-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Ep. 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Day four since becoming an Aemorph, and a lot had changed in the meantime.
First off, my nest was finally complete.
Unclean life force had borne fruit in the inorganic passages. The mucus I'd spat out had hardened into a solid mass, and parts of it had clumped together to form spores. Mucus periodically oozed from holes in the spores. Even without my intervention, the nest was slowly expanding its territory.
'Now I can monitor the entire ship.'
Everything happening on this 200-meter-diameter oval research vessel was transmitted to me in real time. I couldn't track anything as small as a cockroach, but at least for humans, I was aware of most of their activities.
And second.
While commuting between the cargo hold and my nest, devouring cockroaches and spiders along the way, I'd successfully acquired one more new trait.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 🧬 Species: Unidentified Hostile Space Creature 📈 Status: Hatchling 🎯 Goal: Survive 🔹 Traits: Super Sense, Wings, Chitinous Shell, Robust Life Force, Paralysis Stinger
'Paralysis Stinger' was the trait I'd gained from the spider. It would become useless in the late game against creatures made of energy or inorganic matter like metal, but for the early stages, it was a decent ability.
'Perfect for a weakling like me who has to hunt the strong.'
When I focused my mind on my tail with a flex of my rear, a drop of yellow liquid fell from the stinger at the tip. This could easily subdue an adult human. The effect lasted a maximum of about five minutes, but that was more than enough time to kill one person.
Having thanked the spider for not just my daily bread but this precious gift as well, I pondered my next move.
The conditions for hunting humans were mostly in place. Now it was time to pick a target.
There were 222 crew members aboard the research vessel. Of them, 96 were soldiers and officers handling ship defense, and 21 were high-ranking command staff. The rest were civilians like researchers, mechanics, and cooks.
'The question is, who to go after.'
I'd initially considered targeting the captain to disrupt the chain of command. But after mulling it over a few times, it didn't seem like the best idea. There were executive officers who could step in for the captain, making it hard to inflict major damage.
'Someone weak, but irreplaceable on this ship.'
Only two people fit both criteria.
'The Medical Team Leader and the Research Team Leader.'
Of those, the one I had top priority on was the Research Team Leader.
The reason the Research Team Leader topped the hit list over the Medical Team Leader, who was responsible for the crew's lives, was simple.
'She's a threat to my survival.'
That was the conclusion I'd reached after spying on the lab for days.
The Research Team Leader's name was Kisaragi Eugene. She was the only one who could whip up a tracking device right after I committed a murder.
Two days ago, one test subject had escaped, and she'd made a tracker in just two hours to recapture it.
'That thing almost got me caught too.'
If it had used the vents like me, I would've been in danger, but it fled elsewhere, letting me slip through unharmed.
After that test subject escape incident, Kisaragi Eugene shot up to the top of my mental threat ranking.
'And for a human, she has freakishly good instincts.'
Once, she'd looked right up at the vent I was in, nearly spotting me.
I'd moved to other spots to keep watch afterward, but every time, she'd sense my presence and glance over, forcing me to keep relocating.
'Does she have psionic power talent?'
Psionic power. A force akin to the superpowers people knew—telekinesis, telepathy, mind control, and the like.
With psionic power, you could do anything from simple telekinesis to move objects without touching them, to warping light to cloak an entire ship like magic. The possibilities were endless.
'Even in the game, I hunted down Cults like crazy because of psionic power.'
Cults were prime targets for acquiring psionic power. Every member of the Cult species was born with it as a racial trait, making their gene essence easy pickings.
Occasionally, rare humans were born with psionic potential too.
I didn't know if Kisaragi Eugene was one such case, but from a hunter's perspective, a clever and perceptive prey was a tricky opponent.
Even without knowing my identity, if she found traces of me, she'd definitely devise some way to track me down.
'For a hit-and-run strategy, I need to avoid detection as much as possible.'
