๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ (2)
Four groups of experimental subjects besieged Subject 412’s group.
๐๐ฆ๐ฆ-๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ!
The subject’s group collided fiercely in the colony. Creatures of unknown Chimeraz origin united to bite and tear at Subject 412’s Houndz.
๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ง!
The defensive structures that had been previously installed, Pukers, resisted by spewing digestive fluid, and the nearby Skeletunnels ceaselessly transported Subject 412’s chimerazs.
In order to overcome the difference in numbers, Subject 412’s group hurriedly retreated from the artificial human city. And they devoted all their efforts to defending the front lines, which were being pushed back bit by bit.
Even if they had to give up some sections of the artificial human city they had already occupied, they had to protect the colony itself.
However, this was a battle between chimerazs without any special weapons. Therefore, the difference in numbers directly determined victory or defeat.
The egg sacs that had been painstakingly built were torn to pieces by the enemy’s claws, and corpses piled up on the front lines, forming low hills. With each death, a sense of death swept over them, and with each bursting egg sac, young lives that had not even formed exoskeletons were mercilessly hunted by the enemy.
Subject 412 felt all those sensations as waves.
‘๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ’๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐บ.’
The approaching artificial human army was also a problem.
๐๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฌ. . .!
The artificial human army was burning the organic tissue covering the buildings and vehicles, and blowing up the egg sacs as they advanced.
In order to overcome the firepower of the humans, they needed numbers that surpassed that firepower. To do that, they needed a colony with sufficient production capacity, but in order to protect the colony, they had to give up relatively less important territories. If they gave up some of their colony like that, the resources coming in would decrease, and production capacity would decline.
That vicious cycle would accelerate.
As the group defending the city area vacated their posts, Subject 412’s colony area would shrink as time passed.
Losing troops and colony meant the weakening of Subject 412’s camp.
And the weakened group would surely be eliminated in this fierce preliminary selection.
‘๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ช๐ต. . . ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ’๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐บ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ช๐ต.’
Experimental Subject 412’s entire body, including his face, was covered in black armor. Thanks to that black armor, he didn’t have to transform his body to create wings.
For the first time since he was born, he was flying in the sky. The wings, which were thinly and lightly spread out, revealed a membrane like that of a bat’s wings. Since they were organs that used considerable muscle, thick blood vessels were connected to them to help with energy metabolism.
If he were to have these wings intercepted as they were, he would fall. However, the only camp that could intercept airborne objects right now was the artificial human army.
This was because the experimental subjects had neither gunpowder nor electromagnetic coils. Therefore, it was no easy task for them to create chimeraz or body parts that could intercept flying objects.
Subject 412 first flew north. It was to eliminate the most bothersome competitor first, even if it meant giving them a little bit of time.
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฌ!
Subject 412 landed in front of the enemy’s colony. The colony was a relatively small structure that looked like the head of an alien lizard, with entrances and exits like a building.
Following this, the experimental subject who was Subject 412’s opponent faced him.
“It was a mistake for you to come after me first. This is the heart of my colony.”
Cellular control: 86 points.
Troop control: 62 points.
Individual combat power: 95 points.
Creativity: 57 points.
Memory: 70 points.
Comprehension: 79 points.
Average: 74.8 points.
Overall ranking: 23rd.
A being marked by a tall stature and robust body, Subject 433 was a formidable specimen boasting a personal combat score of 95.
โWhy do you think itโs a mistake to target you first?โ
โThe difference between our personal combat scores is only 2. Such a slight difference is not enough for you to overcome the disadvantage of fighting in my colony.โ
โNo. Iโve chosen to target you first because of that very difference of 2 points.โ
โWhat do you mean?โ
All the hordes that resided in Subject 433โs colony had gathered to Subject 412โs colony.
In other words, Subject 412 was aiming for the gap in military strength.
โBecause if I fight you, I wonโt be able to deal with your forces as well.โ
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ. . .
Subject 412โs wings, which had been regressing, shrunk as if they were being absorbed into his body. Signaling this, Subject 412 transformed his right arm into a blade and dashed towards Subject 433, who stood before him.
At that moment, structures that had been behind Subject 433 rose up.
๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ. . .
Subject 433โs colony was a weapon in and of itself.
