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Chapter 82

It was the fifth day since the council meeting began. The team leaders in the room all had their heads down, lips tightly sealed. There have been several gatherings since the council meeting began, but the atmosphere today was particularly sombre, all due to the presence of Laila, the city’s ruler,who was currently sitting at the main seat.

“The council meeting has been a complete failure for the past five days.”

“…”

“There’s no need to mention whose fault it is, right?”

Someone in the room audibly gulped at Laila’s declaration. There were two people who played a pivotal role in this council meeting’s impasse for the T&C.

One was Akira Yujin, the patriarch of the Yujin family and the ruler of MegaCorp, who was actively walking and lobbying outside the conference room.

“He’s acting like a desperate beggar. It’s an unspoken rule in the MegaCorp that the CEO doesn’t attend the council meetings.”

Electioneering for the CEO or CEO candidates in MegaCorp is illegal by law. Of course, just because it’s defined by law doesn’t mean everyone complied with it.

[PR/N- Electioneering(of a politician or political campaigner) means to take part actively and energetically in a campaign to be elected into a public office.]

Before the elections or even during them, all families lobby people covertly. Since everyone engages in it, it’s more of a “hush-hush” thing, where all the families tend to hide it and feign ignorance despite knowing about it.

But Akira crossed the line, he openly met the elders from the other families to strike deals, promising what he’d give in exchange for their votes.

Though Laila protested against this blatant illegality, it was thwarted by the intervention of the pro-Akira faction which was led by Wei Zhao. If That was exhausting enough, a more serious problem loomed.

“Those damned Thompson zealots!”

Personnel from the Thompson family, one of the two families that constitute the T&C, were actively hindering her. They welcomed the idea of a CEO coming from the T&C but opposed it being Samdam Chambelin.

Presently, the Chambelins were leading with a 6 to 4 ratio in the hierarchy between the two families.

If Samdam became the CEO, the gap between both the families would significantly widen. Therefore, Thompson’s people were engaging in all sorts of misconduct towards the people from Prime Capital in the city.

T&C was a union of two families, namely the Thompsons and the Chambelins. Despite Chambelin’s claim that they were different from the Thompsons, to the outsiders, both were seen as one. Whenever the Thompsons made a mess, the image of the Chambelins got affected too.

Thompson’s problem was a dilemma even for her father, who is called as the Snake in the political world. If he also was having a problem solving it, then naturally, it was a problem she couldn’t solve either.

“If this continues, I’ll be stripped of the position of the administrator of this city, and if a new administrator arrives, all of you who were appointed by me will also be expelled.”

It was true. Apart from her current predicament, T&C expelled anyone deemed incompetent. If Laila were to be ousted, all of the personnel she appointed would either be banished to the fringes or would need to find different jobs.

“We believe there is no one who is looking forward to such a future, Administrator!”

All the team managers rose from their seats, and shouted fervently.

Laila nodded silently. She deliberately kept her demeanour firm during these challenging times. If she lost her dignity, those present here would undoubtedly consider other options.

“But the fundamental issue remains unresolved.”

She needed a breakthrough. Her gaze fell on the Head of the Dissection department, who was present at this gathering for the first time.

“Dissection Department team manager.”

“Yes, yes!”

His complexion had turned pale even before entering the meeting room, and as Laila called his name, he straightened his back and responded.

“Have you registered the genetic data extracted from the monster?”

“Ah, not yet.”

As per the protocol, whenever a new organism is discovered, its genetic data should be registered in the MegaCorp Data Archive. However, some entities treated genetic information as corporate secrets, like the Yujin or the Eden family, and often refrained from registering them.

After a brief pause, Laila spoke again,

“Hold off on the registration, but continue on the research. I’ll take the responsibility.”

“Ah, understood.”

“And can the current research progress, be presented immediately?”

“Yes? Uh, well, if I prepare, it shouldn’t be too difficult, but…”

“Then have it ready by tomorrow afternoon and report it to me. If the results are satisfactory, we’ll present it alongside introducing the new business segment during the council meeting.”

Laila’s bombshell declaration surprised all the team managers. As the city’s administrator, Laila was known for her overly cautious nature, she always scrutinized all business endeavours before proceeding. Hence, everyone was astonished at her sudden decision to initiate a new project.

