abcnovels
Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Chapter 72
‘Be afraid. Be afraid.’
The enemies unleashed a barrage of plasma volters, but being underwater, no one managed to hit accurately. Escaping unscathed from the saturation of plasma bullets, I retrieved the blood-sucking tentacle, pulling a knight along in the process.
“…Kuk!”
The knight caught in the tentacle somehow resisted by drawing the Blade Claw with his left arm on the opposite side.
‘That won’t work.’
With the sharp claws on the back of my hand, even if they were reinforced, they would easily be cut into pieces. My blood-sucking tentacles responded to my will and penetrated into the broken gloves of the opponent.
“Aargh!”
The tentacle with sharp teeth on the inner surface entered the armor, turning the opponent’s body upside down. As the arm fell off, the knight writhed in pain.
‘Maybe calming down with some water will help.’
Thanks to the assault pack, the knight received oxygen through the helmet connected to the pack even underwater. After pulling the knight, I removed the combat helmet.
Inside, moderately long blonde hair flowed.
‘What the… a woman?’
I naturally thought it was a man, but it turned out to be a woman. Perhaps due to genetic modification, her appearance was quite outstanding.
“Darn it…!”
The female knight distorted her expression due to extreme pain.
‘In the game, many MegaCorp players try to recruit female mercenaries.’
The knights provided as a special bonus by the Eden family are randomly chosen in terms of both name and appearance. There are instances of bulky, muscular African-American males appearing, as well as fair-skinned blonde females like the knight in front of me.
Therefore, among MegaCorp players, there are quite a few who want to assemble mercenaries with beautiful knights.
There were even guides in the community on how to recruit only cute girl knights.
‘I preferred Amorphs, though.’
Of course, being an ordinary man, I felt a liking when I saw a beautiful woman.
But now, for some reason, looking at the beautiful woman’s face didn’t evoke any special emotions.
‘Anyway, a female knight.’
Watching her, I had an amusing thought.
If she’s a woman, there might be some use.
I opened my mouth and gently bit her neck.
“Ugh?!”
She groaned.
Since I bit her gently, it shouldn’t be painful. It might be because of some physiological aversion to Amorphs.
The neurotoxin in my saliva seemed to take effect, as her expression quickly relaxed. Perhaps the pain from the amputated arm wasn’t being felt either.
Confirming that she was paralyzed, I placed the helmet back on her that I had removed earlier.
‘To connect the assault pack… Ah, here it is.’
As I connected the tubes on her neck and shoulders, light returned to the helmet. With power restored, the reconnaissance chip inside the helmet should be functioning again.
‘You’ll be my bait.’
In my experience, female comrades make excellent bait. Most people react more sensitively to the death of a woman than a man.
I wondered if there would be gentlemen in this space age rushing to rescue a damsel in distress.
It’s worth experimenting with.
***
‘Was the signal device a decoy?’
Yannick double-checked the signal. The signal that had been 30 meters away before they arrived was rapidly moving farther.
‘Is there another creature here?’
After a brief pause, he shook his head.
‘No, it’s unlikely that wild animals would follow his intentions so precisely. Assuming he has the ability to split is more plausible.’
Creatures that can split their bodies are rare but definitely exist.
‘He uses the split ability to insert signal chips for disruption. He’s a strategist.’
A quite skilled one, at that.
Yannick felt the need to broaden his estimate of him.
‘Ability to breathe fire, shoot bone spikes, become invisible, split, and high intelligence. Quite impressive, indeed. The Commander would be pleased.’
Even with the current technology for creating hulk mutants , it was impossible to incorporate so many different traits into a single body. While the genetically modified humans of the Yujin family might possess diverse characteristics, the creature’s appearance didn’t seem human in any way.
‘When I saw him earlier, his appearance resembled that of a snake.’
He hadn’t used the invisibility ability, probably because of the flowing water in this location.
“Captain Yannick! Catherine’s vital signal is still valid!”
“What?”
Upon hearing a member’s shout, Yannick manipulated the terminal on his wrist. Soon, the vital signals of the members of Squad 4 and the vanished comrade Catherine, as well as the visual feed from her camera, appeared inside the visor.
‘She’s still alive?’
Catherine’s signal was faint, but she was still alive. Judging by her view, she seemed to be leaning against a wall somewhere in the passage.
“Captain, Catherine hasn’t died yet. If we don’t rescue her quickly, it might be too late.”
“…”
Yannick fell silent at the member’s words.
‘A trap.’
The creature was using the signal device for disruption tactics. There seemed to be something fishy about it.
“He’s highly intelligent. There’s no way he’d leave a wounded person for no reason.”
“Catherine might have resisted. With enhanced physical abilities from the assault pack, she could easily handle his body, even with a blade cutter.”
That was a valid point. When they entered the sewers, they didn’t just rush in without any information about the monster. Based on various types of information, including the armaments of the comrades who fought with him at the hospital and the station, the current Eden Knights had an idea of the monster’s defensive capabilities.
