Vorobyov also noticed that, among this strange team of workers, only Bessonova had been speaking to him. The others either remained silent or whispered among themselves from a short distance away.
Under normal circumstances, Vorobyov would definitely have been suspicious of the four of them. But his mind was elsewhere now, and he had no time to care about their backgrounds. All he could think about was resolving this matter as quickly as possible, then going to the DW office to warn the others. Pripyat might already have been contaminated by radiation, while the townspeople were likely still completely unaware.
The thought made Vorobyov angry. Bryukhanov was blatantly lying with his eyes open, ignoring the numbers on the radiation meter. A plant director like that would have been better off not existing.
The five of them were all preoccupied, so they said little along the way.
The head of the Civil Defense Department led the four of them to the No. 1 administrative building and said, "Bryukhanov is in the underground shelter beneath the administrative building. Go straight down the stairs, and you'll find him soon enough."
By saying that, Vorobyov clearly intended to part ways with the four of them here. It seemed he had no desire to see Bryukhanov's face again.
Just then, a figure staggered out of the administrative building.
The man's skin was bright red, and he was coughing violently. It was obvious that he had recently suffered a high dose of radiation. Yet compared with his physical condition, his mental state was even worse. He looked utterly dazed. When he reached the steps, his legs gave out, and he sat down heavily, muttering, "It's over. It's all over."
"Anatoly!" Vorobyov recognized him and asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Anatoly raised his head