Chapter : 704

Princess Iris walked over. She wore her elegant silver dress. She placed a gentle, comforting hand on Risa's pink hair. She smiled a very proud, beautiful smile. "I always knew you could do it. Your heart is strong. You saved their lives today."

Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. The intelligent Vice-Captain opened her neat notebook. She clicked her silver pen. Click. Click. "The biological readings are fully stabilized. The mutated subjects are no longer in critical condition. Your magical output was mathematically flawless, Risa. You executed a perfect restorative spell."

Laxmi cheered loudly. The fire user jumped high into the air. "That was so cool! The green light was very pretty! You are the best healer ever!"

Zinia patted Risa on the back. The strong earth mage grinned a wide grin. "You are a tough kid. I am very proud of you."

Luna rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a soft yawn. "You did a good job, Risa. They look very comfortable now. They can finally take a nap in peace. I want to take a nap too."

Risa hugged Naomi back. She beamed with happiness. She felt the love and support of her entire team. She wiped a single, happy tear from her cheek. She conquered her biggest fear. She did not explode. She used her massive power to help innocent people.

Ken Eliot sat on a small metal stool near the doorway. He drooped his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He wore his baggy navy blue sweatpants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He reached into his plastic bag. He pulled out a green apple gummy ring. He tossed it into his mouth. He chewed it lazily.

"This is fantastic," Ken analyzed casually in his mind. He swallowed his candy. "The emotional cutscene is finally over. The healer completed her personal character arc. This is the exact moment the game usually provides an auto-save. I really need a save point right now. My snack inventory is getting a little bit low. I want to check my items."

Ken pulled out another gummy ring. He prepared to eat it.

Suddenly, a deep vibration started.

It was a very small vibration at first. A small puddle of spilled green liquid on the floor rippled slightly. Then, the vibration grew. The polished white floor tiles began to rattle. The metal stool beneath Ken started to shake.

Then, a massive jolt struck the entire room.

The underground facility shook violently. The walls groaned loudly. Dust fell from the concrete ceiling.

Ken dropped his gummy ring. The candy rolled across the floor. He grabbed the edge of his metal stool to keep his balance.

"I take it back," Ken complained quietly to himself. He frowned a lazy frown. "There is no save point. The developers are skipping the rest break. They are moving straight to the next action sequence. This is a massive inconvenience. My heart rate needs a minute to recover."

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The shaking grew worse. It felt like a massive earthquake. The red emergency lights blinked much faster. The spinning lights painted the dark room in an urgent, alarming color.

A brand new siren blared from the ceiling. It was much louder than the previous alarm. It sounded like a screeching wail.

A computerized, robotic voice echoed through the laboratory intercoms. The voice lacked any emotion.

"Warning. Warning," the robotic voice announced. "Facility breach detected. Primary data servers compromised. Initiating ultimate defense system. Protocol Omega activated. Evacuate immediately."

Sayma typed rapidly on her small digital tool. She pushed her glasses up her nose. Her dark eyes scanned the tiny glowing screen.

"This is not a drill," Sayma reported politely but urgently. "The central computer just locked all the primary exit routes. It activated a massive energy signature deep below this floor. Something gigantic is waking up. The power grid is diverting all electricity to the center of the laboratory."

Outside the containment ward, in the main laboratory area, panic erupted.

The researchers in their clean white hazmat suits lost their minds. They heard the robotic warning. They knew what Protocol Omega meant. They dropped their silver clipboards. The clipboards clattered loudly against the floor. They dropped their digital tablets. They stopped trying to fix the broken computers.

They ran wildly. They screamed in sheer terror. They pushed each other out of the way. They rushed toward the emergency stairs at the far end of the facility. They abandoned their workstations .

Ken watched the researchers run past the broken doorway. He shook his head slowly.

"Non-playable characters always run away," Ken reasoned smoothly in his head. He sagged his posture. "They hear the boss music playing in the background. They do not want to lose their progress. They always leave the main characters behind to deal with the giant monster. It is rude. I should run away with them. But running requires too much cardio."

The shaking intensified. A loud cracking sound echoed through the facility.

Naomi dashed across the room. She moved quickly despite the trembling floor. She stepped close to Ken. She did not yell at him for sitting on a stool. She did not tell him to tuck his shirt in. She placed a gentle, warm hand on his arm. She made sure he did not fall over.

"Stay close to me, Ken," Naomi instructed softly. She smiled a very fond, caring smile. Her green eyes looked at him with pure protectiveness. "The floor is very unstable. I do not want you to get hurt."

Ken smiled a goofy, relaxed smile. He liked it when Naomi was nice to him.

"Thank you, Naomi," Ken replied lazily. He put his hands deep into his pockets. "I have terrible balance today. The gravity in this room is broken. Someone needs to fix the gravity."

"Just stay right behind me," Naomi chuckled softly. She spun her silver daggers.

Princess Iris raised her silver rapier. The holy white light from the blade illuminated the dark room. Her violet eyes looked determined.

"13th Unit, move out!" Princess Iris commanded smoothly. "We cannot stay trapped in this small room. We need to see the threat. Keep your purification bubbles active. Do not lose your Core of Luminus shards."

The elite girls nodded in perfect unison. They ran out of the biological containment ward. They stepped back into the massive main laboratory. Ken shuffled lazily right behind Naomi. He dragged his cheap shoes on the cracked tiles. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.

They reached the center of the giant laboratory. The room was empty of researchers. Only the smashed computers and spilled green liquids remained.

Suddenly, a deafening screech of tearing metal filled the air.

The center of the massive laboratory floor split wide open. Huge, thick steel plates slid apart. The metal groaned as the gears forced the plates back. A giant, dark pit appeared right in the middle of the room. The hole was wide. It looked bottomless.

Toxic green light shot straight up from the deep pit. The light cast eerie, sickly shadows against the high ceiling.