Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Deceptive Voice
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I grabbed the fallen Denver with my combat arms.
"His family name was Ezerton, right?"
Judging by the distinctive armor he wore and the Ezerton surname, this guy's status didn't seem low at all.
"Let's test it out."
I had just bitten Denver's neck to paralyze him. In the process, the genetic information in his blood had been absorbed into me, allowing me to mimic his voice.
"The mimicry organ is sealed, but I can still imitate voices to a limited extent."
I cut off the power to Denver's reinforced suit, then pulled the communicator from his belt.
"He...lp... me..."
｢Your Highness!｣
Holding the communicator with the small arms on my chest and mimicking Denver's voice made the knights freeze in place all at once.
｢His Highness has been captured!｣
｢Damn that monster!｣
I could hear the knights venting their frustration over the communicator.
They talked as if they'd tear me apart right then, but no one rushed at me recklessly.
"Oh?"
Still holding Denver, I called over my companions. As Specimen 026 and Adhai approached me, the knights flinched.
Their reaction confirmed it.
This guy, Denver Ezerton, held a pretty high position.
"Come to think of it, he tried to negotiate with me."
He might even hold a key role in the family.
Or perhaps...
"Is he the patriarch?"
I'd thought it too easy a catch to be the Ezerton patriarch, but their overreaction suggested he was.
If Denver really was the patriarch, my options widened considerably.
"Should I push my luck a bit more?"
Even if we beat the knights, we'd already been exposed. Sneaking out of the city was nearly impossible.
"We can win battles, but the war's still against us."
If they gave up on my corpse and fired the warship's cannons, me and my companions would be done for.
And even if we escaped and hid on a spaceship, pursuit by their warships would end it.
"But..."
That was before I captured Denver.
Now that he was clearly a high-value hostage, it was worth gambling a step further.
｢...That monster's taken His Highness hostage?｣
｢We heard it was intelligent, but this level...｣
｢His Highness is hostage. No reckless moves, everyone.｣
The knights' conversation came through the communicator.
Of course, they had no idea I understood human speech.
"Come to think of it, Denver said that."
He pegged me as a Hulk Mutant the moment he saw me.
If they didn't know about Aimorphs, it wasn't a bad guess.
They'd already figured out my body contained genes from various creatures during the fight. Assuming I was something similar like a Hulk Mutant made sense.
Of course, there were Outspacers that evolved through gene absorption besides Hulk Mutants, but they communicated via unique wavelengths shared only within their species, like Specimen 026.
"Hulk Mutants don't speak as well as me originally."
But that only applied in the game.
I'd even met Hulk Mutants that pirated ships without issue, beyond just talking.
"If they think I'm a Hulk Mutant..."
How should I play this?
"Hulk Mutants canonically need gene manipulation tech to fuse genes without side effects."
Naturally, that required massive capital and cutting-edge labs equipped for fusion.
In other words, not just anyone could make one.
"Let's use that."
After a quick think, I fiddled with the communicator's channel using a small arm.
"I can contact the warship too... Ah, there it is."
Switching to the public channel, I snapped Denver's right arm with a combat arm. His whole body was paralyzed, so no pain, but the knights didn't know that.
｢Your Highness!｣
｢You bastard!｣
"Do... n't... mo... ve... grrk... I... un... der... stand."
｢Your Highness? Why this channel...?｣
｢His Highness has been taken hostage!｣
The communicator buzzed with panicked voices from the knights here and the warship crew.
Ignoring them, I continued.
"This... grk... guy's... from... Hulk... Mu... tant... grrr... fa... mi... ly."
｢Your Highness! Your injuries are severe! You don't need to—!｣
"Thi...s... guy's... from... T&C... Hit... T&C."
｢No way!｣
｢Tha...t's impossible!｣
The knights and warship crew reacted explosively to my words.
Some demanded immediate strikes on T&C, others claimed Denver was delirious from injuries.
But none suspected me.
"Of course they wouldn't."
Denver was nearly 2.5 meters tall in his reinforced suit.
Standing on two legs, I was just over 3 meters, so unless they got close, they couldn't tell if I was secretly using the communicator.
Who'd imagine an unknown monster perfectly mimicking their living patriarch's voice?
"The voice is a bit off, but I accounted for that."
The transcendence system's restrictions prevented perfect voice mimicry. It came out garbled, like a busted radio.
That's why I injured him in plain view—to fake the pain distorting his voice.
"Plus, T&C is the perfect scapegoat to divert attention."
Hulk Mutants required tech even Prime Capitals struggled with.
