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Chapter 78

Looking at it, it does resemble a twisted doughnut, for sure.

However, its resemblance to extraterrestrial artifacts in classic horror games is only superficial; the setting is quite different. The monument in space survival doesn’t drive people insane or transform them into strange forms.

‘Instead, it has a feature that buffs the owner.’

When a clan owns a Monument, it gains a clan-only trait called ‘Slave Trait’. Clans with this talent are pumped with more than double the profit from the planet they own.This made it a highly sought-after monument for large clans to acquire at all costs. As a result, there was always a lot of warfare in these trade centres.

‘In a way, it’s an homage to BlXmaX. There have been many clans that have gone to war for the monument and lost.

For me, ownership of the monument held no interest. Instead, I focused on the clan members attempting to obtain it. In the past, I’d infiltrated the monument in various ways to extract genetic essence from the clan members. Once, I even disguised myself using the ‘Apparent death’ trait, feigning death.

“Ah, I was planning to spend the night at the entertainment district today.”

“You’re a married man yet you still visit such places?”

“Come on, being married doesn’t mean you stop having fun. Don’t you dare get married.”

“Crazy.”

“So is this true that you are working overtime near the year-end? Seriously?”

“You don’t even have a partner, what’s there to complain about?”

“Ah, no partner means no life? I also want to relax at a resort. Visit exotic places, have chance encounters, meet my destined love, and then parting…”

“Stop the nonsense and help me with this.”

The researchers chatted while moving the equipment. They seemed to completely ignore my existence.

“Fine.”

Amidst their idle chatter, I activated the Parasitic Colony. Black thread-like creatures emerged from the fingertips of my lower right arm.

‘Hide below the dissection table, all of you.’

“Huh?”

“What’s going on? It seems odd, like it moved.”

“It’s dead, why bother? Don’t pay attention to useless things.”

One researcher scrutinised me before returning to preparations.

‘There are four researchers, all wearing masks.’

The parasites had no offensive abilities, unable to breach the masks on their own.

‘I need to create an opening for the parasites to enter.’

If I shoot the thorns of my tail to make a hole, it should be possible. However, I can’t move immediately due to surveillance cameras. Checking the camera’s direction through the auxiliary organ, there is no blind spot in the dissection room.

‘To conceal the tail’s movement, I need smoke.’

Chemical products for generating smoke are conveniently placed near my tail.

‘But just those won’t produce enough smoke.’

To induce a chemical reaction, a catalyst is needed, like an acidic solution. Fortunately, my blood has a strong acidic effect.

‘I’ll have to wait a bit longer; they came here to dissect anyway.’

When they spill my blood, it’ll be time for me to move.

***

“Alright. All set?”

The head of the dissection team under the Biological Management Division of the Science Research Institute clapped, lifting the mood in the room. Next to the dissection area stood a stainless-steel table holding various tools.

On the table lay medical instruments like scalpels and medical saws, a plasma cutter for cutting tough skin, and chemical solutions to preserve tissue samples—despite the era of space explorations and colonisation, the dissection procedures hadn’t evolved much from their primitive forms.

“Where should we start from?”

“Given its position, how about starting from the back?”

“Let’s proceed slowly. Let’s start by collecting a sample of the skin tissues.”

Following the team leader’s instructions, a researcher picked up a scalpel. The auxiliary arms of the exoskeleton suits also held genetic data analyzers and cover glasses.

“Shall we identify the creature first?”

The team leader sliced into the monster’s arm section with a scalpel.

“Huh?”

Instead of the arm’s surface being cut, the scalpel blade broke.

“It’s incredibly tough. This is nearly at the level of an adult Mountain Crawler.”

“Try this.”

A colleague handed over a sonic blade. Smaller than a military version, this one was a medical tool, but its effect was identical. When the researcher pressed the switch, a thin blade emerged from the bulky stick, emitting an eerie sound due to its ultrasonic vibration.

“Where…”

As the researcher attempted to bring the sonic blade closer to the creature’s corpse:

“Huh?…It’s moving?”

He noticed a slight movement in the creature’s tail, and his colleague beside him smirked as if seeing the same thing.

“Perhaps it’s the muscles relaxing after death.”

“Y-yeah, that must be it.”

“Phew, that startled me. But if this thing is alive, we’re probably already dead, right?”

“Hey, don’t say scary things.”

“Enough chit-chat. Quickly, collect skin samples.”

The researcher scraped the monster’s arm with the sonic blade. The sound of metal on metal echoed as sparks flew.

“That doesn’t sound like something from an animal’s body.”

Continuing to scratch with the Sonic Blade, finally, scratches began to appear on the creature’s exoskeleton.

“Great. A bit more and… Oops.”

At that moment, the blade completely malfunctioned, its ultrasonic effect shutting off. Despite the tool being ruined, they managed to cut out a tiny skin fragment.

“It’s small, but enough for analysis. Place the sample into the analyzer.”

“It is stubbornly tough..”

