Chapter 153: Guess this had to be
Chapter 153: Guess this had to be
"Eh... what do I even do now...?"
Blake rubbed the back of his neck, glancing around the cramped room.
The alien had gone back to sitting quietly in the chair, as if their brief interaction had never happened. They stared straight ahead again, expression unreadable, their breathing calm and steady.
After a moment’s hesitation, Blake crouched in front of them once more.
"Sorry."
He reached out carefully.
The alien didn’t react.
Taking that as permission, or at least the absence of refusal, Blake gently took their hand into his own.
It was much colder than he’d expected.
The skin wasn’t rough, nor particularly smooth. It had an odd texture, almost like very fine scales hidden beneath soft flesh, barely noticeable unless he focused on it. Turning the hand over, he examined the palm and the long, slender fingers more closely.
"...Huh."
His eyes widened slightly.
It matched.
The proportions, the joints, even the rounded nails unmistakably resembled one of the severed arms he had stored away from the room upstairs.
"So it really is one of the two species that woman, Miranda, explained earlier..."
Blake murmured to himself as he scratched the back of his head.
’Should I... show them?’
His thoughts drifted toward his storage.
The preserved arms were still there.
If he took it out, would the alien recognize it? Would it tell him something?
His fingers twitched, and then, he quietly shook his head.
’No, that would just be cruel.’
Whether the alien already knew what AL-TECH had done or not didn’t matter.
Showing them the severed limb of one of their own...
Blake couldn’t bring himself to do something like that.
He slowly loosened his grip.
And suddenly, the alien pushed him.
It wasn’t hard, more like a gentle shove.
Still bent over, Blake lost his balance and landed on the floor with a surprised grunt.
"Ow."
He blinked up at the alien.
"Hm? What was that for?"
He laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.
"Sorry, I guess I was holding your hand for a bit too long."
The alien remained silent.
Then, it nudged him again.
Once more, there wasn’t any force behind it.
It wasn’t an attack, it barely even counted as a push.
It almost felt intentional, like it wanted him to move.
Blake frowned.
"What is it?"
He looked around the tiny room.
There was nowhere for either of them to go.
’Why would it...’
Then he heard them, voices.
Faint at first.
Then clearer.
"They were here, I’m sure!"
"Search every room!"
"Don’t leave any area unchecked!"
Blake’s eyes widened.
’Crap, the soldiers!’
They had reached this level.
His head immediately snapped toward the door.
"..."
Then he looked back at the alien, realizing there wasn’t much time.
Without really thinking, Blake reached out one last time and took the alien’s hand.
He gave it a small shake.
"My name’s Blake."
A nervous smile appeared on his face.
"If, if you ever get out of here..."
He swallowed.
"...Don’t forget it."
The alien simply looked at him with no expression ot answer.
Still, for some reason, Blake felt they were listening.
He slowly released their hand.
Then hurriedly slipped his mask back over his face.
Within seconds, Trevor’s appearance returned.
Blake adjusted the uniform one last time before opening the door.
The space outside was empty for now.
He immediately headed in the opposite direction of the approaching voices, forcing himself not to break into a full sprint.
’Stay calm, I can do this. Around 20 minutes, and I’ll be by the staircase.’
He rounded the curve of one of the gigantic cylindrical capsules.
Thud.
"Oof—!"
Blake walked straight into someone, so he stumbled backward.
Several soldiers immediately turned toward him.
"Sir Trevor!"
One of them quickly grabbed his shoulder.
"Are you alright, sir?"
"You hit that pretty hard, sir."
Blake looked between them, momentarily caught off guard.
’Huh? Why aren’t they pointing weapons at me? Why aren’t they accusing me?’
Hadn’t they figured it out already?
Or, were they searching for someone else now?
Another soldier frowned.
"We’ve received reports of an intruder."
Blake quickly forced himself to smile beneath the mask.
"I’m alright."
He brushed some imaginary dust off his sleeve.
"I’m more worried about this intruder than my head."
The soldiers exchanged glances.
One of them nodded.
"Don’t worry, sir. We’ll escort you back to safety."
Blake immediately shook his head.
"No need."
He gestured toward the corridor.
"Your priority should be catching whoever managed to get in here. I’ll be fine."
The soldiers hesitated.
Apparently...
Trevor carried enough authority that none of them wanted to openly contradict him.
Finally, one of them stepped aside.
"...Very well, sir."
"Please remain cautious, sir."
"I will."
Blake gave them a small nod before calmly walking past.
He resisted every urge to look back.
Only after several turns did he finally let out the breath he’d been holding.
’That was close...’
He started running.
The endless chamber seemed even larger now that he knew where he was going.
Finally...
After what felt like forever, he saw the staircase.
"There..."
Blake immediately hurried toward it.
