The Port District (1)
Jade emerged from his hideout and waited for his companions in front of the building.
By the time he had burned through his second cigarette, a black sedan appeared in the distance. Jade waved, cigarette still clamped between his lips, and the vintage-styled mid-sized sedan rolled toward him.
The car stopped, and Jade pulled open the passenger door. Behind the wheel sat a woman with a pair of goat horns growing from her head and a mane of white hair.
"I said come quietly."
"And what if I towed a company vehicle all the way out here and someone got suspicious? Then what?"
The woman's name was Jennet Russell. As her horns suggested, she was a Cultist.
"Besides, you'd need this much size to fit all five of us anyway."
"...Tch. Fair enough. Where are the others?"
Clicking his tongue, Jade climbed into the passenger seat. The moment he boarded, a man materialized in the back seat, his concealment dissolving away.
"Dewayne Russell. Mission complete, reporting in."
"Good to see you."
Gloomy-faced and gaunt, Dewayne Russell served as the sniper among Eugene's operatives infiltrating the city, which was why he wore a high-grade reinforced suit fitted with optical camouflage.
A stock high-grade reinforced suit was closer to a full suit of powered armor, but the one Dewayne wore had been custom-modified at staggering expense, making it incomparably lighter than the original. The trade-off was a drastic drop in protection to mid-grade suit levels, but since Dewayne's role was to support the team from the rear, it hardly mattered.
"So it's just Frost and Hope left."
"Frost is in the Entertainment District, and Hope is... ah, there he is."
A hulking man with a crew cut — Hope Russell — was approaching with a cello case slung over his shoulder. Hope went around behind the car and rapped his knuckles on the trunk.
"Open it."
"This is an expensive car, you know."
Jennet grumbled but popped the trunk. Having stowed the cello case, Hope took a seat in the back.
"Good to see everyone again."
"The weapons are in working order, I trust?"
"Of course. Though frankly, I doubt we'll even need them."
"Don't get careless. You never know what kind of accident might erupt out of nowhere."
"Yeah, yeah, Mom. Hey, Dewayne, you been holding up all right?"
Hope brushed off Jade's advice and turned to Dewayne beside him.
"Ugh. This bastard gets on my damn nerves every single time I see him."
"Why are you picking a fight with me again?"
"...Jennet. Enough chatter. Drive."
"You got it."
The Russells planted in T&C Special Trade Hub always moved as a team. With dozens of joint operations under their belts, calling them veterans would be no exaggeration.
"Jade is right. A soldier must always be prepared."
Dewayne Russell, the man with the most soldier-like temperament on the team, handled rear support and sniping.
"Weapons are scrap metal the moment the ammo runs dry. Powers are where it's at."
Jennet Russell, the sole woman in the group. Not only was she a Cultist — she possessed an exceptionally powerful and rare ability.
"You empty-headed skank. Wait till a grenade gets lodged somewhere below the belt — then we'll see how clear your head is."
Hope Russell could handle every weapon under the sun but specialized above all in heavy ordnance. Reckless by temperament, he was nonetheless the most dependable man alive in the middle of a firefight.
"...You two bicker every single time you meet."
Jade Russell, the leader and demolition specialist. Thanks to the Metallic Gremlin genes granted by Sihyeon Yujin, he could destroy nearly every kind of metal in existence.
And finally, though absent tonight, there was Frost Russell — the team's vanguard.
Each of them had a finely divided role, and from years of operating together their coordination had become seamless.
That said, it didn't exactly mean they got along. Only Jade, the leader, was on friendly terms with everyone; the rest kept one another at arm's length.
'They're fine when the fists are flying on an operation, but the moment there's no mission, this is what happens.'
Still, they were all rigorous about separating duty from personal business, so Jade rarely bothered to rein them in.
The car, running deep into the night, stopped near the boundary of the Entertainment District. After a short wait, a single cyborg came sprinting from afar.
"I'm the last one here."
"Good to see you, Frost."
"You too, Jade."
The cyborg Frost Russell grinned broadly and slid into the back seat. The moment he sat down, the expressions of his teammates curdled.
