Chapter 146: Tra...traf what now?!
Chapter 146: Tra...traf what now?!
What awaited in front of him was, well, an entire floor packed with strange machines.
Blake’s eyes slowly wandered across the room, taking in every detail he could.
’These don’t look anything like the ones back at the SRRT Tower. They truly show the world the less advanced version of something and then call it the latest model...’
A few of the larger machines did catch his attention. Their shape, the way the metal curved around a central compartment, reminded him more of the machine he had found inside AOP, the one that had been holding the black stone he needed to unlock the blueprints.
It wasn’t the exact same design, but the resemblance was impossible to ignore.
His gaze shifted away from the machinery and toward the people working around the room instead.
Fortunately, everyone on this floor wore uniforms nearly identical to the one he had copied.
No one immediately stood out, nor did anyone glance at him suspiciously.
They simply continued talking amongst themselves, operating machinery, or reading through data displayed on nearby holographic screens.
Then Blake noticed something else.
Several people descended from a staircase leading to the third floor.
Unlike everyone else, they wore noticeably heavier protective clothing. Their uniforms had additional reinforced layers over the chest, shoulders, and arms, almost resembling protective suits rather than ordinary work attire.
Blake raised an eyebrow.
’Eh, so the higher floors require more protection? Suspicious.’
Whatever was happening up there clearly required another level of equipment.
For now, though, he would keep his current appearance. There was no point changing yet.
If he eventually reached the third floor, then he would worry about finding different clothing.
Walking further into the room, Blake spotted one of the few empty desks squeezed between several large machines.
Most of the floor wasn’t even filled with desks. Machinery occupied almost every available space, while workers simply stood nearby discussing readings or adjusting controls.
He quietly sat down.
It was unlikely the seat actually belonged to nobody, but for the moment, no one seemed interested in it.
The computer in front of him remained active.
Several windows displayed processing information that appeared connected to the surrounding machines. Numerical values constantly updated while various diagrams shifted every few seconds.
The computer wasn’t controlling every machine directly, but it definitely stored information regarding whatever process was currently taking place.
Without wasting another second, Blake slipped a hand into his pocket.
The USB drive.
He carefully inserted it into one of the computer’s ports.
For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then, a notification appeared.
External storage device detected.
Blake watched as folders rapidly became accessible.
Apparently, the system didn’t require additional authentication for accessing locally stored files, it at least, not on this workstation.
He immediately began copying everything the computer allowed him to access.
Research files.
Machine logs.
Configuration data.
Internal documents.
Maintenance reports.
Anything available.
Some folders refused access, displaying permission restrictions, but the overwhelming majority of operational files transferred without issue.
A progress bar steadily climbed upward.
While the files copied, Blake folded his arms.
The entire underground complex, probably including everything that matched with it on the surface, was divided into sections.
That much had become obvious.
That time, while he was infiltrating AFE, they referred to that space as the fifth section.
Yet the blueprints Blake possessed contained no such divisions whatsoever.
He doubted that was an oversight.
As he already suspected, those sections hadn’t existed when the blueprints had originally been produced.
They were probably introduced after the human experimentation project, which wasn’t even too long ago.
That would explain why the layout no longer matched perfectly.
His blueprints were outdated.
Freddie had already suggested as much.
Thinking about it even more, the timeline made the conclusion almost unavoidable.
AOP had collaborated with Ennica around fifty years ago, probably to produce the ring that eventually contained the blueprints.
Meanwhile, SRRT had been built roughly eighty years ago.
Logically, he already knew the blueprint he owned couldn’t possibly be the original draft, since it was made twenty years later the creation of SRRT tower.
It had to be a later revision.
Maybe the second, or even the third one.
Who knew how many revisions they had produced throughout those twenty years?
It honestly didn’t matter.
The important part was that the version he possessed no longer reflected the current facility perfectly.
’Honestly, it would be better to find newer versions, if not well, the latest...’
The loading bar continued climbing.
Ninety-one percent.
Ninety-four.
Ninety-seven.
"What are you doing at Theodore’s desk?"
Blake’s entire body stiffened. Someone had approached from directly behind him.
He didn’t turn around.
