System Mission: Seduce the Final Boss [BL]

Chapter 161: First analysis

Blake sat on the edge of the bed with the incentive spirometer in his hands, turning the transparent plastic device over before reading the instructions one more time.

It looked deceptively simple, a clear chamber with a blue piston inside, a flexible tube attached to a mouthpiece, but after what he had to go through, it was hard to take deep breaths.

He placed the mouthpiece between his lips, slowly, since that apparently was the important part.

He inhaled as steadily as he could.

The blue piston rose through the chamber, wobbling for a second before settling near the marked target. His chest tightened with the effort, and a dull ache spread beneath his sternum.

He held the breath for several seconds like the instructions recommended before removing the mouthpiece and letting the air escape through his nose.

The second breath hurt less.

By the fifth repetition, he was getting used to the rhythm.

’This is... a little weird.’

Still, if it helped prevent pneumonia or whatever other complications the doctor constantly warned him about, then he wasn’t exactly in a position to complain.

Once he finished the prescribed set, he placed the spirometer back on the bedside table and stretched carefully.

’Woah, I feel much better.’

His gaze drifted toward the blueprints he drew on those multiple pieces of paper, along with the holographic version hovering near it.

He walked over, pulled the chair out, and sat down.

Ever since learning about the hidden facility under a-exp, he’d gone back through every detail with a different perspective.

Originally, he’d treated the blueprint as complete.

Freddie warned him about the possibility they might be old.

And now, he was certain.

The blueprint showed nothing extraordinary near or under a-exp. The underground alley simply continued another thirty or forty meters before branching into a handful of rooms and maintenance spaces.

Which meant it was a lie.

Blake picked up his pencil.

Beneath the drawings he made, he began sketching what he saw.

The stairs from the fourth floor, which brought him to that enormous room.

Large circular containers.

The countless doors with the aliens inside.

That seemingly endless wall that powered everything.

If hundreds, perhaps thousands, of aliens had been studied there over decades, then an even more enormous underground complex had to exist besides what he managed to see.

"...Spoon."

[ Yes, Dear Host? ]

"If I want to analyze the body parts I collected, what’s the best option in the store?"

There was a brief pause before the interface shifted.

[ Dear Host, the Store offers several biological analysis devices: ]

[ Basic Tissue Scanner — 30 Coins. It performs structural analysis of tissues, identifies organs, muscles, bone composition, and cellular abnormalities. Best suited for anatomical research. ]

[Comparative Bio-Sequencer — 40 Coins. It extracts and reconstructs biological coding from any living or formerly living organism, compares two or more biological samples regardless of species, estimates genetic similarity, predicts inherited biological traits, detects evolutionary divergence and compatible biological functions and stores unlimited biological profiles. ]

[Advanced Cellular Forge Analyzer — 120 Coins. It performs complete cellular mapping, identifies regenerative capabilities, detects diseases, mutations, pathogens, parasites, toxins, and biological enhancements. ]

[ Quantum Organism Simulator — 250 Coins. It simulates how biological samples react under different environments, predicts aging, adaptation, mutations, and environmental survivability ]

Blake leaned back.

"I’m going to be honest here. You do know the amount of coins I have... and you give me options that are over 50 coins?"

[ Sorry, Dear Host, I forgot about your poorness. ]

He scoffed, tilting his head.

’Forty coins is surprisingly affordable. I mean, the others are obviously superior, but they specialize in things I don’t need yet. Right now, identifying DNA and comparing species would be infinitely more useful.’

Considering his limited his choices, he pointed towards the second screen.

"I’ll buy the Comparative Bio-Sequencer."

[ Purchase confirmed. ]

[ -40 Coins ]

A compact metallic machine materialized beside the desk with a soft hum.

It was roughly the size of a microwave, though considerably sleeker. A transparent chamber occupied its center, while several sensor arrays folded outward automatically as it powered on. A holographic interface appeared above it, displaying waiting diagnostic programs.

Now... he actually had something to work with.

"Spoon."

[ Yes, Dear Host. ]

"Take out the Blank Mask."

The plain white mask appeared in front of him.

Blake grabbed it and slipped it over his face.

Within seconds, they expanded into a complete protective suit.

The material settled comfortably over his clothes before reshaping itself into what resembled a modern biological hazard suit.

Dark gloves.

Protective boots.

A reinforced collar.

A smooth visor sealed over his eyes, connecting seamlessly with the mask until his entire face was protected behind a transparent shield.

He blinked.

"Woah, I did well..."

His appearance hadn’t changed.

His face remained exactly the same behind the clear visor.

Only his clothing had transformed.

He flexed his fingers experimentally.

The suit moved naturally, almost like a second layer of skin.

Blake honestly wasn’t sure whether such protection was necessary.

The scientists on superior floors were wearing it, but maybe it was simply protocol.

Or maybe alien biology carried microorganisms completely harmless to their own species but devastating to humans.

He wasn’t particularly interested in finding out.

Better paranoid than dead.

"Spoon, also take out one of every alien body part."

One after another, preserved specimens appeared neatly arranged across the desk.

The severed arm.

The floor.

Samples of hardened skin.

Everything he’d collected.

Even after everything he’d seen, it still looked surreal.

These weren’t movie props.

They belonged to an extraterrestrial organism.

Taking a steady breath, Blake carefully picked up the severed arm.

The incision remained visible.

Using one of the sterile extraction syringes included with the Bio-Sequencer, he pierced a major vessel.

Dark blue liquid slowly filled the transparent chamber.

