Chapter 238
Chapter 238
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: Ep. 238
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“Defense impossible. Incineration proto…”
I clamped my jaws wide open and crunched down hard on the Screamer’s head. The body of the now-leaderless creature slumped powerlessly to the ground.
‘It’s over.’
Their numbers had been so overwhelming that it took considerable time to take them all down. Scattered around me were the half-melted remnants of metal skeletons. Black slime was busily dissolving them, converting the material into nutrients.
‘Should I check the other areas?’
There was little chance of it, but the kids might have overlooked something by mistake.
I swallowed the Screamer head still in my mouth and linked with the nest.
My senses spread across the entire cave, picking up on the movements crawling over the black slime. Numerous lifeforms were scurrying about, but not a single Screamer among them.
‘No Gallerons died in the fight.’
Zero losses on our side. Given that many Gallerons had already perished, this was at least some good news.
Two of the victorious group were heading my way. I severed the link and waited. Soon, from the rear of the passage, No. 26 and PS-111 emerged.
｢We punished the bad guys who did mean things to the flappy babies.｣
[Well done.]
Truth be told, I’d been slightly worried No. 26 might hesitate, but it was just my imagination.
Having witnessed Adhai’s grief over the lost Gallerons, the little one showed no mercy whatsoever to the Screamers. Every time it clashed with them, the energy influx from sacrificial predation surged explosively.
PS-111 had performed admirably too. Perhaps from all the joint battles with Adhai and the Gallerons. They’d alternated as bait, thoroughly disrupting the enemy.
｢Where’d the little baby go?｣
“He went to guard the ‘Gallerons’ Hatchlings.”
As the creature said, Adhai had gone to check on the hidden Hatchlings instead of returning. Thanks to my link with the nest, I knew the concealed Blue Gallerons were safe, but Adhai had no way of knowing that.
‘With so many Gallerons lost, he must be worried.’
We’d won without casualties this time, but it was still a net loss rather than a gain. A large number had fallen to the Screamers before I returned.
‘Best to leave him alone for now.’
[Adhai needs time.]
｢Yeah.｣
No. 26 had lost kin to Mega Corp as well, so it didn’t press the issue. It seemed to agree that time was needed.
To shift the mood and confirm a key detail, I called out to PS-111.
“What about the thing I mentioned?”
“As ordered, I’ve rebooted the systems of several S-model Screamers.”
The creature proudly produced its handiwork.
‘What’s this?’
When I first encountered PS-111, it had mentioned that low-tier S-models could be controlled to a limited degree. It had added the caveat of needing physical contact, so I hadn’t expected it to be easy. But I certainly hadn’t anticipated this.
‘Just the heads?’
Three of its hands, equipped with hook-like claws, each gripped a Screamer head.
Dangling from the savagely torn necks were spines fitted with small chips. The sight of it holding those loosely attached heads reminded me of a character finishing a brutal combo in an old-school fighting game.
I stayed silent, and it seemed to realize this wasn’t quite what I’d had in mind. It added an excuse.
“Their resistance was fierce. Suppressing them left no choice.”
“Can these heads regenerate bodies like you do?”
“These heads cannot.”
“Why not?”
“S-models lack self-repair capabilities. Their life support is entirely dependent on me. They die the moment they’re separated.”
Only then did I notice that the ends of the three spines were connected to metal hoses protruding from its back.
‘Looks like I’ll just harvest info this time.’
That hadn’t been my original plan at all.
I’d hoped that if it successfully hacked the Screamers, I could assemble a legion of S-models.
‘Disappointing, but opportunities remain.’
If they didn’t resist, I might be able to dominate them with bodies intact. Say, right after production, before final calibration.
“Seizing control of their production systems would yield the results you desire.”
PS-111 voiced something along those lines.
Since the topic had come up, it was time to ask the most crucial question. I turned to it.
“Where are their nest and Pira Eleven? Both?”
“I’ll check.”
It closed its eyes to access the data. The heads it held began to tremble violently.
“Kikikikik.”
“Aaaaaah.”
“Geggegge.”
The severed Screamer heads, eyes rolled back, emitted bizarre machine-like bit noises from their mouths. A normal human would’ve freaked out at the sight, but no ordinary folks were present.
｢Friend’s acting weird. Why?｣
[Searching for key memories.]
｢Memories? How?｣
No. 26 seemed intrigued by PS-111’s actions. While it extracted the info, I chatted idly with No. 26.
｢Seeing memories looks fun.｣
[Does it?]
｢Yeah. Makes friends the same.｣
[A little different.]
｢Different how?｣
Despite its gloom over Adhai, it was showing unexpected curiosity here. Who’d have thought it would take an interest in reading or understanding another being’s thoughts?
‘Does it think there’s something to learn from its kin?’
No. 26 had considered PS-111 kin from the moment they met. It probably believed it could do anything PS-111 could.
‘Reading memories, huh.’
