Chapter 249 – Tanis – Entering the Lab
Tanis Research Institute.
The key to fundamentally solving this universal disaster. Where vaccines sleep.
The hallway beyond the open front door was overall dark, but light was leaking in from a few places.
“Damn, it wasn’t a sealed place.”
It was clearly a sign of entry from outside. Obviously those aren’t everything.
As we entered, lights came on sequentially on the ceiling of the hallway.
The guidance sound from earlier was played and subtitles were displayed on the visor.
-Agent Seo Jin-su. This facility is a restricted facility. A security officer will soon arrive to provide you with a visitor pass. Please wait in place. The expected waiting time is…
There was silence for about 2 seconds.
– Waiting time cannot be calculated. No security department members identified.
-Turn the line to the information desk. The expected waiting time is…
Silence for another 2 seconds.
– Waiting time cannot be calculated. Information desk physical disconnection.
There were no broadcasts after that. All that lies before us is a silent laboratory.
Not only has it gotten dark outside, but the humidity is rising, making it look like it’s about to rain.
“It’s perfect as an introduction to a horror movie.”
I raised my firearm and said.
“Isn’t this better? “It would have been more creepy if someone had welcomed me.”
“That’s true too.”
It reminded me of the spacecraft’s infector that sent a false rescue signal.
There is lighting inside, but it is a little better than emergency lights. There is darkness throughout.
In any case, it doesn’t seem like the lab has been completely shut down. The fact that the automated system functions even after being left unattended for a long time is a testament to the technological prowess of a pioneering civilization.
[Blood traces found.]
Alpha gestured.
There are clear traces of battle around the hole in the hallway I mentioned earlier.
[Check the blood stains here too.]
Charlie reported in front of another external hole.
“It appears that a complete blockade has not been achieved.”
“I had no expectations from the beginning.”
We passed through a long and wide hallway leading to the interior of the laboratory.
“What is this? Have you ever seen anything like this?”
There are strangely shaped organic tissues stuck to the walls and ceiling.
The shape resembled a contaminated tissue that commonly occurs in severely infected areas, but it was cloudy grayish-white instead of pink. Moreover, it was so dry that it looked like resin or wax.
“This is my first time seeing this too.”
[No vital reaction. It is dead body tissue.]
When Charlie held something nearby in her hand, it crumbled to pieces.
“Could it be the effect of the vaccine?”
“I can’t think of a better hypothesis other than that.”
I tried to keep my cool as it was the most important moment of the entire journey, but I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows.
Rather, the sight of robots emotionlessly moving around while being wary of their surroundings calmed me down.
“First of all, it is urgent to understand the status of the research institute.”
As soon as we entered the lobby, Solaver moved to the unmanned information device, and we stood guard around it.
Traces of disorderly flight, confusion, and battle are evident everywhere.
It was common practice to pile up items to form a barricade, and there were dried blood stains everywhere. Red was the most common, but there were also quite a few blues and greens.
“It’s worse than I thought.”
Sola Ber, who was handling the device, clicked his tongue.
“To what extent?”
“The defense forces guarding this place fought desperately. Without paying any attention to the damage done to the facility. “There are several areas where research buildings were completely blown up.”
“Could it be that the vaccine didn’t fly with them?”
“Don’t worry about that. Because I didn’t just fight out of spite, saying you should die and I should die. It was closer to moving the vaccine to the safest location and fighting with the determination to give up all remaining areas. “I even left an explanation for the recovery team that might visit in the future.”
Solaver downloaded various materials, including a map of his suit, from his information desk.
“Where is the vaccine?”
“The most important and safest place in the lab. “It’s the generator room.”
“Seeing that everyone here is alive, it must be fine there too.”
“Yes.”
Infectors are passionate about killing the living, but they have no interest in data or small samples.
We came here assuming that even if the laboratory was destroyed, the vaccine, which was strictly sealed, would be safe.
This laboratory is largely divided into two areas. One is the research area where various experiments are conducted and is where we are now.
The other is an operating area equipped with support facilities including a generator, a loading dock, and accommodations, which is our final destination.
“It worked out better. The place where the simple warp device is located is also an operating area. If it is simply locked rather than destroyed, you will be able to escape as soon as the vaccine is recovered.”
“I hope everything goes well like you said, but I’m anxious.”
“Is this the sense of a soldier?”
