Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Storming the Hatchery
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Click!
A water droplet gathered on a stalactite fell to the floor, ringing out with a clear sound.
In the underground space, the noise echoed especially loudly, turning a few heads.
"When do we start?"
Even deep underground, the interior temperature was chilly enough to see one's breath.
But no one was shivering.
Everyone except the superhumans was clad in armor suits, so even if the temperature dropped further, it wouldn't hinder the operation.
"...Not yet."
It was a dangerous mission.
They had secured a path into the hatchery, but no one knew what might happen at any moment.
The atmosphere was heavy as a result.
Even the mercenary captain was the same.
He, who always appeared relaxed, seemed tense this time around, fiddling endlessly with his mechanical arm as if adjusting it.
"Something wrong?"
"Just bugs me a bit."
The mercenary captain replied as he clenched and unclenched his fist.
It looked fine on the surface.
'No way it's better than his original arm.'
Martial artists had incredibly sensitive senses.
He'd notice anything off right away.
Especially before a high-risk operation like this.
"Seems like there's never a dull moment with you around, Captain."
"...Yeah?"
"Not complaining. I actually prefer it this way."
His face showed a hint of genuine excitement, no lie about it.
"But if I die, take care of my family for me."
"Of course. But don't even think about dying. I'd drag you back from hell if I had to."
"...Reliable as ever."
The captain's face broke into a broad grin.
Beep!
At that moment, a low alarm chimed.
"Time."
I muttered after checking the message, and the unit members began gearing up in unison.
Five hundred troops, including volunteers from the mercenaries, special forces, and self-defense forces.
"Review your roles one last time. Superhumans take point. Each platoon blocks the passages and cuts off alien movement. Mercenaries handle destroying the facilities."
Everyone nodded in sync.
"Move out."
Roze took the lead.
As she gradually picked up speed, the once-silent cave grew noisy.
A few Claws drawn by the commotion charged in, only to have their heads blasted by energy guns and slammed into the walls.
Soon, the cave widened rapidly.
The detector signaling the hatchery domain flared strongly.
"Over there!"
The end of the cave appeared sealed by thick mucus membrane.
But as we approached, the center contracted and parted, vomiting out a swarm of aliens.
"I'll handle it."
Roze dashed forward.
Each time her foot struck the ground, she accelerated, piercing the alien pack in one go and slamming the membrane.
Crackle!
The first strike was nullified by the barrier.
Roze didn't care, hammering the same spot dozens of times in rapid succession.
"Cover her!"
As cracks formed in the barrier from the relentless assault, aliens spat acid and lunged at Roze.
The soldiers raised their rifles to fire when Merdi stepped forward.
"Out of the way, vermin."
A surge of intense current erupted from her outstretched hand, sweeping the entire passage.
Roze included.
But she emerged unscathed.
Only the aliens lay scattered, their bodies charred.
Merdi caught my gaze and shot me a glance.
"What? Why're you staring?"
"...Just impressed. Flashy as hell."
I'd seen it recently, but her ability control had definitely grown more fluid.
Moments later, the barrier shattered.
"Push in before it regenerates!"
Barriers reformed in seconds.
To avoid splitting the assault team, we all charged through the membrane.
Inside, Roze was already locked in combat.
Due to our sudden arrival, most were low-grade aliens, but their numbers were no joke.
"Move! Move!"
This time, Merdi's fellow superhuman stepped up.
His name was Shefin, a fire manipulator.
He drew his whip and lashed out, flames roaring along its length.
Aliens caught in the blaze were shredded and incinerated.
A brutally violent sight.
A few soldiers sighed in relief, glad it wasn't aimed their way.
"Which way?"
"Straight ahead."
I led the assault team, constantly scanning our surroundings.
Swarming aliens from the front were handled by Roze and the whip-wielding superhuman.
Each sweep of their abilities cleared hordes.
But the incoming aliens seemed endless.
They lurked everywhere, bursting out from who-knows-where.
"Destroy every Blood Vessel!"
We passed storage chambers into the hatching rooms.
Suddenly, a few soldiers were yanked into the air as if seized by something, blood raining down.
No sign of anything on the ceiling, but I identified it instantly.
'Ghost Spiders!'
They could camouflage their bodies—not just color, but temperature—to blend perfectly.
Nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye, even infrared cams.
Their attack—silently lurking, then snaring prey with strong adhesive silk—was extremely threatening.
But they had clear weaknesses.
"Shefin senior. Torch the ceiling, please."
"The ceiling?"
"Yeah. Nothing too intense."
I called out to Shefin, who was rampaging ahead.
He nodded and sprayed flames broadly across the ceiling.
Once the fire swept through, certain spots glowed distinctly red compared to the surroundings.
"There!"
The soldiers unleashed on those spots.
The Ghost Spiders huddled tighter, but it was futile.
They were especially heat-sensitive; once overheated, they couldn't camouflage until cooled.
Soon, they plummeted one by one, dead.
