บท 286: Nowhere to Retreat

Suspended in the currents within the giant whale's body, dozens of palm-sized magical runes floated, numbering at least eighty. The interior was inscribed with complex symbols and patterns that Rita couldn't understand.

Her internal alarms blared, but abandoning this was unthinkable. People couldn't just stand still and wait for opportunities to come to them, could they?

She threw the unconscious body of a nearby alien species into the water. The creature drifted slowly toward the skeletal remains. This process took several minutes. Upon touching the skeleton, the creature was "absorbed," leaving behind only its empty equipment floating in the currents.

Rita repeated the experiment with different subjects. Some bore bleeding wounds, while others didn't. Eventually, she confirmed the water currents would not actively attack unless provoked.