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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 442
‘It’s been a while since I took over a ship like this.’
I sat down in the captain’s chair and surveyed the bridge.
Normally, when I seize a ship, the interior ends up a total mess but not this time. Aside from the shattered barricade by the entrance, everything else looked intact. That was thanks to me sticking to my tried-and-true methods.
Namely, infiltrating the enemy in disguise and bringing them down from within.
Eleven days ago, I blended in with the survivors from the orbital colony and boarded Edgerton’s rescue vessel. Then, shifting my appearance over time, I sowed chaos inside the ship.
The enemy tried their best to catch me but it was pointless. They didn’t even know who they were fighting. No matter how hard they tried, it was all in vain.
While they wasted their time, I severed the ship’s lifelines one by one.
I spread the ‘Space Bacteria’ through the drinking water and handed over control of the communications network to PS-111, which was tailing us from a distance. As a string of inexplicable malfunctions cropped up, anxiety began to fester among the crew.
I later found out that this wasn’t just any rescue vessel, it was a warship belonging to Edgerton’s Silver Lion Order. Most of the people onboard were genetically modified soldiers.
‘Even better.’
That just meant they’d be more efficient at killing one another.
I nudged their growing anxiety toward each other.
Disguised as a team leader, I incited rebellion, implanting parasites in their heads to stir up conflict.
It didn’t take long for this small, isolated community drifting in deep space to collapse. The soldiers turned their guns on each other and self-destructed.
“This new ability… I really do like it.”
I looked down at my pale, ghastly hands.
No longer protected by smooth, tough carapace, these hands were covered by soft, human-like skin.
This wasn’t an illusion created by my Mimicry Organ’s pheromones. This was a real human hand.
It was one of the effects of my new transformation mode, ‘Unknown Usurper’, which came with the ‘Warped Abomination’ trait. I was currently wearing the form of one of the soldiers who had once been aboard this ship.
‘Technically speaking, I was wearing that soldier’s skin.’
I pinched the back of my hand with my fingers and pulled. The pale skin split with the faint sound of tearing stitches, revealing the scaly, true hand beneath it.
When the Unknown Usurper is activated, my body transforms into a being resembling the Amorph. My tail and carapace have degenerated, giving me a form that sits somewhere between Amorph and human.
Even the scales are white, which makes me look like the hybrid monster in the sequel to the classic film Xenomorph. Only I have more arms.
[PR/N: The xenomorph, a fictional extraterrestrial creature, is the central antagonist in the ‘Alien’ franchise.]
[PR/N: About time they point out the similarities between the amorph and alien movie.]
Excluding the two arms used to mimic a human’s, the remaining four are folded neatly around my waist and abdomen. As long as they don’t move, they just make me look like I’ve got a bit of a belly.
Unlike the movie monster, though, this form has nearly zero defensive capability. The carapace is practically gone, and the scales are thin. In fact, it's even weaker in combat than my previous form, ‘Clever Weakling’.
‘But the true value of this transformation lies elsewhere.’
As an Unknown Usurper, I gain access to two abilities: Skinwalker and House of Skin.
Skinwalker allows me to alter my body using stored genetic data and acquired organic material.
The organic material, in this case, refers to skin from humanoids like humans or wolves. True to the name ‘Skinwalker’, I wear the hide of an animal and pretend to be that creature.
Since my body physically transforms, I can evade camera systems easily. Even internal body temperature is maintained at human levels, allowing me to bypass heat sensors as well.
The second ability, House of Skin, extends the duration of the transformation granted by Unknown Usurper. Normally, the transformation should’ve ended after seven days, but thanks to House of Skin, it’s still active.
It’s simple to maintain: as long as I regularly supply new skin that matches my form, along with adequate moisture and nutrients, House of Skin activates automatically and prolongs the duration.
The downside? My appearance changes every time I switch skin, and if I don’t keep the skin hydrated, it deteriorates. Maintenance is a bit of a chore but it doesn’t significantly interfere with my activities.
To put it simply, this is like an upgraded version of my previous infiltration traits, without their shortcomings.
‘If only I could use this together with the Mimicry Organ…’
Unfortunately, the two traits are incompatible. Skinwalker burns through genetic data to function, while the Mimicry Organ requires that same data to be intact.
‘Still, even as it is, it’s incredibly useful.’
Thanks to the Unknown Usurper, the parasites, and various other traits I possess, taking over this ship was no trouble.
Now it was time to check the data stored in the ship.
‘There should be quite a bit of useful information here.’
Megacorp never does charity. If they send out a rescue vessel, it’s because they want something.
‘They're here for information.’
According to the crew and the survivors from the orbital city, Outspacers are appearing all across Megacorp space. The fourth-ranked member of the Returner faction has mobilized.
If I were one of Megacorp’s overlords, the first thing I’d want to know is what the enemy soldiers look like.
