Chapter 53. Tree (7)
The Waste Disposal Area. It was called 'waste', but in reality, it was a primary processing facility that mostly handled miscellaneous by-products produced in the mining areas.
The by-products from the underground tunnels on the ice satellite Titan were mixed with various metals, so there was some production, after all. However, SSTC was only interested in the raw blue crystal ore, and all the other by-products had always been foisted off onto scrap dealers.
This zone was separated into outer and inner sections. The external area was where the scrap dealers periodically came to haul away compressed metal cubes with gravity chains, while the internal section was the place where by-products, made to float with anti-gravity devices, were shredded by lasers and then compressed by a huge hydraulic press.
Originally, there should have been a barrier separating each section. This was because, unlike the completely unmanned outer area, the inside required a small group of operators and anti-gravity devices were present.
Even though SSTC only paid attention to refining blue crystal ore, the income from selling by-products from waste handling was fairly lucrative, so the relevant devices tended to be maintained to help keep operations running smoothly.
Before entering the waste disposal area, I stopped the orbital vehicle and scanned the surroundings. Fortunately, the blizzard had gradually subsided right after arriving at Heaven, so my visibility wasn't too limited.
I connected the comms to Licorice and Celestia, who were on standby in the town.
"Visually, the facility is still operational, but the barrier has been lost."
- Completely?
"Yes. Judging by the lack of any visible aurora, I think the barrier generator either shut down or was destroyed altogether."
- I see... For now, there are no unauthorized entities detected by the system. Still, be careful.
There were limits to what the system could detect. Unlike air ducts, regular zones didn't have pressure sensors installed.
Still, even by sight, I couldn't see any ghouls.
... THUD! ... THUD! ... THUD!
All I could hear was the loud noise created as the huge metal cylinders applied pressure. Even from a fair distance, my ears were already starting to ring.
"Ugh..."
Nadia let out a pained groan, her ears drooping. That, of course, didn't close her ears, so the frown didn't leave her face.
- Can you see the shuttle from there?
"Just a second."
Metal cubes stacked into mountains, unmanned crane claws stacking those mountains, massive presses compressing heaps of scrap led to one spot by anti-gravity devices, and by-products split into pieces by lasers set into the wall.
And periodically, mining by-products pouring from the output chute.
I went through the process in reverse but didn't find anything that looked like a shuttle. If it had crashed outside, there should have been ground scratches, or at the very least, some of those metal cube mountains would have collapsed.
'Even if the scratches were hidden by the blizzard...'
Despite that, the waste disposal facility seemed to be working normally just as before.
'... A strange sense of discord.'
It was a scene with nothing particularly odd about it. Maybe that was exactly why I felt such a strong sense of wariness. The pureblood supremacists likely didn't target this place because it wasn't worth destroying compared to the other zones.
But I couldn't figure out why the ghouls left this facility alone. If they had simply left because there weren't many humans to kill here, there should have still been traces of them destroying the facility, yet they stopped partway through.
Perhaps there was some other reason for that behavior. That question gnawed at me.
"Can't you pinpoint the exact location where the shuttle crashed? Even if it's just whether it's outside or inside."
- Since the shuttle isn't sending any separate distress signal, it's hard to get a precise fix. However—
- Still, with the facility damage logs left in the system, we can mark an approximate spot. If you find the place with the most records stacked up, that'll likely be the location. Displaying estimated position now.
- ... I was about to say that.
Licorice's slightly sour voice muttered, having lost the chance to speak thanks to Celestia. I didn't care who said it, so I just fixed my eyes on the holographic map hovering in the air.
The once-blue zone map was partly stained red. Areas tinted red were where damage logs had been left— with the most vivid red being the estimated crash site of the shuttle. The route started from the outer section and led into the interior.
"What should we do?"
Eric, quietly listening to the comm, asked in a low voice. His tone implied that he'd leave the judgment to us.
"I—"
Just as I started to reply, Nadia suddenly tugged my arm. With her tail flicking in frustration, I hurriedly changed my words.
"We'll go out and scout ahead first, so keep the vehicle waiting some distance away. Only move when we signal."
"Shouldn't I go along if it's a reconnaissance mission?"
"Someone has to guard the vehicle. Unless Roxy or Kyle can fight, that is."
I shot Eric a look, asking if he was any good at fighting. After deliberating for a moment, he shook his head. He agreed to follow my instructions and had Kyle and Roxy, who were in the cargo hold, join him in the cockpit, while he took position above the driver's compartment himself.
Nadia and I exited the vehicle and stepped outside. I didn't forget to call Carry along. The moment we called, it practically charged at us.
"Nadia, ride on Carry. We might have to get up high like last time."
"Okay!"
Nadia lightly leaped onto Carry's back. Since Carry's thrusters were in good condition, it quickly caught her. Judging by its happy hum, it seemed glad to be out with us.
Being able to freely adjust our elevation was a considerable advantage in combat. High ground was high ground for a reason. As we stepped out of the vehicle, the noise from the waste facility became even louder.
The pounding sounds pressed on us with an intense weight and made my ears ring. Still, I had no intention of shutting off the facility engines. The noise might have been what drove away the ghouls. I believed that, rather than shutting it just because it was unpleasant, it was wiser to use this sound as cover.
- Because of the noise, we'll switch to text communications from here. Stay focused.
With my plasma cutter ready to swing at any time, we cautiously began to move. Although fear crept up at the thought that anything might happen next, I shook it off.
We had already survived hell more than a few times. We couldn't let our guard down, but at the same time, letting anxiety shrink us more than necessary would be a mistake. Tension stiffened the muscles, and stiffness led to fatigue piling up more quickly.
