Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 129

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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 129

 

In the house(16)

 

Cosmos Fleet Ship. A voice delivering an announcement echoes throughout all the components of that place where dozens of ships are connected to the Mothership Cosmos, forming a city.

 

──This is an announcement from the Mothership.

 

It’s the first regular broadcast in nearly 3 years, filling the corridor shrouded in darkness.

 

──This is an announcement for all those who may have survived.

 

A corridor where only trash and dust roll around. The floor tiles beneath suddenly begin to writhe.

 

──Preparations for rescue will begin shortly.

 

Drrrrrk… The tiles slowly rise as three people poke their heads out. Though they’re skin and bones, they’re definitely alive and breathing – three sisters.

 

Having endured 3 years in this hell, surviving by relying on each other, they communicate with their eyes.

 

…Rescue?

 

…Do you think that’s real?

 

…It must be real. Honestly, it’s about time a rescue team came.

 

…They’ve come several times already. They all failed and died.

 

…But no one had made it to the Mothership before.

 

Breaking the silence, someone’s low voice continues.

 

──We plan to open all gates of the fleet shortly, so don’t panic.

 

──After all the zombies have escaped.

 

This is a hideout made by modifying the ship’s piping section, barely big enough for two people to lie down. A man and child prick up their ears listening to that voice.

 

The child’s eyes widened.

 

“Dad. What does it mean they’re opening the gates?”

 

“…It means we can go to places we couldn’t go before.”

 

“Places we couldn’t go?”

 

The father smiled sadly. The child was born on this ship. Six months before the virus outbreak occurred.

 

So, they don’t know the outside world.

 

“Let’s call it a trip. I told you about that before, right?”

 

“A trip!”

 

“Want to go on a trip with Dad?”

 

“Yes! I like it!”

 

The child smiles brightly. Meeting the child’s eyes, the father feels gratitude incomparable to anything else.

 

“Yes. Let’s go together with Dad.”

 

A child who grew up so quietly and well, thank you. Like my very life itself…

 

He held the child in his arms with a resolute expression.

 

──This is important, so I’ll say it again.

 

──We plan to open all gates of the fleet shortly, so don’t panic.

 

Educational Ship Lumian. In the underground tunnel of the back mountain designed for field trips, a young group of two men and three women quietly emerge and look around cautiously.

 

In their tattered clothes, they were students of Lumian Ave School.

 

The school was in better condition than other ships. Thanks to the Automatic Food Distribution System, they didn’t starve, and they had coincidentally built a secret base with friends.

 

The secret base they built together with the innocence of 13-year-olds had become their only sanctuary even now, long past their growing years.

 

──After all the zombies have escaped.

 

“…Ah shit. Where are the zombies supposed to escape to?”

 

“Shh!”

 

At the man’s grumbling, the leader gritted her teeth. She glared and gestured with her head.

 

“Let’s listen for a bit, okay?”

 

“Yes.”

 

──Please gather at Civilian Ship Esmos.

 

──The location of Civilian Ship Esmos is…

 

Civilian Ship Erdian, basement of the residential area.

 

“Esmos… that’s right next door?”

 

A hairy, pot-bellied middle-aged fat man looked up at the ceiling and blinked.

 

Being somewhat of a doomsday prepper, he had deliberately purchased the 1st floor of an apartment and further renovated the optional basement, successfully surviving.

 

Of course, the ship’s doom he had predicted was more about pirates than zombies.

 

“Huh… so this day really comes.”

 

Even now, his wife’s expression from when they first came down here is as vivid as last night. A face where relief, sadness, and joy coexisted simultaneously. That day when she held him tight is a precious memory he’ll carry for life.

 

“I should pack some things.”

 

Anyway, the support he’d been waiting for had finally come.

 

Well, there’s no way they’d just abandon this expensive hull.

 

He put clothes, books, the game console and radio he’d been using into his suitcase, then suddenly looked at the wall.

 

“…Honey.”

 

His wife was there.

 

You who got bitten by a zombie while trying to save some unknown child, but restrained yourself before becoming a monster.

