Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 125
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Labyrinth Exploration 101 Episode 125
In the house(12)
Here where we are now, in Sector A of the Cosmos, there are no zombies to be seen. What could be the reason?
It couldn’t be that they succeeded in suppressing them.
Space zombies don’t die, after all.
But is it really possible to simply not die?
My suspicion extends from that point.
There are no immortal beings in the world. Passing dogs, gorillas, humans, even the universe itself has a lifespan.
Therefore, zombies aren’t undying even when killed, but rather we simply haven’t been able to kill them.
Suddenly, the concept of ‘mycelium’ comes to mind.
When we discover mushrooms while climbing a mountain, we mistake them for individual organisms. However, mushrooms are merely the parts that appear on the surface.
Nail-like fragments that bloom from underground where the lines of fungi called mycelia have infiltrated.
Even if you pluck the mushrooms, the mycelium doesn’t die.
Therefore, zombies are mushrooms. Because they’re connected by invisible lines, they don’t die even when their bodies are cut.
The source that maintains such zombies is probably at the center of the Cosmos ship…
“What are you thinking about?”
My thoughts were interrupted. I looked back at Eldia.
“Ha-woon. Everyone’s sleeping, you can rest more.”
“I planned to sleep only two hours from the start.”
“Wow. Is that possible for you? I guess it’s because you’re from the Special Forces. I need so much sleep…”
She smiled shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear.
I asked foolishly.
“Haha… What happened to your colleagues?”
“We’ll be able to meet them once the hangar opens soon.”
“…Yes. If we go deeper inside, are there many survivors?”
Eldia nodded with a dark expression.
“There definitely will be. Like Truck. I ran away alone though…”
She lowered her head as if feeling guilty.
This was a timing that required comfort.
“Anyone would have done the same.”
“…Thank you.”
Beep beep-
A sound came from Eldia’s terminal. It was time.
“Wake up.”
I poked Kang Hyeon and Seo Ji-woo with my walking stick. Both startled awake.
“…What time is it now.”
Seo Ji-woo’s double eyelids had gotten thicker. Kang Hyeon’s face was quite swollen too.
“What time. Just get up.”
“I’ll move. Everyone follow me.”
Eldia led the way first. I followed while leaning on my walking stick, and Kang Hyeon and Seo Ji-woo followed while yawning.
The hangar wasn’t far away.
[ Hangar ]
The gate opened. It was a space surrounded on all sides by precise steel plates. Probably just beyond this single layer of wall, space would be spread out.
“Everyone come to the control room here.”
The control room, a booth with a clear view of the hangar.
Eldia skillfully sat in front of the desktop.
Right, a 「desktop」.
“…Honestly, let’s just do rock-paper-scissors for this.”
Seo Ji-woo quickly turned me around. Kang Hyeon also hurriedly joined in and held out his hand.
“What. You go. Get away quickly. Shoo shoo.”
Seo Ji-woo pushed Kang Hyeon away.
“Why me? I want to join too.”
Kang Hyeon also stepped closer with subtle greed. Seo Ji-woo frowned.
“You’re going to level up your terminal anyway.”
“He said that was good.”
Kang Hyeon is trying to sell me out.
I can’t let that happen.
“It’s not good. It’s more like it’s okay to have about one person in the party? We don’t need level 3 or higher.”
If possible, I need to reduce the competition.
“See.”
Seo Ji-woo grinned. Kang Hyeon looked wronged.
“Fine. Then I’ll level up something else.”
“Wow! Finally?! You’re finally breaking that terminal obsession?!”
There was tremendous emotion in that theatrical tone. It seemed they’d had quite a few arguments about this.
“But still no. You’re already ruined since you put 3 points in terminal. Go away.”
Seo Ji-woo waved her hands dismissively.
“Ruined…”
Kang Hyeon was hurt.
I suddenly became curious.
“Seo Ji-woo, what skill do you have?”
“I have Gravity Field.”
Something seems strange about how proudly she’s answering.
“Then why haven’t you used it until now?”
“…Hey. Why are fellow mages being like this~ I just haven’t adapted to the environment yet. This Gravity Field requires quite a lot of magic power.”
Then, Kang Hyeon’s eyes widened. As if he’d spotted an opening, he pounced on Seo Ji-woo like a hawk.
“Then you’re useless too.”
“Huh, what?”
“You’re useless. If you can’t use it even after leveling up.”
“What, what’s useless. The useless thing is terminal level-up. I’ll finish adapting soon.”
“Try using it then.”
“…What?”
“Try using it. You can’t use it right now.”
“…I’ll be able to use it if I sleep just one or two more hours.”
“You can’t use it right now.”
“Ah shit. Hey. Being childish-”
“You can’t use it right now.”
“…Fine! I can’t use it right now. But yours is useless even if you level it up. At least if I level up Gravity Field, there’s potential…”
I let them continue their argument and quietly approached the desktop.
