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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 377
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｢Did you hear that just now?｣
｢Hear what?｣
｢I think I heard a scream outside.｣
｢What kind of bullshit is that? It’s dead quiet.｣
Heavy footsteps and hushed voices echoed down the ship’s silent corridor.
They were pirates, sent by Sechan to seize control of the vessel.
｢But is there really no one on this ship?｣
｢If the life-support systems and cameras are still running, that means someone’s maintaining them.｣
One of the pirates gestured toward the wall. As expected from a cult-style ship, the corridors were covered in intricate geometric patterns. Among the countless symbols, only the spot the pirate pointed at faintly glowed. It was a sign that the surveillance cameras were still operational.
｢So, they’re watching us right now? Then why aren’t they doing anything?｣
｢We’ll only know once we check the control room.｣
Since boarding, they hadn’t encountered a single living soul. Checking the control room’s system logs would reveal where the survivors had gone.
The six pirates moved forward again, their heavy boots clanking against the metal floor, shattering the eerie silence.
｢So this ship is about to be ours, huh?｣
｢You know how the captain is. He’ll probably sell it off to some other pirate crew.｣
｢Tch, what a waste. This cultist ship’s got a sexy design. Too bad its performance is trash.｣
｢Speaking of ships, have you seen the new warships Edgerton rolled out in the civil wa—｣
Their casual chatter was cut short when the pirate at the front suddenly raised his right arm. A silent signal to stop. Instantly, the rest of the crew froze.
｢D-Did you hear that?｣
｢For fuck’s sake, now what?｣
The senior pirate clicked his tongue in frustration, but the one at the front had a different reaction this time.
｢Just… just listen for a second!｣
｢There’s nothing to hear, you paranoi—｣
The senior pirate stopped mid-sentence.
Because this time, there really was a sound.
All six pirates fell silent, straining their ears.
At first, they thought it was just the wind howling outside the ship strong, burning gales sweeping across the planet’s surface.
But it wasn’t.
It was something far more unsettling.
｢…What the fuck.｣
It was the sound of a baby crying.
｢Tell me I didn’t just hear that.｣
｢What the hell is a baby doing here…?｣
The Hamilton Cartel pirates were battle-hardened veterans, men who had seen all kinds of horrors.
But hearing the unmistakable cries of an infant echoing through an empty ship’s corridor? This was a first.
｢…There’s no way a baby’s here. Someone must be playing a recording.｣
｢Y-You think so?｣
｢Which means the sick bastard responsible for this is still on board. Let’s find them and end this bullshit.｣
The senior pirate’s words helped the others regain their composure. They took deep breaths, nodding as they steeled themselves.
Weapons at the ready, they moved toward the source of the sound.
The corridor, which moments ago had seemed eerie yet mesmerizing, now felt utterly suffocating. The chaotic patterns covering the ceiling and walls, the echoes of their own footsteps mixing with the baby’s cries, nothing about it felt right.
They passed through multiple sections of the ship, yet never once did they encounter another living being. Even as they advanced toward the sound, the crying remained constant, always seeming to come from just ahead of them.
And something was off.
The tone, pitch, and cadence of the cries kept changing in unnatural ways. It didn’t sound like a recording at all.
That voice… It was real.
They all thought it.
But no one dared to say it out loud.
The bizarre march finally came to an end.
A grand door, ornately carved with lavish cult-like designs, loomed before them.
｢This is it.｣
｢The dining hall?｣
｢It’s gotta be in there. Open it.｣
｢Yes.｣
The pirate at the front connected the mechanical device on his forearm to the terminal beside the door. As he prepared to hack the lock, voices echoed from inside once more.
“Are you okay?”
“Please… I don’t want to die.”
“Hello.”
“I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
Along with the sound of a child crying, distinct voices of men, women, and the elderly could be heard. Just from the voices alone, there were at least ten people inside.
｢So that’s where they all were.｣
｢Shit, they’re all dead.｣
Now reassured, the pirates steeled themselves for the slaughter ahead. The cold sweat soaking their bodies was soon replaced by the heat of excitement, anticipation mounting for the violence to come.
At last, the door to the dining area slid open. Six pirates rushed in, their gauss rifles aimed forward.
