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Chapter 129

Looking at it, life truly was unpredictable. Until he arrived at PH-101, he was thriving, but since the incident of being stranded in the depths of the ocean, he had been steadily descending into a downward spiral. However, after unexpectedly capturing a mutant sea demon, his mood soared. Despite losing many team members during the capture, he didn’t consider it a significant issue. All the deceased were either Middle or Low Capitals, expendable human resources used to capture the sea demon. It was a profitable business, no matter how you looked at it.

That was a few hours ago. Now, any semblance of a bright future had disappeared, and whether he could survive until morning was uncertain.

“What on earth is happening? Was it an earthquake?”

The first situation room was located in Zone A. Runan, along with team members who had hastily woken up and gathered here, was actively trying to assess the situation.

“According to the central computer’s report, it’s due to external impact!”

“Could it be the sea demon? It shouldn’t have the capacity for that.”

“Or maybe it’s the Dread Hydra or Pale Mask.”

“That’s unlikely. This isn’t their territory.”

The Dread Hydra is a massive, 50-meter-long ambush predator, and the Pale Mask is a giant predator that devours the Dread Hydra. Both are formidable marine creatures, though not as powerful as the sea demon. Their habitats are the deep-sea trenches beneath the base. Since the research base is located outside their territory, the likelihood of one of them attacking is low.

“Currently, Zones E and F are completely flooded, and water is continuously flowing into Zones C and D!”

“Flooding is a problem, but water pressure is the main issue.”

“Agreed. Due to the strain on the devices regulating the internal environment, there’s a risk of malfunction.”

PH-101 Research Base is located in the depths of the ocean, several kilometers below the surface. Despite the harsh environment, it was designed to withstand immense underwater pressure. However, for the people inside, it’s a different story. If there’s a malfunction in the device stabilizing internal pressure, everyone inside is at risk of losing their lives.

“Sigh. We might have to abandon ship.”

Listening silently to the opinions of the team members, Runan finally spoke.

“To stabilize the pressure, we need to separate Zones E and F from the ring. Forcefully disconnect them and assess the situation in Zones C and D later.”

“Te…Team Leader?!”

The expressions of the team members darkened upon hearing the order.

Zones F and G house the sleeping quarters. Due to the incident occurring at night, there are easily over dozens of people remaining in Zone F. Despite the situation, the team leader chose to abandon all the individuals in Zone F.

“What is he doing? Can’t he hear me?”

“No, sir!”

As the team members hesitated to abandon colleagues who might still be alive and awaiting rescue, Runan urged them forward.

As the team members moved to follow Runan’s orders, the base shook violently. Everyone in the first situation room staggered due to the sudden impact.

“What is this?! Another attack?”

“No! This shock came from inside!”

“Could it be because of the water pressure?”

“Stop the pointless chatter and quickly confirm the situation!”

“Yes!”

Responding to Runan’s command, the team members hurriedly sat in front of the computers in the situation room to assess the situation.

A little later, one of them grimaced.

“Uh, there, Team Leader?”

“What is it?”

“We seem to have found the cause.”

At his pale-faced report, Runan approached and checked the monitor. Soon, he too had the same expression as the team members.

“An unidentified creature has breached the outer wall of Zone E and is currently moving towards Zone G?”

The research base is divided into eight zones, from A to H. Since it is configured in a circular ring, after G and H, the next zone is A.

While the appearance of an unknown monster invading the first situation room was a significant issue, the real problem lay elsewhere.

Zone H is where the biological research lab is located. In other words, the sea demon they painstakingly captured is trapped there.

“We need to separate Zone G immediately…!”

Kuooong!

At the moment he urgently shouted, an unprecedented shock engulfed the situation room.

‘It seems they still don’t know about my intrusion.’

From the moment I entered, I’ve been wandering around, pulling off human heads, but apart from the area being sealed off, no special measures were taken.

Thanks to the delayed response on their end, I could comfortably make my way to find Number 26.

Every time I crawled, the water level, rising halfway up the corridor, shook significantly. The entire corridor didn’t flood because the inflow of seawater stopped when the area was sealed off.

Because of that, I had to crawl through the narrow corridor in an uncomfortable position. If I raised my waist even slightly, my head carapace would hit the ceiling immediately.

‘If the corridor ceiling were lower, I wouldn’t have been able to carry the prey.’

Currently, my six tentacles for predation were coiled around the bodies like a snake hunting for prey.