The true form of the colony, which had been buried underground, began to rise. The gigantic pair of arms that stretched out from the ground slammed down on the earth, and the colony that had risen up leaned forward, revealing dozens of crimson eyes. Soon after, the colony, which resembled a gigantic alien lizard, revealed its hind legs.
And Subject 412โs blade sliced through Subject 433โs waist.
๐๐ช๐ฑ!
In an instant, Subject 433โs severed upper body soared into the air. Even while floating through the air with his vision upside down, he locked eyes precisely with Subject 412.
Subject 412 quickly leaped to swing his blade at Subject 433โs upper body, but at that moment,
๐๐ช๐ด๐ด!
Three tentacles shot out of the moving colonyโs open maw and ensnared Subject 433โs upper body.
๐๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฉ!
Subject 412 dodged the colonyโs flailing forelegs and rolled backward.
He then looked up at Subject 433, who was being held up by the tentacles inside the colonyโs snout.
โIโve always wondered. Why is your personal combat score so high? . . .You were hiding such a huge โarmorโ.โ
โItโs a colony-type armored lifeform called Kabana.โ
The being that was currently holding Subject 433 with its tentacles was Subject 433โs colony, weapon, and armor. It was similar to a human pilot boarding a war machine.
โHow can such a large creature support its own weight on your four legs?โ
โWhat a disgustingly morbid curiosity. You ask such questions in this situation?โ
Subject 433, with only his upper body remaining, seemed to have become one with his moving colony, connected by nerves.
His voice echoed strangely, as if it was overlapping.
โIt may be a bit premature, but. . . Iโd rather eliminate you myself before you become even stronger by absorbing other members of your species. I hope you understand that this is an unavoidable choice, Subject 412.โ
โIโll be able to create a gigantic chimeraz by referencing the genetic information of that armored lifeform.โ
Subject 433โs eyes distorted as Subject 412โs consistent reaction seemed to deafen him.
โCrush him!โ
๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ!
Kabana closed its snout and swung its tail at Subject 412. The tailโs weighty mass, combined with its momentum, flew towards Subject 412โs side.
In an attempt to utilize the momentum, Subject 412 held up his blade vertically to receive the attack.
๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ!!!
However, the blade bent first upon receiving the heavy tail strike. The blade had dug into the tail and sliced off. Subject 412, who had failed to cleanly sever the tail, was pushed back as if he had been shot.
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ! ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ด๐ฉ!!
He repeatedly slammed into the ground before being flung far away. Part of his black armor on his right arm had been damaged, and it was hurriedly repairing the cracks.
Before he could even get up on his two legs, Kabanaโs chrome-colored claws swooped down on him. At the same time, a voice emerged from Kabana, echoing in all directions.
โDie for the future of our species!!!โ
๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ!!!
A cloud of dust scattered in the direction the tail had swung. Pebbles and rock fragments fell like rain. Deep claw marks were etched into the ground where Kabana had swiped with its forelegs.
๐๐ธ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ!
Subject 412 emerged from the smoke created by the dust. He leaped over the deep claw marks etched into the ground and charged straight ahead once more.
While running, he absorbed the broken blade from his right arm back into his body and synthesized the necessary materials once again. In response, Kabana swung its heavy tail again, intending to send him flying once more.
๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฉ!!!
The air displaced by the tail produced a thunderous roar, demonstrating its overwhelming force. The destructive combination of mass and momentum swept across a fan-shaped area in front of it.
Just then, Subject 412 made a great leap to dodge the tail, and
โI knew it!!!โ
Anticipating this, Kabana swung its foreleg towards the airborne Subject 412 at an angle that he could not possibly evade. In the midst of swinging its foreleg, it suddenly extended its chrome-colored claws.
๐๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฉ!
The deadly claws sliced through Subject 412 in an instant. In midair, Subject 412โs body was torn apart along the path of the claws.
His head, waist, and lower thighs were cleanly severed, falling haphazardly to the ground like pieces of a broken object.
โI noticed long ago that youโre fond of jumping!โ
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ. . .
However, the corpse of Subject 412 that had fallen to the ground was strange.
Not a single drop of blood could be found on the corpse.
