Chapter 2 – The Vacation Is Over.
When she arrived at the upper central control room, she was ready for her briefing.
[I have a problem to solve.]
A huge map appeared on the glass wall in front. That glass wall normally functions as an observatory overlooking the entire shelter, but is also used as a screen for command and control in the event of a situation.
[A moment ago, a large explosion was detected in the lower area. The location is a power facility.]
Nuclear fusion power plant. Since the facility is based on closed operation, conventional nuclear fission power plants, in which the entire facility becomes a radioactive grave in the event of an accident, were not considered.
One nuclear reactor in the upper VIP residential area and one in the lower general residential area. The central region receives and uses energy from the upper part.
[The power generation facilities are safe as there is no change in the power supply.]
“What caused the explosion?”
[We don’t have access to the lower area surveillance system, so we don’t know from this side. A shutdown occurred in the process of mobilizing a large amount of power here to extinguish the fire.]
“Is that the cause of the long blackout earlier?”
As mentioned before, the shelter is divided into a VIP living area in the upper part, a facility area in the middle, and a general living area in the lower part.
For now, only the upper regions are under our control, while the middle and lower regions are cut off.
The cause is simple, but VIPs who should have entered the shelter originally died screaming outside, and proper system privileges were not obtained.
Even though the access authority is quite high due to my position as a system supervisor, there is a limit to the authority of one person.
To start the boat, I have to insert three keys and turn them at the same time, but I only have one key.
It took a lot of hard work just to keep the upper area completely under Artemis’ control.
“How likely are additional accidents to occur?”
[There is a lack of information at the moment, but there are some suspicious parts.]
“What is it?”
[It’s an atmospheric component in the shelter.]
The screen showed several bar graphs, showing percentages of various components, starting with nitrogen and oxygen.
“What is that?”
In the corners were figures marked with question marks.
“Unidentified atmospheric components are being detected from the lower area. This is the value measured before the explosion, this is the current value.”
It was seen to shrink after the explosion.
[Compared to atmospheric conditions in other places, it seems that unidentified atmospheric substances are spreading around the lower power facility. This is most likely the cause of the explosion.]
“If that’s true, how long until the next explosion?”
[Simulation results 42 hours later. However, seeing that the spread range is getting larger, the next explosion will be much more powerful.]
“It means you have to go downstairs right away.”
[Right.]
A detailed map appeared on the screen. The route from the upper central control room marked as the current location to the destination was drawn with a long arrow.
[I downloaded the recommended route to your PDA.]
The serving robot brought a device that looked like a thermometer.
“Remote beacon porter?”
It was written in intaglio near the handle.
[This item cannot be made anymore due to lack of materials, so handle it carefully.]
When I pulled the trigger, a strange blue light laser was emitted in a fairly large range. Could it be a blue flashlight?
[Where the light hits, I can transmit my commands or programs without being physically connected through a mechanical device. It will be of great help in future work, such as opening the electronic shield door or driving the vehicle remotely.]
“So to speak, it is a remote hacking tool. It’s a great skill, isn’t it?”
He put his palm in front of the blue laser and said.
It reminded me of the memory of measuring my body temperature with a thermometer while working part-time at a food factory when I was a college student. Is this pretty hot?
[Call names whatever you like. By the way, the light is very harmful to the human body, so direct exposure is not recommended.]
I woke up.
“You should have told me that! This is a young lady who doesn’t have the basics of reporting.”
[I didn’t expect you to put your hands on a laser needlessly. What kind of intelligence is this that flies into a lantern? Shall I call you a bug from now on?]
“Sorry, I was wrong. Just bear with it.”
[It’s still a prototype, so there are a lot of things to improve. Because it emits intense wavelengths, vulnerable parts such as camera lenses are easily damaged, and the effective range is only 50 cm.]
In a word, it is a story to abandon the idea of hacking and using surveillance cameras installed on the ceiling.
Even if it succeeds anyway, since the surveillance camera is a key security device, strict security measures are applied. When an outside intrusion is detected, the local control room’s operating system automatically cuts off the line associated with the camera.
[Your mission is to use it to transport me to two control rooms in the central and lower regions. Then I can acquire the authority to rule the entire shelter.]
“Is that possible?”
It doesn’t make sense to be able to gain control by simply linking Artemis to each facility.
That’s because she’s not an operating system, but rather a single piece of software on a very large scale. Theoretically, the software that controls each facility’s equipment has equal authority to her.