BZZZZZT—KRRRRRHHHH
I glanced at the sight of the crane's claws dumping fragments into the press inlet. As pressure came from all sides, the metal was forcibly compressed into cubes. In that process, the metal screamed countless times.
The giant circular pipeline, with anti-gravity applied, wasn't filled with just metallic rocks. The waste disposal area, in terms of location, sat between the mining and maintenance zones. So, sometimes broken parts from the maintenance area would be mixed in with the by-products.
But right now, mining operations had ceased, and we ourselves had put an end to the repair platforms in the maintenance area. So where were the by-products pouring from the output chute even coming from?
The waste disposal tunnel was different from the air ducts that connected every zone. That meant...
'Maybe mining hasn't actually stopped, and someone's still working in there?'
Could it be the pureblood supremacists? Maybe something stubbornly survived and was up to something? Or was it merely debris from a collapsed passage accumulating and getting expelled?
'We were warned to be careful about the underground.'
According to Carrot's speculation, something leaked from underground and that might have caused the appearance of these mutant beings like ghouls. While I hadn't noticed anything suspicious after spending three years here, if anything was amiss, it would likely be underground.
Thanks to the influence of blue crystal ore, the underground was the only part of the Heaven mining base where there was no installed control system.
- Let us know right away if you notice anything unusual in the mining area.
- Is it because of the by-products? I've been suspicious too, and have been trying to connect. Still failing, though.
Licorice understood my point immediately. She warned me not to even think about heading down into the tunnels—saying that it would be even riskier down there, and we were lacking decent weapons to deal with whatever could be lurking there.
She was efficient, but sometimes she was a little too ahead, even for me. I replied that I wouldn't act rashly, since I only had one life, and then signaled the team waiting in the orbital vehicle to move up.
Kyle, looking tightly wound, nodded to show he got my signal. Even as the vehicle started up, the movement sounds were nearly swallowed by the surrounding noise.
As we moved toward the center of the waste facility, Nadia's frown deepened. Her fingers twitched like she wanted to smash the roaring engine apart, so I hurriedly calmed her. Only then did she regain her composure and steady her breathing.
'It wasn't quite this bad before.'
I steeled myself as well. Still, the sense of something being off wouldn't leave me. Even though the facility was operating, the engines were much louder than I remembered, their condition seemingly deteriorated.
Before proceeding further, I checked the surroundings once again. There still weren't any ghouls in sight— not even tracks. The facility's heat was melting the snow nearby, leaving no footprints at all. Especially on the inside, the heat was intense.
Thanks to that, we made it through the disposal facility fairly smoothly. As nothing happened, Kyle, who had been on edge, began to relax. Roxy was still spacing out.
Then, just as we neared the estimated crash site, with the smell of rusted metal filling the air—
"...!"
We found traces of the crashed shuttle. No, we saw the shuttle itself. Having toppled some metal cube stacks and slid straight into the internal facility, deep scratches marked the ground, leading up to a Medivac shuttle parked at the end.
For the first time, Nadia and I were able to relax our frowns. I immediately contacted the team in the orbital vehicle.
- Found the shuttle.
- We'll come right away. Do you think there are survivors?
- ... No.
The shuttle's auxiliary armor was fully deployed, and aside from the propulsion unit—the most vulnerable part—the rest seemed intact. However, seeing bloodstains beyond the removed door, it didn't seem likely anyone survived. If there were, they would have come out as soon as they saw us.
Soon, the orbital vehicle pulled up as close as possible without disturbing the facility. Eric and Kyle squinted at the noise, clearly not used to the racket from the engines.
It only lasted a moment, though. After a couple of taps on the back of their necks, parts slid out of their suits and formed helmets.
"...?"
What the— All I could do was gape stupidly at the sight unfolding in front of me. Some of us were suffering with the noise, while others silenced it with full suit helmets. Was this that sense of deprivation people talked about?
They were affiliated with Myosotis, so I hadn't expected them to be wearing regular suits. Still, actually seeing it up close left me feeling oddly deflated.
- There were definitely people inside, but we don't see any bodies; there may be ghouls nearby. For safety's sake, we should—... Why do you look like that?
- Was that an integrated suit?
- Huh? Yes.
- It wasn't always like that.
- It got repaired after it was damaged. Anyway, assist Kyle from here. I'll go unload some equipment from the cargo sector with Roxy.
The helmet's strange scratch aside, the blue glow from its visor gave off quite an intimidating vibe. Like seeing a security robot from the residential area. Whether Nadia and I looked on in envy or not, Eric just spun on his heel and headed back to the vehicle.
- Hyun-woo, when we finish fixing the shuttle, let's loot the warehouse in the cargo sector. I want to try wearing something like that too. Maybe then the ghouls will get scared and run.
【(;° ロ°)】
Carry gave a shocked expression, as if to say, "Are you serious?"
- If we loot there, I bet there'll be support devices for you too, Carry. Don't you want to transform spectacularly? Just imagine it, Carry—the new you! I looked through a catalog once and they had gear specifically for transport robots like you. Surely you're not just going to let it go to waste?
【٩(^ᗜ^ )و】
Celestia, who had been listening in, let out a quiet laugh over the comms, and I smacked my forehead. With my free hand, I grabbed Carry, who was already revving his thrusters, ready to dash off and loot the place right away.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Carry gives additional life to the story, which is ironic since Carry's a robot.
If something ever happens to Carry, I'm going to cry so bad.
【(˶• ֊ •˶)】