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Chapter 41

In a garden lush with foliage, Si-hyun Yujin was seated. She gazed blankly at a small bird perched on a tree, chirping away. Suddenly, attendants emerged from somewhere, pulling a cart filled with food.

“Miss, it’s mealtime,” said the butler.

Si-hyun turned her head at his words. The hologram of the garden vanished, replaced by a pristine laboratory that resembled pure white snow.

The attendants set up a makeshift dining table and placed dishes of food on it one by one. The butler introduced the food with a courteous demeanor.

“The main dish is roasted duck with maple sauce.”

In the Star Union, the ownership of personal property and luxuries was prohibited. The Cybernetic Council had decreed that all cyborg citizens could only consume prescribed food and nutrients.

Because of this, even in the capital city, it was difficult to obtain any ingredients that deviated from the ordinary.

Si-hyun looked down at the food on her plate with an indifferent gaze as if obtaining such hard-to-come-by food in X-01 was as challenging as catching stars from the sky.

“Miss?”

“…”

“Miss, this is one of your favorite dishes.”

She knew it too. She recalled how much she longed for this dish when infiltrating the Space Dogs.

‘Yes. It’s a dish Si-hyun Yujin likes.’

As if reading her mind, the housekeeper’s voice became stern.

“Miss requested that we replicate all of her habits, clothing, and even her favorite food, and match everything perfectly. Miss mentioned it was necessary due to the side effects of clone technology.”

In an era where humanity could travel at near-light speeds, there were still uncharted territories. One of them was the production of cloned humans.

Even for the Yujin family, which had advanced genetic science to the extreme, the forbidden act of manufacturing cloned humans was no easy feat. Creating a duplicate that was physically identical was achievable, but making one that thought and acted the same way was an entirely different challenge.

Moreover, transferring the memories of the original to the cloned human to make them behave exactly the same way was considered an endeavor beyond science. Si-hyun Yujin had found a solution that relied on something beyond the realm of science.

She had learned a method from a cult leader to use psychic powers to transfer memories and souls.

This peculiar individual, who referred to themselves as the Veil instead of their true name, had taken on the request of Si-hyun’s father, Jung-Woo Yujin, and taught her many things.

He was knowledgeable not only in combat techniques but also in various types of equipment and even the genetic varieties and applications of various organisms. His teachings included methods for protecting and transferring memories and souls using psychic powers.

Thanks to his guidance, she could even maintain her sanity when forced to become a shadow by external forces. She picked up a garlic clove fried in duck fat with her fork and put it in her mouth. The slightly sweet and crispy taste stimulated her taste buds, but she couldn’t feel any enjoyment.

‘This isn’t my pleasure.’

The technology to transfer the soul was clearly successful. All the memories she had until her death were perfectly transmitted to the clone’s body.

‘But why am I having these thoughts?’

Veil hadn’t told her about such side effects. He talked as if it were an easy, straightforward process that anyone could do. Of course, Si-hyun wasn’t naive, so she anticipated that simply transferring the soul with psychic power wouldn’t be the end of it.

Given the right conditions, this technology could essentially make a person immortal, so she was certain that there must be some unknown side effects.

So, she utilized the precise engineering technology of the StarUnion to create a machine that would readjust the clone’s brain to match her soul and memories. Thanks to this, she was nearly indistinguishable from the original now. The only significant difference was that the genetic modification wasn’t quite complete.

Furthermore, she had provided detailed instructions to her subordinates on how to manage the clones and how to handle the transplanted clone souls. She had made thorough preparations to be able to respond perfectly to any potential side effects. However, she couldn’t have imagined that she would feel this uncomfortable in her own body. Even during meals, the thought that she was consuming something Si-hyun Yujin liked didn’t leave her mind.

‘Damn it.’

After forcing herself to finish the meal, she received a report from her subordinates.

“The council will convene in a short while, right?”

“Yes. According to intelligence, Akira Yujin is also planning to visit the T&C Special Trade Center in the tourist district.”

