Chapter 18. On an Ice Satellite (6)
Whiiiizzz-!
The smell of burning flesh hit me with the swirling wind. As my feet dangled without touching the ground, a sense of floating tickled my abdomen.
Was it because my mind was activated to the extreme? Everything around me seemed to move in slow motion.
I could see shards of glass from the control room window grazing us, and the monsters that emerged behind us were falling below.
Just then, at the moment when Nadia, who had jumped with a brave face, showed fear in her tear-brimmed eyes and tucked her tail between her legs,
Thunk!
My feet landed on the tram's roof. The tingling sensation surged and made my eyes widen involuntarily.
"Haaaaah!"
I caught Ted, who lay sprawled on the tram roof, before he lost balance and fell. With one arm missing, it seemed difficult for him to maintain stability.
Ted, who narrowly escaped death, coughed dryly and muttered blankly.
"What, what the... How did we get all the way here...?"
"I'm pretty strong."
"......"
Gauging the distance from the control room to the tracks, Ted gave me a speechless look. Though his lips moved as if there were much he wanted to say, that was the end of it.
It still wasn't a time to engage in leisurely conversation.
"Hyun-woo, come down quickly! The speed is picking up!"
Even though Nadia's senses might fall short compared to other beastman, she was one of them. With Carry maxing out her floating ability and assisting her, Nadia landed more stably than us, despite her fearful expression.
Prompted by Nadia's urging from within the tram where Carry had forcibly opened the door, Ted and I hurried into action.
【Kieeeek!】
The monsters resumed their pursuit, and we didn't know when the track might again surge with energy beyond its limit. Following Nadia's words, I grabbed Ted to bring him into the tram.
"It seems like you can't move, so hang in there a bit."
"What are you- Uwaaaah!"
Ted was hurled into the freight compartment, caught by surprise. It was quite a sight, a robust man picked up and rolled like a ball.
I followed him inside. Using the roof for leverage, I swiftly dove in to find Ted sprawled out. Avoiding his gaze, I asked Nadia.
"Nadia, are you hurt?"
"Just a few scratches from glass shards. My suit took most of it."
Nadia turned her body to show the long scratch marks on her back. The suit's inner fabric was slightly protruded, and her tail, with some fur missing, was feebly swaying.
I had tried to prevent the monsters from reaching them as much as possible. But managing it alone was difficult, and several had slipped through my guard.
After confirming Carry's status too, I finally turned my attention to Ted. Seeing the tram jolt occasionally as if something was caught in the track, with the residential area unfolding in the background, Ted let out a groan.
"Are you alright?"
"... You're asking sooner than I expected. I suppose I'm all tapped out now?"
Though his words said otherwise, his expression wasn't foul. Grabbing hold of my outstretched hand, Ted laboriously pulled himself up and brought out another intermediate medicine to chew on.
Intermediate medicine wasn't a cure-all. Its consumption was capped at a certain amount per day. Ted knew that too, but perhaps because the pain of losing an arm was intensifying, he ignored it and consumed more.
"Can we relax now?"
"As long as the tram doesn't stop midway."
Ted said as he placed his hand on the tram's control panel. He was inspecting the state of the track through the panel, noting that quite a lot of the network-like tracks were lit in red.
The energy overload sparked by the damaged circuit breakers played a significant part in this, but the presence of monsters clinging to the track or debris laying on it was not something to be ignored.
"There's one piece of good news and three pieces of bad news. Which do you want first?"
"The ratio is way off."
"What can you do? That's reality."
"Whew... Since it's better to take the hits first, let's start with the bad news."
Upon hearing my decision, Ted gave a pained groan before speaking.
"Bad news one, more of the track has disappeared than what was assessed at the control room. Likely because the circuit breakers were busted, and a large amount of energy flowed all at once."
"......"
"Bad news two, just like the damaged track, the tram we're riding is also a bit wrecked. It's not severe, but it can't go faster than the speed it's moving at now."
"......"
"Bad news three, you really need to listen to this one, it's the most critical."
Even the previous ones were full of misfortunes. Just how bad would news have to be for him to take such pauses? Both Nadia and my expressions naturally darkened. Carry was busy sealing the tram holes, inflicted by monster attacks, with a laser.
"I think I'm going to die. Painkillers don't work anymore. I've been feeling faint, and if I'm not careful, I might pass out. I need advanced pharmaceuticals. Or bio-cells."
