Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 411



Only Noblemtl

The situation on the way back was so serious that Josh abandoned the missing men. The pirates quickly turned back the way they had come.

But this time again, reality betrayed their expectations.

When I first entered, there was nothing in the hallway, but now a tree had grown there. Its twisted branches reached the ceiling and walls, and in the middle, a bare trunk covered in dry bark could be seen.

“… … .”

The pirates said nothing, as they were overwhelmed by the absurd reality.

‘Welcome? Or poison gas? How did it penetrate the helmet? Could it be psychic powers?’

Josh also tried to analyze the situation, but it wasn’t easy. Even if they were hallucinating, it was clear that several members of the organization had been moved to another floor in an instant.

“Hee, heeeek?! Th, my colleague has disappeared again!”

And as if reading his thoughts, the five people in the back row disappeared again. This time, too, there was no sound or warning.

It was as if the hallway had swallowed the pirates whole.

‘We have to get out of here quickly!’

This is no time to be worrying. We’re just past that tree, outside. Josh gave the order, trying to remain calm.

“…Cut down the tree.”

One of his men slowly approached the tree. With trembling hands, he activated the ‘blade claw’ mounted on his arm.

The super-vibration saw blade protruding from the back of the hand vibrated and made a familiar noise. The owner of the saw blade slowly raised his arm.

Now all that remains is to cut the branch, but the subordinate hesitates.

“Did you hear that?”

“What just happened?”

The other members of the organization are also confused. The pirate stops cutting down the tree and puts his face close to the branch.

The sound was heard again. This time Josh heard it clearly too.

“Laughter?”

A young girl’s laughter is heard from within the trees. It is a refreshing voice that reminds me of clear spring water. It is so beautiful and pretty that I feel like my tension has been relieved as soon as I hear it.

Otherwise, he would have immediately noticed the branch pointing towards the back of the pirate’s head.

“caution!”

“yes?”

The moment Josh shouted belatedly, a tree branch pierced the subordinate’s head.

–

“Gasp, gasp, gasp… .”

A pirate in a powered suit runs through a foggy street.

His right arm was missing, and there was a deep wound on his back. Even though he was a cyborg with physical abilities stronger than a human, this injury was very serious.

“Keuheuk, gasp, gasp… ”

He ran frantically and hid behind a nearby building. The mechanical eyes behind his cracked helmet moved ceaselessly.

‘Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!’

The cyborg pirate kept looking around to see who was coming, and thought back to what had happened earlier.

The assault team he was a part of was headed to the genetic center in the southern sector under the guidance of the officer. They did not encounter any enemies while moving, but no one found it particularly strange. This was because they saw people walking around inside the building.

The problem broke out in a park near the center.

As they passed through a park filled with abandoned and dead trees, they heard singing. The innocent humming of little girls echoed through the eerie park.

The pirates stopped running for a moment after hearing the music, and that was when the terrible nightmare began. The trees that had been standing quietly began to move and attack the assault team.

‘Damn it! I’ve never seen a tree that can seduce with song!’

Moreover, the trees drank the blood of living creatures. As each of their withered and dying branches was thrust into the bodies of their fellows, the trees seemed to come back to life. Their barks became lively, and their singing became more and more beautiful.

The cyborg pirate’s companions tried to resist somehow, but ultimately failed. The enemy there was not only the evil tree monster.

Spores that spray acid everywhere, bizarre plants that emit a strange smell and cause their comrades to harm themselves, giant flying insects that are over a meter long, earthworms that wear human skin. Creatures that are scary enough to be seen in dreams slaughtered the pirates.

While his comrades were being attacked, the cyborg pirate sneaked out of the area.

‘We have to get back to headquarters quickly!’

Joining other teams is not a good idea. If those monsters are in each area, they too will not be able to avoid annihilation.

After a short rest, he ran again.

The pain from the wound kept sending out warning signals from the module implanted in my head. I desperately wanted to rest right now, but if I stopped here, it would be over.

He ran without stopping until he was out of the complex. Fortunately, there was no monster following him.

“Whew, Joe, good.”

His eyes see a black field made of mud and shadows of clouds. Landmines and combat drones are scattered all over the field. The only way to get out of here is to follow the same path you came from.

The cyborg pirate crossed the field, careful not to stray from the safe route. About halfway through, a light flashed inside his helmet visor.

It was a communication from headquarters. It seemed that they had only just now confirmed that he was leaving the complex.

“…Why are you contacting me now?”

“I’m sorry. I was late because I was preparing the rescue ship.”

That’s a lie. As far as he knew, the Sinoni Cartel had never sent reinforcements to rescue its members.

“Damn it! All my colleagues who entered the southern area were hit.”

“You got it all?”

“Yes! Everyone is dead and I am the only one left!”

“Okay. Tell me the location and I’ll send a rescue ship there.”

“… Is that true?”

The cyborg pirate hesitated and then recited the coordinates of where he was.

“It’s the outskirts of the southern district.”

“Yes. Where is the rescue ship landing point? I will go there.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“yes?”

I asked back because I didn’t know English, but the answer came from somewhere else, not the communicator.

The mines buried in the ground simultaneously shot up into the air with an eerie mechanical sound.

“Thank you for your cooperation in the experiment.”

A flash of light from a forcibly activated mine enveloped him.

The house I built after a long time was pretty good.

Most of the pirates who entered the research complex were caught in the traps I had prepared and destroyed. Except for a few who escaped, the rest became the new homes of the cute ‘Hiveformers’.

It was a pretty sad ending for a cartel that was tied to the players.

‘Well, I kind of expected it.’

