Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 329
Only Noblemtl
A few hours later, Sihyeon Eugene’s ship left Berzan 02 as scheduled.
The biodome covering the water fortress is dyed a dark red.
Isabel still hasn’t shown up.
“… I think something happened.”
In the dark alley, amber eyes glowed anxiously.
‘Why all of a sudden?’
When I met him yesterday, I didn’t see anything unusual. He returned earlier than usual, but he’s a slave. It’s understandable since his freedom of action is restricted.
It may be because of circumstances that I couldn’t come out today, but I have a bad feeling about it.
It’s not just me who feels this way. Heavenly Mother and the MPS-05 in my backpack feel the same way.
‘It won’t work.’
It’s pointless to continue waiting here.
[Zuzuzuzuzuzuzu (Let’s go to the warehouse)]
Maybe it’s in the old warehouse where the Coldblood slaves are hiding. I went to that warehouse with the Heavenly Mother.
When I arrived at the warehouse, the warehouse entrance was blocked by a barrier as usual. I put my head on the floor. I wanted to find traces of Isabel with the auxiliary organ under my chin.
While scanning the tiny footprints on the floor and the fingerprints near the terminal with the auxiliary device, something peculiar was detected. Some traces felt much clearer than others. This means that only those traces were made recently.
[Zuzu zuzuzuzu (I have to open it)]
“Did you find something?”
[Zuzuzu zuuzu zuuzu zuuzu (probably. Take out the MPS-05)]
The Heavenly Mother looked around and took the MPS-05 out of her backpack.
“Okay. Okay.”
The guy climbed up the wall using his pointed metal legs, pulling out the cable wires attached to his head and body and plugging them into the small terminal on the terminal.
“Password, please enter it.”
“password?”
“Password. Required!”
At the word password, my Heavenly Mother and I looked at each other at the same time. She was thinking the same thing as I was.
“‘Penelope’.”
“check.”
This vault is where the legacy of Isabel’s twin sister is kept. There is only one password required in such a place.
As expected, the shield was released when MPS-05 entered the password.
Upon entering the warehouse, the first thing I saw was a pad-type terminal lying on the floor.
“It’s Isabel’s.”
The terminals were neatly placed on the stairs leading down to the basement, as if they were asking us to look at them.
I picked up the thin pad with my small arm near my chest. As soon as my finger touched it, it started working and various information appeared on the screen.
‘What is this?’
As I scrolled through the information, I could guess why Isabel hadn’t come. And what she was thinking.
Isabel will no longer appear before us. The Coldbloods hiding underground will not come to see us either.
“What’s it about? What’s going on?”
Instead of answering, I handed the pad to the Heavenly Mother. Her eyes grew wide with each passing brush of her furry fingers across the screen.
There were two main types of data contained in Isabel’s terminal.
One is the personal information of the ten high-ranking members of the cult that exist in the water fortress. It was well organized with important information such as when they came and went, what positions they held, how powerful they were, and what they should be careful of.
Another is a list of trading ships. It is a collection of ships that are on the border between legal and illegal, and are difficult to protect from the Empire. It looks like it would be useful for evacuating Coldblood. At the end of the list is a locked file. It is set to automatically unlock after seven days.
“Could this be true?”
[Z (Yeah)]
A list of trading ships and files locked for 7 days.
Isabel intends to leave Coldblood to us. She will not return to the warehouse. If you ask what will happen to the contract with the Heavenly Mother, the locked file is the key.
It’s not hard to guess what’s inside that file. It’s probably a collection of fantasies that you promised to tell me.
“That kid, he doesn’t plan on coming back!”
It seems that the Heavenly Mother thought the same way as I did. Her bewilderment was clearly revealed in her thoughts.
[Z zu zu zu zu zu zu (I think I know why)]
Why would Isabel, a slave, create a list of the cult’s top echelons? The answer is not difficult. Among those listed here are the rankers.
However, Isabel did not describe who the rankers were. She simply recorded the personal details of ten people.
It’s unlikely that he did that because he didn’t know who the ranker was, since he has the power to read information.
The reason I didn’t list out the rankers specifically is simple.
[Zuzuzuzuzuzuzu (I made a contract)]
It was clear that he had made a contract with another ranker and Vortex One, just as he had made a contract with the Mother of Heaven.
“If it’s not Cold Blood, the contract is impossible.”
[Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (usually not)]
It is nearly impossible for any race other than the Coldbloods to form friendly relations with the Vortex Ones. In particular, the Outspacers and Cults are extremely hostile to the Vortex Ones by design, and thus cannot form a contract.
So in this case there is only one answer.
“… That kid was threatened.”
It is unclear what cards the enemy had to pressure Isabelle. The important thing is that he forced Isabelle into an unfair contract.
I don’t know the exact contents of the contract, but I can guess based on the data he left behind. Most likely, it’s to prevent the ranker from being harmed. In addition, it includes not being able to leave Berzan02.
‘That’s why they were trying to get Coldblood out through us.’
The amount of data suggests that this was probably planned a long time ago. It just wasn’t done because he didn’t have anyone to help him.
“I can’t leave it like this.”
The Heavenly Mother spoke firmly.
‘That applies to me too.’
I spent a lot of time and effort to get my hands on Isabel. I can’t afford to miss her here. A great helper in gathering information is hard to come by. I have to take her with me even if it means fighting a ranker.
‘Since we’ve already signed the contract, we have to fight no matter what.’
