I Merged with a Forbidden SSS-Rank Nanosuit After Being Abandoned-Chapter 95 - Taking Them In

The ship shuddered as it climbed higher, the vibrations running softly under Zion's feet.

Outside the hangar windows, the battlefield shrank rapidly. What had been a chaotic swarm of D-ranks moments earlier was now nothing more than tiny figures scrambling in all directions.

Zion leaned against a wall, chest rising and falling slowly. His body felt hollow, drained almost to the core.

'We survived,' he thought, closing his eyes for a moment.

Koru dropped the metal plate on the ground, his size rapidly shrinking back to about ten feet tall.

[Host,] Uriel said quietly. [Would you like to terminate those D-ranks outside?]

Zion briefly glanced out the window, contemplating.

Leaving them alone could spell trouble for the future… but some of them had long run away.

He turned around and saw the hangar again. The cages… the corpses of several who'd been imprisoned for who knows how long.

"These people don't deserve a peaceful life," he said, letting out a deep breath. "Just get rid of as many as possible."

[Affirmative.]

The ship shifted slightly as the weapon systems activated.

Dozens of ports slid open from underneath the hull, weapons immediately charging up with energy.

Everyone inside the ship noticed the changes, surprise and awe flashing across their faces.

In an instant, loud bangs echoed through the air.

Explosions rippled down on the ground, carving what had been the battlefield into nothing but deep holes. D-ranks and some lingering C-ranks turned into dust, their weapons and armor reduced to scraps in seconds.

Even those who had run weren't spared, thick plasma bullets catching them mid-sprint and erasing them from existence.

"Wow," one of the insectoids muttered, putting his hand on the window.

Slowly, more of the previously imprisoned people lined up at the window, hints of relief and awe on their faces.

The ship stopped firing within two minutes. Everything went silent as smoke drifted up into the air from the ground.

[They've been terminated,] Uriel reported.

Zion didn't respond, staring out the window expressionlessly.

After a few more moments, he finally turned away and glanced through the hangar.

It felt different now, silence filling the space.

The intelligent lifeforms stood scattered across the blood-soaked floor, uncertainty plastered across their faces as they glanced around.

'What now?' he thought.

Now that he was paying closer attention to these lifeforms, he found there weren't just insectoids among them.

He saw humanoid creatures covered in scales—subhumans mixed with all kinds of animal traits, ranging from simple tail mutations to entire body disfigurations.

Yet with all these different species gathered, none attacked each other.

They simply watched him and Koru with mixed expressions.

A low murmur spread through the group, chitin scraping softly against chitin as several of the insectoids shifted their stance.

Finally, one of the insectoids stepped forward. Its body was wrapped in thick, green chitin layers, with more than a dozen eyes covering its face.

"You saved us," it spoke, its voice low and strangely calm. "You killed them."

It lowered itself to the floor, never breaking eye contact with Zion.

"We have nowhere to go," it continued, dipping its head slightly. "Would you take us in?"

Zion didn't answer immediately.

The insectoid remained where it was, its many eyes fixed on him without blinking. Around it, the others stood still, as if waiting for something to break the silence.

"You said you have nowhere to go," Zion said at last, his voice quiet.

The insectoid straightened slightly. "We do not."

A faint ripple passed through the others. Several insectoids shifted, their mandibles clicking softly.

"Our home planet was ravaged," the insectoid continued. Its voice remained steady, but the muscles along its neck tightened. "And our families were killed when we were captured."

Zion clenched his jaw, unpleasant memories resurfacing in his mind.

He gritted his teeth and stared at the insectoid.

"And you don't want to be dropped off on a peaceful planet?" he asked.

Another insectoid stepped forward, this one far smaller than the others.

"With all respect," it started, voice shaking. "We can't earn a living on normal planets. No one would give us work or even food. Hell, we'd be captured again before we even know it."

The other insectoids—and even a majority among the subhumans—nodded, their faces growing pale.

"Please don't throw us off," a voice came from the crowd.

One by one, others joined in, begging to stay on board.

'What do I do with this?' Zion thought, hesitating.

Koru suddenly stood up beside him. He glanced at Zion briefly, then nodded once.

"I don't mind," he said, raising a thumb with his remaining arm. "Your decision."

Having said that, Koru wandered further into the ship.

Zion raised an eyebrow, staring at him, flabbergasted, as he disappeared from his vision.

After a few moments, his head snapped back to look at the insectoids, eyes narrowing slightly. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"If you stay here, you won't be out of danger," he said.

The green insectoid inclined its head. "We know."

It remained still for a moment longer, then slowly straightened.

"We will work," it added. "To earn our stay here."

Another insectoid stepped forward, its chitin cracked along one shoulder.

"I know how to maintain the ship, like many others, since we were forced to keep this one operational."

A third stepped forward, blood still dripping from its claws. "We can fight," it said, mandibles clicking once.

Others followed—subhumans, scaled figures, even a few who looked barely able to stand.

"We will do whatever is required," one of them said quietly. "So long as we are allowed to stay."

The hangar fell silent again, every gaze fixed on Zion.

He didn't respond immediately.

His eyes moved over them, finding countless injuries on their bodies. Several of them had stepped in front of Koru during the fight, taking bullets head-on and paying for it with their bodies.

Zion closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath.

"Fine," he said at last. "You all can stay here."

He opened his eyes again, voice steady but tired.

"As for what we'll do from here," he added, "we'll look at it tomorrow."