It didn’t look good, resembling entwined eels, and it was uncomfortable to move, but there was no choice.

‘Is it here?’

Passing a corridor labeled H, a thick metal bulkhead blocked the way. The one in front was already broken, but this one looked thicker than that.

Since it’s a place researching dangerous marine creatures like the sea demon, the security level seemed higher than other places.

‘Well, it’s useless anyway.’

I pressed my auxiliary organ under my chin close to the bulkhead. There was another bulkhead inside, but it didn’t matter.

No metal fragment like this could break my will.

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (I’ll get it out soon).]

｢Got it!｣

Having reassured Number 26, I stepped back.

The acid fungus’s effectiveness was halved in water, so I had to break it with primitive methods.

I advanced, lowering my head to allow the horn to pierce the bulkhead. The six combat arms on my upper body whipped the floor and walls, pulling my body forward. The claws on the tail and lower body, submerged in water, moved fiercely, pushing the current aside to enable rapid forward movement.

The outer wall of the research base, designed to withstand the harsh environment of the deep sea, was easily pierced by me.

The thick bulkhead, collided with my horn, shattered into pieces. As if that wasn’t enough, the second bulkhead behind it was crumpled into a paper-like shape by my charge and bounced out.

The seawater from the broken door in my rear corridor poured into the space behind the broken door.

‘Hmm?’

“Growl?”

“Enemy. Growl.”

Breaking through the bulkhead and entering, there were no humans, but instead, other beings were waiting for me.

‘Fishrians?’ I’ve seen humans and Fishrians trading on floating sea houses, but I didn’t expect to find them in a research base. Judging by their work attire, it seemed like they were responsible for security and surveillance here.

“Growl. This human nest is a mess.”

“Growl. Looks strong, offering it as a sacrifice will make God happy!”

“Sacrifice!”

They made eerie sounds while sharpening their claws. The glowing eyes that flashed in the darkness disappeared underwater. If they were human, they would have fled immediately, but these fanatics had no fear.

‘I didn’t expect to meet them here.’

In the game, Fishrians usually served as minions to powerful marine creatures. Matching their role as support for fearsome predators like Sea Demons and Pale Masks, they were irritating mosquitoes to players fighting formidable creatures like Sea Demons.

Honestly, to players facing mid-boss-level creatures like Sea Demons, Fishrians were nothing more than annoying pests. However, they couldn’t be completely ignored.

‘Fishrian males have venom in their claws and spikes.’

The colorful spikes resembling the venomous sting of sea creatures were not just decorations. Similar to the potent venom of marine animals in reality, Fishrian venom was exceptionally powerful.

Furthermore, Fishrians could control the potency of their venom, making them superior to the neurotoxin I possessed. Fortunately for them, they had the characteristic of being ‘Fully Immune,’ which provided near-perfect immunity to venom and diseases. Unless faced with a player specializing in poison, they weren’t vulnerable to harm from venom.

“And…”

“Growl!”

Suddenly, the diving Fishrians approached me, leaping out of the water. Their claws scratched against my outer shell.

“Growl?!”

“It’s tough!”

Since their claws didn’t penetrate my exoskeleton, their venom was useless. Maybe if the enemies had used the venom glands in their spikes to release poison into the water, there might have been a different outcome.

I extended a combat arm and grabbed the waists of the Fishrians. The eyes of these creatures, caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events, shook violently. When I exerted force, their waists snapped with a crisp sound.

“Monster! It’s a monster!”

“Growl! Sacrifice is difficult!”

The Fishrians whose waists I didn’t grab seemed to realize the situation and tried to escape. I had already thrown the lifeless Fishrian bodies aside and ambushed the others.

Observing the remaining corpses entwined by my tentacles, I contemplated whether it was worth carrying them.

‘It’s a bit awkward to carry them, but why not taste it once?’

I took a bite of the Fishrian head in one go. The distinctive flavor, including the fish’s characteristic odor, the tingling and intense taste of the venom lingering in the venom gland, pleasantly tickled my palate.

‘Tasty.’

As a genetically modified human, not quite heavenly in taste like a Swampking, but still, a very unique flavor was present. It didn’t feel greasy due to the lack of fat, and the chewing taste was quite excellent, possibly due to the firm muscles. Moreover, the venom flowing from the venom gland between the brain and the spikes provided a thrilling pleasure, reminiscent of eating sushi with wasabi.

‘I should give these to Number 26.’

