Chapter 143: Bunker 202
Hugo stared at the Network tab of the Omnitrix for a while, slightly confused.
This was not an order from the government or a message from Soul Reaper, but instead a random distress signal that his Omnitrix managed to detect.
Communication was extremely difficult in Antarctica due to the fact that Gates and Nightmare Creatures interfere with technology. Of course, his Omnitrix was an exception.
There was a chance that no one else could hear this signal.
'If I'm correct, then this signal isn't from LO49, Erebus Field or Falcon Scott...'
The coordinates didn't match any of the human citadels in Antarctica, so it must be one of the settlements, or one of the bunkers spread all across Antarctica.
Touching the button on the Omnitrix, he activated the alien selection and circled until reaching XLR8.
Hugo slammed the dial down and felt his body shift once again.
Without wasting any time, he rushed down at subsonic speed, racing towards the location.
He only hoped he wasn't too late.
***
Reaching the source of the distress signal, Hugo halted and quickly reverted back to his human form.
It was a little strange, considering he had gotten used to being bonded with Zed.
Speaking of Zed... His trusty wolf was still recovering in his soul sea. Thankfully, the corruption did not seem to have infected her, whether thanks to her Nemetrix, Hugo's unique soul, or the fact that she was an Echo, it did not matter. Hugo was glad she was alright.
Shaking his head, he moved towards the settlement.
It was not anything like the settlements seen in the Dark City, but instead it was a simple bunker.
Such bunkers were ancient and vast, having been created by humans during the dark ages and before, where the world faced countless wars. In the Antarctica campaign, the First Evacuation Army had made it their mission to kill the Nightmare Creatures that slithered inside and take it over for themselves.
The traces of those wars, nuclear and normal, left scars on this world, taking with it the entirety of Europe.
This bunker was once such a scar.
Near the entrance, two Awakened were waiting, their weapons already summoned as they scanned the area for any Nightmare Creatures.
They looked strangely calm, which was to be expected. Those two were likely veterans.
Seeing him, the Awakened gave him a salute.
"It's good to see you, Captain!"
"We heard a lot about you!"
Dumbfounded, Hugo looked at his Omnitrix Network tab again and confirmed he was in the right location.
"Why did you send a distress signal? This place looks fine."
If this was a prank of some sorts, then those people were about to get a hearing...
But he doubted that was the case. After all, no one could afford to make such an idiotic mistake, especially Awakened.
"We were hit by a nasty Awakened Terror, but we were able to take it down eventually. Sorry for wasting your time, Captain." The first soldier said, offering Hugo a charming smile. "Perhaps you'd like to enter and have some rest while you're here?"
Hugo gave the soldiers an odd look.
There were few Awakened here, and yet they managed to take down an Awakened Terror.
Those Awakened were not at the same level of the Forgotten Shore survivors, so they couldn't be expected to perform such a feat... But then again, no Awakened was ordinary. There were plenty of anomalies in this world, he himself should know that better than anyone.
'They want me to stay...'
Rest... That was something he hadn't done since the start of the Antarctica campaign.
How long was it? One month? Two months? He had spent every waking hour killing abominations across Antarctica, whether it was through his main body, his minions using the [Crown of Falsehood], or helping the evacuation efforts using his Spirit Body.
He had not slept, showered, or eaten anything that wasn't raw Nightmare Creature flesh for a long time.
He also was not well mentally, as the Crown was doing its work on him.
'A small break wouldn't hurt, but I should keep controlling my minions.'
After all, he could not afford to not do anything. He must do everything he can to help.
He pursed his lips and sighed.
"Very well, I shall stay here for a day but nothing more."
Smiling, the two soldiers opened the door and allowed him inside.
"Welcome to Bunker 202, sir. Enjoy your stay."
The inside of the bunker was surprisingly bigger than he had expected, creating a complex system of rooms and areas within the bunker fit to hold hundreds if not thousands of people.
This bunker specifically seemed to be a fusion of two, which is why it was capable of holding so many people.
