As the words slipped out of my mouth, a chill ran down my spine. Almost instantly, I slammed the book shut and shoved it away. My hands shook violently, a sudden panic I hadn't expected.
Even if it was simply a message left behind a stranger, it felt as though I had unknowingly wandered into a lion's den. I took a step back, grabbed the other volume, and hurried to slide it back in its original slot on the shelf.
I returned to the desk, my legs still trembling as I sat down. My eyes darted anxiously across the dim room while I clasped my hands together. Right as I looked down, my gaze landed on my ChronoLume and the second strange "book" I had forgotten to return.
When did I even place my ChronoLume there ?
In fact, I haven't opened that book too.
My chest tightened at the sight. I couldn't remember taking the ChronoLume out of my pocket. Yet, as though under some spell, my arms reached out on their own.
I turned my head away, closing my eyes slightly even as my fingers grazed the cover.
What if it's another trap ?
What if this book holds something even more terrifying than the last ?
Instinctively, my head whipped back around to look at it.
I tilted my head,
"Huh ? It's not even a book."
Folded inside the hollowed out binding, an illuminated screen displayed a boot-up sequence: [HoloPad 3.8].
"An old HoloPad... sitting in the library ?" I tapped the display, watching the interface shift into a camera utility surrounded by circles,
"What is this ?"
BZZT
Curious, I tapped the screen to test it. The HoloPad immediately prompted:
[Searching for object to scan...]
Fumbling with my ChronoLume, I held it up against the HoloPad's sensor. The screen flickered to [Scanning...] before a detailed file of the ChronoLume materialized on the display.
In the very top left corner, a 3D wireframe of the ChronoLume rotated continuously, showing different angles.
Though the rotation was clearly a series of old static photos taken from another position, it was impressive for such an old piece of tech. Next to it was a dense block of text specifications.
The first row listed the device's name, followed by standard public specs everyone knew. Halfway down, a fingerprint icon caught my attention. Interested, I tapped it, pulling the HoloPad closer to my face.
Instantly, lines of code streamed across the interface, rearranging themselves like digital puzzle pieces until they formed a blurred silhouette of a man's face. He had dark messy hair hanging on his forehead. His muted gray-green eyes stared wide open. I couldn't make out his full features because he was clawing his own face.
Before I could look away, the HoloPad abruptly shut down, reverting to its original boot logo. I narrowed my eyes, scanning the ChronoLume once more. But no matter how many buttons I pressed, it refused to bring back the encrypted file from earlier.
I breathed out a heavy sigh, setting the HoloPad aside and scrolling aimlessly through my own ChronoLume.
What else can I do now ?
Sheng Yue and Cassandra are probably busy and we still have zero solid evidence about that anonymous unit.
I paused for a moment, recalling a foggy memory of saving stray files inside the ChronoLume's secure storage. I swiped through the root directory, bypassing unfamiliar documents until I hit a media folder.
Tapping on the image archives, I browsed through old snapshots. Some showing a pocket watch being pried open with tools, others capturing weird and unfinished robotic prototypes.
After a few more swipes, I stumbled upon a recent album labeled: [Weapons]. Opening it revealed a single blueprint render of a mechanical wing structure.
I used the HoloPad scanner to cross-reference it, identifying the usage of the weapon named [Wing of Severance]. But a nagging question echoed in my mind.
Whose weapon is this again ? Was it Htet Naing's or Narin's ?
A fleeting image of a porcelain mask flashed across my mind.
THUD
Startled by the sudden flash, my grip slipped, resulting in the ChronoLume dropping on the floor before cutting to black. I froze like a statue, unable to utter a word while my heart hammered against my ribs.
What was that ?
I blinked slowly for a moment, picking up the device and pressing a hand on my throbbing temple. A faint lingering scent of scorched metal hung in the air.
Is this connected to how those two vanished ? And if so... how exactly ?
Swarmed by questions, I shook my head and refocused on the weapon schematic displayed.
DING
The HoloPad popped up a similar data format, featuring the blueprint of the wing. But this time, a different fingerprint icon blinked in the corner. I pressed it hesitantly.
The interface formed a face of another man. He had curly brown hair and smiled cheerfully as he proudly raised the exact same weapon. Unlike the previous incident, the HoloPad stayed on.
I frantically scrolled through the teal data boxes. An archived biography of the creator's projects was established, detailing the engineering specifications of the Wing of Severance.
If the fingerprint is used to show who created that object, why did the ChronoLume's creator vanish into a locked file ?
Shaking off the chill, I pressed the back arrow at the corner left of the screen. I gathered the HoloPad and my ChronoLume before hurrying to regroup with the others.
◇ ◇ ◇
"You managed to find out specific information about this weapon just from a photo ?" Shin Hayato tilted his head, leaning over the HoloPad with intense focus,
"I didn't expect these old models could detect and analyze weaknesses and strengths just from a picture."
Sheng Yue slapped my back, hard enough to send me tumbling forward,
"Nice job Blondie ! I really shouldn't have underestimated you when you take a picture of that thing !"
I grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck,
"Thanks, I guess ?"
Cassandra snatched the HoloPad from my hands, her eyes scanning across the text,
"So what this thing is saying is that if we focus our attacks on the frame, he won't be able to generate any more blades ?"
I nodded, clutching on my ChronoLume tightly,
"Yes. On top of that, we have to wait for him to land first if he uses his temporary flight."
Shin Hayato stroked his chin, nodding as he processed the data,
"Makes sense. If he runs out of the liquid in the reservoir, he loses both his blades and his mobility. Sadly, we have no way of knowing how much capacity their reserve tanks hold."
Sheng Yue slammed her fist against the floorboards, shouting,
"I know ! I know !"
Shin Hayato immediately pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head,
"No, Sheng Yue. We won't hear your absurd ideas—"
"It's not a wild idea this time !" Sheng Yue's sudden outburst made all of us glare at her,
"While I was doing my delivery rounds, I saw barrels containing the same liquid being transferred. Though I'm not entirely sure it was the same liquid—"
Cassandra raised a hand to cut her off,
"Thanks for your observation but save that uncertainty for yourself. I'm willing to bet $100,000 that this unit is the one inside that contract you saw in the office."
Sheng Yue tapped her chin thoughtfully,
"But the liquid is red though !"
Cassandra furrowed her brows and shrugged dismissively,
"Listen, liquid's color doesn't mean anything. They could easily use different dyes to throw us off."
Shin Hayato snapped his fingers,
"Cassandra is right. They wouldn't be stupid enough to use identical color codes, especially if they're trying to keep their alliance with this bunker hidden while we're trapped here. Plus it would sound ridiculous if they have Htet Naing but they don't have the intelligence to fool people and treat it like a battlefield."
I raised my head, instinctively pulling IRIS close to my chest,
"What if... the contract Sheng Yue saw was related to Unit 1 ? I mean, we have been guessing that too right ? With this concrete evidence, there is no way it's another unit."
Sheng Yue crossed her arms, leaning back against a wall with a question that hung heavily in the air,
"If that's true... why are the people here treating us like ordinary resident workers here instead of treating us like enemies ?"