Mercenary Black Mamba

"Quite! Thirty kilometers around would have been decimated."

"That's ridiculous! Even an atomic bomb wouldn't be that destructive."

Mu Ssang jumped. Thirty kilometers around meant Daegu, Dalseong, Gyeongsan, Chilgok would all be within the blast radius. That would be a thousand times stronger than Little Boy that was dropped in Hiroshima.

For an atomic bomb to trigger a chain reaction, it needed critical mass. Uranium-235 needed to reach at least five kilograms. Plutonium needed to reach two kilograms. Ange Sikager's mass was 500 grams. Even if it is a condensed "yellowcake," it still didn't reach critical mass. An atomic explosion only converts 1.15 percent of the mass into energy. Even if Ange Sikager explodes in a chain reaction, only a part of Mt. Palgong was going to be destroyed.

"An atomic explosion? Deducing from your knowledge, it is a very primitive mass-to-energy system. It is difficult to explain it to you due to the difference in the level of the civilization's progress and concepts. To explain it according to your knowledge and cognition system, a Concretus's bionic robot 'ego' is housed in a shell of an alloy of adamantium, also known as 'divine metal.' The antimatter quanta in the shell collapse to power the bionic robot ego. This can be referred to as 'hatching' in your system of concepts. If the high temperature during the hatching is not cooled, the antimatter reaction begins. The energy released in this process is hundreds of thousands of times more than what is released during a process of nuclear fission. The molecules of the water used to cool the heat include heavy oxygen atoms with eight neutrons. The loose molecular bond of the heavy oxygen atoms prevents the antimatter explosion. This lake is small but the water is abundant with heavy oxygen atoms. If it hatches in the air, it will turn into an antimatter bomb. I envy you for being so ignorant. It makes you brave."

Kamdoong had learned to use cynicism. He was becoming more and more human.

"What? Is that a bionic robot made by Concretus?"

Mu Ssang gasped. He knew the concept of antimatter but still couldn't fully understand Kamdoong's explanation nor believe it. If one is on the verge of death a hundred times, it is fine as long as one doesn't die. It was quite an irresponsible statement but "the verge of" was not a real danger. As long as the city of Daegu stood intact right now, nothing really went wrong.

He only focused on the words, "a bionic robot made by Concretus." He knew the jade-colored rock was an extraordinary object but had no idea it came from the same Mesozoic era as Kamdoong. His surprise was compounded.

"Why are you so surprised? That's a common genetically-engineered bionic robot. I am surprised that you came into possession of that and initiated the hatching process with an energy wave."

'A common bionic robot!'

Mu Ssang opened his mouth wide. He was in awe at the Concretus who handled a city-destroying dangerous antimatter object like it was a lump of clay from 150,000,000 years ago. Does history repeat itself? Homo sapiens also possess dozens of thousands of hydrogen bombs that are sufficient to shatter the planet many times. Mu Ssang realized Concretus was no greater danger than humans.

"Did I initiate the hatching process? I don't like playing with fire."

Mu Ssang denied the claim. When he was 12, his friends all died when they disassembled a shell for fun. Mu Ssang almost died too. Since then, he was wary of playing with unknown objects, like putting them in fire or disassembling it.

"That's odd. Where did you even find that?"

"In the jungle of Ituri. I saved Pygmies from a massacre. An elder gave it to me as a gift. He called it Ange Sikager."

"An egg of an angel? That is quite accurate. It does have wings and can fly."

"It can fly? What even is that?"

"That's the first question you should have asked. That's the ego of Heca. An artificial intelligence. A created ego."

"Heca? What is that?"

It was natural that Mu Ssang had no idea what Heca was. It couldn't be some Egyptian god of magic. A great sound was heard from the reservoir. Kamdoong stared at the surface. Thick steam rendered everything invisible. Kamdoong activated his scouter. The hatching was not even halfway done. He was beginning to be concerned with the lack of cooling water.

"Concretus surpassed the mechanical phase of a civilization. It is more correct to say that they shed the inefficiency of mechanical civilization. Heca, in today's terms, is an agricultural machine. To put it in your concepts, it is a flying bug-swatter that chases harmful creatures away and sprays pesticide."

"A farming machine? Does that egg spray pesticide?"