"... Is that the worst news?"
"Yeah. It wasn't a joke, so why do you look relieved?"
"You misread it. Just hang in there a bit longer with that injury. For now, that's all that can be done."
We quickly masked our expressions. It seemed less significant than expected, and without realizing it, we sighed with relief.
"What's the good news?"
"If there are no issues, it'll take about two hours to reach the central tower. I've set it up to traverse only the intact tracks, so although it means a roundabout route, the tram shouldn't stop midway thanks to an obstacle."
"Well, that's a relief."
It was indeed good news. I collapsed into the freight compartment and let out a deep breath. Although it wasn't a moment to be completely at ease, we could at least catch our breath.
The tram, though not fast, was steadily moving forward, and the monsters that had been at the tram control room were no longer in pursuit.
Inside the tram, only the sound of Carry welding with lasers echoed. Exhausted, everyone sat still, zoning out. Even the crackling laser welding sound soon faded.
The only sound that lingered was that of the tram moving, softly resounding as ambient noise.
I glanced at the small window high on the tram wall. Beyond it, the central tower slowly moved. No, the landscape moved as we did. It was akin to seeing clouds drift in a hologram.
The residential area, steeped in the scent of death, was being devoured by darkness. The lights illuminating the area noticeably dimmed. It had only been a few hours.
Just then, Ted, who was tapping fervently at a panel synced with his bracelet, spoke up after a spate of coughing.
"Was your name Nadia?"
"Huh? Y-yes, I mean yes, Sir..."
"Someone might think I'm gonna eat you. No need to be so tense. I just... just wanted to tell you that you have good sense."
Seeing Nadia fear him like a notorious criminal, Ted grumbled lowly, wondering if she wasn't a comrade who had crossed death alongside him.
"To bust a circuit breaker. Huh, really."
"I-I had no choice. With the monsters clinging like that, we couldn't board the tram.... The coolant was all used up too...."
"I said I'm not blaming you. Might just be a hazard of the job, but I couldn't even think to touch it. You made a rational judgment. You pretty much saved everyone here."
"Oh...."
Nadia briefly wore a sheepish expression, hiding her face behind my back. Though her expression was hidden, her ears and tail weren't. As she turned, her sky-blue tail wagged slightly more prominently. Her ears twitched animatedly, too.
Ted, eyeing her tail's movement, suddenly sighed as something seemingly occurred to him.
"A beastman... Nadia... beastman...? Ah! Are you that kid who handled gravitation equipment and power loaders without a license the other day?"
Nadia pressed against my back as if asking me to speak on her behalf, so I answered the query.
"Yes, that's her."
"Seems your senses are spatially specialized. You've got talent. Even I have trouble with gravitation equipment. Wouldn't you get many offers? Why stay at the mid-rank? Despite it being a damn miserable place, higher ranks are never bad. Far better than being lower."
That part was tricky for me to explain on her behalf, so I turned to face Nadia. She, instead of speaking, buried her face deeper into my back.
Though she acted when necessary, she was usually like this. But she had improved quite a bit. In the past, she couldn't even manage a conversation with strangers.
Ted shook his head with a wry smile.
"Well, everyone has their reasons-"
At that very moment,
Clank-!
The tram gave a tremendous shake. Before having a chance to react, the tram tried an emergency stop. The metallic sound generated by the friction pierced my eardrums.
Screeeeeeeech━━!
"Waaaah!"
I hurriedly reached out to grab something, anything, but there was nothing to hold onto in the empty freight compartment. We held onto the grooves in the floor until we lost balance and eventually tumbled down with a thud.
Bruised all over, I quickly got back up to grasp the situation. Operating an external camera, I couldn't believe my eyes.
No wonder, since a tram enveloped in flames was racing toward us like a runaway locomotive.
【Kiaaaak!】
It wasn't just a fiery tram, it seemed there were monsters inside it. Closer and closer approached a scream bordering on despair.
Ted, having witnessed through his own eyes why the tram made an emergency stop, was utterly shocked. His widely opened eyes vividly portrayed the impact he felt.
"... Tram number four? Why is that here?!"
"Why are you asking us! Didn't you say this track was clear!"
"It is clear! It's clear! On the system, there's nothing! Tram number four for resident transport is currently marked as stationary! The control room wiped all movement data, making it incapable of operation! Supposedly!"