There was a psychic technique for gleaning actions from residual traces. But as far as I knew, game C-demons didn’t have such a trait.
‘Actually, I can’t be sure.’
Odd Grad’s case made it hard to rely solely on game lore. For all I knew, No. 26 might acquire abilities I was unaware of.
‘Though if so, it would’ve gained it already.’
Watching it, this seemed more pure curiosity than a new power awakening. It felt like an earnest desire to learn an ability its kin possessed.
‘Learning is a good thing.’
C-demons were immensely powerful, but this vast universe teemed with threats to their lives. If it followed me, it would face entities far more terrifying than itself. To survive the strong—or hunt them—it needed constant study.
Feeling proud, I stroked its head. It expressed joy at my touch but didn’t stop with the questions.
As we conversed, PS-111 finished extracting all the data from the Screamer heads and opened its eyes.
“Location confirmed. Pira Eleven and the ship are at the same site.”
“Good.”
Now that I knew the enemy’s position, all that remained was the assault.
‘First, fetch Sky Mother and the Ort ship.’
The dragon’s nest was so expansive I’d spread it to its limits. The previous nests had automatically decayed. Sky Mother had gone with the Ort ship to the old nest for treatment. She’d understand what the nest’s disappearance meant.
‘She’s fought me plenty of times.’
She might even be heading this way already.
“I’ll hear the details later.”
“Understood.”
｢Friend, got a question.｣
“Ask anything.”
Leaving the two engrossed in conversation, I headed toward the cave entrance.
Stepping through the sticky slime along the long, dark passage, the exit came into view.
The light filtering in from outside suddenly dimmed. Someone was blocking the entrance.
｢You made it out, so I guess it’s all over?｣
｢Black kin｣ ｢Where’s Yuseong’s daughter?｣
Speak of the devil.
No need to go find them now.
An uncharted planet, its name and approach vector unrecorded.
Its atmosphere, shrouded in clouds that gave it a dull gray hue from space, had suddenly erupted into chaos due to the recent intruders.
Clouds parted, exposing the surface, as shockwaves from massive energy clashes rippled across the globe.
The artificial energy storm affected not just the planet’s interior but its surroundings as well.
“Minseok-nim, the atmosphere has stabilized.”
“Excellent. Report to me once comms and satellite radar are restored.”
“Yes, sir!”
In the situation room of Sihyun Yujin’s flagship, the crew moved with frantic urgency.
The recent atmospheric anomaly had severed smooth communications with the planet’s surface. There was more than enough work to keep two bodies busy.
Amid the clamor of the bridge, Acting Captain Minseok Yujin stared grimly at the holographic planetary map.
A red marker hovered over one spot on the globe-shaped projection, mirroring the planet itself.
The location where his master, Sihyun Yujin, had led the exploration team.
‘Damn it all.’
Minseok was growing displeased with the clone’s actions.
The master he served had devoted her life to upholding the family’s justice. To condemn Akira Yujin, the usurper of the patriarch’s seat, and ensure the rightful bloodline ruled the Yujin Family. That was Sihyun Yujin’s purpose—the purpose of everyone in this room.
But this replica of Sihyun seemed far more interested in other matters than the grand cause.
And it was deviating from the path she should walk. Instead of meeting and securing key family figures, it was wasting time on pointless detours.
Mega Corp was currently embroiled in a civil war between Noble Capital T&C and Prime Capital Ezerton. With CEO Akira tied up mediating, it was a golden opportunity to expand unchecked.
Sihyun knew this full well, yet she’d come to this backwater planet instead of heading to Earth.
‘If it were about securing credits, I could understand…’
When the satellite radar was operational, Minseok had seen it: a treasure trove of resources. Vast deposits of Nova Metal that Cults went mad for, plus creatures teeming with rare genes. Exploited properly, it could net Sihyun’s faction immense credits.
But Sihyun wasn’t thinking of earning credits from the planet. She was fixated on some unheard-of relic.
‘Ancient artifact? Ridiculous.’
Most Noble Capitals in Mega Corp owned multiple planets. The Yujin Family itself was constantly scouting worlds to expand its gene pool.
Thus, Minseok knew well there were no secrets in this universe.
No secret weapons from fallen empires, no artifacts from ancient civilizations, no treasures powered by super-science principles. All mere fabrications to dupe the gullible masses.
A fact anyone in Mega Corp’s upper echelons knew, yet Sihyun ignored it.
‘…A defective unit.’
A profoundly irreverent thought, but Minseok was half-convinced. The clone pursuing this folly was flawed.
‘I’ll need to prepare countermeasures when she returns.’
Without Sihyun’s approval, no new clone could be produced. Excluding her outright would be an even graver issue. Everyone here had gathered to serve Jeongu Yujin’s sole blood heir.
Only one option remained.
‘No choice but to use what she left behind.’
Before her death, Sihyun had prepared an item out of concern for potential clone defects. It should guide this replica back onto the proper path.
Minseok’s icy gaze locked onto the red marker on the holographic map.