I Became an Evolving Space Monster
Chapter 421

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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Chapter 421

There were quite a few players in Space Survival who didn’t like me.

Rankers, of course, and even those affiliated with large clans or major alliances targeted me. In the community, raids were occasionally organized specifically to hunt the Amorph. If I clashed with them even once, information about me would spread like wildfire.

Because of that, I rarely shared intel with anyone—unless it was to spread false information to confuse my enemies.

Maybe that’s why.

This situation—trusting someone and revealing what I knew—felt strange and oddly fascinating.

Players who once aimed for the game’s ending, amorph-type creatures replacing the original endgame bosses, and the info-agent that had shown me those things in a vision…

I relayed everything I’d seen, leaving nothing out.

｢…Let me organize this.｣

Even after hearing me out, the Mother of the Sky remained deep in thought, then sent a wave of mental speech.

｢There are two things we can confirm for now. First, the endgame boss has been replaced by a monster resembling the Amorph. Second, Akira, who ranked third and joined the raid, knows the secret behind the ending. Is that correct?｣

"Exactly."

｢Can we trust what that info-agent said?｣

"I don’t see any reason it would lie. If it wanted to deceive me, there are easier ways to do it."

Like showing me a stronger illusion than it did—or manipulating me with abilities I haven’t even seen yet. There were plenty of options.

She seemed to come to the same conclusion and nodded.

｢So, we need to go to Earth to confirm it for sure.｣

"Probably."

｢Even for you, breaking through the Solar System won’t be easy.｣

"I don’t necessarily have to go into the Solar System. I can just lure him out."

｢How… Ah. You’re planning to use the 25th.｣

"Yeah."

The pirate leader expected to arrive here soon had a close relationship with Akira. If I captured him, I could extract information that might be enough to draw Akira out.

“The main pirate fleet will arrive in about twelve days. If we prepare by then, we can ambush him.”

He’s a powerful figure, currently targeting top-tier Apex predators—not someone to take lightly.

That’s why I intend to turn this entire place into a trap to hunt a ranker.

“Anyway, I think that covers the important points.”

Right now, PS-111 had fully taken over the planet’s communication systems, and I had established several nests.

Still, there was more to prepare. I needed to expand the nests further and consume more genetic samples from the research facility above.

Also, I had to scout other cities for any useful humans. There was a lot to do—and limited time.

That’s when the Mother of the Sky asked me:

｢What about the children?｣

“Children?”

Her gaze shifted toward the inner nest, where the young Wolves were staying.

Truthfully, I had already extracted all the useful intel from them.

Being from a primitive tribe, they couldn’t pilot a spaceship or operate machines. It would take significant time to train them. They were also too young and frail to serve as combat units.

Besides using them as test subjects for enhanced parasites or turning them into Humanoid Parasite, there wasn’t much use.

｢…I’m sorry, but could I take care of them?｣

Reading my thoughts, the Mother of the Sky spoke first.

“The Wolves? They don’t seem particularly useful.”

｢They could’ve suffered a major shock. Maybe that’s why they can’t recall important information.｣

“Hm.”

｢There’s no reason to dispose of them right away, so I’ll keep them with me.｣

She scratched her beak with her foreclaw as she spoke, her gaze still locked on the nest’s interior.

‘What is this?’

Her demeanor was unusual. Even while we talked, her eyes remained fixed on the children, and I could detect a subtle trembling—signs of emotional disturbance.

‘Did she… remember something from the past?’

Just before she met me, she lost her family because of Muriel, a ranker from the Dominion faction. Her husband—the Father of the Earth—and the Wolf tribe she had cared for were all slaughtered.

After Muriel’s death, she had recovered the bodies of the abandoned Wolves. I remember there being quite a few young ones among them.

‘The bodies she buried back then and the survivors here—they’re around the same age.’

When we met earlier, she’d acted more aggressively than necessary. It might’ve been because she was reliving something from her past.

‘Still… this is unexpected.’

We’ve encountered slavers and pirates many times, but she never showed this kind of reaction to enslaved beings. And this is the first time she’s ever asked me for something like this.

“All right. If keeping them helps in any way, go ahead.”

I considered asking more but chose not to.

Questions asked carelessly can become wounds for someone carrying emotional pain. I knew that from experience.

‘She’ll speak up when she’s ready.’

There was no need to push someone over something that wasn’t even a problem.

“Once you’re fully recovered, you can stay at the research facility above. As Wolves, they’ll probably prefer that place to here.”

｢…Thank you.｣

Having left the Wolf children in her care, I pulled the pirates off the wall where I had pinned them.

“You lot are coming with me.”

Unlike the Wolves, these ones had a use. The higher-ups like Ventris would help me send false reports to the Shino Group’s main force. The rest would be used as bait to lure enemies into traps.

I grabbed the pirates and exited the nest.

‘It’s been a while since I used an entire planet as a trap.’

In fact, using a whole planet as a trap had been a rare move, even in the game. Because of the massive scale, laying down nests and expanding them took an incredible amount of time. I’d failed more often than not, usually getting discovered mid-preparation.

