Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Day Four: Nest Complete
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Four days had passed since I became an Aimorph, and there had been many changes in that time.
First off, my nest was now complete.
Unclean life force had borne fruit in the inorganic passages. The mucus I'd spat out had hardened into solids, and some of it had clumped together to form spores. Mucus periodically oozed from holes in the spores. Even without my touch, the nest was slowly expanding its territory.
'Now I can monitor the entire ship.'
Everything happening on the 200-meter-diameter oval research vessel was transmitted to me in real time. I couldn't track small creatures like cockroaches, but at least with humans, I was aware of most of their activities.
And second.
While traveling back and forth between the cargo hold and my nest, hunting cockroaches and spiders, I'd successfully acquired one more new trait.
Species:Unidentified Hostile Space Creature
Status:Hatchling
Objective:Survive
Possessed Traits:Super Sense, Wings, Chitinous Exoskeleton, Robust Vitality, Paralysis Venom Needle
'Paralysis Venom Needle' was the trait I'd gained from the spider. It would become useless later on when energy-based beings or creatures made of inorganic materials like metal appeared, but for the early game, it was a decent ability.
'Perfect for me, someone who has to hunt the strong with this weak body.'
When I focused my mind on my tail with a flexing sensation in my rear, a drop of yellow liquid dripped from the stinger at the end. This could easily subdue an adult human. The effect lasted up to about five minutes at most, but that was plenty of time to kill one person.
After giving thanks to the spider that had provided me with daily sustenance and a precious gift, I pondered my next steps forward.
The conditions for hunting humans were mostly in place. Now it was time to select a target.
There were 222 crew members aboard the research vessel. Of them, 96 were soldiers and officers handling ship defense, and 21 were high-ranking command staff. The rest were civilians like researchers, mechanics, and cooks.
'The question is, who to target.'
At first, I'd considered going after the captain to disrupt the chain of command. But after thinking it over a few times, it didn't seem like the best idea. There were executive officers who could replace him, so it probably wouldn't cause much damage.
'Someone weak, but irreplaceable on this ship.'
Only two people met both criteria.
'The Medical Team Leader and the Research Team Leader.'
Of those, the one I had prioritized was the Research Team Leader.
The reason the Research Team Leader topped the kill list over the Medical Team Leader, who was responsible for the crew's lives, was simple.
'She's a threat to my survival.'
That was the conclusion I'd reached after spying on the lab for several days.
The Research Team Leader's name was Kisaragi Yujin. She was the only one who could quickly produce a tracking device if I committed murder.
Two days ago, one specimen had escaped, and she'd created a tracking device in just two hours to capture it.
'That thing almost got me caught too.'
If it had used the vents, I would've been in danger too, but it fled elsewhere, letting me escape the crisis unscathed.
After the specimen escape incident, Kisaragi Yujin had risen to the top of my mental threat ranking.
'And for a human, she has an uncanny intuition.'
Once, she'd looked up right at the vent I was in, nearly spotting me.
Even after I moved to other spots to watch her, she'd sense my presence and glance over every time, forcing me to keep changing positions.
'Does she have psychic power talent?'
Psychic power. A force akin to the well-known superpowers like telekinesis, telepathy, and mind control.
With psychic power, you could do anything from simple telekinesis to move objects without touching them, to warping light to cloak the entire ship like magic. The possibilities were endless.
'Even in the game, I hunted down Cults like crazy because of psychic powers.'
Cults were prime targets for acquiring psychic powers because every member of the species was born with it as a racial trait, making their genetic essence easy to farm.
Occasionally, rare humans were born with psychic potential too.
I didn't know if Kisaragi Yujin was one such case, but from a hunter's perspective, a clever and sensitive prey was a tricky opponent.
Even without knowing my identity, if she found my traces, she'd definitely devise some way to track me down.
'If I'm going with hit-and-run tactics, I need to avoid detection as much as possible.'
