Chapter 685.2: Sisi and Tail’s Exciting Battle With Tentacles |
Without hesitation, the hatch slammed shut. Water drained quickly from the inside and as the pressure normalized, Tail slumped onto the floor.
“Ack, giao! Tail almost became Tail paste!”
Sisi snorted in laughter. “You okay?”
“I…”
A massive impact struck the hatch, sending her flying into the ceiling.
CLANG!
Her jaw nearly dislocated. She tried to pop it back, but the helmet got in the way.
A second impact hit immediately.
The monster had crawled free and was smashing the submersible wildly.
Sisi’s voice rang in her ears through the communication channel. “That thing isn’t dead! Damn it!”
“Giao! This boss has WAY too much HP!”
“It’s not just HP, its regeneration is unnatural. It might be a genetically-engineered monster!”
“What?!”
“Yes… if anyone made something like that, it’s the Torch Church.”
“Then what do we do?!”
“We can’t. Our weapons barely affect it. We can only hope it’s slow, if we escape the ruins we can outrun… Ah shit!” Sisi yelled at the very end.
Her shout startled Tail. “What happened?!”
“The propulsion system… the one we just fixed, it broke again!”
“GIAO?!”
The power failure alarm flashed red as Sisi frantically stabbed the controls. The submersible drifted helplessly with the current.
Then, it suddenly lurched to a stop, metal scraping loudly in ther ears.
A massive tentacle wrapped around the hull as suction cups the size of dinner plates clung to the glass.
Their luck had run dry.
“Damn…”
Pressure sensors were maxed out on all sides.
Sisi’s heart pounded as a crushing sensation pinned her into the chair.
The tentacle lifted the entire submersible like a shot put, preparing to smash them into the rocks. While all that happened, a metal sphere, half a person tall, dropped silently through the water. It was covered in conical spikes.
The monster noticed it, but didn’t care.
Well, that was until a blinding flash erupted.
A wine-red explosion tore open the deep sea as a huge bubble cavity blasted outward, heat searing the water.
The monster shrieked in pain.
Bubbles erupted from the seabed as the sea trembled.
Its tentacle trashed wildly about, flinging the submersible away.
“Sisi, we’re flying!”
Sisi felt herself pushed into her seat as she sighed, “Let’s hope we’re flying!”
They couldn’t see anything. One wrong collision meant instant death.
Luckily, they soon halted after drifting, settling like a jellyfish in the water.
“… Sisi! What was that explosion?!”
Panting, Sisi answered, “Probably Federation depth charges… Looks like they stepped in.”
Tail frowned. “Eh?! So Tail owes them a favor again?”
Sisi grinned. “Not necessarily… if we bring back this probe, they’ll owe us.”
She was certain. The monster’s behavior confirmed the Torch Church’s involvement, something big was being covered up.
Another deep explosion sounded.
The Federation’s second, and likely last, depth charge exploded.
Its power could destroy a 10,000 ton submarine. Even with the creature’s regeneration, it couldn’t withstand that.
After a final anguished cry, the tentacled monster collapsed onto the ruins.
Moments later, a voice crackled through their shared communication channel. “… What’s your status?”
Sisi’s weak voice came through. “Barely okay. Propulsion and pressure sensors are damaged, but everything else is fine.”
“That’s bad.”
“What now?”
“The Federation fleet is heading our way. You made way too much noise!” Muda was clearly agitated as he yelled angrily.
Sisi’s mind started to spin. “Can you draw them off?”
Muda sighed, “Do you think they’re idiots?!”
Sisi toopk a deep breath before she answered, “Then help us with something else.”
“Huh?”
“Take the probe to French Fry Harbor. I’ll send the coordinates. Our researchers can analyze it. If you want the truth, you must get it there.”
“What about you two?!” Muda asked in confusion.
Sisi chuckled, “Hmm, I’ll give you a first-class merit medal for your troubles, how about that?”
“What does that even mean?” Before he could react and ask his question, Sisi cut the channel.
She switched to Tail. “Tail, throw the probe out.”
“Eh?! Throw it out?! We’re not taking it back?”
“I wish. But this sub is done for, and the Federation is on the way. We’re sending the delivery via that NPC Muda.”
“Oh! Got it!” Tail sealed her helmet, flooded the chamber, opened the hatch, and tossed the probe out.
The silver sphere floated upward slowly toward the surface.
After closing the hatch, she drifted back to her seat in the airlock room. She didn’t drain the water yet. “So what about us? What now?”
Sisi massaged her brow. “Let me think…”
Option one is to surrender as Shelter 70 survivors. Option two would be to reveal oursevels as Vault 404 survivors. Option three… Send ourselves back to Dawn City with a three day respawn timer…
She was leaning toward the first. It avoided diplomatic disaster and gave them access to high-ranking Federation personnel.
As she pondered, a blue icon blinked on the radar as a new transmission came through. “... This is the Dolphin. We received your distress signal and are en route.”
Both women froze.
“What’s happening?!” Tail asked in confusion.
Sisi gulped. “No idea… Maybe some safety protocol auto-sent the signal. The Dolphin is probably a Shelter 70 patrol submarine.”
Meanwhile above, a massive silhouette rose from the waves,
That was a real warship. It had twin naval guns, torpedo launchers, and also CIWS turrets.
That was a Federation destroyer.
On the speedboat’s bow, Muda gripped a radio, staring at the warship with a complicated expression.
How was he supposed to explain everything to his superiors?
But even more troubling was that he had caught a signal from a neural interference device earlier. The Torch Church had given that technology to the Federation. Shelter 70 did not possess it.
There was only one explanation. Someone in the Federation, likely high-ranking, had hidden the signal and sabotaged the investigation from the inside.
If that were true…
Was Shelter 70 really the one who destroyed the power station?
Staring at the approaching warship, Muda’s expression grew darker. He had a bad feeling, things were about to get complicated.
