Chapter 47
Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Psychic Breath Annihilation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There they were, on the stairs leading down to the first floor. Fortunately, neither of them appeared to have any serious injuries.
[Zuzzuz (Well done)]
｢Big baby. Blood.｣
[Zuzzuz (I'm fine)]
Specimen 026 looked worried as it gazed at the holes riddling my body. Adhai tried to lick my wounds by thrusting its tentacles toward me, so I quickly backed away.
[Zuzz... zuzzuz (My blood is dangerous)]
｢?｣
I pointed at the floor where droplets of my blood had fallen, right in front of the tilting head. As it watched the concrete sizzle and melt with acrid smoke rising, it meekly nodded.
｢Understood.｣
[Zuzz (Yeah)]
Before the enemies could catch up, I checked my body. The tentacles were badly damaged and would take over an hour to recover. The pierced areas were already sprouting flesh to close the wounds, but full healing would need about ten minutes.
'The injuries are worse than I thought, but the plan went off without a hitch.'
The remaining enemies: two cops and one android. Thanks to the parasite-controlled cop shooting his partner, we'd reduced their numbers by one.
Unfortunately, the android reacted too quickly for us to get any more kills.
'Three left.'
Ideally, with three of us and three of them, we'd each take one—but that wasn't feasible.
We'd ambushed the first-floor foes successfully, but the enemies weren't idiots. By now, they knew we were more than one. They'd come prepared.
'I've got the Regeneration trait, but they don't.'
Unlike me, Specimen 026 and Adhai couldn't recover from fatal wounds. A bullet hit would be deadly—possibly lethal.
'The Seed Demon has a superior regeneration trait...'
But I couldn't confirm its traits, so I couldn't send it into battle recklessly.
'Should I use Monster's Tentacle?'
The first-floor enemies were cleared, and the rest were clustered on the second floor. Unlike me, they couldn't climb walls freely—they'd have to come through the hallway. A Psychic Breath from Monster's Tentacle down the corridor would wipe them out.
'The downside is I can't handle surprises after.'
After firing Psychic Breath, I'd be immobilized temporarily—three to five minutes.
'The enemies must have called for backup by now since they're losing. Dragging this out will just bring more foes.'
The reinforcements would be several times stronger. With my current power, annihilating them all wouldn't be easy.
'Monster's Tentacle it is.'
Perfect timing—the enemies were tracking the acidic blood trail right toward us.
Before greeting them, I warned Specimen 026 and Adhai.
[Zuzz... zuzzuzuz zuzzuz zuzz (After this attack, I'll be weakened for a bit)]
｢?｣
[Zuzz... zuzz zuzzuz (Protect me during that time)]
｢Is big baby gonna get bigger again?｣
[Zuzz zuzzuzuz z (No. This time it's different)]
｢Got it. I'll protect big baby.｣
｢Me.｣ ｢Unclear.｣
｢Big baby naps sometimes 'cause it's a baby.｣
｢Understood.｣
Not a nap, but no need to explain.
I pulled them back and peeked into the hallway to check the enemies. The moment my head appeared, they unleashed penetrating rounds.
Thanks to my tough cranial exoskeleton, my head didn't turn into a beehive, but the pain didn't vanish.
'...Need bulletproof countermeasures too.'
A few gene essences from this city came to mind, but this was battle—no distractions. Using the wall and my head's exoskeleton as cover, I peppered them with bone shard suppressing fire.
"Shit!"
"Please use me as cover and fire."
"I know that!"
The cops cursed as the bone shards flew. The unarmed android had ripped up a whole concrete wall with its power bunker and was using it for cover.
Smart idea, wrong opponent. Cover meant nothing against Psychic Breath.
I activated Monster's Tentacle. Long tentacles reaching my shoulders stirred slowly.
'Hngh?'
Strength drained from my entire body in an instant—I nearly collapsed. My glossy exoskeleton dulled, and my powerful tail slumped to the floor.
'...The consumption is insane.'
It felt like all the energy in my body was sucked toward the back of my head. Claws, tail, four combat arms, even the small chest arms—all power gathered relentlessly.
The tentacles, drawing nearly all my strength, glowed vivid purple. Even humans with weak psionic detection could sense the massive psychic power amassed at their tips.
The air shimmered as the tentacles accumulated enormous energy, then all pointed forward at once.
"Extreme high-risk psionic power detected. Evacuate immediately."
"What?!"
Purple streams from the tips converged in midair. The enemies tried to retreat desperately, but it was too late.
A violet glow bathed the dark hallway softly. The gathered energy finally unleashed.
A beam of pure psionic energy swept the corridor. The concrete wall shielding half my body vanished without trace—anything the beam touched met the same fate.
No sound. Psionic power was silent. Only the delayed collapse of debris made noise.
Nothing remained where the purple storm passed.
The android turned to literal dust with its wall. One cop, activating his shield late, collapsed with half his body gone.
The cop by the outer wall survived—his shield launched him outside.
"Urk!"
He fell from the second floor but stood quickly thanks to enhancers. I wanted to pursue, but my body wouldn't respond.
｢Me.｣ ｢Amazement.｣ ｢Great child!｣
Hearing Adhai's awe at the Psychic Breath's might, I blacked out.
-
"Da-damn it! Damn it! This can't be real! It doesn't make sense!"
William dragged his half-broken leg, repeating the same words endlessly. He wanted to snap out of it, but the impossible reality wouldn't let him.
'The army! I need the army!'
That thing was a new weapon?
How ridiculous. How arrogant.
It was a demon. A demon that would burn the city to ashes.