When an Aimorph evolves to Juvenile, it becomes incomparably stronger than a Hatchling. Still, it wasn't enough for a full-frontal war against the ship's soldiers. Until I gathered enough genetic essence, I had to stick to thorough guerrilla warfare.
Thus, Kisaragi Yujin was someone I had to eliminate regardless, even apart from my evolution.
'So how do I hunt her?'
Lying in my nest, I scratched my head with my front legs as I pondered.
The Research Team Leader was a woman and a civilian, so killing her one-on-one wouldn't be hard. Except for one issue.
'Her bodyguard.'
A soldier assigned to protect her followed her everywhere. Even at night in her bedroom, guards rotated shifts to watch over her constantly. She was weak herself, but the problem was the many protectors around her.
'Pondering alone won't yield answers.'
I'd have to keep surveilling and wait for an opening.
With my small body working my brain furiously, I got hungry. Leaving the cozy nest behind, I headed to the dim cargo hold.
From the vent in the corridor before the cargo hold door, I confirmed no one was around. With the coast clear, I pried open the grating and hopped down.
Landing lightly on the floor, I crawled up to the terminal next to the door.
'I can't keep risking the fan blades every time.'
I'm not a cat; I don't have nine lives. Risking my life for every meal isn't ideal.
Unlike other key facilities, the cargo hold had no entry monitoring system.
Using my enhanced senses from the nest, I'd confirmed that no one entered except the person in charge, and even they only came once a day for routine checks. Avoid that time, and I could come and go freely.
'Open sesame.'
I input the code into the terminal, and the sturdy metal door hissed open. Entering the dark cargo hold, I headed straight for my usual plastic crate.
The cargo hold's residents stirred at the sudden intrusion of a predator. The air filled with the acrid smell of corroding metal, pheromones from small bugs warning of their natural enemy, and the patter of sixteen tiny, sharp claws on the mesh alloy plates.
Savoring the stimuli of the hidden world only an Aimorph could sense, I climbed onto the crate. As always, I opened it and pulled out two calorie bars.
I devoured one on the spot and picked up the other after tearing open its wrapper with my front legs.
'Time to go.'
I neatly stowed the wrappers in the crate and left the cargo hold. Returning to the passage the same way I'd come, I headed toward the lab.
Upon arriving at the lab, I went straight to Lab 26.
The limp Bubble Amoeba perked up at the sight of me, greeting me with waves. It wasn't just a greeting—its body twinkled brightly to express joy, which lifted my mood too.
'Brought you food again today.'
｢Food.｣
It shivered, then glowed even brighter than before. I chuckled inwardly and prepared to feed it.
While monitoring Kisaragi Yujin over the past two days and visiting the lab frequently, I'd learned one key fact.
They were conducting experiments in the lab to arbitrarily awaken the unknown potential traits latent in the Bubble Amoeba. I had no idea what abilities the harmless mascot possessed, but the researchers seemed pretty confident.
'In the game, it had no special powers. Is this one different, or has the species changed?'
For whatever reason, Specimen 026 was receiving special treatment, and I figured building a positive relationship with it was worthwhile.
It might help me conquer the ship later on, even if not right away.
'Half of it is a hobby, though.'
I went to the feeder tube for Lab 26, opened the lid, and found nutrient solution inside for minimal life support.
Dumping the whole bar in would clog it, so I sliced off pieces with my front legs and dropped them into the tube. The chunks traveled through the hose connecting the two labs and arrived before it. The Bubble Amoeba enveloped the calorie bar pieces with its entire body. I watched until it had digested them, then repeated the process.
After finishing one bar, it slowly pulsed its light to indicate it was full.
'Looks like it likes it.'
I hadn't understood during the game why people were drawn to Bubble Amoebas, but now I got it. Watching it emit light in specific rhythms underwater made me want to zone out and stare too.
'People?'
Suddenly, someone entered my sensory range. Researchers heading into the lab.
I quickly climbed into the vent and hid.
Moments later, they entered the lab.