Rescue Fantasy (17)
"Are you going to chase it?"
"I have to. It looks like it took the remaining biocell material from here."
Celestia reached out a hand as if she wanted to stop me, then put it down. I understood her feelings completely.
After all, she realized that the monster who had been laughing until now was beyond that white hand. The last sound before it vanished was exactly the same as what we'd heard in Utopia.
This thing knew what we wanted. Going along with its wishes was definitely dangerous. But for us—no, for me—there was no choice. I desperately needed those biocells.
"Celestia, you can wait here. It won't take long."
I didn't care what kind of new mutant awaited us. Whatever got in my way, I'd just smash it. Whether that was really possible or not didn't matter; that was my mindset.
"That's a bit disappointing, Hyun-woo. I never said I wouldn't follow you."
"It's dangerous."
"When hasn't it been? I am a bit worried that we can't communicate with the Town, but it can't be helped. Just like you're desperate to get biocells, I need the data. I have to find my brother."
Celestia quickly skimmed the data in the technology development lab but sighed softly, saying she hadn't found what she wanted.
"And we've been invited, haven't we? As the leader, it wouldn't be right for me to be scared. I need to accept it willingly."
Celestia, saying morale would drop otherwise, put on a deliberately bold front and took the lead.
'She really is bold, though.'
I vividly remembered the explosion from just minutes ago. Celestia had directly reached her hand into a fuel tank swarming with small mutants.
Even in an emergency, an ordinary person couldn't do that without hesitation. Instinctive fear makes most people freeze.
I fastened the flashlight onto my shoulder and spoke up.
"I'll lead. Celestia, watch my back."
"Alright."
"Carry, let's go. Burn everything in our way. Is the stored fuel enough?"
「ᐠ( ᐕ )ᐟ」
Carry reloaded the flamethrower with a click, as if to say yes. Even though the corridor was dark, Carry was ready to light the way with fire anytime, sunglasses at the ready.
We gladly accepted the invitation from this unknown being. No matter what it wanted, we wouldn't just get beaten down.
The space beyond the thick wall was completely covered in creep. Each time we stepped on it, the creep, sensing the external stimulus, writhed.
The squishy feeling was unpleasant—a shiver ran down my spine.
Fortunately, the corridor wasn't dark. It was quite wide, and although it was covered in creep, the lighting was neatly installed, so here and there, rays of light seeped in.
Maybe thanks to the creep, this place seemed largely unaffected by the huge tremors that had shaken the medical sector.
'I don't see any flesh spheres.'
They had filled the emergency exit, so I expected to see them here too, but aside from the writhing creep and us, there were no moving entities.
The bizarre environment naturally subdued conversation. Not that there was much to say anyway, but it didn't feel good.
Soon, the corridor began to slope downward. We were descending.
Down. Maybe the mid-level of the medical sector where the wards were. Maybe the lower level with the lounge. Or maybe even further down, where supposedly there was nothing.
Celestia glanced around and whispered.
"We've entered the lower level, Hyun-woo."
"How do you know?"
After Titan was sealed off, the tracking system was effectively dead. There were no functioning satellites or ground relays. Usually you'd check your location with an exterior camera or your own eyes, but now, that wasn't possible.
"I calculated it. When we started going down, how steep it was, for how long. Even if it was built according to the plan, you have to account for some error. Factoring that in, I estimated our position. I think I'm about right."
I hesitated, unsure if I should call it simple or amazing, then decided it was amazing. The process might be simple—but I couldn't even do that simple thing. So yes, it was amazing.
"We're continuing to go down from the lower level. There must be a clone incubation room underneath."
"And the mutant that took the biocell material, too."
"... It won't be friendly, will it?"
Celestia asked, her voice assuming it wouldn't be. There was a hint of hope, just in case.
"If it were friendly, it wouldn't have mocked us. It wouldn't have tried to lure us in, either."
Based on the letters carved on the corridor walls, it knew language—not just the shapes, but enough to communicate meaning.
If it knows our language, it means we can talk to it. It would be best if things could be resolved with words, but reality isn't that easy. If everything could be solved by talking, there'd be no such thing as conflict in the world.
