Chapter 67: Eyes |
A blast of air roared through the tunnel, causing the group to stagger slightly. The dense, toxic gas flooding the underground surged like a tidal wave, the shape of the shockwave clearly outlined by the bending beams of light.
The intersection had collapsed, and rubble and debris blocked the way they had come.
Vanessa picked off the last few Scythe Monsters, reloaded her weapon, and waited a few seconds before shoving the empty Magazine into her belt.
"Rear is clear."
N4-2: "Front is clear. Those bastards retreated."
N4-3: "Looks like it is over. Is anyone missing an arm or a leg? Is everyone still alive? Everyone is alive? That is great."
N4-2: "Great, now we can start packing bullets."
N4-4: "The path ahead seems to be sloping downward."
The level confirmed Number Four's judgment. The ground was tilting downward at an imperceptible angle, leading them deeper into the earth.
But since things had come to this, the squad, having no other way out, could only rest for a moment, take inventory of their ammunition, and push forward.
Constantly thinking about retreating and fleeing was not the style of the Mobile Task Force. They were here specifically to confront the Anomaly, and this was their mission.
Vanessa: "Do you guys often get trapped underground like this?"
N4-2: "Our Suits do not let us survive in an oxygen-deprived environment for a week just for fun. Though there are fun parts, like being able to drink recycled water for a whole week until you are full."
"I got trapped on my very first cave expedition. It seems Number Five's luck is not quite enough. So, what do we do now?"
N4-4: "We find a path and hold our ground at a location suitable for defense. The Surface Command Center will likely mobilize reinforcements once they realize we have all lost contact. Hold on and wait for new orders."
N4-3: "Do you think the backup will be the War Hammer?"
N4-2: "With their loadouts, wearing armor that makes them nearly three meters tall, they would definitely get stuck halfway. We would end up having to dig them out!"
The other three laughed along with him.
Number Two's glib tongue was very useful at times like this. Even finding joy in sorrow had its meaning; otherwise, they would break down on their own before the Anomaly even made a move.
After sharing a laugh, they turned on their Flashlights and continued their trek deep into the earth.
The fine black dots on the walls gradually turned into patches, quickly expanding to the size of fists. Number Two stopped and dug some out with a Sampling Chisel, discovering that although it resembled a mineral, its texture was quite soft. Gradually, the passageway actually became more spacious, but the walls were inch by inch being replaced by a non-reflective black rock, turning the original wall bricks into mere white fragments.
This Black Mineral absorbed visible light. The Flashlight beam left no trace upon it, and the laser rangefinders did not reflect back.
Eventually, the cave transformed completely into an unfathomable pitch black.
Number Two, who was leading the team, bumped into the wall several times, forcing them to switch to the more energetic Number Four to lead the way.
Vanessa sometimes suffered the illusion that they were walking through outer space, or perhaps a sheer void. It felt like stepping into the waiting maw of a giant beast, walking into a trap.
She tried to start a conversation to relieve the pressure, but she could not think of any good topics.
She had felt an inexplicable unease before the mission started, and now this premonition had morphed into a terrifying sense of impending doom, coiling tightly around her heart.
Something was following her. Following the team.
She could not pinpoint its physical presence, but she could feel its malice.
The surroundings grew hotter, and the monitors showed another drop in oxygen levels.
The temperature had reached forty degrees Celsius. The active cooling in their Suits kicked in, alleviating the heat to some extent, but they still had to stop more frequently to replenish their fluids and recover their stamina.
Suddenly, Number Four stopped.
Vanessa offered, "Need to switch? Number Three and I should both be fine to take point."
"My rangefinder is acting up. It says the nearest wall is several hundred meters away."
Number Three tapped on his touch panel. "Mine too."
N4-2: "They cannot all be malfunctioning. If the laser scan will not work... I will try my Personal Sonar."
The other three raised their guns again.
There were many things that could sense sonar. It was better to be cautious.
Number Two pulled a Handheld Sonar from his bag.
Sound waves invisible to the naked eye were released outward. After being processed by the receiver, they scattered across the panel to form specific outlines—
The rangefinder was not malfunctioning. Without realizing it, they had walked into a vast underground cavern. Stalagmites and stalactites proved that it had once been a karst cave, but all the rocks had been stained black. The sonar also scanned a large number of curved structures on the cave walls ahead. Observing with the naked eye, they could see a faint glow of unknown origin coming from that direction.
"I am really starting to suspect we went the wrong way..." Vanessa stuffed a pack of Adhesive Explosives into her breast pocket just in case.
Sonic ranging was more useful than lights at this point. They spread out laterally, shifting into an advancing formation, and approached the location of those abnormal structures. The Black Mineral's interference with light was severe; it was not until they closed the distance to within twenty meters that they realized those things were the source of the faint glow.
It looked like some kind of massive vesicle, clinging tightly to the rock wall and pulsating with a rhythmic heave like breathing. The glowing liquid inside reflected the appearances of the team members, and dark masses constantly swam through its depths.
Vanessa strained to make out the vesicle itself, finally discerning several fingers within its bulging edges.
When she scanned the entire vesicle with this conclusion in mind, she found more dismantled human tissue and shredded clothing. Fragments of armor and various instruments were scattered among the uneven ground nearby.
She tapped on her panel, and the words "Within 50 meters, N3-1" glaringly appeared on her Eyepiece.
"I think we found team three."
A brief silence fell over the comms.
N4-2: "...Damn it."
N4-4: "So these are eggs? Those things are bred from corpses? But if that is the case—"
Crack.
Four guns instantly aimed at the source of the sound, the Flashlights mounted beneath the barrels targeting the nearest stalagmite.
Even though the stone absorbed most of the light, they could still tell there was an object behind it.
Monsters would not hide from them. Only humans would.
N4-4: "Come out, or we will toss a Hand Grenade."
"Do not..." After a suppressed groan, a gun was pushed out from behind the stalagmite. Following it crawled a person wearing an orange jumpsuit. One hand clutched a gas cylinder, a mask secured over his face, while his other hand was raised high. "Help me..."
"You deserted the mission, D-2157. We can shoot you at any time," Number Two aimed at his body, reading the identification number off the prison uniform.
"I didn't run away. I was... brought here." The D-Class Personnel hugged the gas cylinder back with trembling arms, lying on the ground. His lower half remained hidden behind the stalagmite.
Number Four circled around to the side. Confirming there were no traps, he cautiously approached. He took two steps, but then stopped dead in his tracks.
"Oh my god, his leg... Number Three, give me a 'Blue Bottle'—no, just grab whatever you have."
Vanessa and Number Three maintained their alert stances, surrounding the D-Class from two other directions.
Stepping closer, she finally understood what Number Four meant.
The fabric around D-2157's leg was torn to shreds, exposing the skin underneath. A massive cluster of red eyes was spread across his leg. When those eyes spontaneously opened and closed, revealing the bright red muscle beneath, a brief moment of confusion hit her before she recognized their true form.
A swarm of moth-like flesh-colored creatures had replaced his skin, biting firmly into his flesh.
Those eyes were the patterns on their wings.