Chapter 17

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 17

Chapter Title: Abducted Mimic

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A dark, dingy waste disposal site.

This was the final destination for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the monster corpses processed and shipped from the front lines.

The stench was par for the course, and the grotesque sight of half-dead ones occasionally twitching made it a workplace everyone avoided.

"Hum~ hum~"

Right now, my footsteps echoed incredibly lightly through that very workplace.

"Squeak?"

Squirmy slithered up inside my hazmat suit, tickling the nape of my neck.

"Good boy. Just hang in there a bit longer, even if it's stuffy. We're almost done."

I patted the little guy.

I wasn't alone anymore(?), and I couldn't rot away in this dangerous place forever.

The morning battles with Apophis were starting to wear me down (though they were cute...), and more than anything...

'I don't want to die anymore.'

The old me lacked the courage to end it myself and had lived hoping only for unavoidable death.

But things were different now.

There was a beautiful monster big sis waiting for me at home, and this adorable Squirmy clinging to my body.

Family.

Not your average kind, but this shelter I'd barely managed to find again gave me a crystal-clear reason to live.

So this morning, I mustered my courage and told the Team Leader.

"Uh, I'll stick it out till the end of the month and then quit."

Honestly, I was terrified.

It was already a short-staffed 3D job. I braced myself for a barrage of curses like "Got a full belly, huh?" "No sense of responsibility," "Kids these days got no grit," shrinking my shoulders.

"...Hm. Alright?"

The Team Leader was surprisingly calm.

He led me to the vending machine in the break room, popped a can of coffee for me, and asked,

"Well, you're not quitting just to goof off. You got a plan, right?"

"Ah... yeah... I, uh, started living with someone... and she really hates this job..."

"Hm... a guy?"

"N-No! A woman! A woman..."

I jumped in surprise at the question, and the Team Leader chuckled.

"Gotcha, that's good... I mean, what does gender matter? As long as it's a good person."

He cracked open the can, took a sip, and clapped my shoulder.

"Smart move. This ain't the place for a young guy like you to waste his life."

"Team Leader..."

"You've been looking way better lately, Kang. Used to walk around with a corpse-like death wish face, but now your skin's fair and your eyes got that spark."

The Team Leader grinned warmly and added,

"Sure, some idiots gossip behind your back like 'Kang's got himself a boyfriend or whatever,' but ignore 'em. Way better than that grim reaper look."

"Ah... thank you."

The unexpected kindness made the tip of my nose tingle.

The world wasn't all rotten after all. Even in this corpse-stinking hellhole, there was still some human warmth.

"Anyway, this gig? Come back anytime you feel like diving back into the shit. Wrap up the rest of your time well."

It ended on such a heartwarming note...

"Hoo. Still, this is a bit much..."

I groaned as I pushed the massive iron cart along.

I appreciated the consideration of "Don't get hurt on your last days," but of all places, why here?

Where I was happened to be the [Final Crushing Yard] in the waste disposal site—a spot for manually sorting the tough bones and shells of giant monsters before they got pulverized.

No people around, filthy backbreaking work... putting it nicely, it was downtime. Basically slacking, right?

Clunk.

The cart snagged on the uneven floor, and one massive foreleg from the giant insect monster atop it tumbled off.

A razor-sharp foreleg shaped like a sickle. Vicious enough to slice flesh clean off bare skin with a graze.

"Ugh... gotta pick this up again."

I sighed and stopped the cart.

It was dead, so no movement, but that thing weighed a ton...

That was when it happened.

Plop! Plop!

Squirmy went berserk inside the hazmat suit.

"Wh-what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

The usually docile guy was writhing like he was about to burst right through the suit.

Poking at my back, coiling around my waist—it was total chaos.

"Is it too stuffy? Ngh! Alright, alright!"

Good thing no one was around. I hurriedly unzipped the hazmat. Company gear—if it ripped, I'd have to pay!

Shhh!

The moment the zipper opened, Squirmy rocketed out from my back.

Without even asking, it shot straight ahead, practically dragging me along as it charged the fallen insect limb on the ground.

"E-Eh!? Squirmy, that's gross! Dirty!"

No chance to stop it.

Crunch.

"Squeeeak! Nom nom!"

Squirmy jammed its head into the thick joint of the insect foreleg.

And then an unbelievable sight unfolded.

This toothless thing pierced the rock-hard shell like soft tofu...

Slurp slurp.

"Ewww!?"

And started sucking out the flesh and fluids.

Just like a leech guzzling blood...

Squirmy's body undulated as it pumped the insect's innards into me at a ferocious pace.

I stood there, front-row witness to this monster mukbang, utterly speechless.

'Ugh, eww... it's eating a monster right now?'

It wasn't fresh. Hell, it was rotting a bit—the stench was foul.