An image of a cultivator was the first thing that came to Mu Ssang's mind when he thought of "a farming machine." The familiar image of a cultivator trundling along an unpaved farm road didn't quite match a stone egg that could obliterate everything in a 30 kilometers radius.

"You have poor memory. I said that it is Heca's ego, several times in fact. Heca's shell, its body, is somewhere else. It is called Hata. The relationship between Heca and Hata is similar to the process of how a Concretus wears a body to become Adras. To put in contemporary human terms, Heca is software and Hata is hardware. If Heca is combined with Hata, Hata disappears and a whole Heca emerges.

"Why are the ego and the body separated?"

"Because its owner isn't determined. Heca is a bionic robot with a mind of its own. If Heca goes rogue, it becomes a killing machine with its learning ability and defensive instinct. Its intended use is a farming machine and deterring pest but it has quite some combat power too."

Mu Ssang understood. When humans store a bomb, they also separated the body and the trigger.

"Is it stronger than you?"

The civilization of Concretus was vastly different from human civilization. More explanation would have only led to more confusion. Mu Ssang asked the most primal question.

"Heca, unlike Epidium or Adras, was intended for wide-range operations. If it is fully awakened, and goes on a rampage in an uncontrolled state, it would wipe out Daegu from the map in an hour."

Kamdoong said horrible words most calmly.

"What?"

Mu Ssang kept exclaiming. He didn't even want to ask more questions. He couldn't imagine the magnitude of combat power that could obliterate Daegu in one hour. Several American aircraft carriers might be able to match that kind of strength.

"Oh my."

Mu Ssang turned his gaze to the reservoir. The water level diminished to more than half of the original. It meant more than 70 percent of the water evaporated. Because of its force field, even with Dimensional Sight or Inner Eye, he couldn't figure out the state of Ange Sikager, or Heca. The egg's presence was already quite awe-inspiring.

"Can you figure out how the hatching is going on?"

"Because of its force field, the scouter is of no use. We will need to check with our bare eyes.

Kamdoong's neck was elongated like taffy. Before Mu Ssang had time to discourage him, Kamdoong's head disappeared into the steam. In the next moment, Kamdoong's neck, once 100 meters, became its normal size. Mu Ssang shook his head. He had forgotten that Kamdoong was the same kind of monster too.

"Heca is hatching normally. It is 80 percent done. Heca needs the brain wave of its specified owner and Hata to begin hatching. I still don't get it."

Kamdoong muttered as he looked down into the reservoir. A leopard in deep contemplation. The sight was contrastingly comical.

"I don't get it either. Maybe this could be it?"

Mu Ssang had a hunch. He took out the crystal bottle containing the Rousseloufe.

"Hata!'

Kamdoong exclaimed in an out of character manner. The form couldn't be more different but he recognized the essence. His essence figured out the object's essence, not its form.

"Is this Hata?"

The egg and the chicken kept in his pouch for years turned out to be one. It was quite an absurd coincidence. Rousseloufe, or Hata, thrashed about. The crystal bottle started to crack. Before Mu Ssang had time to react, the crystal bottle was shattered.

The liberated Rousseloufe explosively enlarged its body. As big as two knuckles mere moments ago, now it was as big as a goose. Now it looked like a pink cock that ran away mid-plucking. The red eyes and Mu Ssang's eyes met. Rousseloufe let out a superhigh frequency. Mu Ssang flinched. If it had been someone else, their brain would have burst out of their skull. Hata, spotting its chance, kicked the ground and fled.

"No way!"

Mu Ssang reacted like a lightning. He held one of its wings with a binding spell and was about to give it a blow of Resonance Wave. At that moment, superhigh voltage electrified him.

"Argh!"

Mu Ssang's body was flung upward. The voltage was much greater than that of an electric eel. His clothes burned and his hair stood. Mu Ssang, attacked unexpectedly, was shaking.

"Tsk, tsk. You should have been careful."

Kamdoong clucked his tongue at Mu Ssang, now wearing rags. Hata, freed from Mu Ssang's restraint, streaked across the air like a flash of light. In an instant, it leaped 100 meters or so. Mu Ssang was busy shedding the shock with Resonance Wave.

Kamdoong opened his mouth wide. A bi-helix ELF scorched the atmosphere and tracked Hata. Hata turned its body midair and coughed up a lump of blue flame. The ELF and the ball of flame collided in the air. A vibrant firework exploded in the space. Hata, Heca's shell, was a great opponent on its own.

