Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 296
Only Noblemtl
Episode 296 – Rest (3)
The day after hunting the Giganterium, I left the nest alone.
Ham Ort said that I wasn’t really needed for other hunts. Adhai’s skills were enough to ensure that his people returned safely.
Adhai is out hunting with his pack, while No. 26 is busy playing with the young ones.
I didn’t know because it wasn’t specifically described in the game, but the Blue Gallagons were quite curious. Except when they were consuming energy and sleeping, they were constantly moving around to find new interests. It would be fine if they were just wandering around the caves inside the canyon, but it was a problem when some of them tried to come out.
Between the canyons flows a river of boiling acid, caused by geothermal heat. It may be okay for white or green gallagons, but blue gallagons have weak scales and can be seriously injured if they fall into the water.
Because of this, the Gallagons in charge of raising the children were having a hard time taking care of the playful pups, but thanks to the arrival of No. 26, they were able to let go of their worries.
He uses his newly acquired mutated tentacles to satisfy the curiosity of the Blue Gallagons. Dozens of tentacles constantly transform into new types of toys, so even the young Gallagons can’t help but be satisfied.
‘And it also provides psychic powers as a bonus.’
Adhai, No. 26 and I are both busy, so I’m going to go to PS-111 alone today.
After emerging from the canyon, I flew in the opposite direction from where I had come yesterday. Below, I saw plants that resembled oyster mushrooms that were dozens of meters in size.
I adjusted the position of my wing arms to lower my altitude, and with my combat arms I tore off the tip of a strangely shaped plant. Then I dumped the crushed mass into the mouth in the center.
‘hmm.’
It looks like a mushroom, but it tastes completely different.
To put it concretely, it feels like eating a fruit mixed with almond milk and soy milk. The taste itself isn’t bad, but it’s too watery, so the texture is poor.
‘But it’s still nutritious.’
I’ve seen Gallagons feed this plant to their young in addition to its psychic powers, and I can see why.
This place is very different from where they used to live, so it is not easy to raise chicks properly. Fortunately, there is plenty of nutritious food around, so it seems that none of the chicks will have difficulty growing.
‘I hope the guys like this flavor.’
After tasting the oyster mushrooms that tasted like almond milk, I also used my fighting arms and legs to pick off handfuls of other plants around me. I moved leisurely while giving a taste to the two heads on either side.
As I moved so slowly, at some point, frost began to form on my wing membrane and shell. Looking down, I saw fewer and fewer living plants, and icicles larger than me were hanging from the ice ceiling.
The ice cover around here is thinner than in other areas. The reason is related to the artificial structures visible in the distance.
A single broken tower rises from the frozen, lifeless land.
The identity of that leaning structure, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, is the Screamer support ship that we obtained after defeating Pira Eleven. It became like this after crash-landing on this planet after fighting the Gorgon Swarm. The stern part is completely destroyed, and there are large, unrepairable holes all over the outer wall.
The support ship, which had completely lost its ship’s functions, was shining on its own to welcome its long-awaited owner.
I entered the empty rear section. Inside, the few remaining intact lights were blinking. It seemed as if they were welcoming me.
‘He would already know.’
Immediately following the fight against the Gorgon Swarm, PS-111 converted this broken support ship into a sort of communications relay, so that we could effectively manage new ships and mechanical structures should we ever obtain them.
As it turned out, the guy’s judgment was right. The Gigacracker, which cannot land on the planet, is being remotely controlled and remains in the planet’s orbit. Otherwise, the guy would have had to stay in space to manage the Gigacracker.
I folded my wings and lowered my body, crawling inside the tilted structure. Thinking I would be in the situation room, I continued down, but the light went out halfway through.
‘Isn’t this the situation room?’
The passage below was pitch black. I checked the sign for the location just before the lights went out.
‘It’s a production room.’
By the way, I’m near the storage area where the genetic samples and freezer containers are. I guess that’s the area where they make Screamers using the materials stored in the storage area.
‘Are you trying to modify your body again?’
There are no more genetic samples left on this ship.
‘Let’s go for now.’
Crawling down a little further, I grabbed the half-open iron door with my wing arm and opened it. Leaving behind the falling ice shards, I stepped inside, where a precariously flickering light greeted me.
The atmosphere inside the production room was very gloomy.
The ceiling and walls had been stripped of plywood, exposing the steel frames and pipes, and the floor was covered in a mess of frozen wires.
Above that bizarre space, production facilities that had been restored in some shabby form were moving. The noise of steels rubbing against each other, and the sparks flying from the joints connected to the pipes, made the place even more eerie.
In the middle of a space that looked like a mad scientist’s laboratory, there he was.
With a body resembling a spider or scorpion, and a body covered in a hard metal carapace that was 7 meters long excluding the tail, it gave off quite an intimidating feeling.