"I don't want to keep repeating myself, but if I start acting really weird, just knock me out. I may not look it, but my body's pretty sturdy."
"Alright. I'll make it as painless as possible and do it in one shot."
"... Please."
Honestly, I wasn't sure if the mutant's attack actually targeted the mind. Maybe it was just the bizarre environment affecting me, or maybe I really was being messed with.
Those eyes I glimpsed in Utopia definitely seemed detached from reality, though.
Soon, we stepped into the very lowest level beneath the lower floors. The space at the bottom of the medical sector appeared.
There were what looked like hundreds of tanks, just big enough for an adult,
Or maybe they were all broken, spilling their contents everywhere,
Or the complex machinery was so twisted and intertwined it looked like a single mass,
Or the scale was larger than expected,
But none of that caught my eye. Even with the evidence that this was a clone incubation room, I felt nothing.
Because I discovered something that dwarfed all the flesh spheres I'd seen until now—a massive lump of flesh.
'Should I even call this a lump?'
'Mountain' would be more fitting than 'lump'.
"So this is the 'big friend'."
"It's really huge... Is that also some kind of mutant? How could something get that big...?"
"I bet it ate all the biocells from storage."
Don't make any noise. The big friend might wake up. That warning came to mind. The monstrous tissue, larger than most buildings, was pulsing rhythmically as if asleep.
This must be why the medical sector had been shaking. The explosion of the fuel tank must have agitated this monster.
"Carry, on guard."
「∠(･`_´･ )」
We carefully scanned our surroundings for the mutant that sent us the invitation. For a moment, I considered speaking loudly to get its attention, but changed my mind.
Agitating the massive tissue now would be a mistake. At least for now, we had no way to fight it. Even a dozen missiles might not take it down.
Right then, familiar words appeared in the air.
「Welcome to Heaven.」
I thought I was seeing things, but the hologram device attached to a tank was displaying the message. It was originally meant to display a clone's status.
"... Cut the tricks and come out."
Instead of revealing itself, the words on the display changed.
「I want you. Myosotis.」
"... Myosotis?"
Did it mean it wanted Celestia? I glanced at her. She was clearly shocked, not at all expecting this.
Her agitation carried over to me. I suppressed my confusion. It was imperfect, but since we could communicate, I had to ask questions.
"Why do you need Myosotis?"
「For a happy paradise.」
"What the hell do you mean by 'paradise'...?"
「Let's trade.」
A white hand I'd seen in the corridor appeared behind the shards of a shattered glass tank, setting down a storage container full of biocell material with a thud.
Then it pointed at us. It seemed to be proposing an exchange: Myosotis for the biocells.
It wasn't just one or two white hands. From behind the few intact glass tanks, they emerged as if swaying in the wind, making their presence known.
'This is strange.'
Unless those hands were each attached to biological tissue, the scene before me didn't make sense. They seemed to be in separate spaces, but looked connected.
Confusion churned inside me, but I kept a straight face. Showing agitation would just provoke an unpredictable response.
"I have a few questions. The corpses we saw in Utopia—was that you?"
「Yes.」
"Why? Why didn't they try to communicate with you like we did?"
「To get something.」
"Hah, this is driving me crazy..."
It felt like I was stuck in a hellish loop. Even though we were talking, there was no progress.
'What is it trying to get? Authority?'
I couldn't think of anything else. The white hands pointed at us again. As Celestia looked at them, she suddenly gasped softly and turned to me with trembling eyes. She reached out as if to say something, then let her hand fall.
It was only a fleeting action, but her hesitation was deep and obvious. I didn't have time to care, because another message appeared in the hologram, as if urging us.
「I want you. Myosotis.」
The number of white hands increased. In this grotesque scenario, they alternately pointed at the tanks and at us. If I exchanged the biocells for Celestia, she would die. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to keep her alive.
Just hand her over. What matters most right now is the biocells, right? I need to save Nadia. She's more important than Celestia, isn't she?
A dull haze settled over my mind. A sensation like floating underwater clung to my whole body.
