——————
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
——————
Chapter 455
A freezer filled with a massive, black cocoon.
In front of it stood a pink balloon-like creature and a red-scaled dragon. It was Number 26, freshly awakened from a deep sleep, and Adhai.
Number 26 extended a slender tentacle and gently tapped the cocoon. The slime-drenched shell pulsed slowly.
｢The Big Baby is sleeping.｣
The one they cherished most, the Amorph, would sometimes construct a gigantic cocoon like this and slumber for long stretches. Having seen this many times before, neither of them was surprised.
｢We were going to swim together.｣
｢Together｣ ｢Play｣ ｢Talk｣ ｢Not possible｣ ｢Disappointing｣
It was simply disappointing that they couldn’t spend time with the Amorph.
Looking glum, Number 26 withdrew its tentacle from the cocoon.
｢Let’s go back to the Little Friend.｣
｢There｣ ｢Boring｣ ｢Elsewhere｣ ｢More｣ ｢Fun｣
｢No. The Big Kid told us to listen to the Friend and the Little Friend. Bad people might come.｣
In response to Number 26’s suggestion, Adhai shook her head.
All that was there were human-made tools. Nothing there piqued Adhai’s interest.
｢Tiny one｣ ｢Weak｣ ｢I’m｣ ｢Stronger｣
｢No, with the Big Kid asleep, if bad people attack—BOOM!—it’s major trouble!｣
｢That’s｣ ｢Definitely｣ ｢A problem｣
Number 26 waggled its tentacle, mimicking an explosion.
It was true. The one moment when the Amorph was noticeably vulnerable was inside the cocoon.
The Amorph had repeatedly said so: while in cocoon form, even weak human weapons could inflict fatal injuries. That’s why it had asked them to protect it.
｢The Friend can sense if bad people come. That’s why we have to stay close to the Friend.｣
｢Agreed.｣
Though they argued often, on matters involving the Amorph, they could always find consensus.
The two monsters returned to the data center, where PS-111 and Isabel waited.
“See? I told you.”
｢Yeah.｣
Isabel, who was working while watching a hologram, gave a little wave as if she’d expected this.
“I doubt there’ll be any trouble, but just in case, stay nearby.”
｢This place｣ ｢Is boring｣ ｢Not fun｣
“If you’re really that bored, you can roam around the area.”
｢That would｣ ｢Be better｣
“Just don’t wander too far.”
With Isabel’s permission, Adhai left again. Number 26, however, didn’t leave and instead approached Isabel.
｢Little Friend, what are you doing?｣
“Hm? I’m helping big sister.”
｢Watching a movie with your friend? I want to watch, too.｣
Unlike the proud Red Gallagon, this small pink Sea Demon was more curious about the trappings of intelligent life. When Number 26 twinkled its body with curiosity, Isabel was caught off-guard.
She was in the middle of checking whether there were any records among the many experiment logs connected to PS-111. Some of these logs might be about the Bubble Amoeba—things not really suitable for Number 26 to see.
“Instead of that, could you help with this first?”
｢What is it?｣
Isabel opened a steel panel in her chest and pulled out a mechanical device—a secondary memory unit discarded in the data center.
“There are gadgets that look like this hidden all around. Could you look for them and bring them back?”
｢Okay! I’m really good at finding things that are hidden!｣
Taking hold of the memory unit, Number 26 flicked its fins and headed deeper into the forest of the data archive.
‘They said it couldn’t be recovered, but you never know.’
The unit contained experiment records from the facility. According to PS-111, the device itself was damaged beyond repair, so recovery shouldn’t have been possible.
But Isabel thought differently.
She believed it was worth holding on to—just in case a solution was found someday.
‘It contains the past of my big sister. I can’t give up on it.’
PS-111 was her only blood relative, whether back in reality or in this world. At the same time, PS-111 was also the being she cherished and trusted most here. Isabel couldn’t even imagine giving up on her precious sister.
Resolving herself, she refocused on her work.
After reviewing about ten more hologram logs, just as she was about to open a new record, PS-111 approached.
“Little sister.”
“Big sis? You’re done already?”
“I’m not finished yet. More importantly, there’s a problem.”
“Huh?”
Instead of answering, PS-111 operated a terminal. A new screen popped up on the hologram before Isabel.
It was a message, short and simple.
“A human infected by the Amorph sent this message using the MPS.”
As Isabel read the message, her eyes widened with shock.
‘The Silver Lion Knights are planning a visit to NOX-02?’
Trouble was brewing on that distant water’s surface—and at the exact moment when the Amorph had entered its cocoon.
‘Why would Edgerton’s knights come here now?’
