Keron
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Chapter 26 - The Shopping Spree
🕑 Added 2025-01-11 16:44:16 +0000 UTC“Humanity? What’s that? Can I eat it?”
--Elise ‘Trash Bandit’ Roberton when asked about her genetic modifications.
“So,” I say as I drop back down into the Squish, wiggling around to find the perfect position with Stripe in my lap. “How do I clone her?”
To begin the cloning process, you will need to purchase another Genetic Sample Extractor, this time the P18, along with another set of Culture Solutions for a total of three hundred and fifty points.
“That’s more than the symbiotes.”
The more complex the creature you try to clone, the more you will need to spend to replicate them. You will also be able to purchase a machine to process biomass and minerals into Culture Solutions in the future if you would like, but for now, that’s out of your purchasing means.
“Okay, that makes sense, I guess. How many clones will that give me?”
All Culture Solution packages are portioned for six attempts at reproduction, and the growth chamber can fit three raccoons at the moment.
“Attempts?”
Yes. The cloning process isn’t guaranteed to work and just like with your viral modifications, there’s a chance for mutilation in the process: whether good or bad.
“Okay. Buy away then!”
¯¯¯¯¯
New purchases!
Genetic Sample Extractor P19 – 250 points
Culture Solution P19 – 100 points
Total: 350 points
Remaining points: 1350
_____
Two familiarly styled boxes drop into my lap. One of them is slightly larger than the last set, I assume the Culture Solutions, so I open the other and find an extractor almost identical to the one still lying on the floor in front of me. The only visual difference is a streak of grey metal mixed in with the silver.
I hold the extractor against Stripe’s back, stroking her head as I wait for the tube to fill with dark red. She doesn’t even flinch as the extractor does its work, so I buy her a Nutri Bar as a reward while loading the sample and solutions into the lab.
The options for the growth chamber update, so I select the female raccoon sample and set it to start producing three of them. A new timer pops up, this one reading an hour, and it’s joined by a small notification telling me the growth chamber is full.
[{That’s enough,}] I tell Chip and Spot, receiving squeaks of affirmation in return.
“Hey Cyon, can they drive this thing?”
It’s physically possible. Whether your siblings are good drivers or not is another question though.
“I don’t know if I’m a good driver, so that’s good enough for me!”
[{You guys can drive. Take us to the White Rhino compound}]
[{Bagsy the wheel!}] Chip squeaks excitedly before Spot can speak, sending enough giddy joy over our link to almost make me break out in laughter.
I shall provide him with a map, so you hopefully head in the right direction.
Is that pride in her tone? Is it a bad idea to give him control...
Shaking that thought away for now and hoping Chip leaves some buildings standing in our wake, I turn my attention to my point counter.
“I still have one thousand three hundred points to spend. What’s next on the list? More mutations?”
Correct, though you actually have one thousand, three hundred and four points to spend thanks to your railguns.
The counter updates before my eyes.
Also, I would suggest purchasing a canister of White Dream S0 before any upgrades.
“Right, cleaning up... Can you drop the canister outside primed? I don’t want to stand up...”
Of course.
¯¯¯¯¯
New Purchase!
White Dream S0 – 5 points
Points remaining: 1349
_____
Now, do you have any specific mutations in mind, or would you like my suggestions?
“I was th-“ I pause as the room shudders slightly before returning to absolute still again.
Chip has started moving, nothing to worry about.
“Okay. Anyway, I was thinking about upgrading my claws,” I say, retracting the gloves covering my hands and flexing my fingers, watching my nails extend.
Wonderful. In that case, could I suggest the Class II Pulverising Articulated Weapon Viral Sample for one hundred points. The P.A.W Sample will enhance the tendons in your hands; sharpen, extend, and reinforce your claws; and create a series of reinforced microvessels within your hands and claws to inject fluids into your enemies.
“That sounds perfect, but fluids? Not just bacteria?”
Yes. Depending on which esoteric organs you choose, you will have more options. You could produce offensive bacteria, viruses, or drugs, with just the catalogues available to you now.
“Wait, I can produce viruses? Aren’t my viruses all self-modification stuff?”
They are for now, but you haven’t touched on temporary changes yet which production organs focus on. Not all of your mutations have to be permanent.
“Oh... Anyway, shopping! Which of those should I look at next?”
If you are looking to maintain your current offensive capabilities, I would recommend purchasing the Class II Regulated Autonomous Bacterial Incubating Enclosed System Viral Sample for two hundred points, along with the genetic blueprint for DogEater K1 for a further two hundred points. However, the R.A.B.I.E.S Sample will also drain your nutrient supplies, and it requires several compounds your body will struggle to process as it is, so I would then like to suggest you use four hundred points to purchase the Class II Omnivorous Organ Network Viral Sample. The O.O.N Sample will provide a comprehensive enhancement to all the organs in your digestive system, allowing you to consume almost anything.
