Chapter 24: Volume 1, Chapter 23: Factory Of Fear

1530 hours, 25 June 0145…

Inside this long, dark, and narrow passageway down to the underground, me and Joshua brighten up this place with our flashlight. What's left inside is nothing but just a typical creepy wind ambience that's blowing through this passageway.

I was bored when walking through this long, dark, and narrow passageway while looking left and right. So I asked Joshua some question.

"If I may ask, does your previous trainee had a claustrophobia or some mental illnesses?"

"Yes," He answered straightforwardly. And then I asked him again.

"Can they face it or they just let it go like that?"

"Luckily, they never give up and keep moving on. Even though they ended up risking their lives for their stupid intention," He answered again.

I nodded my head and make an "o" in my mouth. Then, I asked him again.

"If I may ask again. How did you create your watch? And where did you get an idea to create that hi-tech gadget?"

After that, he showing me his hologram watch and answered.

"You already know the wisdom that said 'Work smarter', right? So, the reason I create this watch is to simplify my task. I don't want to spend my time focusing on one thing and another thing, or else I'm running out of time and my comrade's dies before me. So, I wanted to sum it all up with this tiny gadget. So every time I needed something, this gadget will do everything that I wanted to,"

"And just because I've successfully made this hi-tech gadget, doesn't mean it can function normally in the next year. I have to maintain the circuits, the data's, the internal chips, and so on in daily to make sure my gadget keeps functioning like a new," He continued.

I nodded again and raised my eyebrows in understanding. After that, I said.

"Make sense. Although they're setting up Authonoids up like a smart robot, that doesn't mean they will do all the things perfectly. They still need to learn, improvise, and adapting an upcoming unexpected challenge. Just like how normal human being work," I said to him.

"Yep, you already know that.,"

I felt slightly uncomfortable whether his watch still deciphering the black box and the soul system data, so I asked him about that.

"Is the black box and the soul system still-"

Suddenly, he cut my question, pointed at me with his right finger and said to me in a slightly threatening tone.

"I will send you to Jesus if you keep asking me this question.,"

"Fine," I said in frustration because he refuses to answer my question.

When both of us halfway journey from this dark passageway, I got a call from someone through my comms channel in a sudden.

*Beep beep beep*

"What the hell? I got a call from operator Vladimir? Why the hell is he calling us in this situation?" I asked to myself.

"I don't know, you answer it," Joshua said to me.

Wasting no seconds, I answered the call and asked.

*Beep*

"This is Tsuyuki, the leader of Black Vulture. What's wrong?" Suddenly, Vladimir reprimanded me.

"Tsuyuki! What the hell are you doing in there?! Don't you realize you're entering the restricted area?! Get back here right now! Or else you're dead meat!"

"Vladimir? Why are you calling us in a sudden? Aren't you still attending the important meeting?" I asked him.

And then he answered harshly.

"The meeting is over 90 minutes ago. I tried to call you around 12 times but it keep failed because of the connection problem. Luckily, the underground signal receiver gave me a miracle to call you. Now, I want you to get out of this place right now, or else your commander will identify you as a deserter!"

"Would you give me a little information about this place before I'll get back to the topside?" I asked him again.

Suddenly, he reprimands me even harder.

"Restricted area will always be a restricted area! I guarantee that you'll lose connection when you've entered the underground surface under 110m below sea level. And you won't be able to call for help after that!"

I sighed in frustration after hearing his reprimand 24/7 times. Just because I always break the protocol of the mission doesn't mean I'll never come back alive, or even I have no single allegiance toward this private military organization!

Didn't he realize I've always dragged my life into the edge of the cliff in my 5 years' service as Minerva Authonoids to protect the weak? And didn't they realize the genuine hero willingly labelled themselves as a bad person to fight for truth, justice, and peace?

And, what's the point Minerva told me to protect someone if the protected one ended up dies in front of me, even though I'm spilling lots of blood than them? And what's the point for me protecting this place if the people inside this place ended up ditching me and label me as a bad person?

"I will get back to the topside after I found out what's beneath this underground!"

"Huff… Tsuyuki, trust me! You won't make it out alive, even if you're insist!"

It infuriated me to death hearing his reprimand. I exposed his past to counter his reprimand.

"Well, why don't you throw your ass over here by yourself? Don't you ever risking your life even though you're ordered to restrain it by your previous commander?" I asked him sardonically.

