Rescue Fantasy (9)
Tung—
A hollow metallic sound rang out. Right now, Celestia and I had parked our hover bikes nearby and were peering around the central pipeline.
A blizzard had fallen overnight, packing white ice crystals tightly between the pipes. Normally, the heat radiating from the pipes should have melted it, but since everything was set offline last time, the snow hadn't melted but instead froze solid.
"Are we sure it's okay to go in here?"
"This is the fastest route."
"I know, but..."
Trailing off, I glanced at the gigantic pipeline. The Heaven central sector was as vast as the left mining sector, and taking the normal route would take way too long.
Not that we had any time to spare anyway. How long would it take to pass through multiple sectors?
A direct breakthrough was problematic due to Celestia's stamina and our supplies. The mutants wouldn't leave us alone either.
If what happened with the ghouls falling back wasn't my imagination, maybe I could try using that, but the problem was that I had no idea how. Despite constantly thinking about it, I hadn't even picked up the faintest clue.
Anyway, although there was a separate entrance to Heaven's central sector, the passage we were aiming for started even deeper inside. In short, it was a shortcut.
"Are you sure all the pipes are shut down?"
"You saw the data I shared. There's no chance of an energy flow inside the pipe. The fact that it's frozen in here is proof. That's more sure than anything."
Celestia banged on the pipe, saying she wouldn't insist on something dangerous when she was coming in too. Shards of ice cracked and fell to the floor.
The pipe was large enough for us to pass through comfortably. Although it was a shortcut straight into the Heaven central sector, I couldn't forget that it could accidentally open a shortcut to somewhere else if we weren't careful.
No matter how it's said there are no rules in getting somewhere, this felt like a bad idea. After a moment's hesitation, I bravely stepped into the hole we'd already opened.
The beam of the flashlight revealed an interior stretching endlessly left and right. Unlike the total chaos outside, the inside was spotless. It must've been so tightly sealed that even Creep couldn't get inside.
'Even if Creep appears up ahead, I mustn't use the flamethrower.'
The air inside didn't circulate. Using fire in a place like this would just be asking to suffocate. Sure, I could cut through the pipe with a plasma cutter.
But breaking through and letting air flow were two different things altogether. The pipes weren't always exposed to the outside.
If it was passing above the facility, it'd be alright, but from the halfway point it was underground, so we needed to be careful. Even with a suit's oxygen pack, there was a time limit to how long we could last.
"Nothing suspicious here."
When I gestured for Celestia to enter, she grabbed my hand and came inside. I didn't mean for her to— but since she'd already grabbed on, I supported her until she'd found her balance.
Standing in the middle of the pipe, there was still some headroom even with our heavy gear on. Not spacious, but at least I didn't have to hunch my back, which was a relief.
"Carry, let me know right away if anything comes up."
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】
Of course, I'd keep watch too, but human perception and memory are unreliable. A moment's certainty could turn out false. Carry was here to prevent that, looking at the world through data.
At last, we turned on our detectors and began moving. The metallic, hollow sounds echoed with our footsteps. The end of the tunnel was beyond the flashlight's beam, lending an eerie feeling.
Celestia brushed her forearm as she spoke.
"I expected it, but it's still weird that there's absolutely no residual heat."
Normally, even if something was shut down, unless power was fully drained, some energy tended to remain. That's why I'd stayed so cautious.
Even if something remained, that only meant residual energy that had once flowed through the pipe; to us, it was the same as a lightning bolt coming down.
I carefully brushed the wall with my hand. All I felt was the chill of cold metal. No sparks flew.
"It must have been absorbed— by the monsters or by Creep."
"That could be— Actually, that must be it."
Creep devours energy indiscriminately. With enough energy, it could overrun the whole facility in an instant. Just thinking of Creep left me feeling damp, even when there wasn't any real moisture.
Fearing I'd start hearing things if I just walked in silence, we chatted quietly. Nothing important.
Celestia, knowing I was interested in Earth, told me that on Earth, people grow rocks.
I didn't believe her at first. More correctly, I couldn't believe it.
When I showed that reaction, Celestia doubled down. She said it's even trendy to draw faces on the rocks and dress them up in cute outfits.
'A pet rock craze, what else.'
No matter how weird the world was getting, everyone claimed it was an era of unity and diversity on the surface. But still— keeping round stones as pets?
I'd sooner bring in a friend like Carry.
'My Carry is much more amazing.'
A pebble like that could be obliterated by Carry's auxiliary laser. Celestia chuckled, saying why was my first thought always destruction— just as a 'thunk-thunk' sounded above us.