Solaver looked at me with a serious expression.
“It’s not really like that.”
I shook my head to shake off the ominous thoughts.
So we moved along the route marked as the shortest route.
Meanwhile, it seems to be common to all races to scribble notes or complaints when in danger of death. There were various graffiti left by survivors of the past here and there.
Since most of it was written in the Space Federation’s mainstream script, the visor displayed subtitles.
-I don’t want to die
-I’ve been running away for a long time, but this is where I’m at.
Although it is the last bastion of pioneering civilizations, it is fundamentally a civilian-centered research institute.
Since these words were left by civilians who had no experience in combat, they are full of fear and despair.
-You bastards! You guys will live together
This is graffiti left by the remains of a deceased person leaning against the wall in front of a tightly closed door. It looks like he died before it was completed, and there is a large hole in his chest.
Nails much larger than a humans were stuck together using dried blood as glue, as if they were desperately scratching at the door that wouldn’t open.
It appears that he was attacked from behind while making a will with his bleeding fingertips.
“This is what I saw at the shelter.”
“This is also a place where people live.”
Nana Solaverna passed by with a confused look on her face.
On the other hand, there was also graffiti full of bravery, letter by letter.
-God is smiling at me!
It was a message written in a hallway. In front of it, the dismembered remains are scattered.
A crushed alien weapon was hanging from the severed hand bone. I did not take my finger off the trigger until the very end.
Unfortunately, the door they were trying to protect seems to have been torn open by a strong force.
“It’s the Achilles. They are all brave warriors armed with faith. They made up half of this lab’s security forces.”
Solaver said after recognizing the text.
He politely straightened the helmet that had fallen on its side. Inside was the skull of a fallen soldier, Achilles.
“It seems like quite a few people have come in, but I was wondering why there wasn’t an attack by infectious agents, and there was a reason.”
As we passed through the passageway and reached a large area, traces of a gruesome battle appeared one after another.
Remains wearing combat uniforms and helmets were rolling around all over the place, and there were infected remains that looked to be twice their size.
We looked at the crossroads that divided into several passages.
“Well, take the second aisle from the left…”
The moment when Solaver rechecks her guidance.
Tung!
A noise was heard from the high ceiling.
When they all aimed their guns at that place, there was something resembling a ventilation hole across the ceiling. A hideous creature sticking its head out from there.
Thorn-like teeth protruding in a disorderly manner, an unsightly distorted face, dark blue veins, and eyes full of flesh. It’s a walker.
“Chi-“
Before the guy could even scream, an explosive bullet flew and hit him in the face.
Hollow!
Kwasik!
Pieces of the broken ventilation shaft and the headless body fell together, making a loud noise.
“I guess it was too noisy.”
“I don’t think you need to think about that. “I think she’s already turned everyone on.”
A new walker’s face was sticking out of the vent.
With another explosion sound, pieces of metal and chunks of meat fall. And all the vents started shaking.
“Keeeeek-!”
Roaring sounds coming from all directions.
“Run! Into the passage ahead!”
This is not a good place to fight as there are roads everywhere and ventilation holes at the top.
As we run at full speed, we can hear the sound of flesh colliding with the floor behind us.
Poop!
Cheolpudeok!
The walkers, who only charged indiscriminately, fell down in a clumsy posture.
A snap!
However, there is also a neat sound mixed in, as if it had landed with perfect balance. They must be variants.
“Keeeeek-!”
As we pass through the narrow gate, terrible sounds follow us.
Ping!
Alpha, who was at the very end, dropped a grenade and flew out through the door.
At the same time, Echo and Tango, who had come in first, closed the door and blocked it with their bodies, making a loud noise. Charlie and Alpha were on guard in the hallway ahead.
Boom!
Infections hit the body just in the nick of time.
Due to the tremendous struggle between the two sides, the door was instantly seen collapsing, its hinges breaking, and breaking apart.
After about 2 seconds.
Kwaang!!!
With the sound of a grenade exploding, the pressure on the door weakened for an instant. However, the door is already in tatters.
Kkjjik!
Finally, one of them blew a hole the size of a watermelon in the center of the door.
“Kkieee…”
Tango’s kick was delivered to the face of Walker, who stuck his head in the hole.
Pump!
The body fell with the sound of the skull cracking, and the next hit came immediately.
“Krrrr!”
