BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1271: A wicked place (8)

The clones stopped moving and stared at the glowing barriers. They felt uneasy.

The thaids were following some kind of pattern, some purpose that went beyond mere survival.

Moving past the checkpoint, the clones entered what looked like a weapons testing range.

The bugs had repurposed this place and turned its anes into storage chambers for their larvae.

A sudden vibration caused dust to fall from the ceiling and made some old metal panels rattle. The clones froze in place as a leader thaid emerged from a side passage.

Within seconds, dozens of worker and warrior thaids streamed from nearby tunnels, responding immediately to their leader's signals.

The clones hid, waiting for the bug to get away. However, the leaders stopped briefly, maybe to see through its sensory organs if there was something inside the room.

The clones stayed motionless; their small size and dark coloring made them hard to spot, but they turned invisible anyway as a precaution.

The bug then left, and so did the clones. Soon after, they found the military command center. Banks of dead monitors covered a wall, and maps of the surrounding region hung in tatters, but it was still possible to see the marks left on them and the tactical annotations.

"The main server might still work," a clone said, landing on a dust-covered console. "These old systems were built to last, after all."

Another clone examined the power connections running along the floor. "Even if it does, power is the issue. Besides, there might be centuries of water damage and rust. So, even if we restore the electricity, we can't be sure the circuits will work."

"What about the storage drives?" a third clone asked. "Those might have survived."

The clone moved to a central terminal partially encased in nest material. "If we find the main storage unit, we could extract it. Take it back to Mannard and see, or ask for help from Becker like the last time."

"We can try, but it's still risky with the forces we have right now," another clone said. "Based on the maps we saw hung on the walls, we'd need to cut through the facility's center and reach the basement. The server room was there."

"Even if we get there," one clone said, "the data is most likely encrypted. The Silver Line Corporation guarded their secrets well."

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"True, but any information about this facility would help us understand what we're dealing with. These bugs chose this place for a reason, and with the biological supercomputer, I don't think we will have problems. It decrypted much newer and more complicated stuff, after all."

A thaid worker moved into the room, carrying construction materials while sensing its surroundings with its antennae. The clones quickly took cover behind the broken monitors.

The bug went straight to work, applying new nest material across a wall and burying the facility's old equipment under thick, waxy layers.

"We should mark this location," a clone said. "And come back with the proper equipment."

The others agreed. They watched as the worker thaid continued its task, slowly erasing the last visible traces of the facility's original purpose.

Then they left and kept searching. They headed toward the basement, hoping to find the server room. However, navigating there was even harder than doing so above.

"Look at this," one clone said in front of a sign.

"Project M—Authorized Personnel Only."

"The name suggests nothing good."

"So, Project M. They could be really making something here that attracted these thaids," another added.

"The thaid that destroyed this place back then."

"Things are going to turn ugly," another clone said.

"More than ugly."

Moving deeper into the facility, they entered another laboratory. There were rows of examination tables, many still holding the remains of ancient equipment.

The bugs turned this space into a sort of central hub. There were many tunnels connecting it to the rest of the base, going out in all directions.

The next room held what appeared to be weapons again, but nothing the clones knew.

Some had partially disintegrated, but a few remained intact enough to hint at their original purpose.

"They were making new weapons."

"Maybe because they were scared that whatever their projects were bringing them to wouldn't be enough."

"Maybe…"

"Do you really think what the second division commander said is true?"

"About humanity's extinction?"

"Yes. Based on what the guy said, it wasn't related to thaids."

"I don't know," a clone said. "But the Silverline Corporation believed in it enough for them to create the thaids."

A sealed vault door stood before them, its scarred metal surface still unbreached by the bugs.

"The treasury room?"

"The treasury room."

"It doesn't make sense to have a treasury room. Wasn't this place a lab?"

"I have no idea, really."

Suddenly, a boom shook the corridors. The clones ducked into a crevice as three guard thaids rushed by, followed by their leader.

"Something's happening," a clone said. "The hive is moving."

They watched as more warriors and workers went through the corridors, responding to the leader's pheromone signals. Their movement suggested a response to a threat—or preparation for one.

"We should return. The others need to know what we've found."

"No… wait."

"What?"

"I think we should give a look at this room, at least. The vault cannot be opened by the bugs, but we are strong enough."

"Are you insane? We're already taking a tremendous risk just being here."

"Think about it. The bugs have been here for who knows how long, and they haven't breached that vault. Whatever's inside must be important enough that Silverline wanted it protected at all costs."

"Or dangerous enough," another clone said.

"Exactly why we should check. If there's something in there, we need to know before it becomes a problem. And if there's valuable data..."

"It doesn't make sense for them to place a living creature inside a treasury room."

"Let's just check."

The clones looked at each other. In the background, they could hear the bugs moving around the building.

"Fine," the cautious clone agreed. "But we do this quick and quiet. First sign of trouble, we bail."

The others nodded, and they moved toward the vault door.