Sander always considered himself a cautious person. It might be amusing that soone engaged in the criminal enterprise of smuggling thought this way, but at least he believed it. After witnessing others start haphazardly and getting caught, becoming ’employees’ of the entertainnt district, he ticulously prepared for smuggling.
He had established connections with the Smuggling Animal Surveillance Team, and even had influence with the Port Security Team and, unbelievably, the Security Team of the Administrative Zone within the city. Among the criminals in this space city, there weren’t many who moved as cautiously as him.
Of course, Sander was a practical person and didn’t believe he could commit the perfect cri. He intended to make enough profit to emigrate to another planet before the surveillance network closed in on him.
However, he had no idea that an unknown entity would trample on his dreams with his goal almost in sight.
‘Dammit!’
As Sander fled under the protection of a security guard, he cursed inwardly. He had turned off the caras and asked the Port Security Team to change their patrol route. Consequently, there was no one around here, not even androids.
Of course, there were still functioning caras, but he was afraid to run towards them. Just the fact that they had secretly infiltrated a place filled with logistics storage containers with several people in the dead of night was already enough to raise suspicions that they were involved in smuggling.
Sander was well aware that smuggling was a serious cri in gaCorp. It was a real taboo. He could vividly picture the suffering “employees” in the entertainnt district who were subjected to such cris.
“I think we need to go to the police station.”
“What? Going to the police ans it’s over for !”
“But we can’t handle our opponent. It’s better to request protection for now.”
“Well, that’s… damn it!”
The security guard was right. Buying ti was better than an imdiate death. It seed like it was ti to see just how effective the credits Sander had been funneling to the Earth Security Team would be.
One security guard stayed behind to watch their rear while the other two stuck close to Sander, moving cautiously.
The police station was not far from the freight yard. They moved stealthily between the massive walls made of containers.
“Aaaargh!”
“!”
A scream ca from behind. Sander turned to look, trembling, but there was no one there. Only the laser rifle the security guard had dropped remained.
“We’ll run.”
With tense expressions, the security guards grabbed Sander. They practically carried his half-bent body as they hurried.
In the distance, they saw a partly open tal gate within the chain-link fence surrounding the freight yard.
‘Just have to cross that,’ Sander thought with hope. But as they were about to do so, one of the security guards stopped.
“Wait!”
“Why?”
“I heard sothing.”
At his words, Sander listened carefully, and he indeed heard so strange noise.
Whenever the crane moved a container, there was a sound that could be likened to a hamr striking at regular intervals, but much quieter.
“Once you get out there, it’s the police station. Run!”
“What?”
“I said run right now!”
At the security guard’s command, Sander sprinted. Behind him, both security guards held laser rifles and kept an eye on their surroundings.
Within a few minutes, the security guards’ earpieces crackled with sound. The noise heightened Sander’s fear several tis over.
He ran like a madman, losing his shoes in the process, but he didn’t notice. The tal gate was right in front of him now. As he reached for the partially open door, he felt a slight stinging sensation in his calf.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, his legs gave out, and he slamd his face into the chain-link fence. It should have hurt terribly; blood flowed so much that it should have been painful, but he couldn’t feel any pain at all.
‘What’s going on?’
Only then did he realize that his body was completely paralyzed. Lying on the ground like a log, ‘it’ finally revealed itself.
Grrrrrr!
It drew closer to his face, drooling. Seeing the monster’s dripping mouth, Sander involuntarily wet himself.
It briefly growled and then lifted Sander’s body.
“What the… Where are you taking ?”
The place ‘it’ took Sander to was where they had first t, under the container crane. ‘It’ threw Sander to the ground.
‘What… what’s going on?’
Leaving Sander there, ‘it’ approached a refrigerated container. It was the container where the Outsider was kept frozen.
The guy standing in front of the container brought his head close to the terminal.
“What are you doing?” Sander asked, unsure. After a mont, the person operated the small device on their chest, easily opening the container door. With a thud, they entered the container.
An hour had passed since the person entered the container, and they still hadn’t co out. Sander was becoming increasingly desperate.
“Please, can soone help !” he shouted. He knew he needed to escape while the person inside was preoccupied, but his body refused to move.
