Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Banquet and Bloodshed
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“Did you enjoy the meal, Denver?”
“More than enjoy—it’s no wonder they say T&C. Especially the main dish. First time I’ve tried something like it.”
“Oven-roasted pork sourced from Earth pigs. Raised in free-range conditions mimicking Earth’s environment as closely as possible, it’s known for its rich, flavorful meat.”
“I thought pigs were extinct?”
“One of my scouting teams secured the seeds with great difficulty, and our family succeeded in farming them. We plan to launch a new brand on the market within a few years.”
“Haha, impressive. I’d definitely buy some when it hits the shelves.”
The T&C family was a leader among Noble Capitals in colonial expansion. Their power stemmed from the vast resources pouring in from countless colonies.
Thanks to these conditions, T&C had secured their influence in ways that set them apart from other families.
Culinary politics—that was how they wielded power over Mega Corp’s upper echelons.
They controlled hundreds of colony planets alone. That meant access to diverse ingredients from every imaginable environment.
As a result, they virtually monopolized the luxury ingredient market catering to the elite.
Of course, in terms of overall food supply within Mega Corp territory, the Yujin Family dominated with their genetically modified products. They fed every low-income citizen in the region, so it was only natural.
But the profits from fresh, exotic ingredients that kept the elite on good terms were far from insignificant.
It was true, in fact. Denver found himself seeing Laila in a new light after tasting the banquet’s cuisine.
She picked this dish specifically to suit my tastes.
The guest suite, the food—everything catered to Denver’s preferences.
With intelligence like this, the board meeting was unlikely to go awry. Reassured, Denver speared a piece of crispy pork rind with his fork.
The moment he brought it to his mouth, the banquet hall doors swung open, and two people rushed in.
Hm?
“What’s going on?”
The newcomers were Laila’s secretary and Vice-Captain Vickers. They hurried to their respective superiors, half-running.
“Your Highness, urgent news.”
“Urgent?”
“Contact has been lost with the four knights sent to protect William.”
Denver’s face hardened at the vice-captain’s words.
All four taken out?
The Silver Lion Knights were stationed on the Ezerton flagship, handling ship defense and assault operations against enemy vessels.
Protecting the flagship was the top priority for any fleet. Thus, the Silver Lion Knights represented the pinnacle of the Ezerton family’s ground forces.
An enemy capable of wiping out four warriors from the family’s elite special unit was no pushover.
“...And the follow-up?”
“Already in motion. We’ve dispatched the remaining 20 knights. Jacob’s in command.”
“Mm. Recall the knights out on detachment immediately… Hm?”
Denver paused mid-instruction to Vickers.
Across the table, Laila—who was receiving her own report—wore a twisted expression. Her usual composure had cracked badly.
After hearing her secretary’s full briefing, she barely held it together and called out to Denver.
“Denver. We’ve just received a report that Silver Lion Knights stormed a hospital and butchered civilians.”
“...What?”
“I’ll show you.”
At Laila’s gesture, her secretary manipulated a terminal pad, projecting a hologram onto the banquet hall wall.
The screen showed a reporter standing in front of the hospital, delivering the news.
No way?
Denver glanced at Vickers, who gave a slight nod. That was William’s hospital.
Meanwhile, the reporter brought out a new figure—a man in patient garb.
Laila gestured to cut it off midway. The hologram vanished, leaving silence in the banquet hall.
Laila broke it first.
“Denver. I don’t believe the Ezerton retainers would do something like that without reason.”
“......”
“But this isn’t just an Ezerton issue. I’m the city administrator. I have a right to know what’s happening here. So please tell me.”
Spill everything before blood is spilled—that was the message.
Denver had been cordial during the banquet, so she knew he was friendly toward T&C. Hence her polite request for cooperation.
Problem is, we don’t know either.
They’d sent knights due to secrets tied to William. With the retrieval team wiped out, William was likely dead too.
The sole witness to the truth was gone, putting Denver in a bind. He couldn’t brush it off lightly. One misstep, and it wouldn’t be the board meeting at stake—but war between T&C and Ezerton.
Time to lay out what we know.
With a sigh, Denver summarized the situation and his orders to his subordinates.
“So the police officer called William is linked to this?”
“Exactly.”
“...I heard recently that unidentified smugglers failed to smuggle a Mountain Crawler at the port district and fled. Might be related.”
“We’ll confirm if the culprit is a Mountain Crawler ourselves. Vice-Captain.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Contact Jacob. Tell him to activate cameras—we need to assess the situation.”
“Understood.”
Vickers commed Jacob, then operated his terminal pad like the secretary had.
A handsome Black man’s face appeared on the marble wall. His shoulder pauldrons bore a small image of a bikini-clad woman.
“The Special Trade Center’s chief administrator is watching. Sync cameras and report.”
Jacob adjusted his helmet, linking the helmet cams to Vickers’ terminal.
The hologram revealed the hospital shrouded in rising smoke.
Squad 2 entering via rear, Squad 3 on standby.
