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Chapter 131

The ones in the isolation zone quickly argued and escaped as soon as the door on the other side opened. As I observed their fleeing figures, I pulled my head back from the reinforced glass.

“Ah-ack!”

Turning my head, I locked eyes with a survivor who had grabbed me. He made a choking sound like a suffocating chicken. Though his expression was hidden behind the helmet I was wearing, it was easy to sense his feelings.

It seemed like I needed to end his fear quickly. I exerted force with my combat-ready hand, squeezing his body.

“Aga-gak-gak!”

As the figure in the reinforced suit contorted, incomprehensible sounds echoed from inside the helmet. With the final squeeze, the human went limp in my hands.

I used my nails to remove his reinforced suit and tore pieces of flesh to feed into my mouth.

‘Chewing should be enough.’

The reinforced suits they wore were designed solely for the wearer’s survival, making them highly resistant. In simpler terms, they were tough. Of course, it doesn’t mean I can’t eat them; it’s just that chewing becomes a hassle due to their teeth getting in the way.

Chewing on the captured humans while leisurely breaking through the doors in the isolation zone, the seawater that filled my area rushed out into the C zone corridor.

‘Now, shall we go to another area?’

Slowly following the current, I changed direction towards the D zone instead of where the survivors had fled.

After all, their actions are within my grasp.

I already know what the survivors are thinking. They might believe I can’t catch up because they think their movements are faster or breaking through the blast doors is challenging for me. No.

I just took the time to bring despair to those who tormented Number 26 and Adhai.

‘Hope can be the driving force of life, but…’

Conversely, it can also become a source of pain.

Being where they fled to is not salvation because the one seeking revenge against the ‘bad humans’ is waiting for them.

‘I’d like to see it hunting, though.’

Many people live in this facility. I need to extract information from them quickly.

Just as the water in the corridor reached a level where my prone body could barely float, I felt an unfamiliar movement.

‘Hmm?’

The scent of a fundamentally different metal wafted from the moving object.

There were a total of five massive metal masses, roughly around 4 meters in size.

The hesitation was brief, and I quickly realized the identity of those metal masses.

Similar to Star Union’s Walkers but different, MegaCorp’s exclusive construction equipment, MCAE (Multipurpose Construction Auxiliary Equipment).”

The construction machine, MCAE, is inspired by humanity’s mining equipment used in classic space-based strategy simulations. In simple terms, it’s like a space loader with added construction-related functions and flight capabilities, similar to a Loader.

‘Why is the MCAE here?’

The reason I didn’t notice it right away was because it seemed out of place. MCAE is typically used in large-scale construction projects like building space cities, not in the deep sea with a considerable distance from outer space.

To investigate further, I followed the scent.

Passing through a narrow corridor, I entered a spacious area that resembled a warehouse. There, I saw five activated MCAEs and three Fishrians.

“…I can smell it. The scent of demons.”

“Darn it, they’ve escaped after all.”

“We need to get out of this base quickly.”

“You should avoid Father’s wrath.”

“If you go straight this way, there’s an elevator.”

The MCAEs, with their flight capabilities turned off inside the building, were moving by removing the wheels hidden inside. Large torches used for closing doors and metal injectors for building repairs were attached to the two arms beside the control seat on the upper body.

In contrast to the creatures seen earlier, the Fishrians now held harpoons in their hands. Overall similar to Pilum but with a unique feature – the blade was shaped like a whirlpool.

These harpoons were the traditional weapons of the Fishrians, the same ones that had harmed Adhai. While Fishrian harpoons are usually made of ordinary metal, the ones they held were black like obsidian. It was clear that they were made of black silver.

‘Did these creatures attack Adhai?’

Considering the rarity of harpoons made of black silver, it’s likely that these three are the ones who injured Adhai.

‘If that’s the case, I can’t let them go.’

Maintaining a submerged state, I slowly approached the group of MCAEs. At that moment, the gaze of the fish-human with thorned fins on his head and back turned in my direction.

The creature tilted its head, then, as if sensing my presence, shouted loudly.

“Smell! I smell it!”

The other two Fishrians echoed in agreement.

“Blood smell!”

“Someone killed our kind!”

Realizing that hiding was futile, I stood up. The Fishrians’ eyes widened at the sight of me glowing red due to the emergency light.

“What’s that!”

“Monster! A monster that killed our kind!”

I rushed towards them, cutting through the water currents. Like a venomous snake finding its prey, the Fishrian was impaled where the creature stood with my corrosive tentacles.

“Krruk! Die!”

“Sacrifice!”

Unlike the creatures encountered earlier, these three Fishrians seemed quite mature. They skillfully avoided my corrosive tentacles and clung to my back.

“Krruk? It’s tough!”

Despite their efforts, their poisonous claws and teeth couldn’t penetrate my outer shell. Even if a plasma launcher hit me directly, it wouldn’t destroy the exoskeleton, making it virtually invincible against their feeble bodies.

