Chapter 270
Chapter 270
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 270
Chapter Title: Rat Horde (1)
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Kessha Arma's subway was, by Cult standards, a facility equipped with fairly advanced technology.
Cults generally preferred surface-level or aerial transportation. Before becoming an empire that dominated the stars, they had developed their civilization on a desert planet. As such, they weren't accustomed to building anything underground in the sand.
This mindset lingered even after they became an empire. When constructing bio-dome colonies, orbital habitats, and other facilities, they mainly installed ground-based transport like hover buses or psychic trains.
The shift in the Cults' thinking began surprisingly around the time the empire started to decline. As the empire's territory shrank and economic issues arose frequently, their perspectives gradually changed.
For instance, they needed to use existing structures more efficiently.
Kessha Arma's subway was a product of this change in mindset.
The Cults' subway, powered by psychic engines fueled with low-grade moon silver, had been built to quickly transport mining equipment and extracted minerals across the planet. Hover buses alone couldn't handle even a third of the daily material traffic.
Though the fortress's ownership had changed over time, the subway still functioned as the lifeblood of the space facility. It had shifted from carrying tools to people, but in the space age, what difference did that really make?
The train cars were packed with pirates who had boarded at various stations. Everyone was armed to the teeth, so there were no real openings or vulnerabilities like usual.
Of course, having space didn't mean it was comfortable. The air was thick with the stench of sweat, booze, and drugs clinging to the interior. Naturally, the pirates' faces soured as they inhaled the nauseating cocktail through their lungs.
"Fuck, this is taking forever."
"Goddamn it, the mercs all took buses or ships."
"Up top, they won't even let junkies on the buses."
"What the hell, asshole?"
"It's cramped enough without fighting. We're almost there anyway."
The train kept chugging along diligently while the pirates grumbled. In just a few minutes, they'd arrive at the military port near the underground storage.
Everyone was thinking about reaching their destination and gulping down some fresh air when it happened.
The entire train, propelled by psychic power, shuddered violently. The standing pirates all tumbled forward from the jolt.
"Urk?!"
"Agh! Shit!"
A human whose teeth shattered against his rifle, an insectman crushed under a heavy cyborg—the car interior turned into total chaos. The already tense atmosphere grew outright menacing.
"Feels like the train stopped."
"We haven't arrived yet?"
"What the hell's going on?"
This Cult-built subway ran automatically on its fixed track without human control. It wouldn't stop like this unless it ran out of fuel or the tracks were damaged.
"Someone go check outside."
A few pirates opened the doors and poked their heads out. The train's lights faintly illuminated the tracks in the underground passage.
"Looks fine."
"You idiot, you can't see shit like that. Go out and check."
"...Fuck. Do it yourself. Tch."
A burly cyborg pirate glared threateningly, forcing the human pirate to step out. Pirates from other cars, in similar positions, approached him.
"Find anything?"
"No clue. I just got here."
"First time the train's ever broken down."
Taking the opportunity, the human pirate pulled an e-cig from his pocket and took a drag. He sucked in the synthetic drug hard, and the unrefined hallucinogen seeped into his lungs. His body shivered from the dizzying pleasure ravaging his brain cells.
"Train looks fine. Maybe the tracks?"
"Hey, you're out here too—come check."
"Just one more puff."
He was about to take one more hit and join his comrades when a sound came from ahead.
'Huh?'
His eyes turned to the tracks stretching ahead of the train.
'...'
Biting his cig, he blinked a few times. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, sharpening the scene around him.
There was a haze.
At first, he thought it was fire. The things rippling in the darkness were pitch black, after all.
But it didn't take long to realize they weren't smoke or anything inanimate—they were alive.
In the abyss reminiscent of space, countless things writhed.
It looked like a pit full of venomous snakes or maggots boiling out of rotting flesh.
Greedy, chaotic disorder. Even in his drugged state, he could tell it was dangerous.
The 'boiling mass' moved. What had looked like swaying aquatic plants stretched out, snatching one of his comrades ahead by the train.
"Huh?"
The pirates stared in bewilderment as their comrade vanished in an instant. A pistol with a flashlight clattered to the ground where he'd been.
The dull thud of the fallen gun made the pirates' expressions change rapidly. Their mouths gaped as they prepared to scream.
But the evil lurking in the darkness didn't let them. Dozens of tendrils, each splitting into three prongs at the tip, shot out and dragged away all his comrades.
It took mere seconds for the pirates outside the train to disappear.
"...">
The human pirate's legs trembled like a rookie on his first battle. He backed away slowly and climbed back aboard.
"What? What's up?"
"Fixed? What was the problem?"
He didn't answer, just closed the door. As he did, he grabbed his e-cig with shaking hands and took a deep drag.
