Chapter 45 (1/2)

There are few mutants that show their identities in such a unique manner. Of them, only the hatchery follows heartbeats.

-[Of course.]

-[I think it is as well.]

The force members agreed with Cha Jun Sung’s opinion. They had each also experienced Life Mission for a few years. They knew how to distinguish between unique mutants.

-[Which stage do you think it’s at?]

-[Since it’s level D, 1st stage is highly possible and 2nd if it’s more evolved?]

-[That’s right. If it’s completely developed, it would not be 5000 points.]

It is a hatchery. It is nearly unable to fight but like its name, it consumes nutrients when it feels danger to produce mutants.

Hatcheries go through the nest in the 2nd stage and become a complete headquarters. Headquarters in the virtual version are whopping levels 5 to 7.

Cha Jun Sung had never seen a level 7 headquarters before either. According to rumors, only Nine Tail of the 36 rankers had caught one but he could not remember well.

The guy outside is a hatchery or nest. It would be better if it were a hatchery, as long as it is not an old nest with a level 4.

-[Seeing how it is waking up from hibernation, it seems it smelled the force members.]

-[There isn’t movement in the production. It hasn’t sensed danger yet.]

The radio became busy. It is easy for 100 people to get rid of a hatchery.

What they are reluctant about is coming across a new mutant during battle.

Mutants are each individuals. So most of them including the hatchery, do not like encroaching on other areas.

This is a variable. They could get in trouble if they let their guards down thinking that it is just a hatchery area. They must calculate all possibilities in every situation.

More is better does not apply in the case of mutants. If there are more mutants, there are only more disasters. Not having any is the shortcut to world peace.

-[I still see a few dark corners. Let’s throw a few more photothermal grenades.]

-[If possible, I’d like to get visibility and get by without fighting.]

They cannot bother it. It is important to deliver the message, ‘I want to get by this path. I don’t intend to impose on you.’

Instead of throwing the photothermal grenades, they were rolled out. 3 photothermal grenades lit up the rest area. The panorama came into sight, including the hatchery hanging on the ceiling.

-[Nest?]

-[Damn it!]

Thump.

It is a living being hanging ominously over a rest area exceeding hundreds of square feet.

It is like a wrinkled piece of meat with disgusting veins, bumpy thorns, and dozens of open wombs that give birth to mutants.

A hatchery has less than10 wombs. It has a short range, thin veins, and thorns that look as though they are not fully protruding. The one on the roof is immature.

The light red color shows this. Regardless of its evolution, the color gets darker the longer it stays. In the case of headquarters, it is a darker red than blood.

Even if it is freshly evolved, a nest is a nest. Therefore, it is definitely a level 3.

-[Does anyone know how many minutes it takes to pull a level 3 in the virtual version?]

-[It only takes a few seconds for level 1, 1 minute for level 2, and 5 minutes for level 3.]

There must be a Lifer other than Cha Jun Sung who knows because someone responded as soon as they heard the question.

-[How many wombs are there?]

-[26.]

It was hard for people other than the leading group to check the situation, so it was relayed by word of mouth.

-[It could pull out 400 mutants by itself. It looks like we’ll have to expect at least 2 mutants in level 3 as well.]

This is in the case of a fight. If they just get past this safely, they will not have to face even one.

-[Do you see a way out?]

-[Wait a second.]

The Lifers that were an issue to Chun Myung Ik had found a path using photothermal grenades.

With the force as the point, there were doors similar to the one they had come through to the east and west. They must be paths to places like warehouses.

In a direction slight off a straight line, a connection that they could go in and out of with ease was waiting for visitors.

-[I can see it. It’s difficult for us to assess this on our own, so please come and take a look for yourself.]

-[I’ll go up.]