Once I evolved from hatchling to juvenile, I'd be incomparably stronger. Still, not strong enough for an all-out war with the ship's soldiers. Until I stockpiled enough gene essence, I'd have to stick to thorough guerrilla tactics.
Thus, Kisaragi Eugene was someone I had to eliminate regardless, even aside from my evolution.
'So, how do I hunt her.'
Lying in my nest, I scratched my head with my front legs as I pondered.
She was a woman and a civilian, so killing her one-on-one wouldn't be hard. Except for one sticking point.
'Her bodyguard.'
A soldier assigned to protect her trailed her everywhere she went. Even at night in her bedroom, guards rotated shifts to watch over her constantly. She was weak herself, but surrounded by protectors—that was the crux of taking down Kisaragi Eugene.
'Won't figure it out just by brooding.'
I'd have to keep surveilling and wait for an opening.
Wracking my tiny brain had left me hungry. Leaving my cozy nest behind, I headed for the dim cargo hold.
From the vent in the corridor before the cargo hold door, I checked that no one was around. Seeing the coast clear, I pried open the grating and hopped down.
Landing lightly on the floor, I crawled up to the terminal next to the door.
'Can't keep dodging vent blades every time.'
I'm not a cat; I don't have nine lives. Risking my neck for every meal wasn't ideal.
And unlike other key facilities, the cargo hold had no entry monitoring system.
Using my enhanced senses from the nest, I'd confirmed it: aside from the handler, no one came or went. The handler visited once a day for routine checks, so I just had to avoid that window.
'Open sesame.'
I punched in the code on the terminal, and the heavy metal door hissed open. Entering the gloomy cargo hold, I made a beeline for my usual plastic crate.
The hold's residents stirred at the sudden predator intrusion. The acrid smell of corroding metal mixed with pheromones blasting warnings from tiny bugs, and the scrape of sixteen sharp little legs skittering across the mesh alloy floor.
Savoring the stimuli of the hidden underside world only an Aemorph could sense, I climbed atop the crate. As always, I opened it and pulled out two calorie bars.
I devoured one on the spot and picked up the other after ripping open its wrapper with my front legs.
'Time to go.'
I neatly stowed the wrappers in the crate and exited the hold. Retracing my steps through the corridor, I set off toward the lab.
Arriving at the lab, I headed straight for Test Subject Room 26.
The drooping Bubble Amoeba perked up at the sight of me, greeting me with friendly waves. It wasn't just a hello—its body twinkled brightly to show its joy, lifting my mood too.
'Brought food again today.'
「Food.」
The creature shuddered, then glowed even brighter than before. I chuckled inwardly and prepared to feed it.
While surveilling Kisaragi Eugene over the past two days and visiting the lab often, I'd learned one key fact.
They were conducting experiments in the lab to forcibly awaken the unknown potential traits latent in the Bubble Amoeba. I had no idea what powers this harmless mascot held, but the researchers seemed pretty confident.
'In the game, it had no special abilities. Is this one unique, or has the species changed?'
For whatever reason, Test Subject 26 was getting special treatment, and I figured building a positive relationship with it was worthwhile.
It might come in handy later when I conquered the ship, even if not right away.
'Though it's half a hobby.'
I went to the feeder tube for Test Subject 26, opened the lid, and found nutrient solution inside for minimal life support.
Dumping the whole bar in would clog it for sure, so I sliced off bits with my front legs and dropped them into the test tube. The pieces traveled through the hose connecting the two chambers and arrived before the creature. The Bubble Amoeba enveloped the calorie bar fragments with its entire body. I watched until it had fully digested them, then repeated the process.
After finishing one bar, it slowly pulsed its light to signal it was full.
'Looks like it approves.'
I hadn't realized it during the game, but I could see why people were into Bubble Amoebas. Watching it pulse light in rhythmic patterns underwater was mesmerizing—I could stare forever without thinking.
'Humans?'
Suddenly, someone entered my sensory range. Researchers heading into the lab.
I quickly scrambled into the vent and hid.
A moment later, they entered the lab.