Apocalypse Shelter Administrator

Metacraft Cybernetics (6)

The fourth area was not a research wing but a facility wing. It had a large hall like the others, but instead of laboratories on either side, there were various equipment rooms.

As soon as we entered the hall, we began searching from the second floor. The squads, paired up in teams of two, quickly ascended the stairs. Two teams disappeared from sight, and as the third team went up, a strange cry echoed from the second floor.

“Kiiie—”

It was abruptly cut off.

Thud! Thud! Crack!

There was the sound of several people beating something violently, and then an infected creature was thrown down to the first-floor hall.

Thud!

It landed with a heavy thump with its neck seemingly broken. It just twitched and couldn’t get up. In fact, other parts of its body were broken as well.

It spat out blood, flailing its limbs as it struggled with its twisted neck, but all it did was smear the floor.

Crack!

One of the squad members approached and crushed its head underfoot, silencing it.

“Keeeeeek—!”

A shadow rose from the corner of the hall. It was a female infected in a researcher’s uniform, her skin like decaying wood with thick, black veins bulging grotesquely. The skirt she was wearing was torn, revealing her lower body completely. But no sane man would find that arousing, because where there should have been a vagina, there was a snake-like tentacle protruding.

“Hiss—!”

It even made a hissing sound like a snake. From the tip of the tentacle, something round began moving along its length, like watching a snake swallowing a mouse in reverse.

Without waiting any longer, I opened fire. Several holes appeared in the infected woman’s head, and she collapsed backward, but it wasn’t over.

“Kriiiiik—!”

“Krik—!”

“Kriiiiik—!”

The tentacle attached to her lower body continued spewing out small monsters, the same eel-like creatures we had seen in the previous research wing. They leaped around, scattering in all directions, but they didn’t last long before being shot and blown apart. Dozens of bullets flew into the abdomen of the dead infected woman as well.

“Ceasefire.” After confirming the creature was thoroughly shredded, I gave the ceasefire command, and some squad members approached the body.

Thump! Thud! Thud!

Just in case, they stomped repeatedly on the ruined uterus and the limp tentacle. Those were the only two infected creatures in this area.

“We’ve located the disaster prevention room,” one of the squad members reported.

The disaster prevention room, as the name suggests, was a place designed to handle emergencies. It housed the controls for fire hydrants and sprinklers installed for fire emergencies. Normally, it handled air circulation, but in case of fire, it could quickly expel toxic gases. It also contained controls for lighting and surveillance cameras, making it the central control room for the entire facility.

Due to the unique nature of this lab, the disaster prevention room also served as a command center in emergencies. As a result, the door wasn’t an ordinary one but a thick, heavy, vault-like metal door. It seemed the last stand had been made here, as corpses of both soldiers and infected were strewn everywhere.

A scientist’s body lay in front of the entrance to the room. I tugged on the ID badge hanging around their neck, causing their skeletal remains to shift.

“Head Clinical Researcher, Jang Chunsoo.”

[A scientist who worked with the defense commander here]

Artemis commented.

The bodies of the soldiers scattered around bore numerous gunshot wounds, suggesting friendly fire during the chaos. I approached the entrance to the disaster prevention room and spoke to the authentication machine.

“Open the door.”

As I had already been registered as the commander at the entrance, it should have recognized the command. But the door didn’t open.

Beep-beep—!

A rejection beep sounded.

[Access denied. Warning: A large number of unauthorized personnel and deceased individuals have been detected within the facility. In accordance with security protocols, contact has been made with the designated military unit. Access to the disaster prevention room is restricted until the issue is resolved. All personnel are advised to cooperate with the quick-reaction force upon arrival]

A woman’s voice announced over the speaker system. I glanced at the robots guarding the perimeter.

“They’re not counting these guys as unauthorized personnel, are they?”

Could the system be that faulty?

[No, it’s probably detecting remaining infected]

Artemis said.

“We’ve cleared everything up to this point, haven’t we? Every non-skeletal being we’ve encountered has gotten a bullet to the head.”

I turned my gaze toward the fifth research wing. Beyond the dark tunnel, the hall was faintly visible.

“Are you saying there are still some left in there?”

