I Became an Evolving Space Monster

Episode 307 – Traces (2)

–

“We have arrived.”

“Prepare for landing. “I check the condition of things.”

“uh.”

A transport ship with two slaves landed on the sand. While one person checked the instrument panel, the other looked at the containers loaded on the back of the transport ship.

“It comes every day, but I don’t know why they ask me to leave it here.”

“Arthur. This is what the master does. Never mind.”

“Aren’t you curious? “Why are they putting containers in that ruined building?”

A male slave sitting in the cockpit pointed to the tempered glass in front. Beyond the glass was a hover bus center half submerged in sand.

For the past three weeks, they have been coming to this abandoned street every three days. This is to place a frozen container containing living creatures in front of the hover bus center.

“hey. Curiosity is poison. “I’m going to move the container, so please help me quickly.”

“Tsk.”

The Insect Man slave who finished inspecting the container clicked his pointed chin. At his colleague’s signal to take it in moderation, the human slave meekly opened the back door of the transport ship.

After that, the two operated the terminal and prepared to move the container outside.

Perhaps because it was the time of day when the sun was up, the temperature outside the transport ship was very high. Even though I was wearing protective clothing, I was still sweating.

The transport ship’s machines are all responsible for moving containers, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be hit by a craze. When the container was unloaded in front of the hover bus center in the heat wave, the human slave spoke again.

“The creature we brought. Do you know how much it costs?”

“….”

“I checked and these are the most expensive items sold in the store. “There are even animals that the owner raised rather than sold.”

“So what happened?”

The man said as if he was frustrated with Insect Man’s still grumbling attitude.

“look. The day after tomorrow, there will be only containers left without any living creatures? “Isn’t it suspicious that they are throwing away that expensive animal?”

“Just get to the point. “Just the main point.”

“I think the master is in collusion with a cult.”

“Cult group?”

Insect Man tilted his head at the man’s words.

“What bullshit?”

“No really. “I heard there’s no trouble on other planets than here.”

“Think about it. “Why would someone as wealthy as you join a cult?”

“You never know. Maybe he became wealthy thanks to their support. In return, we are giving away precious creatures.”

“Crazy guy. The master’s younger brother is the captain of the imperial carrier. “If you do something like that, you will be hit with a purifying ray right away.”

“I don’t know. “My younger brother may have colluded as well.”

Insect Man was irritated by his colleague’s endless delusions. The weather was so hot that I was dying, but hearing this nonsense made me angry.

“If you’re that curious, go in and check it out.”

“uh? Really?” “Yes. “You go in and hand over the items yourself.”

So far, they have only left the containers in front of the center and have never directly checked who receives them. This is because I told them to leave their belongings and return immediately.

The man hesitated at Insect Man’s words. When I actually went in, I was worried.

If by any chance a cultist were to be inside, it would be a big problem. I might be captured by them and become a sacrifice in a bizarre ritual.

“If you don’t do that, please shut up.”

“…I’ll go in and come back.”

“what?”

“wait here.”

“crazy! hey!”

However, the man, whose curiosity was greater than his fear of the cult, did something unexpected. He left Insect Man outside and entered the center entrance.

Even though it was broad daylight, the inside of the center was dark. Steel frames and pipes were clearly exposed on the walls and ceiling, and the floor was filled with sand brought in from outside.

It was a typical sight of a ruin that had not been managed at all. It was hard to imagine anyone living here.

“The goods have arrived!”

The man shouted loudly, wondering if there was someone there. His voice rang out against the walls inside the center.

There was no answer back.

‘Is it a halfway point?’

If you leave items here, it may be a structure where the recipients receive them at the appropriate time. If so, mercenaries hired by criminals would still be hiding and watching him.

‘Ugh, are you really involved with criminals?’

In fact, he was not the adventurous type of person. Today, it was just curiosity that led him strangely. I have never experienced such unexpected behavior before.

The man slowly walked back toward the entrance.

That’s when you prepare to jump to the transport ship as soon as you leave.

I heard a sound in the dark.

“Have the items arrived?”

“Hi?!”

The man’s entire body stiffened at the sudden sound of the voice. The cold sweat running down his back was not simply caused by the heat.

As I was frozen in place, the voice came out again.

“Have the items arrived?”

‘…Where did you hear that voice?’

I once heard that voice in the same tone twice in a row.

There are slaves who do dirty work, such as terrorizing their master Alkadi’s competitors, and the voice of one of them was very similar. I remembered it clearly because, like him, I was a human slave.

“what. You were surprised. “I’ll answer when I’m inside.”

“sorry!”

The man felt relieved at the thought of someone he knew.