I replaced some of the human corpses among the entwined bodies with Fishrians, using my tentacles. Since Number 26, the Sea Demon, had even stronger venom resistance than me, it could enjoy the Fishrian meat without any issues.

‘When giving it to Adhai, I should avoid the venom gland area.’

With that thought in mind, as I entered the inner area of the zone, I encountered a sturdy-looking cage.

And inside, I saw a familiar face.

｢… Big guy?｣

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZ (Long time no see)]

｢Big guy!｣

Number 26, seeing me, jumped up and expressed joy.

The creature’s size had significantly reduced compared to before. It used to be around 5 meters, but now it was only about 2 to 3 meters. Its pinkish body, reminiscent of cat paws, looked dull without much vitality.

‘It must have been under a lot of stress.’

The creature seemed to have gone through significant hardships, and it was evident, making me flinch unintentionally.

Contrary to my thoughts, Number 26, upon seeing me, emitted light and sent out waves in excitement.

｢Big guy, you’ve grown a lot! Much bigger than me!｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (I ate well, that’s why)]

｢Eat well? you’ve done well, big guy!｣

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (I got food for you too).]

｢Yeah!｣

‘Woah!’

Leaving the happy creature behind, I examined the prison.

‘Indeed. It’s a prison made by the Star Union.’

I now understood why Number 26 seemed so depleted. The prison bars were made of pure black silver, appearing pitch-black. Special devices resembling sprinklers were attached between the bars, on the floor, and the ceiling.

Those devices were energy-absorbing mechanisms, similar to a blood reaver, absorbing energy from other creatures. The absorbed energy was then used to power the device itself, allowing even powerful creatures to be confined for an extended period.

‘There’s water nearby, so Gremlin Moss won’t work.’

I approached the computer that managed the prison, trying to operate it with my small chest arm. However, it didn’t work properly, likely due to the water that had entered the entire area.

‘I’ll have to open it manually.’

Although the management computer would eventually break down, rendering the energy absorption devices useless, I had no intention of waiting until then.

I used all six combat arms to grab the prison bars tightly. As I seized them, energy drained from my body, but I paid it no mind, as the energy exerted to bend the bars was greater.

The bars I held twisted like licorice and, with a short tearing sound, were torn apart. After a few repetitions, I had broken enough bars for Number 26 to come out safely.

I also destroyed all the energy absorption devices attached to the broken bars, ensuring the creature’s safe exit.

｢I can come out now, right?｣

[ZZ (Yes).]

｢Wow! Big guy, you’re strong!｣

Finally free, Number 26 hopped over and embraced me. When we left the cosmic city, our sizes were similar, but now the creature had become much smaller.

‘I remember the old times.’

Hugging the diminished creature, memories from when we first met on the meteoric spaceship and shortly after arriving at the cosmic city flashed back.

‘Now, I can’t carry you on my head anymore.’

Until I acquired the ‘Giant Creature’ trait, carrying it on my back would be the most I could manage.

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ (You’ve been through a lot).]

｢I’m fine. How about you, big guy?｣

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (As you can see).]

I patted its head a few times and released the hug. The creature still seemed in good spirits, so I handed it the prepared food.

｢Thank you! I really like it!｣

Apparently hungry, Number 26 immediately extracted tentacles from its body and swallowed the food. I continued to pet the creature, conveying gratitude for its efforts.

‘The rescue was successful. Next is…’

Number 26 quickly finished eating the provided food. I didn’t think it would be enough to satisfy its hunger.

｢Big guy! I have something to say!｣

Number 26, having finished the meal as I expected, called out to me.

[ZZZ ZZZZZZZZZ (Are you still hungry?)]

｢Yeah. But there’s something more important.｣

[ZZZ (Oh?)]

｢The creatures with appendages here. They’re very troublesome.｣

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Creatures with appendages, are you talking about humans?)]

｢Yeah! Humans are bad!｣

Number 26’s body swelled significantly, and light flickered uncontrollably. It was the first time I had seen the creature express anger like this.

[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Don’t worry. I’m going to give those humans a hard time.)]

｢Yeah! Let’s give them a hard time!｣

[ZZZ (Sure)]

Number 26 waved its fins and tentacles threateningly.

Seeing that cute sight, I reaffirmed my decision.

Those who angered Number 26, I should make them pay with blood.

‘I had that intention from the beginning, but…’

I realized it might not be as simple as just killing them. The people in this deep-sea research facility would likely suffer and die in agony.