Chapter 232

The employees stared blankly at the colorful trajectories of paint swirling in the air.

Not only was there severed hair, but also blood—red for fresh blood and black for old blood. Finally, there was even cerebrospinal fluid, a substance that should not naturally leak from a human body.

Everyone froze at the gruesome details that resembled the aftermath of a broken water-cooling cooler, which one might occasionally see even if they lacked combat experience or had only engaged in low-level brawls while working at Exatech.

This was particularly due to the fact that the visible subject was their top boss, the head of the research lab.

Contrary to Gibson’s confident assertion that there were no visible injuries, the proportion of dead blood clearly indicated that there was a serious problem with Director Electra’s head.

Whether excessive pain was the cause or some other reason, it was difficult to ascertain at this point, especially since the individual in question had suddenly committed suicide.

“Wha-what the…!!”

The head manager instinctively withdrew his hand, which had been reaching to check for a pulse on the floor.

It was not merely a small hole in the forehead; especially with the news that the enemy’s main force was made up of their very own company droids, there were practically no arteries left to grasp.

The cyberware also failed to detect any life signs from the subject, and the rate of temperature drop was alarmingly close to that of cooling. Continuing like this was simply a waste of time.

With a war erupting above, there was no room for sentimentality.

“I inform all staff! The death of Director Electra Nephela has been confirmed. As we are in a wartime situation, the security office and defense team will assume command authority, along with all orders. Lock down all possible resources and areas immediately, and abandon all posts to evacuate!! The headquarters will send annihilation troops within 15 minutes after confirming the director’s life signal has disappeared! Move quickly!!”

Perhaps her departure from the stage would actually be a great help to the remaining survivors.

At least it was right that those who accepted that recovery was impossible would live, as the head of security quickly took over command.

“Everyone, split into teams of three and lock down every workshop you see while taking the elevator up! Keep the intercom open at all times! If you think you’re going to die, don’t stupidly fight—just go into any room, lock it, and hold on….”

“Wait, wait, wait! Director! Isn’t the sequence of actions all wrong!? The executives should be evacuated separately first!”

“…….”

In a situation where they had to minimize losses and escape as quickly as possible, the head manager shot a displeased glance at Gibson, who was gripping his shoulder.

Selfish jerk, overly fond of saving face. Normally, he might have had to partially accommodate the senior researcher’s requests, but there was no need for that now.

What did it matter whether one would live or die, or how positions would change?

“…In the case of independent complex facilities, Mr. Gibson, classification as an executive is limited to individuals in director positions. While I could allow you to move with the director during the evacuation, if you insist on using all these personnel to protect yourself, I will have a problem later.”

“No, damn it, it’s not just about being a senior researcher……!!”

Did he really think he didn’t know that?

Gibson was about to shout that he was simply requesting legitimate protection for himself as a key witness to important information related to the terrorist matter, one of the main targets the enemy was clearly aiming for.

But would the manager, glaring at him with a disapproving look, go along with any lengthy explanation about his acquaintance with the deceased Electra or under-the-table dealings?

He would likely only demand that he present evidence.

If he even hinted at a relationship with the intruders, he could be executed as a terrorist accomplice on the spot, and even if he wanted to present other information, the sources of that information remained frustratingly ambiguous.

However, if he failed to properly secure the surroundings, there was the risk that Leonar—who was glaring intensely from just a few meters away—could close in and snap his neck when he spilled everything he knew while being tortured to death.

Should he just follow the manager around pitifully?

No, if he wanted to increase his chances of survival, it would be better to secure a new bargaining chip instead. Probably.

“You bastard!”

With his mouth agape for a few moments, as if he couldn’t find the right words, Gibson spat on the ground and raced toward the emergency exit, enduring the mocking gazes of the defending troops.

Bang!

He slammed the door open as if he would fall, jumping up two or three stairs at a time as he made his ascent.

Despite being a nuisance in daily life, the performance of Exatech’s mechanical leg and eye was guaranteed.

With jumping ability and overall vision without complaint, the engineer, who had spent most of his time at a desk, soared up the landing, responding perfectly to the urgency of the moment.

‘It’s okay, there’s plenty of time. I’m actually closer to my side. Fifteen minutes until the annihilation troops arrive? Fourteen minutes?? I’ve already moved ahead on my feet, so surely, I have a bit of leeway!’

His body should have nearly double the efficiency of blood circulation.

But perhaps due to the tension of being exposed to direct danger rather than controlling droids from a safe distance, Gibson, clutching his racing heart, reassured himself.

