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Chapter 6

I double-checked the characteristics recorded in the text box.

[Race: Unidentified Aggressive Space Morph

Status: Hatchling

Objective: Survive

Special Traits: Predator Sense (Fusion), Wings, Chitinous Exoskeleton, Robust Vitality, Paralyzing Stinger]

I knew that there was a Trait fusion system in the Space Survival game. It was a system that combined two or more related traits into one enhanced trait. There were cases where even seemingly useless traits transformed into powerful ones through fusion. So, I actively used it.

I had used it so often that I had memorized all the combinations for fusion in the game.

‘Could there be a trait that I don’t know about?’

I had never seen this trait before, no matter how many times I read it.

“Pre-detect threats…”

Traits related to future prediction existed in the game, but they were usually implemented to increase evasion rates. To put it plainly, they were mostly good for show and not very useful.

‘But this is reality. How will it work here?’

I concentrated my senses on the auxiliary organ, similar to when I used Super-sense.

The slender tentacle-like appendage attached to my jaw wriggled and read the information floating in the air more effectively than before. It was capable of collecting a significantly larger amount of information now, far beyond what it could previously gather.

I could even identify what kind of insects were in the cargo hold and the shapes of the weapons inside the containers.

However, the future-seeing effect I had expected didn’t activate. It seemed like there was no immediate threat to me.

‘Perhaps it’s passive?’

It being an automatically activated passive ability didn’t necessarily mean it was a bad thing.

Threats could strike unexpectedly, so having an advantage like this wasn’t a disadvantage.

‘By the way, eating mammals sure gives you a lot more energy.’

My energy level felt remarkably higher after eating the mammal. Besides the energy boost, I also felt significantly fuller. The skin covering my back and stomach seemed slightly tighter.

I returned to my nest with a satisfying sense of fullness.

***

According to historians, the origin of MegaCorp dates back to when seven corporations on Earth and Mars conspired to maximize their profits. The government couldn’t overlook the merchant guilds overstepping their bounds, so they declared war on the seven major corporations. Countless people were sacrificed to the extent that blood formed seas. In the end, the final victors were the seven major corporations.

It marked the era when the entire solar system came under the dominion of a single massive corporate consortium, MegaCorp.

Subsequently, among the seven corporations that formed the foundation of MegaCorp, five companies headquartered on Earth became the five noble houses of Noble Capital, while the two companies on Mars became the aristocratic Prime Capital of Mars.

Among the five noble houses ruling over Earth, the Yujin Family had a rather unexpected beginning as a small agricultural company. Yujin’s ancestors had recognized the potential of genetically modified food early on and invested heavily in genetic engineering. Even in the space age, this tradition continued, ensuring that the Yujin Family possessed outstanding genetic engineering technology that was renowned throughout the galaxy.

The fact that Keisaragi Yujin could become such an exceptional geneticist was largely due to her family’s background. From a young age, she displayed exceptional genius, prompting her family to invest heavily in her upbringing. With such a privileged background, she had never experienced any sense of deficiency in her life. Whatever she desired, she obtained without fail, even if she had to wait a little.

So why was it so difficult for her to accept the fact that she had lost something, something she owned for the very first time in her life?

“When can I see Caesar?”

“The soldiers are searching for him, so if you wait just a bit longer…”

“It’s already been two hours! Caesar always strictly observes mealtime, so something must have happened!”

Anyone who knew Keisaragi would be surprised by her current state; she looked nothing like her usual self. Her well-kept black hair was disheveled, and her usually icy expression was nowhere to be found. Presently, she appeared nothing short of unhinged.

Captain Samuel, seeing her in this state, let out a sigh.

“This is a spaceship. Unless a cat is piloting a rescue ship, he must be somewhere on board.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to find him right away!”

“What I mean is that waiting might yield favorable results.”

Samuel was from Third Capital, originally hailing from Saturn’s moon, Titan. He wasn’t from the lower class by any means, but compared to the noble houses, he was nowhere near their league. If she asked him to step down from his captaincy, he would have to relinquish his position without question. She held her birthright firmly in her grasp, and he felt as if he were about to lose his mind dealing with her.

“What’s the situation with the guards?”

“They are all detained. Legal procedures can only be carried out upon reaching the destination…”

“Execute them immediately.”

“Yes?” Samuel thought he must have misheard.

“As the captain, you have the authority for immediate executions, correct? Exercise that authority.”

“Are you suggesting executing someone without due process? Other soldiers might revolt.”

“Executing someone…?”

Samuel coughed nervously as he met her intense gaze.

“Well, what I meant was, isn’t it better to discuss the punishment after the search has made some progress? I don’t mean anything else by it.”

“Have you forgotten that all of this happened because the soldiers didn’t do their job properly?”

Samuel knew it well, the fact that the ship’s crew was far from friendly to cats. Honestly, even the captain himself had a diet consisting of fresh meat only once a week; the rest of his meals were filled with cultured meat.