Speaking of the people, Hugo could make out at least a thousand humans in the main area of the bunker. Some were helping the military soldiers with cleaning and fixing the military PTVs, the Rhinos, and the exoskeletons.
Hugo remembered those machines; they were the same ones he had upgraded using Upgrade. He was glad to see them serve humanity.
The rest of the people looked... grim, to say the least. Families were huddling together near small fires, cooking whatever rations of food they were given. The children did not play together nor did they make any noise, likely traumatized from the horrors they had seen.
Even the Awakened present, which numbered merely a hundred, looked grim.
All of those people had suffered through the campaign and were currently desperately waiting for the main convoy of the Evacuation Army to reach the bunker and evacuate them.
By the look of it, they'd have to spend a few more weeks here before that happened... And in that time, anything could attack them.
Hugo kept looking at the people... Deeply disturbed by what he saw.
Yet there was nothing he could do right now... He had already given everything he had, and it was not enough.
'...'
He was weak... But so were those people. Their weakness was a sin, yet they had nothing to do about it.
In this moment, Hugo wondered if it would be right to infect every single one of those people with the Nightmare Spell and throw them into their First Nightmare... At least then, they would have a chance of survival.
Remaining mundane in Antarctica was a death sentence.
Shaking his head, Hugo walked towards one of the special chambers the Awakened had prepared for him. He did not talk to them, but they knew his status so they allowed him to pass.
In his chamber, Hugo dismissed his Uniform Mode and entered the shower, finally feeling warm water for the first time in over two months.
Fifteen minutes later, he closed the shower and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
He had let himself go in the last months, becoming... Unkempt, to say the least.
His hair had grown back, reaching his shoulders. His face, however... had grown a light beard and a short mustach. Those did not look manly or handsom at all, instead it looked strange and bizzare as it contrasted with his youthful appearance and the type of beauty he possessed.
His body was leaner than usual, unhealthily so.m Its color was much more pale, and it was covered in scars and injuries.
It was natural, considering the damage he received in his transformations transferred to his human form.
His deep blue eyes were tainted by dark circles under them, showing his lack of sleep.
'... This is oddly nostalgic.'
Back on the Forgotten Shore, he did not need to worry about hygiene and looks, and he had unconsciously fallen back into that mindset during the Antarctica campaign, growing more savage and brutal.
Not in the attractive way, but in the sense that he looked like a sexual offender.
'I have bigger things to worry about than my looks for now... But maybe a visit to a barber after the campaign is finished would do me some good.'
Getting out of the shower, he put on an underwear and activated the Uniform Mode once again, allowing his body to be wrapped in that beautiful white, blue, and black skin-suit.
'The Asura metal would probably not look bad on me... But I don't really need it in this body.'
Sitting on the bed, Hugo touched his Omnitrix and entered the Network tab, reaching into his communication channel.
There were few people who had messaged him aside from Soul Reaper Jet in the last few months.
There were government co-workers back in NQSC, like Awakened Mori.
Saint Thane had sent him a message to check on him which made considering that the man was basically his boss.
Unsurprisingly, dozens of popular brands had sent him sponsor offers, which of course he had ignored. The pile of messages was truly gigantic by now.
His friends—Kai, Effie, Nephis, and Cassie—had asked about him in their shared friend group as well.
'Old man Cor couldn't be bothered to check, huh...'
It was no surprise. The old man seemed to only like jet, seeing her as a daughter. He barely tolerated Hugo, or at least that was the impression Hugo had gotten from him.
After a few moments, he sent all his friends and associates a thumbs-up emoji to show them that he was still alive... Except for one.
Saint Revel had kept in touch with him ever since their faithful meeting that day at a bookshop, and thanks to his current circumstances... He had been ghosting her.
It was not like he had done it on purpose, he simply did not have time to talk with anyone, and he had informed Lightslayer that he was going to Antarctica...
Alien 10: "hi"
DarkDweeb: "... You're alive"
Alien 10: "yeah..."
