Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 96
Only Noblemtl
As the power suit moved, the snow was pushed away, leaving a long 11-character trail. Even that was quickly covered by the heavy snow, but there was enough time for the people following behind to move.
Alan split his thoughts. Half to find his way, half to ponder the identity of this place. Thanks to the effectiveness of Taylor’s training, his complex thoughts intersected but did not get tangled.
The hologram I saw in the basement meant that I had to perform some task to open a door leading further down.
‘Can I believe it?’
If the designers of the ruins had been friendly to visitors, the bears would have behaved the same way, but they attacked people as soon as they saw them.
Even the Bear Soul Stone was the key. No matter how tightly it was sealed, there was always a chance. What if someone like the Chairman of Breaker came and sliced it apart with a single stroke?
‘I guess I won’t need the soul stone since I’ll just break the door.’
Jake Marshall wasn’t here, so it was a pointless assumption. Alan pushed the thought away.
‘If the person the designer had hoped would visit, the bears might have obeyed the orders instead.’
Inside the Bear’s Soul Stone, there were some astrological symbols that Alan could not decipher, and some parts that he could not observe due to the thick fog.
Normally, I would have dissected it right away, but I couldn’t try because I thought it was a key.
Alan shook his head as his thoughts deepened. There was no other way now, so he had to do as the hologram said.
This kind of relic or barrier had to follow the designer’s intentions to function. Of course, life and death are two sides of the same coin, so danger was also close at hand.
The reason Alan could think like this in the middle of a snowy field was because of the power suit. The inside, protected by alloy armor, was warm and comfortable, but the outside.
“Ughh …
Taylor groaned from behind. Normally, she would have wanted to spit out a bowl of curses, but her lips were frozen and she held them back.
The cold wind that cut through my skin and the chill that froze my bones hindered my journey. The snowstorm that limited my vision also devastated my spirit. Even though I was walking through an open space, I felt like I was locked in a cell.
As he silently walked through the space that was so white that it seemed like he was going crazy, Harsh opened his mouth, unable to overcome the cold silence.
“Mr. Allen, is this the right direction?”
“yes.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
Harsh’s voice was filled with irritation and anger. The anger was probably caused by the being that killed his blood relatives, and the irritation was caused by the harsh natural environment.
Alan explained in detail.
“As soon as I came up from the underground, I confirmed the presence of a thick pipe or cable. As soon as the hologram turned on, I felt a faint magical energy flowing through it, indicating that it was activated.”
The flowing magic energy will head towards the building where the door exists, and at the end of it will be an unidentified facility.
“You can find your way even in a snowy field where you can’t see an inch ahead of you by going against the path of magical power buried underground.”
Thanks to the detailed explanation and calm tone, Harsh’s attitude quickly softened.
As a human being, there was nothing I could do. The mind and body are inseparable, so when the mind is devastated, it shows in words.
Even those who succeeded in great challenges appeared calm on the outside, but were in endless agony on the inside. In such a situation, the truly calm person was actually the strangest.
The wind blew harder and harder. The vertically falling snow now moved almost horizontally.
Taylor, rubbing his mouth to remove the ice, pointed to the 3 o’clock position.
“The wind is blowing, so the temperature feels crazy. Is that a big rock over there? Or is it ice? Let’s rest until the wind dies down.”
Before Alan could even voice his opinion, the other two had already voted in favor. In fact, Alan didn’t mind going straight ahead. It was comfortable thanks to the power suit, and the inspection was done underground.
As we approached, we discovered that the windbreaker was actually ice. Inside it was an automaton that resembled a mole.
“Look at this. They’re so cold that they’ve become stuffed animals.”
As soon as Taylor finished speaking, a blue light came on in the mole’s camera eye. The light scanned Taylor up and down, then immediately turned red.
Card grab!
The cone-shaped drill that replaced the nose spun rapidly. The ice broke in an instant, and the mole, now free, dug into the ground.