Vladimir is getting infuriated because he thinks that I'm a boastful person. And then he answered in frustration.

"Ugh, fine! I will keep monitoring you through the underground signal until I lost both of your connection. And I want both of you to get out of this place quickly when something bad is coming!"

"Ok, Tsuyuki out.,"

Suddenly, Vladimir begging me when I'm about to hang up the call.

"Please, for the love of god, be careful out there!"

"I will, Tsuyuki out," I replied to him. After that, I hung up the call.

Both of us continuing our journey through this dark and narrow passageway to find what's beneath this place.

"Do you know why I keep following your back even though you're ended up did the stupid things that'll endanger our lives further?" Joshua asked me sinisterly.

"Isn't that a bit contradicting when you keep complaining about how stupid and incompetent your comrades are, while you don't want to see your stupid comrades die?" I replied to him sardonically.

It slightly infuriated Joshua with my comeback, and conceding by answering.

"Whatever…"

***

1532 hours, 25 June 0145…

2 minutes have passed and we're still in the middle of this dark, long, and narrow passageway. We've thought this journey will go around an hour until we've seen a light from the exit way.

"That must be the exit!" I said while pointing at the exit way.

"I hope so," Joshua replied.

Wasting no seconds, we're getting out of this passageway through the exit way in front of our eyes.

***

We've finally getting out of this passageway and we're hoping to see something interesting in here. Unfortunately, what we're seeing in here is more grueling that we're thinking. We're entering the abandoned laboratory, and we're seeing several broken androids part scattered through this rusty iron floor.

Not just that, I've seen several large incubators standing in a row from left and right, and slightly laying down. And the smell in this place is like a burnt rotten flesh combined with a toxic waste. Despite that, there are barely any Scorching Virus infection in this place, although the infection rate in this place is just around 0.8%.

"Holy shit, is this the reason the sugar company moved their production to somewhere else?" I said in a worried tone.

"Might be. It doesn't matter from what you believe, anything will happen," Said Joshua.

When both of us looked at the properties inside this abandoned underground laboratory. Joshua's hologram watch made a beeping sound triple times.

*Beep beep beep*

"Oh, it's finished," Said Joshua while crouching and opened the hologram watch.

"The black box and the soul system?" I asked him.

"Yes," He replied while nodded.

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"Ok, let's check it out," I said to him.

"Let me combine the data between these two first.,"

I wanted to exploring this abandoned laboratory whilst waiting Joshua finished combining the data between Taken-Ki's soul system and the black box. Suddenly, he added.

"It won't take too long. Just hold on for a second.,"

I saw his hologram watch is combining the data between these two. And then, it finished around 8 seconds.

"Finally, it's done," He said to himself.

"Let's see what's inside of this recording."

After that, he's pressing the play button on his hologram watch screen to see the recording from Taken-Ki's black box and soul system.

***

The video's shown in the place where we're standing in this abandoned underground laboratory. The video showing Taken-Ki's point of view where he's walking to meet an unknown person.

According to this video, the underground laboratory in this sugar factory is used to producing an illegal weaponized androids by recycling dead android parts, and make a brand new androids out of these. Even the laboratory combined their androids with a hefty amount of Scorching Virus and some elements (fire, ice, etc.) to it.

Even this laboratory ever conducted a grueling experiment to the POW Authonoids by mutilating their body and combined it with the random dead android parts, without changing their original consciousness.

Looking at these poor Authonoids turned into a monstrous being drained my hope in humanity even more. Because these twats doing these to fulfill their agenda's. And I wanted to behead the culprit behind these grueling experiments is, not because I wanted to be labelled as a "Hero". It's because I wanted to make them eat their shit.

Suddenly, the video shown a suited man approached Taken-Ki in front of him. Then, the suited man said to him in a deep and slightly old voice.

"You did a good job, Taken-Ki. You have brought 10 Authonoid corpses quicker than I've expected to be.,"

"I… always… obey… master… wish," Taken-Ki replied while lending the suited man a large bag full of dead Authonoids.

And he smeared the bag with a bloods and oils.

"No need to overburden about it. It's time for you to take a rest. And let your clone did this job," said the suited man with a slightly sinister smile.

"Why… resting?" Taken-Ki asked, confused.