The silver-armored figures encircled the hospital with agile precision. True elites—their movements were leagues beyond the foes I’d faced before.
If I’d been inside, it would’ve been a tough fight.
But I’m already out.
I’d left the hospital and was now perched atop a nearby media building, observing the enemy. My jaw’s auxiliary organs tirelessly gathered data on their movements and chatter.
No major external changes, but vastly upgraded functionally—they even picked up their radio comms.
Thanks to their chatter, I knew exactly where they’d breach and how they planned to corner me.
Confirming their entry, I scaled down the wall. Reporters had swarmed the hospital front for the scoop, leaving the building empty.
Hitting the ground, I bolted toward the station.
My feet slamming into the pavement made noise, but with cops, reporters, ambulances, and fire trucks everywhere, it was chaos. No one noticed.
My auxiliary organs kept collecting intel as I ran, filtering enemy radio chatter from the flood of data.
Time’s running short.
Metal Absorption had time left, but Hunting Mark was the issue. Roughly 8 minutes spent at the hospital out of 10. Barely 2 minutes remaining.
Devour as many station knights as possible before it wears off.
Ezerton knights were all gene-modded humans. Not packed with genes like Hulk mutants or Sihyun Yujin, but still far superior to civilians.
Might as well get the full high.
True Aimorphs suck every last drop from their prey.
Hunting Mark shaved the travel time to the station.
Six knights guarded the entrance.
They hadn’t spotted me yet. Time to test my new ranged weapon.
Thorn Hair Launching Tail: Deadly thorn hairs sprout from the tail for launching. Replaces Thorn Bone Launching Organ.
P.S. Unlike hedgehogs, Aimorphs needn’t worry about dilemmas.
My tail had transformed dramatically. The tip now bristled with long, dense thorn hairs like a cactus or thorny hedge.
Thorn Hair trait fused with Thorn Bone Launching Organ, birthing this new ability.
Unlike the bone launcher, this fires in bursts.
If the old one was a sniper rifle, this was a machine gun. Lower penetration than bone thorns, but they burrowed into wounds. Plus neurotoxin application—perfect for multiple foes.
Losing the bone organ restored my left forearm to match the others, but no regrets. Each had pros and cons.
Bursts were ideal for taking down several at once.
I shook my tail mid-stride without slowing. Dozens of hand-span thorn hairs flew at the knights.
Dozens of thorn hairs embedded in the knights’ bodies. They startled, reacting to the assault.
“Enemy! Counterattack, every… What?”
“Th-they’re not moving!”
“Thorns in the joints!”
Superior reinforced suits prevented penetration, but thorns lodged in joints, restricting movement.
Thorn hairs are tough.
Against high-grade suits, it was just a stall—but enough.
They haven’t switched from thermal vision yet, right?
Squads 1 and 2 switched for the fire-ravaged building. These hadn’t.
I gaped wide. My ignition organ pulsed, unleashing a torrent of flame from my throat.
“Aaaagh!”
“It’s spewing fire!”
Magma Gator’s Breath of Fire ravaged the knights. Flames carpeted the station entrance, black smoke billowing inside.
“Switch to alternate vision!”
Veterans indeed—they stayed calm despite blocked sight and motion.
But I wouldn’t wait for prep.
I charged the frontmost knight on comms. His body shattered under my momentum—he couldn’t even scream.
No time left—I scooped the dismembered corpse and shoved it in my maw.
Another knight, vision switched, aimed his bolter.
“Huh?!”
But his plasma bolt never hit.
I’d spewed fire for one reason.
Blind the enemy.
And not just the knights before me.
Station cameras too.
My underground friends, hidden in the smoke, aiding me.
“Ugh, grrr, gah!”
Specimen 026’s Bind hoisted a knight airborne. Like a child plucking bug limbs, his arms and legs flailed wildly.
“Aaaagh!”
“Rix!”
Bone-popping cracks led to explosive snaps—his limbs tore free. Reduced to a stump, he splattered into a blood pool, twitching briefly before stilling.
Chaotic voices over comms, knights panicking from sudden losses.
Familiar scene.
“F-fall back! Retreat… Gurk!”
One knight fleeing took a throat hole. Adhai’s precise strike on the weakness.
From the smoke, Adhai pulsed softly.
Had he activated his suit’s psychic shield, he might’ve lived. His fault for turning tail in battle.
After that, it was a rout.
Minutes in, half their squad gone—the knights lost their minds. Their invincible order absent, masters unavailing.
Just terrified sheep.
Sheep sans shepherd before a wolf have one option.
Bleat pitifully.
No wolf spares bleating sheep—and neither do I.
I finished the last three, grabbing two corpses hastily.
Quickly!
Slicing and stuffing them down, I plunged into the station.
026 extended tentacles obediently for two bodies, sensing my haste. Adhai tried for one but gave up on weight.
We hauled four corpses back to the nest.
Just before Hunting Mark expired, I heard it.
A late-arriving knight’s furious roar.
I smiled amid the smoke and darkness.