Rescue Fantasy (12)
"Should I shoot?"
Celestia tilted her gun, saying she was ready to shoot whatever was inside as soon as she pulled the trigger. I signaled her to hold her fire for a moment. Celestia saw my gesture and obediently lowered her gun slightly.
The store that Carry found was situated between security robots and barricades. Because of that, we hadn't noticed its existence right away. Part of it was also due to the unconscious assumption that, even if there was a store, it would be broken.
'They're gathered around it.'
Once I realized there was a store and looked around again with that as a focal point, the positions of the barricades seemed a bit off.
From the bloodstains on the floor, I could vaguely guess how the barricades might have been pushed. The spot where the barricades were didn't match where I'd assumed they should have been.
'Someone pushed them on purpose? So the store wouldn't be visible?'
That thought suddenly occurred to me. What's inside that made them want to hide the store? And of all places, why the store?
The detector was catching and losing the reaction inside repeatedly. It didn't seem like there was much movement. As I drew closer, I sensed a stir coming from the store's product chute.
Unless it was a construction-type store, the product chute wouldn't be big enough for a person to enter. So if something was hiding there, it was most likely a mimic.
"I don't think we'll need to shoot."
"Okay."
If it was a mutant inside, rather than poking at it, it would be better to finish it off in one strike. If it made any last desperate moves, things would get troublesome.
I used the tip of my plasma cutter to open the chute. Just as I was gradually powering it up to create a blue blade, I frowned after identifying what the detector had picked up.
A single arm, with a charred black cross-section, lay there like a cruel prank. It looked more like a mutant's arm than a human's.
Crimson blood vessels stood out against the ashen skin, and more than anything, the arm itself was swollen and oversized. The arm thrashed sporadically, almost as if in a seizure.
There was no core. How could it still be moving in that state? All the mutants I'd faced up to now lost all movement once their core was destroyed. Completely, at that.
The way this arm moved made me think that if left alone, it could probably roll across the floor. But this mutated arm couldn't leave the chute. A deeply embedded dagger was preventing it from escaping.
Celestia saw what the detector had picked up and let out a strange sigh. Then her eyes widened and she pointed at something.
"Hyun-woo, the hand is holding something."
As she said, the hand wasn't just clenched in a fist. From the protruding object, it looked like a paper notebook.
It wasn't a living person—just an arm. There was no reason to hesitate over taking what was in its grasp. I swung the plasma cutter and severed it at the wrist. As the blue blade sliced through, only the hand thudded to the ground.
I stepped firmly on the hand with my suit, forcing the fingers open. At last, I obtained a tattered paper notebook.
"Paper, huh... I guess there are still people who use these nowadays."
"Apparently. Let's take a look."
I opened the notebook. Inside it were various notes.
「I can't move carelessly. Pureblood supremacists are tearing through Heaven. 'First Root', 'the thing underground', 'Holy Tree'—these are the keywords I overheard in their conversations. The pureblood supremacists are searching for something.」
「They're targeting Tunnel No. 1 in particular. It's not the number that matters, but that they're looking for the very first tunnel drilled on Titan. If my guess is right, they've got the wrong location. The first tunnel isn't in Heaven's mining sector. But then, why are they looking there? It's been closed down for decades.」
「While hiding in Tunnel No. 3 in the mining sector, I got discovered by them. I barely escaped, but lost my arm.」
「Something's wrong with my arm. It looks like mutation is progressing. I'm developing a severe fever. Audible hallucinations keep coming. I have to cut off my arm. I need to stay sane, even a little longer.」
「I don't know who, but someone activated the security protocol. I thought I'd failed, but I got lucky. Still, it's too early to relax. To proceed with the next phase, I need to find a way to remotely send energy through the reactor chamber.」
「I am Captain Edward of Titan's 1st Military Base, Keter unit. From now, I will go to the reactor chamber and attempt to overload it temporarily. If a golden pillar does not rise from the center of Heaven within five hours from now, consider the mission a failure.」
「Therefore, I ask whoever finds this notebook: If I have failed, join up with my team somewhere in Heaven. If you want to live, if you want to escape, you have to. That's the minimum condition to face what the pureblood supremacists are trying to awaken. I don't request you go to the reactor chamber room; if you don't have clearance, there's nothing you can do anyway.」
"Join the team?"
