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Chapter 13

I thought to myself. As far as I knew, the Crisis Management officer wasn’t from the Yujin family. His name was Arnold Russell, and the Russell surname didn’t belong to either Noble Capital or Prime Capital; it was a rather ordinary surname.

‘Could it be an alias?’ I wondered.

Or perhaps he was a subordinate of the person he was talking to. From the conversation, it seemed like he wished for Keisaragi’s death.

‘Could this be an internal matter?’

In the game, both the Noble Capital and Yujin family were ruthless when it came to power and money. The possibility of them fighting among themselves and even resorting to killing each other was quite high. In this space, eliminating Keisaragi Yujin would be fitting.

‘But then again, I’m the one who killed her.’

From the conversation, I deduced that his goals were twofold: to kill Keisaragi and lure the ship to C-08. I wasn’t sure of the reasons, but almost unintentionally, I had helped him achieve his objectives.

‘Whether the Yujin family fights or not, it’s none of my concern.’

What was essential was what I would do with Arnold Russell. Cattle were raised for the sole purpose of becoming food. Useless, intelligent food needed to be excluded.

‘He’s made me wary of him.’

That fact alone justified his death. Having evolved into a Metamorph body, fighting against soldiers wasn’t a significant problem. If I were to surprise attack him, I could easily overpower the muscular man.

‘But opportunities are scarce.’

Arnold had been meticulous since my hibernation, always staying in crowded places and avoiding remote areas.

‘Should I kill him in his room, like the material management officer?’

I considered it, but it wouldn’t be easy. He slept in his reinforced suit, unlike the soldiers, making it difficult to kill him quickly.

‘If the attempt failed, it would be quite troublesome.’

He could easily contact the ship’s AI with the communication device provided as an option.

‘Perhaps there’s only one option in the end.’

If he had no weaknesses, then I would observe him until he was discovered. Time was what I needed to catch a formidable prey.

I casted one more glance at him before heading to my nest.

***

In a world where more humans are born in incubators than in their mothers’ wombs, it might sound absurd to seek a god in such a place. However, I somehow had the feeling that there might be a real god here. If not, there was no way such a favorable situation would be created for me.

“Security officer! How on earth are you handling this situation? Didn’t you say you could find them?”

“I’m, I’m sorry….”

From below, Samuel’s voice resounded with frustration. Through the gap in the mesh fence, I could see the security chief hanging his head, clearly at a loss for what to do.

I was currently eavesdropping on their conversation from above the meeting room.

“That damn ‘sorry’ of yours, how many times have we heard it? We’re scheduled to dock with the pirates in two days, and you still haven’t resolved anything!”

“Well, even if we increase the number of cameras and security personnel, they always manage to avoid getting caught…”

“Damn it! Navigation officer, how many missing personnel do we have on board right now?”

“…including the former material management officer, a total of eight people.”

“After the Research officer’s death, we have seven missing crew members. Why can’t you find them? Don’t tell me you’re in cahoots with that guy?”

“N-no, not at all!”

Currently, the ship’s enigmatic murderer is attributed to the material management officer. This is because of his suspicious actions before going missing and the discovery of his container. He was an undercover smuggler who had infiltrated the ship, and he vanished after the mysterious murder incident.

‘Unfortunately, the culprit is right here.’

Samuel, unaware that the culprit was right above him, sighed heavily and slumped into his chair.

“Let me ask one thing. Isn’t the material management officer a human being? Shouldn’t you search everywhere a person could go?”

“Well, there’s a shortage of cameras in some places, and even though we’ve installed them in crucial areas, it’s like they’re avoiding them like ghosts.”

“Ugh, then what about the body? The body can’t just walk around; it must be hidden somewhere. Why can’t you find that?”

“We’re constantly monitoring areas that could be used to dispose of a body. I don’t know how it was disposed of, but we just can’t seem to find it.”

The Security officer, who had been the center of attention for everyone in the room, took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. With his sparse hair, he looked even more forlorn, but there was no one to assist him.

“Tech officer, what about tracking devices?”

“With my skills alone, it’s impossible. Even if I attempt to create one, I can’t guarantee its effectiveness.”

“Damn, he’s killing people who can track him. He’s definitely not an ordinary human.”

An indolent smuggler had turned into a professional assassin. It would be a comical situation if my body were not Amorph. At that moment, Crisis Management officer Arnold raised his hand.

“Captain, I believe what the Security officer is saying is true.”

“Why the sudden change?”

“I’ve personally checked the camera placements and all the possible hiding spots on the ship, and the Security officer has done what he can.”

“You couldn’t catch the culprit, and now you’re defending him?”

“I mean it!”

Arnold seemed like he had deliberately brought this up, ignoring Samuel’s attempt to interrupt.

“From a human perspective, that’s what it means. If it were a human, they wouldn’t be able to hide like this.”

“What? Crisis Management officer, are you here to spread strange rumors?”

‘Huh?’

I had been enjoying the situation, but the atmosphere suddenly became strange. It seemed like Arnold had decided to speak out, and even when the Captain threatened him, he continued speaking.

