Zzzzt—Zzzzt—
Amidst the noisy static, sounds of equipment being manipulated, footsteps, and some indistinct conversation could be heard.
Maki and Kaguya checked their surroundings one last time. After confirming that there was indeed nothing peeping at them, Kaguya, feeling that it still wasn't quite safe enough, sprinkled the bone ash at the doorway and in several corners of the room. Then, worried that the voice from the tape player might carry some kind of bizarre effect, she discussed it with Maki after some thought. It was decided that only Kaguya would listen to the tape, while Maki would hide further away with her ears plugged, keeping an eye on Kaguya's condition at all times, ready to act immediately if anything went wrong.
This was just about the maximum extent of precautionary measures the two girls could take. As for whether it would work, that would depend on their luck.
Phew...
Kaguya Shinomiya had to admit that although she could maintain an expressionless face to pretend she didn't care, her heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate significantly when she had to face unknown horrors alone, and sweat uncontrollably seeped from her palms.
If it were normal times, the moment she realized her hands were sweating, Kaguya would have wiped them immediately and washed her hands quickly to avoid leaving any odor. But right now, she had absolutely no time to pay attention to such things; her attention was completely focused on the tape player in front of her.
[A1 confirms communication is normal, no static.]
A deep male voice issued from the tape player.
[Command Center confirms communication is normal, no static.]
[A2 confirms communication is normal.]
[A3 confirms communication is normal.]
...
[A6 confirms communication is normal.]
The voices of seven people rang out in succession. It sounded like one was the person in charge of remote command, while the other six belonged to a single squad, preparing to launch an operation.
An operation record? Could this be an audio recording of exploration personnel investigating the Red Nut Gray Hole?
Realizing this, Kaguya became even more cautious.
[A1: Exploration Operation, Codename "Cave-01", recording starting now.]
[A1: All members, conduct final equipment check.]
[A2-A6: Check complete.]
[A1: All members have completed checks, ready to move out at any time. Command Center, please reply if copied.]
[Command Center: Copied, please proceed.]
[A1: Commencing operation. Entering "Entrance" area. Next transit area is "Fork".]
[... (For about 10 minutes, no one speaks; only dull footsteps and slight static can be heard)]
[A1: Command Center, how long have we been advancing?]
[Command Center: 16 minutes and 22 seconds.]
[A1: The situation here does not match our pre-acquired intelligence. The distance from the "Entrance" to the "Fork" shouldn't be this long. We should have been able to see the "Fork" within 10 minutes.]
[A4: And it shouldn't smell this bad. It's like a thousand rotting rats are stuffed in here.]
[A3: Also, it's pretty cold here. Didn't that tourism brochure advertise this place as warm in winter and cool in summer? Is it false advertising?]
[A1: Cut the chatter. I already see the "Fork". We've walked at least 500 meters. This is completely different from the intel we originally received. Are you sure the person who gave us the intel is reliable?]
[Command Center: That is exactly why we need manpower for on-site reconnaissance.]
[A1: That's really great news. We will proceed along the "Gentle Slope". Honestly, I don't want to say this, but I have a bad premonition.]
[A6: Didn't you just say it, Captain?]
[A1: Shit...]
[... (Silence lasting about four or five minutes, only the continuous sound of footsteps can be heard)]
[A2: ...Damn it, this place is oppressive enough.]
[A4: National-level tourist resort destination, huh?]
[A1: Passed through "Gentle Slope" area, arrived at "Plain". Preparing to enter "Great Slide". Let's wrap this up quickly.]
[A4: Why are there so many clothes thrown around here? Did some people hold a massive orgy here?]
[A3: Well, they certainly picked a good spot.]
[A1: Command Center, we have arrived at the entrance of the "Great Slide". The slope ahead is about 30 degrees. How do we go down?]
[Command Center: Look around the vicinity. You should be able to find a safety rope. It's a tool left behind by previous scenic area staff. It connects directly up and down the "Great Slide". You can use that rope to reach the "Great Cliff" area.]
[A5: Captain, found it. It's over here.]
[A1: Good. A reinforced No. 6 safety rope. They say this thing can hoist an elephant?]
[A2: So, do we need to do the math here to see if the weight of the six of us exceeds an elephant?]
[A4: Hey, that sounds like a good idea.]
[A1: Knock it off. Continue advancing. I really don't want to stay in this ghost place for a moment longer.]
[... (Voices disappear once again, followed by the sound of ropes being pulled, accompanied by footsteps and various rustling noises. This silence lasts for over twenty minutes. Throughout the entire duration, only footsteps and heavy breathing can be heard. Then, gradually, a "drip—" sound of dripping water begins to ring out, at intervals of about once every 3 minutes)]
[A1: Successfully arrived at the Great Cliff. (Voices begin to have less obvious static)]
[Command Center: A1, is there a problem with your communicator? Check it.]
