Became an Evolving Space Monster

Chapter 270:

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The subway system in Kesha Arma was a facility utilizing relatively new technology, at least by Cult standards.

Generally, Cults preferred transportation facilities that moved above ground or in the air. Before becoming the empire that dominated the stars, they had developed their civilization on desert planets. As a result, they weren’t used to building anything beneath the sand.

This tendency remained in the Cult’s consciousness even after they became an empire. Whether maintaining biodome-type colonies or orbital habitats, they primarily relied on above-ground transportation methods such as hover buses or psychic trains.

Surprisingly, the shift in their mindset began when the empire started to decline. As the empire’s territory shrank and economic problems became frequent, the Cults began rethinking their approach.

For instance, they started to consider using existing structures more efficiently.

Kesha Arma’s subway was also a product of this shift in consciousness.

Powered by a psychic energy engine using low-quality moonsilver, the Cult’s subway was designed for quickly transporting equipment and mined minerals necessary for planetary excavation. A hover bus alone wouldn’t have been able to handle even one-third of the daily material transport.

Although the fortress had changed ownership over time, the subway still functioned as the lifeline of the space facility. While it now transported people instead of tools, what significance would such a distinction hold in the space age?

The train was packed with pirates who had boarded from various sectors. Since they were all armed, there wasn't much room to find a gap, though it wasn’t completely cramped either.

Of course, having enough space didn’t mean it was comfortable. The air inside the car was thick with the smell of sweat, alcohol, and drugs. Naturally, the pirates didn’t look too pleased about having to breathe in this revolting cocktail of odors.

“Damn, this is taking forever.”

“Hell, all the mercs are either on buses or ships.”

“Yeah, but they don't let junkies ride the bus either.”

“What’d you say, you bastard?”

“It’s cramped enough already—don’t start fighting. We’ll be there in a few minutes anyway.”

While the pirates grumbled, the train continued to move diligently. In just a few more minutes, they would arrive at the military port near the underground storage.

Just as everyone was longing to breathe in fresh air at their destination—

The train, which had been running on psychic power, shook violently. The sudden jolt sent all the standing pirates tumbling forward.

“Gahhh!?”

“Damn it! What the hell!”

Some smashed their teeth against their rifles, while others were pinned beneath heavy cyborgs or insectoid pirates, creating a chaotic mess inside the car. The already sour atmosphere turned dangerously tense.

“Did the train just stop?”

“But we haven’t arrived yet.”

“What’s going on?”

The Cult-made subway operated automatically, running back and forth on a predetermined track without human control. Unless it ran out of fuel or there was an issue with the track, it wouldn’t stop like this.

“Someone go outside and check.”

Several pirates pried open the car door and stuck their heads out to look. The light from the train softly illuminated the track laid through the underground tunnel.

“Looks fine to me.”

“You idiot, like you can tell just by looking. Go out and check.”

“…Tch, why don’t you go, then?”

A large cyborg pirate glared menacingly, and the human pirate, having no choice, reluctantly stepped outside the train. Pirates from other cars in a similar predicament soon gathered around him.

“See anything?”

“No idea. I just got out.”

“This is the first time the train’s ever broken down.”

While they were outside, the human pirate took the opportunity to pull out an e-cigarette from his pocket. He inhaled deeply, sucking in synthetic drugs that flooded his lungs with unrefined hallucinogens. The dizzying pleasure wrecked his brain cells, making his body tremble.

“The train seems fine. Maybe it’s the track?”

“Hey, now that you’re out here, why don’t you come take a look?”

“Just let me finish this.”

He planned to take one last drag before joining his comrades. But just then, a sound came from up ahead.

‘Huh?’

His eyes darted to the track extending ahead of the train.

‘…….’

The pirate, with the cigarette still in his mouth, blinked a few times. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and the surroundings became sharper.

There was a shimmer in the distance.

At first, he thought it might be fire, because the flickering forms in the shadows were pitch black.

However, it didn’t take long for him to realize that this wasn’t smoke, but something alive.

In the depths that resembled the vastness of space, countless things writhed and moved.

It looked like a pit filled with snakes or like maggots swarming over a corpse’s skin.

A greedy, chaotic mass of disorder. Even in his drugged state, he could tell that it was dangerous.

The 'swarming entities' moved. One of the tendrils, swaying like seaweed in water, suddenly stretched out and snatched one of his comrades standing near the front of the train.

“Huh?”

The pirates stared, bewildered, as their comrade disappeared in an instant. His gun, which had a flashlight attached, clattered to the ground where he had stood.

As the gun hit the floor with a dull thud, the pirates' faces began to shift in horror, their mouths opening, ready to scream.

But the malevolent force lurking in the darkness didn’t give them a chance. Dozens of tendrils, each splitting into three tips, shot out and grabbed all of the pirates standing outside.

It took only seconds for them to vanish into the abyss.

“……”

The human pirate’s legs trembled uncontrollably, like a rookie facing battle for the first time. Slowly, he backed up and climbed back into the train.

“What happened? Did you fix it? What was the problem?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he closed the door, gripping his e-cigarette with shaky hands and taking another deep drag.

“What the hell’s wrong with him?”

“Seriously, what’s going on out there?”

Thanks to the drug, the human pirate managed to calm himself enough to speak.

“…There’s a monster out there.”

“What?”

“The guys from the other cars... they’re all gone.”

As his words sank in, the pirates inside the train exchanged puzzled looks.

“Is this guy losing it?”

