"Noor... Noor... Noooor!" Julius and I were shouting with all our might, but no answer came. I tried contacting 016 through my smartwatch, but it was in vain. I had a bad feeling something was wrong. Julius, who seemed more anxious than me, began to dive to check the boat, so I told him, "Check the boat; I'll handle the situation here quickly."
I summoned 016 and said, "Prepare your body for water, now!" Immediately, 016 split into four parts, each attaching to my limbs, transforming me into something like fins. I also commanded him to activate the "accelerator," a current that mimics rapid foot movement but operates throughout the body.
I was in a hurry to catch up with the submerged tank. While diving, I realized why Noor was silent: she had passed out from running out of oxygen, causing her to inhale large amounts of carbon dioxide. I saw her there, rapidly descending into the depths, as if something was pulling her down. The tank was already at a depth of 30 meters, and I didn't have time to look for an entrance. I activated the laser on my hand, enhanced by 016, and cut through the metal structure.
As I entered the tank, I saw a hand, so I reached out to grab it. But the hand I grabbed was cold, belonging to another body. As I dove deeper, we reached a depth of 47 meters, and darkness began to engulf everything around us. At a depth of 60 meters, I started losing consciousness due to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in my body and my inability to dive any longer. Fortunately, at that moment, I felt another hand, this time warm, and I immediately realized it was Noor's hand. I grabbed her and pulled her with all my strength.
We shot towards the surface at great speed, with me using the last of my energy. The "accelerator" devices were working at full power. When we reached 50 meters, then 30 meters, then 20 meters, my consciousness slowly began to fade. At just 10 meters from the surface, I lost all my strength and could no longer move, except for my hand, which was still holding onto Noor. I couldn't understand how I was still gripping her, but maybe it was survival instinct that kept me holding on.
I started thinking: "Is this the end for me? Why? I couldn't even save my dear friend's sister. Is this how it ends?"
As I was giving up, I heard a faint voice: "Ali, Noor! Hold on, don't leave me alone!" It was Julius's voice. The first word that came out of my mouth was: "Shut up…" his trembling voice annoyed me. But he had saved us just in time. I took a deep breath and looked at my left shoulder, where Noor was leaning on it.
It was a moment of relief. I could feel her body, in her swimming gear, gently pressing against my shoulder. After she regained consciousness, we sat down to catch our breath. It felt like the adventure was over... but that feeling was temporary.
"Ahem, ahem..." came a voice from behind. "Don't mind me, I'm not here!" It was 016's voice, who had been silently watching us the whole time. Noor stretched her arms out to him and hugged his metallic body as she said, "Thank you, thank you for saving me."
The clouds were slowly parting, and the view was beautiful. But suddenly, 016's alarm went off: "Bee-bee-beep!" It was his low battery warning. I realized his ability to continue was limited, having consumed much of his energy in activating the accelerator and laser.
I said to him, "Wait a moment, I have the solution." I opened my bag and took out the last piece I needed to make 016 capable of recharging itself automatically. I began working quickly to install the piece. Noor and Julius were looking at me with amazement at how fast I was handling the small parts, as if I were dealing with a part of my own body. After a few minutes, the recharging process was complete, and 016 began charging itself using sunlight.
Moments later, Noor suddenly said, "I missed the sun..." There was no clear reason for her to say that, or so I thought. Maybe it was just her way of expressing relief after everything we had gone through. We sat under the sun for a while, and after we dried our clothes, the sun began to feel a bit bothersome.
Luckily, I had prepared a cover in advance. I set up a small tent using some sticks I had brought with me. I was proud of this simple invention, which had proven useful more than once.
We sat in the shade and began discussing our current situation. I had a lot of questions running through my head, and Julius was the first to speak: "Why did the water come to us in such overwhelming amounts?"
Noor followed: "Maybe it's related to a natural phenomenon..." But I was thinking about something else. "What could have caused nature's laws to change so drastically?" I said. "Let's assume a massive explosion in the Fourth Empire, the Ice Empire in the north, caused the ice to melt and raised water levels."
Julius was thinking out loud: "But Ali, could water levels rise so suddenly and violently? Shouldn't it happen gradually?" I replied, "You're right, which leads us to another possibility: a massive experiment by one of the great empires, like the Fire or Water Empires."
Noor was listening intently, then said, "I heard my grandmother and I on the news that the empires were developing weapons to control natural disasters, but they said they were still in the study phase."
"That's true," I told her. "But don't forget that the media doesn't show everything. The Sixth Empire, our empire, may be behind in the media, but I doubt everything is as it seems."