[A1: Just checked, no obvious malfunction found. Maybe the signal here is a bit poor?]
[Command Center: This is a wired connection. You are still trailing the connection cables. Theoretically, this problem shouldn't occur.]
[A4: Now that you mention it, it's true. All seven of us have a wire attached, connecting from the entrance of this lousy place all the way to here. By the way, how long is this connection cable again? Two thousand meters or three thousand meters?]
[A3: Hope this thing is long enough. Otherwise, it would be terrible if we got stuck in the middle of that cliff. By the way, our mission is just to install sensors at the entrance of the "Blood Vessel", right? We don't need to crawl through that dog hole that's hundreds of meters long, do we?]
[A1: Negative. Move out.]
[... (Static increases further here. Amidst the piercing noise, faint sounds resembling low human moans can seemingly be heard)]
[A5: Captain, there's someone ahead.]
[... (All sound suddenly vanishes, including the static. Kaguya can only hear the whirring of the tape player itself)]
[A1: I see them. Person ahead, halt! Hands up, kneel on the ground!]
[... (Even more piercing static erupts violently. Chaotic noise begins to mask the voices, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish what the personnel are saying)]
[Command Center: A-Team, please reply. You haven't replied to messages for 10 minutes.]
[A1: Trapped inside ■■?]
[A3: Go■...]
[A2: Here ■■ more crowded.]
[A5: Who am I ■ at ■■?]
[Command Center: A-Team, please reply.]
[... (The audio exhibits increasingly severe static and intermittent dropouts. The squad's voices transmit occasionally, but due to audio malfunction, it is already hard to identify them accurately. It can only barely be judged that the squad members are talking to each other)]
[A6: No... retreat... can't move...]
[A2: Who... speaking... can't get out... where...]
[A1: Help... why so many... people...]
[A4: Can't see... can't see anymore... speak... behind me...]
[A5: Following behind... Command Tower please... understand...]
[A3: He... leave... I can't get away...]
[A1: Hand... I see... on the hand...]
[... (Piercing static thoroughly drowns out the squad members' voices. Only the Command Center's voice remains distinguishable)]
[Command Center: Please reply! A-Team, please reply!]
[Command Center: Initiate Procedure 2. Immediately commence... on A-Team...]
[Command Center: Confirmed A-Team signal completely severed.]
[... (After a final segment of less obvious static, the audio ends)]
Even after the sound completely ceased, Kaguya still didn't dare relax. She stared at the tape player for several minutes before carefully observing her surroundings. Only after confirming there were no issues did she breathe a slight sigh of relief, remove the cassette, turn off the player, and then communicate with Maki, who was not far away, using the agreed-upon hand signals.
Maki Shijo, breathing a similar sigh of relief, removed the cotton wads from her ears, walked over to Kaguya, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"What's the situation?"
Maki looked at Kaguya and asked seriously.
"From the sound of it, it should be audio left behind by the Research Base exploring the Red Nut Gray Hole. A total of 6 people. However, it sounds like these people aren't like the exploration personnel I impersonated before. The atmosphere between them was very relaxed, and one could feel the Command Center's regard for them. This might be a record left by official investigators. I guess this record likely comes from the early days of the Research Base's establishment. At that time, the researchers here weren't yet aware of the severity of the Red Nut Gray Hole's problems, so they were still sending official personnel down to explore. Perhaps later, after too many people died, they started using death row inmates as exploration personnel for investigations."
Kaguya lowered her head, thinking very seriously as she spoke, but deep down, she was thinking about the final few sentences left by that squad.
In the final moments of their lives, they seemed to be experiencing extreme pain, as if they were stuck somewhere, and at the same time, something was in there with them.
Hand?
It seemed someone was repeatedly emphasizing "hand" at the end. Did they see something's hand? Or was it some other thing similar to a hand? Or perhaps there was something on a "hand" that attracted attention?
These pieces of information would probably be hard to answer and verify on her side, but perhaps for Gao-kun, they might be of some use?
"Let's contact Gao-kun. Let's tell him the intelligence we obtained here."
As Kaguya said this, a sudden, slight feeling of emptiness arose in her heart.
Relying on just her and Maki to conquer this mystery-filled instance was simply too difficult. And that very reliable Gao Hai, who had once fought side-by-side with her in the Shirakawa Apartments, was not by her side right now and could not provide help.
This feeling of having to face unknown dangers relying only on oneself was really... quite annoying...
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