NOVEL NEXT Chapter 438
I Became an Evolving Space Monster Chapter 438
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“…Why did it suddenly become quiet?”
Inside a bunker surrounded by thick metal walls.
Six men and women were looking up at the flickering light with anxious expressions. Their identities are temporary managers of Edgerton Resource Management Center.
No, to be exact, he is a former manager. Because the city they were supposed to protect collapsed.
It didn’t take long for the defense line, which had barely held up, to collapse. As soon as the defense line was breached, they gave up command and immediately retreated to the bunker.
In fact, bunkers are not a very good evacuation facility in a space city, but it was unavoidable. If you try to run away in a spaceship, you will be quickly caught by the Outspacer. Hiding in a bunker located deep underground has a higher chance of survival.
“Maybe he left?”
“Could it be that the quarantine management team leader was successful? “He said he can control the outspacer.”
“under. If that were possible, the airstrike itself would not have occurred in the first place. “Would you like to think about it before speaking?”
“what? “Did you say everything you said?”
“quietly!”
Xavier quieted the crowd and put his ear to the wall. The slight vibration that I had been feeling until just now completely stopped.
‘What happened?’
The endings of all cities that fell to Outspacer were the same. Going around inside and eating all the survivors.
The search time was too short to say that the bunker was not caught by luck. It is normal for it to be noisy for at least a few more hours.
“…That’s strange.”
After checking for nearly 5 minutes, Xavier pulled away from the wall.
“You left as expected, right?”
“We need to send a rescue signal right now….”
This bunker is equipped with various devices necessary to sustain the lives of evacuees in case of emergency. Among them, there is a signal that sends a rescue request to the outside.
The material management team leader suggested turning on the signal, but Xavier shook his head.
Outspacers react sensitively to various signals. If you turn on the signal now, you will most likely get caught.
“By any chance, if they remain in the city, they might be able to detect the signal. “Let’s wait until we’re sure it’s safe.”
Since it was a valid statement, everyone decided to follow his opinion.
And that decision was wise. This is because soon after we started waiting, the bunker shook significantly.
The tremor was so strong that everyone inside was knocked over. It was clear that not only the bunker but the entire city was shaking.
The vibration continued several times and then stopped. About an hour later passed, but nothing more happened.
“Wouldn’t it be okay to activate the signal soon?”
“You can’t just wait forever.”
“….”
Everyone except Xavier nodded at the words of the food management team leader.
Is it because of the fear of not knowing when I will die? Everyone’s expressions were not good. It was clear that he wanted to escape reality somehow.
Additionally, the shock from earlier caused a problem with the bunker’s oxygen supply system. Right now, it’s okay because there’s oxygen left in the city and oxygen capsules stored in bunkers, but in the long run, it’s not good at all.
However, there are no tools for repairs here. You have to go out and get the necessary tools.
“…You will activate the signal after I return.”
“You’re leaving here? “What does that mean?”
“I’m going to check the state of the city. “I have to go out anyway to fix the oxygen supply system.”
Xavier continued speaking as he put on the reinforced suit in the bunker.
“There will be no volunteers…I will appoint them arbitrarily. “Materials management team leader and medical team leader, please follow me.”
“yes?! “Why should I…?”
“Now, just wait a moment! “On what basis are you taking us away!”
“The material management team leader is the only person who knows the location of the tool, and the medical team leader is accompanying us to prepare for any emergency.”
“Wait! It is difficult for the medical team leader to be absent. “There could be trouble in the bunker.”
“Then, food management team leader, will you go? “Otherwise, shut up.”
Of course, she had no desire to go out on a limb, so she kept her mouth shut. The others also avoided eye contact with each other.
After a while, the three left the bunker fully armed.
“Oh my…. It’s a complete mess?”
The underground train used to get to the bunker had derailed and collapsed. A quick look at the rail showed many damaged parts.
“I’m wearing a reinforced suit, so I’ll go on foot.”
The three ran along the spot where the rail was.
Traces of the outspacer were discovered little by little along the way. Fortunately, they were not visible.
‘Did he really leave?’
If we’ve learned anything while fighting the Outspacer invasion, it’s that they aren’t just beasts. Even those scary monsters have systems and strategies. The possibility that they temporarily retreated to achieve a more important goal than becoming a resource center cannot be ruled out.
“I don’t know when they will come back. Let’s hurry.”
Xavier, confident that he was safe for now, quickened his pace. The sound of the footsteps of three people wearing reinforced clothing echoed softly in the underground passage.
Although some collapsed debris blocked their path, they were wearing reinforced clothing. There were no difficulties except that it took some time to pass.
After moving for a while, we finally came to the ground. And I couldn’t help but be surprised by the sight that unfolded before my eyes.
“Oh my god.”
“What on earth happened?”
The ground was a mess, even worse than the underground.