Yet Squirmy slurped away like it had found the world's sweetest honey pot. Through my body!

Gulp. Gulp.

The silver lining in this misfortune? At least I couldn't taste it.

Plus, that bizarre sense of fullness as whatever it sucked up flowed from my tailbone up my spine and spread through my whole body...

Truth be told, it wasn't bad...

In fact, it was satisfying in a spine-tingling way...

On the way home.

My steps were so light, it felt like I was walking on clouds.

The resignation had gone smoothly, but more than that, my whole body brimmed with energy. Squirmy's meal, maybe? Monster corpse was a tad gross, but my condition was peak—must be something good!

And on top of that,

"Hehe..."

I gazed at the white cake box in my hand.

A fresh cream cake from the local bakery. Sweet chocolate sheet loaded with strawberries—Apophis's favorite.

I held the cake in one hand and pulled out my phone with the other, opening the messenger app.

"Pfft."

Laughter burst out involuntarily.

Her speech was straight out of a historical drama empress, but that emoticon was the cutest teddy bear ever.

Apophis was soaking up internet culture like a sponge. She probably knew more about it than I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did by now?

I stared at the chat, pondering.

Should I tell her now? About quitting the company today. And about Squirmy sucking up a monster like one of Apophis's tentacles.

'Nah. Better say it in person.'

I wanted to see her face.

"No more dangerous work. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can stay by your side forever." I wanted to see her expression when I said that. She'd probably leap with joy straight into my arms?

"Hurry up."

I pocketed my phone and quickened my pace.

A quiet alley with streetlights few and far between.

A path that once felt depressing now felt like a red carpet.

But that happy buzz shattered the instant I rounded the corner.

Fwhoosh—!

A sharp sound sliced through the air from somewhere.

At the same time, a stinging pain flared at my nape.

"Eh...?"

My vision suddenly darkened.

My legs went limp. As my knees buckled and I toppled toward the ground, rough hands seized both my arms.

"Secured."

A dry, mechanical voice.

Through my blurring sight, I saw men in black combat gear. Not your run-of-the-mill thugs or punks.

The lethal aura pouring off them matched the "pro hunters" I'd crossed paths with on-site.

"U-Ugh...! Wh-who..."

My tongue felt numb; words wouldn't come.

Squirmy sensed the danger from my back and tried to burst out with a "Squeak!," but one of them jammed a baton-like thing against my back.

Zzzzt—!

"GyaAAAAA!"

A brutal current raced up my spine and tore through my body.

Squirmy, just starting to emerge, couldn't even scream before retreating back inside.

"Watch it, Viper. This mimic's valuable merchandise. Don't tank its market value."

The boss-looking guy snarled, grabbing my waist and hoisting me up.

Beside him, a red bob-cut woman chewed gum while looking down at me. Smoke curled from the electric stun baton in her hand.

"Just making sure, Team Leader. But damn, this one's a looker. A-grade shell for a mimic?"

She grabbed my chin and turned my face this way and that.

Those eyes were utterly repulsive. Not a predator eyeing prey, nor a woman gazing at someone she liked.

It was the sadistic gleam of someone appraising a lab rat... or a toy to toy with.

"Bag him."

At the order, I was hurled into the waiting black van.

Thud.

Slamming into the floor, my eyes caught my dropped belongings on the asphalt.

Strawberries and cream oozed like blood from the dented cake box.

And next to it, my phone.

On the cracked screen floated Apophis's last message.

'Ah... no...'

She's waiting.

We were gonna celebrate today.

I wanted to surprise her...

"Move out."

The door slammed shut.

Darkness swallowed me.

...

...

How long had we been driving?

The sedative dart in my neck left my mind foggy.

The only sounds in the van were their chatter.

"So, Hunter sir. Where do we extract the drug from this bastard? Spine? Brain stem?"

The driver guy asked.

"Usually through saliva, sweat, or other bodily fluids. Mimic research logs say secretion ramps up in an excited state."

The boss replied indifferently.

The redhead Viper sitting beside me snickered.

"Excited, huh... Then I'm the expert."

Her hand slid between the thighs of my sprawled body.

"Hii...!"

The creepy sensation made me twitch, and she shoved it deeper, clearly amused.

"Aw, look at him shaking. Cute?"

She pressed her lips to my ear and whispered,

"Don't worry, baby. Big sis'll make you feel real good. If the drug's good quality... maybe I'll let you live. Kay?"

"!!!"

She started groping my cock.

Humiliation and terror crashed over me. My dignity as a man trampled underfoot.

But I didn't even have the strength to resist.

'Apophis nim... help me...'

Tears welled up.

I pictured Apophis tugging at my pant leg that morning, begging me not to go.

She'd been right.

I shouldn't have gone out.

The van sped away from the city, plunging into deeper, darker depths.