 

“They say the rescue team has come.”

 

His wife’s last words were asking him to kill her.

 

The husband couldn’t bring himself to do it.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

My long love and lifelong companion. The only woman who fills my life completely.

 

The fat man smiled looking at her.

 

“For not being able to stay with you…”

 

His wife opened her eyes.

 

Though she would never recognize her husband again, today her eyes seemed to tremble particularly gently.

 

“I loved you. More than myself, I loved you.”

 

The reason he didn’t die was his wife’s last memo.

 

[ My beloved fatty. Someday you’ll be able to return to our star. You must. So please, don’t give up hope and survive. ]

 

Because you knew all too well what a husband without his wife might do. Because you knew me better than I knew myself…

 

“I’ll definitely keep this last promise.”

 

──I’ll say it once more.

 

──If there are any survivors hiding somewhere.

 

Thud. Two feet stepped into some storage room of the ship.

 

“…Hey. We count as survivors too, right?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Kim Dong-ha and Lee Jong-soo. Initially they were in different parties, but somehow they ended up meeting each other.

 

“But isn’t this another supervisor?”

 

Kim Dong-ha had been betrayed by some supervisor. After he had gone to the trouble of saving them.

 

“Wait. Be quiet for a moment.”

 

Lee Jong-soo listened carefully.

 

──After all the zombies have left. Please gather at the Esmos Ship.

 

“Hey, that’s Mal-ok-haem’s voice!”

 

Lee Jong-soo’s eyes widened. A smile spread across his entire face.

 

“This is it for sure. Let’s go to Esmos.”

 

In situations like this, just listening to Je-mal-ok gets you halfway there.

 

Kim Dong-ha let out a hollow laugh.

 

“Weren’t you saying we should keep Je-mal-ok in check before?”

 

“When did I ever.”

 

“…Do you have dementia? Defense Labyrinth-”

 

“When did I ever!”

 

Lee Jong-soo screamed and glared with both eyes.

 

“It was more like trusting only Mal-ok-haem and leaving the east to Mal-ok-haem, that kind of nuance. Originally Mal-ok-haem is already an elite soldier who conquered battlefields, so it was a strategic discussion about leaving the east to our Mal-ok-haem and having the rest of the losers try breaking through the west, but you misinterpreted my meaning like that, Dong-ha. If you keep doubting Mal-ok-haem, I won’t be able to look at you favorably again…”

 

He spat out a follower’s faith like rapid fire.

 

──The location of the Esmos Ship is….

 

Kate’s party looked up at the ceiling where Seol Ha-woon’s voice was echoing.

 

“It seems like he’s trying to rescue survivors.”

 

Supervisor James said. Jo Woon nodded while gripping his spear shaft.

 

“This is very good work. As expected of our explorers.”

 

As if moved, he even had tears glistening in his eyes.

 

“…That’s nice.”

 

Kate nodded too.

 

It’s work that doesn’t need to be done, but it helps with image. So she smiles.

 

“Let’s do our best to help too.”

 

“Right!”

 

Yoon Hwa-rim clenched both fists tightly.

 

“As expected of Ji-woo! Ji-woo probably convinced everyone, right?! That we absolutely must save the survivors too!”

 

“…I wouldn’t know about that.”

 

Kate sat on the sofa.

 

It’s humiliating to have conquered this place first and still have to wait for rescue, honestly it’s irritating.

 

But it can’t be helped.

 

“….”

 

She secretly glanced at Supervisor James.

 

A thought close to suspicion.

 

Why did that supervisor guide us to this dead end.

 

* * *

 

「Hacking Successful」

 

「Opening all gates of ships connected to the Mothership.」

 

“This side is done. Now should I strike that substance?”

 

Having finished hacking, I asked Truck.

 

─Yeah. It doesn’t seem like we need to threaten it strongly either. That substance is constantly emitting waves even now. If we just touch it lightly, it’ll emit stronger waves. It’ll draw in all the zombies.

 

Truck continued speaking while interpreting research results filling the screen.