Don't overthink it. Just take what we each want and that's enough. As pure beings, there's no need for conflict.
Let's talk about the great Mother together. Her immense grace is like a vast sea, not enough to enjoy in a lifetime. The concept of 'us' is more important than the individual 'me'.
Can't you feel it? Our cores are resonating. We already know what to do. I am incomplete. I need your help. Let's advance as 'us'.
Paradise isn't far. Right in front of us is paradise. Heaven, utopia. A pure world made under a vast will. All we need to do is follow that will.
And what is that will?
It is the world itself.
Why do I have to follow it?
Because that is the will of the world.
That's the world's will? Are you sure that world is truly a paradise?
Yes. Paradise is already prepared. All we have to do is maintain our purity, as the will commands. In doing so, we become immortal.
Who are you?
That doesn't matter. What's important is discarding this false flesh and becoming pure.
But...
Look—you can sense a fragment of that presence, even without being complete.
Suddenly, my senses expanded. I felt detached from reality. It was like I could hear the crude choir music from the residential area.
And a shadow fell over me—a presence so vast it could cover the whole world. As its gaze turned on me, it felt like every secret I had was instantly laid bare. Somewhere, a blue light pierced my retina.
I wanted to lift my head and see its true form, but strangely, I couldn't. It felt like my body was being forced into worship.
Kneel and praise at once. The age of purity is at hand. Even with this false shell, there's still time to repent for my sins.
Something invisible pressed me down. My mind wavered. Yet, oddly, I didn't feel like kneeling. I struggled to keep my legs from buckling. I couldn't even explain to myself why.
Worship. Defy our will no longer. What you must do is clear.
Suddenly a question formed.
Why am I just listening to this voice? Why am I letting it happen?
Remember why you came here. There was something I needed to get.
That massive presence pressing down on me was definitely an object of fear. But that was all. Fear could not suppress all will.
If I was going to give up just because I was scared, I wouldn't have come this far. I forced myself to remember my purpose, over and over.
Just as the haze was beginning to clear—
"Hyun-woo, there's no choice. I'll go."
Celestia's tone was oddly changed as she grabbed my arm and stepped forward. Her touch snapped my dazed mind awake a little.
"... What?"
"I'll go. No, come with me."
"Ah."
I realized immediately upon looking in Celestia's eyes—she'd fallen for its trick. The pure blue of her eyes had turned muddy.
No wonder something felt off. Looking back, at some point I'd started to think there was no choice but to make the exchange. Even though that meant Celestia would die.
On top of that, my hostility toward the mutant had dropped markedly. Normally, the sight of a monster would have filled me with violent revulsion.
That could only mean that something was wrong with this whole space. The same kind of power as in Utopia was in effect.
The moment I realized this, the sense of euphoria—as if I could do anything—and the urge to praise that lingering presence began to fade.
A moment of weakness wrapped me, but then cold reason returned. I realized that this was the moment to keep my promise to Celestia.
"Celestia, I wasn't joking. I'll knock you out in one go."
As Celestia tried to restrain me more and more, I raised my hand lightly, and with it, struck her on the back of the neck. She collapsed in my arms like a puppet with its strings cut.
「You refuse the trade?」
"Screw you, you monster. No deals with monsters."
Now it was all or nothing. If this was how things were, it was better to cause chaos than hesitate. At least then, I'd seize the initiative.
I tightly squeezed my eyes shut, opened them, and aimed the plasma cutter where I guessed the enemy was. Then I shouted with all my strength.
"Carry! Blow everything! Use every explosive you have!"
「(╯°□°)ຈ҉̛༽̨҉҉ﾉ̨」
On my cue, Carry detonated a cluster of flashbangs all at once. Blinding white light exploded, a roar shook the air—in that moment, the surroundings wavered and the very space started collapsing.
It all vanished. The enormous bio-tissue—more surreal than anything—the white hands wavering before me, the insistent hologram—everything was gone.
All of it was false. I didn't know when it started, but...
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Damn, a psychic type mutant is hard to deal with.
「(╯°□°)ຈ҉̛༽̨҉҉ﾉ̨」