Earth Dungeon 122.1

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Chapter 122.1. Abyss

Mogami holds a gun that he doesn't understand the structure or construction of.

[Hyperblaster charge level at 5%. User's usable limit reached.]

He clicks his tongue at the mechanical voice emanating from the gun. It's always like this. The usage restriction kicks in at just a 5% charge. It makes no sense.

"But even at 5%, it's enough!"

He pulls the trigger, pointing the barrel at the crystal zombies in the elevator. The crystal gun glows red, emitting a beam of heat. The thin beam of intense heat flickers through the air like a heat haze, piercing through the crystal zombie that was devouring a young man.

"Whoa!"

Without stopping, he moves the gun, sweeping through the crystal zombies as if cutting through butter with the emitted heat beam. In an instant, the crystal zombies are severed, turning into ashes before hitting the floor. Including the young man who was being devoured.

Incredibly high heat emanates from the gun, but the heat beam that incinerated the crystal zombies strangely only slightly scorches the walls of the building. Upon closer inspection, only the stalactites attached to the wall are burning, and the actual wall remains unscathed.

"Get into the elevator!"

As crystal zombies push and shove their way from the passage, Mogami continues pulling the trigger. As the panel numbers decrease, the crystal zombies turn to ashes one after another. The companions roll into the elevator like a well-coordinated team. When the panel number reaches 6, Mogami also jumps into the elevator, and his companions promptly press the button to close the door.

"One down! Devoured! Turned to ash!"

A seated companion on the floor shouts in fear, looking at the former companion's ashes scattered in the elevator.

"We knew it was a dangerous place! He came here prepared to die!"

Sweating profusely, Mogami shouts back, tightly gripping the blaster. Despite emitting such a high-temperature heat beam, the blaster feels cool to the touch, without any sense of heat. It's some unknown technology.

"That's fine, but... I think he intended to come back alive."

"Irony is quite something. Let's go down to the first floor."

The numbers on the elevator panel are rapidly decreasing. There are no noticeable vibrations or abnormalities.

[First floor.]

A synthetic machine voice is heard, and the door opens with a "ding" sound. Everyone swallows nervously, looks at each other, and raises their guns.

The door gradually opens, and with a nod, they all rush out together.

Forming a semi-circle, they aim their guns and cautiously scan their surroundings. They check the passage beyond the gun restlessly, but only silence and stillness spread.

"That's anticlimactic."

"Yeah. But the first floor is surprisingly clean."

Outside the elevator is the entrance lobby.

Unlike the upper floors, the first floor is clean, with some dust settled. Light from the ceiling illuminates the lobby. The walls and floor are spotless, and the reception counter is clean.

A glass-walled entrance leading outside is a bit ahead, revealing the dark outside world. There are several towering buildings outside, and within them stands a massive dome.

"If we can get into that dome..."

Frustrated, Mogami runs to the door and mutters while looking at the dome in the distance. An elderly companion puts a hand on his shoulder.

"It's no use saying that now. Even after ten years of investigation, we couldn't get in."

"Yeah... It's too late now. Let's head to the lab instead."

Nodding, they start running again. Inside the mysteriously preserved building after several decades.

Carefully advancing through the corridors, turning corners, they reach their destination. The panel reads "Lab," and it's a room closed with a thick metal door.

"I hope my security card still works."

Taking out a card from his pocket, he swipes it through the card reader next to the door, and the door slides open with an electronic beep.

"...Perfectly fine... Why does it move so smoothly without any maintenance, though?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's go inside."

With a puzzled expression, Mogami's side gets passed by the companions who run inside. Everyone's faces tense with nervousness and fear. There seem to be no enemies on the first floor, but they can't afford to feel safe, given the circumstances.

Once inside, it's a vast room, around 50 meters. Experimental boxes covered in reinforced glass, electron microscopes. There are flasks, test tubes, and tools like wrenches and screwdrivers, in this seemingly disorderly research lab.

"Where are the weapons?"

The young ones search the lab with bloodshot eyes. They came here for the powerful weapon Mogami possesses.

"Most were probably collected by the military, but there should still be some left. There's a box that won't open without my security card. At that time, those with the authority to change the administrator permissions were already dead. It probably hasn't been changed, so it should still be untouched."

"What if the box is destroyed?"

"There are valuable and irreplaceable things inside. That won't happen. Follow me."

Abandoned amid chaos, they kick away the clutter on the floor and move toward the back. There's another room in the back, with a metal door and a card reader installed similarly. They swipe the card through the reader to open the door.

"This isn't a building you guys built, right? How did you make cards for doors like this?"

Young ones ask in wonder, so he shrugs his shoulders.