The command tower stood precariously with half of its structure blown away, and the upper portions of other high-rise buildings were all blown away.
In addition, problems arose with the dome-shaped wall that covered the city. A new crack has appeared that is large enough for a battleship to easily pass through. Oxygen and various debris could be seen being sucked out through the gap.
Because the inner wall of the dome was severely damaged, the devices that created the artificial sky were also ruined. In particular, the atmosphere was very gloomy because the atmospheric lighting board was constantly blinking.
｢I think I know why the vibration occurred earlier.｣
｢….｣
By the time they evacuated, the city had already fallen. The fight has stopped, but there is no way there will be any traces like that.
Moreover, Xavier has never seen an outspacer that can inflict as much damage as me.
What that means is that something unidentified has appeared here.
‘…not good.’
There is a low probability that the newly appeared being will be friendly to Xavier and the others. You must hurry as much as possible.
｢Where should I go to get repair tools?｣
｢Hmm, well, I belong to the 1st Command Tower, and the building is that big, so….｣
｢There is a temporary distribution material management center nearby. “It would be a good idea to go there.”
Xavier nodded at the words of the medical team leader.
They walked down the ruined street in a more nervous state than before.
The gravity maintenance device is still in operation. Thanks to this, the remains of the collapsed building were piled up on the road.
But there was no sign of any survivors anywhere.
“It’s strange that I haven’t seen any survivors yet.”
“There are bunkers elsewhere, so they might be hiding there.”
“Of course, right?”
Unlike the two who were skeptical about not seeing a single person, Xavier had other thoughts.
‘Why is there no body?’
After the city’s defenses collapsed, an enormous number of people died. However, there was not a single body to be seen on the street.
‘There’s not even an out-spacer?’
Although an overwhelming number of humans died, that did not mean that even Outspacers did not die. It’s normal to see one or two corpses, but I can’t see them either.
‘It’s as if the body was removed on purpose…’
｢Administrator. “It’s that building.”
The voice of the medical team leader woke Xavier from his thoughts.
There was a low building in the direction he pointed with his gun. Seeing that it was in relatively good condition, it seemed like it suffered less damage due to its low height. The three carefully entered the building.
The interior was also in good condition, like the exterior. Glass and light fixtures were broken and piled materials were scattered, but the interior walls were not cracked or the ceiling collapsed.
｢Plasma cutter, metal injector, and simple tool maker: three things take priority. If I can afford it, I also bring medical supplies.”
“The tools are stored on the third floor. Let’s go up.”
Three managers wearing reinforced suits moved while stepping on broken glass.
Could it be because of the sound of glass being crushed or the light sparking irregularly? The atmosphere was quite eerie.
Fortunately, nothing worth worrying about happened regardless of the atmosphere. The three safely arrived on the third floor and began searching the rooms in the hallway.
“It looks like there is no plasma cutter here.”
“Good.” Then let’s go to the next room.”
“Huh?!”
After finishing the search and opening the door to the next room, the material management team leader screamed.
Because the room with the window was full of corpses.
｢Hey, is this really them?｣
｢We have to get out of here quickly!｣
｢Wait!｣
Xavier, who stopped the two from running away, entered the room and examined the bodies.
｢…It’s strange as expected.｣
｢Yes?｣
｢The body is so fine.｣
Outspacer’s claws pierce even the ship’s armor. It’s easy to make a person’s meat into meat pieces.
But the corpses in this room were so neat. There were no visible injuries except that his head was covered in blood.
‘Furthermore, the posture and arrangement of the body….’
All the bodies in the room were lying face down with their heads facing the window. The sight of him bowing out the window was very strange.
Xavier walked to the window and looked out. There was nothing special about it except that the cracks in the dome were clearly visible.
｢S-Could it be a human act?｣
“I don’t know.”
“No matter what, it’s not safe here. “I have to get out quickly…”
At that time, the body near the door moved. The survivor, who was thought to be dead, slowly got up.
“crazy! “He put his own eyes out!”
The opponent had no eyeballs. There was a raw fingernail stuck in the corner of the eye. Not only his face but his entire body was covered in blood. Xavier also held his breath at the cruel sight.
“Who, who is it? “Well, who is there?”
An eyeless survivor approached them, waving his arms.
“Calm down!”
“Oh, I can’t see anything! “Please, please, help me!”
“I’ll help you, so stop there!”
“Well, it’s here! Sis, I hate it! “I don’t want to see you!”
The staggering survivor suddenly ran towards those at the door. The two, startled, fired their laser rifles.
“Kuok!”
A red light flashed, and an acrid smell spread throughout the room. A survivor with a hole in his abdomen collapsed to the ground.
“Cough, ha, sky, sky….”
The survivor uttered incomprehensible words and lost his breath.