Instead of board meetings, they should've deployed the entire defense fleet to the residential district.
'Crazy. The Yujin Family controls that monster?'
He'd misjudged completely. Sander hadn't made a deal with it.
He was surely enslaved. Taken by the parasite that controlled the cops.
"Doesn't matter how many die! We have to kill it!"
William, usually rational, spouted radical nonsense he'd never consider normally.
Human minds had limits. Before the incomprehensible, all reason was futile.
Spotting police buses approaching from afar while limping away, his eyes widened.
'S-six buses? That's not enough!'
Six buses of armed cops rivaled a regular army platoon—an immense force. But having fought it, William knew it was futile.
"Stop!"
A man in reinforced suit jumped into the road center; the buses halted. An android disembarked to support him.
"Identity confirmation. Detective Team Leader William, correct?"
"Don't go! Absolutely don't!"
"Delirium detected. Combat incapacity assessed. Transporting to hospital."
"Listen! We'll all die!"
The android struck his neck as he rambled about death. The bus carried the fainted William away.
By the time they reached the apartment, the target was gone.
Only shattered android wreckage, human chunks, a gut-shot dead cop, and an unconscious one remained.
-
"Are you awake?"
"...Where am I?"
William blinked around.
He was in a medical capsule. A medical android bowed politely beyond the translucent glass.
Behind it, devices glowed; nurses and androids rushed in the hallway outside.
"...Hospital."
"Correct."
"What about the others? The op? Everyone okay?"
"When reinforcements entered Block C Apartment 3, the target had fled. No additional casualties."
William's mind reeled at the android's words.
"...Letting it escape is an unforgivable blunder."
"No need to worry. Second memory drives from androids recovered. Earth Central Security will locate it soon. Rest assured."
"......"
William couldn't relax.
M01, storing all memories, evaporated tracelessly under the enemy's horrific psionic attack.
Other android memories were fragmentary—upper command might not grasp the threat fully.
Only he retained intact memories.
"I need to report to command now!"
"Treatment in progress. Discharge impossible."
"Damn it! It's urgent!"
"Impossible. Rest required until tomorrow at least."
"Hey! Wait!"
The android operated a panel. Drugs auto-injected via the tube in his arm.
William tried to yank it, but overwhelming fatigue from the meds knocked him out again.
How much time passed? William jolted awake.
"Hah!"
The room was dark—nighttime.
Someone else was in the dim ward.
Pressing a button, the capsule hissed open.
"Who are you?"
"From command. You must report immediately. Up for it?"
"No problem."
The cop who'd woken him wore a uniform, bandaged at the neck—nothing else notable.
'Huh? Feels familiar.'
Working detectives honed face memory. He didn't recall the face, but the build rang a bell.
'Not harbor district. Where then?'
Recently met, for sure.
"Car's waiting outside. Follow me."
"Grab my stuff first."
Urgent report—he packed light and followed.
Night-shift medical androids tried stopping, but the cop flashed a police e-badge for auth.
At the parking lot, he clicked keys. A standard sedan flashed headlights afar.
"Get in."
The cop sat driver's side first, saying nothing more.
'Not a police car for command report?'
Off-duty? William puzzled.
The cop stared blankly ahead, disinterested—hardly faking malice.
William touched his laser pistol.
'E-badge was Earth Central Security format.'
He had one too. Unique ID/pattern made forgery impossible; theft useless as alarms triggered.
Odd behavior, but badge confirmed cop.
After hesitation, he boarded. The car left the dim lot, passing the brightly lit hospital into midnight streets.
Silence inside. Cop drove stoically; William pondered his identity.
'Earth Central Security, recent... armed cop maybe?'
"You..."
"We're here."
As realization hit and he spoke, the car stopped. Outside: not admin district.
Empty quiet street, dark alley, nearby manhole.
'Inter-district border?'
Between residential and harbor—known spot. Straddling zones, security teams dodged blame; ironically cop-free. No cams/lights; frequent muggings.
"Get out."
"What is this?"
William drew his laser pistol, aiming at the cop's temple.
Memory clicked: armed cop from the apartment op with him. Helmet/mask hid face then.
"Get out and you'll understand."
"Understand what?"
"......"
103 didn't resist. Just repeated it'd be clear upon exit.
'No way?'
William saw 103's fate: parasite-controlled, shooting allies.
"...Sorry, Team Leader."
"What?"
"Too late."
In the dark car, 103 turned, grinning at William—not his face, behind him.
'Behind?'
Too late to turn. Passenger window shattered; something sharp stabbed his neck nape.
Sting hit, paralysis gripped instantly—like a lock on motor control. Finger wouldn't squeeze trigger.
Strong force yanked him out, slamming pavement—no pain.
Finally, William faced it.
Four thick toes like hooves, reverse-jointed digitigrade legs unlike human—muscles layered to support bulk.
Hips bore a tail as long/thick as its torso.
Legs up to chest (bar abdomen) wrapped in armor-like exoskeleton. Chest plate sprouted small arms.
More arms: two pairs at shoulders/armpits, human-scale but massive. Left lower arm ended in rod, not hand.
Other hands: four fingers, hook-like razor claws—terrifying.
Already nightmarish, but the head terrified more.
Reptilian skull evoked lizards, but two horns, helmet-like full-head exoskeleton, rear tentacle bundle—no normal animal.
103 knelt before the monster post-exit.
"Brought him as ordered."
It glanced at him, then glared at William.
Mouth opened, revealing fangs.
"I never miss prey."
The voice from its maw was shockingly familiar: Cop 112 from the op.
As the head neared, William screamed.
No one heard but him.