Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Psionium Injection
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Way, hailing from the Ganymede Colony, felt like he was dying inside because of the shitty situation he was in.
When he'd first joined the project, he couldn't even begin to describe how thrilled he'd been to learn that his superior was a Noble Capital from Earth—the elite of the elite. A member of Mega Corp's ruling class, and from Earth no less; she was practically royalty. If he could forge connections with her kind, even immigrating to Mars—a dream he'd only ever seen in his sleep—could become reality.
He'd boarded the ship with those high hopes, but it hadn't taken long for Way's dreams to shatter.
'That crazy bitch. Isn't today supposed to be a day off?'
Way wiped away the sweat dripping from his half-bald head as he stole a glance at the young, capable superior standing beside him.
Her name was Kisaragi Yujin. Way's boss and a Noble Capital affiliated with the Yujin Family, one of the five great houses ruling Earth.
Since it wasn't a work day, she wasn't wearing her white lab coat but casual clothes instead, with a cat cradled in her arms.
'Damn it. Why the hell does a cat need a walk?'
Way cursed himself for heading to the garden just to get some fresh air. Kisaragi repeated the same question she'd probably asked hundreds of times before arriving at the lab.
"So, when exactly is Specimen 026 going to produce results?"
"There are definitely reactions right now. If you just give it a bit more time..."
"Time is credits. If we don't have reportable results for the company by the time we reach our destination, they might reconsider your 'employment' status."
"Kuh?! P-Please, anything but that...!"
The word 'employment' coming from her lips made cold sweat pour down Way's head like a waterfall. As a senior researcher at Mega Corp, he knew all too well what that term implied.
His eyes flicked briefly toward the brain floating in the nearby culture tank. It felt like his predecessor was beckoning him to join.
"Senior Researcher—no, Mr. Way."
"Y-Yes?"
Kisaragi, who had been glaring at him with a cold expression, suddenly softened her face and began consoling him in a gentle voice.
"I don't want that outcome any more than you do. I'm counting on you, Senior Researcher. If you can draw out that 'aptitude' from Specimen 026, promotion to chief researcher would be a piece of cake."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. At minimum, chief researcher. If things go well, you might even build connections on the Mars side. They're very interested in this project, after all."
Way's eyes lit up at her words.
He decided to tell her about the method he'd only theorized about but never actually tried.
"Th-There's one method left..."
"What is it?"
"Administering Psionium."
"Psionium? You mean the drug made by the Star Union?"
"That's right."
Kisaragi Yujin silently stroked her cat's head. The cat purred contentedly under its owner's affectionate touch.
"Psionium has awakening effects..."
"I know what effects it has. I've won projects with it before. Psionium, huh. A drug we haven't tried yet."
"Actually, there are a few others besides that."
"We've tried everything with similar compositions. Psionium's the only one left."
Kisaragi's gaze shifted to the tank holding Specimen 026. It wasn't the soft look she had when petting her cat. When she looked at the specimen, she resembled a machine sorting products on an assembly line.
"Fine. Administer it right now."
"Pardon? B-But without neutralizing agents, it could jeopardize life support."
"That would mean waiting until tomorrow. We don't have much time left."
Time was running out—not just for Way.
As the project lead, she would bear responsibility if the experiment failed. She was far higher in the hierarchy than Way; a blemish on her record would hit her hard.
Besides, she'd never failed once in her life so far. With her first failure looming, she had every reason to feel anxious.
"As you know, we should have results already."
"Th-That's true, but..."
"We should be finalizing the report for announcement by now, yet we haven't elicited any meaningful response from the specimen. You understand how serious this is."
Since her words rang true, Way couldn't argue.
"...Understood. I'll administer it immediately."
Way retrieved a purple vial from the refrigerator.
"Starting with 0.01mg."
He connected the vial to the hose and tapped the terminal. A small amount of the drug from the vial injected into the culture tank.
Bubble Amoeba showed no reaction. The graph on the terminal screen showed no notable changes.
Way wiped away the sweat pouring like rain and pressed the button again.
"Now 0.05mg."
This time, there was a response. Bubble Amoeba twitched in apparent agony.
Having inflicted pain on the specimen, Way couldn't hide his joy at seeing the hoped-for reaction. Even Kisaragi, watching the specimen, showed a flicker of interest on her face.
