bookbashuk Chapter 138 A Storm Begins from the End of a Floating Stream
Chapter 138 A Storm Begins from the End of a Floating Stream
A perfect, absolutely closed cage constructed of protective forces...
hum-
The moment the last piece of the light shield closed.
The whole world seemed to have been muted.
The sound of the wind disappeared.
The sound of the waves became muffled.
Even the sunlight, filtered through this thick amber barrier, turned into a dim, aged hue, as if dusk had arrived.
"What...what is this?"
On March 7th, I stared blankly at the sky.
On that golden sky, a huge hammer logo, seemingly spanning the entire universe, slowly emerged and then disappeared into the barrier of light.
The walls built by the city builders.
Cripper's sigh.
"The Archon Barrier..."
Sunday's expression turned extremely grim.
"This is the company's ultimate means of containing a planetary catastrophe. Once activated, unless it is blasted open from the outside with a planet-destroying cannon, or dismantled from the inside by a force at the level of an Envoy, not even a fly can escape."
"We've been locked up."
Xing gripped the Flame Spear tightly, the flame at the tip appearing somewhat weak under the oppressive golden light.
"Is this mechanism triggered automatically?"
"No."
A cold glint flashed in Hoshino's eyes as he looked at the locked control panel.
"This is a trap."
"Someone predicted we'd come here. Someone... wants to lock us and those monsters in this jar."
Drop drop-
Just then, the communicators on everyone's wrists simultaneously emitted a piercing static sound.
"Buzz... Train... Buzz... Please hear me..."
That was Himeko's voice.
"Himeko-nee!"
March 7th anxiously shouted into the communicator.
"We're here! What's going on in the sky? That cover is trapping us—"
"...Sever...immediately...zzzz...energy level reaction...extremely high..."
Himeko's voice was broken and intermittent, filled with anxiety and confusion.
"...Don't go near...the sea..."
Snapped.
Communication was completely cut off.
No matter how much March 7th called out, all that came on the other end was a dead silence and a busy signal.
That golden barrier cut off all signals.
This place has become an isolated island.
An isolated island inhabited only by them and teeming with monsters.
Don't bother.
Hoshino held down March 7's hand.
"The subspace barrier has spatial isolation properties, and ordinary long-range communication cannot penetrate this 'protection' concept."
She looked up, her golden pupils reflecting the despairing sky.
"It seems we can't count on reinforcements from outside."
"So what do we do? Just sit here and wait?"
Xing kicked the metal plate on the ground in frustration.
"Waiting to turn into one of those fish with boils?"
"Of course not."
Xi Lian suddenly spoke.
She walked to the back of the obelisk.
There, as the barrier was activated, a new holographic interface popped up.
The image displayed above is a complex 3D nautical chart.
At the deepest part of the nautical chart, in the abyssal fissure marked "extremely dangerous," a red dot is flashing regularly.
"This is......"
On Sunday, he took a closer look and his pupils contracted slightly.
"A distress signal?"
"No, it's coordinate guidance."
Hoshi stared at the red dot.
Next to the red dot, there was a very small note:
[IPC Strategic Investment Department - Seventh Special Operations Team - Ecological Research Center (Deep Sea Station)]
Current status: Sealed
Sample storage: Level S (live specimen)
"Seventh Squad..."
Hoshino chewed on the name.
"It turns out that besides that unfortunate guy who writes the diary, there's a whole nest of rats hiding at the bottom of the sea."
She turned around and looked at the crowd.
The sea breeze ruffled her long gray hair, and her golden right eye looked particularly eerie in the dim light of the day.
"Since the road is blocked, we have no choice but to continue down this path."
She pointed to the deep seawater beneath her feet.
"Go and see what kind of creature these self-proclaimed 'chosen ones' have raised in that abyss."
"Grade S live specimen..."
Xing licked his lips, his fighting spirit reignited in his eyes.
"That sounds much more interesting than the dead fish on top."
"Prepare to descend."
On Sunday, he straightened his bow tie, and the golden law once again appeared around him, forming a force field that repelled water.
"Since it is a 'protective' wall, then the key to break it must be hidden in the hands of the person who built it."
puff-
Five figures leaped into the sea once more.
This time, they were not there to explore.
It's for survival.
As their figures disappeared into the deep blue sea, the ripples on the surface of the sea quickly subsided.
Only that solitary white platform remained, like a silent tombstone within this golden cage, watching the travelers who had walked into its trap, step by step heading towards the abyss.
As the depth increases, the light is stripped away layer by layer.
The world of the deep sea is not absolute darkness, but a thick, impenetrable blue.
The glowing plankton resembled a still snowfall, hovering around everyone.
Relying on the order field created by Sunday, the five people, like ghosts in the deep sea, dived down toward the flashing red dot.
The water pressure whispered in my ear, like the murmurs of countless departed souls.
"arrive."
Xing's voice came through the communication channel, carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension.
Ahead, in that dark abyss, a massive outline gradually emerged.
Those were not naturally formed rocks or trenches.
It was an... iron coffin.
A giant underwater facility, entirely cast from some unknown silvery-white metal, lies quietly on the seabed.
Its surface still retains the breathtaking industrial geometric aesthetic unique to Interstellar Peace Corporation, with sharp angles and cold, hard lines, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding wildly growing, twisted corals.
However, at this moment, this creation, which represents the pinnacle of technology in the universe, exudes a nauseating aura of death.
The huge, circular, airtight door was half-open, like a dislocated jaw.
There was no turbulence that should have been present when seawater poured in through the crack in the door.
That place... is blocked.
His throat was completely blocked by a dark red substance, like coagulated blood.
"How disgusting..."
March 7th shrank back, his hand gripping the ice bow until it turned white.
"That thing is still moving."