It was clear that his master was plotting a new plot. They may have deliberately chosen such a remote location to store their items in order to avoid the attention of others.

“Have the items arrived?”

“uh! “I put it in front of the center.”

“okay!”

After answering that I understood, the center fell silent again. No one came out with a different answer. There was no sign of presence, as if they were working deep inside.

‘Looks like they’re busy over there too.’

The man shouted again, wondering if he could still see his face.

“Hey, you must be very busy?”

“sorry!”

“I’m even sorry. “I wanted to take a look at your face.”

“sorry!”

The man had a strange feeling as he kept hearing apologies.

As long as we are human, the tone of our voices and the way we speak change subtly every time we speak. But that wasn’t the sound coming from inside. It was exactly the same as if it had been recorded on a machine and then played.

“…You left something behind? “Can’t I check it?”

“okay!”

“….”

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

It seemed like the conversation was continuing from before, but something wasn’t right. I clearly knew this person, but the more I talked to him, the less I felt like I was talking to a person.

Moreover, the location from which the voice was heard was strange. The owner of that voice he remembered wasn’t very tall. At best, it would be similar to that.

But the position where the voice was heard now was much higher than that. It still is. The author is speaking to him while standing at a height of at least 5 meters.

“…gulp then I’ll leave.”

“okay! bye!”

This old center is not a duplex structure. Above the sand-covered ground, there is only a ceiling with a clearly exposed steel frame.

So where does the owner of the voice speak?

No, is it really ‘human’ at all?

‘Now that I think about it, that slave…’

I heard that he died while carrying out a mission ordered by his master.

When I remembered the memory I heard just three weeks ago, I came to my senses.

His instincts, not his head, are yelling at him. This is a strange place. You shouldn’t stay here any longer.

He forced his cold legs and moved towards the entrance.

The moment he went out of the entrance, a voice came from behind him.

“Have the items arrived?”

The man was unable to answer the fourth question, which was asked with the same tone of voice.

He barely made it onto the transport ship. Sitting in the cockpit, he looked at the center in the blowing sand and made a decision.

Let’s forget about today.

Let’s not think about who owns the voice we heard at the center.

After making that promise, strangely enough, I felt at ease. I felt like something that was constricting my head was disappearing.

“huh?”

The moment the transport took off, the man felt that the inside of his ears were wet.

‘It must be sweat.’

Even if you wanted to check anyway, it’s impossible from here because of the protective clothing that covers your entire body. The man ignored it.

After the transport ship left, huge pink tentacles crept out of the center’s entrance. They wrapped around the container and dragged it inside.

No one saw that scene.

–

｢Big baby! saw? Did you see it?｣

[Zuzuzuzu (Yes, you had a hard time)]

“Did you do well? good job? “Have the items arrived?”

[Zuzu zuzuzu (very good job)]

“Well done! okay!”

Number 26 beamed with joy at my praise. The colorful light coming from its body cleared away the darkness inside the center. At the same time, new ‘special tentacles’ were seen writhing on its body.

A tentacle that looks completely different from the fins or regular tentacles on its body. Not only does it look different, but its structure is also much more complex than that of regular tentacles.

Looking at its appearance, both the inside and outside of the tentacles have many long, thin hair-like protrusions. The protrusions moved constantly even when there was no wind, because the tentacles were closely connected to the creature’s consciousness.

If you actually look at the translucent body of this guy, you can see that the tentacles are connected deep inside the body.

“Good job! Grrrr? okay! Water hahahaha.”

Every time the protrusions shook and hit each other, a strange sound came out. Aside from the content, if you just listen to the sound itself, it sounds like a person speaking.

Unlike regular tentacles, which are used for multiple purposes like hands, these tentacles exist for only one function.

It’s just imitating the human voice.

Those tentacles are the part that was created when the ‘mimicry’ trait was implanted into this guy.

‘I didn’t know there would be new tentacles.’

Three weeks ago now, I transplanted the Mimic trait to No. 26.

Originally, I was planning to give it to Heavenly Mother, not him. This is because it was judged that it would be more stable than transplanting it to No. 26.

But after hearing what I said, she refused.

Currently, the number of times I can transfer characteristics to a colleague is limited to two. It is said that the ‘double helix monolith’ itself is related to the space monster type, so it may increase in the future, but not yet.

That’s why she said she wanted other qualities other than imitation.

‘I asked for characteristics that match my style.’

Thanks to her giving up, the new master of mimicry became No. 26.

After the trait was implanted, new tentacles that could produce sound were added to the animal’s body. I thought the ‘mutant tentacles’, which can freely change their appearance, would inherit the function of mimicry, but it was an unexpected change.

