Rescue Fantasy (15)
"Crystallization occurs inside the body, and the crystals are created mediated by blood..."
I mulled over the sentence recorded in the log. Then, I picked out a few keywords.
Uncontrollable infection rate, unstoppable contagion, the possibility that all of us have become vectors, and finally, the process by which Blue Crystal is made.
That led me into a troubling line of thought: the possibility that raw Blue Crystal isn't just a simple mineral, but the remnant of once-living creatures.
Yet, I'd entertained that notion before. Even as vague suspicions slowly started taking shape, nothing really changed.
No matter how bizarre the Blue Crystal was, we couldn't stop using it. Our society was already utterly dependent on it to function.
We had no choice but to use Blue Crystal as well. Facing monsters without refined Blue Crystal was out of the question.
'What if Blue Crystal isn't partially forming in bodies, but is crystallizing throughout the whole organism?'
A small difference in phrasing, but a vast difference in consequences. If it was the former, simply removing the cause might be enough, but if it was the latter, a far more definitive treatment would be required. After all, didn't the entry say that the thing fed on blood?
If we were all already infection carriers, why hadn't anyone transformed into a ghoul yet? The people in town, too, were likely under similar conditions.
Those who'd become ghouls, and us, who still retained our humanity and appearance—what exactly was the difference between our two groups? I truly couldn't tell.
Mutants, including ghouls, had an attachment to Blue Crystal that matched their aggression. The blue crystal, just like nutrients for an organism, was used as a form of sustenance.
The appearance of monsters was linked to the pureblood supremacist group. Yet, nobody had figured out what they really meant by 'pureblood'.
'Does pureblood mean the best blood for making Blue Crystal?'
Did we simply not have the right blood, and thus didn't change? I didn't know what determined whose blood qualified, but if so, then the pureblood supremacists were practically branding themselves like livestock.
It was bizarre, but knowing them, I couldn't rule it out, ridiculous as it sounded.
"Celestia, it feels a bit premature to draw any firm conclusions from just a single document, but what do you think?"
"This record was left by someone at the scene during the initial outbreak, so it has some credibility. But like you said, Hyun-woo, the data is incomplete for a conclusion."
Celestia said we'd need to find a more intact recorder or secure the documents in the research wing if we wanted to learn more. She glanced down the corridor we hadn't yet explored.
Beyond the long, lined-up body bags lay the route up to the research wing. The corpses inside the body bags were now unrecognizable.
That was because the creep had infiltrated through a gap and started decomposing the organic matter. It was a kind of warning.
If we died here, we too would be completely broken down, becoming nothing more than fertilizer for the creep, just like those corpses.
That certainly wasn't the outcome we wanted. After leaving the hospital room into the hallway, we set off again. Lingering in one place wasn't smart.
Human willpower has its limits. The rate at which you lose it depends on your environment, and the one surrounding us now was the kind that chipped away at your strength in chunks the longer you stayed.
A place packed with corpses that could jump us at any time—how could anyone relax?
Careful not to tread on the body bags, we soon reached the elevator. There, all of us grimaced.
"We'd better not use this."
"... Yeah."
The creep—or rather, a suspicious mass of organic tissue—filled the inside of the elevator. I'd thought maybe we could ride if the facility was still operational, but the way it squirmed non-stop, it looked best not to touch it.
If it exploded for any reason, it meant instant death for us. If anything were to go off, we at least needed to be closer to our destination first.
"At least the emergency stairwell is close by, Hyun-woo."
I didn't like the stairs, but they were our only route up, so we had no choice but to take them.
〈Restroom〉
「Please always maintain cleanliness. Sanitation is directly linked to your health.」
We passed the restroom, water trickling as if a pipe had burst, and opened the emergency exit door. Instantly, our respirator masks lit up in red, blaring warnings.
'... Toxic.'
Something in the air circulation system at the emergency exit seemed broken; the air was terribly polluted. The lights were all smashed, and the corridor was pitch-black. Even though it had been built with state-of-the-art facilities, everything was covered in creep and saw no light.
I cranked my flashlight brightness to maximum—to see black silhouettes bobbing in and out of the foggy air.
「Squeeeak—...」
Spheres of flesh, seemingly made from forcibly fused human bodies, hung down like clusters of fruit.
"Hyun-woo, assuming we set our suits to fully sealed mode, we've got about 10 minutes of oxygen left. Should we use it?"
"For safety's sake, we should. I think 10 minutes will be enough."
Looking up at the spheres of flesh above, I gripped my metal spear. The priority was to bring them down with force. Once they dropped, I'd smash their cores.
