MegaCorp is known to possess over hundreds of colony planets. Legally, these colonies are classified as production entities, serving as a means for MegaCorp to generate the resources it needs. According to MegaCorp’s laws, the rights to all types of resources on these colonies belong to the planetary lord.
To put it more straightforwardly, think of these colonies as something akin to livestock pens or pigsties on a cosmic scale.
Naturally, ordinary humans wouldn’t enjoy being treated as slaves or livestock. Even if the dominating force possesses a powerful influence on a galactic scale, resistance is inevitable.
Therefore, the higher-ups at MegaCorp employ various methods to ensure smooth governance of the colonies.
For example, redemption activities.
It’s a concept first devised by T&C, giving hope to employees that they can escape from the status of mere laborers if they fulfill assigned tasks. T&C goes further by granting capital status to employees who successfully complete redemption.
As more individuals who successfully complete redemption and return as capitals increased, the resistance on colony planets noticeably decreased.
Instead of choosing the path of resistance against T&C’s domination, many opted to become Megacorp’s capitals.
Brody, brought to this special trade center of T&C, found himself in a similar situation. An opportunity presented itself to him, who was merely waiting for his demise in the entertainment district. The head of the personnel resources management team announced the recruitment of sewage exploration personnel in exchange for completing redemption.
Upon hearing those words, Brody pondered his options.‘Rather than having my skin peeled off while alive, rolling in the sewage seems like a better option.’
With this judgment, 210 resource workers gathered. Divided into three groups of 80, 70, and 60, entering the sewer, Brody initially thought his decision wasn’t bad. Rolling in the sewage was nothing compared to what he experienced in the entertainment district.
However, his optimistic thoughts vanished the moment they entered the sewer.
“…Whew.”
The sewer was worse than he had imagined.
Even with a mask, the stench penetrating inside, floating foreign substances on the water, and the discomfort of something passing between his legs were overwhelming.
Each of those things was something he didn’t want to see even in his dreams, but there was something particularly irritating Brody’s nerves.
‘I feel that gaze again.’
He had always heard about his keen intuition. Like the dark water enveloping the city in cosmic dimensions, something lurked within it.
‘The conditions are too good…’
“Hey, why are you all silent like you’ve hit the jackpot? Don’t ruin the atmosphere, say something.”
“If you’re so unsatisfied, why don’t you speak first?”
“This punk?”
It was unclear how much longer they would endure in this suffocating sewer. Perhaps that’s why everyone seemed more irritable.
“Cough!”
It wasn’t just their nerves that became sharp; Brody felt a rising heat in his body even in the cold water. The hand holding the flashlight barely clung to the surface, and his legs felt as heavy as if they were shackled.
Is the darkness engulfing him? It felt like his vision was spinning.
“Hey, does this guy taste weird?”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it. Maybe you cracked his head open, and that’s why he’s like this. If we mess up, we’re screwed too.”
“…Hey, wait.”
The man at the front turned on the communication device.
“Ah, hello. Sir Knight, I have something to report.”
[Chizik, what is it? Did you find something?]
“Hehe, you know, one of our comrades who fell earlier is struggling a bit. So, I was wondering if we could move a bit slower to perform the mission more effectively.”
[Hmm. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be a big problem. Understood.]
“Thank you!”
The man kept nodding until the communication was cut off.
As soon as the sound of the connection being terminated was heard, his expression changed.
“This damn bastard, so damn difficult, like an orphan without a mother.”
“You did well.”
“Thanks…”
“Tsk.”
“Hey, I’ll stand behind this time, so move forward.”
“Ah, understood.”
After exchanging positions, they resumed their journey. They slowed down a bit after reporting to the knight. Although it didn’t alleviate his physical condition, Brody managed to hold onto his consciousness.
Once they leave this place, he’ll be a free man. With thoughts only on freedom, he walked determinedly. Ahead, they saw a small sewage treatment facility. It was a dead-end. From here, they would have to move to another designated location.
The man at the front grumbled as if he was tired.
“Ugh, I don’t know how many more times we have to go through this bullshit.”
“W-well, that’s true.”
“Hey, the guy at the back, follow well… huh?”
“Why? Why are you saying that?”
“Where did the one behind you go?”
“What?”
Brody turned his head sharply at the man’s words. There was no one behind him.
“Hey, hey, are you kidding? Where did he go?”
“Well, I, I don’t know either.”
The man’s face turned pale. Was it because of the cold water, or was it fear in this situation? The clear fact was that Brody was no different from the man.
“Damn, those guys above, don’t they know that someone is missing?!”
The man hurriedly searched for the communication device. Despite the trembling wind causing him to almost drop it several times, he finally succeeded in activating the communication device.
“What’s going on? Knight.”
[Chijik, what’s going on?]
“Sir, one person from our team is missing!”
