpted in hell.
Abominations to human eyes, but perfection to Pira Eleven—optimized for slaughter.
A PS-Model with eight massive eyes relayed Pira Eleven's orders.
"Deploy detection units."
Ten S-Models with bulky mechanical implants leaped toward the opposite cliff. Before, they'd plummet into the river below—but not now.
Legs spread, revealing broad wing membranes. They glided like flying squirrels to the cave mouth opposite.
"Detection started. Tracking life signs."
The ten opened mouths, emitting ultrasound into the cave. Ability from absorbing Cave Ghoul genes under the planet's icy crust.
"Four entrances linked to nest confirmed."
"Combat units, deploy in stages."
Twenty freakishly modded S-Models and two PS-Models per team. Two PS-Models stayed outside for Pira Eleven relay.
Four teams entered one by one, slow and steady.
Outside PS-Model PS-005 collated data from commanders, issuing directives.
[B-Team entering.]
[C-Team fork detected. Proceed right.]
[D-Team cavern confirmed. Galleron habitation traces found.]
[E-Team life signs 220m ahead. Battle ready.]
"E-Team, track life signs. D-Team, pursue habitation traces."
Galleron nest emits strong psychic power, but their comms were fine. Seed Demon genes granted unique psychic circuits.
Ten minutes in, E-Team reported enemy neutralized.
「Confirmed as Special Target A's parasite. Sample collected and sent.」
"Acknowledged."
PS-005 awaited the drone with the gene sample. Minutes passed—no drone.
"E-Team, status check. Sample transport drone not arrived."
「Dispatched 5 minutes 45 seconds ago.」
Plenty of time for it to show. PS-005 ordered again.
"Recheck entry path."
「Checking... anomaly detected.」
"Report anomaly details."
「Passage... zzt, changed, zzt, re-scanning nee... zzt」
"Circuit anomaly. Other teams report."
「B-Team no issues.」
「C-Team no issues.」
「D-Team no iss... life signs 100m ahead. Battle pre... zzt」
D-Team followed E-Team with static.
First time ever—PS-005 was baffled.
These weren't mechanical radios. Bio-organs in their bodies—no breakdowns.
He reported to Pira Eleven while issuing standard fallback commands.
"D-Team? Report again."
「Zzzzzzt, no pro, zzzzt, confirmed, zzzzt」
"D-Team. Circuit anomaly. Recheck."
「Checked. Circuits fine, but new issue.」
"Report."
「Nest structure altered confirmed.」
「E-Team entry path changed. Re-scanning.」
Comms normalized, but the report was nonsense.
Nest structure changed? Impossible unless alive.
But PS-005 revised his view with incoming reports.
「B-Team life signs detected all around.」
「C-Team life si... correction. Simultaneous signs 10m front and rear.」
「D-Team terrain shifting observed. Detection inop.」
「E-Team life signs everywhere. Unpredictable. Unpredictable.」
「Unpredictable. Unpredictable. Unpredictable.」
All PS-Models reporting.
The tunnels they tread, the vast Galleron nest... was alive.