The dining hall was in complete disarray. Most of the tables were overturned, and the ceiling lights flickered erratically, half of them broken.
｢If anything moves, shoot it on sight.｣
｢Yes, sir!｣
“Wow, seriously?”
“Hurry up.”
“Hey, you. If you’ve got a cigarette, try burning it.”
“You okay?”
The voices continued speaking, calm as ever.
They had no idea how much danger they were in.
Under the erratic flickering light, the pirates moved in perfect coordination. They stepped past the fallen tables and made their way toward the kitchen, stopping in front of the large freezer.
“I’m starving.”
“This is it. Right here.”
“What the hell is this?”
“Haha… Hahahaha!”
｢Get ready.｣
While five pirates took aim, the one in the lead grabbed the handle and yanked the door open.
｢What the...? There’s nothing here.｣
The unlit freezer was completely empty. No food, no bodies. Nothing.
｢Hey! Above!｣
The moment the leading pirate stood dumbfounded, the veteran behind him shouted in alarm.
Before he could react, something pink coiled around his upper body.
｢Huh?｣
That was the last sound he made before his body was yanked into the darkness. Then, more of those same pink appendages burst out from the freezer.
｢Wh-what the hell is that?!｣
｢Open fire—Aaargh!｣
｢H-help me! Snap!｣
｢Guaaah— Zzzzt!｣
The panicked pirates tried to raise their weapons, but the tentacles were faster. Thick as a man’s thigh, they wrapped around one pirate after another, dragging them screaming into the depths of the freezer.
｢Sh-shit!｣
Amid the massacre, the veteran pirate bolted. He sprinted past the kitchen, heading for the open exit of the dining hall.
Everyone on this ship… They had all been killed by that thing.
He had to warn the others.
But just as he was about to escape, his legs froze in place.
｢W-what the fuck?! Why can’t I move?!｣
No matter how much he struggled, his legs wouldn’t respond. Not just his legs his entire body was locked in place as if he had turned to stone.
As he desperately fought against the unseen force, familiar voices rang in his ears.
“That’s something we’ll need to check in the control room.”
“So, this ship is about to be ours?”
“Where are you going?”
“What… what is that?”
“P-please, help me…”
Amid the chorus of murmurs, he realized his own voice was among them.
And not just his. His fallen comrades' voices, too.
Something unseen had bound him, and now, that presence was drawing closer. Slowly, deliberately.
Pink tentacles slithered around his arms and legs.
In the face of such an overwhelming presence, he could do only one thing.
“Got you.”
He fell silent.
---
“No records?”
｢Yes. It’s as if someone erased everything. There’s nothing left.｣
“What about the communication logs? I sent a transmission just twenty minutes ago.”
｢Checked those too. Completely wiped.｣
Upon infiltrating the ship, Sechan had headed straight to the control room only to be met with an unexpected situation.
‘What the hell is going on?’
There wasn’t a single soul in sight, and now, even the communication records from mere minutes ago had vanished. He had no idea what Client S was thinking.
‘A trap? No, if that were the case, they would’ve attacked by now.’
｢Who’s there?!｣
One of his subordinates suddenly shouted. Both Sechan and the other pirates reacted immediately, gripping their weapons.
｢I saw a shadow move in the hallway.｣
“A person, then. We’ll pursue.”
There was nothing else to gain from the control room. Sechan and his men rushed outside. Just as his subordinate had said, a disheveled human figure was fleeing down the corridor.
“Don’t kill them. Capture them alive.”
｢Yes, sir!｣
With all of them clad in powered suits, apprehending an unarmed survivor was a simple task.
A short chase later, the fugitive was forced to his knees before Sechan.
“There’s no point in running. You know as well as I do that the atmosphere here isn’t survivable without protection.”
“……”
“Where are your comrades?”
“……”
The fugitive remained silent, merely staring at Sechan’s face.
One of the pirates behind him stomped down on his thigh.
“Gah—?!”
｢You little shit, answer when you're spoken to!｣
“Enough.”
The captive writhed in pain. Just as his leg was about to snap, Sechan intervened. The pirate lifted his foot, allowing the fugitive to breathe a sigh of relief.
“This is your last chance. Where are your comrades and your superior?”