“Tourist district? That old man even enjoys jokes now.”

She muttered coldly and then fell into thought.

Akira is a gentleman who cherishes his life to the point of paranoia, but he’s not a coward. He’s unlikely to remain hidden on Earth during the Council, a massive event.

‘Akira moves with more than one shadow every time.’

He may not know, but Si-hyun saw through the weaknesses of the shadows. Even the weaknesses of Code Black, stronger than her. Even in her extremely weakened state, she was confident that she could defeat at least one shadow with a lower code than hers.

“What about the Gallagon transport disguised as a FairyWing?”

“According to Jade’s report, it’s still in the city.”

“If there are shadows even while Gallagon is attacking, that old man will try to escape one way or another.”

“The likelihood of that is high.”

The original plan was for her to personally eliminate Akira’s escorts and then escape, leaving the rest to the enraged Gallagon. With rival companies, Noble Capital and Prime Capital, unlikely to protect Akira, once his guards disappeared, he was as good as dead.

‘The old man doesn’t know if I’m still alive.’

No matter how formidable the Code Black was, he wouldn’t think that a clone of a deceased person was planning to kill him.

By exploiting this, even in her weakened state, she had a good chance.

‘By using this to her advantage, even in her drastically weakened state, she had a fair chance.’

It’s an opportunity to eliminate many nobles of Prime Capital, including Laila Chemblin. Given her physical condition, it’s a task she can’t postpone or delegate to others.

“How will you proceed?”

“The plan remains the same. Inform Jade that there are no changes.”

“Understood, Miss.”

She dismissed her subordinate and clenched her fist.

“That bastard…!”

All the pain, confusion, and turmoil she was going through were all because of that guy.

She vowed to turn the monster who killed her into minced meat.

***

Two days had passed since Sander offered me a mutant Gallagon but I didn’t kill it.

‘Getting the nest is a better reward.’

Eating Gallagon’s flesh is quite a gamble. If luck is on your side, you might gain powerful traits , but if not, it’s all over.

On the other hand, making a deal with the creature meant getting nothing immediately, but evolving to the next stage would be much easier.

‘Finding Gallagon’s nest is incredibly difficult.’

Thinking back to the struggles of searching for Gallagon’s nest during the game, knowing its location was an advantage.

Of course, the creature had to stay alive until then.

｢Big baby, look!｣

Number 26, perched on my shoulder, spoke to me as I was lost in thought.

Today, I handed over one of the prey Sander received to Number 26. I did this to help Number 26h grow.

I mainly passed on creatures that had undesirable traits or a low population, making it difficult to expect a predatory effect.

Coincidentally, I wondered if Number 26 had met all the growth conditions, as it had grown another tentacle. Thanks to this, it now had three tentacles.

｢Big baby, I’ve got a new arm.｣

[ZZZZ (Indeed)]

Number 26 seemed quite pleased with its growth from the food I provided, and it continued to proudly show off its tentacles. Whenever the slender tentacles waved in the air, they emitted violet, semi-transparent energy that lit up the surroundings before vanishing.

‘It has definitely gotten stronger than before.’

I couldn’t precisely gauge 26ho’s level of growth, but the fact that I could easily observe its increasing strength visually was undoubtedly a good thing.

｢Me｣, ｢Food｣, ｢Thanks｣.

[ZZZZ ZZZZ (It wasn’t me who provided it)]

｢Young adult｣, ｢Thanks｣.

The Gallagon perched on top of my head, and Adhai expressed gratitude to Number 26, the one who had provided the food.

The Gallagon introduced itself as a member of the Odd Pack and asked me the name of my pack. However, I didn’t belong to any particular pack. The Gallagon had pledged to serve me, an adult, and since I didn’t belong to a pack, its name automatically became “Adhai” without the pack’s name.

｢We also have to protect the little one.｣

On my shoulder, Number 26 glowed and expressed joy along with ripples. The sight resembled a child puffing up their chest, and I couldn’t help but pat Adhai and Number 26 without realizing it.