He lay there, emitting an unpleasant odor, unable to do anything but wait.
***
‘It slls.’
I brushed the shoulder stained with Broker S’s discharged bodily fluids. I intended to intimidate, but I didn’t expect him to be so frightened. I even deliberately stabbed gently to avoid shocking him too much.
‘I shouldn’t kill him just yet,’ Broker S is an important figure. Even if I were to devour him, it must be at the right ti.
‘Before dealing with the Broker, I should handle this first.’
I was now inside the frozen container where the Outspacer is stored.
The container was packed with twenty cryogenic tubes.
Broker S was outside, and there were corpses scattered around. I needed to quickly consu the Outspacer and clean this place up.
I operated the terminal on the front cryogenic tube. As the cool air rushed out, the glass door opened.
Inside was a creature that looked like a cross between a crab and a cal spider.
About 80cm in size, with a body resembling a cal spider, and all eight legs were as long as the body, with two of the legs ending in large pincers. Its face had a long and pointed upper jaw, making it look like it was holding a sickle in its mouth.
‘I thought it was a mutant, but it’s not.’
The creature in the cryogenic tube was a type of insect. It wasn’t listed, so I naturally thought it was a mutant.
‘It’s okay. It’s just the sa if it’s not a queen.’
There shouldn’t be any issues. I can acquire the desired traits from any type of Outspacer.
I tore the creature’s head off and devoured it.
‘It would be great if it wasn’t so cold.’
The creature tasted like crab at. To be precise, it felt like eating crab at straight from the refrigerator without thawing it.
‘Oh, should I call it crab stick flavor?’
Anyway, it had a taste that grew on . Since the insects were less than 1 ter in size, it didn’t take too long to finish eating them.
‘The first one is a miss.’
With 19 left, I diligently consud the remaining Outspacers.
‘….’
When only 3 remained, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
‘It’s not showing up often enough.’
I knew that the probability of the predation effect wasn’t high to begin with, but if it hadn’t shown up by now, I might have to give up and consider other options.
‘Should I just spare Broker S?’
He ca here for smuggling. Smuggling was a serious cri in gacorp, so even if I killed all of his bodyguards, he couldn’t go anywhere to complain. Moreover, it would raise suspicion if he did.
‘…But leaving a loose end would be a burden.’
On the research vessel, everything operated under the logic of convenience because it was essentially a ship. Predicting human relationships was relatively easy. But the city was different. I didn’t know if the author had close relationships with anyone or possessed ans to threaten .
‘I need to be prepared.’
In a way, I’m not sure how I’ve managed to survive smoothly up to this point. If it were a ga, I should have died countless tis in the situations I’ve faced.
‘Obtaining the genetic essence from 20 creatures isn’t an easy task either.’
Even though I ate more than 100 of the sa creatures in the ga, there were tis when I couldn’t obtain any genetic essence. Particularly when facing creatures like Gallagon or Vortex One, and the predatory effect didn’t trigger, it was so challenging that I felt like giving up on the ga.
‘I’ve experienced situations like this in the ga before.’
I assud that nothing would co from the Outspacer, so I picked up one of the remaining three.
I had consud the animal, but once again, the predation effect didn’t trigger.
‘….’
Now, there were only two left. I was on the verge of giving up.
‘Should I just give the last one to Number 26?’
If I ate 18 out of 20 and nothing happened, I had to consider it impossible. I bit into one of the two remaining creatures’ legs with a sense of resignation.
The crunchy texture and the juicy flesh inside pleased my palate, but my heart felt heavy.
When I had finished eating all the insects, a miracle happened.
[Predation effect activated! Successfully obtained ‘Parasite’ genetic essence from ‘Outspacer Insect.’]
[Extracted the ‘Parasite’ from the biological traits of ‘Outspacer Insect.’]
[Would you like to apply the ‘Parasite’?]
‘It’s done!’
At last, when I got what I wanted, I couldn’t help but cheer out loud.
Parasite.
Outspacers naturally carry various biological parasites in their bodies as a racial characteristic. Parasites are one of these pathogens and can infiltrate the host’s body to control their movents.
‘Of course, the Outspacer’s parasite only limits the target’s actions to so extent.’