Instead, he silently stared at the loading bar.
Ninety-eight percent.
Ninety-nine.
His skill was still active, so staying silent would make him get out of the situation.
Five painfully long seconds passed.
Transfer complete.
Blake immediately removed the USB drive, slipped it back into his pocket, and stood up without saying a single word.
Then he simply walked past the man.
The employee looked as if he resetted, scratching the back of his head, then, without a thought, walked away.
Apparently, that had actually been Theodore’s workstation.
Blake resisted the urge to sigh in relief.
[ Remaining time for "I’ll Sneak For My Lover": 20 minutes ]
’Nah!’
Everything he had done so far had been incredibly risky.
"Turn off."
He whispered quietly.
The ability immediately deactivated.
"Hey."
Blake froze.
"Who are you?"
He turned around, forcing a polite smile onto his face.
"My name’s Landon Port," he answered. "I’m... a new recruit."
The woman standing before him slowly looked him up and down.
As Blake properly focused on her face, recognition hit him immediately.
It was her.
The same woman from AOP, who he happened to run into and watch over. Now that he was closer, there was absolutely no doubt.
Trying not to let that realization show on his face, Blake extended his hand politely.
"It’s nice to meet you. May I ask your—"
She cut him off before he could finish.
"Why are you wearing a cap?"
Blake awkwardly laughed.
’Well... in the first floor, when I deactivated my skill, nobody really said anything. I guess here power dynamics are stronger?’
The Blank Mask worked well enough when something covered his head, allowing people to simply perceive his visible eyes without questioning anything else.
But if someone removed the cap...
Then they would immediately notice the mask and of course, it wouldn’t go too well.
"I, uh..." Blake scratched the back of his neck. "I’m actually developing a bald spot."
The words nearly made him cringe.
"It’s... pretty embarrassing, so I’d rather keep it covered."
The woman continued staring at him.
Up.
Down.
Then back to his face.
She didn’t say another word.
Instead, she simply turned around and began walking away.
’Damn, that worked? Can’t believe some of the smartest people might be here.’
As she turned, however, he finally managed to read the name displayed on her identification tag.
Miranda Tropa.
Unfortunately, the badge didn’t reveal her position or her age.
Still, she definitely seemed important.
She had carried herself with authority back at AOP, and nothing about her behavior suggested otherwise now.
Just as Blake considered quietly slipping away, Miranda stopped, looking back over one shoulder.
"Why aren’t you following me?"
Blake’s eyes widened.
"...Huh?"
She continued waiting.
"Oh!"
He immediately hurried after her.
’Is this good or?’
Miranda led him toward one of the massive machines occupying the center of the room.
Without saying anything, she began pressing a series of holographic buttons floating in front of it.
One after another.
The machine immediately came alive.
Metal panels shifted.
Entire sections unfolded outward.
The structure expanded until it stood considerably larger than before.
Its appearance alone suggested destruction.
’This thing,’ Blake gulped, ’was definetely built to bring despair.
With a loud mechanical sound, an opening formed near the center.
Something emerged.
Tiny mechanical creatures floated out one after another.
At first glance, they looked almost like butterflies.
Metallic wings reflected the surrounding lights while impossibly small mechanical bodies hovered silently through the air.
Miranda gestured toward them.
"What are these?"
Blake’s brain completely froze.
’How am I supposed to know?!’
Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
He had absolutely never seen anything remotely similar.
"They’re meant for attacking."
Miranda slowly raised an eyebrow.
"Obviously. I asked what they are, not what they’re are meant for."
He immediately began fidgeting.
"I... forgot."
His voice came out far less confident than he wanted.
"It’s my first day, so I’m... a little anxious."
Miranda frowned.
"That doesn’t matter."
Without another word, she opened her hand.
One of the tiny mechanical butterflies gently landed on her palm.
It remained perfectly still.
"These are Traf. As you might remember now, the name originates from the Traflens."
Blake swallowed.
’Traflens, does she mean... some kind of alien species?’
Trying to hide how shaken he suddenly felt, he quickly reached into his pocket, pulled out his small notebook, and scribbled the unfamiliar words down before he could forget them.
His hands trembled the entire time.