“You’re shooting someone who knows about this situation!” What on earth are you thinking?」
｢Suddenly, he goes on a rampage….｣
｢Hmm, looking at it, he doesn’t seem to belong to a faction, so don’t worry….｣
｢Damn!」
It is impossible for an ordinary person to damage a reinforced suit with bare hands. Because of their foolish actions, the survivors who knew about this situation were lost.
“Uh, general manager? It’s dangerous here. “I have to quickly pack my things and go back.”
“…Tsk.”
It was just as the medical team leader said. They still have work to do.
The three left the room full of corpses and resumed their search.
Luckily, I quickly found the tools to repair the bunker. Together they grabbed their tools and left the building.
The way back was the same as before. No survivors or outspacers were found. They arrived safely at the entrance to the underground.
“Whew, I was worried I’d run into them, but I’m glad.”
“That’s right.”
The material management team leader and the medical team leader breathed a sigh of relief. Xavier, who had been feeling somewhat ominous since leaving the distribution center, was finally able to feel at ease.
“Let’s rest for a while and then go down.”
“Yep.”
Even if you wear a reinforced suit, it is quite difficult to carry a bulky and heavy object such as a plasma cutter.
“Oh my gosh, I feel like I’m dying to move without using reinforcements.”
The material management team leader put down the items and straightened his back.
｢Huh, how bad are the side effects of reinforcers for you to say that?｣
｢AC, I was just saying…huh?｣
The material management team leader, who was looking up and stretching, and the medical team leader, who followed him and raised his head, stopped.
｢Slowly going down.｣
｢What is that?｣
｢Was that thing over there before?｣
｢What?｣
The two people who were dazed pointed upward with their fingers. Xavier’s gaze also slowly rose.
Light boards flickering uneasily, giant cracks sucking out broken materials and oxygen. There was something white above the dome in the same scenery as before.
‘cloud?’
The edges were fluttering like a haze, so it looked like a cloud or a halo formed by the refraction of light.
Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter to them.
Even though he knew that fact, Xavier couldn’t take his eyes off it. So did the other two. The three were frozen in place with their eyes wide open and their heads raised.
An unidentified phenomenon moves towards the three fixed figures like a stone statue.
The closer I got to the ‘phenomenon’, the more my eyes began to feel like they were burning. Tears flowed freely between my quivering eyelids.
Suddenly, Xavier remembered the survivor’s last words.
Now I realize what that means.
“Ahhh. Ah ah ah
ah ah. ah. Ah.｣
｢….｣
‘S-Stop! ‘I don’t want to see you!’
A ‘phenomenon’ that has arrived right in front of you.
Now it wasn’t just my eyes that hurt. All organs that recognized the ‘phenomenon’ were melting. Even amidst the pain, the only thing he could clearly feel was that a ‘phenomenon’ was watching him.
‘Don’t look! ‘Don’t look!’
The voices of the two people with him cannot be heard. I don’t know if it’s because I’m deaf or because I’m already dead.
The ‘phenomenon’ bows down to him.
‘ah.’
The moment the halo of light made eye contact, a feeling as if a fuse had gone off hit Xavier.
He couldn’t feel anything anymore.
–
｢Dwarf｣｢Dead｣
[Zuzu (Really?)]
｢Yes｣｢Head｣｢Food｣｢
It’s flowing out｣ Adhai landed lightly and hit the fallen human with his front paw, but the opponent didn’t even move.
I picked up the human with arms that were much shorter than before. Molten brains and blood poured out of the human helmet hanging upside down.
[Zuzu (this)]
｢Big baby, don’t do it too hard. Then people say ‘ouch’.”
[Zuzuzu (yes)]
“It’s okay! If you study a lot, you can do well!”
“You’re a big adult,” “You’ve got talent,” “Cheer up!”
[Zuzzuzu (Thank you both)]
I poured the corpse into my mouth while listening to them cheering. The food that entered the mouth was instantly digested and disappeared without even being able to taste it.
‘Study.’
A month ago now, I finished hunting Arcane Orca and created a new unique trait.
As a result, my body underwent tremendous changes. This is a bigger change than when you jump through the growth stage.
The power of the newly acquired characteristics was as powerful as the changes in the body. It’s one of the only characteristics I’ve ever experienced.
However, in return, several new unresolved problems arose. One of the side effects is people whose brains melt as soon as they see me.
‘…Tsk. I don’t know if this will be solved if I try hard.’
I held back a sigh and opened the newly transformed text box.
A word from the author (author review) Please take care of zakuti.
In Chapter 437, Ruins (1), the time when the Outspacers attacked the city was changed from ‘3 months ago’ to ‘1 month ago’.
Regarding the webcomic, I understand that Novelpia has made it private for reorganization. I am not sure exactly when it will be released again.
For related information, please refer to the Novelpia notice. Watch the next episode.”