episode_0634
by admin
The research facility had an overall dreary atmosphere, with broken pipes and torn walls here and there.
The lights were barely able to tell where to step, with only the bare minimum of power supplied, and the wires occasionally sparked and flickered in the field of vision.
The facility, which was rusted and eroded in places, was a truly heartbreaking sight for those who would have to rebuild it.
It looks like a ghost ship that has been forgotten by the flow of time.
Perhaps it is fortunate that it was not completely destroyed, as it was a facility that was once completed and actually operated.
However, when you think about why the researchers and managers who were here were all killed, it is hard to deny that the current state of affairs is close to a miracle.
Chewing gum…
“Let’s go back to the docking port first. It’s a good place to start if you want to take a look around the entire research facility.”
As I said that, I led the group out of the control room and returned to the docking port where we had first set foot.
Rather than going around and poking around here and there, it was more efficient to start there and sweep away any hidden bugs while looking around with a sense of humor.
Because it was difficult to properly know where everything was until the central system was properly operational, we ended up having to go out and check things out ourselves.
Upon arriving at the docking port, we could sense the darkness and silence that filled our surroundings.
Sarah, the most feeble-minded, cringed as if slightly overwhelmed by it, but most of the party were now confident in their own abilities and were not affected much.
Moon Ji-yu, who found it easier to use her abilities in dark places, even had a smile on her face.
However, most of the group except for Moon Ji-yu and me still lacked the ability to see through the darkness, so we turned on our flashlights.
Click-
Then, complex circuit diagrams and faint signs painted on the walls came into view. The signs read in several languages: “EXPERIMENTAL AREA”, “WARNING: DO NOT TRESPASS”.
Olivia grumbled lightly when she saw that.
“Do they usually post warnings like this at the entrance? It’s like a warning from a nuclear test site.”
“That’s not wrong. If you listen to Minho oppa, those bugs seem to be biological weapons as dangerous as nuclear weapons.”
Jeong Su-jin accepted her words.
Olivia wrapped her arms around his shoulders and shivered.
“Ugh… It’s not like the blood is acidic like those aliens in the movies, right? If there’s a fight, I have to be close, but I don’t want to get hurt by blood splattering.”
“There may be such guys. However, judging from the traces left in the facility, the ones here don’t seem to be that type. Most of them are broken and cracked rather than melted. Instead, they are presumed to have a characteristic specialized in hiding, so don’t let your guard down.”
Janie, whose agency experience was not far behind, calmly gave Olivia analytical answers.
“Since there were no bug attacks on the way to the control room earlier, let’s take a different route this time. There are more than one or two paths leading to the control room.”
As I walked cautiously down the hallway, I felt the shards of broken glass and metal and the rustling of dust beneath my feet. Wires hung from the ceiling, some of them sparking and wasting energy that was already scarce.
I asked Maria to bring up a map of the facility for everyone to see. She had already extracted most of the data, so she had a grasp of the structure of the facility.
“Our goal is to secure safety from here to the control room. Before, we didn’t know there was a bug, so we just went in, but now we can’t do that. If we do that, we’ll be assassinated by a bug while we sleep, and we’ll have nothing to say. We’ll block off the area we’ve explored with a bulkhead and gradually increase the safe range.”
Everyone nodded to what I said.
As we continued along the road, we came to a huge observation room.
However, the observation room did not have a ceiling made of something like a transparent dome.
This facility is a place that has been installed in complete secrecy.
Its role would have been to project footage taken by thoroughly camouflaged cameras onto the ceiling as if viewed through glass.
Right now, there is not enough power to play the images properly, and the hologram panel in the center is also out of order, but one or two panels are showing the stars in space with blurry images.
“I think this place would be a very pretty sight if it were restored.”
Sarah looked dreamily at the panel still showing the image, as if imagining the entire observatory filled with the light of space.
“… Then I have to finish cleaning first.”
Moon Ji-yu said that and raised a shadow.
The entire observation room seemed to be swaying for a moment, as the room was completely enveloped in darkness except for a few areas illuminated by flashlights and the soft starlight played on the panels.
“First of all!”
Crunch.
Kiaaaa …
A soft cutting sound was heard, along with an eardrum-piercing scream.
The bug hiding in the darkness was cut down by Moon Ji-yu’s shadow.
The group’s flashlights all shone on the place.
However, the bug that screamed loudly must have poured all its strength into it, as its half-broken upper body fell down with a crash. The entire group frowned at the sight of it looking like a mixture of a cockroach and a locust.
I noticed the bug the moment I entered the observation room, but I was watching it on purpose to gain experience for the group.
Instead, he answered their questions.
“It seems to be some kind of scout. Good job. If we hadn’t noticed, they would have run away or attacked after taking advantage of an opening.”
Although the genetic makeup of the bug race varies greatly depending on the planet and environment on which the colony is established, the command and hierarchy system centered around the queen is very similar to that of ants.
“… Then I should have just aimed for the neck so that he couldn’t scream or just cut it off completely.”
It was quite a gruesome statement for Moon Ji-yu, who had never harmed anyone even though he had gained superpowers.
Perhaps because the bug’s appearance is so insect-like and alien-like, they don’t feel much hesitation about killing it.
I patted her shoulder and comforted her.
“It’s okay. That’s how you learn.”
The facility is so large that the number of bugs that will flock there after hearing that sound will probably not be that many. Maybe there won’t be any at all.
This area, close to the docking port, would be considered an outskirts to them, and as it was a facility that had been abandoned for years or even decades, security would not be so strict.
Of course, that meant that the deeper you went into the facility, the more likely you were to encounter an environment that was becoming a nest of bugs.
But surprisingly, Sarah, who was quite quiet, raised her voice.
“You don’t have to worry about the screams. When Jiyu unnie attacked, I reflexively put up a barrier.”
“Was it?”
I didn’t even realize that it was a barrier that only blocked the sound going out.
Should I say it was a pleasant miscalculation?
As soon as I decided to leave it up to the others, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw them already doing their part.
“That’s fortunate. But I’ll have to be more sure next time.”
Moon Ji-yu spoke in a somewhat relieved tone and picked up the picture frame on the table next to her.
It was a photo of researchers who appeared to have worked here in the past. There was a black stain on it, which I guessed was dried blood.
The condition of the frame contrasted sharply with the bright expression captured in the photograph.
“… I have to keep my eyes peeled so I don’t miss it.”
“Me too! It’s so disgusting that I don’t even want to go near it… But it doesn’t seem like its blood is acidic, so I guess I just have to cut its head off!”
“I’ll somehow prevent a surprise attack! Even though I get motion sickness in the future, if I use it for a little while… ”
Everyone who saw the photo felt hostility towards the bugs, which could be called the enemy of humanity.
Although I had no connection to the researchers who were there, it was still very repulsive to see a fellow human being annihilated by such a bug-like species.
‘There’s so much dust inside that it doesn’t seem like it would be a good idea for Janie to use her powers. Well, Janie is used to fighting even without her powers, so it shouldn’t be hard for her to deal with bugs one-on-one. It might be a good idea to try using Sera’s barrier to trap bugs, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give Olivia some combat experience.’
Of course, I don’t really care about such things, so I was lost in thought about who would be good to fight when the next battle broke out.
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