"arrive."
The words of 136 on the side pulled Jiang Zhou out of his thoughts.
Is this it?
Seeing the mark extinguished on the map and another breadcrumb lighting up not far away, Jiang Zhou couldn't help but be stunned.
This is too fast...
"Speaking of which, have you noticed that we have not encountered any more malicious programs along the way?"
Looking at the next mark that lit up, Chinatsu Sakura suddenly said.
These words made Jiang Zhou immediately recall the "black dog" that followed them all the way.
Not only opening the path, but also helping them clear the obstacles on their way back?
"That's a good thing."
someone next to me said.
Qianxia Ying nodded hesitantly and then said:
"But no matter what...fuck! What's going on?"
At this moment, the signal for the next breadcrumb mark suddenly disappeared.
"Did something happen?"
136 asked quickly.
"I don't know...I'm trying to find a way to restore the previous data."
Chinatsu Sakura, who took out the data pad and started typing it hurriedly, replied hastily.
For now, the breadcrumb trail is their only hope of returning. If the mark really disappears due to some problem, then they will all face the fate of being "extubated" by the company.
"No."
At this time, Jiang Zhou on the side suddenly said:
"We just wait here."
He said this because in his perception, the "black dog" that had been hiding in his blind spot suddenly disappeared.
If his previous guess was true, then this could only mean one thing - they had reached the end.
"Why do you say that?"
Chinatsu Sakura raised her head and asked.
However, it was not Jiang Zhou who answered her, but Black Falcon-136.
"Because someone is coming back to us along the breadcrumb trail."
136 was currently looking up at the five small, inconspicuous black spots in the distant sky - the pair of Owl III tactical goggles that looked like metal bottle caps, giving him a field of vision far beyond that of a native person.
And in the shot where 136 was stretched to its limit, he saw——
They were five jet-black metal figures flying at high speed, with sonic boom circles constantly breaking around their bodies.
Their speed was so fast that after a while, the remaining people in the team could clearly see what those who came suddenly were.
There was a roaring sound, and sonic booms exploded from far to near.
When they got closer, the five jet black metal figures made a sudden stop in the air with an acceleration enough to kill an ordinary pilot ten times.
Finally, they all hovered above the crowd.
"This is the armed force of Cerberus..."
Chinatsu Sakura said this as she looked at the three-headed hell dog symbol on the shoulders of those jet black metal humanoids.
Rarely, Jiang Zhou could hear fear and uneasiness in her voice.
"So, what is their level of adjustment and transformation? Depth 5? Depth 6?
"...Can they still be called human beings?"
Looking at the mechanical figures floating in the sky like gods, 136 also murmured.
The vein-like lines on their bodies flickered like breathing, and the five mechanical figures about five meters tall, as light as feathers, landed in front of them one by one.
When they landed, the ground didn't even tremble at all.
This is a complete anti-gravity drive system...
Jiang Zhou thought.
For a moment, no one dared to speak.
"The deep-diving salvage operation with log number Pluto-α-Epipelagic-KZ-2-4403061940-3-6-10 is canceled from now on. You are now under the jurisdiction of Cerberus."
The leader took two steps forward, looked down at them and spoke condescendingly.
If plaster statues could talk, it would be a voice like his.
"So, it's time to go back and suffer, guerrillas."
The man finally said mockingly.
As he finished speaking, the blood vessel-like patterns on his dark body began to squirm, transforming into a look that made one's skin crawl.
For a moment, everyone including Jiang Zhou was gripped by a sudden feeling of fear and nausea. Except for Black Falcon-136, everyone else collapsed to the ground with weak legs.
And 136 just relied on adrenaline to barely support himself from falling down.
As a native, Jiang Zhou immediately started vomiting.
Is this the other party's ability?
While vomiting, Jiang Zhou analyzed.
Graphic stimulation? Infrasound? microwave? Pheromones? Or is it some other medium used to directly stimulate human beings' instinct of fear and disgust?
"Hey, boss, I don't want to take that caveman away who vomited."
At this time, a metal figure behind the man said with disgust.
Immediately, he saw the flying disk floating next to Jiang Zhou and said a little surprised:
"Wait a minute, am I reading that right? These guys actually got a weak inertial aircraft? Here? Depth 4?"
"This is not something you should worry about, Wutou-23."
The metal figure at the head said so.
As he spoke, he directly picked up 136, which was struggling to hold on without falling down - it was as simple as picking up a doll.
Then, he continued:
"We have only one mission here, which is to take them back to the base reality."
"Understood, boss."
The man known as Wutou-23 said as he also picked up Jiang Zhou's limp body.
At the same time, the huge crimson mechanical one eye on his face emitted a traction light and stored the weak inertial flying disk.
Jiang Zhou wanted to give him the middle finger, but he didn't have the strength.
Probably aware of Jiang Zhou's intention, Wutou-23 sneered and said:
"Want to be a tough guy? It's okay. There will be plenty of opportunities when you go back."
After speaking, he and several of his companions took off into the air and returned along the original path at a much slower speed than when they came.
Although the superiors attach great importance to it, this is indeed a mission without any danger - go to the depth 2 location to retrieve several consumables used by the company for "mining".
Compared with the tasks performed on weekdays, this is almost like an outing.
However, on the way back, Wutou-23 suddenly felt like a light on his back for some reason.
It seemed like something was staring at me.
The radar showed no targets around. Even if there were, there shouldn't be anyone who could threaten him in the abyss dark web of Depth 2.
Their captain would often say that the native human visual system is full of deceit and compromise, and seeing is never the same as reality. Therefore, you should trust the built-in broad-spectrum radar system more than the pitifully narrow visible light signal.
Belief in vision is a symbol of the weakness and failure of primitive humans in evolution.
But in the end, Wutou-23 couldn't help but look back.
Then, he saw...
It was on a high tower under the dim moonlight. A huge hound as black as carbon watched them leave with blood-red eyes in the mist.
Until all of them left, until the base construction program in the Depth 2 area failed, the entire city collapsed and became the most abstract data.
The black dog in the mist was still watching them.
