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A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 77 - Deep into the Abyss (part 5)
On the outskirts of the Sahara desert, a line of jeeps is roaming. Inside the leading jeep, there are four seats. Mirai and I sit in the back, while the driver and the one next to him, unexpectedly, are the people we know. - Cannot believe that we happen to meet you two again. - Mirai talks to the driver. - So do we. You should know how chaotic the branch is after you leave. But we managed to sort things out after the hospitalised employees recovered miraculously. - He lets out a boisterous laugh and slaps the steering wheel. Seems like I am completely forgotten. I do not want to be the centre of attention, so it is good anyway. That does not stop me from feeling uneasy, though. I spent almost double the time there compared to her. Speaking of which, after Mirai and the other director of the department proposed the idea to the board of executives, they showed scepticism, and as a result, a field trip is conducted. With Mirai tampering with the government's
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 78 - Deep into the Abyss (part 6)
Plunging across the sea of sand like speedboats, making waves of sand bursting behind their backs, after exactly one minute, the jeeps (or some kind of vehicle not even a jeep anymore) stop at the research site. The temperature starts dropping, forerunning the incoming night in the desert. Another reason mining activities are limited in deserts is the wild fluctuation in daily temperature. Screw all the scorching heat workers endure during the daytime, the sub-zero nighttime temperature is sufficient to deter anyone from setting up facilities here. On top of that, without vehicles as fast as pods, deserts are the most remote areas one would ever imagine working at. Except for the Internet connection, there is nothing to entertain themselves during off-work hours. While I am regaining my sense of direction, the research team has completed dismantling equipment from the jeep storage. The destination is a small oasis a few tens of kilometres away from the Intruders' base. The oas
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 79 - Deep into the Abyss (part 7)
- So nostalgic. We have been laying low; this is the first time we can roam using the plane again! - Mirai exclaims as she holds on to the steering wheel.- Say, why is it safe to travel by plane here? It is even more apparent to the Intruders, that there is a plane in a no man's land, during nighttime...- Then you have not seen the camouflage of this plane. Mirai opens a screen. The camera corresponding to the screen shows the air moving backwards at a high speed.- I know that it makes me sound like the emperor in the story 'The Emperor's New Clothes', but is the camera showing the plane?- Yes. I upgrade the light refraction system and this is the test phase. But so far, we are still safe.- Sometimes you reprimand me for screwing up, but I cannot understand what your purpose is, trying to bet our life on a prototype.- Spit out another sentence and you will walk in this freezing desert. The plane flies for less th
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 80 - Deep into the Abyss (part 8)
We return to the shelter the following day after placing bugs at five blue crosses. We bring the sleepy people back to their rooms and clean up the banquet. There are around three hours left before the anaesthesia wears off. On the next morning, the army of jeeps goes to an area nearby, where we have earlier confirmed that the ore density is high enough to conduct mining activities. While Mirai goes to help the research team assemble their equipment, I, along with the other men from the escorting team, sit on the back of one of the jeeps, observing the surrounding. I withdraw a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, take one out, ignite the end and smoke. Since Mirai advocates for health and imposes her ideology on me, it has been a long time since I get to smoke, and the feeling of pleasure and familiarity spread through my entire body. I give one to the man next to me. - Here, have one. - Sure. But, I thought you are the team leader. Why are you sitting here?
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 81 - Deep into the Abyss (part 9)
- Wow... This is the first time I have used this drilling device. The mechanical division claimed it only takes half a day to drill with minimal supervision, but this is impressive... The research team looks at the ideally dug hole. All measurements are exact to millimetres, and the lateral hardening is so rigid that it can withstand at least months before brick walls are installed. A minute marvelling at the nice hole is sufficient, and the team starts assembling a pulley structure, which is just a solid metal frame to support the weight of a fully-equipped researcher. One member will be tied to a rope and slowly descend the hole. This time, I watch with the other research members as one of them climbs down the hole. That person wears a headlight, and as he goes deeper and deeper into the hole, the small dot of light becomes paler and paler. The tracker shows that he is at the five-hundred-metre mark, meaning halfway down. Minerals only start to appear deep undergr
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 82 - Deep into the Abyss (part 10)
It was a silent night near the end of the year 2059. The streets were already decorated with huge Christmas trees and illuminated with neon lights. That was probably the only time of the year that the city looked visually colourful at night. The Australians, as always, gathered at homes before the veil of darkness encapsulated the sky, but the absence of any human sounds did not make the night any less vibrant. If one had an acute sense of hearing, one could hear the faint humming of traditional Christmas songs in the background. In a not-so-peaceful backstreet near the University of New South Wales, the hurried footsteps of a man disrupted the tranquillity. It was followed by a series of silenced gunshots from at least three armed persecutors. The man was also carrying a handgun, but he well knew that the moment he stopped running, his body will become a slice of cheese, full of holes. And why did it become as such? Everything happen at lightspeed, and he had to suppress h
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 83 - Deep into the Abyss (part 11)
The confrontation is not one based on impulse. It feels like something planned for some time, waiting for the climax. I try to keep a straight face and posture but inside, I am slightly trembling. I decide to abide by the role Mirai has created for me. - Just an expatriate who was sent to the Egypt branch from the same corporation in Tokyo due to some circumstances. - And then? - What do you mean by 'and then'? That is all. And yes, I relocated to South Africa for around five years before getting sent here again for the project that everyone here is working on. - Now we are heading somewhere. The head architect looks as if there is a weapon in her sleeve that she would not hesitate to withdraw to use against me. - Would you mind explaining the relocation? - I just do not feel like Egypt is my place. And as far as I see, it has been quite turbulent here since then... - ... and I hope you will realise that ev
A Backpack, a Gun and a Codex Chapter 84 - Deep into the Abyss (part 12)
The foundation of the construction mine has already been built, thus the structural disruptions due to the leaks of gravitational waves are relatively minor. After relishing in joy, Mirai and I help the construction team to pick up tools on the ground. And now, in the control room, locked and without any speck of light, the three of us sit around a table. We try to keep the atmosphere as chill as possible, but if Maric plans to make a move, Mirai would not hesitate to pin her down again. While I sit with my arms supporting my head, Mirai takes out a syringe and plays with it in her hand. It seems that Maric immediately recognises what liquid is in the syringe just from its purple colour. Mirai does not take long to realise the panic coming from the subject and confirms her deduction. - That! How do you have that? This is even out of bounds to some high-ranked personnel! - Ah, so you know what this is. Then let's go to the main part, shall we? Knowing tha
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