Of course, Shin Hae-ryang, who was carrying Seo Ji-hyuk on his back, couldn't have flown to the distance we ran until we were out of breath. It's said that he was caught halfway. According to the story, Ha Yoon started shouting orders, telling everyone to let him go.
There were employees who opposed Ha Yoon being the team leader, and if Seo Ji-hyuk's cursing was heard correctly, Li Wei, Hao Ran, and Wei Qi were particularly severe. They ignored her orders because she was a woman and the team leader, and their relationship was already a mess. When someone suggested that Li Wei wanted to send Shin Hae-ryang because he liked him, Ha Yoon replied that it had nothing to do with it, and from then on, the guns were pointed at each other.
"Especially, since Shu Ran and Ae-young are friends, he kept saying not to shoot when he saw the crazy guys giggling and shooting at Baek Sang-ah. Shu Ran's eyes seemed to have gone crazy."
I was startled and looked at Baek Ae-young.
"Are you hurt?"
Baek Ae-young frowned and shook her head.
"That guy shot at my feet to scare me."
"Shu Ran screamed that he didn't want to kill anyone anymore, and when Hao Ran shot at the crazy guy, everything turned into chaos. The power outage was really a stroke of luck. I really thought heaven was helping us."
Each person's situation was different. Ha ha ha. When the elevator stopped due to the power outage, I really thought I was going to die.
"As soon as the power went out, Ae-young threw a knife at Wei Qi's neck and ran to the elevator, Shu Ran fell, and Team Leader Shin carried me while Ha Yoon provided cover from behind."
Baek Ae-young said with a troubled expression.
"When we arrived at the elevator, the one that should have stopped at the third underwater base was almost down to our floor. I thought it was a good thing. The elevator was bulletproof due to the water pressure. What happened after that is the same as what you two saw."
Shin Hae-ryang, who had been listening quietly, sighed heavily and said,
"Shu Ran didn't make it. I saw him get shot twice in the lower abdomen. Hao Ran and Li Wei were the only ones left. I saw Li Wei running and shooting, so Hao Ran's leg must be injured."
"Zhu Xuan! Zhu Xuan!"
Seo Ji-hyuk's voice made Shin Hae-ryang say, "Yeah. Three." Baek Ae-young, with a twisted face, looked at Seo Ji-hyuk, who was also scowling, and asked,
"Did that Wei Qi guy definitely die?"
"It seems you didn't check. I saw it clearly. No mistake."
"Okay."
As soon as Baek Ae-young answered, the elevator stopped and the lights went out. Yoo Jin screamed in a soprano, and I also yelled. The three of them didn't even scream. Only Seo Ji-hyuk's cursing was clearly heard.
Shin Hae-ryang said calmly,
"If you wait quietly, the emergency power will kick in within five minutes."
Yoo Jin took the pad from me and set the alarm. It seemed like everyone was waiting for five minutes. Only Seo Ji-hyuk's groaning could be heard. Being in the dark with five people and a corpse was unsettling, but surprisingly, it wasn't as scary as being with Yoo Jin. After listening to Seo Ji-hyuk's story, I asked the first thing that came to mind.
"Why are Taiwan and Hong Kong grouped with the Chinese?"
In the quiet darkness, Shin Hae-ryang's voice came through.
"Hong Kong and Taiwan didn't have the financial capacity to contribute to the underwater base development annually. Although China collapsed and became a federation of eight provinces, the saying 'a rich family can last three generations' holds true. They have the money, and I know they are collaborating on the underwater base. It seems they've divided the engineer and mining team positions among themselves."
"Wow."
At that moment, Seo Ji-hyuk interjected.
"That's why Shu Ran, a Hong Konger, and Hong Tao, a Taiwanese, didn't want to be grouped with the Chinese. Shu Ran kept saying he wasn't Chinese. Hong Tao always made milk tea and salt coffee for the base, and Shu Ran, seeing this, applied for baking classes to make egg tarts, causing quite a commotion."
I sighed deeply. The underwater base is a complete mess, isn't it? In the darkness, the lights came back on after five minutes, but the elevator remained stopped. Or was the time in the darkness less than five minutes? It felt like twenty.
As the lights came on, Baek Ae-young touched the panel below the elevator buttons again. During this time, Shin Hae-ryang held a water bottle and blew a whistle, and Seo Ji-hyuk put another candy in his mouth.
When Baek Ae-young took her hand off the panel and drank Shin Hae-ryang's water, the elevator started moving upwards again. Yoo Jin and I looked at each other and sighed in relief. Once the fear of dying in the elevator subsided, I became curious about the cause of the power outage. Watching Baek Ae-young drink a whole bottle of water and Seo Ji-hyuk, who had finally quieted down due to the candy, I asked Shin Hae-ryang,
"Out of curiosity about the power outage, how does the underwater base get its electricity?"
