Time of appearance: November 27, 2112, 16: 06 pm.
Location: Frozen Earth Warren, the secret border of the Directorate of Defense.
Border Blockade Administration Branch Beta 01.
In the eternal storm, pale snow powder blew toward them. In the distance, only a huge building faintly appeared. The pitch-black building propped up a magnificent outline, creating a paradise as warm as spring in the eternal low temperature and severe cold.
Outside the paradise, there was only the terrifyingly low temperature that was like the polar regions, and the never-ending wind and snow.
"B4 is in position."
"There's a problem with A1. It can be solved. Five minutes."
"B6 is in position."
At this moment, in the pale snowfield outside the Directorate of Defense, dancing spots appeared one after another, skillfully bypassing all the cameras and detection devices.
Under the seal of white cloaks and heat, they crawled in the snow, hiding in the darkness that no one noticed.
Following the command from afar, they slowly approached the building in the center.
At the back, in the temporary tent under the snow cave, the commander blew on his fingers, picked up the boiling kettle, and poured it into a cup.
"The conditions are limited. I hope Secretary Ai doesn't mind."
"At least we can stay in the tent. We don't have to lie in the snow. We just need a mouthful of hot water." Ai Qing held the teacup, white steam rising from her nose and mouth. "It's not like we're going camping. There's no need to be so particular."
Her entire body was wrapped in thick winter clothes. Her exposed face and ten fingers were frozen white. Only her lips were still a little red.
The former commander of the Dark Army sighed. Looking at the building that was slowly enlarging on the surveillance screen, he couldn't help but curse, "Those f * ckers can still use air conditioning. I'm so envious."
"It's normal." Ai Qing took a sip of the hot water that was rapidly losing temperature. "The treatment of the Blockade Administration has always been the best among the same level."
"I know this too well."
At the mention of this, the commander was immediately enraptured. "I originally planned to work in the Blockade Administration for two years after retiring. I didn't have to do anything all day long, far away from the rain of bullets, go to work, make a cup of tea, and fight a dozen games. I could fight for a day … But in the end, after staying for a while, I still couldn't stand it. I found an opportunity to run back."
Ai Qing looked up at the old man in front of the screen. "Are you feeling lonely?"
The commander smiled bitterly and shook his head. "No, it's not to that extent, but … it's too lonely."
He sighed and took out his cigarette case to ask Ai Qing for permission.
When he saw Ai Qing wave her hand, indicating that she didn't mind, he pulled out a stick with trembling hands and placed it in front of the oil stove. He took a deep breath before he could catch his breath and let out a sigh.
"I wanted to live a peaceful life, but there was nothing there other than peace. It's no different from a prison. Some people go in when they're in their twenties and die there when they're in their nineties, never leaving for the rest of their lives. "
The commander sighed helplessly. "If nothing goes wrong, their lives will be unknown. If something goes wrong, their lives will become meaningless … It's like hell."
As a subordinate organization of the Elevated Floor and a confidential unit of the former Dark Army, the Blockade Administration's duty was to watch over or deal with some major threats to reduce the pressure on the Continuation Academy.
Therefore, from the first day of your employment, you had already disappeared from the present world.
There was no such thing as retirement or resignation. Even if their working years were up, they would only be transferred to other confidential units. After they died, there would only be a tombstone. Some people were not even allowed to write their names on it.
Even if the compensation was generous, internal marriage was allowed, and there were huge subsidies for the family, there were still very few people who responded.
"It's only right that the treatment is better."
The commander held the cigarette that was about to go out and said slowly, "If the treatment is not good, I'm afraid I won't be able to continue working."
As he said this, he was not in a good mood.
It was better to say that it was terrible.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have said so much to the others in the short gap before the mission began.
After all, once the Dark Army was mobilized, it meant that … the situation inside the Blockade Administration had deteriorated to the limit and needed to face a purge.
"Sorry, I'm being long-winded." He shrugged and smiled. "It's too unprofessional."
"It has nothing to do with professionalism."
Ai Qing didn't comfort him, nor did she say anything. For the killing machines of the Dark Army, such sympathy and pity were too ridiculous.
She just calmly changed the topic. "What's sealed in Beta 01?"
"A 'lie'."
The commander began to brief the representative from the decision-making room. "Before this, it was a dangerous item discovered by the Stoneware Society and reported to the Astronomical Association. It was the work of the Pied Piper.
