The System was already displaying the planned integration of planet X5117 on the cockpit glass as the ship crept towards its target. “You mean even when we are this close to their tiny planet, these lifeforms still can’t detect our ship?” Junior Administrator asked System Leader.

“These humans only have a written history dating back 6000 years, so the likelihood of them detecting us through our cloaking field is exactly zero” System Leader said, somehow managing to suppress the sigh building in his throat. As System Leader, he was tasked with training Junior Administrator on the proper assimilation of new planets. He had initially been pleasantly surprised when the young noblesse hadn’t just been another rich brat, but after months of dealing with the incessant questions and unrelenting gusto that Junior Administrator held towards this assignment, System Leader was beginning to wish he was stuck with just another entitled trainee.

This would be the 100th assimilation that System Leader had overseen, and hopefully, it would be the last. He never would have thought he would have risen so high in the ranks of the Hive, usually, his position was reserved for those of higher social standing. But his brutality and heartlessness had led to the creation of some of the best harvesting planets that the System had ever produced. System Leader’s stray thoughts were interrupted by the System prompt on the front glass.

[All zones properly designated. One anomaly detected, Displaying report now.]

The screen brought up the world map, and then zoomed in on one of the Noob zones, a bright red dot in a field of green showed the anomaly. Ideally, the Hive wanted to harvest as many citizens as possible with the assimilation of each new planet. Since assimilants could no longer reproduce once the System had been fully uploaded, each assimilant was seen as a future harvest, and most System Leaders would make concessions to maximize harvest output. System Leader flared the tentacles around his mouth in annoyance–he was ready to be done assimilating new planets, and he didn’t care or have time to deal with every anomaly that would come up.

It was with his characteristic resolve that System Leader directed the System to handle the anomaly. “It’s unfortunate that that human happened to be in a predetermined monster zone–this choice will cost me a harvest, but it will mean I can be done with this mission that much faster. Besides, it will be quite entertaining to see how this planet will handle killing one of their own in the name of growth,” System Leader thought to himself.