Bab 980: The new version
Thorgrim and the rest of his team rushed along the hallway. Just like Echo had told them, the path they were taking was a bit strange. Instead of going in a straight line, they had to sneak around a bit, even to the point where the passage dipped down like a tunnel going beneath a road. They could see some windows, but even those were blocked by more metal walls. It seemed like the presence of the guards near the experiments or the people who worked in the lab was truly an issue.
But that didn't last long. After turning a corner, they left the long, seemingly endless hallways. Instead, they found themselves in a large cafeteria-like structure, or maybe a rest area for all the guards. There were large communal tables and a few snack machines on the side, along with some couches and even a television.
There was no one around. After a quick scan, they found a small sign pointing in different directions. One side was marked as Locker Room, and the other was labeled Control Room.
"We should hit the locker room first," Raxus, the leader of the Wandering Scale, said.
"What if they have cameras there? We might end up revealing our position," Thorgrim replied.
"It's a locker room. The humans might be fucking monsters, but they're also the ones who keep complaining about privacy the most. I doubt people would be okay working in a place where they were recorded naked. Besides, if there's some sort of specific key to enter the command room, we might find one in the locker room," Raxus paused. "But it's your call. You are the leader of this team."
There was another pause. No one could really see each other. Echo was one of the few explorers in the group, and he was the only one with the map showing everyone's position. That meant they were essentially talking to the air, only knowing where each other was after hearing their voices.
"I agree. Let's go to the locker room first," Thorgrim finally said.
They started moving quickly, passing through this new corridor, which was much less oppressive than the one they had taken to get there. The symbol for the New Dawn could still be seen everywhere, but the walls were no longer massive steel barriers, almost six meters tall. Instead, they were closer to a more common size of just over two meters.
The actual locker room was at the end of the hallway, and it was the only thing on this path. The group walked slowly toward it, with Echo using a spell to ensure there was no one waiting inside. As soon as they got the confirmation, they entered the locker room and closed the door behind them. Brok used one of his devices to double-check for any electronic signals in the area. Thankfully, there were none, meaning that this place didn't have any cameras or microphones, or at least none that were turned on.
That happened just in time, as their cloaks finally lost the last of their magic and burned away in a wisp of smoke.
Thorgrim turned to the seven people behind him. "Spread out and look for anything that could help us in the lockers. If you find something that looks suspicious, leave it alone."
They all nodded and started their search. The locker room was bigger than expected, and the reason was simple: the people from the lab also used this place. Some sections of the lockers were split between security and scientists, but the ones for security were considerably bigger, since they also stored armor.
Raxus was breaking open one of the locker doors with his bare hands, while Thorgrim did the same nearby. As the dwarf worked, he spoke. "I know this isn't the best moment, but can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," the beastman replied, tossing the contents of one locker aside and moving to the next when he didn't find anything useful.
"You're the leader of the Wandering Scale, correct?"
"In a way, yes. Why?"
"Was it a good idea to leave your team without a leader, then?"
Raxus paused. "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, you let most of your team go with Blade. Wouldn't they need a leader?" Thorgrim asked, finishing his search of a locker.
"Each member of my team is a capable warrior in their own right. They don't need someone to hold their hand during a mission. Every single one of us is capable of fighting against insurmountable odds and overcoming them. I have my utmost trust in every single member of my team. And we're also more than capable of working with our brethren. I see absolutely no reason why they wouldn't be able to perform their duties during this mission, even without my presence. How is that any different from what you did? Leaving parts of your team back in the elevator. We all have a part to play in this operation, and we must trust that each of us is able to perform our duties. Otherwise, this will all fail," Raxus replied.
"Right… Don't know why I thought it was weird. When you say it like that, it makes complete sense," Thorgrim nodded.
Raxus stepped closer and whispered, "Besides, I don't know if you noticed, but most of my team is actually here. The only ones that went with Blade were the twins and Grim."
"Fuck. You're right."
Before they could say anything else, everyone heard voices coming from the corridor.
"I Can't fucking believe that dipshit. I told him we couldn't afford to have another emergency maintenance today, not when we're understaffed," a man was yelling loudly as he approached.
"Maybe this time it really was an emergency. Something to do with their servers. Maybe there's a weakness he just figured out, and he's trying to patch it before anything happens," a female voice replied.
The man scoffed. "Yeah, right. As if that asshole would do any actual work. Ever since we got here, all he does is mess with the computers, trying to upgrade things that are working perfectly fine. He didn't even need to be here. His daddy has a seat on the board, you know. That's the only reason he ended up working here. No one in their right mind would hire that fucking moron."
Inside, everybody scrambled to hide behind the lockers and close the ones that were open. They knew they only had one chance to stop those two people from calling for reinforcements.
"You really need to stop saying that. People are going to start reliving in you," the woman replied.
"And they should. That's the only way someone as useless as that sack of shit can get a job here."
"Just because you don't understand technology doesn't mean anyone who works with it is lying."
"Oh, don't tell me you're defending that prick," the man grumbled as he opened the door.
"Yes, I am. You not understanding what he's doing is not the same as him not doing anything. And I'm honestly tired of you complaining all the time. I don't get paid enough to have to deal with that," the woman said as she walked after him, stopping just after closing the door.
