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Chapter 75

The words themselves didn’t carry anything special, it was just a normal enquiry about the situation. However, the tone was that of an officer interrogating a criminal. The atmosphere among the members of the mixed search team from Unit 1 quickly turned chilly.

“Well, what do you mean?” Vicus evaded the question with a casual face, but his thoughts were far from simple.

‘How is the situation unfolding? Could it be Yannick’s doing?’

The soldiers present in the room, especially those led by Yannick in Team 4, were given a secret mission by Duke Denver.

Capture the monster.

In the process, if they encounter the defense force, eliminate them.

‘Damn, it’s inconvenient not being able to contact them directly. Yannick being reported as a reserve unit under Jacob of Unit 2 adds another layer to the complexity. To issue commands to Yannick, it has to go through Jacob, Yannick’s direct superior.’

The establishment of such an intricate command structure wasn’t a result of the Knights being naive. In case of an accident, it was designed to cut off mid-level commanders to prevent them from causing harm to their masters. For instance, in a situation like the one Vicus was facing now:

‘No, I still don’t know exactly what the situation is.’

There was no need to rush things and reach a census prematurely, even if Yannick’s attack wasn’t confirmed. Vicus spoke while removing the cigar, “What does that statement mean?”

“What?”

“Isn’t it strange? They might have fled because they were scared of the monster and then falsely reported it.”

The manager grimaced at Vicus’ words. Understandably so, as Vicus’ statement was a blatant insult to the Defense Fleet soldiers.

“We can’t let that statement slide. Our Defense Forces are not of such low standards to be ridiculed like that.”

“As I said, our Knights are the same. Trained to value comrades more than their own lives. Would we, who prioritize our comrades, attack the Defense Forces?”

The manager remained silent in response to Vicus’ words, who was trying to pressure the manager.

If the fleeing soldier hadn’t intervened in their conversation, his intent would likely have succeeded.

“Ah, no! Manager! The Knights attacked us with plasma launchers!”

Saying this, the soldier showed a neatly cut shoulder guard and a section of a Gauss rifle. There aren’t many means capable of precisely destroying a reinforced combat suit like this, especially in the sewer system.

The manager squinted at Vicus with suspicion.

“Huh, the monster carries launchers around?”

“….”

“In the first place, the launcher receives shooting assistance from the embedded AI. The soldiers’ information is registered, so it’s designed to minimize damage to allies when shooting in the presence of friendly forces.”

His words were true. The plasma launcher was one of the top-ranked weapons in MegaCorp’s arsenal in terms of destructive power. Therefore, to prevent significant damage in case of accidental discharge or capture by enemies, various restrictions were placed on it. One of them was the shooting assistance system regulated by AI.

The launcher’s AI can register soldiers’ personal information. The registered data is stored in an encrypted state to prevent the launcher from shooting allies. To override this, a specific code known only by the commander must be entered to enforce a forced shooting command. A launcher which stores the information of the defense fleet soldiers cannot attack its allies. In other words, the launcher that attacked the soldiers was not a weapon possessed by the Defense Fleet but was most probably brought by others. The only others in the underground were the Eden Knights.

“Of course, the Vice commander of the Eden family must be aware, but I was just mentioning it.”

“…Ahem.”

Vicus, whose response was anticipated, cleared his throat. Originally, the plasma launcher was an improvement on the artillery mounted on warships. Vicus, who was from the renowned Eden family famous for ship development, was not unaware of this fact.

‘Yannick! What on earth have you done?’

The reason for providing the launcher to Unit 4 was to break through the monster’s tough exterior, not to shoot at the Defense Forces. The difference in armament between quantum levels was stark enough that even a plasma bolter alone could harm damage.

‘…Should I clean up here?’

He wanted to call Jacob and confirm about the situation, but communication devices weren’t functioning properly in the sewers. Even if he wanted to send a message from here, it would be problematic since the deputy leader would undoubtedly monitor their conversation.

‘What should I do?’ A careful assessment was needed, but there was neither time nor the situation for it. Vicus pondered. His contemplation ended abruptly with a green beam flying out of the darkness.

“Enemy ambush…!”

The soldier who tried to convey the information was incinerated into dust before finishing his words. Not only him, but also his nearby comrades were engulfed in a fiery energy mass. All the just-deceased individuals were Defense Fleet soldiers. As the fact that the enemy targeted only the soldiers became apparent, flames of rage flickered in the deputy leader’s eyes.

“Vice commander Vicus!”

“Tch, everyone, prepare for combat.”