Actually, it’s not that I don’t understand. Who would dare imagine that everything around them is a living organism?

I focused my senses on the damaged building while fighting the enemy, while linked to the nest. The black liquid covering the structure shifted and replaced the broken parts. Soon, all traces of the battle in the complex were gone.

These buildings are made with the newly acquired nest series general trait, ‘Bio-Garden’. With this trait, I can create structures in the nest as I imagine. The guard towers and research labs that the pirates visit are all my creations.

‘In fact, it only changes the shape, but there is no special effect.’

For example, even if you imitate a plasma battery, you cannot actually fire plasma bullets.

Also, although it looks solid, its durability is the same as a normal nest. It breaks easily and is very weak to fire. To compensate for this weakness, other characteristics are needed, and I compensated for it with the characteristic called ‘Fortification’.

Fortification is a fusion trait belonging to the special defense series that has the effect of making Aimorph’s mucus coagulate much more tightly.

When possessing this trait, the durability of the cocoons and nests created when growing increases significantly.

‘If the two use it together, it is easy to disguise the nest as a city.’

In the game, after wiping out a small city on a planet, it would be decorated in the form of a city like it is now. When observed from outside the planet, it looks exactly like a city, so it is good for luring enemies.

‘It would be perfect if only the color could be changed.’

Unfortunately, the color of the mucus cannot be changed even with the characteristics. The color of the nest is always fixed to black.

‘The climate here is crappy, so don’t worry about that.’

Wherever you go, it rains frequently and the ground is muddy. Because of the thick dark clouds, it is very dark even during the day. Even white buildings look black, making it difficult to tell if they are nests or not.

In addition, the details of the structure were much better than when it was made in the game. Thanks to Aimov’s unique sense of style, even the smallest details were decorated to resemble a real building.

‘Even if you’re a player, it’ll be hard to tell if this is a nest or not.’

What about the guests who came in without knowing anything? They fell right into the trap I set.

There are two main characteristics prepared this time: ‘Devil Tree’ and ‘Clown’s Pine’.

I unlinked and opened my eyes. Deep underground, I could see bright red trees here and there in the sanctuary. Black earthworms were busy moving around under the trees with bright red branches like maple leaves.

When you gain the Demon Tree trait, a carnivore plant that looks like a haunted tree from a horror movie will spawn in your nest.

Normally, it stands in a state of a tall, bare tree, but when a living creature approaches, it immediately transforms. It uses the sharp branches that extend here and there to stab its enemies and drink their blood. The branches contain a fungus that prevents blood from clotting, so if it gets stabbed, it will bleed even more.

When the Devil Tree drinks blood, its bark hardens and its thorns become sharper. The more times it is pricked by the thorns, the stronger it becomes.

Also, some of the energy that the trees have acquired is transferred to me through the nest. One of the materials of the Devil Tree is ‘human sacrifice’, and I have inherited its effect.

‘Next is the clown’s pool.’

The floor of the nest is covered with colorful, glowing bulbs. Nearby, fine particles from the bulbs float around.

According to the setting, this particle causes extreme itching to those who touch it. The itching does not stop until the touched area is torn off. It is called the “Clown’s Pimple” because it drives the victim crazy.

Of course, since the particles have to make direct contact with the skin to be effective, it doesn’t work on enemies who aren’t naked. It’s also ineffective against enemies that can’t feel itchiness, like androids.

But don’t worry, the former problem can be solved with the Demon Tree and Hiveformer.

Anyway, the invaders were annihilated. The only enemy left is the command center of the Shinoni Cartel, which sent its subordinates here.

I had the Hiveformer activate the communicator.

“How did the preparations go?”

“It’s over. The communications networks of all major cities on the planet are under my control.”

As soon as he arrived at AG-01, PS-111 set out to take control of the planetary communications network alone. In the process, he took control of the satellite, so the entire planetary communications network is now under his control. He can block communications within the planet, and even restrict communications sent outside the planet.

‘It would be fortunate if you just blocked it.’

The guy who received the ‘disruption needle’ from me can directly interfere with the other person’s communication. This time, too, he used it well.

The pirates may have thought they were taking orders from their commanding officers, but they were mistaken.

All communications they received since setting foot in the nest were false orders manipulated by a third party. PS-111 acted as a subordinate to the command center and as an executive to the organization members in the field, deceiving both sides.

‘I expected you to use it well, but I didn’t know you would use it this well.’

The members of the organization who escaped the trap and escaped from the nest were tricked by the guy and jumped into the minefield and died. On the other hand, the pirates in the port thought that the troops in the research complex were carrying out their mission without any problems.

“Anyway, I said it was great.”

“I was able to complete the disruption mission thanks to the useful textbook.”

“A useful textbook?”

“Yes. We created a conversation algorithm based on Aimov’s behavior and victim reaction data.”

In short, it means that you followed me.

‘Wow, I have a new disciple.’

This is the first time since Adhai that someone has asked to learn my strategies.

“Please provide more data in the future.”

“I’ll try. Anyway, you said you had control of the entire communications network, right?”

“Yes. I can restrict or modify communication as I wish.”

“Is it possible to manipulate communications sent to the outside world? Messages or signals sent to other planets?”

“It is possible because we have secured a communications satellite.”

In short, whatever happens here will not leak out.

“Are you planning to attack the port?”

“I won’t go myself.”

“?”

To be exact, ‘parts of me’ will go.

The heads on either side began to read my will and move.

–

“This is Josh. We’ve secured the Northeastern Area Control Center.”

“Shepherd. We’ve captured the Southwest Sector Control Center here too.”

Ventress smiled at the good news that kept coming her way.