It is indeed moving.
Those dark red substances were not inanimate objects. They resembled huge clumps of skinless muscle tissue, slowly contracting and relaxing in sync with some inaudible heartbeat.
With each wriggling motion, a viscous, yellowish-brown liquid is squeezed from its surface, dissolving into the surrounding seawater and emitting a rusty smell.
"careful."
Seihoshi swam over first.
She stretched out her right hand, which had been reshaped by the power of the end times, and gently touched the membrane with her fingertips.
Nourishes—
The fascia contracted suddenly, as if it had felt pain.
Immediately afterwards, the originally tough tissue melted and dispersed rapidly, as if it had encountered hot butter, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.
"Are they afraid of you?"
Xing raised an eyebrow.
"No."
As Hoshi looked at his palm, a shadow crossed his golden pupils.
"They are...welcoming their own kind."
The five people filed in.
The moment I entered the airtight chamber, the resistance of the seawater disappeared.
The drainage system inside the cabin seemed to still be working, emitting a dying roar, but still managing to keep the interior dry.
But this did not improve the situation.
It's actually worse.
Without the cover of seawater, the intense, almost tangible stench of blood instantly assaulted everyone's nostrils.
"vomit--"
March 7th covered his mouth, his face deathly pale.
The scene before us can only be described as purgatory.
This should have been a pristine white corridor. The blue LED strips representing a sterile environment can still be seen on the walls, stubbornly flashing on.
But now, that white has completely become the background color of the canvas.
Large patches of dark red slime covered the ground, walls, and even the ceiling.
Like conscious ivy, they spread wildly along pipes and lines, enveloping all metal objects in a warm bed of flesh and blood.
The slime was still dripping.
Tick.
Tick.
Each drop made a sticky sound as it fell to the ground before merging into the semi-congealed pool of blood beneath their feet.
Beneath that pool of blood, deep furrows could be vaguely seen.
That is......
Scratches from fingernails.
Some scratches were so deep that bone was visible, leaving twisted white marks directly on the metal floor. Some scratches even contained broken fingernails or half a finger.
It's hard to imagine how much pain it must take for someone to scratch such marks on an alloy floor with their own hands.
There were no bodies.
Xing used his Flame Spear to pry open a drooping chunk of flesh.
"A massacre occurred here, but... where are the bodies?"
"It was eaten."
Xi Lian's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling certainty.
She walked to the wall and looked at the slowly wriggling mass of flesh.
The chunk of meat had no specific shape; it looked like a piece of raw meat that had been broken up and then kneaded back together. Occasionally, one or two bluish veins or a half-open, half-closed eye would appear on its surface.
"They...are all here."
Xi Lian reached out her hand, wanting to touch it, but stopped at the last moment.
"These chunks of flesh are mixed with thousands upon thousands of different fragments of memory. They are screaming, howling, and devouring each other."
"Researchers, security personnel, and even test subjects... all of their flesh and blood were shattered, melted, and then absorbed by this 'fungal carpet,' becoming part of this entire laboratory."
Sunday frowned, golden laws dancing at his fingertips, forming a thin barrier that kept the mycelium that tried to get close at bay.
"They have no intention of attacking."
He observed the ground beneath his feet, which seemed to be breathing.
"It's just simple... proliferation. Like cancer cells that have gone out of control, their only purpose is to occupy more space and devour more matter."
"That's the scariest part."
Stepping on the soft, fleshy carpet, Hoshino walked deeper into the area.
"If they attack, it means they still have the instincts of living beings. But now... they have degenerated into something more primitive and purer, a 'phenomenon'."
The group walked along the corridor.
Most of the rooms on both sides had been completely blocked by chunks of flesh. Only a thickened blast-proof door at the far end, due to its special construction, had a small gap remaining.
The sign on the door reads: [Chief Researcher's Office - Nishizawa]
Push open the door.
The pollution level here is relatively low.
Although a thick layer of meat residue still clung to the corner of the wall, the large desk remained exactly as it was.
On the table was an old-fashioned PDA.
Its screen was cracked in several places, and next to it was a half-cup of dried and moldy coffee.
Hoshi walked over and picked up the PDA.
Surprisingly, there was still battery power left.
Pressing the power button caused the screen to display static for a moment, followed by several audio files.
There was no password set.
Perhaps when the end of the world comes, confidentiality agreements will become meaningless.
㳉星 opened the first file.
[Diary 01 - Nishizawa]
"Buzz... I am Xize. Chief Researcher of the Seventh Squad."
"Deep in the trench... at coordinates X-299, Y-842... we have discovered a silent facility."
"It doesn't look like it was formed naturally. The architectural style... it's neither like a company nor a fairy ship. It's older, more... primitive."
"We found a stone slab in the core area of the facility."
The voice paused, then carried an barely suppressed fervor.
"My God, that's... a miracle."
"The stone slab was covered with intricate patterns. Those patterns weren't writing, but... they were alive. They were flowing, they were breathing."
"Preliminary testing revealed that the stone slab contains two extremely powerful energy waves. One corresponds to the life wavelength of 'Abundance,' while the other... perfectly matches the divine power characteristics of the long-fallen 'Procreation' star god."
"If we could analyze it... if we could master it..."
"The company will possess the secret to immortality! We will control an army that can multiply infinitely!"
Click.
The audio has ended.
Without saying anything, Mohoshi clicked on the second one.
[Diary 07 - Nishizawa]
This time, the fervor in his voice disappeared.
Instead, there was a deep weariness and... fear.
Something's happened.
"Just as we were preparing to retrieve the stone slabs... that fluctuation... that damn fluctuation suddenly intensified."
"My head... feels like it's going to split open. Everyone is screaming, it feels like countless needles are stabbing into my brain."
....................................