Rescue Fantasy (6)
"Hoo..."
I crossed the darkened town square. Even though it was the early dawn, before the artificial lights had even risen, I could see no trace of my breath. That was thanks to the shield, which looked like an aurora, surrounding the area.
It was quiet. Since those in the town hadn't begun their activities yet, everything around me was extremely still. Only a few remaining Alpha series security robots patrolled along the outer wall, standing guard.
After a major clash with the pureblood supremacists, we'd felt the need to further strengthen our defenses.
When the pureblood supremacists had driven us to the brink, they turned back with just one step left before finishing us off. We still hadn't figured out why.
What had made them change their mind? At the time, it had been a stroke of luck for us, but thinking back on it now, I couldn't deny that it simply meant our deaths had been postponed.
What we'd prepared up to now wasn't going to be enough. It wasn't enough to survive. We had to be more thorough, more tenacious, and desire survival even more fiercely—not to die, but to live.
Questions about my past and other mysteries like it weren't things to solve right now. More precisely, I couldn't let them become the main priority. Survival was so relentless that one slip in focus could cost my life in an instant.
I glanced for a moment at Carry, who was flying beside me. The main reason Nadia survived was thanks to Carry, who dispersed the impact.
In a situation where we were trapped by the Creep and unable to go forward or back, Carry had, without hesitation, forcibly detached a module to pull Nadia as far as possible from the attack range of the infected power loader.
If she'd taken a direct hit from that fist made of special alloy, she wouldn't have survived—even with a custom suit.
And Carry, not caring that its support arm was damaged, kept digging through the pile of blue crystals, which had been a huge help in getting Nadia out right away. If Carry hadn't dug ahead of time, we might have been too late to save her.
It was late, but I'd decided to express my thanks now. Just as Nadia was my partner, Carry was no different.
"Carry, thank you."
「(ㅇࡇㅇ)?」
"Thanks to you, Nadia was hurt less. I'm glad it was you with her at that time."
「(„• ֊ •„)੭」
Carry flashed a mischievous smile, as if to say it was nothing between us.
Carry. The name was inspired by the basic carrier robot model number: CR60N7T. It was a bot that had passed through many hands before ending up in the small black market at Titan's residential area.
I'd heard from the merchant—who had Carry neglected in the corner since it didn't sell well—that CR stood for the company making unmanned carrier robots, 60 for load capacity, n7 for manufacturing number, and T for the robot's production purpose.
He'd also said it was a new technology test model, with a flaw in design from the start, so not many were made.
Its status as a new technology test model had caught collectors' curiosity when it hit the market. Even if not practical, someone could spare a corner of their warehouse. I'd heard there were quite a few collectors who only gathered that kind of thing.
I didn't know exactly how Carry ended up here from that background. But considering the price the merchant named, I could guess why it hadn't sold.
Still, I bought it. It somehow seemed like its neglected state mirrored my own.
Carry. The name I gave it. I often said it came from the first two letters of "carrier", but in truth, there was a deeper meaning.
It embodied the one vague wish I'd had since waking up in the back alley: to be carried to Earth.
Maybe I sensed, on some level, that it was an impossible wish to achieve alone, or perhaps I felt burdened by it. It felt like I was sharing some of my load.
I supposed Carry might have found it unfair. After all, someone bought it out of nowhere and immediately demanded to be taken to Earth.
We were a little awkward at first, but after two and a half years together, we'd formed a strong bond. What if it couldn't talk much? What if special coating for the circuits cost extra credits?
Sometimes its odd actions made me laugh, but its reliability never wavered.
"... Carry."
I was about to tell Carry that it didn't have to take me to Earth, but I clamped my mouth shut.
「(ㅇࡇㅇ)?」
Carry made a strange face, as if wondering why I'd stopped mid-sentence. I swallowed my original words and reassembled them in my head.
"Let's go to Earth together. They say there are endless blue seas and deserts—unlike here, which is all just ice. There's even hot water that springs up from the ground. Isn't that amazing?"
Carry, who'd been eager to go, suddenly stopped and formed moving animal-like ears, twitching them. It felt like Carry was asking if Nadia would come with us.
"Of course Nadia's coming. She's our mascot—she can't be left behind."
「٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-」
Now Carry was finally excited. When I told it that it was a mascot too, it wiggled its rear like some coy celebrity.
「(･_-｡ )」
It only had a handful of wink data, so its attempt at a wink was awkward. I let out a quick, involuntary chuckle.
That lasted only a moment. When I arrived at the room where Nadia lay, there was no trace of a smile left. Before leaving, I wanted to check on her one last time.
I opened the door and walked in to see Nadia lying motionless on the bed. Someone must have taken care of her while I was away. Her light clothing was neatly arranged and her white bandages had been freshly changed.
Her complexion was the same as when I'd dozed off earlier. Still not great, but I forced myself to think positive. It was a relief just that she hadn't gotten worse.
"Nadia."
I stared quietly at her chest, where the worst of her injuries lay. Every time the barely-raised area under the blanket rose and fell, Nadia visibly grimaced and then relaxed again. Her breaths seemed to irritate some strange circuit within her.
Things never seemed to go the way I wished they would. Maybe I should have asked her sooner. What had happened in her past, what was tormenting her?
I wasn't an omnipotent god—maybe I couldn't fix anything, but at least I could listen. Sharing the same story meant carrying it together.
I brushed Nadia's blue hair aside. It felt rougher than usual, like a sky clouded with storm.
People would be waking up soon. I had to leave for the Heaven medical sector before it was too late. My gaze drifted away from Nadia.
As if someone already knew I'd be coming, there was an unfamiliar data chip on the table. When I reached for it, a hologram popped up.
「I've prepared the research data and weakener in the second drawer.
― Carrot.