“I’m only going to give a general introduction, so there’s no need to feel pressured. There are many things to review regarding the project, such as the budget and workforce, so we will review those aspects step by step after the presentation.

“Yes, understood!”

Envious gazes were cast upon the Head of the Dissection department by all team managers due to Laila’s radical yet impeccable decision. Given that if the results were favourable, the Head of Dissection department’s promotion was as good as guaranteed.

“Congratulations to you Dissection department team manager.”

“T-Thank you.”

The Biological Management team manager who was sitting beside the Head of Dissection department expressed envy through his facial expression, extending compliments to him. Despite the widespread envy, the Head of Dissection department appeared as though he were dying inside.

“What did I do to deserve this agony?”

He inwardly cursed at himself. Even now, the dreadful parasites nestled inside his head. But he couldn’t speak it. He’d witnessed cultists being devoured by the monster, his only desire was to live a long, healthy life. Wealth and power could only go so far if one met a gruesome end.

“Let’s proceed, then.”

“Yes…”

Coughing slightly, Laila, feeling fatigued from the council meeting, coughed once and commenced the meeting.

***

‘There was no Predation effect this time.’

Feeling regretful, I scratched my teeth with my elongated nails. It’s been five days since I entered this building, and so far, I’ve devoured a total of seven cultists. On the first day, I hunted down a cultist from the Third Central Management. I slept the entire time on the second day due to the aftereffects of the ‘Symbol of Hunt’.

From the third day onwards, I resumed my hunting, consuming two cultists each day until today. The targets were all cultists affiliated with the control rooms.

‘Defeating cultists from the third to the sixth management rooms wasn’t challenging’

The third room was an exception, where only two cultists worked. The rest, from the fourth to the sixth rooms, had three cultists each. I devoured all but left one in each room. And the reason for it was : to convert them into new minions.

‘I’ll need someone to handle the retirements.’

If it was any other time, the HR team might have suspected, but not this time. The workload from the council meeting resulted in voluntary retirements, and HR didn’t question the numerous resignations from the control rooms.

‘The council meeting is oddly working in my favor.’

Apparently, due to the increased workload from the council meeting, cultists were volunteering to retire. Consequently, HR didn’t find the sudden rise in retirements suspicious.

I did a check on their working conditions last night, but by then, everything was already done. Cultists from the Third to the Fifth Central Management rooms and even the remaining ones in the Sixth Central Management rooms are all my slaves now.

Today, I consumed two cultists from the Sixth Central Management, turning one into a minion.

‘Is it over?’

Ana, who had been waiting while I had my meal, asked me. Standing next to her was the cultist from the Sixth Central Management, who had recently been infected by the parasite, wearing a melancholic expression. He seemed quite uncomfortable with the fact that he had passed on his colleague.

‘I was disappointed too.’

From the fourth day onwards, I hunted the cultists without using the bait effect since I ran out of prey once the bait effect wore off.

‘I emptied the freezer on the third day, so there was no choice.’

Hence, I couldn’t display as much predatory effect as I had hoped.

‘But no, I gained new fusion traits and unlocked a new type, so it’s still beneficial.’

Among the acquired samples, researchers, and cultists, there were quite a few traits obtained. Among those, two traits were usable: ‘Ghost Claws,’ a fusion trait of ‘Predator Claws’ which I already possessed, and a trait acquired by killing a cultist called ‘Psychic Whips.’

The claws at the end of my combat arms had changed their appearance, becoming slender like scythes, emitting a bright purple glow.

‘The Ghost Claws can easily penetrate even solid walls.’

I held a Mastercard that the cultist I just devoured had in his hand. When I exerted force, the card passed through my hand and fell to the ground. While it’d be perfect if the effect covered the entire body, unfortunately, it didn’t.

The penetration was only possible up to the hand. However, it was advantageous when fighting heavily armored foes like the knights of Edgerton or Hulk mutants.

‘Next is ‘Pain Alleviation.’

Surprisingly, I acquired this trait on the first day from a researcher affected by the aftermath of the ‘Symbol of hunt.’

‘Wasn’t it the researcher who advised against marriage?’

I didn’t know much about his married life, but it didn’t seem peaceful.

Pain Alleviation is a passive ability that works like a debuff to alleviate negative effects such as panic or seizures that players suffer from when they receive a fatal injury in the game.” It means that even with a fatal injury, it helps maintain sanity.