To them, only one group could produce a Hulk Mutant like me: T&C, with their recent gene tech breakthroughs.
"Time to drive it home."
"In... the... warn... ing... grrr... this... guy's... con... trol... ler... grk... ex... ists."
｢What do you mean?｣
"De... stroy... the... in... spec... tion... post."
｢W-wait! That'll start a war with T&C!｣
The warship crew was right.
After clashes in the sewers and now shelling the checkpoint, war was inevitable.
But with their patriarch in my grasp, they had no choice but to obey.
"Not convincing enough?"
I grabbed Denver's leg with my lower arms and crushed it. Even paralyzed, the shock drew a groan from inside his helmet.
If he was rattled, imagine them.
Shouts exploded over the communicator.
I ignored them, opened my mouth, and bit into Denver's shoulder. The thick pauldron shattered, and my teeth sank into the dark flesh beneath.
The enraged knights howled, but I couldn't care.
Denver's spurting shoulder blood warmly filled my throat.
"Tastes good."
I'd sampled it biting his neck, but gulping this much confirmed it.
Like fine aged wine—sweet, smooth, clean finish.
"No separate gene mods, it seems."
Good living? Among my meals, it rivaled Sihyun Yujin's flavor, but distinct.
"Not yet."
This was to shake them, not dine.
Regretfully, I pulled my teeth from his shoulder.
"That should do it."
They'd understand: abandon the patriarch, and their options vanished.
As expected, a large warship docked far at the pier slowly lifted off.
"Phew."
Only then could I relax.
"Honestly, I thought it'd fail."
Taking the patriarch hostage was a high-risk gamble.
What if he wasn't the patriarch?
Or if the warship crew rationally shelled us?
Game over for us.
"Lucky they acted like Mega Corp types."
Mega Corp society was rigid with capital hierarchies yet allowed cutthroat competition.
Losers could drop capital ranks sharply.
This hit even the top seven families.
"If Denver dies, his men get purged by the new patriarch."
Not just knights—the warship crew too. To survive, they had to save him.
Hence obeying absurd orders.
As the warship flew toward its target, I scanned for our escape ship with auxiliary senses.
Too far for details, but I spotted a few decent ones.
"When the warship shells the checkpoint, that's our move."
Defense fleet engages, harbor turns to chaos. Dash to pier, sneak aboard.
[Zzzt zzt zzt zzt(When the signal comes, run)]
｢Signal?｣
Not me who answered Specimen 026.
A massive explosion erupted at the space checkpoint, followed by thunderous booms across the harbor district.
[Zzzt(Now)]
Gripping Denver, I bolted. Specimen 026 and Adhai followed.
"026's faster than expected."
It vibrated fins as legs rapidly while tentacles pushed from behind.
Worried as a deep-sea creature, but land speed held up.
As we sped away, knights chased in panic.
｢Bad guys chasing.｣
[Zzzt zzt zzt zzt zzt zzt(We don't need to catch them)]
｢?｣
No sooner said, the sky warped, black cracks spiderwebbing across.
The holographic sky and artificial sun vanished, revealing the metal dome encasing the city.
Shield gates on the inner dome walls opened, unleashing steel ships like a flood.
[Zzzt zzt zzt zzt(They'll handle them)]
｢Wow!｣
Warships from nearby gates fired plasma beams at the Ezerton vessel.
Spectacular: countless steel hulls unleashing green light beams inside the mega-structure.
Ezerton's warship countered with a blue glow from the front—a plasma shield, rare on anything but capital ships.
Green beams fizzled harmlessly against it.
"Not usually that tough. Must be top gear for the patriarch's ride."
Ezerton's batteries fired in unison. Not just the shield—their beams were twice as thick as the defenders'.
Defenders activated shields too, but Ezerton's plasma pierced them. Struck ships plummeted like fireflies over the city.
War erupting mid-city shifted the pier's mood. Ships prepping outbound rushed launches; screams reached us.
｢My God!｣
｢How did this...?｣
Our pursuing knights stared dumbfounded at the clash, forgetting us.
They finally grasped what they'd unleashed.
Over the communicator, dazed exchanges sparked a thought.
Soon after arriving, I'd suspected Sihyun Yujin's men of plotting civil war.
But saving core conspirator Galleron Adhai foiled it.
"It should have."
Yet here, Mega Corp's biggest event—a civil war—unfolded before me.
By my hand.
｢Whoa! Boom boom! So cool!｣
Whatever I or the knights thought, Specimen 026 beamed innocently at the green-and-blue light show in the sky.