‘It was applied as a replacement for the existing regular tentacles.’

It was a pretty good result as I got mutant tentacles and mimic tentacles, so to speak, ‘mimicking tentacles’.

Of course, this was not without its drawbacks.

‘The mechanism is very different.’

In my case, when I acquire the mimicry trait, my body gains an additional organ that analyzes the genes of other living things. This organ sends information to the vocal organ in the neck, allowing the animal to imitate the creature’s voice.

However, No. 26 did not have such an analysis agency. Even if it eats someone, it can’t imitate their voice. The sound it makes is the result of the tentacle’s projections recognizing and reconstructing the waves contained in the voice of the slave I captured.

Therefore, at this point, he can only make sound if either I or PS-111 are next to him. It can be thought of as similar to recording voice with a machine and then synthesizing it.

‘Besides, I’m not used to communicating with sounds.’

Sea demons do not communicate through vocalizations like humans do. They communicate through the light they emit from their bodies. Because it is a deep sea creature, it evolved that way.

As a result, he was not familiar with the concept of communicating with sounds. In order for him to use his mimicry tentacles properly, he needs to learn the sounds of the necessary words.

“difficult. It’s not going well.」

[Zuzuzuzu zuzuzuzu zuzu (It’ll be okay if you practice)]

“Grrrr practice! okay! good job!”

[Z(Yes)]

The good news among the misfortunes is that he learns quite quickly.

‘Because he was a special guy to begin with.’

It’s only been 3 weeks since I started learning, but it’s already like this. If you teach diligently, you will be able to imitate voices as well as I do.

‘I must be busy.’

｢I｣｢Study｣｢Need｣

“I also need confirmation of the newly transplanted gene.”

No. 26 is not the only one that has been implanted with new characteristics. Useful characteristics were also transplanted to Aadhai and PS-111. In addition to teaching No. 26 to speak, we also need to teach him how to use his characteristics.

‘Of course, before that…’

[Zuzuzuzu zuzu zuzu (let’s eat first)]

｢Okay｣

“Okay!”

“What kind of creature is it today?”

There are about 11 days left until the cooldown of ‘Organic Evolution’ ends.

I think I can make the most of the remaining time.

–

“Thank you for your valuable time. “Elderly.”

“Haha Captain Alshas is requesting a meeting, how could I refuse?”

A reception room with a bright atmosphere.

Two cult members and a human were sitting on luxurious chairs and having a conversation.

“Has the work of the Planetary Council been completed successfully?”

“Fortunately, this governor is someone who can communicate well. It ended well and without any problems.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“More than that, this person is…”

“Hello. Mr. Kissos. “This is the vision of Yu Jin-ga, a member of Megacorp Noble Capital.”

Sihyeon, dressed in the uniform worn by cult nobles, stood up and bowed politely. The cult called Chisos also stood up and bowed accordingly.

“Nice to meet you. Eugene’s vision. Kissos of the Monzan tribe. “Are you familiar with cult-style etiquette?”

“That’s too much praise. “I have had many encounters with cults, so I only learned from what I saw from the side.”

“Hehe, Monzan’s etiquette is strict but amazing.”

“Thank you for a good look.”

After hearing the visionary’s humble answer, Chisos’s eyes curved into a crescent moon shape.

In fact, her familiarity with cult-style etiquette was due to past experience.

She is the shadow of the Eugene family. There was a lot of blood on his hands, including quite a bit of the blood of cult nobles. Of course, unless you’re an idiot, there’s no way I’d say that here.

Kissos sat back down and opened his mouth with an expression of interest.

“okay. Eugene’s vision. “What did you want to meet me for today?”

“I would like to make a deal with Mr. Kissos.”

“It’s a deal. It’s an area I’m good at. “Tell me in detail.”

“yes. “I would like to purchase the cult’s weapons and equipment.”

Kissos tilted his head at those words.

“If you’re a member of the Eugene family, can’t you get weapons from Megacorp? Why do you want to buy from me?”

“I am building my personal power without Eugene’s help. “It’s because I want to become self-reliant rather than relying solely on my family’s reputation.”

“Wow, it’s not going to be easy, but it’s amazing.”

“If Kissos invests in me, I will definitely repay you.”

“Invest.”

Kisos heard her words and flicked his finger on the handle of the chair.

“I mainly deal with Megacorp’s Carmelda. “The head of the company said that investments should be transparent.”

“That is correct.”

“Then shouldn’t we also tell you why you are buying slaves in Berzan 02?”