"Christ, who'd you beat to death this time?"
"Oh? Can you tell?"
"Course I can, you bastard. The stench of blood is rolling off you in waves."
"Heh heh."
Everyone riding in that car was a professional killer with a body count well into the hundreds, but Frost was a singular case even among them.
'He kills people on a regular schedule even when there's no mission.'
With over 80% of his body converted, Frost was a cyborg all but indistinguishable from an android. The team's close-quarters specialist, he possessed the most vicious temperament of anyone in the Russell family.
Among the cyborgs who had defected to MegaCorp, cases like Frost's were not uncommon. Bodies mechanized against their will, minds breaking down until they sought nothing but the most extreme stimulation.
Torture, murder, violence against others — things of that nature.
Since their psyches hewed far closer to that of Spacedogs, some 80% of defecting cyborgs chose the path of the space pirate. The remaining 20% went somewhere with 'entertainment' in rich supply, like the Special Trade Hub. As one could see, Frost belonged to the latter group.
'Thankfully it doesn't interfere with mission performance.'
Outside of operations, Frost only killed people he was certain could be killed without consequence, so Jade didn't worry overmuch. Though the smell of blood that never left the man's body was admittedly a burden.
"We're here."
It was Jennet who roused Jade from his reverie. Beyond the passenger window rose a mountain of stacked shipping containers.
"Everyone out. Get ready."
While the rest of the team checked over their equipment, Jade approached the chain-link fence ringing the loading yard. When he gripped the fence and simply stood still, a thick cable snapped somewhere, and the fence began tearing itself apart.
"Is this enough?"
A hole had opened in the fence, wide enough for three people to pass through at once. Jade climbed through into the loading yard, and the others, having finished their checks, followed him in.
"Where to, sir?"
"This way. Dewayne — rear guard as usual."
"Yes, sir."
With that answer, Dewayne's body melted into the shadows of the empty air.
The rest followed Jade through the forest of containers. Thanks to his Metallic Gremlin genes, Jade could tell identical containers apart by their metallic scent alone, singling out the one he sought without any difficulty.
He guided the team without a single wrong turn, as if walking with a map open before his eyes. Soon he arrived before a container and laid his hand on the terminal.
When the mouth in his palm began gnawing through the terminal, sparks flew from the machine. A moment later, something clunked inside the heavy steel door, and it swung open.
"Huh?"
The moment Jade set foot inside, something felt wrong. He should have felt cold air — the cryo-pod storing the Gallagon would demand it. Instead, the container's interior was nothing but warm.
'What the hell?'
A premonition of dread seized him, and he sprinted to the cryo-pod and threw open the lid.
"......"
"Huh? Is this the right place?"
Jennet had followed him in and tilted her head. Jade had no words for her.
The cryo-pod was empty.
"This is the container holding the creature you requested."
William, whom I had summoned twice now, remained as courteous as ever. Any resistance or grievance on his part, and the parasite embedded in his brain would punish him with pain.
Whatever his deference, he clearly resented me to the core — he was popping painkillers at every opportunity.
'It'd be easier on him if he just gave up.'
I found myself wondering, idly, what trait I might gain from eating William's flesh. There was no guarantee I'd extract a 100% Genetic Essence from him, but if it did drop — what would it be?
'Wouldn't he be the textbook specimen of Humanity itself?'
He had to be in considerable pain, and yet the man showed no sign of abandoning his intent to strike at me. You could hardly deny he possessed an unbreakable will. That sort of trait would suit him far better than it did the pirate first mate.
'Here's hoping he becomes useless to me soon.'
Whether or not William knew I intended to devour him, he simply kept his head bowed.
'Anyway, never mind that. Let's see what we've got here.'
Leaving him be, I opened the container.
This one held thirty Walking Woods.
Walking Woods were plant-type creatures from jungle planets, much like Plant Lizards.
About thirty centimeters tall and shaped like adorable little fairies, the Walking Woods slept on inside their cryo-capsules, wholly unaware of the peril they were in.
'They were popular in the game, too.'
