Chapter 174
When Anilas men arrived, the woman was already dead.
It was as if he had collapsed from exhaustion, losing all his vitality, and died silently.
"She... died of her own accord?"
"Yes, she was crying and begging me to kill her until she died."
"What exactly is going on...?"
Those present, including Anilas Herul, Canary, Ayse, and a group of soldiers, were mostly people with rich combat experience, who had participated in rigorous training and combat missions, and were undoubtedly people with extremely strong mental fortitude.
But upon seeing the woman's dead body, everyone was horrified and terrified.
No one had ever seen such a thing. Based on Efnir's and the soldiers' descriptions, they each had their own guesses, but no one could provide a reasonable and convincing explanation.
Efnir pulled the pale-faced Yukina behind her.
Don't look.
"I... I'm fine..."
Listen to me, don't look.
Efnir turned her gaze to Anilas and took a deep breath.
"In short, something's strange here... I can't quite put my finger on it, but... my gut feeling tells me something's wrong."
"Me too... So what do we do now?"
"Put the body inside, isolate it, and transport it back to Xijing City for research. At the same time, organize and upload all the intelligence as soon as possible. I believe the Human Federation will not ignore this kind of thing."
Efnir lowered her gaze and spoke softly.
"Be careful, this thing is probably very dangerous. Then tell the commander to make sure to send more people to strengthen the security around the temporary camp. It would be best to burn all the grass and bushes. If any abnormalities are found, contact each other immediately. By the way, it is very resilient, but these roots seem to be its weakness. In short, this thing is not strong individually, but it has the advantage of excellent concealment and surprise. More importantly... I am worried that there may be more than one of them."
Anilas listened to Efnir's narration, her throat bobbing slightly.
"... Should we continue our tunnel warfare operations?"
"Of course we must continue, and we must do it quickly."
Efnir said firmly.
Because of this woman's matter, some time has already been wasted, and the operation cannot be halted here. We must gain control of the underground tunnels and Relay Station as soon as possible.
Otherwise, once the backup energy is used up, very few of the people here will be able to leave alive.
Moreover, the unusual activity of the "dust" has basically disappeared, and Efnir believes that similar dangers will no longer occur here.
But...
Efnir increasingly felt that the situation facing the Maesakagawa Recapture Operation this time was probably not so simple.
A bad feeling lingered in my mind, but I couldn't see the whole picture.
38. Exploration
The rain fell like silk threads, and layers of lead-gray clouds piled up, like a giant mountain looming over the horizon.
"Naoko, where did those things come from?"
"I don't know either... Anyway, we can only leave it for now."
Faced with Yukina's questions about the strange woman and the huge tree root, Efnir was at a loss for words for the first time when it came to such "knowledge-based" questions.
Rather, no one has ever seen such a thing before.
Anilas and Kusei Maki, among others, all looked solemn at the strange tree roots growing on the woman's back.
The woman's appearance cast an eerie shadow over everyone's hearts.
But the mission had to continue. After carefully isolating and storing the woman's body, the soldiers quickly found a hidden passage leading to the underground tunnel near the location where the "marker" had broken off—a maintenance entrance that had been left behind.
To be precise, the tunnel maintenance entrance wasn't hard to find; otherwise, so many people wouldn't have gone down there to escape danger and disaster. However, because no one had taken care of the area for a month, the growing plants and collapsed greenhouses had obscured the entrance, so it took a little effort to find it.
At this moment, in front of the entrance --
With a deafening roar, Efnir forcefully blasted open the tunnel entrance that had been blocked from the inside.
The soldiers were responsible for measuring the oxygen concentration and the presence of dangerous gases in the air, but luckily, it seemed they could probe directly down there.
Since this underground tunnel, sealed for many years, can still maintain a certain level of air circulation, it proves that there are likely other entrances here. This provides convenience for the cable laying team, but also poses potential dangers.
"Hurry up!"
