–
The ship's conference room.
This is where ship leaders at the team leader level and above gather for meetings when something important happens.
Life on a ship is usually static. Therefore, the fact that something important has happened means that a serious problem has occurred.
Everyone here knew that, but they had no idea that a nuclear bomb would explode.
"…What do you want to do?"
The person who asked the question was the head of the medical team responsible for the health of the crew. His eyes turned towards the empty chair.
It may be any other seat, but that seat should never be left empty.
The owner of the empty chair was the research team leader.
"Phew, fuck. I do not know."
"…."
Yoosung swore, but no one in the room pointed it out.
Because everyone felt the same way.
Yoosung washed his face dry.
I'm just at a loss as to how to deal with it.
I wanted to take drugs and forget everything, but Yoosung is the captain of this ship.
Everyone was waiting for him to say something, so he had to say something.
"Have you determined the cause of death?"
"When seen with the naked eye, the research team leader died from a blow to the neck. "It looks like it was cut with a small saw, but we will need to do a detailed inspection to find out."
"It's a thorough examination… Does that mean we need to do an autopsy?"
The medical team leader nodded to Yoosung's question.
The word autopsy was mentioned, but both Yoosung and the medical team leader knew very well that it was impossible.
'You're conducting an autopsy on Noble Capital.'
Noble Capital does not like to touch corpses, regardless of which family they belong to. This is because they are people who play with other people's bodies like toys, but value their own bodies very much.
If even the slightest trace of a scalpel was visible on the body, Noble Capital would not leave the medical team leader who led the autopsy alone.
"Security team leader. How far has the search for the criminal progressed?"
"We checked all the surveillance cameras on board, but there was nothing unusual. The first suspect, a security guard, is currently being interrogated."
"Do you think he is the culprit?"
"Looking at the information that has been released to date, it is highly likely not."
"…report the results of the search as soon as they are available."
The most important person on the ship is dead, and the culprit is unknown.
Yooseong barely suppressed the urge to abandon ship and run away.
He knew what happened to the researcher who didn't listen to Kisaragi.
The researcher had his brain removed alive and became a test subject.
A promising talent suddenly found himself floating in a test tube with only his brain left.
The same goes for people who don't listen. It is difficult to imagine what kind of punishment those involved in Noble Capital's death will receive.
"Everyone knows what happened in the lab."
"…."
"…Hmm."
"If you don't want to be electrocuted with just your brain left, you have to come up with something."
Everyone in the room trembled at the word brain electric torture.
Everyone worked hard to avoid the worst future.
"What about saying there was an accident during the experiment?"
"Think about it before speaking. Sailing team leader. "There are more than one researcher, so how do we get our words together?"
"Huh. Speaking like a cheesy person. So, it is still a middle capital."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Then how about this? "I ate the wrong food…"
"Then we'll be the ones to blame!" If you want to die, die alone! "Technical team leader!"
"what? How dare you do things you don't know how to do other than eat! "Which capital are you from?"
There was no way the meeting would go well with anxiety filling my mind. The conference room instantly became a mess.
While they were holding each other by the collar and shouting, someone hit the desk hard.
"quiet!"
He was the head of the crisis management team that commanded the soldiers.
"Infighting only complicates the situation."
He calmed everyone down at once, took a short rest, and then opened his mouth.
"Captain. "Where we are now is near planet C-08."
"What does that mean?"
"C-08 is Space Dog's territory."
Yoosung, understanding what the crisis management team leader was trying to say, wiggled his eyebrows.
"Those bastards made me sad. "Is this what you want to say?"
"yes. "They say they were unable to figure it out because they were distracted by the attack."
Yoosung stroked his chin.
Space Dogs were one of Megacorp's main enemies who wandered around space and plundered.
They were so adept at fleet-to-fleet combat that battleships led by veteran soldiers often suffered damage when fighting against them.
Since battleships are also suffering damage, what about this ship, which is only a research vessel? Naturally, great damage was bound to occur.
In the process, 'unforeseen accidents' can occur as many times as you want.
'If we report that we were attacked by those guys, we can cover up the death of the research team leader.'
Of course, it would be difficult for Yoosung, who is responsible for protecting the crew, to avoid responsibility, but considering the dangers of the space dog, there was a high possibility that he would end up with a fine.
Noble Capital will also point its blade of revenge at Space Dog, not Yoosung.
"It's not a bad method, but there is a problem. "It is difficult for our armed forces to deal with Space Dog."
"Please don't worry about that. "I have some old friends, so I'll contact them."
At those words, the atmosphere in the conference room became strange.
Among the high-ranking officers within Megacorp, there are very few who are not corrupt. It is common for most people to create separate funds to bribe the upper echelons.
