"Aren't you staying at the base at night?" Natsume asked Hanako after eating.
Hanako was immersed in fighting with the pork chop. While she was cutting the pork chop, she replied, "I thought it would be more comfortable to come back and live there. It's just me. It's too scary."
Natsume heard this and didn't ask any more questions.
After eating, Hanako would usually find an excuse to stay with Natsume for a while longer, but today she politely helped Natsume clear the dishes and left.
Although Natsume felt a little strange, it happened to be convenient for him.
He waited until after ten o'clock in the evening before quietly going out, and then sailed to the base.
…
It's past eleven o'clock at night.
Natsume turned on the lighting system of the base, and then carried her bag alone to the area where Shimizu Masato was responsible.
Arriving at the sealed entrance, Natsume took out the crystal plate he had prepared in advance, first hacked into the main control system, then copied Masato Shimizu's verification ID, and then walked into the blocked area "fairly".
Before entering the blocked area, Natsume put on a protective mask, protective gloves and foot gloves, which could avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble to a certain extent.
At the same time, Natsume also prepared a pistol for himself.
This thing is obviously illegal for a staff member of a marine animal and plant breeding base like Natsume, but just in case, Natsume still brought it with him.
There are only seven bullets in the gun, but it is enough to deal with many unexpected situations.
After entering the blocked area, Natsume first checked the various data feedback records of the breeding area in recent days.
In the end, I didn't expect that all the records were deleted, leaving no trace at all. This is really worrying.
No clues can be found in the feedback records, so Natsume only needs to enter the breeding area in person.
The breeding area that Masato Shimizu is responsible for is built in the shallow water area on the upper level of the base, which is the most suitable depth for the reproduction of marine edible algae.
It didn't take Natsume long to open the door to the breeding area and find the diseased algae.
At this time, most of these algae have died and turned into light yellow sediment in closed waters.
Natsume came closer, took out a special measuring instrument and began to collect samples of these dead algae through the glass.
The collection process was quite long, and Natsume used this time to check several other areas.
It was found that almost all the algae in the area that Masato Shimizu was responsible for were infected by the disease, and most of them were dead.
This is not good news.
If the disease continues to worsen or even spread further, the entire breeding base may have to be closed.
Natsume decided to report the situation here anonymously.
But just as he lowered his head and thought about how to organize his words, the measuring instrument attached to the glass to collect samples suddenly sounded an alarm.
Natsume's heart trembled, and she quickly looked back and found that the water in the sampling area began to become extremely turbid, as if something was moving in that area.
Thinking of this, Natsume drew out his pistol and approached cautiously while paying attention to the surrounding situation.
Just as he turned around, a looming humanoid shadow swam past him in the breeding area behind him.
Although this scene was silent, Natsume still noticed something strange.
When he turned his head sharply to look, he saw nothing.
‘That’s weird... could it be an illusion?’ Although the lights around her were very bright, there was a haze in Natsume’s heart.
He took a deep breath, slowly returned to the measuring instrument, calibrated the signal, and the measuring instrument's alarm disappeared.
Just when Natsume was about to step forward and take off the measuring instrument, a terrifying scene appeared!
I saw a pale human face suddenly emerging from the turbid water!
She looked at Natsume outside the glass in fear, and then violently slapped the glass with both hands, as if asking for help!
Natsume was stunned, but he quickly recognized that face!
That's Hanako!
But how could Hanako be trapped in a seaweed breeding area?
At the same time that the question arose, Natsume had already started to save Hanako.
However, there is no entrance reserved for people in the seaweed breeding area, which means that all Natsume can do now is break the glass in front of him.
Seven rounds of ammunition.
Natsume took a step back and pointed the gun to one side.
At the same time, he shouted to Hanako, "Hanako, don't panic! I will rescue you right now!"
As he spoke, he pulled the trigger, and all seven bullets hit the glass... However... the special glass in the breeding area only left shallow marks, and it would not be penetrated so easily.
Hanako seemed to have reached her limit, her flapping movements gradually slowed down, and gas continued to gush out of her mouth.
Just when Hanako was about to drown in front of Natsume, an even more shocking scene happened.
she……
Disintegrated?!
Natsume was dumbfounded.
Hanako, who was so real before his eyes, collapsed into turbid algae sediment in an instant, as if all of this was just a prank played by these seaweeds.
At that moment, Natsume really doubted whether he was possessed by a demon. Otherwise, how could he have seen such an incredible sight.
After standing still for a long time, Natsume suddenly realized something.
He hurriedly took out his mobile phone and dialed Hanako's number.
The music played for ten seconds, but Natsume felt that ten years had passed...
Then...
"Hello? What's wrong Natsume? Is something wrong?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Natsume let out a long sigh of relief. He backed up and sat on the chair, holding his forehead with one hand and holding the phone in the other. He was speechless for a long time.
"Hello? Why don't you speak? Natsume?"
Natsume slowed down and looked up at the
The seaweed sediments gradually calmed down, and there was an indescribable feeling of depression and fear in my heart.
