Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Pirate Boss Confrontation
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As soon as I entered the gym, a laser shot came flying at me.
Lasers couldn't harm me. The pirate showered me with curses as I strolled leisurely through the beam.
"Y-You fucking bastard! Shit, why the hell isn't it working?!"
Unfortunately, the foul-mouthed one wasn't a cyborg. He had no mechanical modifications at all—just an ordinary human from Mega Corp.
He tossed aside his useless laser rifle. Instead, he drew a short stick from his belt. With a flick of the switch, a blade sprang out, turning it into a full sword.
The moment I saw it, I stopped in my tracks.
Sonic Blade.
A Sonic Blade was a weapon enhanced with ultrasonic vibration tech. Compact for carry and boasting superior cutting power, it was a favorite among Mega Corp officers.
Seeing I wasn't moving, he thought he'd gained the upper hand and bellowed boldly.
"You fucking punk! I'm the fucking vice captain of the Dvbara Cartel, you hear?!"
His earlier fear was gone. Typical pirate—impulsive, with no thought beyond the moment.
A Sonic Blade could slice my exoskeleton, sure. But only if it could actually hit me. If he couldn't touch me, it was worthless.
Unless he was a martial arts master, which he clearly wasn't. My auxiliary organ told me he was just an average thirty-something starting to suffer from lifestyle diseases. His body was bloated with blood and fat stolen from plundered victims.
I lunged at the vice captain. He flinched and thrust the Sonic Blade at my abdomen. His clumsy motion screamed amateur.
Sonic Blades have weak durability—not suited for thrusting.
I had no intention of playing along with his idiotic attack. I dodged lightly and kicked his gut with my foot. He spat blood and flew back.
"Gah! F-Fuck!"
His internals must have ruptured, yet he wouldn't let go of his weapon. He glared at me with venomous eyes.
Surprising.
I'd pegged him as all bluster, but he was tougher than expected. Most beings begged for mercy after a fatal wound, regardless of species. Prey with this kind of grit was rare—Arnold was the last.
Should I end him painlessly?
I whipped my tail, smashing his hand. He let out a short scream and dropped the Sonic Blade. The tail didn't stop—it curved and pierced his eye, the stinger at the tip shredding his brain. He felt no more pain.
One of five down. Four pirates left. The rest were cowards, probably hiding in the locker room.
I leisurely tore into the human corpse.
As I swallowed the last ankle bone, a translucent text box appeared before me.
Humanity?
A trait I'd never seen before left me flustered.
What kind of trait is 'Humanity'?
The name was too vague. Did it mean human emotions? Rationality? Some unique human quality? Hard to pin down.
Should I take it?
Space Survival had thousands of traits, but not all benefited their host.
Take the Hulk Mutant's Berserk trait: it doubled physical power but stripped player control. Pros often came with cons, sometimes worse than the benefits.
In my experience, ambiguously named traits were usually duds—or worse.
Traits are precious right now, but...
I recalled the pirate to infer the trait's nature. He had something others lacked.
Unyielding spirit.
Did Humanity mean that unbreakable will to rise again?
No. I shook my head. Too soon to conclude.
Space Survival's world wasn't a hymn to humanity. It was a dystopia crawling with ruthless beings. Star Union forcibly cyborgized people; Mega Corp turned them into monsters without a second thought. No room for 'human potential' traits here.
What to do?
I narrowed it down. Forget philosophy—what direct effect would it have on me via Predation Effect?
Start with the upsides.
Likely a mental trait. That'd count toward psionic enhancement. Psionic traits were mental or telekinetic, and rare—better to have than not.
Downsides...
Unknown effects. If it boosted ethics or empathy, it'd hinder me.
I was an Aimorph, evolving by devouring others. Suddenly unable to eat 'people meat' would stall growth—and threaten survival.
Too risky. Pass.
As I moved to decline, my jaw buzzed sharply.
My auxiliary organ was warning me. Reconsider.
Predator Sense?
First time like this, so I suspected it. But no precog vision came.
This was pure auxiliary organ—or innate Aimorph instinct. The human in me said no; the Aimorph said yes. Ironic.
But I couldn't ignore the organ. In-game, I was the expert; here, I was green. Without this body guiding me, survival was impossible.
That important?
No answer. The tentacle under my jaw stayed silent.
Take it or not.
Couldn't delay—ten minutes without accepting meant forfeit. Might differ in reality, but no need to test.
...Take it.
After agonizing, I decided. Partly to fill psionic count, but mostly because the organ urged it. That little tentacle never steered me wrong before. Trust it again.