If you want to leave Berzan02 with the guy, you have to deal with the contractor first.
In order to cancel a Vortex One contract midway, all contracting parties must agree. So, if we make the enemy cancel the contract, we can escape the planet together.
‘The question is who is the ranker.’
I looked through the list of pads with my heavenly mother.
“It says here, ‘List of Guests at Kissos’ Banquet.’”
[Zuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzuzu (I couldn’t say it directly, so I chose another way)]
“Which of these is the ranker?”
Of course, not all ten of them will be rankers. If there were that many, they would have already been finished when I got caught. There will be at least one enemy ranker, and at most two or three.
“Planetary governors, surveillance chiefs… they are all the highest authorities on this planet, no, in this constellation.”
[Zuzuzu zuuzu zuuzu zuuzu zuuzu (It’ll be hard to check them all)]
If you start touching even one person, you should consider that you are fighting the entire Berzan02.
[Zzuzuzuzuzuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzuzu (Anyone suspicious or caught?)]
“… … .”
The Heavenly Mother, who had been staring at the pad screen with her eyes narrowed, extended her hairy finger. She pointed to a certain point on the list.
“Captain Alshas of the ‘Defender of Berzan 02’. This guy is suspicious.”
[Z zu zu zu (Really? What’s the basis?)]
“Compared to those on this list, their status is ambiguous. The Governor and the Director of the Watchtower are the core powers of the Empire, but the captain of the Imperial Carrier is not up to that level.”
That’s a valid point.
The Imperial Carrier Captain is a very important position in the Empire, but is slightly lower in rank than the other members on this list.
“There’s one more piece of evidence. Doesn’t this name Alshas look familiar?”
Hearing that brings back memories.
Alkadi, the most influential slave trader on the streets of Gwangmyeong.
I planted a parasite in the head of the bastard to find the Coldblood slave. Thanks to that, I was able to find out that Isabelle had gone to the Water Fortress.
He was a useful servant, but he died suddenly while participating in a gathering with his younger brother.
[Zuz …
“huh.”
Alshas was on the list that Isabel had written, and was also present on the day Alkadi died. He was someone who could be suspected as a ranker.
[Zzuzuzuzuzuzu zuzuzuzuzu (It looks suspicious, so let’s check it first)]
“Don’t you have any suspicions?”
In response to her question, I chose the first person on the list: Senator Kissos, the host of the banquet.
“Indeed. The better the cult players run the party, the more they benefit.”
If I were a cult player, I would have made friends with people from various fields. For intelligent species like cults or humans, relationships and social networks can also be powerful weapons. Especially in the real world, not in games.
In fact, when fighting underground, the enemy mobilized various types of units and equipment in a short period of time. This would have been impossible without the connections with many powerful people.
The only person who could satisfy these conditions is Representative Kissos, who is on friendly terms with powerful figures in various fields.
After deciding on two people, I continued to look through the list, but I didn’t see anyone as suspicious as these two.
“Kissos and Alshas. These two are the most suspicious.”
[Zuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzu zuzu zuzu (one of the two, or maybe both)]
“One is the captain of an Imperial Carrier, the other is a powerful figure in the Imperial Diet. Who should I aim for first?”
Both are quite difficult enemies.
After much thought about who to check first, I made a decision.
[Zuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuz (Let’s start with the kiss)]
There is a reason why they are trying to hit this side first rather than Alshas. Kissos has established friendly relations with the powers that be in Berzan 02. If there is a problem with one of the people on the list, it is likely that they will immediately inform the others.
‘Once you start attacking, you can’t stop. In that case, it’s better to hit the head first.’
He is a guy who functions as a kind of command tower even among those in power. It is better to strike first regardless of whether he is a ranker or not.
[Zuzuzuzuz zuuz …
Since there is a high possibility that there will be multiple enemy rankers, damage will be reduced if everyone on this side moves together.
We picked up Isabel’s terminal and left the old warehouse.
‘I was trying to leave quietly.’
I was bombed from above and my favorite trait was banned, but I endured it to achieve my goal.
But just as they were about to achieve that goal, they failed due to some annoying actions by their enemies.
‘It’s very unpleasant.’
It is still unknown who the ranker is that made the contract with Isabel.
If I could catch it in my hands.
I will tell you that there is something in the world more fearsome than Vortex One.
–
“Did Sihyeon and Eugene leave?”
“Yes. I left in the morning.”
Kissos nodded at what Alshas said.
In the mansion’s study, he was talking to Alshas, who was presented as a translucent hologram.
“He was a very useful person. It’s a shame, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“I heard that the amount of money you provided was significant.”
When the topic of money came up, Kissos snorted softly.
“It’s not a big deal. If we can replace the Emperor of Megacorp with that, it’s a good deal. Even if it fails, it’s not a bad result if it causes internal strife among the Empire’s rivals.”
“That’s right.”
“It’s just a shame that we lost a warrior who was skilled at fighting monsters. It’s a shame that we only lost one person.”
“…You’re talking about the Temple Guardians.”
Kissos, who clicked his tongue, brought the glass in his hand to his lips. The strong drink wrapped in a sweet fruity scent moistened his mouth and throat.
“When Jason of the Providence Faction disappeared, many of the Temple Guardians disappeared with him. It’s unfortunate that something like that happened when the security of the Empire was at stake. Because of that, every single warrior is in a sorry state.”