[Most likely.]

I checked the minimap on the PDA. It had been uploaded when we first authenticated ourselves at the entrance to the underground lab. The fifth research wing was the largest, more than twice the size of the other wings.

I pulled a flashbang from my belt. Some of the squad members followed my lead, equipping their own flashbangs.

According to the data, the fifth research wing, located deepest in the lab, was the most critical area. Neural acceleration, a technology so powerful that the military was interested enough to fund illegal research. It was the main reason we had come here, and we couldn’t miss out on it now.

“Their neural response speeds can be accelerated up to 2.5 times that of a normal human. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of terrifying monsters might be born if they mutate after being exposed to the infection.”

I recalled the voice log from a researcher and the empty experimental stations in Lab H1-3, as well as the soldiers who had died, torn apart. It seemed like the result of that research was waiting for us beyond that dark passageway.

[We could still turn back.]

Artemis suggested.

“Leave the most important thing behind?” I asked.

[I’m not ignoring the danger these infected creatures pose, but their threat is also a variable beyond combat.]

A recording of my earlier words played back.

[Infected creatures merged with the lab’s latest technology. That’s a variable both outside and within combat. We didn’t factor in something like this before we left. There’s no guarantee that what’s beyond is something we even need. The risk is high compared to the potential reward.]

“Hmm…”

Her words made quite a bit of sense. After pondering for a moment, I made up my mind.

Click!

I pulled the safety pin from a flash grenade.

Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

As I removed the pin, the waiting squad members also pulled their pins in unison. Naturally, we were all still holding onto the safety handles, ready.

Part of me thought about just turning back, but it felt too much of a waste to come this far and leave without the final reward. And compared to the poorly trained reservists, we had a squad of robot soldiers, each with a steel body and top-tier combat skills.

“Sorry, but I need to see this through to the end.”

[I figured you’d say that.]

Artemis said, as if unable to stop me.

One flash grenade flew to the end of the corridor. And then, after a brief moment.

Bang!

Though not as powerful as a grenade, a significant explosion echoed, filling the tunnel beyond with a bright white flash.

“Kyaoooo!” A screech, different from the typical infected creatures. Dark silhouettes rose from the end of the tunnel.

“Next.”

The second flash grenade flew out.

Bang!

The screech grew louder, filled with anger and murderous intent. The third flash grenade followed suit.

“Kyaom—”

Bang!

The screech was cut short with the third explosion. Then, the fourth flash grenade flew out.

This was a technique I often used in my former unit. Enemies always expect one or two flashes before an assault, and it’s hard to cause real confusion with just that. But by throwing them one after another, I disoriented their senses and vigilance, until they had no idea how many more were coming. Of course, this strategy was meant for human opponents. I had no intention of attacking first when unknown monsters were lurking ahead.

Bang!

By the time the fourth flash grenade went off, the creatures seemed to realize where this annoying attack was coming from. I could feel their fiery gazes fixating on us as they rushed forward at incredible speed.

After throwing the remaining flash grenades, everyone’s guns simultaneously erupted in fire without anyone needing to call it out. It was the same situation as when we had wiped out the hordes of infected creatures in the previous research facility. However, there was a problem. They were approaching too quickly. Moreover…

“They’re zigzagging!”

Unlike other infected creatures, these weren’t just charging mindlessly; they were moving in zigzags as they closed the distance. Despite the common belief that such movements slow you down in real combat, these creatures moved with terrifying speed, making it highly effective.

Before even half of the magazines were emptied, one of them had already reached the lead squad member’s face. They moved so fast that it seemed as if they disappeared and reappeared intermittently.

“Damn it, it said 2.5 times faster!”

This was far beyond 2.5 times.

[Fall back!]

Before Artemis could warn me, I was already retreating. My squad members moved forward, forming layers of steel walls in front of me.

“Kuweeeek!”

The lead creature collapsed right in front of us after taking countless bullets. The problem was, it wasn’t alone. Another one, weaving through the hail of bullets, swung its arm.

Clang!

