BXBX NOVEL Chapter 95
Chapter 95
“I’m just a public servant! What do they expect me to do?”
He muttered.
He contacted Monument, the superior organization, to figure out what to do. The response he received was simply an instruction to focus on stabilizing the security. Despite being the head of the armed police team, it was natural for him to protect the city’s security, but he thought differently. He believed that the higher-ups had abandoned him.
‘I’d rather leave here than be abandoned.’
Jaesung couldn’t tolerate being abandoned by others, even if he abandons the others. Interestingly, it wasn’t only Jaesung who felt that way. There were others on the escape ship with similar thoughts.
‘They all look familiar.’
Whether it was the entertainment district’s personnel manager or the medical team manager from Monument’s Central Hospital, they were all familiar faces to Jaesung. When their eyes met, they exchanged subtle expressions and avoided direct eye contact. Fleeing a city in chaos wasn’t something to be proud of, even for them.
“Hey, why aren’t we departing yet?”
“I apologize. I will check immediately.”
Unable to endure the awkward atmosphere, the medical team leader vented his frustration on a flight attendant. Since most passengers were from the upper-class capitals, the flight attendant just lowered her head.
“Tch, pathetic.”
Jaesung clicked his tongue as he observed the scene. Despite being in the same situation, he believed he was different from them. He had a reason to leave the city.
A few days ago, news of the death of his younger brother, Samuel Yuseong, had arrived. Using the pretext of attending his brother’s funeral in their hometown, Jaesung had a valid reason to leave the city.
‘The useless guy is helpful at times like this.’
As a descendant of the Samuel family, a Third Capital on the satellite Titan, Jaesung didn’t have a good relationship with Yuseong. It was natural as they were competing for the family’s succession.
But that was a secret known only within the family. No one in the T&C Special Trade Center knew how he felt about his brother.
‘Now that he’s dead, the family inheritance will be mine.’
Feeling a sense of relief, Jaesung closed his eyes.
“The passengers are asking why we haven’t departed yet.”
“We are departing now. The announcement will be made shortly.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, it says the cargo bay is open. Please just check that for me.”
“Sure.”
The female flight attendant who emerged from the cockpit headed towards the cargo bay. The cargo bay was filled with valuable items brought by the passengers and small containers destined for transfer to other locations. A partially closed door could be seen behind the loaded cargo. She operated the terminal next to the door, closing it completely. As the red light on the terminal turned green, the announcement soon followed.
“Thank you to our customers for using T&C affiliated Trade Airline….”
Even during takeoff, designed as an escape ship for VIPs, there was almost no noticeable shaking inside.
“Huh?”
Upon hearing someone’s voice for a moment, she turned her head. When she looked around, all she could see were containers and cargo that remained motionless in place.
“Did I hear wrong?”
Without feeling anything unusual, the flight attendant left the cargo bay.
“Deputy Chief Jacob!”
“What’s going on here?”
“Well, um….”
Jacob, who arrived late at the warehouse in the harbor zone due to wearing reinforced armor, asked the knights how the situation was unfolding.
“Commander is being held hostage?”
“Yes. So we are searching this place….”
“Found it!”
At the sound of a distant voice, Jacob and his team entered the warehouse. However, what they found was not Denver but the wreckage of damaged reinforced armor.
“When you see no traces of blood, it means the commander is still alive.”
“Then we need to find him immediately….”
“Quiet.”
At Jacob’s firm words, the members closed their mouths. He stared at the wreckage of the reinforced armor with cold eyes. Jacob, a veteran among the knights, was confident that there must be clues hidden in the chaotic debris. Carefully examining the traces of the armor, he quickly noticed something suspicious.
“He cut the reinforced armor precisely. He’s highly knowledgeable about machinery. Moreover….”
The communication device was missing. What did this fact imply? Jacob couldn’t help but conjure up a horrifying and ominous scenario.
“Hand over the communication device connected to the public channel.”
“Here it is.”
Taking the communication device from one of the members, he pressed the button. The voice of his master flowed from the connected communication device.
“He…has…cap…tured…me…and…gone…to…Ji…ha…ro…come…to…me.”
Although it sounded strangely distorted, it was undoubtedly Denver’s voice.
However, as soon as Jacob heard that voice, a chill ran down his spine. The ominous prediction he had made was becoming a reality.
“…Commander. Did he mention a Hulk Mutant created by T&C?”
“He…has…cap…tured…me…and…gone…to…Ji…ha…ro…come…to…me.”
“The commander informed me. T&C plans to develop a Hulk Mutant based on him.”
As Jacob continued speaking, the members felt their muscles tense. They understood the Deputy Commander’s intention in conveying this information.
“In other words, it means he is not a monster created by T&C.”
“……”
“Vice commander, are you sure the one receiving the transmission is truly the commander?”
“Zzzz zzz zz”
There was no answer from the communication device to Jacob’s question. It only filled the silent warehouse with static noise.
Just as Jacob thought there was nothing more to hear and was about to turn off the communication device, a sound came through.
“He…has…died…that…hu…hu…hu…hu…thud.”
The last thing heard was Denver’s voice, or rather, the eerie sobbing sound emitted by “it.”
