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墨書 Inktalez
During the waiting period, the relationship between the two grew closer. At first, Dute sat at the door, staring intently at Freyr's face without regard for his own image, even revealing a hint of a scheming smile. Freyr could only endure this gaze, pretending to focus on a book he had taken out, but it seemed that his serious demeanor only prompted Dute to let out a sigh of exasperation.
He lifted his head to gaze at the ceiling, momentarily forgetting about the figure lying on the bed. A sense of loneliness washed over him, particularly evident on his face.
Suddenly, silence enveloped the room. However, the oppressive emotions emanating from Dute continued to amplify during this quiet period. Although Freyr was seated some distance away, he could feel the weight of that atmosphere pressing down on him like a stone on his chest, making everything around him blur. The bed and floor trembled slightly under the tension until a knock at the door finally dissipated that suffocating feeling.
Just then, the knocking faded away, replaced by the sound of the door being kicked open from outside. A young man in a crisp white shirt and slightly faded blue jeans stepped into the room. He surveyed the situation inside before glancing at Dute, who appeared flustered.
"I told you not to overthink things. It's been so long since it happened; are you still not able to let go? I'm here to take you with me. The Deputy of the Brigade from the Crimson Dragon Army has arrived. The situation has been explained. If he wants to stay and grow stronger, he can come with us. If not, we’ll send him back to his original unit; I’ll handle it with my superiors."
Listening to the young man's words, Dute turned his head to look at Freyr, his face betraying reluctance. There was a hint of infatuation in his gaze, even tinged with sadness. Yet despite this, it was clear that there were other stories behind this person; he was far more sensitive than one would expect from someone of his stature.
"Let's go; this is an order." Seeing Dute remain motionless, the young man hooked an arm around his shoulder and leaned Dute's head against him, murmuring in an undeniable tone. At those words, Dute's massive form trembled slightly before he silently approached the bedside.
"I can walk by myself." Freyr maintained his composure and attempted to get off the bed. However, shortly after he stood up, his leg muscles gave way beneath him, causing him to collapse onto his knees on the floor. He quickly realized that his body felt like it was encased in a layer of soft flesh armor; he had no strength to move and felt pain all over.
Kneeling on one knee, he struggled to control his body and ended up in an awkward position on the ground that looked utterly pitiful—like a dog eating feces—making him seem like nothing more than a breathless shell of a person. No wonder he had felt unsteady even while holding a spoon during meals.
"I'll help you." Dute crouched down kindly and offered his back for Freyr to climb onto. With no other option left, Freyr grasped Dute's shoulders for support. With a push from Dute's legs, they stood up together as Dute adjusted his grip to stabilize Freyr on his back.
The young man led the way ahead while Dute followed closely behind with Freyr on his back. Once they stepped outside, they realized that this medical center was just a small part of something much larger. Looking up from downstairs revealed a domed building above them as they exited and headed toward what appeared to be a larger warehouse.
From the outside, it looked like a storage facility; however, upon entering, Freyr felt as though what he had imagined about technological advancements was merely superficial changes in weaponry development. He had never anticipated that private technology could reach such heights; he had thought that inventions like mechs and future capabilities for full-power transportation and biological colonization across land, sea, and air were already at the pinnacle of technology.
Unexpectedly, this warehouse-like structure was merely a well-like elevator that extended deep underground using a unique elevator technology.
From the text on the elevator, they discovered that in just a short while, they had reached several kilometers below ground, and they were about to stop at a depth of 18 kilometers.
Freyr had never been to such depths before, as the underground was not necessarily safe. Many times during the late stages of the apocalypse he experienced, numerous citizens had applied to live in the Underground World.
Survival underground was more challenging due to the absence of sunlight, which could lead to skin infections from certain bacteria that spread like a plague, infecting people like flakes of skin.
However, some scientists had detected the bacterial issue early on and devised preventive solutions. During his school years, Freyr often researched the changes in the world’s technological systems. Indeed, there were many unsettling factors during the apocalypse, such as a sharp decline in population and technology giants struggling to cope with cutting-edge pressures, leading to a significant possibility of technological stagnation.
Upon entering the Inner World, he was forced to wear a biohazard suit. The three of them helped each other put on the several-kilogram suits. The elevator's ceiling also deployed dust removers and disinfectant sprays to wash down their biohazard suits. Only after thorough ultraviolet sterilization were they allowed to pass through the final gateway.
It was easy to imagine that humanity's survival underground might have been triggered by some event. At that time, Noah's Ark could not mass-produce protective suits. It was likely that these issues stemmed from a chain reaction caused by wars initiated by the Zerg.
From what it seemed now, bacteria were inherent killers of the underground world, while protective suits and ultraviolet light were their nemeses. The biohazard suits were designed to block the moldy air of the underground because first-time entrants could experience adverse effects from exposure to unknown bacteria. This could lead to high fevers or dysentery lasting about a week.
Freyr truly did not want to wander around underground unnecessarily; he felt some bacteria were even visible to the naked eye, floating in the air like snowflakes.
As they passed through the final gateway, they entered a white room. Dute removed his Oxygen Mask and gasped for breath. "This damn place feels dangerous every time I come here. Don’t you think those bacteria are terrifying? I’d rather confront bugs than touch these things! Take it off; when we go back up, we’ll have to wear it again or our skin will itch like crazy. That kind of itch can be deadly! I've seen someone get touched once and tear off a piece of their own skin from itching. They ended up sedated and quarantined for a month before being released."
"Talking too much is not good; you might end up running away yourself," said a young man with a rare smile, clearly amused by Dute's joke. "It's just a little itch, like developing some spots; sunlight will take care of it."
"Oh?" Freya felt somewhat relieved. However, memories from his past life still left him uneasy; it was indeed better not to come into contact with those bacteria. It seemed that during this period, viruses did not possess enough lethality, but why were there so many casualties during the late apocalypse? If it weren't for that incident, perhaps humanity's demise would have been delayed even longer!
"Go in, your companions are inside," the young man said, then pushed the door open and walked in.
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