Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

“Ugh, w-what the hell!”

The soldiers who arrived late were shocked when they saw the bloodbath that had become of the situation room. Soldiers with little combat experience vomited on the spot, and the officers looked dismayed at the sight of Arnold’s lifeless body.

“You damn bastards! Why are you here now?”

“S-Sorry, sir!”

Samuel berated them angrily. There was no trace of the trembling figure that had been hiding in the corner just moments ago. Samuel, who had a duty to protect the crew, was shamelessly acting as if nothing had happened.

“Clean up this mess immediately!”

“...Understood.”

Although the soldiers wore discontent on their faces, their superior was the captain, and furthermore, he was the captain of the ship. They got to work without any military formality, recovering the bodies lying in the room.

“Darn it, how many of them died?”

Of all the times to be attacked, it had to be when the essential crew members were gathered for navigation. And to make matters worse, the creature had intentionally targeted the most important individuals among them.

‘Research officer ,Technology officer, Chef officer, Navigation officer, Crisis Management officer... They’re all dead!’

The deaths of the Technology officer and the Crisis Management officer were particularly painful. Technology officer was responsible for the ship’s maintenance and repair, while the Crisis Management officer handled combat situations. Both were essential talents when dealing with pirates.

He would die and never know that the monster had deliberately taken them out first.

‘In this state, there’s no way I can survive encountering pirates.’

Samuel was completely inexperienced in combat. Although this research vessel had been converted into a warship, he was not a soldier. He was just a wealthy man who had purchased a second-hand spaceship. The chances of him effectively commanding the battle-hardened pirates against him were close to zero.

In that case, it would be better to appoint a new Crisis Management officer to oversee the soldiers.

“...Who among the soldiers has the highest rank?”

“Over here, Captain.”

“From now on, you’re the Crisis Management officer. I hope you’ll command the soldiers and protect the ship.”

Though he had risen through the ranks to become a few steps higher in officer ranking, his expression was far from bright. He knew that the battle with the pirates was not far off.

However, making someone an officer was not a fundamental solution. The creature was still roaming somewhere within the ship, and the encounter with the pirates was scheduled in two days.

Should he just break the agreement and flee? He pondered this but realized that the Navigation officer, who would calculate the course, had also died.

Although Samuel was the captain and could set the course himself, he was not proficient in making detailed adjustments. Moreover, the enemy was well aware of their position. Regardless of how poorly they attempted to escape, the pirates would quickly pursue them.

‘Damn it, should I just abandon everything and run away?’

In reality, fleeing on an escape pod would lead to a predetermined fate for Samuel – becoming a debt slave or being pursued by Noble Capital. Neither outcome was pleasant, but being alive was better than being dead.

As he contemplated this escape, the conversation among the soldiers reached his ears.

“This looks different from a regular pistol, doesn’t it?”

“It looks like a weapon, Team Leader.”

Seeing what they were holding, Samuel’s eyes widened.

“Hey, you there!”

“Yes?”

“Bring what you’re holding over here.”

The items the soldiers were carrying turned out to be plasma pistols. Samuel, who had received one, checked the remaining energy.

‘60%. Good.’

With more than half of its energy intact, it was sufficient for personal defense. There was some wear and tear on the weapon, but Samuel, not being a soldier, didn’t understand the significance of that.

Samuel sent the soldiers away and stared blankly at the chaotic bridge.

At that moment, the medical officer approached him. His hands were covered in blood from helping the soldiers with the bodies.

“Is there anyone left alive?”

“Except for the temporary Research officer, who was attacked first, everyone else has died.”

“What? Senior Researcher Wei isn’t dead?”

“We put him in the recovery room. Luckily, he seems to have immunity to the creature’s neurotoxin. But he has suffered permanent damage to his vision, smell, and taste organs. Even if he survives, he’ll have to live with tubes for the rest of his life.”

“...!”

Despite the mention of luck, Wei’s condition was so gruesome that death might have been preferable.

The mere description was horrifying enough to make Samuel shake his head.

“Medical officer, is there really no way?”

“What do you mean?”

“We not only have the creature to deal with but also the pirates.”

The medical officer was someone with experience in treating others, not someone who would kill. Samuel knew this, but he was feeling too frustrated, so he asked anyway.

“...What about surrendering to the Space Dogs?”

“What? Haha, you have a good sense of humor. Will MegaCorp just leave us alone?”

Samuel chuckled dryly at the joke, which was far from funny, but the medical officer had a serious expression.

The Space Dogs were a pirate group known for their looting, and they had few sympathizers. With their constant warring against various races, the lives of Space Dog members were worth less than fleas.

Consequently, they were always short on highly educated professionals, especially those essential for navigation and combat, such as doctors. And the medical officer was the most exceptional doctor on this ship.

“These rich guys only care about saving themselves.”

The Space Dogs had a reputation for skinning the heads of any cartel they captured. Samuel, the richest man on the ship, did not want to become another mask in the cartel leader’s collection.

“Put aside the pointless chatter and take care of the lower-ranked crew members. Got it?”

“Ahem.”

Samuel gave the medical officer a cold look as he cleared his throat.

With an imminent crisis at hand, there was no one reliable left. The soldiers were busy tidying up the control room, the officers were pondering countermeasures, and the medical officer seemed lost in thought.

The only person he had somewhat trusted was now being carried out as a headless corpse.

“What should I do from here on...?”

Subject 26, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, looked healthy. I had only seen it pale white before, but today, the distinct pink hue of the Bubble Amoeba was vivid.