She already knew that the Silver Lion Knights operated in the system—the rescue ship the Amorph hijacked had belonged to them.
The problem was, they really had no good reason to come here.
“Do you think there’s a risk they’ll find us?”
“There is a 24% chance the Silver Lion Knights know our position. However, there’s a 61% chance that they are visiting to utilize the research facility.”
It wasn’t a baseless theory.
The knights wanted a live Outspacer to develop their new weapon. The rescue ship’s original mission had been to secure an Outspacer parasite and deliver it to the NEO-3 system’s weapon factory.
Even when the Amorph deceived Edgerton’s leadership, this was the angle it used—pretending there were technical issues with the ship so maintenance was needed while carrying a parasite. That was how they’d made it safely to Nox.
‘But now the knights have changed their approach.’
Instead of waiting for the rescue ship carrying the parasite to finish repairs, they’d decided to do everything right here. They’d take the parasite in Nox and immediately start using the deep-sea research base.
But even with that theory, some things didn’t add up.
‘A secret base, and yet they’re just openly sending people in?’
This place was an experimental lab for studying rankers. It was so secretive that nearly all records were wiped during the shutdown. Yet now, they were sending in a whole team. It didn’t make sense.
‘…No. Right now, their intentions aren’t what matters.’
If the knights reached Nox, they would soon realize they’d been tricked. They’d also learn about the attack on the research base.
And that could endanger the Amorph.
‘If they attack while it’s in the cocoon, it’s over.’
She knew exactly how vulnerable the Amorph was during cocooning. If a battle broke out now, it would be disastrous.
“Do you know when this was sent?”
“The communication was disrupted, so it’s hard to pinpoint the exact time. It’s estimated to have been sent about an hour ago.”
Which meant there wasn’t much time left.
Isabel sent out a psychic wave to summon Number 26 and Adhai.
｢Little friend, why did you call?｣
｢Did you find｣｢something fun?｣
“There’s a problem. The Amorph could be put in danger.”
As soon as she mentioned the Amorph, the two monsters’ demeanors changed dramatically. The cheerful pink glow of Number 26 faded to darkness, while crimson flames burned in the jewel-like eyes of Adhai.
As both gave off an ominous aura, Isabel explained the situation.
｢The bad people are trying to hurt the Big Kid again!｣
｢These runts｣｢so arrogant｣｢Unforgivable!｣
As soon as the conversation ended, the floor beneath them began to tremble ever so slightly. The psychic power radiating from the Sea Demon and Red Gallagon was shaking the entire sector.
Even if they were intelligent, both were apex predators in their natural habitats. Standing before a furious Number 26 and Adhai, Isabel felt a touch of apprehension.
“Both of you—calm down.”
But with the Amorph absent, Isabel would have to lead them against the enemy herself.
“Listen carefully to everything I say from now on.”
｢The bad people move in groups—it’s annoying. No calling for backup!｣
｢I｣｢can generate a storm｣｢isolate the runts｣｢possible｣
“First, we block their communications… huh?”
｢Friend, you and the Little Kid use zzzzt-zzzzt so no one else can come!｣
｢Agreed｣｢The sick one｣｢the runts｣｢block communication｣｢excellent｣
“Are you suggesting we jam their comms? Understood.”
｢I’m going to break the human house. Little Friend, check if there are any dangerous people.｣
“Uh, what?”
Even before she could walk them through a plan, Number 26 and Adhai had already jumped into discussing their strategy for the fight, acting as if this wasn’t their first time. It was instinctive.
“There are plenty of floating bases around here. If we act rashly, we could expose our movements.”
｢I’ll make ‘waves’ and destroy them! If it’s just waves, humans won’t suspect—it’s natural.｣
“You plan to disguise a pseudo-storm as a natural event? If so, the station staff will likely just think it’s bad weather.”
｢Exactly! Natural phenomenon! Saw it in a movie.｣
｢Small adults｣｢big houses｣｢destroy｣｢I｣｢move fast｣｢hunt moving houses｣
｢Good. Without their houses, the humans will be too anxious to fight.｣
“What do you think, little sister?”
“…With a bit of tweaking, this could actually work.”
Even from her perspective, it was a solid plan. Disabling communications, using environmental disruption, and leveraging each one’s abilities to take down the enemy swiftly—rough phrasing aside, it was highly systematic.
It dawned on Isabel, then, who must have taught them these tactics.
｢Let’s catch all the scared people and punish them!｣
｢Agreed!｣｢Never let any escape.｣
No matter how uncertain the situation was, Isabel was certain of one thing:
For the Silver Lion Knights coming to Nox, and for all the humans at the floating bases…
They would never leave this place alive.
——————
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
——————