“Captain, we came here secretly to capture him. If we encounter the defense forces later, it will complicate matters. We don’t have time to hesitate.”
That statement also made sense. The enemy was more intelligent than expected, and if the defense forces got involved, the situation would become much more complicated.
As the team member said, they needed to deal with the creature as quickly as possible. In the process, they could also rescue their comrade.
“Alright. I’ll report to Jacob immediately…”
As he raised the communication device, something flew from behind the passage. The slender object pierced directly into the communication device Yannick was holding.
‘Bone spike!’
As his gaze turned toward the back of the passage, the auto-plasma gun on his shoulder activated. Green energy bullets illuminated the passage as they flew.
For a brief moment, a serpent-like creature could be seen disappearing beneath the water’s surface. The black shadow that briefly appeared on the water vanished beyond the passage.
“Captain!”
“I’m okay.”
The cunning creature had taken advantage of the moment when Yannick was distracted by holding the communication device.
“Darn!”
Yannick carefully examined the debris of the broken communication device in his hand.
‘As long as the chip isn’t damaged!’
Fortunately, the chip itself was intact, untouched by the damage to the communication device.
‘Phew, luckily it’s not completely broken.’
He placed the communication chip back into the wrist terminal. Soon, the function to send files and messages was activated. Yannick sent a brief warning message to Jacob along with the recorded data from his camera.
‘With this, there’s evidence left, but…’
During the secret operation, he deliberately used a communication device connected to an independent network to avoid going through the defense fleet’s communication network. Unless they were foolish, there would undoubtedly be suspicions raised if the data was transmitted through the terminal. He had to trust that Denver, their superior, would somehow cover it up.
‘He’s far more cunning than we anticipated, so there’s nothing we can do.’
“Let’s move.”
Having safely transmitted information to Jacob, Yannick led his subordinates and continued on their way.
The warriors of steel rushed through the passage, a force to be reckoned with.
Even the creatures halfway filling the passage, numbering over 18 knights, couldn’t stop the onslaught.
Perhaps due to their anger or enhanced bodies from assault packs and reinforced suits, the knights caused the hard floor of the sewer passage to ripple with each step.
“Catherine is 15 meters away.”
“Everyone, slow down, and be cautious of the surroundings.”
As Catherine’s position got closer, the knights slowed down.
The knights, with heightened vigilance, carefully scanned their surroundings. The auto-plasma guns also moved diligently to be ready to fire at the owner’s designated target at any moment.
‘He doesn’t seem to be around here.’
Apart from the flowing water, no other movements were detected.
When Yannick made a gesture, two members approached Catherine.
She was laying her upper body on the surface of the water, seemingly bowed down.
Although she looked as if she were dead, all the knights continued to check vital signals, making it clear she was still alive.
“Hey, Catherine. Are you okay?”
“…”
One member approached her, grabbed her left shoulder, and shook her. In response, she made a murmuring sound.
“What did you say?”
“…”
Her voice came from inside the helmet. She seemed to want to scream, but something seemed to be suppressing her.
“Danger? Is it dangerous?”
As he spoke, two red tentacles emerged from behind Catherine, or in other words, from behind the knights.
“Huh?!”
“Ugh!”
The tentacles forcefully swept the necks of the two knights in the rear.
No matter how protected they were by reinforced suits, the neck is a vulnerable area for humans. The tentacles, as thick as the thighs of an average adult male, hitting the neck directly couldn’t leave them unscathed. The necks of the two knights departed from their original positions and twisted in a strange direction.
“It’s the enemy!”
With Yannick’s shout, the attention of the knights turned momentarily to the rear. A green energy shot from the auto-plasma gun hit one of the tentacles.
The tentacle hit by the plasma shot detached halfway. In the meantime, the other one remained hidden in the water.
“Eliminate that creature!”
The knights aimed their bolters in the direction of the tentacle.
But the creature’s attack was not over yet. While the knights were focused on the rear, the main body of the tentacle hid under Catherine and emerged.
The real target of “It” was the two knights who had come close to inspect Catherine’s condition.
“Huh?”
A foolishly murmuring knight.
In front of him, he turned his head, revealing small, white blades, and darkness. A deep darkness engulfed his entire head.
“Damn it… Ugh?!”
In an instant, “It” bit off the head of the nearby comrade. The knight, witnessing this, hastily tried to swing the blade claw.
Even if something hadn’t entwined his leg, he would have successfully beheaded the creature.
Although the knight’s posture was disrupted, he was a veteran among veterans. Moreover, enhanced by the assault pack, he could adjust the direction of the claw even while his stance was crumbling.
As a result, his blade claw successfully cut into the creature’s shoulder. Blood spurted from the creature’s wound, splashing onto his helmet.
The creature, in pain from the attack, opened its mouth, releasing the comrade’s head it had been biting.
“Grrrr!”
“Success… Ugh?”
That was fine, but what happened next was something the knight couldn’t predict.
The helmet, stained with blood, began to rapidly melt.
“What… Ugh?!”