It looks like a note torn from a notepad, but reading the contents and trying to investigate are taboo matters. "
"Which part went wrong?" Ai Qing asked.
"It's probably the innermost sealing facility. When it was handed over to the Blockade Administration, Grandmaster Garland personally imposed a secret seal on it.
According to speculation, it's possible that the Grandmaster's death caused the secret seal to become unstable. Even the middle and outer sealing facilities were leaked. "
The commander sighed. "When the overhead floor received the news and began to investigate one by one, there was no response from Beta 01."
A hoarse voice came from the walkie-talkie. "C6 is close to the maintenance well. The journey is smooth. The internal signal has been obtained. Do you want to connect?"
"Connect it."
Thus, in an instant, a hellish scene appeared on the screen.
Everything that could be seen was a mess of flesh and blood. Countless scarlet colors spread on the walls, pulsing like a pulse.
The originally warm paradise had turned into a strange world that made one's scalp tingle.
Countless strange symbols squirmed on the walls. The shadows ignored the laws of physics and spread under the light. However, strange bubbles kept appearing in the light.
Squirming objects that were almost indistinguishable from human silhouettes danced under the camera and staggered in what used to be the office.
"The deep transformation has ended. It has formed a cycle of hell."
The commander was silent for a moment because everything was irreparable.
He picked up the walkie-talkie and ordered, "Start setting up the 'Spring of Purification'."
"Wait a minute –"
Ai Qing suddenly said, "Cut back the camera at that point just now."
The scene she was pointing at was the inner garden.
Now, the vicious flowers had grown the teeth of beasts and had begun to gnaw. In the corner of the garden, two bloody mutants leaned against the wall.
There was a blurry voice.
"… Snoring … So annoying … Change … Is there any way …"
"Bear with it … Aren't you also …"
In the silence, the sharp noise gradually came to an end. The two mutants turned around and left. The tent was dead silent.
"It seems that they still have some rationality left." Ai Qing said.
"No, it's worse than that."
The commander rubbed the bridge of his nose and laughed mockingly, "They don't even know that they've been transformed. Perhaps, in their eyes, everything is normal."
They had already fallen into hell with their own world.
"At least there's a possibility of communication, right?"
Ai Qing pondered for a moment and suddenly said, "Before I came, I prepared a secret code and all the authority commands. Perhaps, we can still try."
"The possibility is not high."
The commander shook his head, "Forgive me for being blunt, but the transformation is already irreversible."
"The attack from the Spring of Purification may cause even worse consequences. This is a consideration for the sealing of the item." Ai Qing said, "We have to ensure that the sealing item is absolutely stable, but as long as there's a possibility, we have to try."
The commander pondered for a moment and said directly, "This is your mission, Secretary Ai. If you want to do it, we won't stop you. But you have to understand that we also have a mission. If you fail, we won't rescue you. "
"Yes, when the time comes, we'll just blow the target to ashes together with me."
Ai Qing nodded in agreement. She picked up the briefcase beside her and stood up with the help of her cane. Before she said goodbye, she turned back to thank the commander one last time.
"Thank you for your support."
"Secretary Ai —"
The commander couldn't help but stop her and remind her seriously, "They can't be saved. What you're doing is meaningless."
"I know." Ai Qing calmly looked back, "Just think of it as me trying to earn more points during the promotion inspection."
"Just because of this?" The commander was suspicious.
"What else?" Ai Qing was puzzled, "Other than this, is there any noble reason for the political creatures of the General Administration?"
The commander shook his head, smiled, and slowly got up, "Then, let me carry out the duty of rescue. When necessary, I will protect your safety."
"No need."
Ai Qing raised her cane.
At that moment, outside the narrow tent, in the world of ice and snow, a ferocious silhouette suddenly appeared. It was fleeting, but it was chilling.
It was as if there was an invisible monster hiding in her shadow.
It was ferocious.
"The 'autonomous robot, Cerberus' from the technical department?" The commander was speechless, "I've never seen a model before. Is it the latest model?"
"No, the normal version. It's just a troublesome guy living in it."
Ai Qing smiled slightly and disappeared into the snow under the protection of the beast.
Only a line of burn marks on the ground did not disappear for a long time.
.
.
Fifteen minutes later, in front of the huge fortress building.
After going through the iris verification and the key verification of the overhead floor, the heavy door slowly opened in front of her, and a warm wind with a foul smell blew in her face.
Then, from behind the door, a bloody object slowly wriggled, like the corpse of a decapitated giant. There were several wriggling tentacles on the swollen body, making vague sounds.