Blood.

At least, he assumed it was blood.

The color certainly didn’t match.

He transferred several milliliters into the analyzer.

The chamber sealed automatically.

Soft blue light illuminated the sample.

The machine emitted several quiet clicks as microscopic scanners began working.

Analyzing...

Analyzing Cellular Composition...

Detecting Biological Coding...

Nearly a minute passed.

Finally, a holographic report appeared.

Unknown Biological Sample

Classification Probability: Blood — 99.92%

—

Primary Biological Characteristics

• Iron-based oxygen transport protein.

• Multi-cellular immune carriers.

• High-density regenerative platelets.

• Extremely stable cellular membranes.

• Elevated white-cell activity.

• Oxygen affinity 31% higher than average human blood.

• Coagulation speed approximately four times faster than Homo sapiens.

• Exceptional resistance to bacterial contamination.

• Self-neutralizing toxic compounds.

• Elevated protein density.

• High concentration of adaptive immune catalysts.

—

Elemental Composition

Iron.

Carbon.

Hydrogen.

Nitrogen.

Oxygen.

Calcium.

Phosphorus.

Potassium.

Sulfur.

Magnesium.

Sodium.

Copper.

Zinc.

Trace rare-earth elements.

———

Blake raised an eyebrow.

"That’s it?"

Not literally, of course, the list was impressive.

But, those were all elements found on Earth.

Then again... why wouldn’t they be?

The periodic table wasn’t exclusive to humanity.

Hydrogen was hydrogen.

Iron was iron.

Stars forged the same elements regardless of which planet life happened to emerge on.

Different biology didn’t necessarily require different chemistry.

Still, several of those biological traits stood out.

Higher oxygen affinity, rapid coagulation, self-neutralizing toxins, adaptive immune catalysts.

He turned on his phone.

"...Let’s see what all this actually means."

One search became three.

Then seven.

Then fifteen.

Medical journals, biology articles, research papers.

He wasn’t an expert, quite far from it, but even he could piece together certain conclusions.

Blood capable of clotting four times faster implied extraordinary resistance to blood loss.

The enhanced oxygen transport suggested muscles could perform longer before fatiguing.

The unusually active immune cells hinted at an immune system that reacted almost immediately to infections.

Adaptive immune catalysts...

Those were harder.

The machine’s wording didn’t correspond to any terminology used in human biology, so Blake had to infer its meaning.

Eventually, he leaned back.

’If I’m understanding this correctly, this species possesses an incredibly resilient biological defense.’

Their wounds likely closed rapidly, and infections would struggle to spread.

Poisons also probably became less effective over time.

Their immune system wasn’t merely stronger.

It adapted pretty quickly.

’Eh, could it be a Traflen’s arm?’

A species that has great offensive power, and that can adapt well.

Of course, Blake wasn’t arrogant enough to think he’d accurately reconstructed an alien physiology from one blood sample.

Blood only revealed so much.

There were undoubtedly dozens of variables he couldn’t account for.

Different organs, hormonal systems, nervous structures, genetics...

The analyzer translated everything into familiar biological terminology, but that didn’t necessarily mean the underlying mechanisms were truly comparable.

It was more like reading a rough translation than the original language.

Still, it was a start.

"What a pain... ugh, I don’t have Myles’ DNA."

His shoulders slumped.

’That would’ve been so convenient. However...’

His eyes wandered toward the umbrella resting beside the entrance.

’I, at least, have his umbrella.’

He stood, walking over to the front door, and picked up the umbrella carefully.

People touched objects all the time, handles especially.

"Spoon."

[ Yes, Dear Host? ]

"The fingerprint torch, how much is it?"

[ Cost: 10 Coins. ]

"Yeah, I’ve got that much, buy it."

[ Purchase confirmed. ]

[ -10 Coins ]

A slim flashlight appeared in his hand.

Its lens emitted a faint violet glow even while inactive.

He pressed the switch.

Instead of white light, an intricate web of blue-violet wavelengths spread across the room.

’Ah, how interesting...’

Blake first pointed it toward the alien hand.

The effect was immediate.

Instead of ordinary fingerprints, the skin displayed an elaborate lattice of microscopic ridges unlike anything he’d ever seen.

Human fingerprints consisted of looping ridges.

These didn’t.

Countless tiny hexagonal cells interconnected into branching geometric pathways, almost resembling cracked glass viewed under a microscope.

Even stranger, each fingertip possessed three spiral centers instead of one.

The palm itself wasn’t covered in random creases.

Fine branching channels extended across it in organized patterns that almost resembled leaves.

"This is so odd to look at...’

No wonder human fingerprint databases would’ve never mistaken one for a person’s.

He studied it for another moment before turning toward the umbrella.

The ultraviolet beam illuminated the handle.

Several glowing handprints appeared.

His own stood out immediately.

He’d handled the umbrella, after all.

Another print rested just beneath it.

Larger, longer fingers.

That had to be Myles.

Blake activated the Bio-Sequencer’s comparison function while examining both impressions.

He frowned.

"...Wait."

Something didn’t add up.

His own fingerprints formed familiar loops and whorls.

Myles’ didn’t.

He is partly an alien, so of course they weren’t going to be the same but...

His ridges curved differently.

The spacing between them was noticeably more uniform.

Even the palm creases diverged in subtle but consistent ways.

Blake looked back at the alien hand.

Then at Myles’.

Then his own.

None of the three matched each other.

Not even remotely.

’Okay, so he may not be part Traflen...’