I’m taking it.
Even if it’s underhanded, I have no choice. For the greater good…
“What.”
There was no light on the desktop.
It meant someone had already used it.
“I’ll open the hangar!”
Eldia, who had finished her work at some point, pressed the enter key.
Beyond the glass wall, the massive gate of the hangar opened. Then, as if it had been waiting, a spaceship flew in from outside. The entire process was very quiet.
“Hey! We agreed to play rock-paper-scissors.”
Seo Ji-woo and Kang Hyeon, who had consolidated their opinions, extended their fists. I shook my head.
“It’s already been used.”
“…What? Wow, that’s so unfair!”
“Wow… hyung….”
Seo Ji-woo contorted her face in frustration, and Kang Hyeon also looked genuinely disappointed.
“No. Not by me. By someone else.”
“…Huh? Let me see.”
There’s another explorer who entered the mothership besides us. And at least a day or two ago at that.
A few candidates come to mind. Lee Jun-ho, Ryu Yeon-hwa, Kate… They really aren’t people to underestimate.
“Everyone come out!”
The hangar gate had closed at some point.
We went outside the control room.
Hissss.
The spaceship’s transport bay opened. Quite a few people got out from inside.
“Eldia!”
Among them, a blonde man who appeared to be the leader spread his arms toward Eldia. Eldia ignored him and gestured to us.
“Everyone, come inside the spaceship!”
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Waste Processing Ship Gestalt.
Truck and Robot, who had safely made it down here, found the submarine that Seol Ha-woon had arranged.
─Try your best to lift it up.
〔Confirmed….〕
Robot was quite feeble, but still managed to float the submarine on the Waste Sea.
─Go in first.
Robot entered the submarine first, and Truck followed.
Click. The lid was closed.
─Robot. Look at this carefully. Is it definitely sealed?
〔Scanning… Yes… No gaps exist….〕
─Good. The fuel is….
It checked the xenon battery that served as engine fuel. There was still plenty left.
─Let’s go.
Truck gripped the wheel with its robotic arm. When it spun it around, the hull descended.
─…It’s working well.
Phew. It let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
─The submarine is fine. Robot, are you okay?
〔Body inspection… Power is leaking….〕
─That’s because we haven’t repaired you yet. Just hang in there a little. Put yourself in maximum power-saving mode.
〔Initiating power-saving mode….〕
Whirrrr.
Its movements subsided, then it slumped down to the floor. Watching it made my heart ache for no reason.
─You little guy… just wait a bit.
I’ll fix you up quickly. I’ll make you run even better.
Truck diligently piloted the submarine while monitoring the radar.
* * *
“…I heard the story. You delayed our rendezvous time because you were gathering supplies?”
The blonde man named Raid grinned. He had quite a hearty impression.
I answered briefly.
“Yes. We’re a mercenary group, after all.”
“Haha. That’s fine, I suppose. How did you get that injury? Were you perhaps bitten-”
“It’s a disability. I’m disabled.”
“Ah.”
There were nine members in total.
I asked Raid.
“Please explain the operation first.”
“It’s simple. We’ll use Eldia’s supervisor authority to open all the hangars. And all the hangars in every sector of the Cosmos Ship are connected to each other. We’ll use the hangars as elevator passages.”
“Take this spaceship and go into the deepest part of the Cosmos Ship?”
Snap! Raid flicked his tongue and shot a finger gun at me.
“That’s right. Jekol, prepare for takeoff!”
“Yes.”
Vroooom. The spaceship rose vertically. Eldia at the cockpit was tapping on her laptop, trying to activate her supervisor authority.
“…Done. I’ve sent the signal, so they’ll open in sequence.”
Eldia closed her laptop.
Whooooom──!
The hangar ceiling opened.
“Good. Let’s go. You’ll need to be careful from here on. There are quite a lot of zombies in the deep areas.”
Whoooosh─! The ship expelled fuel and rose up.
If we keep going up like this, will we be able to reach the depths of the Cosmos?
“How long will it take?”
Seo Ji-woo yawned. She seemed sleepy.
Raid laughed.
“We need to go as fast as possible. The operation has been greatly delayed thanks to you all.”
He seems like someone whose calling is being sarcastic.
“Everyone sit down and fasten your safety belts!”
Seo Ji-woo, me, and Kang Hyeon sat in our seats in that order.
Whoooosh──-
My eardrums kept getting blocked due to the spaceship’s ascent. Kang Hyeon and Seo Ji-woo were also competitively gulping down saliva.
Whoooosh──
How many minutes had passed?
“Alright. We’ve arrived.”
The spaceship stopped.
Hissssss….
The door opened.
“Get off. Quickly, quickly~ We don’t have time~ Thanks to you all wasting it~”
At Raid’s urging, I got off first. Tap. Tap. I walked while using my walking stick. Kang Hyeon and Seo Ji-woo followed behind.