"That wretched chicken!"

Mu Ssang, having shed all of the shock of electrification, glared. The plucked cock was able to strike him. This was causing him to lose face.

"You became a goose. I shall goose you well and proper."

Mu Ssang joined his index fingers together. Dimensional Sight spotted his target. At that moment, he poked the air. Colorless, soundless energy shot through the air. A hole appeared in the pink body. A screech of pain was heard.

"Ugh!"

Mu Ssang collapsed. The shock of the electrification and the exertion of the goosing with Finger Wind completely exhausted him. This was an unexpected setback.

Hata, struck by Finger Wind, dropped to the ground like a stone. A black rope shot from Kamdoong's body like a flash. The rope wound itself around the falling Hata.

Kamdoong screamed. Sparks jumped from his body. Kamdoong, with all strands of his fur standing, convulsed. Smoke rose from the black rope, which acted as a conductor.

"You should have been careful, stupid!"

Mu Ssang retorted. Kamdoong still didn't learn.

"That was too much!"

Kamdoong, angry, disappeared in a flash. Kamdoong and Hata teleported in the air many times. Many blue flames flowered on Hata's body.

"It's going to be roast chicken!"

Mu Ssang was entertained by their fight. He sat cross-legged comfortably and activated Dimensional Sight. Then he realized Kamdoong was not winning. The tremendous magnetic field around Hata's body deflected the shock of the ELF. Kamdoong's main weapon, the ELF, was great for the visual effects but dealt no real damage.

At last, Kamdoong had an angry outburst and roared. He gave up on the ranged attack and turned to melee. A black leopard, awakened in 150,000,000 years, and a pink chicken, collided above Mt. Palgong. There were collateral casualties across the mountain. Great trees were uprooted and house-sized rocks exploded.

Hata and Kamdoong kept colliding and separating. Kamdoong, to prevent Hata from escaping, couldn't land any substantial blows. Even the two premature Hatas that Kamuge took with him as he fled were immune to heavy machine gun and RPG attacks. The Hata, caught by Mu Ssang, was fully matured inside a human uterus. It took Mu Ssang's Finger Wind but persisted in its struggle.

"Kamdoong is all show! He boasted but is no stronger than the pink chicken!"

Mu Ssang was quite worried. Mt. Palgong was going to be destroyed if they continued like that. The water in the reservoir was almost depleted too. Lightning struck and thunder rumbled. The vapor produced on a massive scale affected the local weather. A fight between Adras and Hata didn't seem to be concluding soon.

- Friend, some help?

- Is that chicken too great of an opponent for you?

- It's like a slippery fish. We have no time.

- Okay. Time to pluck the cock.

Hata was too quick and too deft. Without Inner Eye and Dimensional Sight, Mu Ssang couldn't have spotted even its shadow. He set coordinates with Dimensional Sight and sent a blow of Finger Wind. It punctured Hata's head.

"Take this!"

As Hata was momentarily stalled, Kamdoong struck it with his front paw. The electric shock must have been quite distasteful. Hata was flung to Mu Ssang's way. He held its neck with Billion's Water Armor and shook it. Resonance Wave compressed the air around Hata.

Kamdoong's ELF was much more destructive than Resonance Wave but for a creature like Hata which possessed great regenerative power, Resonance Wave was the right tool. Every creature on Earth is water-based.

Kamdoong's ELF destroyed the covalent bond of the water molecules but Resonance Wave only took out the hydrogen atom from the water molecule. Muscles and tendons, robbed of their hydrogen, became undone in bundles of carbon fibers. Bones became dust. Cells, without their membranes, were dissolved. The ELF was visibly more powerful but Resonance Wave dealt more of the real damage the target had to withstand. Kamdoong was also subject to it in the underground world. Hata, even with its real-time regenerative capability, stood no chance either.

The compressed hair subdued Hata like a net. The pink chicken struggled. Mu Ssang kept suppressing Hata with compressed air and turned its inner tissues into a soup with Resonance Wave.

Hata transformed into a snake, a bird, and a snakehead and attempted to escape. But the foolproof suppression left no crack uncovered. Hata, after a dozen blows of Resonance Wave, became limp. Whether it was a human or a monster, a few punches resolved everything. The pink chicken that thrashed about was now ready to enter the boiling pot.