Crushed Encirclement
Splat. With a dull explosion, the Reaper-type xenoform's head burst apart in midair. Brain matter and shards sprayed everywhere, but the man in the black reinforced suit didn't flinch. He impassively lowered his gun barrel and nudged the monster's corpse on the ground with his combat boot.
'Last one.' Alpha checked the tactical map beyond his visor. All life signs within 500 meters had been erased.
"Bravo, Charlie. Status report."
A flippant voice crackled over the comms.
"We're in the middle of an op, Bravo. Save the chit-chat for debrief."
"The target isn't your average lab rat. It's an asset tied to Industries' future. Stay sharp."
Alpha shook his head and scanned for Charlie's signal. The team's analyst was unusually quiet.
"Charlie, found any traces?"
Charlie's voice carried bewilderment instead of his usual cool precision.
"You found what I asked for?"
Alpha furrowed his brow. Charlie rarely hesitated like this. He ignited his boosters and headed for the coordinates: an underground cavern beneath a massive crevasse.
Moments later, an unbelievable sight unfolded before Alpha in the cavern.
"......What the hell."
It was a vision of hell. Or rather, a frozen white tomb where even hell had been preserved in ice. Thousands, tens of thousands of xenoform corpses piled into mountains. But these weren't ordinary bodies. They'd been melted, crushed, and tangled into one massive organic lump—a horrific tableau, like monsters fed into a giant blender and dumped on the floor.
Bravo arrived behind him and whistled.
Charlie said, crouched over a discolored white rock, analyzing it.
Bravo looked around in disbelief. That's when Alpha's gaze locked on one cavern wall. A massive hole gaped there—not a natural cave. A perfect circular tunnel over 80 meters wide. Something had bored straight from underground to the surface. Thick bedrock and ice walls sliced clean like tofu. The overwhelming pressure made Bravo's voice tremble.
Alpha didn't answer. Instead, he spotted something glinting near the tunnel entrance and approached. He picked up a metal shard from the floor.
He silenced the chattering Bravo, then examined the shard closely. Scorched and dented, but gathering more pieces from the floor revealed it was a common transport ship alloy. The scope narrowed.
Alpha clenched the shard.
Alpha stood. His eyes gleamed cold. This wasn't a standard pursuit. The target had a somewhat strong monster ally, maybe... but it didn't matter. They were Apex's hounds.
"Charlie, contact HQ."
"Relay to the Codes deployed in Sector 12. Target sighted. Tighten the net."
Alpha looked up at the massive hole. Toward the prey vanished into the darkness beyond the gaping ice tunnel.
"The hunt begins."
Bubble bubble. Bubbles rose in the tank. Inside the cylindrical vat filled with special solution, a naked man floated with eyes closed. Immense pressure bore down on him.
> Gravity load: 8G reached. Current hydrostatic pressure: 300 bar. Vital signs: nominal.
A mechanical voice echoed through the training room. Pressure that would rupture organs and shatter bones for any normal human. But the man in the tank, Kal, didn't budge. If anything, his muscles seemed to relish it. Muscle fibers writhed beneath his skin in real time. Tiny tears knit back instantly, realigning denser and stronger in endless cycles.
'Not yet.' Eyes shut, Kal focused on the changes surging through his body. Elisia's gift from Eve. Ever since swallowing that black stone, his flesh was no longer what it had been. Senses expanded. He felt the hum of machinery outside the tank, the faint vibration of the ship's engines, even the wavelength of LED lights flickering in the distant cockpit. Every cell brimmed with energy like overcharged batteries.
Crack. Snap. Kal clenched his fist. The high-density solution rippled violently, jolting the tank.
> Training apparatus integrity critical. Force-shutdown initiated.
Hiss—whoosh. Drain valves opened, solution draining away. As the reinforced glass parted, Kal stepped out. He slicked back wet hair and eyed the mirror. His scarred body was now smooth. Unneeded fat incinerated, covered only in battle-honed muscle beyond even his soldier days. Not just for show—this was the optimal form of a living weapon, tuned for killing.
'Now I get why Nahibi made such a fuss.' Kal regarded his hand. It transcended human limits. Not even Federation spec-ops with enhancements could match this performance. This was evolution, not science.
Then—a thunderous rumble from his gut.
"......Hah."
Kal gave a wry smile, rubbing his stomach. Ravenous hunger. The gut-wrenching famine that hit after every session. As his body rebuilt and strengthened exponentially, so did its energy demands. Once two meals a day sufficed; now five high-concentrate combat rations barely lasted till he turned around.
'Makes sense why Eve begs for food like that.' She'd endured this agony daily. A thirst for survival that "growing pains" couldn't capture.
And as Eve's face surfaced, his elation plummeted. Anxiety. No matter the power gained, it meant nothing if the one he protected crumbled.
Then—a sharp psychic stab in his mind.
[Hey! Quit sending gloomy vibes.]
Nahibi.
[Ruining my mood. All bulked up physically, but your mental cultivation lags—still a lowly creature as ever.]
Still arrogant as hell. Kal could almost hear the tongue-click over telepathy. He scowled. Normally he'd snap back, but not today.
As Kal's silence stretched, Nahibi's tone slyly shifted.
[Oh, come on~ Lady Eve. Fighting? I was just offering constructive advice. Fights are for equals—how dare I....]
Eve must've said something nearby. Kal snorted at the sudden groveling.
[Hey. Her Majesty calls. Hurry up.]
Nahibi's relay. Kal slung a towel over his neck and quickened his pace to the ship's central section, Eve's quarters.
He paused at the door, hand on the knob. Deep breath. Composed his face. No need to worry her more.
Keypad beeped; door slid open.
The room was far from a typical girl's. Walls, ceiling, bed—all coated in white slime. Nahibi had expanded her body, turning the space into a giant incubator. At the center, Eve lay buried in pale flesh.
"......"
Kal was speechless. Just days ago on Garcia, she'd buzzed with energy—fixing the ship, dosing him medicine, grinning. Now, all gone.
"Ka... Kal...."
Eve struggled to open her eyes, calling him. Her voice had no strength. Skin transparently pale, forehead beaded with cold sweat. The kid who used to charge "Kal!" into his arms. Who hummed while tearing into meat her size. Now too weak to twitch a finger.
Nahibi's main body extended tentacles from beside Eve's head, cooling her fever.
[You're here.]
Nahibi's wave to Kal, tone subdued from usual haughtiness.
Kal approached the bed slowly. Knelt to meet Eve's eyes.
"Eve. I'm here."
"Yeah... Kal... smells nice...."
Eve tried a faint smile. Kal gently took her hand. Burning like a coal.
"Does it hurt bad?"
"No... just... sleepy...."
Lie. His awakened senses detected colossal energies clashing inside her.
Kal squeezed her hand. His body steel-hard; hers tiny, fragile.
"Kal...."
"Yeah. Speak."
"Don't worry... I'll be up soon and eat~ all the meat on the ship."
"Aigoo."
Stroking her, Kal thought: Even sick, she's comforting me first. How is she so thoughtful? It stabbed deeper, worry burrowing relentlessly today.