His feet practically flew up the stairs, and now, he was on the fourth floor.
Then another staircase, and he reached the third.
He didn’t stop. He didn’t dare.
His lungs burned.
His legs ached.
Still, he kept running.
Only as he approached the entrance to the second floor did he stop.
"...I’ll Sneak For My Lover."
As he uttered those words, his appearance shifted once more.
Trevor disappeared.
Landon returned.
He walked down the stairs, now finding himself in the second floor. Immediately, he walked over the exit.
Almost immediately afterward, commotion erupted throughout the floor.
Several soldiers burst through the stairwell doors.
Between them, they carried the real Trevor.
His face was swollen.
One eye had nearly closed from bruising.
Blood stained his uniform.
He looked utterly miserable.
To Blake’s surprise, the man was also crying.
Gasps spread across the room.
"What happened?!"
"Who did this to Sir Trevor?!"
"That intruder..."
Miranda arrived almost immediately.
Her expression darkened as she looked over Trevor’s injuries.
"What happened?"
Trevor wiped at his face with trembling hands.
"I-I... a man punched me out of nowhere, them I blacked out..."
His voice cracked.
"I think... I was unconscious for around thirty minutes. I only woke up, maybe fifty minutes ago..."
Miranda folded her arms.
"If you woke up fifty minutes ago..."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Then why didn’t you leave the bathroom sooner?"
Trevor looked down in embarrassment.
"...I...I was scared."
Silence.
Several workers exchanged awkward glances.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody mocked him.
Miranda merely let out a slow sigh.
Blake didn’t wait to hear the rest.
He quietly turned away.
’Whatever, I need to leave.’
He headed straight for the staircase, and finally, he was in the first floor.
Then another flight.
Finally, he saw the exit.
Fresh air hit him the moment he stepped outside A-exp Building.
Blake inhaled so sharply that his lungs hurt.
Only now did he realize how tense his entire body had been.
He ducked behind a maintenance vehicle.
His appearance shifted again.
This time into one of the cleaners he’d noticed earlier, though he subtly altered several facial features just in case anyone had seen the real employee recently.
He adjusted the uniform.
Then began walking away.
Fast.
Very fast.
[ Cooldown warning for: "I’ll Sneak For My Lover." ]
"Seriously, now?!"
Blake immediately broke into a run, he couldn’t afford to be nearby when it ended.
His shoes pounded against the pavement.
The facility gradually shrank behind him.
[Skill will deactivate in... 3...]
"No, no, no..."
[2...]
He pushed himself harder.
[1...]
Blake stumbled forward as his skill now wore down, barely managing to keep his footing.
Then, he froze.
Not far ahead, blocking the road, there were several armed soldiers.
"...Crap."
Blake took a slow, controlled breath.
’Well, there is no getting around this.’
He, at least, had this appearance, but his badge was completely fake.
And even if it weren’t, there was no chance AL-TECH would allow anyone to leave the premises after declaring a facility-wide security breach.
Every exit was almost certainly being watched.
Every employee questioned.
Running now would only make him stand out even more.
Still, standing still wasn’t an option either.
One of the soldiers noticed him almost immediately.
"You."
The man stepped away from the checkpoint.
"Where are you going?"
Blake forced himself to look startled rather than nervous.
"O-Oh..."
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I... I really need to leave."
The soldier frowned.
"No one is leaving."
"I understand, but..." Blake laughed weakly, rubbing his arm. "My little sister is at home by herself. I was only supposed to work a half-day today, and she has a medical condition. If she doesn’t take her medication on time—"
"Not happening."
The soldier’s expression didn’t change.
Blake swallowed before trying again.
"I’ll come right back if you want. You can even keep my ID. I just need an hour—"
"No."
"It’s genuinely urgent."
"I said no."
Blake let out a shaky sigh.
"...Please."
The soldier’s patience visibly snapped.
"I told you to quit the bullshit."
He stepped forward and seized Blake by the shoulder with enough force to make him stumble.
The sudden jerk sent the oversized cap flying from Blake’s head.
It landed several feet away.
Silence.
The soldier’s grip loosened.
Everyone nearby stared.
Beneath the fallen cap...
The smooth, featureless mask covering Blake’s face was fully exposed.
One soldier took an involuntary step backward.
"The M.O.S.A.I.C..."
Another muttered the words under his breath, almost as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
"It’s definetly the M.O.S.A.I.C."
More heads turned.
The name spread through the group in uneasy whispers.
"How is it here...?"
Blake raised an eyebrow.
’...The what?’
He had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.
M.O.S.A.I.C.?
The soldiers’ hesitation would only last for a moment.
Blake exhaled quietly.
"...Guess I don’t have much of a choice."
Fortunately, every enhancement he had activated earlier was still in effect.
Without another word, he drove his fist straight into the soldier’s face.