In terms of lore, it was impressive, but in the ga, the Outspacer’s parasite was implented as a debuff chanic.
Those affected by the parasite effect experienced limitations on their abilities or equipnt usage.
Actually, even just this feature is powerful enough, but getting the Parasite changes the ga.
‘When combined with the Contamination Organ, you can create an enhanced Parasite.’
As per the settings, it’s possible to produce a Parasite that can control other creatures. The Contamination Organ disappears, and the physical traits change completely, but I currently have a total of 11 physical-related traits. Since the type acquisition condition is having 10 or more traits, losing the Contamination Organ won’t affect my type.
Furthermore, the trait obtained by combining the Parasite and the Contamination Organ serves as the key to unlocking a new type.
The new types that open up are Infection Enhancent Types, related to physical abilities, Psychic Enhancent Types, and the newly unlocked type through the combined trait is the Infection Enhancent Type.
The Infection Enhancent Type affects debuff-related traits like crowd control devices. Its intuitive effects may be lower compared to other types, but it’s very useful for soone like who prefers a stealth-focused strategy.
Moreover, to evolve into a Quasi-Saint, I need to gather 4 types, so gathering one more is crucial.
Therefore, my choice is clear.
I imdiately felt my body undergoing a mutation.
The lower right arm, which used to house the Contamination Organ, grew thicker and bulged as if sothing like eggs was inside. Inside the arm, newly ford parasites wriggled and waited for their owner’s command.
[‘Parasite’ trait has been applied.]
[Can be fused with the ‘Contamination Organ’ previously possessed.]
[Fusion of ‘Parasite’ and ‘Contamination Organ’ traits. Evolves into ‘Parasitic Colony’ trait! ]
[Parasitic Colony: Allows the creation of enhanced parasites at the expense of losing the effect of the Contamination Organ. Up to 5 enhanced parasites can be operated.
*P.S.: I don’t understand your love of this disgusting trait.]
[There are currently two types that can be characterized.]
[Psychic Enhancent Type (5/6), Infection Enhancent Type (1/4).]
‘All right.’
Now that I’ve obtained the desired trait, it’s ti to test its effects.
After devouring the last remaining Outsider, I exited the container. S, who had been diligently poking at the ground, looked up at with a terrified expression. His face, now pale and almost yellow, clearly showed the fear of soone who had just experienced horror. However, he hasn’t truly experienced fear yet.
The real terror begins now.
As I activated the Parasitic Colony, my lower right arm started to squirm and bulge as if it were trying to expel sothing. From the hole in the palm of my hand, black, centipede-like creatures erged.
“W-What are you trying to do? Please, stop!”
S, who mixed screams with sobs, began to cry as I approached. His forrly chubby face had beco disfigured, possibly due to the ntal shock he had experienced over the past few hours.
My hand got close to his swollen, half-faced visage.
***
“…Then, I’ll go.”
Broker S, or rather, Sander, lowered his head and left. The Parasite transplant was successful. Now, Sander is mine.
‘Still, it’s limited to 24 hours.’
Once 24 hours pass, the Parasite will automatically die, and so will Sander. This is because the Parasite has taken control of his brain.
Before the Parasite dies, I have to replace it to keep Sander alive. Sander knows this fact. Without , he will also die.
‘He’s a smart person, so he won’t easily resist .’
He might try to go to a hospital for an extraction, but his thoughts are known to the Parasite. If he ever entertains malicious intentions, the Parasite will secrete a substance into his brain causing excruciating pain.
‘It’s going to be incredibly painful.’
Sander has already experienced how excruciating that pain can be. He’s unlikely to resist too much.
Moreover, I showed Sander how I dispose of corpses right in front of him. Being a smart person, he probably knows my intentions.
‘Well, let’s head back now.’
I took the lead with the bodyguards and returned ho.
Upon arriving ho, Number 26, who had woken up from its sleep, was waiting for .
｢Where did you go?｣
[ZZZ ZZZZZZZZ ZZZ ZZ(I thought you might be hungry)]
｢Wow!｣
It’s a learning Amoeba. As soon as I held out the food, he cald down. As we shared a al, I took out the neighbor’s man’s ankle from the refrigerator.
As we enjoyed our late-night snack, the night faded away.
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