“We might be dealing with an unknown entity attacking us.”

“You see, Crisis Management officer, the ship’s AI isn’t that dumb. Even though it’s not the latest model, it used to manage entire battleships. If there were creatures roaming around the ship, it should have detected them long ago.”

“I’m familiar with AI capabilities as I come from a military background. Navigation officer, but everyone knows. The material management officer’s container—everything inside it was empty.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Then where did those creatures that were inside it go?”

At his words, some of the officers nodded. Samuel also seemed convinced.

‘Oh no.’

The flow of people’s thoughts was taking an eerie turn. What I had been most cautious about was the suspicion of extraterrestrial life creeping into people’s minds.

“Alright. Let’s assume strange space monsters are roaming around. Where would they go? We have cameras installed in the middle of every corridor, but we can’t see a trace of them.”

“There are places we haven’t checked.”

He pointed upwards with his finger. People’s attention shifted in my direction, and I quickly stepped back behind the mesh fence.

“The ventilation ducts?”

“The ventilation ducts are spread throughout the ship. I don’t know how big those creatures are, but if they’re around 1 meter or less, that’s enough room for them to move around.”

His statement was accurate.

It seemed that Arnold wasn’t the only one who had underestimated the situation. I might have underestimated him as well.

‘It’s a strategic mistake.’

I had planned to take my time and slowly execute my plan, but Arnold was showing more insight than expected. I should have dealt with this sooner, even if it meant taking more risks.

“1 meter. Isn’t that too small to kill a person?”

“Captain, Metallic Gremlins can grow up to a maximum of 80 cm, but they can still destroy an entire battleship. It’s not about their size.”

“Right.”

He felt like an auxiliary system. Everyone in the room was convinced by Arnold’s words. The sweating due to anxiety gradually subsided, and the irregular heartbeats were regaining their stability.

“We have a problem. If it’s really an alien life form that killed people, what happened to the Research officer’s body? If that thing ate the body, we’re in serious trouble.”

“That problem will be resolved if we can capture it alive and hand it over to Noble Capital. If it’s proven that it ate the Research officer, they’ll take it from there.”

Questions were flooding in from all directions, but Arnold had no trouble keeping up. He answered every question confidently, as if he had prepared for this.

The questioning subsided, and finally, Samuel was the last one left.

“Crisis Management officer.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“How many soldiers do you think you’ll need?”

“I’ll select six soldiers from the 8th platoon and have them search the ventilation ducts.”

“Permission granted. Please bring back good results.”

“Thank you.”

After the meeting ended, I returned to my nest.

‘…I’ve endured for quite a while.’

No matter how much I loathed my body, there would come a time when we would inevitably cross paths. Unless I abandoned my nest and left, there was no way to avoid them in the ventilation ducts.

“Even if I were to leave the nest, I have nowhere to go.”

Given Arnold’s personality, it was clear he would place some security measures around the ventilation shaft. This would effectively seal off the ventilation ducts.

The corridors were covered in surveillance cameras, and the ventilation ducts were off-limits. While we hadn’t engaged in a full-blown confrontation just yet, it was only a matter of time.

Now, the crucial moment for me to make a decision had arrived.

‘Should I run away, or should I stand and fight?’

Since becoming aware, the once-dry nest had become vibrant with life, as if spring had arrived. Lying down there, I extended my small hand and gently touched the spores.

Feeling the pulsation of the spores, I made up my mind.

‘I’ll fight.’

This ship might belong to them, but this ventilation duct system was different. This place was my domain, my home. Compared to those who tried to infiltrate this place after glancing at blueprints and maps, I possessed a different level of information.

‘The conditions favor me.’

It wasn’t just about the battlefield; the overall situation surrounding the ship was turning against them. The encounter with the pirates was set for two days from now.

It was hard to imagine Samuel handing over a significant amount of credits, especially with no bodies to show. The pirates aren’t offering any services, and yet they’re demanding a large sum of money. Even if there are no complaints on their side, they don’t know how things will turn out on pirates’ end. Those space dogs are practically icons of betrayal, and they won’t just let the ship pass as it is, he knows that well.

To fight the pirates effectively, They needed to maintain their full strength. Capturing me with minimal troops was impossible.

Furthermore, Arnold had mentioned capturing me alive.

‘Capture an Amorph?’

Until the enemy is eliminated, the relentless creature that never stops until the enemy is dead is Amorph. An aggressive alien creature that would bite the enemy’s neck even if its limbs were cut off and only its head remained.

That’s me.

Arnold seemed to think of me as nothing more than a wild animal roaming around on some planet, but that was far from the truth.

Capturing an unknown enemy in unfavorable terrain with only a few soldiers was undoubtedly a foolish endeavor.

‘In the space environment, especially within the ship, they’ll learn just how terrifying it is to fight against Amorph.’

I would show them everything I had, using every means at my disposal.

I would teach them what it was like to fight against Amorph in the vastness of space.