The lower-ranked Outspacers have fairly intuitive appearances and roles. If they’ve got sleek builds and organic turrets, they’re likely ranged support. If they’re bulky with sharp claws, they’re probably frontline assault units.
And for someone like me, who has fought Outspacers extensively, I can tell at a glance which genetic essences are inside them. I can even gauge roughly how many valuable essences the enemy legion has acquired.
The top rankers in Megacorp surely know this as well. They must be gathering intel. And the other capital factions Noble Capital and Prime Capital are likely following their lead.
The rescue vessels gathering survivors from Outsapcer attacks have the same goal: to collect information.
‘If I can make good use of this ship and the situation…’
I could learn how the warfront is shifting without even setting foot outside.
That would make my next moves far easier whether devouring more Outspacers or hunting down Akira.
“Alright then. Let’s see what’s inside.”
I activated the computer on the captain’s desk. Just as I was about to access the data, the desk gave a slight tremble.
Not just the desk. The walls of the room began to vibrate in a rhythmic pattern. Something was knocking against the outer hull of the ship.
“Number 26?”
While I was infiltrating the ship, they kept their distance but continued to follow me. Now that I had full control of the vessel, it seemed they wanted to come aboard.
I ordered the infected crewmembers on the bridge to open the hangar doors and headed that way.
When I arrived at the hangar, I saw a graceful red Gallagon and a cute pink Sea Demon.
｢Big Baby! Hello!｣
Number 26, looking like a giant jellyfish, paddled closer with its fins. As it neared me, its body shrank until it was no larger than a small balloon.
Then, just like it used to, it bounced up and landed on my head.
The monster's tentacles, the means I use to communicate with them, were currently tucked beneath the inner layer of my neck skin. I extended a few tendrils through the openings around my ears and mouth.
[ZZZZ (Welcome back)]
｢Your shape is different.｣
[ZZ (Yeah)]
｢Fewer thin appendages than before!｣
Fascinated by the human skin, it prodded at my head with a tentacle.
｢Again｣ ｢Shorty｣ ｢Not good｣ ｢Big One｣ ｢Real form｣ ｢Is better｣
Adhai approached with elegant strides and sent a mental wave.
Unlike Number 26, she clearly didn’t like my human disguise. She was consistent in her tastes, at least. I gently scratched her between the horns and neck to soothe her.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (I won’t be like this long. Just bear with it for a while)]
｢Tickles｣
｢Me too! Me too!｣
Despite her words, her tail was swaying gently. I must’ve picked the right spot, it seemed like it was an itch she couldn’t easily reach.
Number 26, watching from atop my head, came down to my shoulder and also asked for attention.
[ZZZ (Feels good?)]
｢Yes!｣
｢Kinda｣ ｢Okay-ish｣
“We’re here too.”
While I was tending to the two of them, PS-111 and Isabel the Screamer sisters entered the hangar. I quickly retracted the monster’s tendrils back into my body.
“That always looks painful when I see it.”
“It’s not my body, so I don’t feel a thing.”
I wiped the fluid trailing from my ears and mouth with my sleeve. Isabel, coiled like a centipede in her elongated form, glanced at the uniform I was wearing.
“That insignia on your shoulder… looks like you’re pretending to be the captain now.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“From outside, the ship looked pretty big. A vessel this size needs a lot of crew, doesn’t it?”
The key personnel required to run the ship had already been infected with parasites. And even if some gaps remained, it wouldn’t be a problem if there was someone here who could help.
“There’s no need to worry. I can handle ship operations with the help of the Mini-Screamers,” PS-111 interjected, producing a cluster of them from her abdomen.
“Deploy!”
“Deploy!”
As soon as they landed on the floor, the spider-like machines scurried out of the hangar on sharp metal legs.
Watching them go, Isabel quickly added,
“Wait. Don’t go solving everything alone again. Let’s do this together.”
“Huh? Understood.”
“I just need to access the Mini-Screamers through the connection we talked about, right?”
“That’s correct. But please do keep in mind what I mentioned last time.”
“You said switching lines during remote control could cause instability, right? Got it.”
“Thank you for your support. Also, when accessing the ship’s systems ”
The two Screamers continued their conversation fluidly.
Gone was the acidic back-and-forth they had the last time I saw them.
“Guess they’ve already made up.”
From the tone Isabel used when pointing things out, it felt like she had been the first to let go of her anger. There was a kind of practiced familiarity in her voice as if this wasn’t the first time they’d gone through something like this.
“Were they like this in real life too?”
The classic dynamic: a stubborn, troublemaking older sister and a grumbling but obedient younger one.
“Well, at least they got closer while I was gone. That’s good.”
Anyway, my allies had safely arrived. Once I extract the useful data from this ship, all preparations will be complete.
Megacorp and even Edgerton, who dispatched this rescue vessel remain completely unaware.
This hunt begins inside enemy territory deep within the body of the prey.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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