Not from the sides, but from above. We'd hurried a bit, but I've apparently already entered the underground section.
"... Hold that detector tight."
"Don't worry."
The air around us was clearly changing. The casual conversation abruptly ended.
Listening closely, there were many noises, confirming we'd definitely entered Heaven.
The ice clinging to the pipe melted and dripped down due to Heaven's heat, the skittering of impossible bugs, the drawn-out wailing of a ghoul, the sound of something breaking, and so on.
Fortunately, the tunnel was straight. We only had to focus on moving forward. Staying alert, we soon arrived at our predetermined point.
"Right above here is the pipeline's central hub. It's where surrounding pipes converge, like at the refinery. Any farther is the reactor chamber, but we can't go that far."
Only the pipeline was shut down. The reactor chamber was still operational. If we went beyond this, we'd end up roasted alive.
It was already getting hot around us. The constant humming continued, too.
"If I— no, if we cut through the ceiling— the floor— is there going to be any alarm?"
If a security breach put the place on lockdown, we'd be in trouble. Blaring alarms would attract things that hadn't noticed us yet.
"It'll be fine up to the hub. When we put the refinery's pipe facilities offline, we shut off everything related."
"Alright. Just step back for a moment. I'll make this quick."
I adjusted the plasma cutter's power. Since I didn't know what was above, it was better to start slow and test it rather than go full power from the start.
Chiiiik...!
The plasma blade bored into the ceiling and glowed red-hot in an instant. The pipe's durability was strong, so it held out instead of cutting open right away.
But come on, who am I? I've been mining for three years. I dug through underground bedrock once blue crystal ore's power spread out. Drilling this pipe was nothing.
It didn't take long before the blue edge, stopped by the pipe, broke through with a 'pop!'
From here, it was smooth sailing— the hole became a line, and the line became an opening.
As the boundaries changed, air circulating through Heaven began to seep in. Contrary to expectations, it didn't seem toxic— contamination levels read as normal.
The facility wasn't completely dead yet, so life-support systems like air circulation were still running.
'Is it because it's the central sector?'
Unlike the mining sector, this was where higher-tier workers and those of higher ranks usually stayed, so the facility was better maintained.
I'd heard they even set up excellent hydroponic farms similar to Earth's environment. As long as fire or heavy contamination hadn't destroyed them, those would still be producing fresh oxygen.
After pushing the floor-turned-lid aside, I poked my head up. I quickly scanned the area. Aside from debris rolling around as if there'd been an earthquake, there was nothing to be wary of.
Jumping up lightly, I signaled for the others to follow. Celestia used the suit's strength to hop up after me, and Carry came next.
I left the makeshift lid propped on the side so it wouldn't close all the way. Who knows if we'd use this tunnel again— but I figured it couldn't hurt to be prepared.
〈Pipeline Connection〉
【Currently all lines are offline. Energy supply is unstable. Some facilities may not function normally until grid restoration.】
Glancing at the flickering hologram window, Celestia pulled up the Heaven central sector map.
Since we were starting from near the core, not the entrance, it shouldn't take long to reach the medical sector. All we had to do was go past Nexus, the integrated entertainment platform.
To do that, we'd have to get out of here first. We were in the basement, not just the bottom floor but even below that.
To ascend to the lower floor of the central sector, we'd need to pass through several corridors. This was a pipeline area that even facility staff rarely visited.
"I'll take the lead."
"Okay."
We formed up as we had in the pipe. The Alpha security robot wasn't with us this time. Licorice had told me to bring it, but I refused. I didn't want to weaken the town's defenses.
The multipodal tank had been so damaged in fights with the military power loader that it was no more than a stationary turret now.
In that situation, the Alpha security robot series was invaluable. It would've been a waste to bring one just as bait.
We advanced carefully. There was an elevator, but we didn't use it. It seemed operational, but who knew what might be inside— surprises were unwelcome.
Maybe because this area was off-limits to anyone but workers, there were no ambushing ghouls. No mimics, either. The detector was silent.
Nothing resembling the flesh spheres we'd seen before entering the Heaven central sector. The occasional howling had ceased as well.
A heavy silence wrapped around us. As it spread, we naturally held our breath. There were no mutants to scream at us, but the stifling atmosphere left us no choice but to go quiet.
Finally:
〈Nexus—Utopia〉
【Welcome to Heaven. Utopia has everything you desire. Find your pleasure!】
The Nexus— the complex of entertainment and convenience facilities. The central sector of the Heaven mining base appeared before us.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】