 

─But you know what. Isn’t this strange? According to the administrators’ logs and various witness accounts, the zombies moved toward the center as if bewitched from right ‘after’ they appeared.

 

Truck’s robot arm tapped away at the keyboard.

 

─The substance was being threatened from the beginning.

 

“…The research the researchers were doing, was this substance suffering from it.”

 

Seo Ji-woo beside Truck reached the correct conclusion. Truck also glanced at her.

 

─Right. This substance may not have high intelligence, but it’s definitely an intelligent being. The researchers tortured such a substance… Here, there’s an even more surprising fact.

 

Click click. Truck rolled its wheels and continued meaningfully.

 

─The substance wasn’t originally like this. The Mothership first acquired the ‘original’ 10 years ago.

 

The robot arm tapped the control panel in the Supervisor’s Office. An image of the substance’s original form appeared.

 

A pure white crystal, not rough anywhere.

 

─And the Mothership invented the wormhole generator 10 years ago too. Back then I was a broke student. I’m still broke now but… Ha!

 

Truck enlarged and reduced specific data repeatedly while letting out a hollow laugh.

 

─A wormhole generator, does that make sense? How they implemented such OOPArt-level technology in the middle of space… As an engineering student, I was revolutionarily shocked.

 

I find it amazing too. In these times when the hypothesis that space’s dark matter might be chunks of magic power is just starting to gain credibility, a worldview where such 4th-dimensional level technology is possible.

 

How exactly are Labyrinths created.

 

Where do they come from, and where do they go.

 

─Look at this data. The substance generates tremendous amounts of magic power. This substance is the energy source for the wormhole generator.

 

Then Seo Ji-woo also placed her hand on the control panel in surprise.

 

“That substance?”

 

─Yeah. But the Mothership’s researchers modified it as they pleased. A perfect energy source, one that shines so brightly on its own and could make humanity’s future glorious, into such a monster-like mass of flesh…

 

Truck’s eyes sparkled sadly. The headlights actually blinked.

 

─Selfish bastards who only think of themselves, only considering their own advancement.

 

“Wow…”

 

Im Hae-jun was amazed as if watching a movie.

 

“They’re really bad people…!”

 

Give him popcorn and he’d eat it.

 

I picked up my walking stick.

 

“Yes. Thanks to you, Truck, we’ve learned the whole story.”

 

The whole story of this space zombie incident that viewers would be curious about is the final resistance of the ‘substance’ exhausted by torture. A tragedy caused by humans who harbored the vain desire for immortality.

 

Like this, we reached the conclusion of the Labyrinth.

 

“Truck. I’ll leave the wormhole generation to you.”

 

─Yeah. We need to end that child’s suffering with our own hands.

 

I gestured to Seo Ji-woo.

 

“Ji-woo. Is the gravity field usable now?”

 

I paused at the tone that suddenly came out.

 

Words my past self had said spread through my mind.

 

‘Ji-hyeok. Is the formula usable now?’

 

The same question.

 

“Yeah! I’m ready.”

 

The same answer.

 

“…Let’s go.”

 

I didn’t show it.

 

“Im Hae-jun, you protect Truck. That’s your mission.”

 

“Yes! Captain, I’ll protect you!”

 

─…Reliable.

 

First we need to get the trapped explorers out.

 

The method isn’t difficult. It’s similar to what we did at the casino.

 

A jump utilizing Seo Ji-woo’s Gravity Field skill.

 

As we exited the Supervisor’s Office, Kang Hyeon, who had been waiting outside, naturally followed along.

 

The three of us got on the elevator and headed down to the Core Research Lab where Lee Jun-ho’s party was trapped.

 

Only to the ‘middle’.

 

I hacked the elevator midway.

 

「Hacking Successful」

 

I opened the lid of the elevator that had stopped with a clatter. According to the blueprint, this was the part connected to the ventilation duct.

 

Seo Ji-woo and Kang Hyeon climbed up first.

 

“Grab on.”

