Origin (39)
Squelch—
That was the sound I heard when I barely managed to escape from the tunnel and set foot on the ground. The sensation of stepping on something clammy crept up my ankle.
Unconsciously shuddering, I slowly cast my gaze downward.
'... I feel like throwing up.'
Thanks to Carry, who was shining a light and telling us to be careful because it was dark, we could see explicitly where and how we had ended up. There was a crushed creep at the entrance to the power control room of the robot production facility, just like we'd seen before.
Even though all we did was go past a thick bulkhead, the environment had completely changed. Outside, hardened blocks of ice lay everywhere, while the inside was coated with creep that made your skin crawl.
This creep was very similar to what we had seen in the residential area. Unlike the barely-reactive robot production facility, here the creep was noticeably more active.
If I just stood still, the writhing creep slithered up and clung to me. It was certainly more lively. Even as I saw it with my own eyes, the scene felt surreal.
Celestia brought her hand to her mouth. A stifled noise escaped.
"... Ugh."
"You can't throw up here. We have to avoid removing our helmets as much as possible."
The air was hazy. Instead of dust, some strange spores were floating around. No toxins had been detected, but caution was still necessary.
"I know that,"
Celestia replied.
When I added that even if we vomited, it should be with our helmet still on, Celestia shot me a glare. Her face was hidden, but I could tell by her attitude.
"Hyun-woo, those are the monsters I mentioned,"
Nadia whispered, nudging me and carefully pointing toward the passage continuing deeper into the facility. Parasites were crawling between the creep, appearing from somewhere and disappearing elsewhere.
Even just a glimpse was enough to see how plump they looked, which made my skin crawl.
"... I honestly feel like puking."
"Hyun-woo, I already activated my smell blocker. If I had to smell more of this, it would be real trouble."
Nadia muttered in agreement, saying she had sealed her suit because she couldn't stand the unique fishy smell of the creep any longer.
Since the oxygen pack on the suit wasn't unlimited, Nadia had to set her breathing apparatus to maximum protection. If we couldn't seal the suits when we really needed to, it would be disastrous.
Her fluffy tail was turning damp from the blood-tinged moisture in the air. Its usual softness vanished in an instant.
As I forced down dry heaves, trying to get used to the smell, Eric slipped out of the now-widened tunnel. He too seemed appalled by the scene in the facility.
"... At this point, I think we need to remind ourselves of our objective."
"The objective? Isn't it already set?"
"We only have the rough goal of preventing the pureblood supremacists at the refinery, right? I mean more detailed parts. Like how to deal with unexpected situations, what to do if we encounter survivors other than Engineer Chen, that sort of thing."
"Ah."
Understanding what he meant, I broke down the main trunk of our plan into more detailed branches.
Our objective: To reach the refinery's control room and check the state of the pipeline connected to Central Avenue in Heaven.
It didn't matter whether the state was good or bad. We were going to shut down the central pipeline anyway, as a precaution to prevent any other issues.
Leaving it open wouldn't benefit us. Actually, whatever pros we might get would be outweighed by the cons; it'd be better off closed.
Why did we even come to the refinery? It was because Engineer Chen had sent a desperate communication saying energy backflow from the refinery was causing the reactor to malfunction.
Of course, there was also the real reason—that it was a trap set by the pureblood supremacists—but regardless, we had to check it.
"First, we need to get to the control room."
The journey there was expected to be perilous. The risks went without saying. It would be very different from breaking into the robot production facility.
After all, this place was crawling with strange monsters.
It would be great if we could just plow through with security robots from the production facility, but we didn't have the time. Realistically, our job was to buy time.
We were just buying time for the security protocol preparations to finish.
"Honestly, getting inside isn't even a real problem. We can handle monsters the way we always have. The real problem is..."
"...the pureblood supremacists,"
Nadia finished my sentence, folding her arms with a grave look. Her tail swished impatiently.
"Yeah, the pureblood supremacists. There's no telling what they've prepared. Just like we had time to get ready, so did they."
Time is fair to everyone. If we used time, our enemy did too. Unless you're a god, only using time on one side is impossible.
They had broken the pipeline and planted mimic monsters around. That's just the entrance. Inside, the creep is thick, and parasites are roaming everywhere.
What we were seeing was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Honestly, I just wanted to blow up the entire facility so we wouldn't have to go in at all.
Celestia hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"This is just my prediction, but they probably won't show themselves until we reach a certain spot. The pureblood supremacists like watching people struggle."
They liked to see desperate struggles, not the "honest hard labor" of pure humans. There really wasn't a single thing appealing about the pureblood supremacists.
It was just speculation, but we agreed with Celestia. If they really wanted us dead, they would have bombarded us with firepower already.
"Then, for now, we only have to worry about monsters."
"And look for Engineer Chen. If he's alive, he might know something about the pureblood supremacists."
Honestly, even if he was alive, he probably wouldn't be in any condition to talk. Still, it was suitable as a secondary objective, so we all nodded.
