Chapter 61
The starting point of the game is still ambiguous. I mean, there haven’t been enough runs in the first place. But this time, the appearance point was a familiar prison cell. …Change the location with an update, at least for game over.
The inorganic prison cell is a bit tilted unlike before, and part of the ceiling is shattered, connecting to the outside. And from time to time, a strong vibration tried to throw this cell into the infinite depths below.
The terminal is silent, pierced by rubble. In other words, I can’t manipulate the terminal like last time and have it move me to the target location. Even if the terminal was alive, it seems impossible in this situation. Looking at my appearance again, it’s not the previous crossdressing appearance… but I’m just normally wearing the usual powered suit. The thought of having to run around while crossdressing ended up being just a needless worry.
It’s a relief to have a rifle like before, but on the other hand, there’s no sign of Apollyon. In the end, I couldn’t receive it in the previous Ver, and maybe it’s impossible this time too. As if to interrupt such thoughts, the cell shakes greatly once more, and the sound of something rolling down outside can be heard. Probably the prison cell that could no longer be fixed.
In that case, I have to escape from this space quickly, so I make full use of the power of the powered suit, stick to the ceiling in one leap, and lift my body outside.
This facility is made up of moving container-type rooms. If you want to go to the top level, this prison cell itself will move up for you. A transportation system was set up for that purpose. Steel frames extending straight up, down, left and right, and a swarm of unmanned lifts running on top of them. But now they were crumpled up in a mess. Along with the vibration, several containers fall from above, and the unpleasant sound of metal being crushed echoes as they fall to the distant floor.
At the same time, I feel dizzy and reflexively reach for my mask. By breathing oxygen from there, the dizziness finally stops. And the cause is also found immediately. It is a single metal pillar that exists far above. It is pierced into this Ark from the outside, destroying the outer wall and letting oxygen leak out. That pillar has eyes.
「…A huge swordfish?」
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Climbing up the mountain of collapsed containers, I finally reach the passage of the previous commercial district. Looking down, the collapse has accelerated and I’m relieved that I escaped.
The airtight door, which should have been connected to the container there, was completely shattered, allowing me to easily enter. Looking up, there is still a huge something that looks like a swordfish.
Of course, it’s all metal and wore scales that were more reptilian than fish-like. It probably dove in from outside the ship and got splendidly stuck. No, maybe it intentionally got stuck. It was too big to be called a machine beast, and I had a sense of déjà vu about it.
「It’s probably a Strain, but why? It shouldn’t just suddenly appear by mistake… No, the same thing happened in Ver-1.00.」
It’s a déjà vu I don’t want to remember. The Strain, of which only the horns and face are visible, is spitting something out while slowly tilting the hull. Looking closely, there are countless holes in those horns, and small silver specks are falling from there. Machine beasts.
「Ugh, is that thing a machine beast nest?」
Averting my eyes from the fact I don’t want to think about too much, I slide into the passage. I manage to get inside by brushing aside the swarm of rubble and dust, but the inside is also terrible. I can see the corpses of people who seem to be players, but there are no survivors. Looking up, it penetrates straight vertically and the sound of gunshots echoes. For now, they’re fighting the machine beasts that came out of the swordfish. Screams echo from above.
「It’s the Strain-46! If we don’t defeat it, everything will end!」
Huh, that thing is the Strain-46? The one we fought in Ver 1.08? Well, certainly there was talk of it absorbing tools, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it absorbed a fish, but why are you here again? And normally, wouldn’t it not show up again once defeated?… Well, it’s possible in this shitty game.
However, I know nothing.
In the previous Ver-1.00, everything was resolved by defeating the Moon UYK. But what about this time? Should I defeat that swordfish, or do I have to do something else?
Only a chaotic situation with no victory conditions is placed before my eyes.
That’s when it happened. The lamp on my powered suit blinks, and at the same time, a beastkin girl descends from the hole in the ceiling toward me. It was a familiar face. The white-haired girl in a bodysuit spoke to me in a way that was also familiar.
「I’ve been waiting for you, Father.」
…I’m not surprised anymore. Or rather, this powered suit, could it be that it had a transmitter attached? I mean, it’s super convenient for meeting up, but I don’t want equipment to be modified without the player’s knowledge. The devs really suck.
「The custom-made Apollyon is ready.」
I take back what I said earlier. Devs are the best.
『Swordfish』
It took this shape to break through the 『Moses’ Sword』. It’s the state where the Strain-46 absorbed the properties of a fish. The reason it doesn’t attack from a distance is because it wants to avoid damaging the power generation equipment as much as possible. That’s why it went out of its way to dive into the upper levels and deploy machine beasts, taking an extra step.
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