[Someone is missing?]
“Yes! The friend who was following behind…”
[What are you talking about? The signals show that all three are moving fine.]
“What?”
The man holding the communication device gaze was fixed behind Brody.
Brody swallowed his saliva and turned his head. Black water swirled like waves, and a man’s head emerged.
The man who had been following didn’t disappear. However, Brody’s heart didn’t calm down; instead, it started beating even more vigorously.
The reason for the big wave was not the man but something behind him—’that thing.’
It looked enormous enough to fill the sewer passage, gripping the man with its dark, seemingly giant form.
“?!”
The man holding the communication device opened his mouth wide. Just before air escaped his throat, a long, slender serpent emerged from the water and pierced his neck.
The man remained motionless in the posture of trying to scream. ‘That thing’ silently passed by Brody towards the man. It raised an arm with long claws, pulling the communication device from the man’s hand.
[Unit 15, report immediately if there is a problem.]
The knight’s voice came through the communication device, but Brody couldn’t make a sound.
｢That thing｣ was staring down at him. With a pitch-black, non-reflective exterior like water and teeth shining pale in contrast, the monstrous creature seemed ready to tear his throat apart. It reached out to him.
“Ugh?!”
Brody shut his eyes tightly, expecting imminent pain. Several seconds passed, but nothing happened. When Brody cautiously opened his eyes, ‘That thing’ was offering him the communication device.
In a sudden move, Brody accepted the communication device from the monster’s outstretched hand. Then, ‘That thing’ brought its elongated claws, filled with menacing teeth, to his mouth.
“Shh… it…”
In this situation, Brody had limited actions he could take.
***
The man in front of me reported on the communication device with a trembling voice.
“It’s, it’s Brody from Unit 15. The person who was originally in charge of the communication device fell, so I took over.”
[Tsk, what a nuisance. Get moving as soon as he gets up.]
“Oh, okay!”
The man, now addressed as Brody, faithfully followed my command.
‘Let’s get started.’
I activated the parasitic organism. A parasite emerged from my arm, swimming in the murky water.
“S-stop!”
Brody exclaimed in fear, staggering, but he couldn’t escape. My tail was behind him, poking his back.
“Kuk, kek, keke.”
As the parasite entered his nostrils, he coughed, trembling violently.
His eyes rolled back, and his tongue extended uncontrollably from his mouth, the parasites establishing their presence in his brain.
The man who stood at the front had to watch helplessly as his comrade succumbed.
‘He seemed rebellious.’
Unlike those infected by the parasites, this person had a rather coarse demeanor. Those who showed excessive resistance were challenging to control, as seen in the case of William last time.
‘I need to check for the chip inside the body.’
To do that, I had to carefully examine one of the employees.
‘It worked out well. Let’s start by checking this person.’
I approached the man I had paralyzed earlier, holding him by one arm.
I examined his body with the auxiliary organ.
‘There should be a signal chip somewhere.’
Although there was a faint electrical signal flowing in the brain, I would remove it later. Since it was a device for managing employees, I had to take care not to break it and retrieve it.
While examining the man’s body, I sensed a signal near his wrist.
I seized the man’s arm with my combat arm and tore it off, causing him to cry out.
“Hii, hieuk!”
Brody, who was watching nearby, was horrified.
The man looked blankly as his arm fell off.
Since his entire body was paralyzed, he wouldn’t feel any pain. Perhaps he thought he was having a terrible nightmare.
Upon splitting the arm open, a small chip emitted light. I carefully removed the chip with my small arm from his chest.
‘Alright.’
As soon as the chip was in my hand, the communication device rang.
[Re-ceiv-ing.]
“B-Brody here!”
[What’s going on? Why aren’t you moving?]
“N-nothing! We will move immediately!”
[Tsk, I can’t believe I have to deal with this kind of nonsense.]
I wondered if the signal would still go to the other side even after the chip left the person’s body.
That means…
‘This person is not needed.’
It was fortunate that my appetite was growing while building the nest.
I opened my mouth wide and bit into the man’s upper torso. Perhaps due to my increased size, half of the man’s upper body was distorted by the force of my strong jaw.
“Ugh….”
“….”
Brody could only tremble in shock, unable to even scream.
Seeing a paralyzed person being eaten while still alive seemed quite shocking. The surrounding sewage suddenly warmed up.
After biting a few times, only the head remained.
‘Let’s see.’
I grabbed the head with my combat arm, and with a forceful effort, the skull shattered like a smashed pumpkin.
In the scattered remains, a black mechanical device was visible. I grabbed the device with my small hand from the chest.
I stuffed the remaining pieces into my mouth, licking every bit clean with my tongue, even the tips of my nails. Having completely devoured the man, I handed two chips to the overwhelmed Brody.
[Wait.]
“….”