At those words, Sihyeon’s gaze briefly turned to Alshas, who was sitting next to Kisos. Her eyes were wide open. Looking at it, it was clear that it was not Alshas who had said this, but rather Kisos had independently investigated the vision.

“It’s a shame, but the empire’s security hasn’t been very good lately. “No matter how much I advocate disarmament, this is a clear fact.”

“….”

“I don’t know anything about you. I have no idea if you’re a cultist or a pirate. “I don’t want to gain wealth at the expense of the empire’s security.”

Sihyeon thought for a moment.

‘There is no point in lying any more.’

Chisos is a worn-out member of the Imperial Council and the leader of the Reformation faction. He is an old bastard who has maintained his position in the National Assembly where all kinds of secret fighting is rampant.

Not only would it not be easy to deceive him, but if she failed, she might have to leave Berzan 02 altogether. On this planet, the author is the most powerful person, higher than the governor.

‘…is there really only a straight attack method?’

She decided to act as she had originally planned.

Sihyeon got to the point with a soft smile.

“If you are saying that you have doubts about whether I am a threat to national security, then it is true.”

“It’s true?”

“yes. “The target is not the empire.”

“Hoo?”

“My goal is to regain Eugene’s position as the head of the family. “For that, we must kill the current head of the family, Akira.”

Alshas didn’t seem to know that something like this would come up. My eyes were wandering here and there.

Unlike her, Kisos smiled slightly, as if he found Sihyeon’s words quite interesting.

“As far as I know, Eugene’s matriarch is the emperor of Megacorp, which means he also holds the position of CEO.”

“you’re right.”

“I understand that the Garmelda family, with whom I mainly deal, has a friendly relationship with the CEO. Is that correct?”

“yes.”

“But do you think I would invest in someone who would harm the CEO here?”

“Aren’t you negative about Akira’s rule?”

“I?”

Kisos narrowed his eyes after hearing those words.

“Akira Eugene is not hostile to the Empire, but refuses any further relationship. “It contrasts with the thoughts of Kisos, who wants an order in which the great powers unite around the empire.”

“….”

“It would be a different story if someone who aligned with the empire’s position and interests took over as CEO instead of Akira. In fact, I understand that a lot of ‘investment’ has already been made in relation to it.”

As Sihyeon said, Keysos was investing heavily in electing Megacorp CEO. Provide kidney equipment obtained from Carmelda to TNC, Akira’s strong competitor, etc.

However, this was all done in extreme secrecy. Even within the innovative faction, there are very few people who know about it, but this story came from the mouth of a complete stranger.

“Are you saying that you can serve the ‘interests of the empire’?”

“To be precise, we plan to ensure that ‘a person with the empire’s interests in mind’ becomes the CEO. For example, T&C.”

“….”

After Sihyeon’s words ended, the living room fell into silence.

Kissos glared at her for a moment, then a smile appeared on his lips.

“You’re an interesting person. Someone who is ‘worth investing’. “I hope we can continue to work together in the future.”

“Please take care of me.”

“Alshas, where on earth did you find such a person?”

“Uh, that’s…sorry.”

“I’m sorry. “Thanks to you, I met Sihyeon Eugene, so I am grateful.”

With those words, Kisos stood up.

“Weapons and ships will be provided as needed. Oh, and one more thing.”

“?”

“I’d like to introduce you to people I know. So that we can continue to receive investment.”

Sihyeon was surprised by the unexpected kindness. Just being able to trade weapons was enough of an achievement, but I had no idea that I would be able to clear the regular route.

“There is a party scheduled to be held at this mansion in four days. Come there. “We’ll talk about the details later.”

“thank you. Mr. Kissos. see you again.”

After greeting Kissos, Sihyeon left the reception room first.

As Kisos was about to send off the remaining Alshas, she suddenly opened her mouth.

“Elder.”

“Why but?”

“The party four days later. “There are two people I’d like to take with me. Would that be okay?”

“two? Who is it again this time?”

“One is someone I have trouble talking about right now, and the other is my older brother.”

“You mean that bad boy Alkadi? hmm.”

Kisos stroked his chin in front of Alshas, who spoke carefully.

“I heard that Alkadi has business acumen.”

“you’re right. “Elderly.”

“The governor has recently been considering redevelopment of the ruined streets. “A place like the Avenue of Glory.”

“yes. “I understand there is talk of pushing that place down and building a new fortress.”

“Alkadi has influence in that area, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to hire him. I’ll try my best. “Bring him to the party.”

“Thank you, old man!”

When Kisos gave a positive answer, Alshas bowed his head deeply.

Vision Eugene Kissos Alshas.

The transaction ended with everyone getting what they wanted.