My Children Swarm the Cosmos – Chapter 5

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐳 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 (5)

Finally, the day has come. How long have I been waiting since I was born?

Darwin Foundation’s stifling facility, Apoptology’s only exit today.

Experimental Subject Batch 5 Project Chimeraz Final Preliminary Selection.

I’m about to take the final exam in Apoptology. All 401 to 500 subjects will fight in one big training ground.

I’m waiting in Quarantine Room 112 right now. In front of me is a bulkhead that leads to the training ground, and next to me is a short glass window.

Through the glass window, my secretary explains.

“The test begins when the bulkhead opens. Experimental subjects who will compete with Young Master will start simultaneously from 99 locations.”

My secretary, who always had a smiling face, looks very serious today.

“There is a small artificial human city in the training ground with an area of 55 square kilometers.”

I heard that the preliminary selection will be as similar to the real environment as possible. However, I didn’t know that they would prepare a city and artificial humans like this.

It seems that Darwin Foundation put a lot of effort into this preliminary selection.

“The larger the population in the city center, the more artificial human troops there will be. And the outside of the city is a natural environment with wild animals and plants.”

“What’s the terraforming status?”

“It’s on par with Earth.”

Earth in the solar system.

The miraculous planet that gave birth to humanity became a radioactive ruin that was destroyed by nuclear war long ago. However, in professional terms, the terraforming status being on par with Earth means that it’s the optimal environment for humans to survive.

“Are there civilians in the artificial human city?”

“Yes. There are artificial human civilians. It’s a training ground that’s not much different from an actual city.”

The secretary makes a gesture with his hand in the air as he says that.

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬.

Then, a foldable screen rises in front of the bulkhead and shows a flat map of the training ground. Today’s holograms are convenient in various environments, but the resolution itself is much better on this screen.

The training ground is generally round. The city in the center of the training ground is surrounded by a natural environment. In that way, the city takes up half of the total area, and the natural environment takes up the other half.

And I was located at Gate 112 in the southeast.

“It’s a training ground designed in a circle so that everyone starts in an equal position.”

“The Young Master’s competitors will initially avoid the artificial human forces and either raid the vulnerable outskirts of the city or deploy their colonies in the natural environment.”

This is getting interesting. I’m strangely excited. I’ve never had training this close to reality before.

“Yeah. To be safe, it’s right to deploy a colony in the natural environment and use the surrounding animals, plants, and organic matter as resources. On the other hand, if you want to grow quickly at the risk of danger, you have to aim for the city directly and gather the flesh of humans.”

“What will the Young Master do?”

“I’m going to attack the colony of those who like safety alone.”

“. . .Excuse me?”

The secretary’s eyes widened.

“Why? Are my individual combat skills lacking?”

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous if you attacked your competitors from the beginning and received fatal injuries?”

It’s disgusting to me as a human, but my secretary is definitely more trustworthy than other humans. I think it’s natural for him to worry about me before this important exam.

“That won’t happen. Those who like safety don’t have confidence in their individual combat skills, so most of them plan to deploy their colonies first.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“With their skills, they can’t even scratch my body.”

“What about the middle and latter half? Do you have a separate plan in mind?”

“Once my colony is deployed, I’ll advance straight to the city center.”

“But the hostile forces deployed this time are at the military level. Forces capable of defending a city are scattered throughout the city.”

“There will be more enemies as I get closer to the city center. However, the population density also increases as I advance toward the city center.”

━𝟏𝟎 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬! 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨!!

It’s the sound of the locking device being released from inside the thick bulkhead.

Through the short glass window, the secretary seems to have swallowed his words as he tried to say something more.

“Of course, the Young Master will do well this time too.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be the last subject, and you’ll follow me and rise in the ranks.”

━𝟓 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

“But be careful of Subject 470. Her legion control is on par with the Young Master’s. She’s a tricky opponent in many ways.”

━𝟑

━𝟐

━𝟏

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨!!! 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬!

The bulkhead opened. Trees, a forest, and a hill unfolded into my view. The tall buildings of the city could also be seen faintly beyond the forest.

“You’ve never used the expression ‘dangerous opponent’ to me even once.”

“Haha. . . That’s right.”

“That’s enough. And. . . thank you for letting me meet my mother the other day.”

“No. I’m sorry I didn’t do that sooner.”

“Take it easy.”

I jumped into the forest in one leap.

“Good luck, Young Master!”

The bulkhead closes tightly behind me, and the wall surrounding this wide training ground changes to a screen showing a high cliff. The ceiling shows a blue sky and clouds.

━𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟔, 𝟐𝟔𝟐𝟎, 𝟏:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌, 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞.

━𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐳 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝟓 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧.

