Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Chapter 93

I managed to subdue the Commander, whose name was Denver.

‘His surname was Eden, right?’

Despite the distinctive armor and bearing the surname Eden, this person’s status didn’t seem low.

‘Shall I try an experiment?’

Just a moment ago, in order to immobilize Denver, I bit into his neck. Given that I’ve absorbed genetic information from his blood, I can mimic his voice.

‘Although the mimicry organ is sealed, I can imitate his voice to some extent.’

After blocking Denver’s powered suit, I took out the communication device from his waist.

“Com...e... here.”

[Your majesty!]

As I imitated Denver’s voice through the small arm communication device on my chest, the knights all stopped in their tracks.

[His majesty has been captured!]

[Damn monster!]

Through the communication device, I could hear the knights exploding in anger.

Even though they were speaking as if they would devour me, none of them dared to rush towards me recklessly.

‘Oh?’

While holding Denver captive, I called out to the kids. As numbers 26 and Adhai approached me, the knights seemed uneasy.

Their reactions confirmed something to me.

This individual, Denver Eden, held quite a high position.

‘Come to think of it, he did try to negotiate with me.’

Perhaps he holds a significant position even within his family.

No, perhaps...

‘Could he be the patriarch?’

It seemed too easy to have captured him, but considering their hypersensitive reactions, it seemed likely that he was indeed the patriarch.

If Denver is the patriarch, my range of choices expands significantly.

‘Shall I stir things up a bit more here?’

Even if we achieve victory against the knights in combat, escaping the city covertly is almost impossible now that we’ve been exposed.

‘Despite winning battles, we are still at a disadvantage in this war.’

If they give up on my body and initiate artillery fire, both I and the kids will die here. Additionally, even if we somehow manage to escape and hide on a spaceship, if the warship pursues us, it’s all over.

‘But...’

That was the situation before I captured Denver.

Now that it’s confirmed he’s a valuable hostage, it seems alright to take the adventure a step further.

[...Is that monstrous fellow holding His majesty hostage right now?]

[I heard he’s intelligent, but I didn’t expect him to be at this level.]

[Since His majesty is being held hostage, let’s not act rashly]

Through the communication device, snippets of conversations among the knights could be heard.

Of course, they are unaware that I understand human speech.

‘Come to think of it, that’s how Denver reacted.’

The moment he saw me, he deemed me as a Hulk mutant.

It’s not entirely an incorrect judgment, as they still don’t know about Amorphs.

While fighting, it’s likely he already knew that my body contains genetic material from various creatures. Thus, assuming I’m similar to a creature like the Hulk mutant would be a natural deduction.

Of course, Hulk mutants, as well as Outspacers who evolve through genetic absorption, communicate in a unique wavelength shared only among their own kind, much like Number 26.

‘Normally, Hulk mutants aren’t as articulate as I am.’

That’s also a story confined to games.

‘Have you not encountered a Hulk mutant who effortlessly engaged in piracy, not just in words but also in actions?’

‘If they deem me as a Hulk mutant over there...’

How can I deceive them?

‘By design, a Hulk mutant requires advanced genetic manipulation technology to fuse genes without side effects.’

As I anticipated, in the distance, a large warship docked at the pier slowly began to rise.

‘Phew.’

Finally, I could barely relax.

‘Honestly, I thought the chances of failure were high.’

Holding a patriarch as a hostage was a risky move.

What if the person I captured wasn’t the patriarch? Or if those aboard the warship chose to bombard me with reason?

That would seal the fate of me and the kids.

‘Fortunately, they acted according to the mentality of the MegaCorp.’

MegaCorp is a place with a bizarre hierarchy structure, allowing infinite competition despite stark disparities between the two Capitals. Consequently, losing in competition sometimes causes the families that are a part of the two capitals to drop several levels.

This phenomenon isn’t limited to lower Class but also applies to the top seven major families.

‘If Denver dies, those subordinates will all be rebuked by the new patriarch.’

Not only the knights but also those aboard the warship need to somehow save Denver to protect their lives. Hence, they have to follow the nonsensical orders from their owner.

As the warship heads towards its target, I found a ship we could use with the auxiliary device.

The distance to the pier was considerable, so I couldn’t inspect it closely, but I found several spaceships that felt promising.

‘When the warship shells the checkpoint, that’s when we’ll move.’

If the defense fleet responds to Eden’s warship, this place will turn into chaos in no time. At that moment, we’ll dash to the pier and secretly board the spaceship.

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (Run when the signal comes)]

「Signal?」

It wasn’t me who responded to Number 26’s inquiry. A massive explosion erupted from the Earth’s boundaries, followed by a resounding roar throughout the harbor.

[ZZZ (Now)]

I ran while still holding onto Denver. Numbers 26 and Adhai followed behind me.

‘Number 26 is faster than I thought.’

It swiftly moved, using its fin-like appendages for propulsion and pushing forward with tentacles. Despite being a deep-sea creature, I worried about its speed on land, but it didn’t seem to slow down significantly.

As we swiftly distanced ourselves, the knights followed in confusion.

「Troublesome people are chasing us.」

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (We don’t have to catch them)]

「?」

As soon as I finished speaking, the sky distorted ominously, and black lines appeared in various places.

The holographic sky maintained by artificial suns vanished, revealing a metallic dome enclosing the city. Subsequently, shuttered gates within the dome’s inner wall opened, and steel vessels sprung out like a torrent.

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (They’ll handle it)]

「Wow!」

Warships emerging from the shielded gates near the harbor fired plasma beams towards Eden’s warship. The spectacle of numerous steel vessels shooting green beams within the colossal artificial structure was truly magnificent.

In response, a blue light burst forth from the front of Eden’s warship. It was the activation of the plasma shield, exclusive to ships of the caliber of a warship or higher.

The green beams failed to penetrate the shield protecting the warship and dissipated.

‘Normally, it wouldn’t be at this level, but it seems like they used something good for the ship carrying the patriarch.’

Numerous turrets mounted on Eden’s warship simultaneously unleashed fire. The thickness of the beams fired from the warship was more than twice that of those from T&Cs, maybe they didn’t just use a good shield.

The warships also activated their shields, but they couldn’t withstand the plasma beams from Eden. The struck warships plummeted like fireflies toward the city.

As a war erupted in the heart of the city, the atmosphere at the dock changed abruptly. Ships preparing to depart hastily made ready for departure, and screams of people reached us from afar.

“Oh my goodness!”

“How could this happen...?”

The knights chasing us seemed bewildered, witnessing Eden’s warship engaging the fleet. They stood still, seemingly forgetting about chasing us, just staring at the spectacle.

Finally, they seemed to realize the gravity of their actions.

Listening to the conversations full of dismay through the communication device, something suddenly dawned on me. When I arrived in this city not long ago, I suspected Si-hyun Yujin’s subordinates were planning a coup.

By sparing Adhai, who was at the core of the conspiracy back then, Yujin’s plot was thwarted.

‘It certainly seemed that way.’

Now, right in front of me, MegaCorp’s greatest event, an internal conflict, erupted. And it was all because of my actions.

「Wow! Amazing!」

While the knights and I were lost in our thoughts, Number 26 laughed cheerfully, watching the intertwining spectacle of green and blue lights in the sky.