He trembled, "Uh...it's okay...I...I made the wrong call."
With that said, Natsume hung up the phone.
On the other end of the phone, Hanako, who was lying on the bed, looked at the phone with a puzzled expression, "Wrong dial? Tsk? How strange."
…
An hour ago.
After confirming that the base was empty, Hanako began to plan her own adventure.
She was filled with excitement and felt as handsome as the heroine in the movie.
After putting on protective clothing in the lounge and picking up the dagger given to her by her mother, Hanako looked pretty in front of the mirror for a long time.
"Oh, Laura! You are so wonderful!" Hanako was possessed by the drama, and then his face turned red again, and he stuck out his tongue, feeling a little embarrassed.
Entering the secret passage again, Hanako's mood was completely different.
She was more curious during the day, and at the same time she was both curious and worried about being discovered.
Now her curiosity is as strong as ever, but it is no longer a panic caused by worry, but a mixture of desire to explore and fear of the unknown.
This emotion, which can strongly stimulate the brain to produce large amounts of dopamine, is both beneficial and dangerous for anyone.
Of course, Hanako was aware that she might encounter some trouble, but in her opinion, what trouble could there be with just this ocean base? Could it be possible that she would also encounter aliens.
With this thought, Hanako unknowingly came to the ventilation duct opening in the area where Masato Shimizu was responsible.
In order to make it easier to come in and out, Hanako had already removed the fixings of the ventilation duct opening. Now she only needs to push it gently to open the "door" and enter the "ancient tomb" to start "exploring".
After leaving the suffocating ventilation duct and entering the familiar breeding area, Hanako immediately turned on the lighting system of the entire area.
The light can make her feel more at ease.
She then checked the algae growth conditions in all breeding areas one by one.
Judging from the feedback results, there was no difference from the day before her break before get off work.
The diseased algae has not improved yet, and other algae that have been blocked and isolated are also safe because of proper handling.
It's just that the water temperature in all these breeding areas has increased to a certain extent.
Considering the spring factor, Hanako didn't pay too much attention to it.
She now wants to make sure that the mysterious symbol she saw during the day is still there.
By recalling what she saw during the day, Hanako quickly found the place where the previous man collected samples.
But at this time, the symbol had disappeared, the water inside the glass was turbid, and a large amount of light yellow dead algae sediment accumulated at the bottom of the pool.
In this regard, Hanako couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
She secretly murmured, "Is it the same as in Natsume yesterday, will it disappear soon?"
Hanako, who was talking to herself, was a little unhappy. She searched back and forth in that area several times, and finally confirmed that all the symbols had disappeared.
Nothing is left.
This hit Hanako deeply. It felt like Lara entered the legendary tomb of the emperor, only to find that it was actually just an empty crypt.
"Tsk...forget it, let's go back to sleep..." Hanako, whose ambition was completely extinguished, took off her mask, and her face, which was flushed with boredom, finally got a chance to breathe. She fanned herself with her hands and was about to leave.
But suddenly I smelled a "smellless" smell that can only be emitted by the original ocean.
This description is very strange.
But for Hanako, who has lived in Wangye Ecological Zone for a long time, this "nothing" smell is even more pungent than the smell of blood.
She sniffed hard.
I found that there was indeed no smell at all in Masato's workspace.
This is really weird.
If her nose is broken, then why can she still smell the sweet fragrance of chocolate when the palm of her hand touches it?
"Could it be..." Just when she was confused, Hanako suddenly felt like something was staring at her from behind.
It felt so real, so real that it was creepy.
"I'm going... there are really aliens, right? No! I don't want to die yet!!" Hanako suddenly looked panicked. She looked back quietly, but found that there was nothing behind her.
"Huh...fortunately there is nothing..." Hanako let out a long breath.
She smiled, but then she felt a little wet under her feet.
"Huh?"
When she looked down, she saw that water gushing out of nowhere had covered her shoes, which was how the wet feeling came.
Hanako was dumbfounded. She hurriedly looked behind her, but she only saw a ball of light yellow filth.
Then...
…
One week later.
"Bang bang bang!" Hanako knocked on Natsume's door as usual.
Natsume, who had been doing handicrafts all night last night, rarely slept in, but was still woken up by Hanako.
When he opened the door, he found Hanako and Masato outside the door.
Masato, who had emerged from the gloom, still looked so pitiful, but the smile on her face reappeared, which still made Natsume feel a little relieved.
"Hey! Boss Xia!" Hanako raised her palms high.
Natsume was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand perfunctorily and said, "Oh... Boss Tao..."
"Perfunctory!" Hanako pouted, "Who are you, Boss Tao? Is my surname Tao?"
Natsume rubbed his eyes and said, "I don't know another word, please forgive me." After saying that, Natsume turned around and went into the house.
Hanako immediately caught up and said, "Hey! Is this how you treat a good friend? You can't even call him what he calls you?"
Masato stood outside the door. After hesitating for a few seconds, he softly said, "Excuse me." Then he entered the house.
Natsume's room has always been clean. Only the crafts done last night were still on the table.
There are some sawdust.