‘It’s a necessary trait for me.’

During the battle with the knight last time, when I was slashed by his blade, I screamed. Thankfully, it was in my favor at the time, but had it been otherwise, I might have been in grave danger.

‘Humans tend to panic when their bodies hurt severely, seeking escape. But my mind is human.’

‘If I have Pain Alleviation, it would decrease the probability of making meaningless choices during combat.’

The benefits of the new traits weren’t the only advantages. Since Pain Alleviation is a special form of defense, it’s not in the categories of physical or psychic abilities but an entirely different one. Currently, I’ve unlocked information for four types: physical enhancement, psychic enhancement, infection, and special defense.

‘I need to unlock one more type to progress to the Transcendence Stage 2.’

To evolve into an Quasi-saint, I need four fully acquired types, not just eating a specific species. The problem lies here. If I evolve to Transcendence Stage 2, I’ll obtain new type information and traits related to that type, consuming the fusion traits as materials, which reduces the chance of evolving to an Quasi-saint.

‘On the other hand, if I evolve to an Quasi-saint first, I’ll still have to carry the burden from Transcendence Stage 1.’

I’ll continue accumulating debts in the form of golden dust if I don’t advance to Transcendence Stage 2.

‘Transcendence Stage 2 or Quasi-saint?’

Contemplating this, I lowered my head.

‘At this point, pondering doesn’t hold much meaning.’

Neither of the options has fulfilled all conditions. Both are goals that should be attempted after sufficient preparation.

‘It used to be a one-way street in the game.’

The situation unfolding here is entirely different from the game, which makes it more intriguing than frightening. After reaching the Quasi-saint, I wonder what else awaits. Feeling a slight excitement, I rose to my feet.

‘Now, what’s the plan ahead?’

Whether it’s Transcendence Stage 2 or evolving into an Quasi-saint, gathering genetic essence remains a constant. And my primary purpose here is devouring cultists. Pondering over it, I fiddled with the Mastercard, contemplating my next steps.

There are two departments where cultists are mainly stationed.’

The Central Management offices house the most cultists in the monument. The places I haven’t targeted yet are the First Central Management office, which manages the Monument’s Central AI Computer, and the Second Central Management office, which manages the accommodation of all the guests.

‘There are only three cultists in the First Central Management office, but all of them are formidable opponents, while the Second Central Management has 24 cultists.’

The former can be considered qualitatively superior, whereas the latter is quantitatively dominant. Especially, wiping out all cultists in the Second Central Management automatically fulfills the condition of eliminating 20 species using psychic powers.

‘The problem is that it’s not easy.’

Among the cultists in the First and Second Central Management, there are cultists with Soul Links. If someone in the same team gets attacked while they’re working, the rest of the team gets affected immediately.

‘The upper management needs preparation before tackling it.’

Besides the Central Management, there’s another choice: the Security Team. The Monument Security Team comprises several Wolf agents and a few cultist leaders. It’s a well-balanced division where keen-sensed cultists lead sensitive Wolves, who excel in sniffing out scents and adapting to environmental changes.

‘However, I haven’t fulfilled the conditions for the Wolf and cultist in the evolution yet.’

Initially, the plan was to hunt the Wolves while circling the apartment complexes in the residential zone. But due to unexpected deviations, I’ve only fulfilled the condition of killing 20 humanoid species.

‘If I tackle the Security Team first, I can simultaneously fulfill the conditions for the shapeshifting species and those using psychic powers.’

Of course, the number of cultists in the Security Team might not be as many as in the Central Management. Maybe around five at most.

‘But the Security Team can get me out of the Monument.’

Their role includes monitoring access to people and items in addition to guarding the building. If I take control of the Security Team, I can easily venture out to the administrative zone. In other words, I can target the cultists from the First and Second Central Management when they leave work.

‘They might be tense at the workplace.’

But will they be as cautious at their homes? Even with keen senses, being ambushed in the most comfortable space is unthinkable. My gaze shifted to the numerous screens installed in the management room.

The Wolves and cultists from the Monument Security Team were patrolling the corridors captured by the cameras. Chatting casually during patrol, they seemed completely unaware of the danger they might be in.

‘The next target is the Security Team.’

Those seemingly calm furry apes are my new prey.