Mob No. 73: “Don’t move intruder. Move and you die.”
First I’ll head deeper inside.
I turn on my wristcom light and look around the cave.
The cave is about 2.5 meters wide and 3 meters tall. It slopes gently downward as it goes deeper.
Near the ceiling are pipelines with light sources and vents, with similar pipelines along the ground.
Probably ventilation pipes – ceiling for oxygen supply, floor for carbon dioxide exhaust.
There was a large power unit and air pump outside so that makes sense.
Though they’re not running now.
Also plates showing the distance from the entrance are installed every 10 meters along the ceiling pipes.
Worst of all, I found cracks in the cave walls.
Likely damage from the earlier bombardment.
Better hurry and find a way out.
After going about 50 meters from the entrance, the path splits in two with the pipelines branching left and right.
The right path continues straight from the entrance. The left path bends about 45 degrees.
I decide to check the right path first.
The height and width match the entrance here, but there are some short side tunnels that seem to be excavation sites.
The professor’s team seems very tidy, not leaving tools strewn about.
Continuing about 1800 meters from the entrance, around 30 minutes, I feel I’ve descended quite deep even on this gradual slope. Breathing is noticeably harder too.
With the cave layout, it should get tougher to breathe away from the entrance like here. And considering the cave size, I should need an oxygen mask by now. Yet I can still breathe fine.
Does this mean there are hidden air vents somewhere?
Maybe one of the cracks links outside and provides fresh air.
Well, that means I can resume digging an escape tunnel without worries.
I should’ve just taken this left path from the start!
The battery-powered lights work fine so I switch those on, revealing cracks in the walls here too.
No way the professors would miss these. Must be bombardment damage like the others.
After checking its battery, I heft a digging machine, grab a light, and head back to the entrance to start digging my tunnel.
I thought it’d connect quickly.
But after two hours of digging, it doesn’t feel any thinner and the air should be getting thinner but instead I just get impatient.
The right tunnel round trip took an hour, two hours of digging, so it’s past 8pm now.
Impressive the cave air has held up this long.
Anyway, might as well take a break and rest back at base camp since there’s a water server.
Sitting on the break room chair and drinking water, breathing deeply, I realize the air doesn’t feel that bad.
The cave slopes so it should be tougher to breathe away from the entrance like here. And with the cave size, I should really need an oxygen mask by now. Yet breathing isn’t difficult.
This must mean there are hidden vents providing oxygen somewhere right?
Maybe one of the cracks links outside.
Well this lets me resume tunnel digging without worries.
I should clear away the dug up stones and soil, they’re piling up. I’ll scoop them away.
After a 10 minute break I resume work.
Thanks to oxygen from somewhere, I don’t get winded scooping away debris for 20 minutes. Then I dig for another 2 hours but still no breakthrough.
“Past 10:30 already…”
I arrived here around 5pm.
The rain should last a couple days so I’ll just sleep here tonight. I can line up the break room chairs as a bed.
Thinking that, I head back to base but now it’s a dead end?
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“Huh… Why?”
No way I got lost. And no tremors indicating a cave in or anything.
I notice a crack near the base entrance.
“Don’t tell me this whole room is some ancient elevator…”
Tapping the cracked section, a chunk of rock falls away revealing something like an elevator call button!
Both an unpleasant hunch and questions arise seeing this.
They must’ve scanned with various equipment. No way they’d miss camouflage this simple.
If the professors knew, maybe they planned to investigate last.
If they really missed it, their inspection was sloppy.
But considering this is an ancient facility, camouflage by the ancients is the natural conclusion.
That would explain the equipment picking up nothing.
If I were the protagonist, I’d press the button for an adventure. But I ignore it and head back to the entrance.
No one’s eager to touch something with obvious death flag vibes! Better leave such things to protagonists!
Most importantly, if this is an elevator, someone activated it.
I hurriedly turned tail to hide among the dig site, but was a step too late.
The instant the formerly dead end wall silently opened, several laser shots landed at my feet.
“Don’t move intruder. Move and you die.”
A woman’s voice from behind. I froze.
“Let’s hear why you’re here. Follow instructions and I won’t kill you. Understand? Throw that shovel away.”
I do as ordered, tossing the shovel far.
“Slowly turn this way.”
I turn to the voice as instructed. My order giver is a tall woman, over 180cm. Sharp black eyes with white irises. Long black hair down her back. And a gun trained on me.
“Hand over that item on your waist too.”
I also pass over my blaster of course.
I probably can’t beat her.
“Now, why did you come here?”
I explain everything from the start.
How this place is now ruins being excavated.
I came to retrieve a forgotten item with the lead researcher.
Got attacked by thugs trying to steal the research, so I fled here.
They bombarded the cave in frustration.
I’m trying to dig through the rubble to escape.
“I see. Your reasons make sense. Quickly dig your way out then.”
Having lost interest in me, she tries to return via the elevator. So,
“Um, may I ask something?”
I call out.
“What?”
“Why couldn’t the investigating professors discover this facility?”
How did the professors, who surely used all kinds of equipment, fail to find it?
That’s my main reason for speaking up.
Surprisingly, she casually gives the correct answer.
“This facility uses nano-machine infused soil called Mimic Dirt that blocks echoes and surveying devices for camouflage. Beyond your current tools.”
I guess there may be similar stuff but the tech level is probably worlds apart.
“One more if I may. Does the name Rozweiss ring a bell?”
This was my other reason for asking before she left.
“That is one of my foolish sister’s names. You know her?”
“Yes.”
“I see. I am Gerhilde, Lot No. 02 of the Small Combat Ship – Wagner Varukyuria Sisters.”
Just as I thought.
Her face and build are totally different but something about her vibe resembled Rozweiss.
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