As we entered the Suzaku District, a large sign reading "Suzaku District" was visible in front of the building. In front of it, a large, red bird, presumably a Suzaku, was depicted, and a description of the mythical creature was written: "An immortal being that is reborn from fire. Suzaku. Even in death, it is reborn. Our research aims for the sustainability of humanity."
Looking at the description, which seemed to be about a phoenix, I thought to myself, "Is this what the bird called Suzaku is like?"
During the five days I spent in the underwater base, I mostly stayed in the Byakko District and the Central District. This was my first time in the Suzaku District, and the building itself appeared larger than the Byakko District. It was divided into essential areas like the laundry room, lounge, and shower room, and a research center. It seemed that the researchers here dedicated their lives to the research center and spent the rest of their time in the residential area of the Suzaku District.
As everyone was about to head straight to the Suzaku District, Yujin stopped and looked towards the research center. It was a corridor connecting to the Deep Sea Research Center, Rare Earth Center, and Underwater Pollution Center. The corridor was completely blocked by a barrier or wall. I looked at Yujin's back and said, "It might not be as damaged. The research center might still be intact. Don't worry too much. Let's save Kim Gayoung first and then think about it."
Yujin, who was still looking at the research center, said, "They probably survived. Researchers are good at enduring tough situations. They are specialized in torturing themselves. My thesis is all on the USB and in my email. Just that."
"Why?"
When Baek Ae-young asked, Yujin sighed and said, "There are marine creatures kept in the Deep Sea Biology Center for research. If the tanks are opened, quite a few of them could escape."
"No."
"Yes, I know."
Yujin turned away from the research center and took heavy steps forward. "I know."
Just before entering the Suzaku District, Shin Hae-ryang, who had been walking ahead, headed towards the location of the escape pods. The question "What about the Suzaku District's residential area?" immediately came to mind, but my body was already following the people who had entered. Baek Ae-young slid in and checked the panel for the escape pod control mechanism.
"Three can be used!"
There were six of us in total, but only three escape pods with green lights were available. The thought of who to put in the one-person pods flashed through my mind. Looking around, I saw Shin Hae-ryang looking at a monitor that took up an entire wall.
He seemed uninterested in the number of escape pods, but when I looked at it with him, I saw 77 escape pods that had been launched within 10 minutes, displayed as small icons rising towards the sea surface. For a moment, I thought many had escaped, but the speed of the escape pods, which were initially shooting upwards at an incredible speed, gradually slowed down.
Less than five of them were making a strong effort to reach the sea surface. Unlike the escape pods that had entered the epipelagic zone (-200m), the others were unable to escape the mesopelagic zone (-1000m) and were gradually slowing down. Most of the escape pods, which were supposed to be launched in a straight line from the abyssal plain (-3011m) where the Fourth Underwater Base was built, failed to pass the mesopelagic zone (-1000m).
I don't know much about water pressure, but if we simply calculate the distance between the mesopelagic zone (-1000m) and the sea surface (0m), it's equivalent to the height of 22 15-story apartment buildings. It was an impossible distance to swim to the surface by human effort alone.
The escape pods that failed to reach the photic zone were struggling to break free and were now sinking due to their weight. Watching 72 escape pods gradually sink, Yujin screamed, and Seo Ji-hyuk gasped. Baek Ae-young, looking at the escape pods on the screen with a grim expression, said, "I don't think we can use them."
Watching the escape pods drawing parabolic arcs as they fell back into the dark sea, Shin Hae-ryang clenched his teeth and said, "Who tampered with the escape pods?"
I looked at the escape pods displayed on the screen, glowing like light bulbs, and thought numbly. Inside those escape pods, there must be endless screams. Since 72 escape pods couldn't all malfunction at once, it must mean someone intentionally sabotaged them. I asked Shin Hae-ryang, who was standing next to me, "Who did this?"
"I don't know. ...There are too many."
This underwater base has nothing that works properly, not even the people or the equipment. Is everyone crazy? Really.
"What do you plan to do now?"
"Our original goal for coming to the Suzaku District was to rescue Kim Gayoung and use the escape pods here. Since escape from the Suzaku District is impossible, let's rescue Kim Gayoung."
I was surprised that Shin Hae-ryang still aimed to rescue the researchers. I expected him to suggest going to the Genbu District or the Seiryu District to find escape pods, but he didn't. Or maybe I just didn't expect anything from him in terms of character.
Shin Hae-ryang immediately gathered the dazed people and headed towards the residential area of the Suzaku District. He kept them moving without delay. I watched his back and asked him to hand over the child he was carrying. Shin Hae-ryang slowly shook his head. I asked, "Did the escape pods in the Byakko District escape safely?"
Shin Hae-ryang frowned, seemingly thinking about his team members in the escape pods. After a moment of silence, he said, "I saw the first escape pod enter the mesopelagic zone (1000m-3000m), but I don't know what happened after that."
Seo Ji-hyuk and Baek Ae-young, though shocked, quickly returned to reality and began discussing why the escape pods were in such a state. The problem is with the escape pod launch mechanism. No, the engines in the escape pods are malfunctioning. No, the launch was incorrect. What do you know? What do you know? Listening to their bickering, Yujin asked them, "What will happen to the people trapped in those escape pods?"
It was a question I wanted to ask but couldn't, and Yujin asked it first. But as I thought about the question again, I didn't want to hear the answer. I was already exhausted from everything that had happened and didn't want to know any more tragic or sad news. Seo Ji-hyuk scratched his cheek and answered with a question, "They have GMDSS and GPS, so they can be tracked, but who is around here to collect and help each of those escape pods?"
"No... No one."
Seo Ji-hyuk nodded at Yujin's dark answer. No one.
"Would the escape pods have enough oxygen for 72 hours? Or just a little bit?"
"Little bit?"
"Ding dong!"
Seo Ji-hyuk made a xylophone sound with his mouth, and Yujin's face turned desperate. My face probably looked similar. Seo Ji-hyuk, frowning, began to explain in more detail.
Of course, the oxygen in the escape pods is not that scarce. The compression rate of air at 3km underwater is different from that on the surface. If there is a ship near the escape pods as they reach the surface, there is a chance of survival. Breathing underwater lasts 2 minutes, but on the surface, it lasts 2 hours. I listened numbly to his explanation and felt a vibration in the pad I was carrying. It was an alert for a new post on the Fourth Underwater Base forum.
Title: We are waiting! Please come quickly!
Content: The lights are out! We are still waiting. Please save us! We want to get out of here. We are in the Suzaku District, Room 77!
The alert brought me back to reality. Holding a pad in a dark room, waiting for someone to come, must be terrifying. I can't even imagine. Despite the chaos, we kept walking, and now we only needed to go down the stairs to reach the residential area of the Suzaku District.