"Honestly, young people these days have no respect. Neither you nor that jackass. We could have stayed at our post instead of coming here just to grab the password that he changed yesterday so we can override that stupid maintenance."
"Quiet," the woman said, looking down at the floor.
"Seriously? Is that how little you respect me?" the man growled, his red skin flaring up.
"Shut up for a second. There's something wrong." She slowly walked toward the back of the room, noticing a smell that wasn't quite right.
At the same time, Thorgrim was moving around the lockers to position himself between the humans and the door. He finally caught a glimpse of the woman. She had black hair in a short wolf cut, and her skin was a strange shade of pink, which made him think of bubblegum.
She was probably part of the new version of the Soldiers of Strength, while the man was an older iteration of that "product." Thorgrim waited until the woman was far enough from the door before rushing out of his hiding spot and slamming his tower shield into her back. That was the signal for everyone else to burst into action.
Raxus brandished his longsword, going for a stab at the man's chest, while Kros, the beastman from the Stormcrest Company, jumped between the two humans. He used his skill to block their mana for a few moments before they could even start casting. From behind him, Brok threw a pair of small circular devices that unraveled into electrified nets.
The woman didn't react in time, and between the interrupting skill, Thorgrim's tackle, and the net, she became trapped. The edges of the metal wire covering her body embedded themselves into the wall behind her. But the human man had more time to respond. He pushed the net away with his arm, so only the limb was covered by the electrified wire.
With his other hand, he reached out for Raxus, grabbing the sword by the blade and pulling the small beastman toward him for a headbutt. Marina acted swiftly, creating a layer of protective water between the human and her teammate. The man's head barely registered the protection and crashed into it, making the liquid shatter like ice. The impact sent Raxus flying back, slamming into one of the lockers, which bent around him.
Zephyr appeared from above. The ceiling here wasn't as tall as in the initial hallway, but it was still more than enough for the diminutive harpy to fly. His talons went straight for the human's exposed neck, followed by a row of bladed feathers with a spin. A low hum filled the room as Zephyr triggered a skill. He was a strange one that could only fight properly if he was listening to classical music, but to offset that, the harpy developed a skill to buff his allies as he hummed the tune. Yet, despite the boost, his attacks weren't enough to pierce the man's skin.
Being a Soldier of Strength allowed people to enhance various aspects of their bodies. Some chose raw power, others speed, and some focused on endurance, making an already hard-to-kill enemy nearly unstoppable. The man reached out to grab Zephyr, but the harpy pulled away in time.
Thorgrim tried to rejoin the assault, but the woman's skin flared up, casting the area in a pink hue as she broke free from her restraints. The metal wire still encased her body, but she pushed against the spikes embedded in the wall, tearing out small chunks of the surface along with them.
She slammed her fist against the dwarf's shield, sending a wave of pink energy toward him. The shield absorbed the blast, converting it into green energy, and reflected the blow back at her with double the power. The counterattack sent the woman flying into the man, who had just swung at Zephyr. She collapsed on top of him, and due to his poor footing, they both fell to the ground.
Echo finally made his move, emerging from stealth and striking both their legs, triggering a skill that paralyzed their lower bodies for a few moments. But his attack wasn't without consequence. Both Soldiers of Strength punched the triton, sending him crashing into the side of a row of lockers. The blow forced him through five of the metal cabinets.
Raxus jumped back into the fight, using his sword to pin the man's arms to the floor, while Thorgrim did the same to the woman with his shield. Kros joined in, pinning the man's arm against the woman in such a way that he would obstruct her as well.
Brok quickly approached with a pair of circular disks in his hands and slammed them onto the human's forehead.
The devices came to life, unraveling to clamp onto their faces. Mechanical tendrils grabbed their mouths, nostrils, eyelids, and ears, forcing them open. Some appendages even extended into their throats.
"Marina, now!" Thorgrim shouted.
Marina created two orbs of water and flung them at the humans, covering their faces with the spell. Brok's devices captured the water and forced it into their bodies through every exposed orifice.
The two Soldiers of Strength fought back, doing everything they could to break free. But between the three people holding them, the spell interruption still in effect, and their paralyzed legs, they couldn't escape. It took a minute for the humans to lose consciousness, but the group continued holding them for another ten minutes to make sure they were truly dead.
Only when their skin lost its strange color did the team let them go and finally check on Echo. The triton was in bad shape, covered in bruises with several pieces of metal lodged in his body. Marina quickly began healing him, which took another ten minutes before the man could move again. And he wasn't the only one. All of those who held the humans down were covered in bruises and burns. The skin of a Soldier of Strength was incredibly tough, and holding on to it was like holding a hot piece of metal.
"How are you feeling? Do you need to retreat?" Thorgrim asked.
"I'm fine, boss. Don't worry. I'll keep to the shadows and take care of the tech part," Echo said with a smile, holding the side of his stomach. But it was clear he wouldn't be much help in a fight.
Thorgrim nodded and told Marina to continue healing Echo while they finished checking the locker room. He didn't say it out loud, but he hoped the other teams were faring better than his.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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