That's when it happened. The sphere of flesh—which had looked dormant—suddenly opened its many eyes and stared straight at me.
A slit opened in the sphere with a wet tearing sound, and out came a lump with pale gray skin. It was shrouded in a translucent membrane, like an embryo in an amniotic sac.
It wasn't just one; as soon as our presence was noticed, several spheres began to spit out—no, give birth to—more lumps. The membranes inside swelled, threatening to burst at any moment. Watching them, I quickly corrected my earlier estimate.
"... Ten minutes might not be enough. We have spare oxygen tanks, right?"
"Three per person, so even if we use them all, the limit is 30 minutes."
Thirty minutes, then. We'd have to finish our business in the research wing—or restart the air circulation system and try to conserve our oxygen.
We had to break through as quickly as possible. Unless one of those special entities—the buds—showed up, I believed we'd be able to handle it.
「Screeeeeee—!」
A mutant with the skeleton of a child erupted from its sac, screaming out its unwanted birth.
Ghoul-like claws, immature bones, incomplete Blue Crystal formations, and pitch-black eyes.
'Clone...!'
I instantly understood that these tiny monsters were products of artificial incubation, not natural growth. A special barcode, like a product code, was engraved on its shoulder.
"Celestia, don't hold back with your pistol. If they swarm us, we'll be surrounded in seconds."
"Okay...!"
I slid my right foot back—throwing spear stance. If these spheres kept birthing monsters, the best option was to take them out first.
Thud—!
At the same instant my spear left my hand, it pierced a sphere hanging from the ceiling. It couldn't withstand the force and was impaled against the wall, bursting the foggy air aside and revealing what it had been concealing.
「Arrogance born of ignorance.」
Someone had scrawled those words across the wall.
'Arrogance, huh.'
It was true. We had been arrogant, using Blue Crystal as a new energy source without understanding how it was made or how it stored such power.
Just because it was worth credits, just because it was efficient—those were terrible reasons to rely on it. But we'd had no choice.
The world had accepted Blue Crystal from the very moment we were born. For us to regret it now was far too late. And that applied not just to us, but to those clones as well.
Being engineered, then cast out into the world as monsters—none of them would have wanted that. They, too, were merely sacrifices.
「KYAAAAAAH!」
The little monsters, enraged at the death of one of their progenitors, charged wildly. It was horrifying—not their appearance, but what I had to do next. But, as with everything until now, I had no intention of hesitating.
Someone had to take responsibility. If only I could restore things to how they once were, but, unfortunately, all I could do was give them the only mercy I could: death.
'How cruel. For both you and us.'
After a deep breath, I swung my plasma cutter in quick succession. With each wet slash, pieces of monster flesh flew into the air.
Celestia targeted their foreheads with her smart pistol, forcing them into rigid paralysis, and Carry sprayed blue fire.
I'd initially avoided using flame, wary that the toxin in the air could be flammable—but I changed my mind. If it did explode, that might actually be for the best.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—despite sparks flying everywhere, I didn't sense ignition. Realizing this, Carry increased the flames.
These mutants, born without ever having learned anything, couldn't process the constant barrage of stimuli. Or rather, they boiled all reactions down to one:
Rushing at us with jaws torn wide and razor-sharp claws bared. There was no childish innocence left.
'A monster is a monster.'
Yes, this was better. It kept me from dwelling on personal feelings, letting me focus entirely on fighting.
Bringing the metal spear proved wise—it was perfect for attacking large targets at a distance. As we pushed forward, the number of mutant corpses in our wake only increased.
Yet their numbers hardly diminished—because the flesh spheres kept producing more of them.
I couldn't begin to explain their internal structure. Logically, it was impossible, but hoping for logic in the current state of Titan was already too much.
「Not a miracle, but a curse.」
That inscription appeared when another sphere fell to my spear. Before I could ponder its meaning, yet another set of writing surfaced.
「Product of sin.」
Panting as I frantically climbed the stairs, I shouted,
"Celestia, find the spot with the air circulation system!"
"Already on it! Just keep climbing! I have an idea!"
The concentration of toxins in the air rose even higher. Visibility dropped as if engulfed in fog. We couldn't see the monsters' positions, but the creatures could pinpoint us perfectly, guided by the creep.
At the moment, fighting them wasn't an issue, but if we kept getting delayed, the situation would surely worsen. Dozens of detections registered on my sensors.
Taking the lead, I dropped all the flesh spheres with my spear from the path ahead. With the monster-producing nodes destroyed, the enemy onslaught abated somewhat.
