Chapter 42
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Debenna Planet's Secret (3)
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The next morning.
I resumed my exploration.
It was clear now that there was something wrong with the simulator.
So this time, I planned to investigate with the simulator at the center.
The missing Gallum had mentioned something wrong with Facility 3.
If there were any clues, they had to be there, right?
"3? You mean Facility 3?"
I asked Waratis to let me into Facility 3.
He immediately looked troubled.
"Ah, I'm truly sorry, sir! Unfortunately, Adventure Facility 3 is under maintenance right now, so it's unavailable."
"Unavailable?"
"We deeply apologize for the inconvenience. How about checking out some other adventures instead? We have a wide variety of experiences prepared!"
As expected, Waratis was blocking me from going to Facility 3.
"Sir, so far you've only used the Ahoraatoom Adventure. But you see, the Ahoraatoom Adventure is just a tiny part of our amusement park."
He flashed a salesman's smile and started chattering away.
"Just like how you get bored eating only one kind of food, you get bored riding only one ride! Why not try some new attractions today?"
Waratis followed me around, yapping nonstop.
If he weren't a hologram, spit would be flying everywhere.
I ignored him and kept moving.
When I didn't react much, he finally said to call him if I needed anything and vanished.
'Finally, some quiet.'
Once I confirmed he was gone, I headed toward Facility 3.
The problem-plagued Facility 3 had a completely different vibe from the start.
The other places just felt neglected and a bit barren after years of abandonment.
But this one felt like a warzone.
Xeno skeletons littered the ground everywhere.
Each corpse clutched a gun.
Most looked like soldiers from their uniforms.
But there were some civilian skeletons mixed in.
I could easily guess the identity of the soldier Xenos.
They were Belids.
They had to be the troops the Belid Empire had sent into the amusement park.
I approached one of the skeletons for a closer look.
They bore the scars of battle.
It was obvious they'd been murdered by someone.
The amusement park was probably responsible.
All the bodies faced away from the facility.
They must have lost the fight, fled, and died while running.
I left them behind and approached the facility.
The moment I stepped toward it...
--Whiiiing!
A powerful barrier blocked my path.
I immediately drew my gun and tried to blast it.
But the barrier didn't budge.
It was too strong for a single grunt like me to break.
Confirming the path was sealed, I snapped a photo of the ruined street turned to rubble by battle and posted it to the gallery.
Title: Current Situation Report
Author: Auto-Nickname 1582
(Image of the street packed with Xeno skeletons)
I've arrived at Facility 3.
As you can see from the photo, while the other places just feel long-abandoned, this one has the atmosphere of a city reduced to ruins by war.
Most of the corpses are soldiers.
The only ones who sent an army here are the Belid Empire, so they're probably Belids, right?
They all collapsed facing away from the facility, like they died while fleeing.
I tried approaching the facility, but it's protected by a powerful barrier.
From the old posts left in the gallery, it looks like Gallum, who explored Debenna before, made it this far too.
But maybe he couldn't get inside because of the barrier, went looking for a way in, and died. Should I head to the staff building now?
Skull shape confirms they're Belids.
How does Namgoong-hyung know that?
I've killed so many Xenos that I can tell them apart just by their skull shapes now.
This is insane lolololol
You're seriously violent as hell ;;;
Nothing else new?
Yeah, nothing else. I'll let you know if I find anything new.
I closed the gallery and resumed moving.
My destination this time: the staff building.
Fortunately, it wasn't far.
I started heading toward the staff building.
The path there was also littered with corpses.
About an hour later, I finally arrived at the staff building.
The staff building had a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
I deployed the Eggies to scout the surroundings.
I knew I couldn't get caught by Waratis.
So I steered clear of areas with hologram generators.
Soon, one of the Eggies found an entrance into the sealed building.
It wasn't a man-made door.
The outer wall had been completely smashed open, creating a makeshift hole.
I slowly entered through it.
Immediately, a different space unfolded before me.
The building was shrouded in thick darkness.
I activated my radar visualization device.
The interior was empty, with discarded office supplies scattered on the floor here and there.
I took a photo and posted it to the gallery.
Title: Inside the Staff Building
Author: Auto-Nickname 1582
(Image of the dark, creepy building interior)
I've finally entered the staff building.
For those who forgot, this is where Gallum, who explored Debenna before, went missing.
That means there's something here, right?
It's too time-consuming to check everywhere, so I'll start with the floors that look important.
The vibe suddenly got creepy ㄷㄷ
Doesn't look like a staff building—could pass for a bio-experiment lab.
Pro tip: Start with the Strategic Planning Office database. Makes finding info easier.
In corporate states, the Strategic Planning Office is like the central government. They hold all the data.
Oh, for real? Guess I'll check there first.
Got some good info.
I immediately started looking for a building directory.
Just like in any building.
I easily found one in the lobby.
'Strategic Planning is on the 30th floor.'
Then I tried the elevator next to it.
Unfortunately, it didn't work.
I ditched the elevator and headed for the stairs.
--Kreeeak!
The door opened to reveal the staircase.
At the same time, an overwhelming stench assaulted me.
'What the hell is this smell?'
It was unmistakably the smell of rot.
Intensely concentrated rot.
The stench made me hesitate to climb the stairs.
I wanted to get out of there right then.
But I had no other options.
Holding my breath, I raced up the stairs as fast as I could.
After climbing nearly 10 floors...
--Thud!
A heavy thud echoed in my ears.
I reflexively raised my gun.
The sound was coming from above.
Gun at the ready, I slowly ascended.
--Thud!
Immediately, the sound rang out again.
It repeated every 10 seconds or so.
『30th Floor』
The number had reached 30.
The sound was coming from this very floor.
I moved cautiously, staying alert.
That's when it happened.
--Thud!
Now the sound was crystal clear.
Whatever was making it was heading my way.
'Fuck, what the hell is that?'
It was some kind of machine stitched together from corpses.
The stench was coming from it.
A quadrupedal robot, with Xeno heads attached like parts all over its body.
The sight was so grotesque it was hard to look away.
Title: What the fuck is this thing?
Author: Auto-Nickname 1582
(Image of the robot dog covered in corpses)
I'm no stranger to anomalies, but this fucker is the grossest one I've ever seen, shit...
Not sure if the heads attached to the anomaly are alive, but their eyes were moving slightly.
Fuck, this is scary as hell.
Hey, warn for gross pics, you fucker.
Arrrgh! My eyes!!!
Fuck, I was eating...
Oh, finally the new guy's scared and running away?
Nah, planning to plasma-burn all those disgusting monsters.
No way lololol You got no concept of fear? Meeting a monster like that in the dark would scare anyone, but your first instinct is to destroy it?
As long as I have weapons and ammo, there's nothing to fear.
Right after posting that last comment...
I stepped into the hallway with my gun raised.
The eyes of the heads attached to the anomaly's body turned toward me.
--Heh heh heh!
--Fresh meat?
--You'll be like us soon enough!
Was it trying to instill fear?
The heads let out eerie cackles.
Soon, they grinned so wide their mouths seemed to split.
Their gazes fixed on me.
For some reason, I could sense their thoughts.
--Scared yet?
--Run away! That's more fun!
--You'll get caught by us anyway.
Utter confidence in their superiority.
Like hunters savoring the thrill of prey fleeing in terror.
But they made a fatal miscalculation.
I was the hunter, not them.
Instead of running, I smiled back.
Not the reaction they expected, apparently.
I could see bewilderment spread across the heads' faces.
Then, as I strode boldly toward them...
They finally realized something was wrong.