Chapter 190

Chapter 190. Gugu Beopgu, Looking This Way (1)

Right after dealing with two troublesome S-class individuals by handing them over to an unknown commander.

“Commander, the construction has just been completed!”

“Oh?”

<<<Ship Emergency Repair Facility Construction Complete!>>>

Upon hearing the news that the base upgrade, which I had forgotten about due to the headache of handling prisoners, was now complete, I felt truly happy that it was finally time to upgrade the base to level 7.

However, there was one significant problem…

<Base Level 7 Upgrade>

<<<Required Resources: 500,000 Minerals, 28,500 Rare Resources>>>

<Upgrade Unlocks:>

˪Additional Docking Facilities

˪Additional Resource Warehouse Construction

˪Air Command Construction

˪Fleet Association Construction

˪Special Design Management Bureau Construction

‘Gaaah.’

As you can see, upgrading the base now required over 500,000 minerals. Moreover, the rare resource requirement had quadrupled from level 6.

“Jessica… how many resources do we have now?”

“Since you haven’t been producing anything other than resource mining ships and transport destroyers, we currently have about 89,000 minerals and 12,100 rare resources.”

“Oh…”

“But since you deployed resource transport destroyers yesterday, our daily resource income should exceed 15,000 starting today.”

In our current situation, to level up our base and deck it out with awesome battleships and carriers…

We would need to tighten our belts and run resource fleets for at least a month.

‘Ugh, my gosh.’

If it weren’t for that damn Central Zone invasion, we would have naturally upgraded to level 7 by now and been chilling.

‘Sigh, damn it, what’s the point of whining now.’

Continuing to whine about the past isn’t something a real man does.

So, I shook my head, brushed off my thoughts, and decided to keep my mouth shut and focus on gathering resources.

==========

Meanwhile, at the shipyard, after simultaneously constructing four patrol ships, we were now solely focused on building resource transport destroyers.

The large ship dedicated shipyard was busy repairing the captured light aircraft carrier that survived being used as bait.

As usual, after clearing daily quests and enjoying a pleasant meal, I was taking a nap, enjoying a leisurely afternoon.

-Beep!

-“Oh, Commander? Is it okay to call now?”

“Gryanarr, what’s up?”

-“Remember that test subject… I mean, that superhuman you gave me?”

“Ah.”

Upon receiving Gryanarr’s call, I nodded, recalling ‘Smeragi,’ whom I had decided to leave alone until our favorability reached +100.

“I remember Smeragi, but why do you ask?”

-“The modifications are done. Should I bring them over, or do you want to come see?”

“…Hmm.”

I clearly only asked to increase favorability, so why is Gryanarr casually throwing around the word ‘modifications’?

It’s truly an incomprehensible situation, but curiosity got the better of me.

Since I didn’t have anything pressing to do at the moment…

“Then I’ll come see. I don’t have anything urgent right now.”

-“Alright~ I’ll get everything ready for you~”

-Beep!

“Jessica, let’s go welcome our new comrade.”

“Yes, Commander.”

As always, I headed to the Biological Research Institute where Gryanarr was, accompanied by Jessica.

No, it’s now evolved (?) and renamed ‘Nest of Life.’

Of course, while walking with Jessica, it was hard to hide our mixed feelings.

“Commander, by the way, did you give Gryanarr full authority?”

“Well, that…”

“Well, it’s not like we can do anything by just talking this way and that.”

Of course, apart from that anxiety, the system was structured so that users couldn’t really interfere with anything in the first place.

Even if we had complex and uneasy thoughts, as I said, there wasn’t much we could do.

“Not that I’m saying the Commander is wrong or anything…”

“Right, and when you think about it, no matter how much of a mad scientist Gryanarr is, they don’t really make anything *that* bizarre, do they?”

“…They don’t make bizarre things?”

Hearing my words, Jessica’s expression momentarily crumbled.

But after my following words, she nodded her head, showing a hint of understanding.

“From what I’ve seen in the gallery, some Commanders team up with their mad scientists and literally grotesquely modify superhumans.”

“…Oh.”

Among the disturbing images that were reported and removed last time, there was one where a girl’s upper body was left intact, but her lower half was replaced with some kind of grotesque octopus monster.

There were also those who used it to attack other superhumans and posted about it.

And then there are those crazy guys who don’t even fight properly but instead conduct weird biological experiments using themselves or other clan members.

Compared to that, Gryanarr, who just focuses on growing or shrinking tails, chests, or tentacles, seems almost angelic.

Of course, seeing my attitude, Jessica paused for a moment to think.

“Commander, from what I can see, it seems like your standards for what’s disgusting have risen quite a bit since you’ve been managing that community.”

“…What?”

“Seeing strange things almost every day, and witnessing the bizarre creations of other Commanders whose bones are practically rotting, must have desensitized you.”

“…What?”

She was implying that my sense of aesthetics had become twisted.

I felt like I had been hit over the head.

Meanwhile, we had already reached the entrance of the ‘Nest of Life.’

As the entrance—no, the mouth—opened, and we stepped inside…

“Oh, it’s the Commander and Jessica! You’re here early!”

“…”

“…”

“This being right here is the SSS-class Smeragi you entrusted to me!”

There she was, Smeragi, floating inside a translucent test tube, dressed in what could only be described as an assassin-like outfit, meowing like a typical cat-girl.

“Meow meow meow, red bean paste is good!”

“Wait a moment, there’s still some medication left in her brain and spinal cord, and her language system is a bit twisted.”

“…”

“Zigugugugugut, gugubugugut!”

“Eek!”

“Ungoooooooh!”

Beyond the unknown pipes, wires, or tentacles—whatever they were—attached to her body…

And the strange words coming from her ears, along with the small tentacles wriggling around them…

I immediately turned to Jessica and confidently opened my mouth.

“Jessica, it seems my sense of aesthetics is still intact.”

“…Huh?”

“Seeing that, don’t you think it’s grotesque?”

Of course, in response to my reaction, Gryanarr, who was injecting Smeragi with a new serum, immediately got angry…

“Grotesque?! I upgraded her physical abilities with sufficient friendliness!”

“Good thing, Commander, you still have a human heart.”

No matter how much our Professor Gryanarr protested…

Seeing Smeragi’s twisted form, anyone would surely shake their head.

So, for some reason, I shook my head at Gryanarr, who was injecting some kind of unidentified biological material all over her body, like some kind of *Berserk* scene.

“Gugubugugut, look this way.”

“Neeeeeeet.”

“Drugs, hypnosis, brainwashing, training… biological modification… holy moly.”

Seeing that, I could feel that it was time to stop Gryanarr’s rampage.