Masato was more interested in those sawdust. They did not look like some kind of animals, plants, people, or scenic spots that she was familiar with, but some kind of strange geometric figures.
Natsume was chased to the kitchen by Hanako.
Hanako said reluctantly, "Pronounce that character 'ze', and the second sound is, Hanako Momosawa! Do you remember it? Read it with me again, Hanako Momosawa!"
"Hi, hi, hi! Momozawa Hanako!" Natsume was preparing tea and snacks while dealing with Hanako.
Although Hanako knew that Natsume was still perfunctory, she was finally satisfied with the result.
"Well, that's right, the young man is still very active." As she said this, Hanako boldly patted Natsume's butt.
This time, not only Natsume was stunned, but Hanako herself was also stunned.
"Uh...hehe, mistake, mistake...I'll rub it for you!" He said and wanted to wipe it off again.
Natsume dodged "Come again?!"
Hanako tilted her head and said, "I can't cut it."
Natsume"……"
…
Hanako and Masato came to see Natsume because they had made an appointment to go fishing together today.
This activity is not very attractive to women.
However, there are very few entertainment projects in the ecological zone, so... activities such as fishing, where you can blatantly bask in the sun on the beach, look at handsome guys, and have a drink by the way, have become Hanako and Masato's favorite activities.
When the two best friends arrived at the place, they handed over all the tasks of fishing rods and grilling fish to the tool man Natsume.
The two of them went to the snack street and enjoyed the delicious food.
After watching the two girls leave, Natsume honestly started fishing.
While waiting for the fish to take the bait, Natsume continued his craft. He chipped wood chips while paying attention to the movement of the fishing rod.
During this period, many girls noticed Natsume's beauty and came to strike up a conversation.
In the end, Natsume's tactics drove him away, and now he just wants to enjoy his personal time quietly.
But……
When he hooked his first fish, an accident happened.
Someone accidentally fell into the sea while fighting with fish, and the one closest to him was Natsume.
Originally, he had no intention of acting bravely, but when he noticed the man's appearance, he was stunned for a second and then plunged into the water and swam towards the man who had lost his footing and fell into the water.
Ten minutes later.
People who fell into the water were rescued ashore.
Everyone was applauding and cheering for Natsume's righteous deed, and some even brought fruits and drinks.
But Natsume seemed to be completely stunned, and kept staring blankly at the man who had just been rescued but his face was extremely pale.
Could it be that he got it wrong again?
Natsume hasn't been sleeping well recently...for no other reason...he can never forget the scene when he failed to save Hanako.
Although from a reality point of view, everything is like some kind of illusion and does not really exist.
But did his eyes really "deceive him"?
If it was for some unknown reason that time, what about this time?
What he saw in the water was clearly Hanako... an almost identical pale face calling out to him for help.
However, when they rescued the man ashore, they discovered that the man was a man who was obviously much stronger than Hanako... While Natsume was still in a daze, Hanako and Masato had already rushed back.
After they heard about the situation here, they immediately squeezed into the crowd.
Hanako praised Natsume with a grown-up look and said, "Young man! You're quite capable? We've only been away for ten minutes, and you've already become a hero! Hahaha, your future is really limitless, right?"
This compliment made everyone around laugh.
Masato was a little embarrassed and her face turned red.
As for Natsume, he looked at Hanako blankly, and his focused expression soon made Hanako blush.
You must know that this is the first time Natsume has looked at her so "infatuatedly".
Of course...this is just what Hanako thinks.
"You...why are you looking at me like that...I...I'll be embarrassed..." Hanako resumed her girlish posture, her eyes dodge, and when she was about to escape, Natsume grabbed her wrist.
Then, Natsume actually raised his hand and touched Hanako's face.
If this scene had happened when the two of them were alone, Hanako would probably have fallen.
But with everyone watching, this kind of intimate behavior seems a bit obscene... Although Hanako likes Natsume very much, she is still very sensitive to male touch.
then……
"ah!"
"Snapped!"
After this slap, Hanako was stunned, but Natsume woke up.
He covered his red cheeks, and after he came to his senses, he hurriedly explained, "I'm sorry Hanako, it's not what you thought, I just..."
Hanako didn't listen to Natsume's explanation. She just felt panicked now, with tears in her eyes.
Everyone was dumbfounded. They probably didn't expect such an unfolding.
The great hero who had just rescued people was suddenly beaten for "molesting" a girl?
Isn’t this heroic image collapsing too quickly?
There were boos, Hanako ran away, and Masato chased after her.
Natsume looked at the palm of his hand and froze on the spot...
In the evening, on the way back, the three of them said nothing.
Although they caught a lot of fish, the original plan of grilling fish was not carried out... After arriving home, Hanako took Masato back to the house.
Natsume stood in front of his house and hesitated to speak... He didn't know what was wrong with him and why everything that happened in the past few days was so confusing.
Go back to the room and put the fish into the big fish tank.
After a simple wash, Natsume lay on the bed and tried to forget the experience of that night.
But the more I think about it, the less it feels like that scene was an illusion...