"Just turn on the flashlights. As long as we're on the creep, our position is always exposed to the monsters anyway."
That was how the creep worked back in the residential area. Even just standing on it, the local ghouls would chase us relentlessly. Since we couldn't completely hide, the least we could do was lessen the burden on ourselves as much as possible.
We attached flashlights to our shoulders. Carry and Alpha also increased the brightness. It eased the strain on our eyes. The previously blurry outlines became clear.
I tightened my grip on the plasma cutter and looked ahead. Everyone quickly checked their weapons.
All we had to do now was repeat what we'd done so far—advance through various sectors to reach the control room, dealing with monsters as much as possible along the way. That's how we'd reach our goal.
There was nothing else to interfere.
As I took a deep breath and stepped forward, our advance began. With each step, the enormous presence of the facility loomed nearer, and the creep welcomed us as if greeting new organisms.
【"Kkiriririk..."】
【"Kurururu..."】
The parasites sensed us and fled in a hurry. If anyone should be running away, it was us. I didn't understand why they were freaking out instead.
"I thought they'd show hostility, but they're just leaving."
"They might not be running away—they could be going to alert others. They look like the ones we saw in the cargo sector, but there's no host in sight."
Parasites move around, secreting a viscous mucus, and they continue living by invading their hosts' bodies. If they've disappeared, it means they're either going to fetch a host or are just temporarily separated specimens.
Eric's speculation came true. A mutated creature, resembling a normal ghoul but with bizarre body structure, appeared at the end of the corridor.
The squared-off hallway, containers strewn all over, strange noises prickling at my ears, the heavy stench of blood strong enough to induce vomiting, unstable lighting, broken security robots, dimly glowing hologram panels—all of it was covered with creep.
And in one corner of this landscape, there was the monster.
It wasn't making a show of itself, just watching quietly from the end with a long neck stretched out.
Its elongated snout and neck, dark pupils, and no sign of a suit left.
The mutant carried several parasites on its body. Every time a parasite within wriggled, its insides seemed to move as if alive.
My heart sank as we all tensed up, ready for a fight. But before the mounting tension could boil over, the bizarrely shaped monster didn't rush at us—instead, it slowly slid its head back and disappeared.
The parasites embedded in its body also dropped off and vanished into the darkness outside the light's reach. All we could hear was the faint, wet sound they made.
Sometimes, the parasites seemed to fight with each other, making strange cries that fired up the imagination. It was a scene more chilling than anything in a horror movie.
Celestia's voice sounded in my ear, thin as if it could extinguish at any moment.
"... Eric, let's just go quietly."
"... Yes."
The chances that Engineer Chen or any other survivors were alive dropped even lower. No, it was practically zero. I couldn't believe anyone would survive where such a monster existed.
Nadia, her hand trembling, forced herself to check the detector. She soon spoke in a defeated voice.
"Hyun-woo, the detector isn't working. I mean, it's on, but it doesn't seem to function properly. There's too much vibration being detected from all around."
"So you can't use it at all?"
"If I lower the sensitivity, creep won't interfere as much, but then we might miss the parasites."
"Let's do that anyway. If not, the detector will be useless."
"Got it."
Just as Nadia adjusted the detector—
Pak!
A splattering sound, like a mass of liquid being expelled, hit my senses. My experience kicked in before my mind could react, and I yanked Nadia backward.
She seemed to sense something was off, too—she looked up at the front even before I pulled her. Thankfully, Nadia reacted quickly enough to dodge, but Alpha didn't.
A half-dried, jelly-like mass landed with a splat at Alpha's feet. The mucous started bubbling rapidly as it touched the floor, emitting a hissing sound and expanding in an instant.
If you just heard it, it sounded like melting, but nothing was actually dissolving. It just made the nearby creep react violently. The already lively creep seemed to take this mucus as a signal and instantly spread out.
Which resulted in Alpha's ankle being grabbed. Sizing up the situation at once, Alpha tried to break free.
But the creep clung tenaciously. Unlike before, when pulling would just tear it off, it seemed to have grown stronger.
"...!"
【(´×д×`三꒪д꒪ ;)】
"Carry! Burn it!"
【(⌐■_■)-︻╦╤─】
Startled but responsive, Carry aimed the flamethrower right where Alpha stood. Blue flames swept across the ground. Alpha's durability should be enough to withstand that.
Fwooosh!
Kiiiiiii—!
The intense heat dried out the creep completely, forcing it to release Alpha's ankle, all the while letting out a grotesque scream.
'You monster!'
The attack just now had definitely come from the lurking mutant. The trajectory of the liquid matched where the monster had vanished.
I raised my plasma cutter, ready to respond. But the mutant that spat the suspicious liquid didn't approach. Instead, it just watched us as before.
And then, it retreated. It didn't press the attack further—just backed off.
No, not retreat—more like, 'Can I win? Should I sap their strength until I can win? How will you react if I do this?' It felt like it was sizing us up.
'... To be precise.'
Right now, we were being observed. By a grotesquely shaped monster.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【(⌐■_■)-︻╦╤─】