"Watch your heads!"
We'd dealt with the discovered ones, but Ghost Spiders were a persistent nuisance.
We couldn't roast the ceiling every time—soldier casualties would mount.
No choice but to press on.
'Leave it to squad leaders' discretion.'
Everyone had to stay vigilant.
After a brief delay, we advanced into the hatching room.
Freshly hatched Mammoths charged, horns first.
At the front, I waited until one closed in, then planted my foot and kicked.
"Hup...!"
My footing sank into the squishy membrane, thighs bulging like they might burst.
The Mammoth's jaw shattered on impact, neck snapping as it flew sideways.
Despite the massive weight difference, a one-sided exchange.
'Smooth sailing.'
The effects of the fully loaded bio-metal bone trait hit hard.
My strength had surged noticeably.
No real strain on my body either.
'No side effects, either.'
Just the weight gain, nothing problematic.
And that weight could yield positives depending on use—not much of a drawback.
I finished off the twitching Mammoth and charged ahead.
Aliens tangling my limbs crumbled like tofu.
Low-grade non-defensive types? I could handle them easily now.
"They're piling up more."
"The real threats haven't shown yet. Whoa!"
Something lunged at me; I snatched it midair.
Sticky thread—Ghost Spider silk.
As I held firm, the pulling force intensified.
"Captain?"
"I'll get it."
Grinning, I played tug-of-war once more, then released at its pull, letting it reel me up.
"Brute force won't cut it."
I smashed my fist into the waiting Ghost Spider's gaping maw.
Its head exploded; it hung limp from the ceiling.
As I snapped the silk and dropped down, the mercenary captain commented.
"Lucky it targeted you, Captain."
"Haha, gotta earn that title somehow."
"If even one bio-organ's damaged, I'll admit I was wrong."
His mouth joked, but his eyes scanned busily.
Already, several mercenaries had fallen to Ghost Spiders.
Shefin's intermittent fire sprays kept it to that; otherwise, losses would've doubled.
The assault team pushed toward the core, casualties be damned.
We'd cleared several hatching rooms already.
Higher maturity meant vastly larger interiors—nothing like the three outer hatcheries. It took time to traverse.
"Almost there. Hang in just a bit longer!"
I scanned around.
The core was within spitting distance now.
Time to block passages for the final push.
"1st Company, hold here!"
"Not enough manpower!"
"I'll detach twenty from the self-defense volunteers."
Even with superhumans watching out, zero casualties was impossible.
Over fifty had vanished en route.
"Aliens are too numerous. One of us needs to stay."
Then, another senior superhuman, Rodrigo, spoke up.
Unlike Shefin, he was a stoic type—barely noticeable outside ops. But he figured he couldn't sit this out.
"Then you hold the line here too, senior."
Rodrigo nodded.
A chokepoint any external aliens had to pass—solid choice.
Vital for retreat routes too; couldn't lose it.
Past the hatching room, we reached the core chamber.
Flesh Guardians awaited in numbers.
In their home turf, they looked half again bigger than before.
"...Huh? Those."
Not just them.
Amid the Flesh Guardians sat three oddly shaped aliens.
"...Dread Knights."
3-meter humanoids with fly-like faces, six hook-like arms, and dual wing pairs.
5th-grade threats called Dread Knights.
"Rings a bell."
"Idiot. They were on the exam."
"...Were they?"
Roze scratched her head at Merdi's jab.
Aliens usually grew bulkier with higher danger grades.
5th-grade? Villa-sized wouldn't surprise.
The adjacent Flesh Guardians could swallow houses whole.
Their relative smallness meant extra caution—not to be underestimated.
'Anti-superhuman types.'
Born to block hatchery assaults.
Self-powered like core weapons, they wielded barriers, immense physicality, and flight—beyond regular troops.
"Incoming."
"That front one is mine."
"Careful...!"
Before I finished, Roze rocketed out, fist clenched.
The Dread Knights spotted her, took flight in unison, and drew long, sharp blades from their forearms.
'Not knights for nothing.'
They wielded swords.
Crafted from a hard-to-synthesize material with high conductivity.
Power flowed through, propagating shocks with eerie effects.
Roze realized after clashing once, face hardening as she retreated.
"...Weirdos."
"Think of it like abilities infused in the blade. Like Yun Ji-hye's case."
"Ah...!"
Roze clapped and nodded.
Similar to Yun Ji-hye's shockwaves.
Top-tier ability, technically.
"I'll take two. You get the other."
"Then I handle the big lugs?"
"Yeah. Shefin senior, roast all the Flesh Guardians."
Merdi was already mopping up small fry with the soldiers.
Shefin extended his whip long, igniting it to strike a Flesh Guardian.
Flames licked the lash site, drawing a chilling screech.
Scorching air pierced its barrier, reaching us.
'That'll hold.'
I turned to the Dread Knights.
One, pushed back from Roze's exchange, wheeled toward me.