Even so, I had no idea that the seemingly upright crisis management team leader would do that.
'I didn't see this guy like that, but he lined up a pirate.'
Similar to what others thought, Yoosung also did not like Space Dog. But there was no way.
"How much do you need?"
"At least 1 million credits."
"…."
Yoosung wanted to spit out a double curse at the amount of money that was about half a ship, but he barely held back. Because it was not an exorbitant cost.
Noble Capital is difficult for even Space Dog to touch. Since you also have to take risks, this cost should be considered reasonable.
'Damn it. 'I can't believe I'm spending a lot of credit on something like this.'
Yoosung knew that too, but unexpected expenses couldn't have been good. I don't know if there is another way, but I couldn't figure it out right now. All you can do is accept it.
"Okay, I'll get ready."
"thank you. "Captain."
"Instead, you need to make sure things get done."
"No problem."
In the end, this issue was resolved by being delegated to the crisis management team leader.
Yoosung was about to end the meeting when the medical team leader raised his hand.
"What are you going to do with the body?"
"I will keep it and hand it over to Space Dog when he comes. Don't let anyone else touch it."
"All right."
The meeting ended because there was nothing more to say.
Yoosung left the conference room, desperately hoping that he would not have to gather in this conference room again.
–
'Is this a fluid?'
It's a completely different feeling to see and feel things in real life that you only see in games.
I looked down at my feet or hands.
When hatchling, all four pairs of legs are responsible for crawling on the ground.
But now it's different.
Except for the pair of legs at the back, the rest evolved into arms.
First, let's look at the four arms.
Arms sticking out, one pair at the side and one pair near the shoulders.
The shape looks like muscles attached to a human arm bone. The hands at the end of the arms resembled the feet of an eagle, with two pairs of fingers at the top and bottom. Looking at its sharp claws, it seemed like it could easily tear a piece of human flesh.
'Battle arms.'
They are like swords and shields that are used when attacking enemies or protecting oneself.
Of course, that doesn't mean you can't do what you could do before. Suction-shaped protrusions remain between the fingers, allowing them to climb walls or stick to the ceiling.
It was truly a change worthy of the expressions 'strengthening' or 'evolution'.
'Let me see.'
I tried moving all four arms once.
The upper arm felt like I was moving my shoulder, so I was somewhat familiar with it, but the lower arm was very foreign.
If I were to explain it in human terms, should I say it is the feeling of strength being exerted on the lats when doing pull-ups? If that part had an organ that performed some complex function, it would probably feel like this.
'It's a refreshing feeling.'
It felt awkward for a moment, and since it was my body, I got a feel for it after moving it a few times.
'The fighting arms are done. Next is this guy.'
Cute sized arms near the chest.
If you look at the length of the arms, they are shorter than the legs when hatchling.
The shape of the hand was different from that used for combat, but it had a thumb like a primate's hand.
'It exists for detailed work.'
As can be seen from the presence or absence of a thumb, the small arms are dedicated to complex tasks. For example, operating a computer or terminal or using a weapon.
It's not just the arms that have changed.
The body, which previously crawled on the ground like a lizard, changed into a bipedal form. In response to changes in the body, the outer shell that covered the back and abdomen evolved into an armor-like exoskeleton.
Below the chest and waist, a primate-like pelvis and limbs are formed.
The legs were much thicker than the arms and had very high muscle density. The part that was originally the fourth leg became its current form for bipedal walking.
The tail on its tail became long and thick like that of a dinosaur. It must have changed into this form to balance the body.
Along with the tail, the poisonous stinger also grew to the size of a dagger.
'He's gotten bigger too.'
When I stand up, my height is slightly less than 1m. If you look at the length, including the tail, it is almost 2m, so it has grown tremendously compared to before.
'Now that it's become a fluid, we need to change our strategy.'
In the past, avoiding the eyes of enemies was the key to survival, but now it is different.
It can be said that the proportion of hunting and survival has become almost 50%.
'Now that survival has been sorted out, it's time to think about what's next.'
We plan to steal all of the genetic essence inside the ship, but we need to plan that in advance as well. What will you aim for in the future?
「Species: Unidentified hostile space creature
Status: Fluid
Goal: Survive (successfully evolve once).
Possessed characteristics: Predator senses (fusion) Wings Chitinous shell Strong vitality Paralysis Poisonous needle Reinforced exoskeleton Acidic blood
Type: Undetermined"
When I opened the text box, a new letter appeared next to the target.
'If evolution is successful once, it means it has become a body, right?'
Aimorph's state is divided into 6 stages and undergoes a total of 5 evolutions.