“Let’s try the plasma cutter this time.”

Two researchers picked up the plasma cutter. Typically, due to recoil, cutters were secured in stable positions, like on the ground. However, with the exoskeleton suit’s auxiliary arms designed to withstand high weights, they could handle the cutter’s recoil.

The auxiliary arms firmly grasped the plasma cutter to prevent any shaking. Adjusting the cutter’s terminal, aiming it at the corpse’s surface, the researchers pressed the activation button.

A thin green beam sprayed out, scorching the surface of the skin. Even a creature with sturdy biological armor couldn’t withstand plasma energy—it pierced through effortlessly.

Meanwhile, as the analysis of the sample was complete, the data analyzer displayed a notification.

Surprised, the researcher called the head of the dissection team before finishing the sentence.

“This creature is an unknown species not registered in the MegaCorp database.”

“Oh? Is it a new species then?”

“Strangely, it shares dozens of types of genes…”

Before the researcher could finish his sentence, a problem occurred on the side where they were piercing the exoskeleton with the cutter.

“Team leader! Smoke is coming from the body!”

“No, wait! This isn’t smoke!”

“Crazy! The blood is acidic!”

As the researcher shouted, the blood flowing from the corpse was melting the dissection table.

“The blood is splashing this way! Be careful!”

Not only that, but due to the cutter’s beam, acidic blood splattered towards the researchers. If a nearby researcher hadn’t pulled him back, he might have suffered significant injuries.

“Ouch, thanks.”

“Get yourself together.”

While the grateful colleague checked if he was okay, the researcher discovered something strange attached to his body.

“Huh? What’s this on your body?”

A black thread-like creature was attached to his colleague’s side. He wondered if he was mistaken, but he wasn’t.

It wriggled and crawled upwards.

“Huh? W-what is this?”

Just like him, other researchers had black thread-like creatures attached to them.

“What the…”

As the researcher was shivering, trying to control the auxiliary arm to remove the creature, he heard the sound of breaking glass.

Subsequently, the sound of something splashing water followed, and a hot heat was felt on the back.

When he turned his head, he saw a table where chemical solutions were placed, engulfed in flames.

The acrid smoke from the chemical solution quickly rose, enveloping the researchers.

“Fire!”

“Keuk, kekaak!”

“Get the fire extinguisher!”

Panic-stricken researchers were scrambling around as the motionless corpse of the monster lying on the ground suddenly twitched. Its tail, which had been twitching, launched thorn-like spikes towards the faces of the researchers.

“Oops.”

“What was that just now?”

Fortunately, the spikes missed, only brushing past the faces of the dissection team leader and the researchers.

Their masks tore, exposing their flesh to the noxious smoke.

“What’s this?”

“Where did that come from?”

The sudden assault of sharp objects left the researchers bewildered, yet there was something else they should have been concerned about—the black parasites stuck to their bodies.

Parasites from the monster’s body had swiftly climbed and affixed themselves to the researchers’ faces.

“Ahh!”

“Help!”

“Ugh! Cough!”

The researchers hurriedly covered their faces, but the parasites had already entered their masks. They coughed, trying to dislodge the parasites from their nasal passages or scratched their faces in a frantic attempt to grab hold of the creatures.

If they had remained a bit calmer, they might have used the strength of their powerful auxiliary arms to pull the parasites out. However, the sudden fire and the onslaught of unfamiliar parasitic creatures made it difficult for them to maintain composure.

*sprinkler sound*

Due to the smoke, the sprinklers inside the lab activated, showering water. Amidst the downpour, one by one, the researchers stopped moving due to the parasite attacks.

“…Gulp.”

“…”

The last remaining was the dissection team manager, he exerted all his effort to remove the parasite that had partially infiltrated his body. As the parasite had penetrated halfway into his body, he managed to grasp the parasite’s tail with great difficulty.

Feeling the slimy and unpleasant sensation in their palm, he desperately tried to pull the parasite out. It resisted, stimulating the back of their throat, preventing it from being pulled out.

“Ugh! Cough! Kehuk!”

While retching, the dissection team leader didn’t release his grip, trying relentlessly to extract the parasite.

Just as he was about to nearly remove it, he suddenly felt as if his strength was draining from his body.

‘Why?’

A long bristle was embedded in their limp wrist. Meanwhile, the parasite had forcefully penetrated deeper into their nostril, but they couldn’t feel any pain.

Before collapsing and kneeling on the ground, he witnessed it—the monster, lying in a prone position on the dissection table, its white eyes staring directly at him.

It wasn’t dead.

***

Monument’s 3rd Central Control Room.

The first day of the council meeting had already concluded, but the management office couldn’t afford to take a break. Anna, the cult caretaker with goat horns, was monitoring the surveillance cameras with a bored expression. Her colleague, a male cultist with ram horns, stretched and got up from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“For coffee. Want me to make you one too?”

“Yeah. Strong, without sugar.”