โW-What?!โ
The inside of the black armor was completely empty. It was as if someone had slipped out from within.
That image materialized in Subject 433โs mind, and Kabana scanned the entire battlefield with its dozens of crimson eyes.
However, a small shadow was already cast over Kabanaโs elongated head.
He had known that he liked to jump,
But this was a jump of a different level.
It was almost like he was flying.
โ. . .?โ
Subject 412, who was no longer wearing the black armor, landed on Kabanaโs head. He was holding something long in his hand.
๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ!!!!
The form of that weapon was something universally known, yet unfamiliar to them.
โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก!!!!!
โAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!โ
Subject 412 had synthesized a spear that was six times longer than his body from within his body and thrust it into Kabanaโs head.
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ!!
โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก!!!!!
โGaaaaah!!!!!โ
Subject 433 and Kabana roared in agony, their voices overlapping. The spear that had pierced Kabanaโs head penetrated its lower jaw and was driven all the way into the ground.
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ!
Soon after, Subject 412, who had fallen from the sky, transformed all five fingers of his left hand into tentacles. He used the tentacles to grab the remains of the black armor, which had been flung far away, and pull them towards him.
โGaaaaaaaaah!!!โ
Kabana thrashed its claws and tail violently in the excruciating pain from the spear piercing its head. The surrounding trees were uprooted and the ground was overturned.
๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ. . .
By the time its struggle had snapped the spear, a cloud of dust once again covered the battlefield.
And from within the dust cloud, the same spear that had been there before came flying.
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ!
โAaaaaaaah! Aah!โ
The spear continued to fly from a place that could not be seen.
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ!
โGrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaah. . .!!!!โ
The spear flew in from different directions, not just one.
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ!
Kabana swung its tail, but it did not feel like it had hit anything. The length of the spear was greater than the length of its tail.
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ!
And the spear persistently targeted and pierced only the joints of Kabanaโs legs. Was it a sensation similar to having its leg joints repeatedly pierced with a long needle?
๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ! ๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ! ๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ! ๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ! ๐๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฅ!
When the dust settled and the fine particles were scattered by the wind,
๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ!!!
Kabana collapsed, unable to support its heavy weight.
โ. . .Ugh. . . Ugh. . .!โ
Kabana quickly tried to repair its wounds, but the spears that had pierced its legs and had not been pulled out were preventing the regeneration of the joint tissues.
Subject 412, who had retrieved his black armor in the meantime, approached Kabanaโs head.
โ. . . .โ
Kabana had become quiet.
๐๐ช๐ฑ!
Subject 412 tore off Kabanaโs upper jaw. This allowed him to see Subject 433 again, who was fixed to the spear with his tentacles above the lower jaw.
โSubject 433. Give up your resistance. Thatโs the only way to reduce your suffering.โ
โ. . .You devoured one of our own.โ
โIs that wrong?โ
โWe are chimerazs. We are a species born to fight for the humans on our side and to obey their orders. Do you think it is right for us, who were created by humans, to engage in fratricide?โ
โIโm not interested in human values or ethics.โ
โWhat are you saying. . .โ
โIsnโt that what everyone feels? An instinctive aversion. An aversion towards all living beings other than chimerazs.โ
โThatโs a separate matter.โ
โIt was humans who designed our instincts this way, and the being who gave birth to us is a common mother. What I mean is that whether I devour one of our own or not, itโs not something that should be judged from a human perspective. Neither humans nor Mother would criticize my actions.โ
โBut you should be able to differentiate. You, who are superior to anyone else, should know.โ
โWhat?โ
โThe aversion towards other species that is ingrained in us is solely for the purpose of killing the enemy.โ
โI know. Thatโs why Iโm killing the enemy right now.โ
โ. . . .โ
โThe reason I devour one of our own is also for the sake of surviving this preliminary selection. I have no intention of dying in a test created by humans. I will not allow myself to become such a weak experimental subject.โ
โAre you saying that you cannot die as an experimental subject? No matter what?โ
โIf I become the ruler of the chimeraz, shouldnโt I pursue great power as the ruler? Isnโt that beneficial to our species?โ
This was consistent with Subject 412โs character.
Since a long time ago, he had only based his thoughts on the chimeraz species and becoming the ruler of that species.