Then, the suited man replied straightforwardly.

"Because Androids do not differ from humans. Resting is useful in stabilizing your consciousness system. Your consciousness system keeps draining if you rarely take any rest.,"

"What's… so important… about that?" Taken-Ki asked again, confused.

Suddenly, the suited man smiled, touched Taken-Ki's left arm, and then he replied.

"Just take it easy and try not to overburden on something.,"

"Master…"

Suddenly, the suited man leaving Taken-Ki alone in this lab and said.

"My apology that I have to go now.,"

"What about?" Taken-Ki asked when he's pointed at the dead Authonoids from the large bag.

"Oh, it's alright. I've got everything covered for you," the suited man replied when he's looking back at him.

"Unfortunately, I have to go for a long time. And I hope you'll understand," He continued.

After that, he's leaving Taken-Ki alone in this laboratory.

And that's the end of the recording video. Unfortunately, that leaves me with a question on my head. Because the video doesn't provide us with a valid information about the origin of this sugar factory and this underground laboratory.

But this video is just showing us a typical shitty heartwarming relationship between Taken-Ki and the suited man as the master.

"That's it? Is this the only answer about this abandoned laboratory?!" I asked in disappointment.

"Then what's the purpose of that suited man creating this sugar factory in the first place?" I continued in frustration.

"He'd better made this place as an experimental laboratory in the first place, instead of creating this stupid sugar factory!" I continued.

"I tried to checking out several files. Unfortunately, they blocked most of the data and they secured it with a next-level firewall. Where my software can't bypass through it," Said Joshua when he's checking out Taken-Ki files from his hologram watch.

"Agh, great! Now they can recognize our next move easily!" I said while throwing my hands in disappointment.

Suddenly, Joshua came up with an idea and he said to me.

"Instead of we tried so hard to unblock the blocked information, how about if we're analyzing the face of that suited man by matching some pictures on the internet,"

"Can you do that? Isn't the face recognize sometimes can mislead when analyzing the face of the true perpetrator? And don't you realize there is barely any signal in this place?" I asked, in concern.

"Like I said before, I'm using my custom-built software. And there are plenty of underground modem signal can transmit signals under sea level," He replied straightforwardly while working on his watch to analyze the suited man's face.

"Ok, your call.,"

I silenced for a second, watching him working on his watch. And then I asked him.

"By the way, Joshua.,"

"Hmm?"

"What if that suited man is from one of ours?" I asked, in concern.

"Of course, we'll obliterate it," He replied straightforwardly.

"Yeah, you got that right!"

After a few seconds, his hologram watch finished analyzing the face of the suited man by finding tons of picture through various sources. And the watch makes a beeping sound as the sign it's finished analyzed it.

*Beep beep beep*

"It's done," Joshua said while checking out the watch.

"How was it?" I asked him.

"Hold on, let me clear out the blur from this picture first," He replied.

"By the way, I've also collected tons of picture around the internet that's somehow matching with the face of this unknown suited man," He continued.

"Here it is.,"

And then, his hologram showing several person pictures that matching the suited man's face. There's Neil Harvey (Axxon Oil Corps CEO), Mick Hughes (Klavis CEO), Fyodor Zalensky (Kharpovsk Engineer), and Alvin Magpie (Agno CEO).

However, looking at these "Elite" Faces left me some concern feeling, because there are several elites that are didn't mention from these pictures. So I said to Joshua.

"Even without trying to matching the face of that suited man from the known elites, I can predict it could be William Harris (FSU current President), Dmitri Montagne (Gorusia Supreme Leader), Bruce Hasburg (Dominator council), or even Neil Andretti (Ex-Cleanser Squadron priest),"

"How can you tell that?" Joshua asked.

"I don't know, assumption will always be an assumption. And I'm just make that one up," I replied while raising my shoulders.

"And I also assumed that the suited man created this sugar factory for piling several money to developing this grueling experiment for his agenda," I continued.

We're silenced for a second when paid attention to the suited man's face from Joshua's hologram watch to find out who's that man's identity is. Suddenly, a similar deep robotic voice said something from our behind out loud.

"Kill… AUTHONOIDS!!!"

"WHAT THE?!" I flinched as I looking back.

And suddenly, a large robot swung his gigantic sword at us and was about to slash us from above.

*BSRYAK*

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