It seemed like bare hands wouldn’t do, so these creatures started stabbing me wildly with harpoons. If it were Adhai or Number 26 with black silver material, they might have been injured, but these creatures chose the wrong opponent.

Six corrosive tentacles extended from my back, striking the Fishrians simultaneously. Two of them managed to dodge, but one was hit by my tentacles and was thrown away.

“Eat this!”

The MCAE sprayed liquid metal from the metal injector towards me. The metal pieces clinging to my partially submerged body quickly hardened. The combat arm with attached metal chunks became significantly heavier.

‘Are they trying to impair my mobility?’

Thinking that my movements had slowed down, the MCAE, facing me, began swinging a large torch in my direction.

While it’s impossible for an industrial torch to cause me harm, the heat was quite uncomfortable. I swung the combat arm with the cold metal chunks attached.

The target was the MCAE’s cockpit. If it were three times smaller than an average person, the pilot might survive, but otherwise, it would be challenging. The detached arms of the uncontrollable MCAE hung limply, and its operation came to a halt.

Having silenced one construction machine, I used my combat arm to strike a Fishrian flying over my head. The sound of cracking echoed as the Fishrian’s head shattered like a cracked walnut.

Meanwhile, another creature rushed to the opposite side and climbed onto my tail. It tried to pry off the harpoon stuck between my exoskeleton.

I raised the tail with the creature attached above the water surface and rotated my entire body. The Fishrian held onto the tail exoskeleton to avoid falling. However, that turned out to be its mistake.

“Huh? Wha—”

[Damage!]

My tail, cutting through the water currents, aimed at two MCAEs. The ones circling around me to seize the opportunity to attack recoiled in astonishment. My tail, a massive appendage, swept past the 4-meter-sized MCAEs.

“Ugh!”

The Fishrian hanging on my tail collided with the solid metal machine, instantly turning into a cloud of blood. The construction machine hit directly by my attack, including the cockpit, flew off completely, and the other one, airborne, crashed into the wall.

“R-Run!”

Now, only two remained. The MCAEs, having lost all their companions in a blink of an eye, hastily retreated.

‘Should I let both of them go?’

Originally, I planned to spare only one, but my thoughts changed. I leisurely swam after the construction machines.

There are many things to ask them – the murders of sea demons, the collaboration with Fishrians, the inexplicable presence of MCAEs in the deep-sea research base, and more.

“Haa…haa…haa…haa.”

“Huk…huk, it’s not following us anymore! Huk, huk.”

“Haa…ha…Idiot! Keep running!”

In the corridor connecting the central area, where the underwater elevator in C zone is located, with the central area.

In the pitch-black water, contrasting with the emergency light’s red glow, a series of creatures formed a group.

Clad in thick reinforced suits resembling space suits, they were a group of survivors led by Runan. Sixteen men, weary both physically and mentally, pushed forward through the water, struggling against the rising currents.

“He’s entered Zone C! Hurry, we need to get there before he catches us!”

They were well aware of what the steadily rising water signified. The one they couldn’t see was approaching.

Every time that thought crossed their minds, the team members could continue running like racehorses spurred on by whips.

“The door leading to the Central Zone is in sight!”

“Check if the interior is flooded!”

While a research team member checked the interior with a still-functioning terminal, Runan and the others kept a watchful eye on whether the threat was approaching.

Eerie red emergency lights, gently swaying water surfaces, irregular dripping sounds of water droplets.

And the struggling noises of their team members transmitted through the communication device.

Every element in this space was consuming their minds.

Suddenly, Runan had a thought. What if all of this was intended by “it”?

If all escape routes were already sealed by “it,” and the remaining survivors were just being mocked and set to die like mice in front of a cat?

‘Me, die? Don’t make me laugh!’

From being a colonist on Ganymede, Runan had come a long way to become the Prime Capital of Mars. He had done everything to please the aide sent by the Zhao family.

As a result, he could marry the aide from the Zhao family and obtain the qualifications for a member of the Prime Capital.

“How did I get this position?!”

Runan had yet to fully enjoy life in the MegaCorp’s upper class. Dying here would be too unjust, and he wouldn’t even be able to properly close his eyes.

“We’ve confirmed some damage inside, but it’s not flooded!”

The shout of his subordinate snapped him out of his contemplation.

Fortunately, the Central Zone was intact.

Runan and his team quickly entered Aeroch, and after the water drainage was complete, they entered the interior of the Central Zone.

Five submarines, resembling escape pods, were arranged near the walls, and in the center, there was a large cylindrical column with a gate attached.

The identity of the cylindrical column was a submersible elevator. By riding the submarine and entering the column, they could move to a location closer to the surface through the elevator.

“Internal pressure stable!”

“Thank goodness.”