*P. S. I looked into the circuit technology again, and it appears to be connected to a reformist group created by beastkin. I'll tell you more about this after I learn more.」
Just as I'd expected, it was a message from Carrot.
'Reformists?'
Were they similar to the pureblood supremacists? Beastkin or not, they weren't any different from us humans. The only difference was appearance; everything else was the same. That meant they'd inherited humanity's worst qualities as well.
Reformists. That name didn't give off a good vibe. Given the connection to Nadia's past, I had a bad feeling that her injuries in the back alley were somehow linked to them.
'Later.'
The reformist group wasn't important right now. I had other fires to put out first. I opened the second drawer right away. Inside was a miniaturized shockwave emitter and some newly-made equipment.
The only difference was that the cartridge slot was occupied by the highest-grade blue crystal we'd acquired from the refinery.
It seemed to be meant for mounting on my custom suit, not carrying separately, so I slotted it into the empty wrist guard socket. There was a satisfying click as it locked in.
I assumed the manual would be in the chip Carrot had left, so I inserted it into my bracelet. Another holographic window opened, showing multiple file names.
I started with the top file. Pressing it firmly caused the window to expand and display its contents.
A device identical to the one I'd just mounted on my wrist was spinning slowly in 3D, with a brief description beside it.
「We haven't given it an official name yet. Let's standardize it as the plasma repulsion induction device, or simply the weakener.
It utilizes the fact that all mutant lifeforms contain raw blue crystal or, further along, form a core.
The machine chassis is borrowed from a shockwave emitter model. The blue crystal in the cartridge slot is the highest-grade refined type, containing immense energy.
When activated, the device emits fan-shaped waves of pure energy—the waves strike against a mutant's blue crystal, causing repulsion.
The resulting artificial repulsion is expected to cause physical collapse or nullification of special abilities. The closer the target, the stronger the effect.
To meaningfully stagger or disrupt a mutant, the effective range limit is 10 meters.
We only use refined blue crystal for safety, but raw stone can be substituted. Still, it's not recommended.
When the installed blue crystal is fully depleted, the device is unusable unless replaced. It won't function at all after it's empty.」
So, it was a debuff device of sorts. I'd already struggled to keep up with the mutants' pace, but this should make things easier.
As long as I hit with it properly, I could seize the initiative.
While I was at it, I decided to check the remaining files, since it was always better to review these things ahead of time.
〈On Human-Base Mutants: Ghouls and Mimics.〉
「From the samples we've collected so far, we've learned that the mutant lifeforms we call ghouls and mimics are becoming increasingly aggressive in their mutations.
The newly discovered cocoon appears to be a mid-stage in ghoul mutation. The cocoon holds a liquid—the self-melted flesh of the ghoul as it prepares for a new mutation.
It's a kind of liquefaction process. Ghouls that survive this process have their bodies restructured, but the survival rate isn't high.
The survivors shed their former, chaotic forms for reorganized shapes. The previously bubbling, seething flesh is nowhere to be seen.
The restructured ghouls respond more keenly to blue crystal. That should make the weakener especially effective.
And they can now manipulate some of the energy contained in raw blue stone. When they attack, their claws are wreathed in a bluish glow.
It's a principle similar to a plasma cutter. Energy anchored to the claws spins rapidly, creating natural cutting force—though they don't seem able to control the output yet. More samples are needed to clarify this.
As for the ghouls who fail restructuring, in a different light, it could be said that those who die are the selected ones. The melted fluid of structurally unfit ghouls is a kind of essence.
That essence expands the Creep holding the cocoon, allowing it to foster more cocoons. It's a sacrifice for better mutation. Death is not the end; the dead are completely recycled. It's a kind of cycle.
A higher-order entity has been found managing the cocoons. It appears to store ghoul essence in its body and allocates it to cocoons with potential to mutate further.
Because it always carries essence, it becomes host to the parasite organisms crawling through the Creep. What happens when it serves as host, we don't yet know—more samples are required.
Mimics appear to be at a crossroads. Unlike ghouls, they haven't settled on a mutation path; resulting in individuals mutating in all directions.
The refinery is both nest and laboratory for monsters. Plentiful energy and intense heat have made the nest enormous.
The mimic that infected a military power loader followed the tram-type branch and gained increased mobility. Those mimics that imitated storage boxes and small objects maximized their mimicry abilities, gaining additional stealth.
Contrasting directions. However, I predict that both single and collective mimics will survive. One as an individual, the other as a colony.
Presumably, the mobile mimic acts as a nutrient supplier to the colony mimic. The newly observed infection ability is ideal for supplying food.
It's unclear if the infection stops at primary infection or spreads in a chain. More samples are needed to find out.
If the former, we can halt the infection by removing the cause, but if the latter, failure to wipe out all infected at once would be a catastrophe.
Mutant threats are getting worse. The odds that special entities called "buds" keep appearing are significant. Blue Eye was only the beginning.
One mutation means more are possible. Things look bad.
Lee Hyun-woo, take care of yourself until the small shield generator is finished. No matter how thick your suit armor is, that's only relative to the suit.」
After reviewing all the files Carrot had left, I turned my gaze back to Nadia. There was so much I wanted to say, but in the end my words were brief.
"Nadia. I'm going. I'll make it back safe, so you don't have to worry."
As if making a vow to myself, I murmured and turned away.
Just as I was about to open the door, Celestia—her neck draped with a half-wet towel—opened it first and bumped right into me.
"Ack!"
Since I'd been all firm and resolved, Celestia fell straight backward. It looked as if I'd pushed her, leaving me frozen without realizing it.
An awkward silence filled the space between Celestia and me.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Damn, they're evolving.
Also, who played Deadspace?
Is it similar story?
Do they have evolving zombies as well?
This novel really feels like a game and could possibly made into a game.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】