Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 20. Laboratory 3

"Quick! Follow me then. Once you help Uncle Mouse find the treasure, we can return home. Hurry up!" Lily jumped off Charles' hand and raced toward the cave entrance. A swarm of dark brown mice trailed after her.

Once they got out of the mouse cave, Lily led Charles and the others swiftly through the rocky terrain. Every now and then, they would catch glimpses of the red glow emitted by the flying locusts. During those moments, Lily would send a mouse to distract the attention of those creatures.

After running and hiding intermittently for about half an hour, the irregular rocks began to thin out, and a smooth wall suddenly appeared before Charles. Due to the darkness, he couldn't discern whether the slab before him was a cliff or a colossal man-made wall.

The group walked along the base of the wall for a few more minutes before a high-tech metal door emerged abruptly before their eyes. Before Charles could speak a word, the mice speedily stacked themselves into a tower, and with a pull of the rodent leader at the top of the stack, the door handle was yanked, and the door swung open with a 'click'.

When Charles followed the mice into the door, he was instantly awestruck. A straight and spacious corridor welcomed him. Despite the thick layers of dust and scattered debris, the minimalist style of the surroundings gave him a sense of being transported to a hospital of his time.

This architectural style can't possibly have been created by those things outside. Charles formed an initial assessment in his mind.

"Lily, are you sure the item is here?" Charles asked. He didn't believe those flying locusts were the beings behind such a structure. He couldn't shake off the feeling that the Mouse King's mission was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

The white mouse didn't answer him. She looked left and right before she hurriedly dashed into a room and dragged out a large piece of paper. Charles touched the paper with his hands and found the material to be hard; it felt like plastic. The paper depicted a simple map with various areas marked with the text used in the Subterranean Sea: Control Room, Lounge, Canteen, etc.

Lily hopped onto the map and stomped her tiny paw once on the east side of the map before darting to the west side of the map and stomping once again on a spot marked with a 'Forbidden' symbol. "We are here, and the item is over here. Let's go and get it quickly."

As Charles observed the map, a faint suspicion began to form in his mind. However, now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. This place seemed unsafe, and it was best to find the item and leave as soon as possible.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the end of the corridor. Its sudden appearance startled Dipp enough to let out a loud scream.

Charles quickly pressed down Dipp's gun barrel and said, "It's okay. It's just a dead person."

The group approached, and the fire from their torches illuminated the figure. It was a desiccated corpse that knelt on the ground. Its mouth was wide open, and its arms stretched wide apart as if it was screaming.

However, Charles noticed some details on the corpse. There was a metallic badge hanging from the right breast pocket of the suit-like clothes the corpse was wearing.

Charles crouched down and pinched the badge to get a closer look.

"Dr. Dott, Lab 3 Deputy Director," Charles read aloud. Charles's pupils constricted as he realized something. He immediately took out the paper that records the details of the clown mask.

Containment Level: Level 3. Currently contained in Lab 3

So this is Lab 3... and the mice stole the mask from here. But who established Lab 3? Who are these people? Charles' findings answered one doubt but spurred more questions in his head.

Lily clung onto the hem of Charles' pants, urging them to move forward quickly. "Let's go quickly! Once we are done helping them, we can go home."

Charles had expected numerous dangers along the way. However, Lily's words proved to be true. Apart from the disorderly environment and occasional corpses, there was no immediate danger.

They cautiously got closer to their destination.

"Look! We are here!" Lily exclaimed as she stopped before a metal door and then hopped up and down in excitement. "There's a small panel at the door. Press your hand on it and the door will open!"

Looking at the familiar object on the door, an ominous feeling crept over Charles. He pressed his hand against it, but as expected, the door remained stubbornly shut. There was no electricity, and his finger prints certainly wouldn't match the system's. How would the door even open? This door was clearly locked with a biometric lock!

"Eh? Why isn't it opening? Uncle Mouse said the door would open as long as a human placed their hand on it." Lily tilted her head in confusion.

Mice, no matter how clever, were still mice. Those mice must have witnessed humans opening the door with their fingerprints and assumed that any human touch on the panel would suffice. In actuality, it wasn't that simple.

Charles knocked on the door with his fist and realized that it wasn't very thick. He immediately took up an explosive, lit the fuse and threw it at the door before retreating to a safe distance.

Boom!

A deafening explosion reverberated in the area and a wide opening stood in place of the door.

Charles stepped through the opening and discovered a black flask sitting quietly on a table in the middle.

"This is it! We can go home now!" Lily's furry face beamed with joy.

Charles didn't linger a second longer. He grabbed the flask and dashed out. The explosion had been quite loud and he was afraid it might have attracted unwanted attention.

However, as fate would have it, just as Charles and his party was halfway through their journey back out, a flying locust emerged from around the corner ahead. Its bloated body blocked the entire pathway.

Roar!!

The flying locust let out a blood curdling roar and charged toward the group.

Seeing there was no escape route, Charles instantly raised his revolver and began firing rapidly.

"Shoot!" Charles instructed.

Bullets struck the locust and sounds of leather being slapped echoed incessantly. The impact from the bullets forced it to stagger backward.

Letting out another roar, the flying locust twisted its bloated body. With a shimmer of the red glow under its translucent body, the creature vanished.

"Don't stop! Keep shooting ahead! It can turn invisible. Empty your magazines!" Unfazed, Charles commanded.

Bullets rapidly struck the distant walls and riddled them with holes.

Just when the gunfire momentarily ceased, and Charles was about to give the order to evacuate immediately, the locust's massive head suddenly materialized right in front of him. Its mouthpart with sharp teeth was less than ten centimeters away from his head.

As the mandibles of the locust rotated and opened, its sharp teeth were revealed. The creature's mouth aimed at Charles' head like a bloodthirsty predator.

Just as the locust's jaws were about to clamp down on him, Charles felt a tremendous tug from his waist and he was forcefully pulled back. Charles looked downward and realized that it was Dipp who had pulled him back and saved his life.

Gunfire erupted once more, and the locust was forced to retreat with each roar it emitted. But with a twist of its body, it vanished once more.

Charles hurriedly stood up. Without a moment of hesitation, he took out the mask and placed it firmly over his face. In times of crisis, there was no time to consider the consequences.

His left hand reached for his leg and the black knife appeared in his hand. Behind the mask, an exhilarated smile appeared on Charles' face.

The moment he wore the mask, he could feel that his strength and reflexes had been instantly enhanced. The surroundings became instantly bright, and it was not a psychological effect. He could now see things in the dark.

"Boys, stop shooting! Bullets won't harm that thing. Let me~ your dear leader~ put on a show for you!"

The sharp black blade trembled in Charles's grasp as it danced through the air, leaving a trail of afterimages in its path.

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