BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1265: A wicked place (5)

At some point, Emily raised her fist, signaling the others to stop.

<There is a group of thaids in front of us,> she said.

The group had been moving around the destroyed city for some time. Getting to the building without using their powers hadn't been easy at all, mostly because of the many obstacles that would expose the group members to the various sentinels scattered all over the place.

Since these thaids could easily climb any surface, they frequently scaled walls and clung to higher floors of buildings, keeping sentinel positions that allowed them to keep everything happening on the ground below in sight, or whatever they used to communicate.

This was why the Chimaeric Demon had become essential to their survival. The clones kept watch on the sentinels' movements and told the others it was safe to move.

More than once, the group had waited uncomfortably in cramped hiding spots while bug patrols swept the area and the sentinels looked around.

Mira had established a system of coded signals with the clones a long time ago so they could communicate rather easily.

Mira peered around the crumbled wall, watching the bug patrol with narrowed eyes. She ducked back and slid down next to Emily and Amber; all three women huddled behind the ancient concrete.

"I'm getting real tired of these things," Mira said, with a barely audible voice. She plucked at her bowstring in frustration. "Did you ever think we'd spend our time here playing hide and seek with overgrown cockroaches?"

"It's a nice vacation," Amber said, smiling.

Emily barely suppressed a laugh. "Vacation? Is that what this is? I must have missed the brochure for 'Lovely Underground Bug Kingdom: All-Inclusive Nightmare Package.'"

"Oh, it was quite clear. Five nights in luxury bug accommodations. Complimentary panic attacks included. No refunds."

The three women pressed deeper into the shadows as a sentinel bug skittered across the ceiling above them.

"Every time I see those legs move, my skin crawls," Emily said once it passed. "Did you notice how they twitch even after you kill them? Like they refuse to accept, their performance review was negative. I hate it."

"For me, it's the way they look at us," Amber said. "Those eyes are creepy to begin with, and I feel like I'm being sized up for an outfit. An outfit made of me."

"Bug Fashion Week. 'This season we're wearing... humans!'" Mira said. "But you better get used to it. All bugs look at you this way."

"If we ever make it out of here," Emily said, "I'm never complaining about regular thaids again. I'll welcome them with open arms."

"Deal," Amber agreed. "I'd take a pack of those bear monsters over these things any day. At least bears don't have the bugs... bugginess."

"Such eloquence," Mira teased. "You should write greeting cards."

"Sorry, today was rough."

A clone signaled from across the passage, showing another patrol was approaching from the right.

"Perfect," Mira breathed. "Just what we needed. More of them."

The group pressed near a collapsed wall as a bug patrol rounded the corner.

Six bug-like workers marched in a line. Their hard, shell-covered legs made tapping sounds on the broken ground.

"Don't move," Mira said. Her hand gripped her weapon, though she prayed she wouldn't need it.

The patrol stopped at a crossroads, which was awfully close to their position. One of the thaids climbed up a wall to look around, while the rest of the group remained on the ground.

June accidentally moved, making some rocks fall. Everyone stopped moving when the bug guards turned their feelers toward the noise. Nobody moved or breathed for what felt like forever.

The leader of the bug patrol made some clicking sounds, then led the group away down another street.

Amber allowed herself a deep breath. "That was close."

"Too close," Emily said. "They looked more alert than the ones we saw earlier."

"Could it be because we are getting closer to the building?" Mira asked, referring to what they assumed was the Silver Line Corporation's lab. "Maybe that is their main nest, or something like that."

"I hope not," Amber said. "Many of the buildings around are suited for that. Why would they need to go there when they have these many options?"

"Agree, but it looks like it's like this…"

"If it is, getting in and out will be even harder than we thought."

The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.

They waited until the sound of clicking faded. Mira activated her radio, connecting with one of the Chimaeric Demons.

"Are they gone?" Mira couldn't see them anymore from their position.

"They are. You should move now."

"Understood. Are there any other patrols we should know about?"

"There are two more groups in your sector, but they're heading away from your position. You should have a clear run to the next checkpoint."

"Understood. Keep us posted." Mira turned to the others. "We move in thirty seconds. Emily, take point. June, watch our backs."

They gathered themselves, ready to resume their advance.

…

…

…

The group went through the ruins, hiding from bug patrols along the way. Above them, the glowing fungi lit up the area, making the bugs' shells shine when they were not inside the buildings.

"Do you think bugs have hobbies?" Emily asked. "Like, is this one bug thinking, 'I could be home playing bug chess right now, but no, I have to patrol for humans.'"

"Bug chess," Amber said. "With little human-shaped pieces?"

"Now you're getting it," Emily grinned.

After an hour of travel, they finally reached the outer walls of the Silver Line Corporation facility.

"Finally," Mira breathed, examining the facility's exterior. "We've been trudging through this bug-infested hellscape for too long."

"It's not over yet," Amber said. "Let's stay focused, especially now that we are almost in position."

They were dwarfed by the building's imposing exterior—a ten-story behemoth of gray concrete and steel. It was larger than it was taller, but it didn't make a difference since it was still ten stories high.

The walls had large cracks all over, so big that they were the size of a clone's hands, and they were large for a human. There were also the remnants of some old explosion. The group could see the marks left all over the surface of the exterior walls.

That wasn't all. Even if there was none now, water must have arrived here at some point, since there were the clear signs of accumulated water damage, which was accompanied by organic growth and dark brown and green stains. They didn't spare even the windows, which were now completely darkened.

Surrounding the building was a very tall perimeter wall made of concrete. However, despite the reinforcements Mira and the others could see inside of it, there were many damaged sections, plus one that had completely been blasted off by something that came from the building, judging by the position of the debris.

This created some hazardous and irregular openings in the barrier, which were going to allow the group to enter without much trouble.

The courtyard between the wall and the building was a mess. Broken concrete, bent metal beams, overturned vehicles, and piles of trash were everywhere. Some trash piles reached six feet high, making it hard to move around.

"We've gone from fighting apocalyptic horrors to playing 'don't step on the bug' in the world's worst game of hopscotch."

She gestured at the debris-filled yard with a wry smile.

The Chimaeric Demons, meanwhile, went through the holes in the wall.

Amber and the others waited for several minutes. Then one of the clones came back and changed to his human form to give a report.

"The courtyard's mostly clear," the clone said, "but there are two worker bugs near the main door. They're not moving much—looks like permanent guards."

"What about the other entry points?" Mira asked.

"All the ground-floor windows have bug nests built around them. The side entrance is blocked by debris, but what should have been the maintenance door we spotted earlier is still accessible."

Emily looked at the building's upper floors through her scope. "There are some even above... they're everywhere. The bugs didn't just move in—they've fortified the place."

"Like they're protecting something," June said in a grim voice.

Amber became more uneasy than she already was. "If they're guarding the outside this heavily, the inside must be worse. I think we are really walking right into their main nest."

That was exactly what she… No, everyone feared.

Mira nodded as she watched a sentinel walking on top of the wall.

"This facility was built by the Silver Line Corporation to lock up something dangerous," she said. That much was obvious. Of course, there were simply too many signs about the true purpose of this building.

"Now these bugs have taken it over as their nest. Makes sense—a containment facility is perfect for them; it's made to be harder to exit than enter, but this doesn't mean getting in is easy. But here's what is worrying me: what exactly was this place built to contain?"

"Why are you asking?" Mira said.

"Because I wouldn't like for it to be something related to these bugs…"

Everyone felt uneasy as they thought about what this meant.