"Welcome … welcome … I am … the security director … Pajero …" The strange mutant asked, "Why … are people from the General Administration … here?"
"Spot inspection."
Ai Qing ignored the wriggling tentacles in front of her and showed the certificate in her hand, "I am here on behalf of the decision-making room to inspect the sealed items."
"Wait a minute, let me see … where is it? Where is it? "
The wriggling body seemed to be searching for something. Finally, in the tattered pocket, it found a verification device that had been parasitized by tentacles and swept it over Ai Qing's certificate.
Behind the verification device, the mouth suddenly let out a sharp hiss.
Perhaps, that was the beep of a successful verification.
Ai Qing waited calmly.
Until a tentacle stopped in front of her, suspended in the air, and dripped sticky, waiting.
The swollen person opened his mouth and said hoarsely, "Welcome … your … arrival …"
Ai Qing reached out to hold it, shook it slightly, and let go.
The thing that used to belong to the security director turned around and wriggled in front to lead the way. "Lunch … time … is … up … first …"
"After checking the sealed items," Ai Qing said.
"It's … it's okay …"
The 'security director' replied vaguely and led her through the door and corridor, into the hall where countless huge rotten organs were hanging.
They went all the way down.
In the shadows of those mutants, countless sticky bubbles rose, as if something amorphous was crawling in them. But when Ai Qing's shadow swept past, fleeting flames appeared faintly, and faint tragic cries came from the void.
Under her feet, an angry burning bull cast a ferocious outline.
"… Hmm?" The wriggling 'security director' stopped for a moment. "What … sound … strange … really strange … since a few days ago … it's, it's … been strange …"
"There's nothing strange about it."
Ai Qing calmly followed behind, crossed the floor covered with mold and eyeballs, and told him, "Everything is normal."
"Normal … normal …"
Soon, some of the blankness dissipated in the gradually chaotic mind after the aberration, leaving only the last remnant of responsibility.
First verification, second verification, and third verification.
The key from the overhead floor smoothly entered the underground facility, passed through the Demonic Realm that had long been changed beyond recognition, and went all the way to the core.
In the end, the security director stopped outside the slowly rising gate.
"I will … wait … here …" it said vaguely.
It said vaguely, "My duties are limited … Please … forgive me …"
"Okay."
Ai Qing raised her hand, adjusted the flat glasses in front of her eyes, walked past the swollen thing beside her, and walked into the darkness that even the light couldn't illuminate.
Endless phantoms emerged from the darkness, with an inaudible call.
Even the glasses from the technical department couldn't block the illusions, which gradually seeped into the soul and invaded the brain.
But Ai Qing counted her steps silently, compared with the map in her memory, and moved forward step by step.
She passed Huai Shi's smile, her own corpse, and countless more illusions, and brushed past her mother.
The high temperature caused by the overloaded glasses maintained her last bit of rationality.
She finally saw the outline after the illusion.
It was a huge cage that was slowly beating like a heart. Every tentacle was waving angrily, trying to reach into her spinal cord and pull her soul out.
But it couldn't stop her from moving forward. More protection emerged from her body and soul, and it was difficult to break and erode in a short period of time.
It could only allow her to open her vital parts step by step according to the operating rules.
It was like an operation.
Coldly peeling off the core from it.
Finally, the ancient copper box was accurately placed into the inside of the briefcase. When the briefcase was closed, three layers of buckles inscribed with complicated matrices closed.
The inside and outside were isolated again!
In a trance, there seemed to be a hissing sound.
But when she listened carefully, she couldn't hear it anymore.
Until now, Ai Qing was still unmoved. She just lowered her head and stared at her watch, counting the time silently. It wasn't until five minutes later, when she confirmed that she was conscious again through the probe and test paper, that she finally let out a long breath, sweating.
She didn't even have the strength to lift the briefcase.
"The containment of the sealed item has been completed —"
Almost at the edge of the countdown to the scheduled detonation, a message was sent to the outside.
"Roger, please prepare to withdraw."
The reply from the commander was still concise. "The situation is a bit wrong, you need to be careful."
When the support of the lie was lost, all the pain hidden under the illusion would collapse.
But before the collapse, would she have enough time to withdraw?
The commander picked up the walkie-talkie and ordered in a low voice, "B3, get ready to break in and rescue —"
In the distance, in the blizzard, the fortress was still silent.
It was so quiet.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