Now that I understood how the chips worked, the person attached to my arm wasn’t particularly useful. This person, paralyzed with urine and drool, served only as a source of nutrients for me.
“…!”
As if he intuited what I was about to do, his eyes trembled with fear. I’ve always been like this, but I have no intention of showing mercy.
While Brody watched, I efficiently consumed this man as well. It took only a few minutes to deal with two adult men.
Having replenished the energy expended in building the nest, I handed Brody the newly acquired chips and devices.
“Hold this and move along.”
“…Yes.”
After watching his comrades being consumed, Brody obediently followed my instructions. He inserted the chips and devices into the gap in his mask.
After sending him off, I moved towards another team. There was still much work to be done.
***
[N-nothing! We will move immediately!]
Tennessee turned off the communication device abruptly.
“Why do these pathetic beings fall so often? It’s just walking, and yet they find it so difficult.”
This was already the fifth communication. These pathetic individuals, with their nonsense about stumbling and getting lost, were slowing down the operation.
“Using these weaklings in the operation was dishonorable from the start.”
If the individuals here were comrades who had fought alongside him in glorious battles, the unidentified monster would have been annihilated instantly.
“Darn it!”
Initially, this situation and operation were not what Tennessee had envisioned.
“I wished for revenge…”
Unfortunately, the commander to whom he pledged allegiance did not permit it.
[When you find him, capture him alive.]
Even participating in the support role for the defense force, the knight squad was divided into three teams for the operation, but in reality, there were four teams.
Team 2, under Jacob’s command, and Team 4, led by Yannick, were mixed together.
Team 4, equipped with weapons brought on board the fleet, was fully armed. Their mission was to secretly wait on the ground and, when the target was found, either capture the monster or disrupt the defense force’s approach.
As they were heavily armed, capturing the enigmatic creature was expected to be relatively easy.
“Catching the enemy who ruthlessly killed comrades alive…”
Even participating in a fight would be impossible due to the current circumstances, a reality that frustrated Tennessee.
“…Tsk, I’ll have to calm down after this cycle.”
Tennessee combed his hair, trying to suppress his anger.
Strangely, being in this water made him feel feverish. Even though the sewer water felt icy to him, his current senses were deviating from the norm. Suddenly, he felt a rising heat and a dulling of his senses.
Even if he had undergone genetic modification surgery, he could still feel hot and cold. The sewer water was undoubtedly icy, but his current condition was abnormal. His body was suddenly getting warmer, and his senses were dulling.
Although it was a signal sent by the brain, Tennessee firmly believed that it was merely due to his anger. Even with perfect genetic modification, he refused to believe he could fall ill.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, he heard a sound in the water.
Tennessee looked in the direction of the sound. Although it was filled with deep darkness, it was not a problem for him.
Concealment was useless in front of the advanced reinforced suit supporting various vision functions.
‘Did I mishear?’
He tried various detection systems, such as heat detection and vibration detection, but nothing was caught.
Tennessee turned his head again.
At that moment, ‘It’ emerged from behind and attacked him.
***
An improvised camp set up inside the sewer near the manhole. This place had shallow water, and the Knights of Team 1 had placed mechanical equipment and supplies for exploration and combat support.
“How’s the communication equipment enhancement going?”
“We did our best, but it seems it doesn’t respond well underground.”
“Well, maybe it’s because of the EMP prevention system spread throughout the city due to the Council.”
“Hmm, that seems likely. Anyway, let’s do our best.”
“Understood.”
Members and defense forces were diligently checking equipment, moving around the area. In the midst of this, Vicus was checking the cameras connected to each team leader.
‘What’s this?’
While examining the cameras, Vicus felt something strange and picked up the communication device.
“Team 1, Vicus here. Tennessee, the camera direction seems odd. Please adjust it.”
[I un-der-stand.]
“While you’re at it, let’s adjust the communication as well. There seems to be some noise.”
[Yes.]
After a short time, the camera returned to its original position. Tennessee remained motionless, not even a slight movement captured by the camera.
Seeing Tennessee’s firm posture, Vicus secretly sighed.
‘Well, he must want revenge.’
Vicus, as the vice-commander, was well aware of Tennessee’s sentiment of cherishing comrades. If Tennessee were a bit more composed, he might have been entrusted with the command of Team 4 instead of Yannick.
Lost in these thoughts, a signal management device nearby started making sounds.
Beep! Beep!
“Is it him?”
This device indicated the path if the bait deviated from the predetermined route. The fact that the machine beeped meant that the monster took the bait.
Vicus quickly picked up the communication device.
“Team 1, Vicus here! The monster took the bait!”
[Team 2, Jacob here. Where are you?]
[Where are you?]
“The location is…”
Vicus, who was about to disclose the location, lost his words as he saw the signals on the monitoring screen.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The signals deviating from the path were rapidly increasing.
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