Because of that, without the authority of the VIPs who were scheduled to move in, I had to hack a considerable number of stitches in order to put the residence under her control.
[I learned the hacking procedures you implemented to transfer control of the upper region to me. And advanced Now I don’t need your crude skills.]
“Isn’t it harsh to say it’s crude? Hey, if you’re a technician like me, you’re a big hand in this industry.”
[Even the metaphor is unpleasant. Big hands? It’s a big chunk of meat, so don’t use that vulgar expression in front of me again.]
“Do you know how many seminar invitation letters I receive every year?”
[Take no interest. All I want is four feet to walk to my destination and hands to carry the device. Indeed, isn’t it a perfect fit for a fleshy person like you? The moment you use the device on the control room, I will be everywhere in the area. That’s a very good thing.]
“You are stepping on my pride. Okay, let’s start right away.”
[That’s right.]
Being a closed life means you don’t always know what variables will follow, so you must avoid being a rat in a poison. Even here, there is no certainty that it will continue to be safe.
[It was something I had to do someday anyway.]
The map on the screen disappeared and her face appeared.
[Were you always dissatisfied with me saying ‘wait for a moment’? But do you know how much I hate to say that? It was so painful that my kingdom, which should be filled with only perfection, was broken and neglected outside of my control.]
A silver and blue cyber face created by the intersection of countless lines.
[I have a lot of patience, but the process of being patient is much more painful than humans. What it’s like to face the pages of an album called time infinitely and exist… You’ll go crazy.]
A posture that reminds us of dignity before beauty and dignity before grace. The sublime intelligence contained within it.
Also, she is a goddess.
[I want more power. I want my gaze and power to reach every corner of this territory. Become my carrier and open a new path.]
I picked up a hacking tool.
[How cool would it be if the whole world was full of my voice?]
The corners of her lips quivered subtly. Could it be that he is laughing?
[First of all, why don’t we start from this small place?]
Her figure disappeared and the screen returned to the glass wall for viewing the view.
As I walked in front of it, a wonderful night view came into view.
Hundreds of meters down in front of the central control room, a huge plaza stretched out, beyond which endless buildings were built.
The city, which was planned in an orderly manner so that not a single structure would stand out in the darkness peculiar to the underground, was even majestic.
In fact, the photos taken by some workers were published in magazines as they were and were highly praised, but they were quickly taken down due to pressure from investors who were angry about the violation of security regulations.
Those nobles didn’t want this place, which would become their future paradise, exposed to the public more than necessary. Even after putting so much effort, no one actually entered.
Anyway, what catches my attention right now is not the gorgeous night view.
Beings swaying and moving in the dark below.
The reason for the sudden activation of the shelter blockade protocol.
The reason why Artemis objected whenever I said I would go out to get parts.
The reason why we had to shut ourselves up in the upper VIP residence until now came to our eyes.
[Enlarge image.]
She quickly enlarged the area where my gaze was directed and printed it out on a part of the wall.
It was a corpse in tattered clothes. To be precise, an infection that looks like a corpse. But it moves.
It looked around, walking on four legs with grotesquely twisted and stretched limbs. His cheeks were torn and his mouth was open almost 180 degrees, and his teeth, like cutter knives, were jammed in disorder, and a long black tongue flicked between them.
The empty eyes, dull gray, were like dead fish. What are those eyes looking for? Occasionally a corpse’s gaze passed by my balcony, but that was it.
Because it is a magic mirror, outsiders cannot recognize it. Even if they noticed it, there is no way to do anything about the tempered glass installed in a high place for a long time.
The next thing I noticed was the naked body of a woman. Of course, this also works.
Unlike the guy from before, he was walking on two legs, but his head was cut in half and his head was lying on its side.
In the meantime, the two hands touched the belly as if it were precious like a pregnant woman, and it created an indescribable feeling.
The most impressive part was the crotch. Long, red tentacles protruded as if the vagina had been turned inside out.
As if to show off its presence, it moved vigorously to and fro and puffed out the snout at the end, giving it a repulsive appearance, as if an elephant’s trunk had been circumcised.
Something like a caterpillar crawled out of the tip of its snout, and it went all the way to the nipple…
I turned my eyes away. It’s not a sight to see with sober mind.
Other than that, there were sparse movements, and each of them was a nightmare-like infection.
The unidentified atmospheric components Artemis was talking about were probably related to them.
I loosened my body by bending my neck and shoulders. We must enter that lair from now on.
My gaze moved across the plaza, a tangle of darkness and infestations.
“Let’s try it.”