At this, Subject 433 relaxed his distorted expression.
โ. . .Then I have just one more request.โ
โWe donโt have time. We need to hurry before the ones who allied with you gather their forces. . .โ
โItโs the last request of a dying comrade, Subject 412.โ
Subject 412 closed his mouth at Subject 433โs request.
He closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment, as if he was concentrating on something.
Then, as if he had come to a decision, he spoke softly.
โ. . .Consider yourself lucky that the production capacity of the allied forces is low.โ
โAre you saying youโll listen?โ
โSpeak quickly.โ
โIf you are the first to create a gigantic chimera, Iโd like you to name the child โKabanaโ.โ
โWhatโs the intention behind that?โ
Subject 433 chuckled.
โEven if I die today, I hope that my legacy will remain in the future of our species.โ
โWhat a strange request.โ
He walked briskly towards Subject 433 with his blade drawn.
โIt means a lot to me. So please, as a comrade, I earnestly ask you. Please let me. . . die in peace.โ
Comrade.
The word weighed heavily on his mind.
โ. . .Fine. Then stick out your neck.โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
Iโve dealt with one for now.
Subject 433 is dead, and the forces he controlled have come under my collective consciousness.
Immediately, changes occurred on the front lines, where we were being pushed back by the enemy. The 4-to-1 battle had turned into a 3-to-2 battle. This drastically changed the numbers in terms of the size of the forces, the production capacity of the colonies, and the colony they controlled.
I acquired all of Subject 433โs colony, and I hurriedly modified the genetic information of the egg sacs in Subject 433โs colony and hatched my children.
Then, I connected Subject 433โs colony and my colony with a Skeletunnel. That way, I could send reinforcements through the underground passage.
The speed of the retreat on the front lines, where we had been cornered by multiple hostile forces, slowed down. Thanks to this, I could install more Puker in the rear of the front lines and utilize Subject 433โs colony as a resource with a high concentration.
And as the number of egg sacs that I acquired surpassed the number of egg sacs that I had lost, I was able to resist the enemyโs numbers to some extent.
I quickly reorganized the materials in my body and extended the wings of my black armor once more.
Iโm probably the only experimental subject in this training facility who has achieved the ability to fly.
I need to make the most of the advantage of being able to fly while everyone else is moving on the ground.
๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฉ!!!
I ascended into the sky again and borrowed the eyes of the Flies. Before making any further moves, I checked the territories that each experimental subject had occupied.
There were a total of 100 experimental subjects at the beginning of the preliminary selection, but their numbers have been reduced by half as they killed each other. The number of battles between forces from adjacent colonies has decreased significantly.
As each colony expanded, the weaker forces were almost all eliminated, and only the stronger forces survived.
This is the ecosystem of the chimeraz.
Only the collective consciousness at the very top survives and rules.
And this is exactly the โselectionโ that the Darwin Foundation is conducting.
. . .The forces that have occupied the southwest and west are advancing towards the northwest with a huge army.
Those are the forces of Experimental Subject 470, who is ranked 2nd overall. While I was struggling to expand my forces in the southwest, she was rapidly consuming the natural environment around her.
If we go all the way, we will definitely clash with Subject 470.
So, in order to survive until the end, I need to take care of the forces that are currently harassing me. That way, I can exponentially increase my strength and prepare to face her.
I organize and select the information I obtained through the Fly.
The next experimental subject I will target is Subject 457.
Cellular control: 90 points.
Force control: 76 points.
Individual combat: 77 points.
Creativity: 90 points.
Memory: 84 points.
Comprehension: 73 points.
Average: 81.6 points.
Overall ranking: 21st.
As an experimental subject who is supposed to become the ruler of the chimeraz, 457โs force control score is quite poor according to the foundationโs evaluation. As a result, the size of her colony is also relatively small compared to the other experimental subjects who have survived so far.
However, 457โs forces are strong enough to be deployed in actual combat. In a battlefield where modern civilizationโs armies clash.
โ. . .๐๐๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง?
โ๐๐ข๐ช๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ.โ
Her forces are small but elite.
They are considered an elite unit on the other side. If that unit is called โlargeโ in my colony, its power will definitely not be insignificant.
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