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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 410
"You did well."
The tiny Screamer, MPS-03, crawled up. It had made its way all the way to my head and spat out the terminal it had been holding in its mouth.
"Mission complete! Complete!"
"Is your leg alright?"
It moved its patched-up leg and struck a salute. It didn’t look pretty, but it didn’t seem to hinder its movement either.
‘PS-111 can fix it later.’
I gently stroked it with the back of my finger. Like Number 26 and Adhai when they were pleased, it bounced around on the nest.
Each time it landed, the black cysts covering the floor popped, releasing a hazy gas. At first glance, it looked similar to the toxic vapor that automatically spread across the nest, but the composition and effects were entirely different.
That was only natural—those black cysts and the gas were products of a specific trait.
I got the “Ghost Nest” a long time ago. It’s about time I put it to proper use.
The nest-related fusion trait Ghost Nest was obtained on the cult-dominated star, Verzan-02. Until now, it had simply been sitting unused, waiting for the right moment.
It’s not a trait suited for standalone use.
The reason lies in how the Ghost Nest works.
Once this trait is active, black cysts like these form in the nest. The white gas they emit contains psychic energy that accelerates various anomalous phenomena.
Inhaling it causes all manner of bizarre experiences—hallucinations, auditory distortions, cognitive decline, and warped senses all come bundled together. The longer you're exposed, the harder it is to tell reality from illusion.
You literally fall under a ghost’s spell.
However, the effect drastically weakens against those with psychic resistance or if they don’t inhale a sufficient amount.
Just look at the soldier who attacked MPS-03. He wandered the nest unaffected—until he lost his helmet. Only then did he start reacting.
Once he inhaled the gas, he didn’t even attack the Hiveformer. He probably mistook it for an ally.
Under the gas’s influence, he followed me unknowingly into the depths of the nest, becoming part of the Hiveformer’s new lair.
These two traits really do work well together.
On its own, the Hiveformer’s appearance and movement patterns make it hard to deceive enemies. But when combined with the Ghost Nest, that weakness is neutralized. The Ghost Nest shines brightest when paired with other traits.
‘Now that I’ve got the Hiveformer, I need to collect more nest-related traits.’
Since reaching my adult form, I rarely used nests in battle. I mostly infiltrated enemy lines or fought back when ambushed.
‘Back in the game days, I used nests constantly.’
That gave rise to a bit of infamy. Not as notorious as Amorph but enough for intruders to throw nicknames my way after stepping inside.
‘Well, that’s in the past.’
Now, an opportunity to gather samples had presented itself. I picked up the terminal that MPS-03 had brought.
Inside were lists of samples stored in the facility, along with various other data related to this planet.
‘Let’s take a look.’
I lay down and linked one of my auxiliary organs to the nest. Responding to my will, a Hiveformer slithered over and connected the terminal to the nest’s holographic display device.
‘Being this big really is inconvenient sometimes.’
My body was too large to operate small computers or terminals directly. That’s why I used a Hiveformer wearing a human shell.
Soon, text appeared above the holographic projector—lists of genetic samples and Hulk mutant test subjects.
The information was detailed: creature names, the planet they were captured on, who captured them, their storage conditions, and more.
However, a large portion of the sample and test subject entries were marked in red. These had been secretly stolen by the administrators guarding AG-01.
Still, there were quite a few samples left.
‘If I’m lucky, I could extract a new unique trait right here.’
Currently, I’ve unlocked three unique synthesis recipes. One of them requires trash traits like ‘Hunger’ and 'Dwarfism’.
｢Transcendence Recipe Materials:
Dwarfism (not obtained)
Hunger
Sensory Degradation (not obtained)
Slow Life (not obtained)
Reclusive Tendency (not obtained)｣
Dwarfism, Slow Life, and Sensory Degradation shouldn’t be too hard to acquire. But Reclusive Tendency... that’s the hurdle.