DarkDweeb: "... how are you doing?"
Hugo frowned... That was strange, she usually only asked him stuff regarding novels or webcomics.
'Did she get replaced by a powerful Nightmare Creature?'
Saints fought powerful abominations all the time, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
Alien 10: "hmm let me see, I'm in a continent that's being invaded by thousands of dreadful monsters, monsters which I have to fight against every day while at the same time evacuating millions of people... I'd say I'm doing pretty fine. Could be better, though."
DarkDweeb: "... I don't appreciate your sarcasm."
Alien 10: "thank you. How are you doing? I assume looming conflict between your clan and Valor has kept you busy?"
Indeed, Hugo knew about the conflict between Clan Valor and Clan Song for a while now. It was certain that the conflict would one day escalate into a full-blown war... And knowing the great clans, Antarctica could soon become their battlefield.
DarkDweeb: "... I'm not involved much in the political side of my family, unlike my sisters, so no, it has no kept me busy"
Alien 10: "so... In the last two months, nothing changed in your life? You read novels, killed some Nightmare Creatures in your spare time, and repeat?"
DarkDweeb: "..."
Alien 10: "that was a joke"
DarkDweeb: "I'd be careful with your jokes if I were you, boy. I'm still your senior both in age and rank. You should show some respect or..."
Alien 10: "what? You're gonna come down all the way here to Antarctica and beat me up?"
DarkDweeb: "... I'll spoil the ending of the new 'Rascal Does Not Dream of a Bunny Girl Senpai' volume for you."
Alien 10: "please forgive this insolence, junior. You see, I recently got a Memory that has been influencing my mind, so I did not know any better."
Time lost its meaning as he continued speaking with Lightslayer, talking about various novels and shows.
At the same time, his mind, thanks to the enchantment of [Crown of Falsehood], was preoccupied in several other places.
In one place, he was a mighty Stone Saint of the Ascended rank, plunging a spear of darkness into the skull of an Awakened monster.
In another, he was a mighty Ascended Dragon, running away from a Corrupted
Tyrant, driving it far away from a group of humans.
Somewhere else, he was an Ascended Vaxasaurian, wielding a great hammer and leading an army of humangasaurs into battle against an horde of reptilian-like nightmare creatures.
Far in the sky, he was an Ascended Necrofriggian, flying high up with a nasty fallen demon in his hands. He took the Tyrant high and dropped it before it could do anything, using gravity to his advantage.
The strain of maintaining all of this was heavy on his mind, and the effects of [Promise of Madness] were already affecting him deeply...
That madness... It was strange and unusual. It did not make him see people or hear voices that did not exist. Instead, it seemed to amplify his desires—not twist, but simply increase the amount of that desire. It made him want to save people more... It made him want more power and made him crave more of everything.
If there were other effects, he had not noticed them yet.
The Crown was not your typical memory, as its mind hex was not truly a mind hex—otherwise [Omni-Mind] would've made him immune to it. Instead of altering or changing the mind, the Crown seemed to whisper to the subconscious part of his brain, almost as if telling it: "You can do better" or "You are not doing enough."and his subconscious built Hugo's thoughts upon those whispers, making it far more insidious then regular mind attacks.
But for now, he could handle the consequences of the Crown. It was a Supreme Memory, after all, and the good it allowed him to do far outweighed the negatives...
***
Late at night, Hugo—who was on the verge of drifting asleep—was suddenly awoken by violent knocking on the door.
Under normal circumstances, he would've gone up and opened the door... But something was strange.
He did not have his titan consciousness anymore, yet there was something deeply disturbing within him...
What was worse, his shadow sense was not picking anything behind that door. Neither awakened or mundane.
Hugo swiftly got up from his bed and slowly opened the door, only opening half of it, while making sure his arm was on the omnitrix.
There behind the door, one of the awakened he had seen earlier, the one who had welcomed him into the bunker was standing there with a subtle smile on his face, holding a tray of food in his hands.
"Good morning captain..."