With a fierce impact, one squad member’s neck sparked, and his left arm hung limply. The hydraulics connecting to the left arm had been destroyed. But these steel soldiers felt no pain or panic. With his functioning right arm, the squad member fired back at the mutant.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Despite firing one-handed, there was barely any deviation, but the creature was dodging wildly, moving side to side. It was hard enough to track its movements with my eyes, let alone shoot it. Even for a security robot, hitting a target with such rapid, erratic movements one-handed was nearly impossible.

Bang!

Before it could fire his fourth shot, the mutant struck its neck again.

Clang!

The K2 rifle fell to the ground as the squad member lost power in both arms, the hydraulics destroyed.

“Those hands…”

The creature’s fingers were more than twice as long as a human’s, glistening with a metallic, dark blue hue, sharp as blades. Though riddled with bullets, the creature finally collapsed.

“Gyaaarrrgh.”

No matter how fast they moved, we outnumbered them, and our calm precision gave us the upper hand. However, once they got too close, the risk of friendly fire limited our shooting, and that’s where cracks started to form.

One squad member blocked an incoming claw aimed at its neck with his rifle.

Shhhh!

The mutant’s razor-sharp fingers sliced through half of the barrel and magazine, but the squad member swung the stock of the rifle in retaliation.

The stock, aimed at the mutant’s jaw, hit nothing but air. The mutant, crouching on all fours like a frog, leaped onto the squad member, sending them tumbling together. The mutant landed on top, in a mount position.

Clang! Clang!

Scratch!

It wildly swung both arms, slashing at the squad member, who raised its arms to protect its neck and face. Moments later, support fire rained down from all directions, turning the mutant into a shredded mess.

The squad member, who had been pinned, stood up and drew his backup rifle from his back. Although he had avoided fatal injuries, only three fingers remained on his left hand, and his right hand was nearly severed, making proper aiming difficult. And yet, he didn’t even get to fire a single shot.

Crunch!

Razor-sharp fingers pierced through the back of his neck. As the mutant withdrew its hand, sparks flew, and the squad member collapsed, motionless. A nearby squad member fired at the mutant, but it was already gone by the time the bullets reached. He fired again, but missed, and by the third shot, the creature had closed the distance.

Crunch!

The K2 rifle, raised instinctively to block, was split in two. The squad member, realizing it was too late to draw his backup weapon, rushed in for close combat. But that attempt was thwarted. Another mutant appeared out of nowhere, as if using teleportation, grabbing his right arm, while the original target seized its left.

Snap!

With a sickening crunch, both arms were torn from the squad member’s body. Sparks flew from the stumps, and he stood there, disoriented, until the next moment, when a mutant slashed his throat.

Despite the losses, we didn’t go down without a fight. In the brief clash, we quickly established a response strategy. All units, except those guarding me, spread out and crouched low to avoid friendly fire risks.

Any squad member who allowed the creatures to get too close focused on protecting their vital areas. While their rifles were quickly destroyed, each had a spare strapped to their back.

The attacking mutants, now more predictable, were shot from the sides and rear, outside their field of view. It was a tactic based on allowing some level of enemy approach and attack, something a human squad could never pull off. Now I understood why the original garrison had been wiped out—half of them likely died from friendly fire.

“Kyaaarrrgh!”

The last mutant collapsed, riddled with bullets, and the battle came to an end. After glancing beyond the dark tunnel for a moment, I scanned my access card at the fire control room's entrance again. This time, the door opened. That meant all threats in the underground lab had been neutralized. In total, there had been 12 mutated infected creatures.

This was the first real battle, rather than a one-sided slaughter, since I had started leading these robot soldiers. We had taken losses, but they were within acceptable limits. Three security robots were rendered inoperable, two had their combat efficiency reduced to less than half, and eight sustained light damage. Eleven K2 rifles were also destroyed.

Having overwhelmed ordinary infected creatures so far, I had almost believed these steel soldiers were invincible. I had underestimated the unpredictability of these new enemies. That was a mistake.

[Welcome, Commander Seo Jinsoo.]

The fire control room door opened, revealing the control systems inside. There, sitting in a duty officer’s chair, was a corpse wearing a uniform adorned with two stars. Beneath its limp right hand lay a handgun and a barely smoked Marlboro cigarette.