"Next, 0.07mg..."
"Hold on. Since it's reacting, we can increase the dose."
"Pardon?"
"Administer it all."
"Th-That might be..."
"Move."
As Way hesitated, Kisaragi shoved him aside and pressed the administration button herself.
The liquid in the vial drained completely into the culture tank.
Suddenly, Bubble Amoeba's body swelled massively, as if someone had blown air into it. Lights flashed wildly from its body, and its skin tore open, unable to contain the expansion. Anyone could see it was in extreme agony, but no one in the room cared.
'Please! Just a little more!'
Way clenched his fists as the graph on the terminal screen skyrocketed.
About five minutes passed.
The graph plummeted sharply. Way felt like its crash mirrored his own future.
The Specimen 026 in the tank no longer glowed pink. It lay motionless, bleached white as if forcibly decolorized.
"Wake it up."
"Yes."
Unlike the despairing Way, Kisaragi's voice held no emotion. With a heavy heart, Way pressed the electric shock button.
Bubbles rose in the tank, and Bubble Amoeba jerked. It twitched faintly, but its color remained white—barely alive, just breathing.
"An intriguing result. Keep experimenting with Specimen 026."
"Is that alright?"
"Try again, and report to me if you get meaningful results."
Way's face brightened like a condemned prisoner granted a reprieve. Kisaragi, who could send a man between heaven and hell with a single word, suddenly felt a gaze and looked toward the vent.
'That gaze again.'
Nothing was visible beyond the vent.
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The experiment I'd just witnessed held meaning for me too.
The Psionium they injected into Specimen 026 was a drug I knew well.
'An awakening agent that temporarily unlocks unreleased racial traits.'
In the game, consuming Psionium reduced max HP but unlocked locked racial traits for a limited time.
For example, if I took Psionium as a hatchling, I could briefly use abilities unavailable at this stage—like the Acidic Blood or Reinforced Exoskeleton traits from the juvenile phase. Of course, once the effect wore off, even permanently acquired traits reverted.
It was a powerful item if used well, but as a narcotic, its duration shortened with each use. That's why it was mainly for early to mid-game.
'Does Bubble Amoeba have some hidden trait I don't know about?'
I'd devoured thousands of them before, but never saw hidden traits. The community never mentioned any either, so maybe this Specimen 026 was unique, or reality differed from the game.
'Either way, learning Psionium exists is a win.'
It could prove useful in an all-out war against the ship's humans.
Back in my nest, I lay down again. As my body relaxed, thoughts I'd deliberately avoided resurfaced.
'That thing... it asked me for help.'
The Specimen 026, pumped full of Psionium, had begged me for salvation. Its screams still echoed vividly.
It pleaded to stop the pain, to be spared, but the researchers hadn't detected the signal. Even if they had, they wouldn't have stopped.
The unfortunate truth was that this horrific torture was far from over. The Mega Corp researcher would repeat the Psionium experiments until Bubble Amoeba died.
I knew its future held only darkness. I'd spared it only because its genetic essence seemed useless—otherwise, it would've been food.
Yet knowing that, why did a queasy discomfort creep from a corner of my heart?
Why did its wails still reverberate in my mind?
'Unpleasant. I really don't like this.'
This proved I wasn't a full-fledged 'honorary Aimorph' yet. I wanted to rush in and tear them apart right now.
I'd planned to hunt more leisurely, but I'd changed my mind. If it was purely emotional? Half right.
I was furious, yet coldly rational. It was a calculated judgment—I had solid grounds to target her. Besides Psionium, I'd gained useful intel on Kisaragi Yujin today.
'She has a cat.'
Through Super Sense, I'd detected how much she cherished it. She seemed to have blood as cold as a snake's, but petting her cat revealed human warmth.
Using my auxiliary organs, I'd easily inferred her strong attachment from her heartbeat, breathing, and upper body movements while holding it. Imagining her reaction to its death wasn't hard.
'She'll expose plenty of openings.'
Obviously, the cat had no separate guards. It was usually alone except when called by its owner. No one on the ship considered how Kisaragi Yujin would react to its death.
In other words, use the cat as bait to lure the prey. That was the core of my plan.
'Kisaragi Yujin. You'll be dead within days.'
Amid blazing fury and icy composure, I sentenced her to death.