In addition, it had eight legs extending from its body, each with a variety of weapons attached to its end.
Some hands looked like human hands with only the fingers replaced by hooks, while others had long blades resembling machetes instead of hands. All arms were covered in spikes that were dozens of centimeters long.
Although the body seemed to be specialized solely for cutting, tearing, and destroying living things, ironically, the face was completely different.
The head on top of the large body was a woman’s face, pale and shining like chrome. The cables hanging down like hair, the bright red eyes, and the four cable strands under the chin made for a somewhat odd but attractive appearance.
The beautiful woman’s face turned 180 degrees toward me.
“Are you here?”
PS-111, with cables dangling from its neck and back, looked at me and greeted me.
[Zuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu (I thought you were remodeling?)]
“No. I came here for an experiment.”
[Zuzu (experiment?)]
I approached the guy, careful not to step on the wires and cables on the floor. In front of him lay a familiar figure.
‘What is this?’
“This is a remote-controlled model. It was made using materials obtained from Giga Cracker and the native creatures living in this area.”
The guy who figured out my question answered it for me. I thought he came here to modify his body, but I was wrong. He was making the Screamer’s body based on the Screamer manufacturing blueprints on the ship’s computer.
‘And this too…’
It looks very different from the Screamers I’ve encountered. It feels more like the early PS-111. Only the face and parts of the body have been created, but when it’s all finished, it looks very similar to that guy.
[Zuzuzuzuzuzuzuz (remote control model?)]
“Yes. If I had a physical body that I could control remotely, I could do a lot more than I do now.”
After finishing speaking, the guy lowered his head towards the Screamer’s body.
PS-111 brought his head closer as if to kiss a face that looked exactly like his own. The cable under his chin moved of its own accord towards the cable on the Screamer’s body.
A small spark flew as the guy’s cable connected to the Screamer’s body’s cable. The Screamer’s body shuddered as if it had been struck by an electric shock device.
As PS-111 hit its head, the Screamer body opened its eyes. The red camera lenses that served as its eyes blinked a few times before turning to face me.
“Joe, tune, complete, uh, how, is, it?”
“Tuning complete. How is it?”
[Zuzu zuzuzu zuzu zuzu zuzuzuzu (You made this this quickly?)]
“Thanks to reverse engineering my body structure and replicating my own cell tissues. Given the right equipment and time, I believe we can further improve on this.”
Although he was a humble man, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
Screamer development itself is a long-term project that takes more than a few weeks even in a game. In this real world, it will take months, if not years.
Even if such a screamer was an unfinished replica, it was amazing that it was created in such a bad environment.
[Zuzuzuz zuuzuz zuuzuz zuuzuz (I don’t think I have an ego)]
“Yes. I did not grant it the ability to think independently, as independent operational capabilities are unnecessary. It operates solely on the electrical signals I send it.”
“Do, independent, operation, number, conduct, unnecessary, unnecessary.”
[Zuzu zuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu (I see, it’s because it’s a remote-controlled model)]
It looks like a screamer, more like a terminal, that only moves when under the guy’s control. Judging from the fact that it speaks the same language as the main body, it seems to only function when synchronized with the guy’s mind.
Of course, it is still ambiguous to call it a Screamer, but this is only a prototype. As time goes by, there may be many Screamers with performance similar to the PS-111.
[Zuzuzuzuz zuuzuzuz zuuzuzuzuz (Amazing. So is this the end?)]
“It will take more time to complete.”
“Wow, how long until it’s done? It’ll take time, it’ll take time, it’ll take time.”
[Zuzu zuzuzu (as expected, great)]
“no.”
“Oh, no, that’s right, that’s right! Chi, praise, thank you! You, are so good…”
“Error detected in voice synchronization module. Needs further tuning.”
The guy suddenly went back into tune-up mode towards the runaway clone. The mechanical arms located throughout the production bay began to move according to the will of their master and began to work on the body of the ‘remote-controlled model’.
As I watched that scene, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Double Helix Monolith’, the second stage reward for the Space Monster type.
A perk that allows you to transplant up to two common characteristics, excluding unique characteristics, to a friendly creature.
I have received the privilege, but so far I have not been able to test how it works, because I do not know what side effects it might have.
But what if it’s a screamer he made?
Wouldn’t that make a suitable test subject?
‘Not bad.’
Since it’s a Screamer designed and managed by PS-111, it’ll be easy to see how the traits I’ve given it work. Even if there are side effects, it’s just a matter of discarding it, so the risk is low.
‘It’s a shame to blow one of the traits.’
But it’s better than other kids getting hurt.
After gathering my thoughts, I spoke to PS-111.
There’s one thing I’d like to experiment with.