As Vicus gave the command with a click of his tongue, the knights simultaneously drew their bolters. Now there was no turning back. Before the communication network was restored, they had no choice but to kill all the soldiers from the Defense Forces present in this location.

***

‘Good. They’re fighting fiercely.’

As the atmosphere seemed uncertain, I decided to provoke the situation further, and the enemies started fighting like madmen, as if they had been waiting for me to shoot the beam. While the knights were overwhelming in terms of armament, the soldiers outnumbered them. The knights massacred the soldiers with their bolters, and the soldiers fired tungsten rounds from cover.

‘It’s going tough with regular rounds.’

The advanced reinforced armor worn by the Eden knights nullified weight for enhanced defense. To stand a chance, they needed to switch to armor-piercing rounds.

‘The issue is that the knights also have countermeasures.’

“Even-numbered squads, switch to armor-piercing rounds! Odd-numbered squads, provide cover!”

“All members deploy shields.”

As soon as the Defense Forces commander shouted, the knights immediately responded. A faint violet wave emanated from the knights’ right wrists, materializing into a rectangular-shaped shield. This true psychic shield, shaped like a violet suppression shield, was a genuine psychic shield provided as a standard option with the advanced reinforced armor.

‘The psychic shield attached to the advanced reinforced armor isn’t bad.’

Despite the humorous nickname MegaCorp users gave them, the psychic shields were potent protection against both physical and psychic attacks. They were on a different level than the fakes brought by the armored police in the previous fight in the apartment.

As the soldiers realized they couldn’t penetrate the psychic shields with armor-piercing rounds unless they had AP rounds themselves, the defense force commander shouted, “Ready launchers, fire!”

“Oh no! Scatter, everyone!”

The firepower of the launcher could tear through the shields like paper. The defense force commander shouted, “Everyone deploy shields!”

The knights scattered to avoid the incoming fire. Despite the superior defense of the advanced reinforced armor, it was no different from paper against the beams of the launcher.

Before the knights could disperse, multiple launchers unleashed their beams. Most managed to evade, but some couldn’t. Some knights lost half of their bodies, while others lost limbs.

“Argh!”

“Injured, fall back!”

Several knights carrying injured comrades approached.

‘Should I step in now?’

I had two goals by doing this: sow chaos among the enemies and fake my own death.

‘I need to intervene at the right time.’

The enemies weren’t fools. To deceive both those present and those above, I needed to show them getting hit by the enemy’s attack and me dying.

For that, it would be best if as many people as possible witnessed my death.

While waiting for the right moment, a beam aimed at the knights flew towards me.

‘This should be enough.’

Emerging from the darkness, I threw the corpse of a knight who had already died by my tentacles into the path of the beam.

The corpse directly met the beam and oxidized instantly.

Now, only I knew that the corpse was already dead, its neck broken by my tentacles.

A knight carrying an injured comrade shouted, “Our ally got hit!”

He seemed to have only seen the sight of his oxidizing comrade, not noticing my presence.

‘It seems like he didn’t see me. If he didn’t see me, I should let him know.’

I charged forward, using my head to knock him down.

Even with sturdy armor, my powerful charge and the sharp horns protruding from my head were something they couldn’t withstand. The two horns pierced through the knight’s side.

“Argh?!”

The knight emitted a brief scream, filled with blood. With the knight impaled, I lifted my head, shaking it.

The penetrating wounds in the knight’s abdomen widened, and the horns were soaked in bright red blood. Another knight saw my appearance and shouted.

“The creature has appeared!”

I threw the knight who had turned into a pinwheel due to my head shake into the distance, and then I swung my tail broadly, scattering spike hairs randomly. They embedded in the knights’ reinforced armor, and some even reached the soldiers hiding in cover.

“It’s a mons…ster?!”

“Don’t panic! He’s the target we were searching for! Concentrate all firepower on him!”

The initially bewildered soldiers quickly regained composure under the seasoned command of their leader. Though the armor-piercing rounds they fired showered over me, my body is currently dual-reinforced, with both physical enhancement type and a fully organic structure. While the outer layer was gradually being pierced, there were no fatal injuries.

The soldiers’ target switched to me, but not the knights. A knight who seemed like the commander shouted.

“Those in the rear, contain him; the rest, clean up the Defense Forces.”

“Vice Commander Vicus! Are you insane?”

“He must not be handed over to them. We must capture him alive, no matter what.”

The Defense Forces commander, bewildered by the statement from the knight commander, referred to as Vice Commander Vicus, shouted in disbelief.

‘Huh?’

Hearing that, I paused for a moment.

