Chapter 65: The Abyss, the Abyss, and the Abyss (１)

****

The task force team leader nodded.

“First, we’ll approach it by rubber boat. The interior of the target appears to be either fully or partially flooded.”

“Understood.”

“Since there’s a chance we’ll need to dive, we should bring diving equipment. I’m not sure if we have gear fitted for you, Director, but the diving equipment itself should be on the ship. The target’s draft is only a few meters, so you should be able to manage it fine.”

Deep-sea diving is impossible without special training and equipment. Even with training and equipment, most people can’t do it due to physical limitations.

This time, though, the goal was to stay within shallow water. Whether it goes according to plan remains to be seen.

“Director. Have you ever done scuba?”

“Scuba? No.”

The team leader mulled it over.

“Uh… you’ve swum before, right?”

“Yes.”

“Open-water swimming is a bit harder. We’ll be carrying oxygen tanks and mounting underwater thrusters on our backs, and they’re a bit complicated to operate. I’ll escort you personally from your side.”

“Understood.”

“We do have radios, but our comms range underwater is within three meters of each other. Do not leave my line of sight, no matter what.”

I nodded.

“Is there any way to determine the internal structure of that structure?”

“Of course there is. That’s why we’re going inside it, isn’t it?”

Simple enough. So the answer is no, huh?

“Then gear up and come back.”

****

The diving suit was more uncomfortable than I expected.

A black rubber diving suit. A breathing apparatus covering my mouth and nose with a tube connected, and diving goggles with a transparent heads-up display to help assess the surroundings.

I wanted to bring my FR-105 as planned, but since rifles can’t engage in combat underwater, I ended up carrying a rifle that fires needle rounds instead.

An underwater thruster was mounted on my back, and my bag held only things that wouldn’t be ruined by getting wet.

That said, this time the breathing apparatus didn’t require biting down on a mouthpiece — it covered my nose and mouth entirely. So I could actually speak without much difficulty this time. Through the radio mounted in the helmet.

“The objective of this mission is to explore the interior of the structure and shut down its functions. Have you done a similar mission before? Can you do it?”

The team leader nodded.

“Then… let’s move to the target.”

The Feynman launched smoke canisters toward its side, and the rubber boat sped toward the silver structure floating on the water. A structure 200 meters in size. The target is the hole at its center.

The smoke was a bit excessive.

Enough to blanket the entire area.

Currently, about half the structure is submerged below the waterline. We’ll dive and enter the structure from there. The mission objective is to explore the interior and shut down its functions.

[We’ll leave the rubber boat about 20 meters from the structure and dive.]

“Understood.”

Something’s off.

That unidentified flying object — is it not military? Even the Foundation’s or the ROK Navy’s ships would have multiple machine guns on their sides on alert. Is that the wrong framework to understand this with?

It almost feels too easy, letting the rubber boat approach. Or maybe the hole blown in its side knocked out that function too?

I can’t tell yet.

“We dive as soon as we stop.”

We finally arrived right at the structure’s nose. The Catfish team leader raised his hand, and the task force soldiers jumped into the sea one by one.

I dove into the water too.

The seawater was cold. I took a moment to get my bearings. The sun is visible, and the side where the rubber boat is visible is up. The opposite side is down.

Below, an endless darkness stretched out. Like looking down at the floor from a great height. A fear of heights I didn’t even have crept over me.

I took a deep breath.

[Director. Activate your equipment.]

“Understood.”

[No, not that. Ah, not that, ma’am. Yes. Level out like that and turn it on.]

I switched on the reality anchor. It’s portable, so it’s a bit small, but it should hold for thirty minutes.

Sea creatures were gathering around the UFO. Fish and squid. Similar to what I’d seen on the disc at 150 meters deep. Though given the shallow depth, they weren’t deep-sea life.

The sound of jetpacks igniting. The Catfish task force members began moving slowly toward the structure. I followed behind with the team leader.

****

We finally entered the UFO’s interior.

It was, more than I expected… too…

Grotesque and yet ordinary. A white corridor, like a hospital or research institute hallway. One peculiarity: I couldn’t tell where the light was coming from. An eerie fluorescent glow that cast no shadows.