That’s why I only did it when I was certain I could lure enemies in—or when I needed a long-term base I could keep using.

‘In this case, it’s the former, right?’

Of course, it’s impossible to blanket the entire planet in nests within twelve days. So I’d have to anticipate where the enemy would settle, where I could lure them, and where to strike.

That part was on me—my capabilities, my experience.

Unfolding my wings, I flew into the overcast sky. Below me stretched the city, swallowed by black mucus.

The 25th and its subordinates were poking around everywhere.

By the time they arrive, this place will look completely different.

What will greet them won’t be a terraformed planet It’ll be a planet ruled by the Amorph.

***

A black void of space, stars embedded in it like grains of sand.

Suddenly, a flash of blue light tore across the center like lightning across the heavens, space itself split open as a fleet emerged from superluminal travel.

Nearly fifty ships had arrived—enough to rival the size of a great power’s armada.

But individually, the ships looked far from elite.

Each one was a hodgepodge of makeshift construction: inconsistent in design, shape, and build.

One ship was a cult-style cruiser retrofitted with a drone control tower.

Another—a megacorp mining vessel—had been armed with plasma cannons.

Among them was a particularly massive ship.

Its trident-shaped bow split into three—this was a XAX02-class battleship of the Star Union, commonly known as the Zax Beta.

Originally designed to protect the well-being of the Cyborg Peoples, this one had long since switched allegiances.

Now, it served a different master: the infamous space pirate confederation that went by the name ‘Sino’.

“We’ve arrived in the Zerr-11 conflict zone, boss.”

On the Zax Beta’s bridge, an insectoid pirate gave his report to a human man sitting in the captain’s chair.

His name was Sutherland—the first cartel boss to join the Sino Group, head of the Sino Cartel.

“What about stragglers?”

“None, sir.”

“Good. Begin scanning AG-01 and the surrounding zones. Also, tell Sinoni to contact the team that landed on the planet.”

“On it.”

The pirates at the consoles—devices they had jerry-rigged onto the bridge—began inputting commands.

“Uh, boss?”

The pirate monitoring the ship’s sensors called out.

“There’s something strange about AG-01. The planet’s atmospheric conditions are extremely unstable.”

“How unstable?”

“There are massive storms across several regions of the planet. It’s interfering with our scans.”

Sutherland frowned.

“There was no mention of that before we came here. What’s going on?”

“Judging by the sudden weather shifts, it looks like something’s gone wrong with the terraforming systems.”

“Boss, we’ve received a reply from Sinoni.”

A cyborg pirate handling communications joined in.

“They said there was a terrorist attack by separatists three days ago. It damaged the terraforming machines.”

“Separatists? I thought the last report said they were all cleaned up?”

“Looks like some stragglers slipped through. They say it’s handled now.”

“What do you want to do?”

Sutherland scratched his head, irritation written across his face.

He scratched so hard his nails drew blood—then finally let out a reluctant sigh.

“Is there still no issue with the scheduled rendezvous site?”

“Other than minor comm disruptions, no.”

“Keep this ship running scans. Have the rest land planetside. And those bastards who swapped out their ships for mining vessels without authorization—give them one day. Tell them to fix the terraforming machines as fast as possible.”

“You mean the Sino Roku Cartel?”

“Yeah.”

“Got it. I’ll pass it on.”

“…I’ll be resting in the captain’s quarters. Handle the rest the same way we did last time.”

“Understood!”

With that, Sutherland exited the bridge.

The closer he got to his quarters, the darker his expression grew.

Even though he said he was going to rest, his face told another story.

The other pirates believed Sutherland was the master of this ship.

But in truth… he wasn’t.

This ship—and the cartel he belonged to—had another owner entirely.

Sutherland arrived at the captain’s quarters and knocked cautiously.

“Lord Sino, this is Sutherland. I have a report to—guh?!”

Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden, crushing headache struck him.

Unconsciously, he collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain.

Amid the agony, a young man’s voice pierced into his ears.

“Useless maggots, every single one of you. Can’t even handle something this simple, can you?”

“Graaagh!”

“How about I replace that rotten brain of yours while I’m at it?”

“Please—just this once, forgive me…!”

Despite the teasing tone in the young voice, there was nothing playful about what was happening.

The control implant was still fully active, and Sutherland, now bleeding from his nose and ears, could only beg for mercy.

“Pisces Twelve. Speaking. The subject still has remaining utility. Consuming it at this stage is inefficient.”

A calm, mechanical female voice followed, cutting through the tension.

It seemed to have an effect—the young man deactivated the obedience device before Sutherland passed out.

“Well, I suppose it’s not quite according to plan, but it’s not a big deal. So I’ll let it slide—for now. You’re grateful, right?”

“Th-Thank you! Thank you for sparing me!”

“Pisces Twelve. I command you—review and amend part of the subject’s directives. Let him in.”

With those words, the door slid open automatically.

The true “masters” of the Sino Group were calling him.

‘…Fuck.’

He hated himself for ever choosing to follow them.

But there was nothing he could do now. All he could do was curse them silently.

Bloodied and shaking, Sutherland staggered inside.

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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