The ten monsters that remained were, surely, the prime of their species. The best of the best that had survived the unfortunate circumstances and came out on top. But even these prime specimens could not hold long under the might of a weapon designed to kill them.
His hands did not shake as he dispatched of the first few specimens right in front of him and then the rest followed.
They never got the chance to reach Alan at all.
"Mark, should I come closer to you? Are there any more spiders near you that are alive?" The teen made a visible effort to close in the gap but the number of bodies littered in the path did not make it easier at all.
"Wait there and don't open your protection suit right now. I'll retrieve what we need and come toward you. Just try to get to the other side for now." Mark's voice was not clear through the suit's helmet.
But the teen understood his words anyway because he nodded and started moving. Mark watched him do this for a few seconds before he started his own work.
The bodies of monsters were not heavy at all but that should be a given since their insides were hollow. However, moving these monsters was easier than expected and Mark was sure that he had gotten stronger since this mission started.
He did not feel a physical change in his body structure so he was sure that it had to have been connected to his system.
He picked out his phone from the inventory which he had forgotten he even had and used the torch. His inventory did have one but Mark felt that he could need that in future and electricity had not run out yet.
He could charge his phone once he reached the base.
The light was not that much, but with how dark the surroundings down the pit were, the light might as well be a godsend.
The small hole he had created by removing the bodies of the monsters was enough for him to climb down the hole himself. He landed on a metallic surface which made him certain that this was some kind of container.
Just what kind of thing would be down here which could be retrieved? Mark could not think of anything good at all.
Flashing the torch of the phone around, all he could see was a giant dead body not even three steps away from him.
His body's reflexes kicked in and he shot the body only to realise that it was already dead. And that was a big underestimation on his part since the pit was filled with even more bodies once you got past the past one. And they were chewed in, unlike the intact ones before.
These had not died from the gas at all.
The upper part covered with bodies and the pit filled with more bodies - which made a worse sight for the eyes? Mark could not choose but it was clear that whatever he had to retrieve was below those monster bodies.
He moved the one in front of him and then another - it was the same grind all over again.
But once he finished, he could not find what he had been looking for. There was nothing there but just another body, slightly bigger than the rest and darker in colour. Its legs twitched from time to time and it was clear that this one was still alive.
Was this the specimen he had been asked to collect? Surely not because if all they wanted was a monster, they could very easily have gotten one from outside. Besides, this was a mission so it surely must have an objective too.
He looked at the system screen to check for missing data but there was a new message inside now.
____________________
Mission progress: 85%
New parameter: Retrieve the sample from the spider's clutch - the abnormality - and deliver it back to the base
____________________
Mark was sure that this line had not been present in the mission file before. A new addition maybe?
He looked around but he could not find the clutch at all. Where were the eggs and did they even exist. But they must if they were in the mission report.
The leg near him moved again and Mark shifted his attention to the monster and gave it a thorough look. Its belly looked no different and gave no indication of anything strange.
But the monster was on its back, her legs in the air and somehow the pose made it look like it was protecting his stomach from a heavy impact should it fall onto the ground.
Like it was protecting a clutch in its belly.
And with a sick feeling, Mark realised where the clutch was. The sample and the case both existed inside the spider's belly and there was only one way to do so.
For the first time since he had turned the setting onto high, he felt the feelings assault his senses. They crushed against his mind but they were dull and muted. It felt like you were seeing and feeling them through a film of water in-between.
But they were there and they would take over if he gave them a chance.
But he could not go higher to mute them out, the warning clear in his mind. So, he made swift work of the monster. His sword tearing the belly apart and he could see hundreds, perhaps even thousands of the eggs.
He swiped everything into his inventory, filling up the loot space and hurriedly exited the hole. He did not want to stay there any longer than he had to.
He made his way toward the pair who were waiting for his return and gave them a once over. Their body was covered with the protective suit which told Mark nothing but the very fact that they were wearing that was an indication that everything was alright.
"Were you alright here? You're not hurt, are you?" the teen asked as the kitten tried to rub her body onto his. Of course, there were two layers of the suit between and that made the whole experience somewhat dull.
"Once the gas settled they stopped paying attention to me. I'm alright, now let's leave" Mark spared the bare minimum of the detail and he was sure that the teen could tell that too. However, both were content to be on their own for the time being.
"Right, I found some worker's notes inside so I took them. Are you interested in reading those?" the teen teased as he took out a small pile of notes. Mark was not interested in it but it could prove to be handy.
"Give those to me and I'll copy it down on my system" The teen handed the notes over to him and Mark scanned the content. It was almost done before his screen flashed with a new message.
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Warning: New data found - dissolving and decoding.
User data found - user - unidentified - classified information - ERROR
Keys found to the message - 1/3
New mode unlocked - click to view the clue (caution - user is advised to be alone while viewing this mode)
____________________
A new tab added itself in his system screen titled 'clue' and he had no idea what it was about. But it seemed important, much more than the whole mission and Mark could have missed it had it not been for the teen.
Just how much had he missed already?
He really wanted to know what this was about but the warning at the end stopped him from doing so. Both Alan and Kuro were there with him right now and he did not want them to be involved in this before he knew what it was himself.
Getting out of the factory was easier than getting inside since the monsters were hilariously easy to avoid. In the end, the fragile corridors didn't even make an appearance and were completely avoided.
Their vehicle was still parked outside of the parameter boundary and they quickly exited the area. Since they had the goods, the barrier let them pass through easily and they were out of the way.
The way back looked even more deserted from before but now there was a feeling of gloom and decay around the place. In 48 hours, the aura of the world had shifted once again and Mark was sure that it was because people were now trying to find their way to safety.
Small talks made their way in the driving routine but a part of Mark's mind just could not care and he remembered why halfway through the journey.
The setting was still 'high' and it was affecting his ability to feel. As soon as he turned it to 'medium' feelings assaulted him. They were still muted but a lot stronger than before and they crashed over his head.
Thankfully, Mark had enough time to calm down which helped his emotions a lot.
The base soon came into view and the pounding inside Mark's heart picked up. He was back here and he had made it out safely. All three of them had made it out safely this time and now they could rest.
He parked the car in the garage and went inside the base. People ignored him as always but they seemed to acknowledge Alan who followed him with a confused face.
"Weird. Do they not see you right beside me?" the teen asked, his voice suspicious.
"It's because you're young, a kid still so they try to get your attention. Don't think too much" the lie came easy to him, far too easy and he realised that he was actually getting better at the lying thing.
And then he pushed the door to Liam's room open and stepped inside.