I apologize for my long absence; for a while, I was unable to post.
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Third-person POV
Neo didn't waste any time and walked toward the wall she found suspicious . And standing in front of that wall, she looked at it, then tapped it with her knuckles.
And instead of the expected lack of sound , the sound was clearly hollow, as if th there were an empty space behind it. A smile immediately spread across Neo's face when she turned to face Kurumi and then tapped the wall again, this time with her umbrella.
Pointing proudly at her discovery. Even with a mask covering her mouth, Kurumi could imagine Neo's characteristic smile hidden beneath it. Although imagination wasn't necessary—just one glance into those brown-pink eyes behind the lenses was enough to read her little mouse's entire expression.
Smiling under the mask , Kurumi walked over to the wall on her own and then placed her hand on it. Only now did Kurumi notice what Neo had seen earlier. First, the dust and spores in the air were moving strangely near that wall, as if air were flowing from behind it.
Furthermore , the bricks on that wall looked a little out of place. They were a bit crooked and uneven compared to the perfectly laid bricks throughout the rest of the tunnel . This is nothing particularly eye-catching, but there is a difference when you know what to look for.
" Good job . I really didn't notice that. Losing that much time all at once must have really worn me out."
Kurumi said to Neo , still feeling a little uncomfortable after previously using the fourth bullet . Although this wasn't meant as an excuse, it was nevertheless true. The fatigue and exhaustion were real, and it was much more likely that Kurumi hadn't noticed something because of that. Neo as usual, remained silent . Now , knowing the entrance is right ahead , she began looking for a doorknob or something . But Kurumi wasn't interested in a slow search. Patting Neo on the shoulder and gesturing for her to step back .
" We don't have time to play around looking for the door "
Kurumi said to Neo , and after confirming the target , she drew her weapon and aimed it at the wall . Neo, however, grabbed the barrel and aimed it downward, shaking her head.
" I know . Shooting blindly through a thin wall is stupid . Who knows what's on the other side ? But , I'm already prepared for that. "
Kurumi said this, knowing the risks and preparing herself accordingly. Her shadow had long since slipped through the tiniest cracks in the wall, forming a clone with a flashlight on the other side. Thanks to this, Kurumi already knew what was happening there. Furthermore, Kurumi was able to control the power of the bullets in her weapon.
After hearing that and then, noticing Kurumi's elongated shadow , Neo stepped aside, giving Kurumi a clear shot . Immediately after the impact, a huge hole appeared, from which, along with dust and bits of brick, a shower of splinters rained down on them . When the dust settled, Neo protecting them with her open umbrella , shone her flashlight into the hole that had been created. Behind the thin wall —made of wood and covered with very thin bricks—stretched a narrow tunnel.
Not sewers, but a hand-dug tunnel, supported by wooden columns and planks from which soil and roots protruded. A cable ran along the walls, and old light bulbs hung from the ceiling. Now, slightly disturbed by the wind caused by the commotion, they swayed a little . On the other side of the hole, Kurumi and Neo were assessing the situation. With the help of hands emerging from the shadows, the wall was torn apart after a brief struggle. And as soon as a hole large enough had been created, Kurumi and Neo peered inside more closely.
The tunnel was long—very long—and they couldn't see the end of it because the flashlight's beam didn't reach that far. It was narrow—only one person at a time could pass through it—but fortunately, they didn't have to bend down as they were short enough. However, there was a different problem . Looking at the rotten wood holding the tunnel together, Kurumi gently tapped it with her fingers, and it crumbled without resistance.
The two of them could only look at each other, unsure of what to make of the situation. The condition of the tunnel was terrible, the risk was high, and the reward was unknown. Kurumi sighed, closed her eyes, and silently weighed her options. When she opened her eyes—hidden beneath her gas mask—it was clear that Kurumi had made her decision.
"I have a feeling—a good feeling—about this. I can send a clone in first to assess the risk and clear the way. As long as we don't touch anything, it should be okay. The tunnel has been here for many years and it's still standing . The soil should have settled and hardened by now. Still, the decision is yours."
Kurumi said, receiving from Neo a look as if she were looking at a fool . Neo's response was obvious. When the clone had covered half the visible length of the tunnel without causing any problems along the way , the two followed cautiously behind it, trying not to touch anything. Of course, there was always a backup plan in case of problems. Kurumi had already prepared to release the clones and hands to hold the tunnel in place if anything were to fall apart .