It feels unpleasant to step on grass after a long time. Straight trees, dense flowers, grass in the field, and insects hiding in the forest.

It’s truly a natural environment teeming with disgusting creatures.

━𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. 𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

━𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 ‘𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡.’ 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝.

━𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝.

━𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝟓 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝.

As far as I know, Subject 411 tends to seek safety. So, she’ll probably be looking around his surroundings and scheming to deploy her colony.

And Gate 111, where she started, is 400 meters away from Gate 112, where I am, on the map.

━𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤.

𝘗𝘢𝘵, 𝘱𝘢𝘵, 𝘱𝘢𝘵!

From the beginning, I ran eastward along the right wall.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Cellular control 86 points.

Legion dominance 79 points.

Individual combat ability 33 points.

Creativity 60 points.

Memory 75 points.

Understanding 81 points.

Average 69 points.

Overall ranking 41st.

That’s the guy from Experiment 411. 

I have information that she has an excellent ability to absorb underground resources by understanding the molecular structure and elemental composition of organic matter. I don’t know how she does it, though.

Thanks to her ability to sense and absorb necessary elements, she’s said to be able to deploy her colony the fastest among the Batch 5 subjects.

However, I interpret it as meaning that she doesn’t have any other outstanding features.

“What the hell?! Why are you, of all people, going around the outskirts?”

Subject 411 shows her bewilderment as soon as she sees my face. Judging from the black tentacles connected to the ground from her fingertips, it seems that she’s already building the foundation of her colony underground.

𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦. . .

I transform my right arm into a blade without wearing black armor and approach her steadily.

“Hey, hey! Wait a minute! It hasn’t even been 5 minutes since it started! This is too much!”

“Are you done?”

“Done with what?”

“The foundation of your colony.”

“. . .Damn it!”

𝘞𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘩!!

I turned my head at the sudden noise, but I was already hit. The dirt behind my heel rose up, and a thick tentacle sprang out.

The protruding rib-like thorns at the end of the tentacle pierced my back like a skewer.

“Kuuk. . .”

I was injured. Blood gushed out of my throat.

“I knew it, I knew it!! You were trying to take my colony from the start?”

I thought Subject 411 was making her colony quickly by using his special ability.

However, she anticipated that I would come from the beginning and set this trap. Pretending to make her colony.

This is the first time subjects have fought each other directly. She came up with this strategy even though it’s her first time.

I underestimated her.

Everyone else probably came up with their own strategies for their competitors, just like Subject 411. Whether that strategy works or not has nothing to do with the overall ranking or score.

“. . .Ugh. . .”

My heart and lungs are pierced, so I can’t speak properly.

“Damn! This, this b*stard. . . I’ve never liked you from the beginning!”

“Me. . . What?”

“That damn way of speaking, you b*stard!”

Come to think of it, Subject 411 is a subject who has been sending me hostile glances since before. It seems that the reason is not because of rivalry, but because of her dissatisfaction with my way of speaking.

“Why do you talk as if you’re already a ruler? Am I beneath you, you b*stard?”

“. . .The language I use is. . . part of my learning. . . to become a ruler.”

There’s no need to use respectful language to competitors who will kill each other someday. And if I become a ruler later, I can use this way of speaking so that there’s no misunderstanding when I send out waves.

So I learned it in advance, but Subject 411 doesn’t even know that and is getting angry for no reason.

“Subject 411. No matter what you think of me. . . I’m going to absorb your abilities. The technology you have to quickly deploy your colony is necessary for our species.”

I plan to absorb the abilities of as many subjects as possible, not just Subject 411.

I have no intention of losing here.

“You talk a lot for someone who’s going to be bleeding to death soon. I’ll use your body well as an organic resource. . .”

So I took advantage of the thorn that pierced my body. Like a blood vessel connecting her body and mine.

“Keuk. . . Kuuh. . .”

Subject 411, who collapsed on the grass, raised her head. Blood and a bloody nose flowed down her face.

She seems to be asking with her eyes. What did you do?

“I injected the toxins synthesized in my body into your body.”

My internal injuries are healed.

I pull out the large thorn that pierced my back and heal the external wounds as well. During that time, Subject 411 was breathing roughly, with the veins in her forehead and neck standing out, as if she didn’t want to accept the approaching death.

“Heuk. . . Keuk. . . Kuuk. . .”

Even so, she’s my blood sister, so I don’t want her to suffer any more.

“Heuk. . . I, I’ve been waiting for this day. . . I wanted to spread my colony to a wider, wider world. . .!!”

“I’m sorry, but so do I.”

𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩!

I cut Subject 411’s throat.

Blood spurted out from the cut surface of her neck at a steady rate. Her headless body collapsed limply like a doll with broken joints.

I picked up her head, which was covered in blood, with my left hand. I leave it so that the top of her head faces the ground.