As the male cultist left, Anna refocused on the surveillance. Thanks to her psychic powers specialized in observation, she could monitor hundreds of surveillance cameras simultaneously. She wasn’t the only one; all the cultists working in this administrative district possessed unique psychic powers that contributed to city management.

“Ugh, I just want to go home, take a shower, and sleep.”

Having abilities that helped with work didn’t necessarily mean that the job was enjoyable. Originally, the 3rd Central Management Office had three observers, including a female cultist named Jeanette. If Jeanette hadn’t gone missing, Anna wouldn’t have had to work overtime for days.

“That woman, fleeing without a word. I wish I could run away too.”

Grumbling to herself, she continued monitoring when something odd caught her eye.

“Science Lab 30? Is there a fire?”

The camera showed smoke-filled surroundings with researchers in apparent panic. Soon, the sprinklers activated, turning the lab into a sea of water.

“What’s happening? Why are they…”

The frantic researchers suddenly stopped in unison, standing still as the water poured over them. One of them seemed to have lost consciousness, collapsing, but no one was supporting them.

Anna felt something eerie. Something was wrong. Regardless, if there was a fire, she needed to confirm. She grabbed the communication device.

As she contacted them, the people beyond the camera, who had been motionless, suddenly, as if by command, started working to handle the aftermath.

One researcher retrieved the communication device from the dissection team leader.

“3rd Central Control Room here. Was there a fire in Lab 30?”

“Uh, chem…chemical solution spilled, c-causing a fire. It should be normalized soon.”

“Do you need the fire suppression team?”

“No, no! Absolutely do not call them!”

“Hmm? What about the person who collapsed, do you really not need help?”

“Uh, th-they just briefly fainted due to inhaling noxious fumes. Th-they’ll wake up soon.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, ye-yeah. Anyway, once the team leader wakes up, we need to move this corpse, so you don’t need to monitor anymore. Goodbye.”

After the call ended, Anna stared at the communication device strangely.

“Why are they so jittery?”

Perhaps it was due to the sudden incident. The researcher’s voice sounded unusually shaky, as if afraid of something.

“And transporting specimens in the middle of the night?”

As she pondered, her cult colleague came in with coffee.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, there’s a fire in the dissection room, and the response from the researchers seemed odd.”

“That’s where all the eccentrics go. Don’t worry about it.”

“Is that so?”

Since her colleague’s words made sense, Anna eventually let go of her doubts about the fire in Lab 30.

“There are many other things to do anyway.”

She pushed thoughts about the dissection team to the back of her mind and drank coffee with her colleague.

***

‘As expected, a call came in right after.’

The call was answered by a researcher under my control, but I know who called him.

‘The cult members in the management room.’

One of Monument’s features is that the cult members handle indoor surveillance duties.

Human beings have many flaws, such as being easily shaken by sudden incidents, while android’s lack autonomous thinking abilities.

However, cults have very few weaknesses. Thanks to their psychic powers, they have a much keener sense than humans, easily detecting sneaky enemies or traps.

Due to these traits, cult immigrants to MegaCorp mainly assume roles like surveillance and reconnaissance, as per their design to enjoy hunting down adversaries. Cult members, akin to wolves, are innate hunters and observers. Despite the era of travelling through space on ships, remnants of traditional hunting culture linger within cult society.

Known as ‘quests,’ the cults’ unique system typically revolves around hunting specific animals for their horns or hearts.”

Nevertheless, cult members working alongside humans tend to have fewer of these tendencies. If it were a planet inhabited solely by cult members, my plans might have been immediately thwarted. However, cult members in MegaCorp possess comparatively less acute senses, relying less on intuition due to the complexities in human society. They might have found it peculiar but likely considered it none of their business and moved on.

‘Of course, if such incidents occur frequently, they’ll eventually take action.’

That’s something I should be cautious about when moving forward with my plans. Anyway, I’ve successfully executed half of my infiltration plan into the administrative district.

“I’ll transport the team manager once he wakes up,” said the researcher, to which I subtly nodded.

Next stop for me is the Genetic storage. It’s a place for storing carcasses of large animals like me, and to my knowledge, there are no surveillance cameras inside. I’m certain due to a similar tactic used in an old game where I infiltrated hiding among animal carcasses.

“Is there a genetic storage facility here?”

“Yes? Uh, yes, there is. It’s right next to us, so don’t worry.”

Moreover, the facility layout aligns ideally with what I desire.

‘I could instruct the researchers to fetch the samples.’

Being close means I don’t need to leave many authentication records while moving around, which means there’s little for the observers to find suspicious.

‘After consuming the genetic samples, I could just prey on the researchers.’

Once the effects of the ‘Symbol of Hunt’ are over, I could call them, resolving any side effects.

‘Is there a more perfect way to do this?’

How to make sure that if researchers suddenly disappear, even Monument’s administrators won’t know until much later? Suddenly, a good idea struck me.

‘The phone call from earlier.’

It seemed like something I could use to my advantage.