***
‘Well, this time it didn’t work.’
I exerted force on my combat arm, breaking the communication device. It was brought for the purpose of buying time for our escape, so it was no longer useful.
‘Maybe they can trace it from that side.’
I swiped my hand, reducing even the tiny chips to powder. Due to the mysterious enemy, we had to go far away, but luckily, I and the others were able to board the escape ship.
‘I was about to close the door when someone came, it was close.’
The crew members of this ship were all destined to become our nourishment, but consuming them had to wait until we were far from the city. Attacking prematurely might cause the pilot to turn the ship back or do something unnecessary.
Me and the kids hid behind the containers, while the flight attendant, oblivious to everything, simply closed the door and left the cargo bay.
In the middle of it, Denver struggled in vain to convey something to her, but it was futile wriggling.
That’s how we could leave T&C Special Trade Center, a culmination of human-made advanced technology. Beyond the small window in the cargo bay, a huge domed space city in the shape of a hemisphere covered with a metallic shell came into view.
Until receiving the knight’s communication, the space city, which had initially seemed enormous, had now diminished to the point where its overall shape was visible.
‘Been here for a while.’
Originally, I planned to fulfill all the evolutionary conditions in that city, but in the end, I couldn’t achieve it. Three types were still needed for evolution, and the cult and wolf hunting conditions were also unfulfilled.
‘Though I have no regrets. After this… Huh?’
As I was looking at the view of the space city from inside the window, the city suddenly shook violently. From the central part of the alloy plate serving as the city’s foundation, a black dust cloud erupted with an explosion.
The black dust cloud shot into space, but midway, it seemed to have some consciousness as it started clinging to the city. As a result, holes, several hundred meters thick, appeared all over the alloy plate, and things within the city were ejected into outer space.
‘That’s a Gremlin Torpedo… but why is its range so wide?’
As the name suggests, a Gremlin Torpedo is a missile containing nanomachines that eat away at metal. It is a weapon created by StarUnion, mainly used to strike enemy capital ships. For a moment, it seemed like a threat mentioned by the predator’s senses at the pier, but probably not. It seemed like an explosion from the city’s reactor.
‘If we were a bit late, it could have been a big problem.’
Various things were escaping through the gaps in the city that the Gremlin Torpedo had eaten. If we were delayed in our escape, we could have been thrown into the darkness of space.
‘Perhaps it’s for the best.’
I don’t know who committed the terror, but I left many traces in that city. If the city becomes a tomb, the traces I left will naturally be erased. I continued to watch the crumbling space city.
Even though they couldn’t be seen or heard from here, countless humans were sinking endlessly into the bottomless abyss.
‘Perhaps it’s the fitting end for the city of sin.’
For them, the only consolation might be that those who abandoned the city will also experience a terror beyond mortal comprehension.
After the distance became so far that the city was almost invisible, I finally looked away from the window.
I couldn’t see Eden’s warship.
Whether it was swept away by the Gremlin Torpedo or escaped in the opposite direction from us, it couldn’t be determined at the moment.
‘If Eden’s warship isn’t chasing us….’
I looked down at the paralyzed Denver.
‘He is no longer needed.’
If they turn on a bioscanner using the Gaia gene over there, it’ll become troublesome. I opened my mouth to devour Denver, but I felt a gaze from behind my head.
Turning around, I saw Number 26 and Adhai looking at me.
‘Hmm.’
Come to think of it, both of them performed excellently until we left the city. I praised them with words, but I never gave them any gifts.
‘Let’s consider it an investment for the future.’
Through this incident, I confirmed that both Number 26 and Adhai have high potential. The stronger they become, the more they contribute to my survival.
Who knows what crises lie ahead.
‘If they weren’t with me during the battle with Code Black, it would have been difficult to win. Besides, I also encountered an unknown enemy before leaving.’
Until I evolve enough and acquire powerful traits, I need them to assist me.
‘…Well, personal intimacy is also something to consider.’
Even in my human days, I had no friends, whether in reality or in games. Relationships with family were difficult to describe. And that’s why.
I, too, couldn’t deny that I had developed an attachment to the two. Anyway, for the future investment and personal emotions, I decided to compromise this time.
[ZZZ ZZ (Eat this)]
｢Big Baby, You are not eating?｣
｢Adult｣ ｢Meal｣ ｢Together｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (I’m fine)]
｢If the big baby isn’t eating, I won’t eat either.｣
｢Agreed.｣
Despite offering them delicious food with all my heart, they refused. Even when sharing Code Red’s hand to eat, they suggested that they would share it with me, and it seems they have the same idea this time.
‘Well, I guess I have no choice.’
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Then let’s eat together)]
｢Yeah!｣
｢Me｣ ｢Happy｣
After reaching an agreement, we looked at the paralyzed Denver together. Denver, who probably anticipated what we were going to do next, sent a pleading look as if to say,
‘Please don’t do this.’
“Mm-mmm!”
Due to paralysis, we couldn’t understand what he was saying, but it probably wasn’t anything important. Denver might know what we are about to do next. The only thing he can offer right now is fresh meat.