Four days after becoming an Amorph, there had been significant changes. Firstly, my nest was complete. The once sterile corridors had blossomed with unholy vitality. The mucus I had expelled had solidified, some of it forming spores. From the holes in these spores, mucus periodically flowed, slowly expanding the nest.
‘Now I can monitor the entire ship’
I received real-time updates from the 200-meter elliptical research vessel. I couldn’t monitor creatures as small as insects, but for humans, I could sense most of their activities.
And secondly, as I moved back and forth between the cargo hold and the nest, I succeeded in acquiring a new ability by consuming roaches and spiders.
[Race: Unidentified Aggressive Space Morph
Special Traits: Super-sense, Wings, Chitinous Exoskeleton, Robust Vitality, Paralyzing Stinger.]
The ‘Paralyzing Stinger’ was a new ability I gained from the spiders. Although it became less useful later on in the game as we encountered creatures made of energy or metallic entities, it was quite effective in the early stages.
‘It’s a perfect ability for me, who needs to hunt the strong with a weak body’
I concentrated my consciousness on my tail, and a drop of yellow liquid fell from its end. With this, I could easily subdue a single adult human. It only lasted for about five minutes, but that was enough time to kill someone without any trouble.
I expressed my gratitude to the spider, not only for providing me with sustenance but also for this valuable gift. Then, I contemplated my next steps.
Most of the ship’s crew currently on board consisted of 222 people. Among them, 96 were soldiers and officers responsible for ship defense, while 21 were high-ranking personnel in the command section. The rest were civilians, including researchers, technicians, and cooks.
‘The problem is, who to target?’, I pondered.
Initially, I considered targeting the captain to disrupt the chain of command. However, upon further consideration, that didn’t seem like a great idea. There were officers who could step in for the captain, making it challenging to inflict significant damage.
‘The most important person who’s irreplaceable on this ship…’
There were only two individuals who met both criteria.
‘The Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Research Officer.’
Of these, I prioritized the Chief Research Officer. The reason was simple.
‘She’s crucial to my survival.’
After observing the lab for several days, I came to a conclusion.
The Chief Research Officer’s name was Keisaragi Yujin . When I killed someone earlier, she was the only person who could create a tracking device immediately.
Two days ago, one of the subjects escaped, but she managed to create a tracking device within two hours, successfully capturing the escapee.
‘That creature almost got me because of her.’
If it had used the ventilation shafts, I would have been in danger. But thanks to its fleeing elsewhere, I could overcome the crisis safely.
Since the incident with the escaped subject, Keisaragi Yujin has moved up in my list of potential threats.
‘And she has an oddly good sense for a human’, I noted.
Once, she nearly caught me by staring at the ventilation shaft I was in. Afterward, I had to relocate frequently whenever she appeared to sense my presence.
‘I wonder if she has psychic powers?’
A concept similar to commonly known telekinesis, telepathy, mind control, and other psychic abilities.
Having psychic powers allowed for an endless array of abilities, from simple telekinesis that could move objects without touching them to performing feats like distorting light to render the ship invisible, akin to magic.
‘Even during the game, psychic powers were a game-changer’
When aiming to obtain psychic powers, cults were often targeted. Cult species possessed psychic powers as an innate genetic trait, making it easier to target their genetic essence.
Occasionally, rare individuals among humans also exhibited latent psychic power potential. Whether Keisaragi Yujin fell into this rare category was uncertain, but from the perspective of a hunter, clever and sensitive prey posed a significant challenge.
‘Even if she doesn’t know my true identity, she’ll surely create some tracking device to chase me down’, I speculated.
‘If I’m going to use hit-and-run tactics, I need to avoid being tracked as much as possible.’
As an Amorph evolved into a fluid state, I would become immensely more powerful than Hatchlings. However, I couldn’t engage the ship’s soldiers in direct combat until I had secured enough genetic essence. Until then, guerrilla warfare would be the strategy.