Just as Bubble Amoebas were beloved for their looks, Walking Woods had legions of fans thanks to their small, endearing appearance. There was a decent-sized subculture of enthusiasts who hunted nothing but Walking Woods.
I had hunted plenty of Walking Woods myself. In my case less for the cuteness than for the trait they carried.
The trait Walking Woods possessed was Natural Recovery.
It was the fusion ingredient for my own Regeneration trait.
When Amorph acquired two or more traits with similar effects, the one with the higher potency took precedence. If I held both Natural Recovery and Regeneration, Regeneration would apply.
Only if an effect-nullifying attack struck me and Regeneration failed to trigger would Natural Recovery kick in — but such cases were rare.
'In other words, I don't need it right now.'
Acquiring Natural Recovery at this stage would give me no real edge. It could serve as material for the Transcendence System, granted, but beyond that it offered little use.
So this once, I decided to hand it over to No. 26.
'Prey carrying recovery-related traits might aid her growth.'
If the evolution path from mutant Bubble Amoeba to Sea Demon followed the Amorph pattern, she would evolve by devouring the creatures of her own planet and habitat. Which meant the best possible food for her would be organisms native to ocean worlds.
There were no marine creatures among the smuggled animals — but I wasn't the type to give up over that.
I formed another hypothesis.
What if she could evolve by eating creatures that carried a specific gene or trait, just like an Amorph?
So far, No. 26 had eaten all manner of creatures without showing any change. Which meant nutrition alone wasn't the key.
Looking back on the moments her tentacles had multiplied: only when she brought down Sihyeon Yujin, and when she ate the smuggled animals. Neither had any great connection to marine life.
Growth by hunting powerful enemies and consuming special animals — conditions eerily similar to an Amorph's own.
Thinking like an Amorph, her evolution into a Sea Demon most likely followed the same pattern as well: acquiring specific traits in order to grow. That was why I had deliberately chosen creatures possessing self-healing abilities, akin to deep-sea lifeforms.
'Let's confirm the trait-prey part first.'
I called No. 26 over.
[Zzzzt zztzzt (Hungry? Here's food.)]
｢Yes!｣
Starving, No. 26 lunged straight for the cryo-capsules. Using her tentacles, she operated the terminal as smoothly as I had.
'She's learned, hasn't she?'
Perhaps growing up had made her smarter. She opened the cryo-capsule without the slightest trouble.
The moment cold air hissed out and the lid swung open, No. 26 thrust a tentacle inside and yanked out a Walking Wood.
"Kek!"
Dragged out mid-sleep, the Walking Wood died with its spine snapped. No. 26 swelled her whole body and swallowed the corpse in a single gulp.
It took her about five minutes to absorb the body, and then she immediately set her sights on the next capsule.
'Her digestion is faster now, too.'
Whether it was because Walking Woods were small or because she had grown, her digestive fluid seemed stronger than before. At that level, it was nearly on par with my Acid Blood.
Under my close observation, No. 26 devoured ten Walking Woods. Perhaps stuffed, her movements had grown noticeably sluggish.
｢I'm full.｣
[Zzzzt zztzzt (Just one more.)]
｢Okay.｣
Honestly, I hadn't expected No. 26 to finish them all anyway. Someone else was waiting right behind her. Perched atop my head, Adhai was drooling in long strands as she awaited her turn.
[Zzzt zzt (Just be patient a little)]
｢Me｣｢Patience｣｢Patience｣
[Zzzt (Good)]
I patted her once, conveying how proud I was of her.
Meanwhile, No. 26 was working through the eleventh Walking Wood. Just as the remains inside her translucent pink body had all but vanished, she suddenly shuddered from head to foot.
｢!｣
Her body began to swell. For an instant I panicked, thinking something had gone wrong — but thankfully, she showed no sign of suffering.
As No. 26's body ballooned outward, her shape shifted slightly from before. Where she had once looked like a round little steamed bun, her upper half was now far thicker, and a cluster of small fins, serving as legs, had sprouted beneath her.
Her original tentacles had multiplied from three to six, and her whole body had grown far larger — roughly sixty centimeters by the look of it. She had once been smaller than Adhai; now the reverse was true.