 

I grabbed Kang Hyeon’s outstretched hand and climbed up. In that position, we crawled through the ventilation duct. Crawling along.

 

“…We’re here. Should I open it?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Seo Ji-woo opened the vent at the end of the duct.

 

We peered outside.

 

“There really are a lot of them.”

 

There were many zombies. They formed a sea. It was too noisy with all the strange cries they were spitting out, and the smell of rotting flesh made my nose sting.

 

“Ugh.”

 

Seo Ji-woo quickly covered her mouth. I gave her a look. She handed me the Magic Rope.

 

“It absolutely won’t break. It’ll last for 3 hours.”

 

“Turn on the Gravity Field too.”

 

“Confirmed.”

 

I stuck my body out of the vent.

 

Whooom. My body slowly began to float. Seo Ji-woo had activated the Gravity Field.

 

Swimming through the air appropriately, I stuck firmly to the ceiling with the tape on my palm.

 

Whiiiii.

 

The Gravity Field effect disappeared at perfect timing. Like doing pull-ups, I crossed the ceiling while installing tape.

 

Soon I reached the wall of the Maintenance Room where the party was trapped.

 

I prepared for Breaching.

 

Of course it was steel plating made of Spaceship Material, but my Magic Power was of a different quality. In other words, it was of a higher grade. I should be able to drill a hole easily enough.

 

After concentrating Magic Power and Xenon Battery on the steel plate, I wrapped tape tightly around it.

 

Breaching is quite dangerous. If you set the explosive charge incorrectly, the breacher could get caught up in it.

 

So, you have to set it up so the explosion is concentrated inward as much as possible.

 

I stepped back for a moment.

 

Detonation.

 

——!

 

Thud. The tape tore with a rumble. Part of the wall was cleanly pierced.

 

I sat down in that gap.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You came!”

 

Lee Jun-ho and Jo Woon looked up at me.

 

“I knew it~!!!”

 

Yoon Hwa-rim waved her hands frantically. Kate had already finished preparing to leave.

 

However, the fifth person beside them.

 

Supervisor James.

 

“…Wait a moment.”

 

The height was quite considerable. About 10 meters perhaps.

 

I jumped down as is. I sprayed Magic Power to reduce the impact as much as possible, but my knees hurt.

 

“As expected, I knew it!”

 

I handed the rope to Yoon Hwa-rim who came running over.

 

“We just climb up using this? You didn’t need to come down~”

 

She smiled brightly, and Supervisor James also let out a sigh of relief.

 

Tap! I deliberately made noise tapping my Walking Stick. James turned to look at me.

 

He was a handsome man with a smiling face. I also smiled brightly and asked.

 

“Are you the supervisor?”

 

“Yes. I’m James. I was the supervisor of the Ecorn Ship. I ran away during the riot, but I was worried about the survivors…”

 

“He’s been with us from start to finish. Thanks to him, we seem to have arrived here the earliest.”

 

Lee Jun-ho explained.

 

“We just happened to get trapped here-”

 

“By any chance. Do you know Ms. Eldia?”

 

I asked James. At that moment I activated Sequence.

 

“Uh…”

 

James’s face as he thought about his answer.

 

All his facial wrinkles and physical reactions including iris contractions flowed into my wide-open retinas without missing a single detail.

 

“Ms. Eldia… No. I don’t know her.”

 

“I see. That’s fortunate. Are you feeling alright?”

 

I drew my Pistol.

 

“Yes. I’m fine…?”

 

I aimed at James’s smiling face. I fired at his brow as his eyes slowly widened.

 

─Splat!

 

His head exploded. Blood, skull fragments, and pieces of brain scattered in all directions.

 

Supervisor James was left with only his body, and fell peacefully to the floor. He lay as quietly as fallen grass.

 

“You shouldn’t be fine.”

 

Considering what you people have done.

 

The remaining four people were slow to react. They said nothing. They didn’t even move.

 

Was James to them what Truck was to me?

 

But it can’t be helped.

 

I don’t want to have conversations with humans who aren’t human-like.

 

…It had been my habit since long ago.

—————
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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