Among the four, ‘Reclusive Tendency’ can only be obtained from specific creatures, much like ‘Hunger’. I’ll need a bit of luck to find one.
‘Still, with this many samples, it’s worth a shot.’
I skimmed through the long list and moved on to the next section. It contained records of stellar activity observed from AG-01.
Most were regular reports from terraforming machines, which react sensitively to planetary environmental changes. Mixed in were observation logs from ships passing through the star system.
‘I’ll leave this to PS-111.’
"Report. Report."
As I was examining the hologram, MPS-03 scurried up to me.
"Variable occurred during mission."
‘Variable?’
"Confirmation needed. Needed!"
It tapped the terminal and the hologram projector with its pointed metal legs. The stellar records vanished, replaced by new data.
A large map appeared. Judging from the layout, it was clearly a map of the research facility that MPS-03 had infiltrated. Each building had labels with a complex mix of numbers and letters.
"Intruder. Used computer and communication systems."
From what it said, the soldier who attacked MPS-03 had transmitted this data.
‘An internal map? That’s valuable.’
Megacorp research facilities are typically locked down tight. This one, where battles are frequent, was packed with mines and drones.
In such conditions, transmitting a detailed map externally—especially when the power and comms are supposedly down—could only mean one thing. A corrupt soldier was trying to sell critical information.
‘The real question is—who bought the map?’
Anyone interested in a map containing all data on this research complex likely has one goal: to attack it.
Of course, the value of that map can't be compared to a common genetic sample or test subject. And smuggling it out would’ve involved serious risk. Sёarch* The NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
‘You can’t buy off a soldier like that with just any reward.’
Whoever’s behind this must not only have enough strength to physically raid the facility, but also the money to bribe someone who has access to classified data.
As far as I know, there’s only one group in this area capable of something like that.
‘The separatist terrorists.’
I’d heard about them from Jeff, the guy we caught in the trade city.
According to him, a separatist faction active in AG-01 had teamed up with pirates to go after genetic samples.
‘And the pirate cartel backing them belongs to the Shino Group, right?’
The Shino Group is a coalition of multiple pirate cartels, allegedly led by a Spacedock-ranked player. I’d encountered some of their affiliates before.
Jeff said the specific cartel that made contact with the separatists was the Shinoni. While it had a different name from the one I ran into, they’re all part of the same organization.
If they’re being handled by a Ranker, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to take over a facility like this one.
‘Still, it doesn’t add up. Why would a player target this place?’
AG-01 isn’t all that appealing from a Ranker’s perspective. There are better spots to steal genetic samples. I only came here chasing traces of Arcane Orca, not because I wanted gene samples.
‘Unless their subordinates are acting on their own.’
Jeff mentioned that Shinoni’s main source of income came from hunting dangerous lifeforms and smuggling rare creatures.
Even in the game, pirates who hunted Apex threats often used Hulk Mutants as combat support. So if the Shinoni cartel is trying to acquire a Hulk Mutant for similar reasons, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched.
‘Still, I’ll need to ask them directly to be sure.’
Are they here just for the Hulk Mutants, or is there something else?
To confirm that, I’ll have to capture one of their operatives.
‘Either way, a fight with them is inevitable.’
They’ve secured the research facility’s map. That means an airstrike will begin within two or three days at most.
‘And the one they’re after... is me.’
The humans guarding the compound have already been cleared out by the Hiveformers. The Nest has started consuming the facility from the inside out, reaching up into the tallest towers. And even PS-111, though not present here, is hard at work manipulating data to keep my presence hidden.
‘Like hell I’m letting a bunch of pirates take this place.’
I gave the Hiveformers scattered across the research compound a single command:
Retrieve the genetic samples I mentioned.
‘I was thinking it was time to put the Nest to use again—perfect timing.’
Back in the game, many paid a visit to my Nest—and left in awe.
The Shinoni Cartel will feel exactly what they felt.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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