“Monsters? We’re not even at the underground storage yet.”

“I told you, none of these junkies are in their right minds.”

The other pirates mocked him, their disbelief obvious. But then, the large cyborg pirate shouted loudly.

“Hey, stop messing around. Let’s just walk the rest of the way. We’re not far from the destination anyway.”

With that, he grabbed the door with both hands. The human pirate panicked and tried to stop him.

“Don’t open it—cough!”

The Cyborg pirate kicked him aside and threw the door wide open. As expected, there was nothing outside.

Smugly, the cyborg pirate grinned.

“See, dumbass? There’s nothing—”

Before he could finish his sentence, something surged out of the darkness and struck him.

“Urgh?!”

A grotesque, humanoid creature attacked the cyborg pirate, its ribs growing unnaturally long, making it look as though it had a mouth in its chest. The creature tore into the cyborg’s waist with its protruding bones, slicing him up viciously.

The other pirates, who had been staring in shock, finally realized that what the human pirate had said was true.

As they scrambled to raise their weapons, the windows of the train shattered, and countless black tendrils flooded inside.

Screams, gunfire, and the flickering of unstable lights filled the car.

Amid the chaos, the human pirate clutched his head, praying for this nightmare to end.

But soon, the screams that had echoed through the underground passage faded. What replaced them was the heavy, beastly breathing of a ravenous horde.

-

"Yes. We haven’t arrived yet. What? Enter first? Ah, no! We'll enter right away!"

Mercenaries brought by the guests from Megacorp, along with hulking mutants and numerous pirates from various cartels at Kesha Arma, were surrounding the entrance to the underground storage.

One of the pirates, responsible for communication with headquarters, ended the call and wiped his cold sweat. He relayed the incoming orders to the representatives of each team.

“HQ is ordering us to begin the operation.”

“Our guys haven’t arrived yet.”

“I heard the enemy is strong. If we charge in separately, won’t we be picked off one by one?”

“H-headquarters said assessing the condition of the merchandise takes priority. It might be best to check it first….”

The mercenary representatives sighed at his words. They didn’t like it, but they had no other choice.

If the goods up for auction were stolen, who would the 'owners of the merchandise' come after? It would definitely be the ones hired to protect it.

The mercenaries here were working for agents hired by Megacorp's upper-class elite. Whether it was the Third Capital or Mid Capital, they couldn't risk offending these powerful individuals.

“We have no choice. A small group should go in first to check the goods and withdraw quickly.”

“After that, we’ll join up with the forces arriving at the Military Port and push through.”

“Hmm, yes... there is no other way. Let’s do that.”

The decision made, the representatives returned to their teams. Scouts from each group gathered and began their advance into the underground storage.

“I think I know why we lost contact…”

With every step the scouting party took, a sticky squelching sound echoed through the corridor. It wasn’t from water leakage. The entire passageway was drenched in blood.

The overwhelming stench of blood was enough to numb their noses, and their expressions grew darker. Expecting the goods to be intact after seeing this scene was nonsense.

They trudged forward, thinking of what excuses they could give their employers, passing by a shattered security room before finally reaching storage area A.

“The goods are intact!”

“Same over here!”

“Didn’t they touch this? At least that’s a relief.”

Contrary to their worries, the containers carrying luxury goods and valuable documents were unharmed. The scattered mercenaries, relieved to find their employers’ items untouched, sighed with relief.

“Why is this stuff untouched? Wasn’t it supposed to be a heist for valuables?”

“Let’s check further inside.”

“Everyone gather! We're moving.”

The mercenaries gathered back together, preparing to move on to the next area. Just as they were about to leave, a wolf mercenary raised his hand.

“What is it?”

“I hear something.”

“A sound?”

“Someone’s coming.”

Hearing the wolf-headed mercenary’s words, the entire scouting party readied their weapons. The wolf mercenary’s large ears twitched as he focused, finally locking his gaze in one direction.

“?!”

“What the hell is that?”

Out of the darkness emerged something—a creature walking on two legs. Its right arm was grotesquely overdeveloped, and it was wearing a tattered reinforced suit as it walked toward the scouting team.

“A failed Hulk Mutant?”

“No way. I've seen rejects before, and they don’t look like that.”

“…That thing looks horrible.”

It didn’t seem like the kind of creature they could reason with. One of the mercenaries fired a Gauss rifle at it.

BANG.

Half of its head was blown off, and the creature collapsed backward, unmoving.

"Is this thing the one responsible for wrecking this place?"

"Doesn’t seem likely. It's way too weak for that."

“…Hold on, everyone, stay sharp”, warned the rat-headed wolf mercenary.

“Huh?”

Before anyone could respond, the fallen creature started to twitch, slowly rising back to its feet.

“Giggiggiggik.”

The headless creature let out a sickening groan, thick black liquid oozing from its mouth. The Grotesque sight made several mercenaries grimace in disgust.

“Damn it.”

The mercenary with the Gauss rifle aimed again to finish it off. However, he quickly adjusted his aim when another monstrous figure, just as twisted, appeared behind the first.

“What…?”

As more emerged from the shadows, the expressions of the mercenaries hardened. It wasn’t just one or two creatures. Dozens, no—hundreds—of similarly twisted monsters were coming out of the darkness.

“Giggiggik.”

“Giggiggikkikkik.”

“Giggik.”

“Gikkikkikkik.”

“Gikkikikikikkik.”

The eerie, unsettling sounds echoed from all directions.

The sheer number of these abominations was overwhelming.