thefictionvixens 038 In the still darkness
038 In the still darkness
"You can enter the underground through the seventh passage here."
"But the door won't open; it's a manual door."
"Come on, Shinji, Ryūki. It's time to show your manliness!"
"Only at times like this do I realize I need to ask others for help!" x2
It was dark. Stuffy. There was no air conditioning, no ventilation, and the only visible light was the faint green glow of the emergency indicator light.
Lu Mingfei walked through the maintenance tunnel, his clothes completely soaked and sticking to his back. The air smelled of engine oil, rust, and the acidic odor of human sweat.
"It's so hot! It's so hot! What kind of idiot designed this backup power supply?!"
Asuka's furious shouts came from ahead.
This was the day the Ninth Apostle, the Rain Angel, descended on the day of the NERV blackout.
The Angels were outside, and the enormous spider-like monsters were dripping acid onto the armor plates, slowly melting humanity's last shield. The entire NERV headquarters resembled a dead, steel tomb.
In this suffocating underground labyrinth, the eligible individuals could only climb on foot along the maintenance passages to the EVA landing pad at the bottom level.
Lu Mingfei pressed himself against the scorching iron wall, panting heavily. He looked up at the front of the line, at the petite figure in a school uniform.
Rei Ayanami.
Holding a red NERV emergency manual, she used the dim light to call out directions at each intersection:
"This way."
"Turn left, down the escalator."
"Enter the outer wall of the third cooling tower and climb down the maintenance ladder for thirty meters."
The four walked to the end of the R·075 maintenance area, next to which was the command center.
"This is a blast door; you can't open it with your bare hands," Shinji Ikari said.
"There's no other way. Let's break down the ventilation ducts and go in through there." Rei Ayanami picked up the repair tools on the ground and gestured towards the ventilation ducts.
"The First Child is truly terrifying; they'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals. They're just so self-righteous," Asuka whispered to Lu Mingfei.
Hey, Asuka, don't misuse idioms!
"Ayanami, aren't you scared?" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but ask her. "If we go the wrong way, we might suffocate here."
“We won’t get lost,” she said, “because the goal is to pilot the EVA. If we can’t get there, it’s pointless.”
When they climbed out of the ventilation duct and arrived at the underground launch silo, the sight before them stunned Lu Mingfei.
Commander Ikari, along with his logistics personnel and technicians, pulled on the winch cable and shouted as they forcefully hoisted the insertion bolt above Unit-01's spine.
In this underground fortress, which could be breached by the apostles at any moment, humanity shed all its high-tech disguises and, in the most clumsy and tragic way, pushed their gods onto the battlefield.
Rei Ayanami, who leads the way, is the epitome of this human will. She doesn't understand emotions, but she always knows which way to go.
Thump, thump, thump.
Suddenly, a knocking sound came from the armor plate.
-----------------
It's cool in the dorm; the air conditioner is blowing cold air.
"Thump, thump, thump."
There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it? Can't a person get any sleep in the middle of the night?" Fingel muttered impatiently from the upper bunk, then rolled over, the metal bunk bed creaking and groaning.
Lu Mingfei rubbed his throbbing temples, put on his slippers, and opened the door.
Zero stood at the door, wearing an ice silk nightgown and a shawl draped over her shoulders. Her calm blue eyes stared straight at him, like a white rose blooming in the night.
Holy crap!
Fingel leaned out from under the bed, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets: "The middle of the night! A gorgeous loli! Knocking on the door herself! Dressed like that!" He tugged at his hair in anguish. "Lu Mingfei, you beast! You've already mastered late-night entertainment in your first week of school? God, are you blind?!"
"Bang!"
Lu Mingfei quickly closed the door behind him, leaving himself and Ling outside in the corridor. Looking at Ling in front of him, he felt a cold sweat trickling down his back.
The previous behavior of this girl with no money, no job, and no connections as the perfect girlfriend was already terrifying enough. Now she comes over in her pajamas in the middle of the night. Could it be that Lu Mingze, that scoundrel, left her some kind of physiological care instruction?