‘In the game, there was nothing like this.’

It was a fascinating and intriguing change. The Outsider race, the Emoph, who survived, hunted, and evolved on their own, now had two companion creatures.

What’s more, the creatures I was with were Gallagons and Sea Demons, which couldn’t be tamed in the game. When I first arrived in this world, I had three main goals: survival, hunting, and evolution. Achieving ascension was also part of the plan. These goals remain unchanged to this day. However, the path to reaching them has deviated significantly from what I initially imagined.

‘Perhaps I’m changing along with this world?’

So far, the most common food I’ve consumed is humans. Their genes could be having an impact on me. Humans are social animals. They don’t survive independently; they form groups.

Among animals, there are species that mimic the appearance of their predators as a survival strategy. Maybe I’m evolving to adapt to the humans I’ve been interacting with.

From an independent Amorph surviving on its own to a predator that forms a society to hunt, that’s the idea.

While pondering such thoughts, I quickly approached the residential area.

I slipped out of the secret passage and made my way through the surveillance network to enter the building. As I tried to climb the apartment building’s exterior wall, a stranger’s presence registered on my auxiliary systems.

‘Hmm?’

A man was standing in front of the neighboring apartment. His rough appearance and the tattoos on both arms didn’t make him look like an ordinary civilian. He seemed more like someone involved in less legal activities.

He appeared to be waiting for someone, tapping his foot impatiently against the corridor wall. I couldn’t identify him as a policeman, and I was curious about who he might be.

I signaled Number 26 and Adhai to stay hidden momentarily and activated my disguise mechanism. I strolled down the corridor in the guise of the man from the neighboring apartment. He glanced at me.

“When the hell are you coming?”

He grumbled, apparently unaware that I was not who I appeared to be. I wondered if the landlord knew what his tenant looked like.

‘Should I ask him?’

Pretending to enter Las’s apartment, I decided to strike up a conversation with him.

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know, just go in and get some sleep.”

“Do you have business with my neighbor?”

He glanced at me with an irritated expression and then sighed.

“Do you know this guy?”

“Yes.”

“Damn it, do you know this guy’s been fooling around with my girlfriend?”

“I see.”

“I’ve been in a lot of relationships, so I’ve put a little tracker on her communication device. She hasn’t been in touch for a week, and when I checked, it said she was in this house.”

He said this while showing me the screen of his communication device. It displayed an internet map. The map, simplified to the residential zone, had a red mark pinpointing this very location.

“Take a look now. It’s clear that someone is inside, but they’re pretending not to be.”

“I see.”

This was completely unexpected. I never would have guessed that Lloyd had a boyfriend. Given his proclivities for indulgent entertainment with Las, I never thought he’d have a separate lover.

‘No, maybe it’s for the best?’

I pretended to ponder while secretly scanning the entire apartment complex with my auxiliary systems. I couldn’t detect any signs of police or android presence nearby.

The man’s actions were undoubtedly suspicious. Not reporting his girlfriend’s disappearance to the police and coming to investigate alone made it clear that he was likely involved in something illegal.

“Hmm. Perhaps she went out to buy something.”

“I’ve been waiting for ages.”

“Don’t worry, why don’t you wait at our place for a while? She’ll be back soon.”

He glanced at me, inspecting my appearance. When his gaze reached my face, he flinched slightly but soon nodded.

“…It probably doesn’t matter.”

My artificially generated physique, crafted by the disguise mechanism, was more petite than the man’s. Although my face might look unusual, I believed it was sufficient to handle any potential issues.

As I opened the door, the man entered without any further suspicion. I hid on the other side of the corridor, peering out just enough to signal 26ho and Adhai with a flick of my finger.

“What the hell, clean up this place.”

“I’m sorry.”

“And you, what’s with that god-awful smell…”

As the man turned his head toward me, his expression hardened abruptly. Before he knew it, Number 26 and Adhai were blocking the doorway.

“Didn’t you ever hear when you were young not to follow strangers?”

“Uh, um…”

I closed the door.