The discussion continued about the empires and the possibilities of secret experiments. I had a feeling that what had happened was more than just a natural phenomenon, and maybe someone was behind this disaster. But we needed clearer evidence.
"I still think this possibility is the most realistic," I said thoughtfully as my eyes wandered over the faces of my friends in the darkness. "If one person is behind this catastrophe, they might have planned everything from the shadows, without even their own empire realizing."
Julius, who was looking at me intently, asked in a skeptical tone: "What makes you think one person could pull off all this?"
I answered calmly: "I've personally accomplished a lot on my own, despite the challenges." At that moment, I recalled glimpses of the past, memories etched with hard work and bitter struggles.
I closed my eyes for a moment and was transported back to those days...
"My journey in building the hidden lab began with countless challenges. Amelia and I were working in secret, trading in the black market and selling blueprints related to the development of robots and programs. Money was the biggest obstacle, but after we gathered enough, the hardest part began: buying tools and resources and transporting them with complete secrecy, away from the intelligence agencies of the Sixth Empire. This process was complicated, but fortunately, the empire was very backward in the field of espionage and intelligence gathering."
The rival empires
I remembered the Seventh Empire, one of the greatest empires in the world of Engram, among the seven empires. It was similar to the Sixth Empire, but better in terms of black-market trade. However, it wasn't easy, and everything operated within complex probabilities and expectations.
As I thought about these details, Julius interrupted, saying: "Was building your hidden lab part of your main plan?"
I replied, returning to the present: "Yes, of course. I had a goal... I wanted to see how far humanity could progress if we didn't put limits on any individual. I wonder, how much progress could we achieve if we unleashed the full human potential?"
"Do you think that's the secret behind the advancement of ancient civilizations?" Julius asked me, with a tone of curiosity.
"Yes," I said enthusiastically. "Ancient civilizations adopted the same idea, leading to their prosperity and dominance over all other civilizations in a very short period of time. In less than 23 years, they were able to challenge the greatest empires. I believe it was the Islamic civilization, although I'm not really interested in what they believed in the end."
"Islamic?" Julius asked in surprise.
"Yes," I answered with less enthusiasm. "But they failed in the end, probably because they believed in something unrealistic, like God. But I... I'm a realist. I will rule humanity with justice and lead it to glory."
Julius looked at me with an unreadable expression, then sarcastically said: "So, in short, you believe this catastrophe was planned by one unknown person?"
"Ugh..." I muttered internally, growing impatient. I didn't want my goal to become a secondary topic.
"I have many questions, but I'll start with the most important," Julius said, looking at me seriously. "First, if this person destroyed the empire, what's their goal? Second, what's the return on their project? Third, will the other empires remain silent? Fourth, is there hope for our empire to return to its former state? Fifth, what did the civilization you mentioned fail at?"
"Its name is the Islamic civilization," I interrupted him sharply, showing some irritation.
"Okay, Islamic... or whatever its name was." Julius said indifferently, which increased my frustration.
I looked at Noor, who was sitting next to her brother, yawning until she lay down in his lap. She was exhausted and fell asleep quietly.
I turned to Julius, saying, "Alright, I'll answer your questions in order. First, we have to wait until night when my assistant finishes recharging. Second, I'll ask him to search for my hidden lab. Third, it will take us three days to reach it and restart it, despite all this water flooding the place."
Julius was listening attentively and said, "Alright, so you're the leader now. My sister and I will be the support units."
I smiled and said, "Exactly. We'll need every bit of effort, especially under these tough circumstances."
Julius laughed and said, "I'll be the engine, and you'll be the one steering."
"Thanks, Julius," I said gratefully. "That's exactly what we need."
"And now, regarding the other questions. First: What are the returns of the project? That depends on the person's goal. If they believe in the idea of the supreme human, then our empire, despite its population density, is the least efficient, and that might make them see us as the perfect target. Or maybe they're after certain resources without caring about borders. Or it could be a personal reason, deep hatred toward us, or perhaps a mistake in a mad scientist's lab."
"Second: Will the other empires remain silent? Of course not. But we need to act quickly before any countermeasures start."
"Third: Can our empire return to what it once was? Unfortunately, that depends on many factors, but I believe things have changed forever."
"And finally, regarding the Islamic civilization... I think their downfall was due to their adherence to a nonexistent divine idea. As for me, I rely on logic and reality. That's why I'll succeed where they failed."
Before I could finish speaking, we heard a mechanical sound coming from the assistant 016, warning us of an imminent danger. The device rang out loudly: "An S-class threat is approaching."
Julius jumped to his feet and shouted, "Watch out...!"