“Cough, cough, phew…”

“Wuaaaa!”

Seemingly relieved to be in a safe place, some of the team members who had removed their helmets lay down and vomited.

“Let’s recharge oxygen here and move up with the submarines.”

“When will the rescue team arrive?”

“Since we’ve sent out the communication, it shouldn’t take too long.”

“Yeah.”

While each of them was busy with tasks like recharging oxygen, one team member screamed.

“The submersibles are damaged!”

“What?”

All the survivors, upon hearing those words, stiffened. Runan quickly examined the other submersibles.

“This can’t be happening!”

Out of the five, three that he inspected were already in a damaged state.

Each submersible had a maximum capacity of three people. And there were sixteen survivors in this location. Even if the remaining two were in perfect condition, it already far exceeded the maximum capacity.

“This makes no sense! We’re all done for!”

“Wait! If we somehow repair them…”

“Nonsense! Repairing them risks getting killed while ascending in the elevator if anything goes wrong!”

“Damn it, then what’s the alternative?”

“What if we get into the elevator wearing reinforced suits?”

“Unless it’s in space, not here in the deep sea. No matter how sturdy the suits are, they won’t withstand the pressure.”

“Damn it, none of the options work! Then what are we supposed to do?”

“This guy!”

As the last glimmer of hope shattered, the team members couldn’t hold on any longer. Some grabbed others by the collar, delivering punches. Some just sat down and cried like children. Some spat curses while swinging fists into the air.

In the midst of the chaos, Runan, managing to stay calm, sighed.

“There are only two submersibles left. This one next to me looks intact from the outside.”

As he attempted to open the submersible’s door to check the interior, a team member pointed fingers at him.

“Runan, you bastard! Get out of there right now!”

“You damn son of a bitch! You were planning to escape alone if the submersible was fine, weren’t you?”

“Hey, what the hell are you saying?”

The conflicting gazes of the team members turned towards Runan.

“That bastard…!”

Runan cursed inwardly as he touched the gauss rifle he had been holding.

Excluding him, there were fifteen others. As a researcher and not a soldier, Runan found it challenging to subdue such a large group with just one gun.

He decided to choose a different approach.

“Stop!”

Runan shouted with all his might. His voice echoed through the vast space of the central zone. Even the team members, looking at him with hostile eyes, were taken aback.

“Won! Dajin! Do you really not know me? Did you think I’d escape alone?”

“Yeah! We thought you’d…!”

“Nonsense! While we’ve been at odds, he has been getting closer to us! Yet, everyone is wasting time on useless conflicts. Are you all out of your mind?”

“W-Well…”

The gaze of the team members wavered upon hearing Runan’s words. Thinking that things were going as planned, Runan continued speaking.

“Yeah. In life, there can be moments of despair. Things that seem bad like this can get even worse. We all know that outside, monsters are targeting us, and the deep sea, considered nature itself, is pressing down on us.”

While expressing his frustrations, Runan took a step forward.

“However, compared to the harsh life on Ganymede, this level of hardship is nothing! There, incidents of hundreds dying at once due to a malfunctioning temperature control device are not uncommon! Do you know who survives in such situations?”

“…”

Runan made eye contact with each team member one by one, ensuring not to forget to check the distance to the submersible.

‘Okay.’

He was now close enough to reach the submersible’s door with a single stretch.

“Only those who join forces to overcome adversity survive! Got it? Are you all going to cry like babies here and hope for death, or are you going to gather strength and hope to survive?”

“W-Well…”

Runan made eye contact individually with the team members while ensuring to keep an eye on the distance to the submersible.

“Now, look at the faces of your comrades! The escape route is right there!”

Upon hearing these words, the team members looked at each other’s faces. While their attention was elsewhere, Runan quickly grabbed the handle of the submersible’s door.

‘Opportunity!’

He thought as he opened the door, ready to ascend and activate it.

And then…

“Huh?”

Instead of the expected machinery inside the opened door, there was something soft and pink. Following that, pink tentacles swiftly shot out and grabbed Runan’s limbs.

Before he could scream, the tentacles that held him were forcefully pulled inside the submersible.

Squelch, squelch, squelch.

Eerie sounds emanated from inside the submersible. There were no screams or agonized groans.

Soon, red blood flowed from under the submersible’s door.

“Uh, uh? Te…Team leader?”

The team members, in disbelief at what had just happened before their eyes, muttered absentmindedly. In response, tentacles, long and pink, emerged from inside the submersible.

“Hee-hee-heek!”

Squirming sounds.

“Uwaah! It caught me! Aaaah!”

Thud, squelch, crunch.

“Everyone, run away!”

The tentacles, one by one, caught nearby team members and dragged them into the submersible. Once inside, the only sounds heard were bone-breaking or flesh-tearing noises.

The central area, considered the last escape route by the survivors.

There, only the silent screams filled the air.