Chapter Thirty-Seven: Into the Crypt
In the early morning, the huge hole in the storehouse was crowded with people, some worried about the operation, some curious to watch the excitement, and some who simply came here to cause trouble.
The prison guards who entered the cave yesterday to investigate have not returned, and now the warden is going to bring people in again, and no one knows whether the dark is good or bad. In everyone's heart, there are unspeakable doubts, more of which is the fear of the unknown road ahead.
When the warden appeared in front of everyone wearing a "flame mecha" and nine other prison guards who were also wearing a "flame mecha", everyone couldn't help but be worried, and they couldn't help but sweat for them, and they were afraid that the warden would never return and never be heard from again, just like the prison guards who entered the cave yesterday. What kind of danger lies in the depths of the dark cavern, no one knows now.
The "Flame Mecha" is more like a mechanical suit than a mechanical suit, which is nothing more than a mechanical attachment of metal to a brass leather garment, like a mechanical decoration worn on the body. It was only because it was too heavy for manpower to bear, so many auxiliary support accessories were added, which made it barely look like a miniature mecha, so it won the honor of "Flame Mecha" and entered the ranks of armed mechas. Although it is a little too chilling as a mecha, the powerful flamethrower device is the favorite of many officers on the battlefield.
Yulia and Kafka, who are willful and stubborn, must go into the cave with the warden. The warden knew that they had no professional military training, and that he could not withstand their chatter. Kafka swore with his head that Frankimir could never be trusted, and Yulia thought there was something strange about it.
Yulia and Kafka agreed that they had examined all the bodies before, and that it was necessary for them to go with them as responsible bioengineers, and that no one knew what was in the cave, so they should at least bring some medical emergency medicines.
The warden couldn't tell them, and he could only reluctantly agree. The warden thought that there might not be anything wrong with this, at least everyone saw that Kafka and Yulia were so magnificent, then the other prison guards would naturally not be discouraged, and there would be no more than these soldiers carrying guns, and there would be two doctors with scalpels, which would surely arouse their courage and confidence.
The warden agreed, but he still did not forget to sternly warn them that if there was any danger in the cave, Yulia and Kafka must obey the arrangement and retreat out of the cave in advance, and they were not allowed to make their own decisions and act recklessly, which was no joke.
In order to take care of Kafka and Yulia's safety, the warden hired four more agile prison guards to protect them both. Because the six people did not have a mecha to protect themselves, the warden asked Professor Saul to find a bulletproof suit armed to the teeth for each of them, because this leather fabric bulletproof suit is specially designed for men, so Yulia felt that the crotch of this bulletproof suit made her very uncomfortable, and she could only force herself to adapt as much as possible.
At this time, only Yulia and Kafka noticed, silently following the "Frost Mecha" behind everyone, they knew that Frankimir was sitting there. The Warden didn't mention the "Frost Mech" to the crowd, just let him follow him like that.
The warden feared that if too many people knew about it, he would likely cause unnecessary panic if he asked a prisoner to pilot the "Frost Mech". Except for a very small number of necessary people, the vast majority of people do not know that inside the "Frost Mecha", there is prisoner No. 53243.
"Alright, let's all go back to our posts. I know you're worried about us, and that's why I want you to stick to your posts and not distract us from you. Rest assured, stay tuned for good news from us, and we will work hard to complete this difficult task and bring our comrades back. Okay, let's go, go back to their respective posts, when I'm not here, Professor Saul will be in charge of the affairs here, he is highly respected and thoughtful, I hope everyone can work hard to cooperate with Professor Saul to do a good job in the work of '2371', and not to live up to the trust of the organization in us. ”
At this point, the warden did not go on, and the more he spoke, the more it felt like he was making his last words, so he immediately stopped and did not continue.
The warden turned to the members of the special operations team beside him and said, "Everyone turn on all the lighting equipment, keep your eyes open, we can move slowly, but we can't miss any clues." ”
At the last minute before entering the cave, the warden told Professor Saul that after they entered the cave, they would report their situation to the area via intercom every thirty minutes. Professor Saul nodded in response, and until this point, Professor Saul insisted that the Ministry of National Security should be notified.