The guy didn’t attack right away, but he kept circling around, making me nervous. The faces of those who participated in the sudden mole-catching were filled with annoyance rather than tension.
“My mother taught me not to hate people, but today I miss seeing the face of the designer.”
Looking at Shiva’s clenched fist, it was easy to predict what would happen next. In fact, he swung his fist at the drill protruding from beneath his feet.
The drill shattered and the mole’s neck snapped violently. As the magic circuit was damaged, the blue lights that had been running along the circuit melted into the air.
Shiva’s fist wasn’t unharmed either. Red ice flowers bloomed between the broken armor.
“I feel much better after getting rid of the negative thoughts that were rising in my head.”
Shiva had a really refreshing expression. Harsh opened his mouth after seeing the blood.
“Is your fist okay?”
“Brother Harsh, you are so kind-hearted. Your colleagues don’t even ask you about it…”
Alan and Taylor were setting up the tent. Wounds? There is a saying, ‘The doctor cannot cure his own illness,’ but Shiva was a monk of the Matrimonial religion.
“If you’re really in a hurry, ask your mother to lend you a helping hand.”
“Brother Taylor, how did you know that reciting the law like that would activate it?”
It wasn’t surprising to see Shiva arbitrarily omitting orders and changing names.
As we moved through the day, we came across a frozen facility. It wasn’t a metaphor, it was ice that was literally wrapping around the building.
It looks like the first floor, but considering the precedent, it must have expanded underground. Alan’s magic wave detector also confirmed the structure extending downwards.
When Alan tapped his left shoulder, the small antenna retracted. Taylor looked at it curiously.
“It has a lot of features?”
“It’s a tool that makes exploration easier.”
“If it’s too complicated, wouldn’t it be easy to break down while fighting?”
“Do I have to fight for myself?”
Strictly speaking, Alan’s position is artillery or sniper. He would step forward in an emergency, but he usually had no reason to step forward.
The group took turns breaking the ice. It was not ice but metal, as if it had been frozen for so long. Harsh, armed with a huge hammer, easily broke through the ice, perhaps because he was a miner.
The ice around the door was removed in an arch shape, but the door was still firmly closed.
“The gap is frozen.”
When Alan held out his palm, long streams of flame shot out. When the burning was over, the door opened by itself.
As soon as the group entered, the door closed again. Taylor frowned.
“Why are you so anxious?”
As I got closer, it opened again. Only then did I feel safe and move forward.
The facility was dark, but it was nothing compared to a maze or cave. Unlike the black fog-filled labyrinth, there were dim lights in the hallways. Like escape guide lights.
I didn’t let my guard down because I had experienced different places. I didn’t know where the automaton would suddenly pop out.
After walking a little, the white wall turned transparent.
‘It’s not glass.’
As Alan observed the curtain, Shiva patted his waist.
“Why are you like that···.”
Alan couldn’t help but stop talking when he saw the direction Shiva’s finger was pointing.
Outside the transparent membrane, there were huge pillars extending underground, with automatons hanging from them like grapes.
“256···.”
“Brother, what does it mean?”
“These are the numbers of automata you can see now.”
If you include the area behind the pillars and below, the scale would be enormous.
The bustling automaton was in a state of halt. Normally, Allen would have tried to break through the barrier with his eyes shining, but not now.
“Alan, I’m just saying this out of concern, but you shouldn’t do that.”
“I didn’t mean to do that.”
Taylor grumbled, thinking the same thing. If they all wake up and are hostile, it’s unmanageable.
The hallway was transparent, as if it were made of glass. As I continued to advance, a room that seemed to be a control room appeared. It was like an observation deck jutting out over a cliff.
The surrounding pillars added to the scenery, making it seem as if we were in the middle of a strange forest.
“Should I wake him up?”
Like Taylor, who was worried, Alan also had a feeling.
“If we activate this facility, the automaton will wake up. But we have to activate it to escape from here.”