Maybe it was because the murky seawater was scattering the light. We advanced slowly through the water down the corridor.

I gripped my needle-gun tightly. I didn’t know if I’d need to fire it, but holding a gun made me feel a bit safer.

We swam for a long while, but nothing special. Just a few fish swimming around inside the UFO—or rather, had we simply not found a door?

Surely if this was a structure, it would be performing some function, and to perform a function there should be equipment or something inside. Why was there nothing?

“Popo. Appear.”

I’d never tried it underwater, but… I saw no reason it wouldn’t work. A moment later, Popos began appearing in the water, one or two at a time.

Just as planned.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like they couldn’t be summoned underwater, or that they couldn’t breathe.

“Popo. Search this structure with me.”

The Popos began swimming forward.

“Good. Do your best.”

They swam as fast as seals.

My hunting dogs vanished in an instant.

“Let’s move too.”

[It seems the doors inside this structure aren’t visible at a glance. We’ll look for a way to open them first.]

This UFO was, after all, only about 200 meters in size. Even if something was hidden, the search wouldn’t take that long.

I looked around.

Nothing visible. Just a marble corridor. Or was it not marble?

[I think I found a door.]

A round door with only a faint outline visible. The task force team leader opened the round door, and I looked inside the revealed room. That was…

I squinted.

It looked like some kind of science lab, but the equipment wasn’t recognizable. Probably not something humans had used either. The tools didn’t look designed for human fingers.

This was a pair of forceps, that a micropipette? A specimen jar? I couldn’t tell. The tools felt made for a child or a woman. Compared to human tools, they were small, thin, and delicate.

Let’s record this for now.

****

There had to be a way up.

We began swimming upward. No need to turn on the jetpacks—just kicking with the fins on our diving shoes was enough.

Once we left the corridor inside the craft, objects became somewhat visible.

Not that they were recognizable objects. I couldn’t tell what they were. Just bizarre things imitating human tools. A wave of unexplained nausea rose up.

“I don’t know what this structure is, but if it’s a craft or a facility, there should be some kind of control room. Let’s find the control room and head there.”

[Understood.]

For now, we head up.

[I see air.]

[Entering the interior of the structure.]

We came ashore with our muzzles leading. As our feet touched the floor, the fins on our diving shoes made a flapping sound.

I swapped my gun for a standard rifle from the waterproof bag, then pressed close to the white wall.

“Task force members. Before we fully breach, may I say one thing?”

[Go ahead.]

“I checked the walls inside with an optical analyzer. This structure—excluding the outer hull—isn’t real matter. It’s mixed with ectoplasm or illusion, something immaterial, anyway.”

[Is that so?]

“This thing doesn’t truly exist. I think it’s hardly different from a youkai or a ghost. It’s something that only half-exists in reality. Take a look at this.”

I loaded osmium rounds into the rifle. Osmium is the densest element, and for that very reason, it is also the most real one.

BANG!

The osmium round pierced through the wall.

I clapped my hands and summoned Popo again.

“Popo. We’re moving now. Kill any hostile instance you see, and destroy all enemy equipment so it can’t function.”

I turned back to the others.

“Let’s move too.”

****

We charged into the structure with our muzzles leading, as if entering an operational zone. The Popos ran ahead of us like hunting dogs, charging into the danger area first.

[Humanoid hostile instance detected!]

I’d expected as much.

Gunfire… no, not gunfire—something flew toward our position. Probably an optical weapon. The laser’s trajectory was faintly visible in the air.

Aliens or whatever they are—they’re weak.

They don’t even know their own weapons’ weaknesses. I tossed a smoke grenade into the engagement zone. The smoke grenade laid the optical weapon’s trajectory completely bare.

“Popo. Charge!”

Popo charged into the smoke.

Alongside the task force, I emptied my magazine into the mist, following the light’s trajectory. A scream that wasn’t human rang out. I didn’t know what the enemy was, but it could be killed. We could win.

“Let’s breach too!”