"What's with this junkie?"
"Fuck, what the hell?"
Thanks to the drug, the human pirate snapped back to reality enough to speak.
"...There's a monster outside."
"What?"
"It grabbed everyone from the other cars."
The pirates in the train exchanged odd looks.
"This guy's tripped out."
"Monsters? This ain't the underground vault."
"Junkies are never right in the head."
The pirates mocked him incredulously. Then the burly cyborg pirate bellowed.
"Hey, forget this—let's just walk. Destination's not far anyway."
He grabbed the door with both hands. The human pirate panicked and tried to stop him.
"Don't open it... Gah!"
The cyborg kicked him aside and flung the door wide. As expected, nothing was outside.
Believing it would be, the cyborg smirked.
"Moron, see? Nothing the... "
Before he could finish, something burst from the darkness and tackled him.
"Grah?!"
"Grkigigigiki."
The thing pinning the cyborg was a humanoid with abnormally protruding ribs that made its chest look like a gaping maw. It slashed wildly at the cyborg's midsection with the jagged bones.
His comrades stared blankly until they realized the human pirate had been telling the truth.
As they scrambled for their weapons, the train windows shattered, and countless black tendrils invaded the car.
Screams, gunfire, flickering emergency lights.
Huddled with his head in his hands, the human pirate prayed for the nightmare to end.
Afterward, the screams echoing through the underground passage didn't last long. They were replaced by the ragged breathing of a beast horde.
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"Yes. They haven't arrived yet. What? Enter first? N-No! We'll head in right away!"
Mercenaries and Hulk mutants brought by guests from Mega Corp, along with countless cartel pirates in Kessha Arma, had the underground storage surrounded.
One pirate handling comms with command ended the call. Wiping cold sweat, he relayed the order from above to each team's reps.
"Command says to start the operation."
"Our guys aren't here yet."
"Heard the enemy's tough. Won't we get picked off entering separately?"
"Command prioritizes assessing the goods' status. Maybe we should scout first..."
The mercenary reps sighed. They didn't like it, but they had no choice.
If the auction goods were looted, who would their 'owners' blame? Definitely the ones hired to guard them.
These mercs' employers were proxies for Mega Corp elites—Third Capital or Mid Capital. Treating them lightly could bring dire consequences.
"No choice. Send a small team to check the goods and pull out."
"Then link up with the forces at the military port station and push."
"Ugh, yeah... Guess we have to."
The reps returned to their teams. Selected scouts gathered and entered the underground storage.
"...I think I know why we lost contact."
Sticky, wet squelches filled the passage with every step. It wasn't a leak—the entire floor was drenched in blood.
The overpowering metallic stench numbed their noses, darkening the scouts' faces. If the entrance was like this, expecting the goods intact was nonsense.
They pondered excuses for their employers as they pressed deeper. Past the wrecked guard room, they reached Sector A's vault.
"Goods are fine!"
"Here too!"
"They skipped this? Lucky."
Contrary to fears, the containers of luxuries and documents were untouched. The scattered mercs confirmed no damage to their charges and sighed in relief.
"Why spare these? Wasn't it targeting valuables?"
"Check further in first."
"Everyone, regroup to move!"
As the dispersed mercs regrouped for the next sector, a wolf merc raised his hand.
"What?"
"Hear something."
"Sound?"
"Someone's coming."
All scouts raised weapons at the wolf-head's words. His large ears twitched, then fixed on one direction.
"?!"
"What the hell is that?"
Emerging from the dark was something walking on two legs. Its right arm grotesquely overdeveloped, clad in tattered reinforced suit, it shambled toward them.
"Failed Hulk mutant?"
"Nah. Seen rejects—didn't look like that."
"...Fucking hideous."
No chance of talking to it. One merc fired his Gauss rifle.
"Grkigigik."
Half its head blown off, it toppled backward without twitching.
"That the one who trashed the place?"
"Doubt it—too weak."
"...Wait, everyone, careful."
"Huh?"
As the rat-headed wolf warned, the fallen monster twitched and rose.
"Grkigigigi."
From its shattered head poured a viscous black fluid and an ear-grating groan. The mercs grimaced in disgust.
"Tch."
The Gauss rifle merc aimed to finish it.
But he had to retarget immediately. Another grotesque figure emerged behind it.
"Huh?"
The mercs' faces hardened. Because it wasn't just one more—from the vault's depths, darkness spat out more.
"Grkigigigi."
"Grkigigigigigi."
"Grkigigigi."
"Gigigigigi."
"Gigigigigigigigigi."
Dozens—no, hundreds of grotesque cries.
It overwhelmed the scouts' resistance in sheer scale.