Soldiers followed Efnir in, carrying a large amount of weapons and equipment, with Kite bringing up the rear. Meanwhile, a few people remained to guard the entrance to the tunnel.
"The engineering team is checking the lines; everything is proceeding according to plan. Everyone else, get to work!"
Upon entering the tunnel, the team quickly moved out of the "Shielding Device's" area of effect.
Ordinary people are different from agents. Once they leave the "barrier", they will immediately undergo "mutation" under the influence of Corruption Energy. The rate of Corruption in their bodies will inevitably increase. If they stay in a space filled with Corruption Energy for too long, they will be completely Mutation and become Dregs.
This is why the Old Era of humans suffered repeated defeats under the Corruption phenomenon—even if they were not killed by the Erosion Entity, the Corruption Energy would turn humans exposed to the Corruption phenomenon into bloodthirsty monsters.
Therefore, the soldiers had limited time—but even so, they had no intention of backing down.
The steady, rapid footsteps echoed through the quiet tunnel, the beams of tactical lights swept across the walls, and the soldiers followed Efnir forward to explore.
The murky, dark air was filled with a damp, cool scent and a subtle, putrid stench. Clearly, many people had died here. Efnir was very familiar with these smells; she rarely wore a gas mask precisely because she could quickly detect any dangerous odors in the air.
"Is it the same as what Fifina reported...? Now turn off the light source and switch to night vision goggles."
The engineering team's lighting equipment hadn't caught up yet, and visibility grew increasingly dim as they walked in from the entrance. However, this didn't affect the agents, as the other soldiers all put on night vision goggles.
Before long, Efnir, who was walking at the front, suddenly clenched her fist and raised her hand. The soldiers stopped in unison and stood guard against the wall.
"There may be enemies ahead. Follow me and be on guard."
The ground and walls were covered with dried bloodstains, some clothes, and canned goods. In the corner, there were a few withered, pale yellow grass leaves.
For such a place, where sunlight never shines, to see something like this, it's highly likely that these one or two stalks of grass sprouted from seeds brought in by the victims' shoes.
These people sought refuge here and lived there for a short time, but they died without ever receiving any rescue.
Efnir did not stop, and at that moment, several dark figures finally appeared in the darkness ahead. They were fast asleep and showed no signs of waking up, seemingly unaware of the team's arrival.
"At least thirty... there seem to be more deeper in. It looks like this is the first gathering place."
Efnir quickly counted the number and gave a gesture to the soldiers behind her.
"The first battle."
A decoy buzzer was thrown out, and in the instant the loud noise was emitted, like a herd of beasts responding to their leader's call, a series of shrill cries came from the depths of the tunnel.
The well-trained soldiers immediately seized the opportunity, rushing out from around the corner, raising their weapons, and simultaneously unleashing a burst of gunfire into the depths of the tunnel.
For a time, gunshots and roars became the main theme of this underground tunnel.
Bullet holes were left in the wall.
The gunfire lasted for two minutes, the Dregs, like fearless beasts, crashing against the soldiers' bullets in waves before they fell.
Ultimately, the Dregs in the area was cleared away in a short period of time.
As expected, the small amount of Dregs posed little threat to the armed soldiers.
At this moment, the construction team also caught up.
The corpses lying on the ground were soaked in grayish blood. Efnir squinted and stared at the white uniforms on the corpses for a long time.
The clothing and tags on the body... bore the symbols and words of the ICS Research Institute.
Are all these people from the research institute?
So, the woman who was parasitized by the tree roots was also wearing this type of uniform.
The ICS Research Institute was located right next to the tunnel's maintenance entrance. It would make sense if most of the people who eventually sought refuge in the tunnel were institute staff, but Efnir felt that something was missing.
She was cautious, quickly replaced the empty magazine, looked away, and gave the order.
"Keep going!"
This structure, a remnant of the Old Era, is extremely sturdy.