“Almost anything? Really? Could I eat an antith-“ the room shudders and the Squish tilts sideways, keeping me stable as everything tilts.
[{What are you doing?}] I ask Chip worriedly.
[{Nothing!}] he yells back unconvincingly, letting his giddy excitement bleed through our connection.
If you would like, you could check on the camera in the cab.
We have those?
I browse through my augs as the room levels out again, holding Stripe close to my chest. I find the camera feed quickly enough, and I have to hold back my laughter when I see how they are driving.
Chip is hanging off the wheel, flinging his entire body from side to side to turn it, and Spot is on the floor below him, sitting on the accelerator. The lorry is swerving around, dodging between buildings as Chip takes us on a joy ride a little too fast for such a large vehicle.
The audio feed from the cameras lets me hear the railguns firing periodically, and a glance at my point counter shows it slowly ticking up every time a shot fires.
[{Don’t hit any walls.}]
I close the feed after giving Chip a warning, returning to the peaceful quiet of the isolated lab.
To answer your previous question, yes, you would be able to eat an Antithesis if you wanted. Though, if you are interested in consuming unconventional things, I would suggest an upgrade to your teeth and jaws as well. You could purchase the Class II Razorfang Viral Sample for seventy-five points.
“...”
“Buy it.”
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New purchases!
Class II P.A.W Viral Sample – 100 points
Class II R.A.B.I.E.S – 200 points
DogEater K1 (blueprint) – 200 points
Class II O.O.N Viral Sample – 400 points
Class II Razorfang Viral Sample – 75 points
Total: 975 points
Remaining points: 416
_____
A pile of boxes forms in my lap, burying Stripe beneath them.
She quickly scrambles out, sitting on the Squish beside me and looking at the boxes with curiosity.
{None for you yet,} I tell her, scratching between her ears before opening the boxes one by one, finding an assortment of syringes filled with multicoloured solutions.
“Which one first?”
It doesn’t matter. Inject them all without pause and they will activate at the same time.
“Kay.”
I give Stripe one last scritch before picking up the first syringe and holding it to my chest.
{Wish me luck,} I chitter as the thick, purple solution drains into me.
I toss the empty syringe as Stripe picks up the next one and offers it to me.
As the last syringe falls to the floor, I brace for pain. It takes a few moments, but soon a warm, wriggling sensation builds in my chest, spreading through my body with a wave of pain that focuses on my mouth, hands, and torso.
I curl up into a ball, silently screaming as my fingers dig into my sides.
Stripe gently strokes my head as we wait for the process to finish, cooing in a reassuring purr.
As quickly as the pain came, it vanishes again, leaving me gasping for breath with only a dull aching pain in my gut from hunger.
“Any extras?” I mumble out, pressing my face against the cool, soothing Squish.
Yes actually. Your fang upgrade took on the retractable trait from your P.A.Ws.
‘Nice.’
Could I suggest a high nutrient meal? I believe it will make you feel much better.
‘Hungy!’
Sit up then please.
Cyon’s tone is slightly softer than usual, tickling my brain in its hunger addled state, so I listen and flip around.
Stripe climbs up to sit on my shoulder so she can keep patting my head, and a large tray three times the size of the meals Cyon sold us before drops into my lap.
My mouth waters as I pop the tray’s lid without thinking, and I’m immediately hit by a rich aroma of spices and meat. I dig in without a thought, shovelling food into my mouth and ripping it to pieces with only a few bites.
This jaw upgrade is great!
My mouth moves at a quite frankly unnatural speed, and the hunger in my stomach soon subsides, allowing me to think clearly again.
I inspect one of my hands as the other continues delivering chunks of meat into my mouth. My nails are now pitch black, and they look duller than before the upgrade. But, when I try to flex my claws, my nails suddenly extend and sharpen into a point as the skin on the ends of my fingers splits apart painlessly, letting out multiple several-inch long spines that connect with the nails seamlessly.
“Woah,” I exclaim with a mouthful of food, watching a faint green liquid seep from the ends of the savage-looking claws.
I lower my hand to the corner of the plastic food tray and run a single claw across it, watching it split the plastic apart effortlessly. An excited grin stretches my lips, but my eyes land on the cut off corner of the tray and my curiosity gets the better of me.
I toss the shard of plastic into my mouth, tensing my jaw and feeling my teeth slide over each other, extending into vicious fangs that grind the plastic into an easy-to-swallow pulp.
...
It tastes like chicken.