'She looks just like a Sea Demon.'
Scale her up to twenty meters, stretch those fins out long and thick, and she would be a dead ringer for a Sea Demon's combat form.
Unfamiliar with the changes in her own body, she walked awkwardly on her fins. Watching her toddle along on limbs still tiny for her bulk was quite adorable — but I knew. I knew that one day those fins would become weapons too savage to compare with even my Sawtooth Tentacles.
She was wandering about the container's interior when she noticed me watching, and lit her body up as if something puzzled her.
｢Big Baby got small.｣
[Zzzzt zztzzzz (No. You got big.)]
｢I got big?｣
It was a first for her, and she seemed unable to grasp it. To the baffled creature, I explained my own change by way of comparison.
[Zzzt zztzzt zztzzzt zt (You grew up, just like me)]
｢Me too?｣
[Zzzt (Yes)]
｢Wow!｣
Delighted at her own growth, she sprang up in place. Whether the increase was in weight and not merely volume, the container swayed faintly beneath her.
'I'll have to give the kids fair warning when we stage the ambush with her around.'
Until now she had ridden on my shoulder or my head — that was no longer an option.
Her celebration concluded, No. 26 drew her tentacles and legs back inside her body. Retracted like that, she was simply a bigger version of her old Bubble Amoeba self.
｢I'll protect Big Baby!｣
[Zzzzt (Thank you)]
I patted her as a reward for her hard work. She was undeniably larger now, and the feel of her had changed considerably. Before, she'd been like a water balloon; now she was more like a pillow stuffed with soft cotton.
"...The monsters keep multiplying."
William muttered sourly, watching No. 26 from outside.
Stirred by No. 26's transformation, Adhai jabbed the top of my head with her hands.
｢Elder｣｢Me｣｢Grow｣｢Want｣
[Zzzzt zzt zztzzzt (You'll grow too, if you eat)]
｢Good news｣
Honestly, I had no idea how Gallagons grew. They were no ordinary creatures, so I suspected special conditions had to be met — but for now, there was no way to know.
'Gallagons wield psychic power, so it's likely tied to psionic creatures.'
Once I acquired my Type, I would need to factor the Gallagon's growth into my plans as well.
The remaining Walking Woods were gobbled up wholesale by the Gallagon.
With the meal finished, we left the container.
The moment I sent William away and turned to head back, a barrage of images flashed before my eyes.
｢A reinforced alloy round punches through my skull.｣
｢I am dead.｣
'What?'
Predator Sense had fired in an instant, and I whipped my head aside. By a hair's breadth, the bullet tore through the Monster's Tentacle at the back of my head instead.
'Someone is attacking me.'
The sharp alarm snapped me wide awake. Using the two tendrils extending from beneath my jaw — my auxiliary organs — I pinpointed the direction of the attack.
My whole body's senses converged into the auxiliary organs, and they read the trail of air the bullet had torn through.
Something stirred near the far boundary of the Port District. The distance was too great to pin down an exact position.
'A sniper!'
I ordered the kids and William to hide behind the container, then scrambled to change position. Whether or not I had slipped out of the shooter's firing arc, no further shots came.
'Why now, of all times?'
William hadn't said a word to anyone, so it couldn't be the police. The reporter who had been tailing me had died only recently — it couldn't be anyone connected to her, either.
'A round capable of punching through my skull is no ordinary rifle's shot.'
A sniper rifle of plasma-weapon grade, firing reinforced alloy rounds — there was exactly one weapon that fit the bill.
The Sniper Coilgun.
'Not many people in this city could get their hands on a sniper coilgun.'
If anyone did, it would be the armed police. The fresh security details arriving for the Board of Directors Meeting might carry them — except the Board was still days away from convening.
'Someone who isn't police, carrying an expensive weapon, coming to assassinate me.'
When I thought it through, one name surfaced.
The man who had nearly killed me aboard the research vessel Yu Seong — Arnold Russell.
'...He's come for the Gallagon.'
Of all days. And by the look of it, he was far from alone.
Four unfamiliar presences were entering the auxiliary organs' detection range.