"Um," Lu Mingfei swallowed, "what's up so late?"
"The people the boss left behind have run into trouble."
"What happened?"
"You said before that the boss had fallen into a deep sleep and wouldn't be able to show his face for a long time, right?"
"Yes."
"Besides me, there are two other people in Boss's trio. Su Enxi is in charge of planning, and the ninja, Mai Shude, is in charge of execution."
"Mai Shutoku has a younger sister named Aki Shutoku," Zero said quickly. "You met her during your interview at the Regent Hotel."
"Her?" The image of the gentle-looking Japanese girl who bowed to him during his interview at the Regent Hotel flashed through Lu Mingfei's mind.
"Yes," Zero nodded, "She and another specialist, Ye Sheng, are currently carrying out a mission for the Academy in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River—'Project Kuimen.' Their goal is to dive into the Bronze City, a dragon relic located fifty meters underwater."
"It's an alchemical labyrinth," Zero continued. "The boss's original plan was for you to gain some kind of 'spiritual vision' guidance when Jiudeya and the others were trapped in the labyrinth. Then you would decipher the map of the Bronze City and send it to them."
"script?"
"The script to truly solidify your S-rank title, though it's no longer needed. But the problem is, the boss is asleep. Did he give you the map?"
"No, I know absolutely nothing about this..."
"Su Enxi just conducted a simulation. Without a map, given Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji's oxygen reserves and Word of Power consumption, the mortality rate would be 100% once they entered the Bronze City."
"Mai Shutoku was in a hurry. She decided to go into the water herself to save her sister, but without a map, she would also be doomed."
"Now that you're in charge, what are your plans?" Zero asked.
That gentle Japanese girl, the one who smiled and said "good morning" to him in the hotel, is now like a blind insect, slowly crawling towards the underwater alchemical tomb.
"How dangerous is Bronze City? What is the academy's ultimate mission objective?"
"That's Norton's palace, the Bronze and Fire King," Zero replied quickly. "But there's no indication that the Dragon King has awakened. The Academy's mission is to retrieve an ancient brass jar from there, which may contain the Dragon King's eggs."
"Simply recycling operations don't directly eliminate the need," Lu Mingfei nodded.
"Don't send Jiude Mai over," Lu Mingfei straightened up. "Tell her I can handle it."
"How will you solve this?"
"I'm S-class." Lu Mingfei took out his phone. "I've proven myself to be an invaluable weapon of war. It's time for me to enjoy the school's resources and privileges."
"Beep...beep..."
"Hello, student Lu Mingfei. It's 1:40 a.m. How can I help you?" Norma's gentle female voice came through the receiver.
"Norma, connect me to Principal Angers's hotline immediately."
"Permissions verification complete. S-level privileges activated. Transferring you to the Principal's Office."
A soft click came from the other end of the phone. "Mingfei? Calling so late at night, are you unhappy with your new dorm?"
"Principal," Lu Mingfei went straight to the point, "during the 3E exam, I didn't draw a picture of full-fledged vision."
"I saw a bronze city," Lu Mingfei said casually, "and there was a voice calling to me from inside the city."
"It's located in the Three Gorges, at the Qutang Gorge," Lu Mingfei said. "I've been dreaming about that place every night for the past few days, and I feel like I should go there."
In the corridor, Zero listened quietly to this charlatan-like speech, his eyes flickering slightly.
"Very good." Angers chuckled softly. "It seems my S-class is not only a sharp blade, but also a keen radar."
"Norma."
"I'm here, Principal."
"Mobilize the Gulfstream aircraft USS Sleipnier and have it immediately stand by the runway at Chicago Airport. Notify the operations department to plan a route for the S-class aircraft."
Before hanging up, Angers added, "Mingfei, bring back our people and what we need."
"Understood." The two ended the call.
Lu Mingfei turned his head and looked at Zero.
"Let's go."