“He’s around! Don’t take off your helmet!”
In order not to melt his head along with it, the knight quickly removed his helmet.
A little late, but Yannick saw that the creature’s main body was hiding in front, not behind.
However, his warning came too late.
The tail of “It,” which had wrapped around the knight’s leg, emerged from the water and pierced through the back of his head.
“..ugh!”
The knight with a hole in his head collapsed.
“Damn it! The main body is behind us! Open fire!”
Yannick and the knights quickly fired their bolters. Several shots hit the creature’s head, but it didn’t care and leaped across the passage.
“One person, stay to protect the wounded! The rest, follow me!”
Thirteen knights chased the creature at a rapid pace.
The creature’s movements were still fast, but being hit in the head seemed quite lethal, as it couldn’t widen the distance from the knights.
Yannick, who was closing in on the creature, alternated between his bolt and plasma gun.
‘I misjudged! I should have waited and called for reinforcements!’
In a short time, less than a few minutes, four knights were killed. Furthermore, one was injured.
While they managed to injure the creature, the losses on their side seemed much greater.
“He’s moving through the narrow passage!”
“According to the map, the passage end is blocked.”
“Good!”
The somewhat good news was that the creature seemed confused.
It frantically moved around, seeming unfamiliar with the injury, to the point of pushing itself into a dead end.
“Alright, this is our chance.”
Yannick resolved to subdue the creature while it was still disoriented. He and the knights entered the narrow passage.
***
‘Ah, damn, it hurts a lot.’
I sustained wounds on my body. Thanks to the regenerative effects, the outer layer of my head had almost completely healed, but the shoulder area was still recovering. Moreover, the blood-sucking tentacle on my left arm was torn about half, requiring considerable time to heal.
‘It’s indeed tough without the Symbol of Hunt.’
While my exterior was tough, it was challenging to block blade cutters or plasma attacks.
‘Maybe the ‘Perfect Organism’ properties alone aren’t enough.’
The synergy of the organic enhancement type and the complete organic effects made my skin more robust than ever, but there were still many shortcomings.
‘I intentionally tried to lure them into complacency.’
Plasma attacks were thrown with confidence in the resilience of my head, but getting hit by the blade claw was unexpected. It hurt more than I thought, to the point where I unintentionally made a sound.
‘There are still many enemies to fight, so I need to be more careful.’
Anyway, it’s almost over now. I’m currently at a dead-end in a narrow corridor, just wide enough for me to barely fit. Even without focusing on auxiliary systems, I could hear the sounds of enemies chasing me into the corridor.
‘They’re furious.’
Seeing the turbulence in the water, it seems the enemies are quite enraged.
‘Losing composure during battle is most dangerous.’
I adjusted my posture, half-submerged in the water. This narrow passage was indeed a bottleneck. The enemies, taller than 2 meters, could only form two columns at best, or one column if not. They would move within the passage like that.
In other words, there was no cover even if a powerful area attack were to be launched.
‘Psychic enhancement type, and Perfect Organism that enhances the type effect.’
How strong will it be?
‘Let’s experiment.’
When I first obtained the Psychic enhancement type, I instinctively knew. Thanks to the type, the restriction on the psychic breath had increased, allowing me to fire it up to a maximum of two times.
‘Normally, one time would make me lose consciousness.’
Not now. The current situation doesn’t allow for it. Seeing the increasing flow of the water, the remaining distance between them and me is now minimal.
‘The enemies have come far enough.’
In case they turn around to flee, I need to time it as accurately as possible. Even though I could use it twice, I couldn’t waste my valuable psychic breath ability in vain.
[The distance with the creature is 10 meters.]
I heard the enemy’s voice. The outline of the knight leading the way could be seen in the darkness.
I turned my body toward the outside of the passage and activated the monster’s tentacles.
A bunch of violet tentacles emerged from the back of my head, trembling and moving. Long and thick violet tentacles aimed toward the front of my head, demonstrating the power of a dragon.
[He seems to be bo… Wait! Something’s not right!]
“What’s this? E…Everyone, activate your shields!”
The one who appeared to be the commanding officer among the knights hastily shouted.
Not a bad judgment, but can shields really block this?
After I became Amorph, I never experienced such an overwhelming psychic power concentrated in front of me.
A massive psychic power, something only the great dragons of the universe could handle, focused in front of me.
The dirty filth inside the narrow passage couldn’t withstand the energy, boiling.
It wasn’t the same as before, where all my life force and mental power were sucked out. Now, it wasn’t to that extent.
Instead, it was scorching hot.
And then, like a violet sun that only great dragons could wield, it fired.
The water evaporated, and the metallic walls that composed the sewage turned into dust.
The violet light emitted from the shields the knights raised couldn’t compete with the pure energy in the corridor. When the violet heat touched, the shields disappeared as if they had never existed.
The sturdy armor of the knights, the expensive assault packs, the various genes in their bodies – everything was engulfed by the violet heat.
After the psychic breath ended, there was nothing left in front of me.