“Are… are you their leader?”
｢This bastard’s answering a question with a question.｣
“Quiet. My name is Sechan Hamilton, leader of the Hamilton Cartel. I came here for business with you.”
At those words, the fugitive’s eyes widened.
“You… You’re really Sechan?”
“That’s right.”
“…If you are the one I serve, then he is below. Please, follow me.”
With that, the fugitive staggered to his feet. One of the pirates moved to restrain him, but Sechan raised a hand to stop him.
A single look at the man’s condition was enough to understand the state of the ship’s survivors.
His clothes were scorched black, his face gaunt, his body skeletal. No one could fake such suffering. Client S and their people had to be on the verge of death.
Whether they liked it or not, they needed the Hamilton Cartel’s help to survive.
“We’ll follow him.”
Led by the fugitive, Sechan and his men moved through the ship.
Limping with every step, the fugitive finally stopped in front of the cargo hold. When he opened the door, thick darkness poured out to greet them.
“He’s in here?”
“No. He’s further below.”
“Below?”
Without answering, the fugitive stepped inside. The pirates activated their infrared vision and followed.
“?!”
｢Captain, this is…｣
The moment they entered, they realized something was very, very wrong with the cargo hold.
Inside the cargo hold, everything, the containers, the ceiling, the walls was covered in a strange, glistening mucus.
And except for the small area near the entrance, the floor was gone.
Where the ship’s floor had once been, a massive pit now yawned open.
A bottomless abyss, seemingly made of the same eerie substance coating the rest of the room.
No matter how hard Sechan strained his eyes, he couldn’t see the bottom.
“What the hell is this…?”
“It is the creation of the one I serve.”
“You keep saying him over and over. You mean Salman, don’t you?”
“If you wish to know his name, you may ask him yourself.”
“What?”
The moment Sechan spoke, the ground beneath them trembled violently.
It wasn’t an earthquake.
Something immense was stirring deep within the pit.
Something far beyond his worst expectations was unfolding on this planet.
‘This… this isn’t normal!’
A chill ran down his spine as he urgently opened a comms channel.
“XO! This is Sechan! Get over he...”
｢Captain… zzzt… monst… zzzt… boarding the ship… zzzt… we’re all going to d— zzzt AAAAAAHH!｣
“XO?! XO! Damn it!”
｢Captain! We can’t reach anyone else either!｣
His subordinates, who had been trying to contact their crewmates, shouted in panic.
Sechan clenched his teeth and grabbed the fugitive by the collar.
“You son of a bitch! What the hell did you do?!”
“I serve the Great One. He desires your knowledge.”
“You lunatic!”
Sechan swung his fist.
His enhanced strength crushed the fugitive’s face instantly, turning bone and flesh into pulp.
The ruined corpse swayed for a moment then toppled over the edge of the pit.
‘I have to get out of here now.’
Some of his crew were still searching the ship, but there was no time to regroup. If something had already infiltrated their vessel, then it was truly over.
They had to make it back to the transport ship as fast as possible.
“We’re getting out of here. Move!”
But his men didn’t move.
They simply stood frozen, staring at something behind him.
“The hell’s wrong with you idiots?! Snap out of it!”
｢C-Captain… behind you…｣
“What?”
One of his men, hands shaking violently, pointed behind him.
Sechan turned and understood why they couldn’t move.
Something enormous loomed behind him.
｢Gh-gh-gh…｣
“……”
A towering creature had risen from the pit, its long neck extending toward them.
It moved its massive jaw and casually swallowed the fugitive’s corpse whole.
Even after witnessing that, Sechan and his men remained paralyzed in place.
It didn’t matter how much they had enhanced their bodies.
It didn’t matter what advanced weapons or reinforced suits they wore.
They could not win.
No amount of human augmentation could allow a man to walk across a star.
And the thing before them… was beyond human comprehension.
“So, you’re the courier.”
A voice drifted from the creature’s maw the very same voice of the fugitive who had just died.
“I hope what’s in your brain proves useful.”
Only then did Sechan finally understand the meaning behind the fugitive’s last words.
He wasn’t going to die.
And that realization made his mouth fall open, tears silently trailing down his face.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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