"... What?"
At Ted's words, Nadia and I focused our gaze forward. Now I noticed sparks from the friction of the tram fixed on the rails were scattering widely.
Pointing somewhere with a trembling voice, Nadia raised her hand.
"Hyun-woo, there's something strange there...!"
A bizarre piece of flesh was attached to the tram's burning roof. Its blue light resembled that of a blue crystal, and the biomechanical structures seemed to anchor the tram to the tracks.
Could that be what's forcing the powerless tram to move?
"Reverse! Get reverse now!"
"No need to! We can divert our route!"
At that speed, we couldn't shake it off in reverse. Ted, who shouted so, was desperately tapping the panel with his only arm, fighting hard.
He claimed to change both our cargo tram's and the incoming tram's routes, saying the approaching tram was strange as observed, and increased the tram's speed.
As the tram moved forward again, the distance began to close more quickly. With the flaming tram visibly closing in, my heart pounded violently. My hands were clammy with cold sweat.
Yet, I refrained from questioning Ted if this was correct. Already appearing to be on the edge of his wit, I didn't wish to hinder his concentration, causing things to go wrong. I hoped and trusted that waiting patiently was the better course.
On the brink of losing my mind in nervousness, Ted shouted.
"Done! Route modification complete! Just keep going as it is!"
"It looks like we're gonna collide...! Are you sure you changed the route?! It's still heading this way!"
"........"
"What? Why aren't you saying anything!"
"I don't fucking know! I did my utmost! I couldn't do better than this even if I were asked to! I changed all the routes! Must be that the tram's somehow picking its path! Just hang on!"
The tram started moving along a newly chosen track, as per Ted's settings. Though it was veering slightly away from a full-frontal collision, its speed was slower than the approaching tram's.
We likely couldn't avoid a collision. Pressing our bodies against the floor of the tram, we braced ourselves for the upcoming impact. The trembling vibration translated perfectly, forcing our breathing to become heavy.
Right afterward,
Boom-!
As we felt a floating sensation, tremendous impact enveloped the tram. Struggling helplessly midair briefly, we soon found ourselves violently pulled down by gravity.
Whiiiizzz-!
Although we narrowly avoided a head-on collision, that was just about it. The tram's rear was ripped away due to the collision, with a tempest sweeping through the gap.
"Uggnn...!"
The ringing in my ears made my head feel foggy. My vision alternated between blurriness and clarity. Amidst this chaos, I grabbed tightly onto Nadia, checking if the monster-infested tram was moving away.
Fortuitously, the monster-infested tram, which had torn away the rear of our tram, was literally devouring the debris while retreating. There was indeed a reason for the horrific sounds. Not even a demon rising from hell would be that terrifying.
【Warning. Severe damage to the tram has been detected. Emergency stopping proce-】
"I said don't you dare!"
The tram's broadcast switched off when I slammed the panel. As a result, the tram didn't make an emergency stop. Although it jolted more violently, it clung to the tracks somehow.
After promptly confirming that Nadia and Carry were unharmed, I turned my gaze toward Ted.
That's when Ted screamed.
"Aaaah! My arm...!"
"......!"
"Oh, right, it's those pureblood thugs who got it. Apart from that, I'm alright."
"Damn it...! Are you insane?! What kind of joke is that?! You freaked me out!"
"I felt I might go mad if I didn't lose it a bit. But hey, we survived. That's what counts."
After claiming that doing this even one more time would surely be the death of him, Ted laughed heartily. Maybe he had taken too many drugs; his condition wasn't looking good. Likely his extreme mental state was causing adrenaline to heighten his emotions.
"That was really close. Since it's behind us, it should never-"
I froze in place, my hand reaching out. And it was with good reason: mere seconds had passed after I blinked, and something had exited Ted's chest.
"...... What?"
The thorn-like shape that had come from beyond his perceptual range claimed Ted's life in an instant. Although he tried to say something, all he did was open and close his mouth. But his voice never made it out.
Simultaneously, his bracelet, losing life signs, turned black, and Ted was thrown backwards, plummeting outside the tram. Into the infested streets, into a residential area drowned in darkness.
"Ted-!"
The hand I reached out grasped at nothingness.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Called it. Damn, just when you think you could relax, shit like this happens.