We took the opportunity to open the door leading to the research wing. Thanks to Carry torching the creep with a flamethrower, the door's mechanisms managed to function despite groaning and scraping.
As the door opened—
"Hyun-woo, that way!"
Celestia pointed to a secluded spot, the message on the hologram door unreadable through the toxic fog. Still, the basic facility control console was likely in there.
"I'll hold them off—get the system back online! We at least need our visibility restored!"
"Don't worry!"
As soon as Celestia entered, I saw her head straight for the console and start the facility controls, so I turned immediately to face the corridor.
Through the thick, poisonous mist, the silhouettes of small ghouls flickered ominously closer. Horrific sounds and rapid skittering echoed, drawing nearer with shocking speed.
"Carry, help me!"
Carry and I braced the entrance to keep the mutants from flooding the room. A contest of strength broke out—me trying to close the door, them trying to wedge it open.
Bladelike claws screeched against the metal door and my armored gloves. I seized the head of the monster at the front and squeezed until it burst.
The crushed remains dripped down my wrist. My sense of smell had long since dulled, so the stink was lost to me.
Not releasing my grip, I deliberately yanked the paralyzed creature closer. Its core still alive, rapidly regenerating tissue. That was my target.
I knew regular metal panels wouldn't keep these things out. So, I thought, why not use a regenerating mutant as a living shield?
I put the plan to action, and it worked. The mutants' bodies were soft for their kind, so even as their companions' claws raked frantically, they didn't break through easily. And if they got punctured, they healed fast.
「Squeeaaak!」
Whenever the shield slowed down, its limited regenerative abilities couldn't keep up, so I grabbed another mutant to use as a fresh barrier, smashing the previous one's core before tossing it aside.
"Done!"
Celestia's voice rang out from behind. Frenzied typing noises cut off, meaning she'd already finished her control work.
While Carry kept torching the gaps in the door, Celestia pulled something out from Carry's supply box.
"Hyun-woo, duck your head—I'm going to use this!"
"What is it?!"
Hard-pressed and unable to look, my anxious question received a blunt answer.
"A fuel canister!"
Unbelievable. Before I could even finish the thought, Celestia bravely thrust her arm—holding a small metal case—through the mass of mutants blocking the door.
The grasping hands caught her arm, but she didn't so much as grunt. Trusting her suit's strength, she forced the metal box deep inside.
She quickly withdrew—her suit now sporting several new scratches and indents from clawed grips. I had no time to check if she was alright. A beep sounded. The bomb's countdown had begun.
A bomb—certainly a good way to deal with a group. But destruction alone wouldn't clear all these mutants.
One more thing was needed. My eyes flicked to my weakener—one activation would send a suppression wave through the room. I hadn't used it yet, since I was busy using mutants as shields, but now was the time.
As soon as I triggered the device on my forearm, an invisible wave shot forward. The explosion outside the door came almost simultaneously.
KA-BOOM—!
The glass, unable to withstand the shock, shattered with a sound buried beneath the blast. My ears rang with tinnitus. Blue fire swelled rapidly, swallowing even the emergency stairs we'd escaped through.
For a moment, everything was bathed in blue light. It faded fast, the all-consuming flames snuffing out as quickly as they'd risen. The ghouls, hit by the suppression wave, were sucked into the vanishing blue fire—as if they'd never existed.
While temporary, even the toxic mist receded and weakened. The mutants that had been targeting us suddenly stopped their pursuit.
The flesh spheres, perhaps startled by the blast, stopped birthing new creatures. They now sat shriveled and dehydrated, likely inactive for the time being. Could we finally rest a little?
'Blocking the way like this has its uses. Should've done it sooner.'
Standard 'you hide, we take all the hits' tactics. It works great, but since our supplies are finite, we needed to time it just right.
Leaning back heavily against the wall, I exhaled, out of breath, and spoke up.
"... I think you're the one whose personality changed, not me, Celestia."
"Maybe so. It feels a bit cathartic."
Celestia admitted it without hesitation, and I found myself chuckling.
We were catching our breaths, when suddenly, a spray of fire-extinguisher fluid burst from the ceiling. Just like a sprinkler system, jets of water sprayed everywhere.
「Warning. Fire detected. Emergency fire extinguishing system activated.」
「Notice: Contamination purification procedures initiated. Do not move until sterilization is complete.」
Even without the announcement, I had no thought of moving. I'd felt a bit warm anyway—the sudden downpour from above was surprisingly refreshing.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】