The warden was the first to enter the cave, followed by Kafka and Yulia, each accompanied by two guards, followed by the other nine prison guards dressed in "flame mechs", followed by the "frost mechs" piloted by Frankmir. The cavern is up to twelve meters in diameter, and the highest point of the "Frost Mecha" is only nine meters, so it can be easily entered.
At this time, Frankimir was uneasy in his heart, and he could only silently pray that he would not bump into Maria, otherwise it would become a big fight that would cause a sensation throughout the country. In his opinion, this hole must have been made by Maria, otherwise there could be no one else.
The darkness in the burrows made their lighting insignificant. Everyone watched cautiously around them, observing the clues that were there or not. They didn't have time to make small talk, and the cavern seemed even more silent, filled with only the cacophony of metal grinding and their own heartbeats.
Everyone trembled, tensed every nerve, and at this time, in such a situation, to say that you are not afraid is completely to replace.
They advanced a full three kilometers and found nothing other than to no longer feel the cold. The musty smell of the burrows and the earthy smell of the damp earth made it difficult for them to breathe. Gradually, they heard the sound of running water, which was supposed to be the sound of groundwater.
In this deep cavern, they found nothing, but the haze of fear gradually consumed their courage. In an instant, the warden's lamp swept over a different place.
When the warden turned the light back, he found that it was a shadow reflecting dark light.
The crowd hurried towards the shadow, followed by a strong fishy stench, which they soon discovered was a pool of blood. The crimson blood stretched deep into the cavern, and not far away lay a person, who should be said to be an unconscious corpse.
The corpse's face had begun to decompose, its skin had cracked and peeled off, and an eyeball had fallen out of its socket. The corpse's body was shattered, though it still retained its humanoid silhouette, and its internal organs had been torn out and scattered to the ground.
"Everyone, be careful, it seems that we expected it right, the murderer who killed prisoners and prison guards in a row is hiding in this cave, and from now on high security must be on high alert." The warden lowered his voice and admonished the crowd.
"I guess we'd better go back." Seeing the terrible condition of the corpse, Kafka became frightened, and he whispered to Yulia.
"If you want to go, you go by yourself, and before you see anything, you are scared like this, because you are still a big man." Yulia reproached contemptuously.
In order not to look more timid than a woman, Kafka was afraid, but he could only fight hard and move on.
Kafka's legs were already shaking desperately, and he felt like he was about to pee with fright. Kafka wasn't afraid of ghosts or monsters, his only fear was death, pure death. He had faced so many corpses before, and he had never felt afraid. But as long as he thought that he was going to die, he could scare himself to death first.
They continued to push forward, about two kilometers further, and the intercom seemed to run out of signal. At this moment, they found a corpse lying not far in front of them, and judging from the clothes of the corpse, it was obvious that it was the prison guard who entered the cave yesterday to search.
Why is he here, and where are the other officers? The crowd was shocked, and boundless fear came upon them in an instant. Why is there only one body here, and the other prison guards were not killed, but none of them returned to "2371", which means that they cannot be safe and sound, the question is where they have gone? What's really going on here?
At this time, Frankimir gradually realized that this hole seemed to have nothing to do with Maria. If all this is not Maria's doing, then what is going on?
Seeing the corpse of the prison guard, everyone remembered that when they set off yesterday, the warden had warned them to return immediately to report the news if they found anything. This may have been the last prison guard killed on the way back, and the rest of the guards were killed deeper in the burrow.
The shadow of death looms over this newly formed special operations squad. Everyone's hearts are in their throats, and seeing that there were colleagues who talked and laughed yesterday, they died here in a blur of flesh and blood at this moment, no one can calm the fear in their hearts, which makes people shudder and tremble.
Suddenly, in the thick smell of blood, everyone smelled an even stronger, disgusting stench. An ominous premonition fell from the sky and weighed heavily on their chests, making them almost suffocate to death, a sense of helpless despair.
At this time, the lighting flashlight in the hands of the prison guards seemed to have swept over something, although it was only a flash, but everyone could see it very clearly and see it really. The cave of deathly silence permeated the stench of desperate wails.