Hatchling Fluid Subadult Subadult Adult Finally, Ascension.
When you reach Ascension, you are considered to have cleared Space Survival. In other words, it's like watching Amorph's ending.
'The problem is that it's very difficult to get to the ending.'
There are very few users who have seen the race ending of Space Survival. You can check the list of people who have cleared the game in-game, but there are only about 20 people including me.
Among the Amorphs, I was the only one who achieved the ending, or ascension.
'Ascension.'
In the game, when Amorph ascends to heaven, the secret of the birth of the race is revealed. Hidden issues such as where they came from and what their identities are are resolved.
'There is a high possibility that reality will be similar.'
If I succeed in ascending, I might be able to find out how I became an Amorph and why I came to the world of space survival.
'The problem is how to get there.'
I checked the new item 'Type' in the text box.
「There is no unlockable 'type'.」
「Would you like to view the candidate group of characterizationable 'types'?」
When it becomes a fluid, an important inflection point occurs that determines the future of Aimorph. This is what determines the 'type'.
The type is the same as the occupation for other races. The difference is that when you get a job, you unlock abilities related to that job, but for Aimorph, it's the opposite.
When the conditions are met, the type is unlocked and synergy is received for abilities related to that type.
For example, if you have a lot of physical enhancement characteristics, the physical enhancement type is unlocked. Then, the existing characteristics related to hand-to-hand combat will become much stronger.
'If you look at my characteristics, would I be the body enhancement type?'
This is the type I personally liked. In particular, when the chitinous outer shell is strengthened by type, it becomes literally a living tank. Just by rushing and hitting the enemy, you can turn them into a piece of meat.
'Still, I'll have to see what's there. Confirm viewing.'
「There are currently two types that can be specialized.」
「Physical enhancement type (6/10) Superpower enhancement type (1.5/3)」
As I expected, the conditions for the physical enhancement type were almost met. Thanks to the strengthened exoskeleton and acidic skin characteristics created by becoming a fluid, a total of 6 body-related characteristics were able to be secured.
'But what is this?'
The number next to the super power enhancement type was strange.
'One would be the sense of a predator. What is 0.5? 'I don't have any of those characteristics.'
To obtain genetic essence, you must eat almost the entire corpse. If you see it marked as 0.5, you can probably assume it was left over after eating or failed to obtain it for some reason.
I thought about the things I had eaten so far.
Spider cockroach cat. Among these, there is no creature capable of possessing superpowers.
'I ate everything in the first place…ah.'
I remembered.
Yujin Kisaragi.
She is the only corpse I have left behind.
'I thought it definitely felt good, but maybe it was because of the psychic power.'
In the game, among Megacorp's humans, there were rare but not non-existent types of people with psychic power characteristics.
Perhaps the trait was latent in her without her knowing it.
'You must consume psychic power.'
The physical enhancement type is a matter of taste, but psychic power is a different story. There is a huge difference between whether it is there or not.
'Let's find the body.'
I checked the air flow with the jaw auxiliary organ.
Considering the temperature, moisture, and dried state of the nest, the time I was in the cocoon was roughly about a day.
By now, rigor mortis would be in progress, so we need to eat it quickly before the body decomposes. The more damage there is to the corpse, the more difficult it becomes for me to fully obtain the genetic essence.
'Let's eat the body first.'
I decided to restore the nest later and get the characteristics first. I left the cooling room.
'The first place to go is the bathroom.'
There will be a trace left in the bathroom showing where Kisaragi went, so just follow it.
I headed towards the bathroom and came down the hallway on the way. This was because there were areas where I could not travel with my larger body.
'Maybe it's because it's night, but there's no one there.'
The auxiliary organ that grew to tentacle level not only became longer, but also longer. Although the scope has not expanded, it has become more detailed than before.
No human approach was detected within a 50m radius. The only movement was the sleep-talking of those sleeping soundly in their bedrooms.
Across the crossroads, an auxiliary agency informed me that a guard was standing in front of the restroom. The vibrations in the air created by their yawning were transmitted all the way here. The soldiers who stood guard all night looked tired.
'not now.'
The fact that the enemy's condition is not normal is to my advantage, but there are too many of them.
Anyway, I figured out the traces where the body had passed. We decided to enjoy dinner later and I went to the other side.
I continued walking down the hallway following the traces. This was possible because there were no surveillance cameras except for the hallways in front of important facilities.
As I walked, I entered an area where the ventilation passages were widening. I climbed up to the ceiling.
Even though the location changed, my senses did not miss the smell of the corpse.
While I was crawling, the smell of meat wafted from below.
A morgue where corpses are stored. The space where the dead rest in peace is beneath my feet.