Shin Hae-ryang answered simply,
"Combined heat and power."
Yoo Jin's face turned pale.
"No... Then... We..."
"Yes. We need to escape quickly."
It seemed the engineers already knew. As I learned more about the underwater base, I realized it was bad for my mental health. Imagining my face as pale as Yoo Jin's, I asked, "The term 'combined heat and power' sounds scary, but at least it's not nuclear, so it's better. We won't be exposed to radiation. Right?"
Shin Hae-ryang looked at me and explained,
"The underwater base uses a micro combined heat and power system to generate electricity and regulate temperature. It produces electricity by running a gas turbine using natural gas extracted from the seabed, and the heat generated in the process is used for boilers. Since it produces both electricity and thermal energy from natural gas, it is highly efficient and provides stable power."
It was a good explanation, and even I, a layman, could understand it. But that's not what I wanted to know.
"What are the downsides?"
"The equipment is expensive. And if there's no natural gas supply, it's as good as scrap metal."
"Besides that. What are some worst-case scenarios?"
"If the combined heat and power system, though micro, is damaged, the extent of the damage varies. Gas or pollutants could leak, and if a pipe breaks, you could be doused in scalding water. In the worst case... if there's an explosion due to natural gas, not only the connected mining pipes but the entire fourth underwater base could be destroyed. Since the central elevator connects to other bases, they would be in danger too."
Shin Hae-ryang said it matter-of-factly, but the content was terrifying. My spine shivered. How could they use such a dangerous system?
"Was there no consideration for alternative energy sources besides combined heat and power?"
"Here, in the deep sea?"
I was speechless. What could supply electricity here? I couldn't even guess.
"Right. How do you supply electricity to a base 3 kilometers underwater?"
"There were discussions about using small nuclear fusion reactors or geothermal energy, but the nuclear fusion reactor was rejected because it lacked the stability to be installed at this depth. As for geothermal... it's difficult to find a place with appropriate volcanic activity that isn't prone to earthquakes, which is necessary for building an underwater base."
It's a relief it's not nuclear. I would have definitely opposed it. I don't know. Seeing my expression, Shin Hae-ryang simplified his explanation.
"To put it simply, if we were to build an underwater base next to a country like New Zealand or Japan, would those countries really allow eight countries to extract natural gas and oil from their nearby waters without any regard? They would likely have terrorized the base rather than participated in its development. ...The first underwater base and Dae-han-do receive their power from wind energy, but the second, third, and fourth bases use their own combined heat and power systems. ...I hope this power outage is temporary."
Shin Hae-ryang said this without confidence, his gaze ending on the deceased Ha Yoon. I had laid Ha Yoon down straight and placed his hands neatly by his sides, making him look as if he were just sleeping. As if he could wake up at any moment. Without thinking, I asked Shin Hae-ryang,
"Were you two in a relationship?"
Shin Hae-ryang turned to look at me and shook his head.
"No."
I opened the bag with the snake, my hands sticky with blood, and took out the towel I had used to dry my hair in the laundry room. It was damp and musty, but I straightened it out and placed it over Ha Yoon's face.
Silence filled the air. The elevator ascended quietly. The atmosphere was at rock bottom. Seo Ji-hyuk, who had been talking nonstop, was now quiet. Suddenly, Baek Ae-young, who had been leaning against the elevator wall, jumped up and shouted, "I should have thrown it at that bastard Hao Ran!" startling everyone.
"Damn it!"
Baek Ae-young, unable to hide her frustration, grinned and then, realizing everyone was looking at her, slowly leaned back against the elevator wall and covered her face with her hands. The cat, curled up in a corner, was startled and stared at Baek Ae-young. Yoo Jin's troubled sigh reached my ears.
Looking around, I noticed that everyone on the elevator floor, either sitting or lying down, looked haggard. It reminded me of the atmosphere at my house three years ago, and I sighed. A stomach growled. Seo Ji-hyuk, lying on the floor and looking at the ceiling, said,
"Am I the only one who's hungry?"
It seemed the chocolate bars, candies, and snacks weren't enough to fill his stomach. Yoo Jin, with swollen eyes, nodded beside him. Yoo Jin had always loved bread.
"Me too. I'm hungry."
"It would be nice to grab some bread as we pass the third underwater base. Or stop by a convenience store nearby."
As I looked at Seo Ji-hyuk's leg and said this, his face, which was already in pain, looked even more pitiful. He would need to fast before surgery. In this situation, we don't know when we'll be able to escape.