Two black hands reminiscent of bear paws hold both sides of the hole. Beyond that, you can see a beast-like face with a black discoloration. I had a hunch that it was a variant infection that had quietly landed.
Before he tore down the door, I put the gun through the hole.
“Eat this!”
Explosive bullets fired from the fire-breathing muzzle vaporized the black variant’s head. The black hand, which had tendons like earthworms sprouting from it, loses its strength and becomes limp.
The explosive bombs even destroyed the infected organisms waiting in line behind the hole. Every time a small flash of light flashes, countless pieces of blood and flesh fly.
[I cannot sense any attempts by enemies to invade.]
Now there is no shock from infectious agents hitting the door.
“Keeeeek-!”
It seems that the remaining ones are having difficulty entering because the corpses are blocking the narrow passage.
“Move. “If you get sandwiched here, there is no answer.”
As soon as the robots blocking the door joined us, we ran forward.
Before leaving, I blocked the door by knocking over a nearby vending machine-like object and a sofa, but I don’t know if it would be effective. But do aliens also use vending machines?
“If I had the money, I would have bought you a drink, but it’s a shame!”
As expected, the vending machine was right!
The screams of the infected bodies quickly receded behind us as we ran.
* * *
Afterward, I traversed the laboratory while experiencing sporadic battles.
As our elite troops were equipped with high-firepower weapons, we moved to small areas where we could narrow the fire net rather than large areas.
In the process, I also had to see disgusting scenes separate from the infectious agent and the secrets of this laboratory.
“This is…”
As I entered a research building, I felt a sense of déjà vu. The scene I saw at the Metacraft Lab and the Bloodtech Lab.
“It’s a human experiment.”
Solaver spoke heavily.
Various remains were bound on operating tables placed at regular intervals throughout the area. At a glance, it is clear that these are not animals, but the remains of an intelligent species.
On the wall, organ tissues that appear to have been eaten alive or torn out during an autopsy are floating in liquid. It is similar to what I saw in the Bloodtech underground laboratory.
“Did you know?”
“No.”
Solaver shook his head.
“But I expected it to happen with a high probability. When you’re in a desperate situation, you end up using any means possible. Moreover, there must have been a reason why vaccine research progressed so quickly.”
“Since it was a planet that originally confined and controlled prisoners, it must have been easy to supply personnel.”
It was an inhumane sight, but to be honest, it didn’t really touch me. It might have felt different if an Exos like Solaver had been lying down as a test subject.
Moreover, we have neither the time nor the right to express our sorrow and anger.
Because Hanoi is urgent, and we are here to retrieve the fruits of this terrible experiment.
As we passed the human testing site, as expected, an animal testing site appeared.
Specimens of the familiar flying squirrel creature and a variety of native creatures are spread out like specimens, but there was one that particularly caught my eye.
“Aren’t those the spiders we fought?”
It was Arachnid’s fluid. It was the largest among the specimens, and there were traces of every organ and tissue in the body being separated and studied.
“We are not scientists. Once we retrieve the vaccine, Artemis will reveal everything. “Don’t waste time and thought on meaningless speculation.”
Rumbling!
Just in time, the sound of thunder shook the laboratory.
To me, it sounded like a revelation from God telling me to go ahead and get the vaccine.
As we left the animal laboratory, a skybridge connecting the operating area finally appeared.
As you enter the skybridge, you can see at a glance the facility structures that are more crude compared to the research buildings.
The sky was full of dark clouds, but raindrops were falling on the transparent ceiling of the bridge.
“It’s not good.”
“What do you mean?”
“Infectious agents don’t like getting wet. Even those wandering outside will come into the lab.”
“The word has become a seed.”
One by one, flowing dolls began to appear from somewhere in the desolate land. Needless to say, the direction is this research institute.
Twisted monsters walk blindly, trudging like pilgrims heading to a holy place.
We lowered our posture for fear of attracting their attention.
If guys like Walker found us, it would be like a dog chasing a chicken looking at the roof, but if guys like Juggernaut or Reaper see us, it’s annoying.
“Oh my god.”
Solaver was surprised by the frighteningly increasing number and covered his mouth. Some guys were already passing under the skybridge where we were.
It was fortunate that the floor was not made of transparent material.
“Let’s go.”
Take one step at a time carefully. I was worried that the infected organisms passing below us might look up with their distorted faces.