“Why is it so dark? Hey Kang Hyeon. Turn on the radar.”
“You used to call me a useless character. Now you only look for me at times like this.”
“…Yeah. Sorry. I was blinded by the desktop-”
Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep.
The terminal’s sound was ominous. I looked at the screen with a start. There were hundreds of enemies marked as zombies in the vicinity.
I turned around.
“Is this the right place?”
…It’s strange that I’m asking this question in this situation.
We’re outside, but they’re still inside the hull. They haven’t taken a single step out.
“…Um, Eldia?”
Seo Ji-woo blinked and called her name. In her hand was a threatening firearm.
“I’m sorry.”
Those first words.
A sudden apology.
“…What? Why are you sorry?”
Seo Ji-woo tilted her head. So this is what a face looks like when trying to deny reality.
“I have no choice but to betray your trust.”
That’s when Kang Hyeon took a step forward.
“Move any further and I’ll shoot you dead.”
Raid raised his gun barrel. A red dot appeared on Kang Hyeon’s chest.
Eldia spoke as if trying to dissuade him.
“…Kang Hyeon. It’s a laser. Even someone like you can’t dodge light.”
I glared at her. The betrayal was immediately understood, but I had to extract as much information as possible.
“Were you planning this from the beginning?”
“…I should thank you for helping us. In return, I won’t kill you directly. But we have different objectives, so it couldn’t be helped.”
“Ha. Are there actually survivors inside?”
“There should be a few.”
Cold-hearted. Who cares if those bastards live or die. That kind of indifference came through like thorns. The heavenly appearance she had before was completely gone.
“Is your objective that substance?”
“…”
Eldia answered with silence instead.
“What you want is immortality?”
The corner of her mouth twisted.
“You’re quick to catch on. That’s right. In the age of interstellar travel, wealth and glory mean nothing anymore. The only meaningful resource is time.”
Eldia continued.
“A clue to immortality that might not be obtainable even if we invested all the energy in the universe has appeared right here. Why should we let it go?”
“Lady Eldia.”
Raid’s form of address changed. The nuance was telling her not to talk so much.
“Yes.”
Eldia looked around at us and smiled.
“This place is a prison. We’ve locked up hundreds, maybe thousands of zombies. You’ll become data here. What happens when elite-level humans like you get bitten by zombies… it’s essential information.”
“Did you experiment with the zombies?”
No wonder there were no zombies in the front area.
“As long as you’re not afraid, it’s possible.”
Eldia wore her usual kind smile.
“Have a good time. If you’re lucky, you might survive.”
The spaceship’s transport bay closed. They went up to the hangar by themselves, and thud!
The gate closed. The interior was dyed in darkness without a single ray of light.
“…Wow, crazy.”
Seo Ji-woo grabbed the back of her head.
“My head’s getting hot right now. I mean, that crazy… where do you find such a crazy bitch.”
Cracking her neck while breathing out heated breaths, she ignited blue flames like a lighter.
The interior was illuminated in a bluish light.
Seo Ji-woo asked.
“Hey Kang Hyeon, you didn’t suspect her either, right?”
“Because Ha-woon believed her.”
Kang Hyeon looked back at me.
Seo Ji-woo muttered as if dumbfounded.
“She fooled Seer… So that crazy woman is smarter than Seer?”
“…”
I was somewhat confused too.
My eye for people isn’t always accurate, and there are masters who can deceive me anywhere.
However, one thing is certain…
———BOOOOOOM!
“Ugh!”
“…!”
An explosion occurred. A fierce vibration struck the entire sector.
CRRRRRACK───
The screaming of tearing metal and the roar of scattering debris. The shockwave that rushed from beyond the gate shook the interior. The rupture of scrap metal scraping against each other and falling followed.
CREEEEAK───!
The remains of some shattered ‘object’ were swirling around in the hangar.
“…What, what is it?”
Seo Ji-woo and Kang Hyeon instinctively ducked.
Meanwhile, I stood upright.
“Wh… what was that just now?”
“…Hyung?”
The two blinked with bewildered faces, then looked at me simultaneously.
I said quietly.
“I installed a battery in the spaceship.”
I had stacked two Zecatron batteries I farmed from the VVIP room and stuck them together with duct tape. Considering the size and density of the batteries, probably dozens of times more powerful than TNT.
I just detonated it.
The spaceship would have been completely destroyed.
“…You did that, hyung?”
Kang Hyeon asked me.
I slowly tilted my eyes down to look at him.
“Hyeon.”
I have many things I want to say to you, but I’ll set most of them aside.
Who you are, and what kind of person you are.
Whether you’re acting for all of us right now, or showing us your true self to some degree.
I still don’t know anything about you.
But precisely because of that──
“Do I look like someone who would trust people?”
This is a warning I’m giving you.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
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