He had acted smartly enough. So he was safe. He hadn’t had time to properly review the situation reports or loss statistics due to his rush, but how much worse could the ground situation get?

And he had an extra key card from managing Electra’s errands, so as long as he could reach there safely…

“GIBSON—-!!!”

“Crazy!”

A roar echoed violently from below, where just seconds ago he’d passed through, and he wondered how the speakers could output a sound that far.

He felt his body freeze at the sight of something monstrous that had merged strange technologies and applied sciences, realizing that it wasn’t enough to have disguised Electra’s suicide; this thing had to be personally pursuing him.

No, it wasn’t just a simple illusion; even his upper body muscles, including his arms and neck, stiffened, and his head rang as if it had been hit by a blunt object.

He was surely experiencing the instability research that utilized high-frequency and low-frequency concentrated emissions… Were they being used for attack purposes? Since he hadn’t seen them lately, they had really become disturbingly violent!

“If you wait there, I will end it with one shot without causing you any pain. Unlike you, who fill your mouth with deception and lies!”

“Well, damn, that’s really attractive! Do you think I’d stop because of that…!”

Luckily, the disruption to the muscular system did not have a significant negative impact on him.

Of course, his running posture was a mess, and considering the situation where his life was at stake, the oddly contorted body shape made it look ridiculous, but at least he could still keep moving.

Thus, attempting any form of air raid, even splitting his limited forces, was a natural reaction.

Ka-chik!!

“Damn!?”

From above, a drone descended vertically and crashed down like a suicide bomb, colliding with the edge of the stairs and exploding. Due to insufficient propulsion, the bombing trajectory was regrettably off.

The ammunition and batteries used for high-speed maneuvers had long since been exhausted after fierce battles.

The attempt to smash Gibson’s face by crashing into him failed, but there were still a few drones left that could be used as ammunition.

If someone who was Leonar’s associate had seen this, they would have shouted, “No, my (?) drones!!” but she was conveniently not there.

Bang!! Boom! Ka-chik!! Pop!

“What the hell, what are those idiots doing!”

It was as if a flock of birds had caused some phenomenon, with metal raining down from the sky, and Gibson’s complaints wouldn’t stop escaping his mouth.

Had there not been a spiral emergency stair structure, leaving the center empty, he wouldn’t have needed to be exposed to such bombing, and inversely, the cramped view would have likely trapped him and led to his demise.

Skiiiik! Screech!!

The claws of a Houndroid limped over, leaving a long gash on his cheek.

Instead of protective goggles for his eyes… well, it served to protect his eyes, but it streaked dangerously close to the actual eyes, leaving indelible scratches.

It was close. He was fortunate that there were malfunctions here and there; if not, it wouldn’t have been surprising if his neck had been severed or something else had been cut off.

However, refusing to succumb to the threats he had faced—instinctively not stopping—he managed to reach the floor where the accommodations were compact, just before being pierced more than once.

Thud…!

He forced his sliding legs to cross over and grabbed a tile with his hand, barely straightening his fallen body.

Acts imitating the hunting dogs that had nearly pounced on him just a moment earlier, moving on all fours while checking his surroundings, looked rather pitiful, but they served a purpose for his dire intention to survive a bit longer.

No, it wasn’t just figurative or joking; he genuinely didn’t know how to crawl on the floor like a miserable dog, and the scant remaining bullets from Leonar swiftly whizzed by the height where his upper body would have been, crashing into the wall with an explosion.

“Damn that Cafard…!!”

“Huff, haha!”

Here it comes. It was definitely getting close.

Now, with a breathless heave, Gibson, who was caught in the chilling presence of death drawing near, made a final sprint that could be his last in life.

In this desperate situation, faced with his increasingly cunning and twisted friend, Leonar hurried to sever their unpleasant ties.

But by a hair’s breadth…

Even when described by Anastasia’s standard, the gap between the two people seemed narrow enough that only a few punches could fit through.

Beep, beep—!

Gibson, throwing his key card at the door of the director’s office, tumbled inside the room.

He rushed toward the wall cabinet, sickly well-maintained with a complete absence of dust, and knocked everything aside—potted plants and medicine bottles—before pressing the temperature regulator embedded in the inner wall in a specific sequence.

With a clunk…! The floor suddenly opened up, revealing a frozen capsule that had been kept in pristine condition.

Whether it had undergone a separate cellular regeneration process, this capsule contained Leonar’s original body without even a trace of surgical marks.