There were many words to express the current situation, such as a dilemma, a predicament, etc. I needed some time to think.
Taylor sat down, Shiva pressed her face against the transparent screen and looked at the pillar, and Harsh fidgeted.
Alan surveyed the facility. He quickly determined its identity, as the designer had no intention of hiding the equipment.
“It’s a facility similar to a magic power plant. There’s almost no difference.”
As soon as Alan spoke, everyone’s attention turned to him.
“Once the facility is activated, magical power will flow through the cables, opening the doors leading underground.”
“What about automaton?”
“That’s the problem. They’ll turn against us like three bears.”
The strength of each individual was far superior, but the power of numbers was a problem. In addition, the possibility that a stronger entity was sleeping down there could not be ignored.
“I guess other parties are also thinking about it.”
“Even the brain of an elf is like a muscle.”
“There is no guarantee that all power plants will be in the same condition, so we must also consider their failures.”
“What happens if I fail?”
“It won’t open, right? Instead, there is another way.”
“blasting?”
“How did you know?”
“It’s your favorite activity. I thought you’d been quiet lately.”
When Taylor brought that up, Harsh looked at Alan with questioning eyes. Alan continued without even blinking.
“Similar, but a little different. I’m going to overload this place.”
“The result is an explosion, right?”
“yes.”
“Then it’s the same.”
Alan shrugged.
“The magic power plant will be destroyed, but it won’t come back, so we’ll just proceed. The magic supply will be increased, so even if other places fail, the door will open.”
Alan took out the bear soul stone that he had manipulated. The reason overloading was possible in the first place was because the soul stone was placed in the core of the power plant.
If it were a human, it would be like opening up their chest and showing their heart. So even a slight touch would be fatal.
As Alan straightened his back, Taylor asked a question.
“Who will handle the overload?”
“I’ll do it. If we’re going to escape the snowfield, someone has to do it.”
“What is the blast radius?”
“At least the power plant and the surrounding area will be blown away. I guess I’ll have about 10 seconds to spare···.”
Taylor squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them.
“Then I will stay and you go up.”
“yes?”
“There’s no need to sacrifice. I’ve lived long enough, so it’s okay.”
“You can control it remotely.”
“ah···.”
Taylor shut her mouth and looked up at the ceiling. Her ears were red from the cold.
“Brother, you are very healthy.”
“···.”
“I can see that your ears are turning red very quickly, so I don’t think I’ll have to worry about my blood vessels for at least 10 years.”
Shiva grinned as Taylor pretended not to hear.
“Brother Alan, what kind of automaton do you plan to pilot?”
“Of course it’s this kid.”
There was a box where Alan’s hand was pointing. He stopped in the same position as he was tapping the machine with his claws, which had a lot of instruments on it. Only the aperture of the camera eye moved slightly.
“I think I understand what you said, brother.”
“Not to that extent yet.”
“Brother, you are so cold-hearted.”
As Shiva made a sound that sounded like a reproach, the box slowly moved behind him.
Even Taylor, who had claimed to be mute, opened his mouth when he saw the unusual behavior.
“Look at that, that.”
“That’s because you haven’t told them how to act when they’re in the spotlight.”
As Alan walked over and stopped in front of him, the box’s pincers dangled. Alan opened the drawer and took out the spider.
“This child is enough.”
“Why do you keep making people misunderstand?”
beep-!
Taylor frowned, and coincidentally the mechanical sound of the box followed. Without blinking, Alan finished preparing for the overload.
The group left the spider in the control room and went up to the snowfield, settling down in a place quite far away.
“Then let’s begin.”
Ten seconds after Alan spoke.
Krrrr!
A bolt of lightning shot up from the ground into the sky, melting all the falling snow and turning the surrounding area into a sauna.
Alan, who was about to turn around, couldn’t. Two red lights stood out in the flames. They were the eyes of something.
End