Generally speaking, there are many kinds of dangerous situations that can occur inside a tunnel.
Landslides, collapses, flooding, toxic gases, and explosions are all potential hazards that cannot be ignored, and this is especially true for this tunnel, which has been in disrepair for many years.
Efnir still couldn't understand why this Old Era tunnel wasn't marked on the map.
Generally speaking, such major underground projects must be marked.
And if no one knows about this place, why are so many victims here?
These details are easy to overlook. Before encountering the woman parasitized by the strange vines, Efnir hadn't had many doubts, but now the sense of unease in her heart was growing stronger.
The team continued forward and reached the second corner.
An obstacle made up of piles of rocks and debris appeared before them—and from the depths beyond the obstacle came roars of Dregs. These obstacles were supposedly set up to block the Dregs, but in fact they had not served their intended purpose.
"Prepare for demolition; find cover."
"Efnir said."
"The rest of you, prepare for battle!"
39. Tunnel
The tunnel's interior is predominantly linear, a clean and simple architectural style inherited from distant Old Era.
But twenty years have passed, and the abandoned tunnel has not become dilapidated at all. Despite being deep underground, there are no obvious Trace dampness or water accumulation inside the tunnel, and the walls, treated with a special coating, show no Trace of cracking.
This is a very robust project.
The tunnel is spacious. Although it was originally a civil engineering project, it was built to a high standard, with a large number of cables and equipment laid out. It also seems to have reserved a lot of space for future engineering projects. Although the things left here are original civil equipment, many of them have aged and are damaged due to the long period of time they have been left. However, the various pieces of equipment that are available can still be used to some extent.
After the White Hole Erosion event that occurred twenty years ago, more than 95% of human cities became Dead City. Abandoned and destroyed cities appeared on a large scale. The Maesakagawa Garrison District was a satellite city built on the ruins of a Dead City. Because it was suitable for farming, it was rebuilt, leaving behind this kind of underground engineering from the Old Era.
The above information was obtained by Efnir from the report written by Fengling Shiyin, as well as intelligence she summarized herself.
Kite and Efnir were responsible for guarding the passageway intersection.
While working with the engineering team, the agent was responsible for guarding against potential Erosion Entity and dealing with any occasional Dregs.
At the maintenance window not far away, the engineering team's soldiers were working against the clock, with equipment and cables stretching across the ground until they disappeared around the corner dozens of meters away.
At the end of the tunnel, a few scattered Dregs appeared, their bodies twisted. They were quickly spotted by the soldiers, and the firepower of two heavy machine guns immediately covered them, turning the Dregs into sieves in the blink of an eye.
Ordinary Dregs doesn't even require an agent; the soldiers can easily handle it. The two heavy machine guns that were brought down are very reliable.
Kite held the gun, her gaze cautiously glancing at Efnir.
Efnir leaned against the wall, a chocolate bar dangling from her mouth, an assault rifle slung over her waist. Her hooded coat hadn't been removed; it had slipped half an inch off her shoulder, revealing her smooth, milky skin and the close-combat suit beneath.
Unlike the nervous-looking kite, Efnir appeared quite at ease, occasionally glancing down at the electronic bracelet on her wrist, checking the time and calculating the approximate distance using the map.
In cities, these tactical support wristbands can provide city maps and location services, which are derived from the city's radar and signal base stations. In areas Beyond the Boundary, one has to figure things out on their own.
"Um... Miss Efnir... the weather isn't very nice today!"
A hesitant voice broke the silence.
But she regretted it as soon as she said it.
Discussing today's weather in a dark underground tunnel where the sky is invisible feels a bit awkward, immediately giving away her desire to strike up a conversation.
But Efnir clearly didn't understand Iris's intention; she simply nodded in agreement, "Ah, that's true, so we need to continue to proceed with caution on our journey ahead."
As far as the timing of the Beyond the Boundary is concerned, rainy days are indeed unlucky.