The severed neck bone, artery, esophagus, and trachea are facing me.

𝘡𝘻𝘦𝘰𝘬. . .

I open my jaw wide like a snake and tear my cheeks left and right like ants.

I put my mouth on the cut surface of her neck.

The humans watching might think it’s disgusting, but right now, without my black armor, this is the fastest and surest way.

𝘚𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘶𝘬. . . 𝘚𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘶𝘬. . .

The lost blood and energy enter through my esophagus. I absorb it like that.

I forcibly send an electric signal to Subject 411’s brain and access the information as if turning on a computer that’s been turned off. I filter out only the things I need from the memories, experiences, thoughts, and abilities she’s had over the past 18 years. Then I absorb it.

I recognize the taste of my blood sister with my tongue and her abilities with my head.

Then, I extend black tentacles from my fingertips and connect them to Subject 411’s corpse.

I use her dead body as a resource and quickly deploy her colony in the same way she did when she was alive.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

I understand.

The efficient way to deploy an initial colony was to secure underground resources. When Subject 411 was creating her colony, she spread her roots widely from her colony to absorb underground resources.

Red-brown tentacles spread underground and filter out the necessary resources. The resources absorbed from the roots spread like tentacles gather in the underground colony made of simple shapes.

That colony is covered with fat, protein, and muscles. And it’s protected by several layers of hard exoskeletons. In the process, the titanium and carbon absorbed by the colony are mixed with organic matter.

The substances absorbed into my body from the colony seep out of my blood vessels and outside the layer of skin.

My relatively soft red-brown endoskeleton and relatively hard black exoskeleton take shape.

I put on the black armor that was created like that all over my body.

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬. . .

Soon, black tentacles and black bone swords rise above the ground and grow like plants. A thin red-brown skin membrane swells between the tentacles and bone swords, and a simple brain is located inside that skin membrane.

I don’t know about other subjects, but I don’t have the ability to create a brain with ‘self-consciousness’ yet.

So, this time, as always, I deployed a basic type of colony that could only understand my intentions and commands.

‘𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳.’

The colony, which has grown to the size of a one-story building, looks like an upside-down red-brown mushroom. That colony is protected by thick tentacles around it and black exoskeletons that point sharply to the sky.

‘𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸. 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘐 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.’

My colony absorbed the nutrients in the surrounding soil and plants in an instant. So, the ecosystem around the colony withered and lost its vitality like a wasteland.

In the meantime, the colony extends its spore sacs above the ground. It’s like making several separate egg sacs connected to the colony.

About 30 minutes have passed since the colony and egg sacs were completed.

Soon, the eggs, which show the genetic characteristics of the creatures that will hatch, turn black and wiggle.

I can feel the consciousness of the creatures created by my hand.

‘𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯.’

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬. . .

The creatures inside the eggs tear the shells.

𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘩!

My children fell out, spilling the transparently liquefied nutrients inside the eggs like amniotic fluid.

I send out waves again.

‘𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳.’

The children, who received my waves for the first time since they were born, struggled to walk on their hind legs.

They open their upper and lower jaws as wide as they can. Then, they protrude their immature teeth outside their gums in less than 10 seconds.

𝘒𝘪𝘪𝘪𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘬!!!

The sound of birth spreads throughout the colony.

The bioweapon connected by the waves of collective consciousness is called a chimeraz. The humans watching the preliminary selection will distinguish these children as ‘Experimental Subject 412’s chimeraz.’

In training where I couldn’t deploy my colony, I received mass-produced bioweapons from the Foundation. They are fakes born from human hands with my genes, and the chimeraz born from my hands now are my real children.

𝘎𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦. . . 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘭. . .

It looks very similar to the assault-type bioweapon that the Foundation created with reference to my genetic material, but it’s a completely different creature at its core.

The children I created myself are more deeply connected to me.

The subjects memorize the genetic information for creating their own unique chimeraz as a blueprint.

So, the subjects name each chimeraz to distinguish it in their own collective consciousness.

The most basic chimeraz, which I call hound as a small, ground-based, assault-type, is called Hounz here.

The etymology is a compound word that combines the symbolic alphabet Z of Hound and chimeraz with the feeling of a plural noun.

These children have an aggressive nature and an instinct to form groups.

And like me, including all chimeraz, they have an aversion to creatures or objects that are recognized as other species.

‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘻. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘺.’

I gave an identity to the Hounz group that was just born.

And without delay, I give an order.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴.’

Speed is important in this preliminary selection. It’s a fight to see who will first occupy the limited resources in the training ground and rapidly increase the size of their colony.

‘𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴.’

𝘒𝘪𝘪𝘪𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘬!!!

Like that, a group of 48 Hounz ran towards the city.

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