To be honest, Nana and Yujin had only met Xin Hai Liang a short while ago. I could almost hear Carlos's voice in my ear, saying, 'Take care of your own first.'
After rescuing Kim Gayoung, I thought we were a team. In Baitai Cave of the Fourth Undersea Base, we didnât charge for rescuing people, carried sleeping children, hid from gunfire, shared food, helped each other escape, and supported the injured without asking for reasons. We were a team that, despite being hastily formed to escape, still tried to maintain our humanity. Was I the only one who thought so?
I was so shaken by seeing someone I had been with for just a few hours resort to violence. Maybe it was because I had never actually seen anyone hit someone else. I am not a person who is used to violence.
I didnât want to see someone I thought was a good person resort to violence. Not just Baeg Ae-young, but Xin Hai Liang and Seo Ji-hyuk too. I didnât want to see them suffer violence either. Had I grown attached to them so quickly? I always skip the hand-to-hand combat scenes in action movies and avoid the bloody ones.
I felt resentment towards Tyler. Why did he provoke Baeg Ae-young, who was holding a gun? She had even taken down a man over 180cm tall with her bare hands. And he was already in a terrible state after his friend was killed. Why did he join a cult and try to kill people with a gun, you idiot?
"Baeg Ae-young, stop hitting him. Letâs talk."
As I spoke, I sniffed. I was really going to cry. When I wiped my nose with the back of my hand, my voice had no charisma at all. It was so hoarse and weak, but Baeg Ae-young immediately stopped hitting the person with her gun, her arm, and her knee. She stepped back, huffing and puffing.
I handed the gun to Yujin. My hands were shaking so badly. Then I used the towel from the menâs restroom to wipe Tylerâs face. His face was swollen, and he was already unconscious. Blood was coming from several places, and I didnât know where to stop the bleeding first. If it was inside his mouth, it would be easier, but this... Should I stop the bleeding from his nose first? Or his cheek? His forehead is also torn.
I heard Baeg Ae-young washing her arms and knees at the sink. As I watched the blood wash away, my head hurt, and I closed my eyes tightly. I didnât need to see this much blood.
While I was holding Tylerâs face and groaning, Seo Ji-hyuk was teaching Yujin how to shoot a gun, and Baeg Ae-young and Xin Hai Liang were looking at the map. The map, displayed in 3D, showed that the Infinite Teachings followers were stationed around the three elevators, including the central one, and near the escape boats and submarines. The Second Undersea Base was large, but the problem was that the central square in the middle of the base was a mandatory route to anywhere. The enemy seemed to know this and had a significant number of people stationed in the central square. No matter which way we went, we couldnât avoid a fight. The submarine area seemed to have the fewest people, but we still had to go through the central square to get there.
"Back in the day, they used to check the intermediate calculations for natural gas and oil extracted from the seabed there, but now everything has been moved to the Fourth Undersea Base. Now, there are external cleaning robots, internal cleaning robots, power generation facilities, life support systems, and... Oh right! The medic! The medic might be in the hospital on the first floor if they havenât gone for an update yet. They were supposed to have one in the Second Undersea Base."
"It might have been moved. It was supposed to be in the convenience store of the Third Undersea Base."
Seo Ji-hyukâs expression was troubled when Xin Hai Liang said this. I hardly remembered anything about the Second Undersea Base, as I had been busy moving between the Fourth and Third bases. I pressed the towel against Tylerâs forehead, which was torn and bleeding. The face bleeds more than you think, and my hands were soaked in blood. I resisted the urge to wipe the sweat from my forehead and asked the others.
"Is there an undersea cable car being built in the Second Undersea Base? Where does it connect to?"
"The First Undersea Base!"
Yujin, who had answered, held the gun with the barrel pointing down and asked Xin Hai Liang.
"I heard they were building it, but is it completed?"
"Originally, it was supposed to be completed by the end of April, but Iâm not sure."
Xin Hai Liang seemed displeased. His tone revealed a lack of trust in the construction and contracting companies.
"Itâs rare for them to stick to the deadline."
Is that so? Why not? If itâs supposed to be completed by the end of April, shouldnât it be done before May? Baeg Ae-young, who had just tied her long hair back, frowned and said.
"I heard from someone in the electrical department that they had a trial run."
"Do they know they can use the cable car to escape from the Second Undersea Base to the First Undersea Base?"
The map Tyler had marked didnât show the cable car at all. They probably only add it to the map once itâs completed. But if someone who worked at the Second Undersea Base joined the cult, they might know they can escape using the cable car. Since the cable car only connects to the First Undersea Base, wouldnât it be unguarded? Itâs almost impossible to think they would hide in the Second Undersea Base by climbing the stairs like we did. They would use the elevators, logically.
If the cable car is operational, wouldnât it be the best way to escape to the First Undersea Base? Xin Hai Liang seemed to be considering various routes to take the group to the three elevators, the central elevator, the escape boats, and the submarines. His expression was a mess, indicating he hadnât come up with a good plan. Baeg Ae-young, who had been looking at Tyler on the floor, said.
"If the armed guys are just clumsy like Tyler, Team Leader."
Before Baeg Ae-young could finish, Xin Hai Liang shook his head. What was she going to say? That he could take them all out with one blow? Baeg Ae-young pouted and said.
"At the end of the deep-sea aquarium, thereâs the First Exhibition Hall. If we go through there, weâll reach the cable car."
I sighed, my mouth dry.
"I hope the exhibition hall is empty."
Following Xin Hai Liangâs lead, everyone started to leave the bathroom. I and Xin Hai Liang supported Seo Ji-hyuk, who was leaning against the wall, and we were the last to leave. Baeg Ae-young, who was at the back, went into the bathroom to erase any traces and then followed us. Now, only Seo Ji-hyuk, Xin Hai Liang, Yujin, and I were wandering through the deep-sea aquarium, which was still closed.
I rarely came to aquariums, and I didnât want to come like this. Fish swam past the water-filled tanks next to me. Fish were everywhere, on the right and left, making me feel like I was walking in the middle of the ocean. But soon, I saw some empty tanks.
As we walked through the aquarium, Seo Ji-hyuk, who had been making comments like, 'This one would be good for sashimi,' and 'This one would be delicious grilled,' suddenly fell silent. He was clenching his lips, and it seemed the pain was overwhelming him. Only then did I realize why Xin Hai Liang had let Seo Ji-hyuk talk. In this hastily formed team, if Seo Ji-hyuk didnât speak, no one else would. His condition seemed to be getting worse.
Xin Hai Liang only spoke briefly to answer questions, and Yujin was deep in thought, frowning. I knew nothing about the undersea base and was a complete novice when it came to the sea. When Baeg Ae-young returned a few minutes later, she led the group, but it was quiet except for the sound of footsteps.
---
As we walked, I hoped the exhibition hall would be empty.