Finally, after a good minute's walk and a few turns, they safely reached an open space—at first glance, a natural underground cave. But the darkness made it impossible to make out any details. The only thing they could conclude, however, was that the cave must be large. And that's because when they shone their flashlights around, they couldn't see any other walls .
In the darkness, the only sounds were their breathing and the sound of flowing water echoing through the space. The conditions made it too difficult , if not impossibleto find anything in such darkness without further clues. But giving up right now? Having made her decision, Kurumi handed a flashlight to the clone and then created several others, handing them the remaining flashlights and keeping one for herself and Neo.
The clones set off to explore the area; those in front didn't have flashlights, but the clones following behind them illuminated the path ahead. This reduced the risk of losing the flashlights. However, this did provide an opportunity to explore. Still, it would take a clone some time. Standing still, Kurumi was left alone by Neo in total darkness to watch her clones in the distance. Meanwhile, Neo, with interest hidden behind a casual smirk and a flashlight in her hand, followed the cable running from the tunnel along the cave wall.
Kurumi didn't mind; she felt no fear being alone. She knew full well that there was nothing more dangerous in the darkness than herself—a nightmare straight from hell. In the darkness, her unusual golden eye and her ruby-red eye glowed faintly as she watched the receding figures of the clones, bathed in the light of their flashlights, and Neo, who was slowly drifting further and further away, followed by another clone.
Suddenly, the sound of an object hitting the water echoed through the darkness. Thanks to the connection, Kurumi knew that a clone had fallen into what looked like a pond in the middle of the cave. At that very moment, the cave suddenly burst into light. Glancing to the side, Kurumi saw Neo standing next to what looked like a very old generator, with hundreds of cables connected to it. The old, rusty box hummed and sputtered, clearly unused for a very long time.
Cylinders—some were empty, others were full. Some were in good condition, others were rusty and so badly damaged that dust was falling out of them . What they had in common was that they were all scattered around and stacked in crates behind the generator. What caught the eye the most, however, was the platform hand-carved into the rock and covered with boards, on which the generator and cylinders stood . And on the edge of which Neo sat calmly , twirling her umbrella , with a smug smile that screams of her desire to be praised .
"As usual, great job, Neo. I wouldn't have expected anything to still be working here after who knows how long, though. Luckily, nothing exploded."
Kurumi said, looking with a slight smile at Neo as she jumped off the platform. Then, looking away, she scanned the brightly lit cave .
" It's a smugglers' hideout. An underground warehouse. "
Kurumi said to herself, her eyes glinting beneath her mask. The area in front of them was large—a good 500 square meters. The cave's ceiling was three stories high. Literally enough space to fit a large house. Stalactites and stalagmites cluttered the space and obstructed the view. Despite this, a large pond could be seen in the center of the cave, fed by fresh water from a small stream flowing out of one of the walls.
Around the pond lay long-abandoned debris: barrels, crates, and small containers. Plenty of fabrics and furniture—such as chairs and tables—suggested that this had once been a living space. What excited Kurumi the most, however, was the old freight elevator hidden on the other side of the cave.
Although all that remains is the elevator shaft itself , as the elevator lay crushed beneath boulders at the bottom. Despite this, the ropes attached to the elevator were still there. That meant a possible way out! Although Kurumi didn't have high hopes for it , it was still a possibility. And just as Kurumi was thinking about it, Neo was slowly approaching her.
" The place is full of boxes; finding what we're looking for might be harder than I thought... Any ideas Neo ? "
Although Kurumi asked, the answer was obvious. The clones. As for them, they could split up in the meantime and see what was going on with that elevator. That was the idea. But before either of them got around to doing that, in the body of water into which the clone fell, something began to move.
Beneath that crystal-clear water, a huge, coiled body began to move—black and white. Two pairs of red eyes focused on the human figure floating on the water. Before the clone could get out of the water and Kurumi could react, the water suddenly exploded.
The large head emerged from the water onto the shore, swallowing the clone along the way and crushing the rocks on the shore. Right behind it was a second head. When the beast had completely emerged from the water and come ashore, the water level in the pool dropped significantly, revealing something hidden there. However, that didn't matter at that moment when the enormous two-headed snake, with water still dripping from its body, settled in the cave, its eyes fixed directly on them.