Seeing the creature happily frolic made me suddenly wonder.

‘Should I take it with me?’

Subject 26 is the only living being on this ship with which I’ve established a friendly relationship.

If it had possessed valuable genes, I would have captured it without hesitation, but it’s a Bubble Amoeba. Unless it’s in a situation where it needs to eat anything due to extreme nutrient deficiency, there’s no reason to kill it.

‘If it stays here, it will starve to death.’

We don’t know when the researchers will return. Since Bubble Amoebas are immune to toxicity like space jellyfish, I could either leave it in a nest or take it with me. If it’s food, I can give it some calorie bars or even human flesh.

[ZZZZZZZZ (Want to go out?)]

「Go out? Where?」

[ZZZ ZZZZZZZ (Outside the lab.)]

「Yeah! Want to go out.」

That was a straightforward response. That settled Subject 26’s fate.

I signaled to be careful, then shattered the glass container. I reached out and grabbed the creature, which was about to be washed away along with the liquid inside.

Having been immersed in a liquid for a long time, it seemed awkward for the creature to suddenly breathe fresh air. It shrank and swelled repeatedly before finally returning to its normal state.

「Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!」

It seemed to quite enjoy the taste of freedom. It happily stuck to my arm. I gently stroked it with my smaller arms and then placed it on the floor for a moment.

[ZZZZZZZZ (Wait.)]

「What are you doing?」

[ZZ ZZZZZZZ (Going to make a nest.)]

While the creature watched me, I scattered mucus all around the laboratory.

Subject 26 followed me curiously, and, out of curiosity, it swallowed some of the mucus.

However, it was immune to toxicity and seemed unaffected.

The laboratory, once spotlessly clean, had transformed into the most contaminated space on this ship in just a few hours. The translucent mucus solidified into grotesque brown streaks, and disgusting fluids oozed from the numerous spores scattered everywhere. It no longer looked like a laboratory but more like a cursed and decaying swamp.

‘The laboratory is finished with this.’

Thanks to there being no one around, I was able to expand it quickly. I created nests much larger than the ventilation duct nests. However, I was suddenly famished. I smashed the test tubes and pulled out the brains and organs inside.

‘It’s not exactly delicious.’

Compared to humans, it didn’t taste good. Rather than savoring the taste, I needed to focus on the nutritional supply.

I thought of it as eating a tasteless hamburger as I bit into the brain. While I was munching away, Subject 26 climbed up onto my shoulder. It seemed hungry too, so I tore off a small piece and offered it. The creature happily accepted and devoured it.

After filling my stomach roughly, I checked the freezer. Inside were large quantities of genetic samples.

I swept them up and put them directly into my mouth. The security alarm on the wall was blaring like crazy, but I ignored it.

A semi-transparent text box popped up in front of me a few times, but I continued to ignore it and focused on eating. When I was about halfway done, my auxiliary sensors detected a person’s approach.

‘They’re finally here.’

There were two approaching figures. One had a steady stride, likely a soldier, while the other was a civilian, probably a researcher. Even if a whole platoon came, there would still be insufficient numbers. I wanted to snicker, but unfortunately, Amorph doesn’t have a nose.

I ceased what I was eating and left the freezer.

“Whoa?!”

“What’s... what’s this?!”

The two standing at the entrance were gaping at the contaminated lab. They stood there in shock, even though they were calling for backup.

The price of their foolishness was death.

I hid among the brown tendrils and lunged at the soldier first. He was startled and aimed his laser rifle at me, but I could tell. My auxiliary system calculated his movements and the direction of the muzzle in an instant.

As expected, the laser missed and hit an unintended spot. Meanwhile, my tail did not miss. The toxin-filled sting crushed his ribcage and tore his lungs apart.

“Ugh!”

The soldier coughed up blood once and bent his head down. He had yellow fluid flowing from his lower body, and the pungent smell of ammonia detected by my auxiliary system.

I approached the researcher, who was now on the ground with no strength left in his legs.

“Heek, heeek heeeek! Spare me!”

He was writhing on the ground. Yellow liquid oozed from his lower body, and the foul stench of ammonia reached my auxiliary sensors.

I was about to finish him off when I felt Subject 26’s excitement on my shoulder.

[ZZ (Why are you doing this?)]

「It hurts! It hurts!」

‘Ah, he’s in pain?’

Subject 26’s vocabulary was limited, so I was momentarily confused. This person seemed to be one of the participants in the Bubble Amoeba experiment. He was likely experiencing anger because the person who tormented him was right in front of him.

‘Bubble Amoebas can kill humans too.’

Subject 26 was about the size of a basketball, which meant it could easily melt down a human head.

I lightly pricked the researcher with the tip of my tail. The toxin spread through his body, rendering him practically immobile. I placed Subject 26 on his head.

“!”

Understanding my intent, Subject 26 spread itself wide, covering the researcher’s head.

Would the pitiful soldier who was instantly killed feel worse, or would the researcher who suffered the agony of his melting head before dying feel worse? In the end, what does it matter which process leads to death?

While Subject 26 enjoyed its meal, I also feasted on the soldier’s corpse. After that, there were no more visitors. I completed my first act of revenge, carrying Subject 26, and returned to the nest in the lab.

Behind us, the only thing left was the skeletal remains of a researcher’s head.

After finishing all the chores in the lab, a new translucent text box appeared before me.

[Currently, there is one potential specialized Type.]

[Do you want to unlock the ‘Physical Enhancement Type’?]

Having achieved my goal, I smiled.