Not to be handed over to them? It didn’t imply any intention to assist me, especially judging by the knights ready to unleash their bolters on me.

‘Let’s think about this.’

Pretending to be dead was temporarily put on hold. While avoiding the pouring flames, I pondered.

‘They must know I’m not an easy opponent. Why would they want to capture me alive?’

“Die… Ugh?!”

I dodged a knight swinging a Blade Claw and seized him with combat arms. Then, I threw him into the path of the incoming green beam.

The knight made bewildered sounds and lost his right upper body to the beam.

‘What can they gain with my physical body?’

Having dealt with one knight, I submerged underwater and laid low.

The soldiers were shouting, trying to find where I had gone. The sound was faintly audible.

At that moment, a submerged corpse came into view. The face of a man, who had lost half of his upper body. It was the knight I had thrown into the plasma beam a while ago.

Despite losing half his face, the broken helmet revealed a strikingly handsome appearance.

A genetically modified human created only with superior genes, as expected.

‘Genetically modified knights… Genes…Oh?’

“He’s here!”

The knights discovered me, and their shouts echoed as they fired bolters into the water. I quickly moved away from that spot.

‘Are they targeting my genes?’

Why did it only occur to me now?

I had been assuming that the Eden family wouldn’t have much interest in genetic modification since I had been thinking within the framework of the MegaCorp game settings.

I believed that genetic modification and Hulk mutants were exclusively the domains of the Yujin family.

‘But this is reality.’

Genes were handled solely by the Yujin family, and warships were exclusively Eden’s responsibility, but this was reality here; there was no enforced system like in the game.

I was evolving, breaking out of the game’s constraints and understanding the reality.

The plot twist was long overdue.

The Eden knights I devoured were all genetically modified humans. In the game, they were randomly generated NPC mercenaries, occasionally including non-human species like Bolters or Cultists, but the basic foundation was that they were all human.

‘In the game, you could just redraw until you got the desired NPC, but here it’s reality.’

The knights were humans appropriately processed under the command of the Eden family’s patriarch. They were humans modified for combat by incorporating genes from various creatures, commonly known as Hulk mutants.

‘Eden’s patriarch is extending beyond the domain of the Yujin family.’

In the eyes of the Eden family, I would be a genetically diverse entity with various traits, ripe for valuable research.

“Argh!”

Having snapped the neck of another knight, I reached a conclusion. The knights from the sewers and the Defense Forces had subtly different goals. While both aimed to eliminate the threat I posed to the city’s security, there was a distinction in the specific methods to achieve this.

The knights’ objective was to capture me alive or at least leave my corpse intact. This way, they could conduct research on my physical form.

‘Attacking the Defense Forces is probably because they don’t want to hand over the corpse to them or the T&C behind them.’

If T&C knew that I, a valuable research subject for the Eden family, was being targeted, they would likely attempt negotiations. Although the two families were currently cooperating, it was an alliance with the underlying tension of potential future competition. If necessary, they would try to exploit any weaknesses in each other.

‘I fought too fiercely from the beginning…’

Who would’ve thought there would be such intricacies behind the scenes?

‘Actually, it worked out well.’

Originally, I planned to feign death in front of the enemies and secretly escape this place. However, now I had a choice.

‘Should I escape under the control of the Eden family, or should I go to the T&C family?’

If I were to annihilate any one of the two forces present, it would naturally create an opportunity for the other side to claim my ‘corpse.’

‘If I go with the Eden family, I’ll likely end up in their battleship’s lab.’

In that case, I could seize a ship and escape the city.

‘But the problem is, I don’t know how tight the security measures inside their battleship are.’

A battleship is much more secure than a research vessel ship. Moreover, considering they planned to capture me secretly, there’s a high chance they would take my ‘corpse’ to the family patriarch’s flagship, where the lab is situated.

‘If it’s the flagship, security will be even more stringent.’

Even though the fights that I had so far were challenging, dealing with a battleship would be much tougher.

‘Then, what about T&C?’

Judging by the current situation, the Defense Forces here seem to know little about me.

‘But after the battle ends and they calm down, they’ll probably understand the situation roughly.’

‘Something essential in me is drawing the attention of the Eden family. Even to the extent of committing murder and aggression against their own allies.’

Although the two families are currently working together, there’s an underlying relationship of competition that may lead to conflict again. If necessary, they will try to exploit any areas where they can outsmart each other.

‘How should I proceed?’

Time is running out. If I delay further, the Defense Forces might be wiped out before I make a decision.

Bullets and plasma beams saturated the area around me as I finally made a decision.