Celestia and I looked at each other at the mention that there was another group of survivors besides us. The existence of a team seemingly opposed to the pureblood supremacists—surely that couldn't be a bad thing for us. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
"There's one more page at the end, Hyun-woo."
On the last page, there were instructions on how to join them. That was all.
「The means to contact our team is hidden in the store at the hydroponics facility. I took precautions so the pureblood supremacists wouldn't find it, so please don't resent me for it. May your efforts bear fruit—not by the blessing of some inept god, but through your own work.」
Again, they'd hidden something in a store. It seemed they'd used the store's chute, where items can't be refunded, to stash it.
Certainly, there's no better place to hide something—not if the goal is to hide it completely.
"They probably mean a communications device when they say means to contact, right?"
"Most likely."
I nodded, but couldn't help frowning. Judging by the notebook's owner being from the military base, it was likely the other survivors mentioned were as well.
If they were willing to join us and cooperate, it would definitely be a boon.
Was the person who left the writing on the wall Captain Edward? Was he part of the VIP group that visited the reactor chamber room for tourism? If so, why is there no mention of that in the notebook?
I didn't have enough information. To fill the gaps, it seemed inevitable that we'd have to go to the hydroponics facility. The underground facility was in that direction anyway, so we'd end up there regardless...
"It's not great timing, though."
The hydroponics facility was on the direct opposite side of the medical sector. If we went there, we'd lose valuable time to secure the biocells. We were in a time-sensitive situation, and it wouldn't be wise to detour just for a communication device.
"It's on the opposite side, right?"
"Yes. And according to the stated time, we can assume the operation failed."
Setting aside the meaning of temporarily overloading the reactor chamber, it was only reasonable to guess that Captain Edward's plan had failed. Five hours? It had already been nearly four days.
And nothing had happened. On the contrary, we and the pureblood supremacists were too busy fighting each other. I hadn't noticed any commotion elsewhere.
'Ah.'
Just then, I realized why Captain Edward's plan had failed. The timeframe during which he would have headed to the reactor chamber room overlapped with the period when the pureblood supremacists seized Heaven's central sector.
If he failed, the pureblood supremacists must have been the cause.
That's when Celestia spoke up in a doubtful tone.
"Do you believe it, Hyun-woo? The stuff written in this notebook. It's not that we have to follow it just because it says so, and joining up isn't a bad idea in itself. But the real issue is whether the information is true."
We didn't know his face, whether the name was real, or if he was truly affiliated with the military base. On top of that, these were the records left by someone who was mid-mutation—or probably was.
Once mutation began, there was no way to stop it. That's why so many had been abandoned.
And if there was a communication device, why hadn't he rejoined his team? Going solo meant disregarding a low chance of success.
If he was with the military base and it was a critical operation, it didn't seem likely he'd act that way. Celestia gave me a serious look, pointing out there were several suspicious parts.
She had a point. Moving to the next phase of the security protocol was, by the sound of it, extremely important. To entrust it to others if he failed... Maybe his condition forced his hand.
The simplest way to verify the information would be to check the store in the hydroponics facility. If there really was a communication device, then it could be considered true.
Personally, I believed the notebook to be genuine. I didn't think someone would risk their life wandering the central sector of Heaven just to leave false information.
'It could be the pureblood supremacists...'
But I didn't think the likes of them would bother with petty tricks like this. If they wanted, they could simply kill us—they had nothing to gain from this kind of ploy.
Because I was Lobelia's plaything, because they wanted Myosotis's access, because they had more important things to pursue than spending time killing us.
Thanks to all these factors coming together, we survived that day. Rather than feeling miserable for having been spared by the enemy, I mostly felt relief at being alive.