‘On the other hand, that damn furball gets to eat beef every meal.’

He couldn’t stand that cat himself, but he knew there were soldiers who liked them. Seeing the misfortune that had befallen the cat, it wouldn’t be surprising if some of them were pleased.

However, if he mentioned this fact, Keisaragi’s anger would undoubtedly be directed at him, so Samuel kept his mouth shut.

“I am well aware of The Chief Research Officer’s concerns. I will make sure to discipline the soldiers thoroughly in light of this incident.”

“…I’ll come back in two hours. If there’s no progress by then, you might want to consider taking off that hat.”

After warning Samuel, Keisaragi left the captain’s quarters.

“Where on Earth could he be?”

She hadn’t just idly waited while the soldiers conducted their search. She had created a tracker that could determine Caesar’s whereabouts through the fur he left on the cushion.

The device had worked successfully, but upon seeing the results it produced, she became perplexed. It was because Caesar had gone to a place he could never have reached by conventional means.

Caesar had undone the screws of the grille installed in the ventilation duct, made his way to the cargo hold, and then disappeared.

It was a situation that clearly involved human intervention, so Keisaragi called the cargo hold supervisor.

The supervisor had a solid alibi; he had been drinking with colleagues in the cafeteria all day. However, it was true that he had neglected his duties, so Keisaragi had considered killing him.

If the captain hadn’t stopped her, the supervisor would have been left to wander the dark expanse of space for eternity.

She reluctantly suppressed her anger and meticulously searched the cargo hold, taking the trembling supervisor along with her.

Caesar’s trail had ended near the containers, and in its place were traces left by an unidentified creature. She collected the traces and analyzed them using a scanner, but all it returned was a message saying ‘No information’.

“Genetic information not found, even in MegaCorp’s data archives.”

Even for her, creating a machine to track an entity with absolutely no information was no easy task. It wasn’t impossible, but it would take more time than usual.

Even if Caesar went without food for that long, he wouldn’t die. But Keisaragi couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

Something was definitely wrong.

Her intuition told her that something terrible had happened in the cargo hold. That’s why she had pressed the innocent captain to find Caesar as quickly as possible.

‘Whoever you are, if you’ve touched what’s mine, I’ll kill you.’

She found herself unconsciously biting her nails. The droplets of blood from her nail’s edge vividly displayed the owner’s emotions.

***

‘Hmm?’

While lying in the nest, lazily digesting my meal, I sensed a change on the ship.

The movements of the humans were more agitated than usual. They must have realized that the cat was missing.

Thanks to my upgraded auxiliary system, I could roughly perceive the appearance of moving humans. From their solid forms and vigorous movements, it was evident that the search team consisted entirely of soldiers.

Soldiers, busy searching for a pet they didn’t even like, were rolling on the floor with hunger. It seemed that even in the space age, the absurdity of military life had remained the same.

‘It’s all going as expected.’

There were two main benefits to killing that cat.

First, it would cloud Yujin’s judgment. Considering her actions and the cat’s nutritional status, it was clear that Yujin lavished affection on her pet. While she was a demon to her test subjects and researchers, she was nothing short of an angel to the animals she raised.

People who treated only what they cherished with humanity were not uncommon. They had one other common trait.

‘She loses her mind when something’s taken from her.’

It’s not that she’s worried about her pet dying or being in danger. She simply gets angry at the fact that someone she doesn’t know has taken what she possesses. Even if it’s the most insignificant thing she owns, she’ll react similarly. This emotion can be concluded as irrational possessiveness or, in simpler terms, an obsession.

And those who become obsessed find it hard to stay sane.

Secondly, it would sow discord between Keisaragi Yujin and the soldiers.

The biggest obstacle to my assault on her was the guards. Due to the soldiers following her everywhere, surprise attacks were almost impossible. Even if I managed to eliminate her somehow, if the soldiers spotted me, the losses would outweigh the gains.

So, I created an opportunity to distance her from the soldiers.

‘The guards didn’t like the cat.’

They were naturally upset. After all, they were forced to eat cat food, which was barely edible, as their rations. In reality, the cat was merely a pretext, and their anger was more directed at the absurdity of their social hierarchy. While being labeled as ‘Noble Capital’, they were being subjected to unreasonable demands. However, they feared the consequences of directly confronting Keisaragi Yujin.

‘Owners may be terrifying, but pets aren’t.’

In simple terms, her cat served as a kind of shield. In that situation, if the sacrificial lamb were to disappear and they were forced to expend unnecessary effort to find the disliked entity…

Would the soldiers be willing to protect her as before?

Not only that, Keisaragi Yujin would no longer trust the soldiers.

The biggest reason for the disappearance of something she cherished was the negligence of the guards.

‘Heh heh, thank you very much, cat.’

They probably never imagined that such a useless lump of flesh would bring about this butterfly effect.

I got up from my spot.

Once you’ve sown the seeds, harvesting is simply a matter of course. The time had come to extract Keisaragi Yujin’s genetic essence.