Therefore, Keisaragi Yujin needed to be eliminated, not only for my evolution but also to ensure my survival.
‘Now, how should I hunt her down?’
Scratching my head with my front legs, I pondered. Given that she was a civilian and a female, it wouldn’t be too difficult to kill her in a one-on-one situation. Except for one major obstacle.
Wherever she went, armed guards followed. Even when she slept in her bedroom at night, security personnel took shifts, constantly guarding her. She might be physically weak, but the presence of many protectors around her posed a significant challenge in targeting Keisaragi Yujin.
‘Merely thinking about it won’t solve the problem’, I realized.
It seemed I would have to keep monitoring her and seize any opportunities that arose.
As I continued to watch for openings, hunger gnawed at me. Leaving the comfortable nest behind, I made my way to the mundane cargo hold.
I checked the corridor ventilation grille for any signs of people before opening the wire mesh and hopping down. Landing silently on the floor, I climbed up to the terminal next to the door.
‘I can’t keep avoiding the ventilation shaft forever.’
I’m not a cat, and I don’t have nine lives. Risking my life every time I needed to eat wasn’t a sustainable strategy.
Unlike other key facilities, the cargo hold had no security system for monitoring visitors.
Using my enhanced senses from the nest, I confirmed that, aside from the designated personnel, there were no other individuals entering the cargo hold. The designated personnel only visited for routine inspections once a day, so as long as I avoided that time, I could enter and exit without being detected.
As I entered the numbers into the terminal, a sturdy metal door hissed and swung open, revealing a dimly lit cargo hold. I headed straight for the familiar plastic containers.
The sudden intrusion of a predator stirred the residents of the cargo hold. The scent of corrosion, the pheromones released by the approaching threat, and the sound of tiny insects skittering on the alloy floor to warn of the predator’s presence all mixed together.
Enjoying stimuli from the hidden world that only I could sense, I climbed onto the boxes. Just as I usually did, I retrieved two Calorie Bars from the box.
I consumed one on the spot, tearing open the wrapper of the other with my front legs and holding it in readiness.
I stored the remaining wrappers neatly in the box and left the cargo hold, retracing my steps through the corridor. I headed back towards the laboratory.
Upon reaching the laboratory, I went straight to Experiment Subject 26.
The collapsed Bubble Amoeba greeted me with ripples when it saw me. Not only through greetings but also through its glowing body, it expressed happiness, which made me feel good as well.
‘I brought food again today’
As it quivered and shone even brighter this time, I mentally chuckled and prepared to give it its meal.
While monitoring Keisaragi Yujin for two days, I had learned one thing: an experiment was underway in the laboratory to awaken unknown traits latent in Bubble Amoebas. I didn’t know what abilities this seemingly harmless mascot possessed, but the researchers seemed quite confident.
‘During the game, there weren’t any special abilities. Is this one different, or is it because the species has changed?’
For some reason, Experiment Subject 26 received special treatment, and I believed it was essential to establish a positive relationship with it.
Not immediately, but perhaps it could prove helpful in the future when I conquered the ship.
‘It’s a bit of a hobby, I suppose.’
I went to the experiment chamber, where I opened the lid and revealed the container with a minimal amount of nutrients meant for basic sustenance.
I carefully cut it into pieces since putting the entire thing in would undoubtedly clog the feeding system. The fragments passed through the hose connecting the two chambers and were delivered in front of the creature.
The Bubble Amoeba enveloped the Calorie Bar pieces with its entire body, and once it seemed to have digested everything, I repeated the process.
When the creature finished eating one Calorie Bar, it emitted a slow twinkle of light, indicating it was full.
‘I guess you like it’
I never knew during the game why people searched for Bubble Amoebas, but now I felt like I understood. Seeing the creature emit light in rhythm with a certain pattern underwater, I couldn’t help but find myself entranced.
At that moment, someone intruded within my range of perception. They were research personnel attempting to enter the laboratory.
I quickly climbed into the ventilation duct to hide, and a short while later, they entered the laboratory.