After a brief deliberation, I spoke up.
"I'm going to notify the town for now. That there's another group of survivors, apparently affiliated with the military base."
"That much should be fine... So, we're not heading to the hydroponics facility right away?"
"No. Not for now. If we go, it'll be after we secure a biocell."
Celestia, hearing me, said she'd help Carry carefully remove the barricade blocking the entrance to the medical sector. She added she'd have more to say after her chat with Red, and left.
I didn't know what she wanted to say, but nodded and activated the communicator linked to the town.
"Licorice, are you there?"
— Of course. Did you find out something?
"There's another group besides us. Well, I'm not sure if it's actually a group, but there are other survivors. Military base personnel, at that."
— Tell me more.
Licorice's voice sharpened, as if she had shifted into a more attentive posture. I started from the beginning, telling her about the tattered paper notebook I'd found at the central plaza in Nexus, and relayed everything written in it.
— Captain Edward from military base Keter... I'll try to look up related info. In the meantime, take a picture of that notebook and send it to me. If my guess is correct, that notebook is military issue, so it probably isn't made of regular material.
"... Like is it the kind where pouring a special solution reveals hidden writing?"
— Not quite that primitive— Actually, I guess it is? Anyway, there's usually an invisible code on these, an info identification code. If I can get that, I can supplement anything we're missing.
"Ah..."
My sense of anticipation dropped a bit. Still, I took pictures of the notebook and sent them—since there was no reason not to.
"Anyway, we won't go to the hydroponics facility right away."
— That's fine. Quite some time's already passed, and you have other priorities. Do as you see fit; your judgment on the ground is best.
Licorice said she'd look into the reactor chamber and the second phase of the security protocol herself.
— Also, the thing about the first tunnel, it's likely related to the town. The mine I told you about earlier— that's the first official tunnel on Titan.
The tunnel I'd checked back then had been blocked at the end. Had they had to dig further with equipment? If the pureblood supremacists were after something in the town's mine, it would be best if we secured it first.
"Then reinforcing security was the right call. If what they're looking for is there, it's almost certain they'll come. Maybe they backed off earlier to target the town?"
— Could be. Anyway, I'm continuing to install more laser turrets. Even if they attack, we'll hold them off. You focus on your mission, okay? Teamwork is everyone doing their part, right?
She said she'd be reinforcing the defenses, then asked if I had anything else to report or needed anything.
There wasn't anything else. I was curious about Nadia's condition, but didn't bother to ask. I believed she was fine, and I was sure she would be.
Even if she wasn't, there was nothing I could do except get the biocell.
— That's all then. Oh, and I'll make it so you don't need to go all the way to hydroponics just to get the communication device, so don't worry about it.
"Is that possible?"
— If I can get the identification code from the notebook. If I find nothing, then the thing about the communication device was a lie anyway, and there's nothing lost.
I internally praised Licorice's ability. She really was my Licoremon.
After finishing the call with Licorice, I stood next to Celestia. A bright red hologram window blocked our path.
〈Medical sector and tram station entrance〉
「No trams currently in service. A crisis has occurred in the communal area. Emergency lockdown is in effect under security protocol.」
And from beyond that, I heard a high-pitched giggle. That endlessly innocent laugh sounded just like a child's.
"... The phenomenon we experienced in Utopia might happen again."
"If it comes to that, just knock me out. At least if I lose consciousness, I can't do anything rash."
Celestia replied in a resolutely determined tone, saying I should only wake her if necessary. I matched her with an equally resolute expression.
"Carry, you heard that? If Celestia starts acting strange, hit her."
「(૭ ᐕ)૭」
Seeing Carry act as if he'd hit her at any moment, Celestia's face went pale.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Welp, a confrontation against the pureblood supremacists is inevitable with them looking for the first tunnel, and the first tunnel is in the town.
Cystus is a monster with his nanomachines. I hope they find a way to fight Cystus, maybe Carrot could help with the nanomachines since he also has nanomachines.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】