The text box glowed and vanished.
And my body...
No change?
No weird growths, no crushing guilt. Body and mind felt normal.
I reactivated the text window.
As expected, Humanity slotted into mental traits.
Now I had three psionics: Predator Sense, Psionic Organ, Humanity. Three more for the type bonus.
I checked Humanity's details.
Humanity: Helps you make the right judgment in moments of choice.
*P.S.: May your choices hold value.
...Ambiguous.
Still no clue on effects. No point dwelling. I dismissed the window.
At least it fills a type slot.
Snapping back, I saw No. 26 waiting. Its color was off—upset, maybe.
｢Baby, you okay?｣
[Zuzu (What's wrong?)]
｢You weren't moving. It was weird.｣
It must've worried seeing me stand there blankly.
I stroked No. 26 reassuringly. It relaxed, shifting back to pink.
Who's worrying whom?
I pocketed the Sonic Blade, then set No. 26 on my shoulder.
The gym reeked of fear-sweat from the trembling pirates who'd been here.
Of course, I had no intention of letting them escape.
The pirate huddled in a locker in the changing room, shivering.
At first, laser shots rang out, then silence. He'd thought the vice captain won—but no. Failure. The monster lived.
Screams from comrades in the showers echoed briefly. Their pleas cut short.
He swallowed hard, gripping his laser rifle. Why suffer like this? He wasn't crueler than most pirates. Scalping the rich, raping and killing women—it was just pirate life.
Supreme Leader Jubaka, please look upon me with mercy...
He hadn't invoked Star Union's grand leader since becoming a pirate. He was Dvbara Cartel now, not a Union cyborg. Yet facing death, old habits surfaced.
The door creaked open. Heavy footsteps shattered the quiet.
Door shut. Unsettling silence. Invisible terror soaked him like cold sweat.
The thing was inside, waiting for him to bolt.
No breathing—inhuman. His cyborg fear deepened.
When the pirate stayed put, it moved. Thuds approached. Lockers creaked open one by one.
Screech. Slam.
His heart pounded. Closer. Then—it reached the locker beside his.
Through the vent, a glimpse: near-black brown exoskeleton, fangs stained with comrades' blood. Thick blood stench wafted.
It lingered, then vanished.
Stench fading, he sighed in relief.
After this raid, he'd slip away. Boss Elchen would hunt him, but the universe was vast. Flee to Star Union territory—no cartel could touch him.
Sudden roar. Agonizing pain in his gut.
A long spear had pierced the locker door and his belly. The spear—no, its tail—withdrew.
Four hands ripped the door off. Its maw gaped wide. His memory ended.
Where'd you think you were hiding?
The cyborg fooling my senses met a gruesome end—limbs torn by my combat arms. Devouring him nearly completed my evolution conditions.
One more to go.
Of the twelve cyborgs aboard, one remained. From the nest, he'd been in the bridge ops room.
Of course, the ops room.
Tricky foe there: the gene-modded human from Yujin Family.
Better handle the boss first.
Leaving the gym with No. 26, my auxiliary organ blared danger. I kicked off the floor, leaping to the ceiling.
Simultaneously, a massive fist pulverized my spot. The alloy plating cratered like plasma-hit.
"There you are, you fucking shit!"
The powerhouse was the pirates' boss: a Hulk Mutant.
I knew he'd be huge, but up close, his presence was overwhelming.
Over three meters tall, pure muscle, no fat. Wild beast genes gave him a red mane around the neck. Like a guardian deity—terrifying.
"You killed my men, you fuck?!"
His subordinate and the medical team leader lurked behind the growling beast. I knew they survived—didn't expect them allied with pirates.
Perfect timing.
Was heading for the boss anyway. Him coming first was convenient.
Hulk Mutants packed valuable genes. Stock up before the tough one.
I dropped from the ceiling, landing.
[Zuzuzuzu (Hide for a bit)]
｢Scary! Dangerous!｣
[Zuzuzu zuzuzu (Don't worry)]
｢Be careful, baby!｣
I soothed worried No. 26 and sent it away. It blended with the wall via camouflage, stock-still. Still anxious vibes lingered.
Seeing it fret in hiding almost made me chuckle, but Aimorph anatomy didn't allow laughs.
Confirmed hidden, I turned to the boss.
My height: just over 1.5m. His: double that. Outsiders would bet against me.
Improved Hulk Mutant, huh. Let's see what you've got.
I licked my chops at the genetic treasure trove before me.