Roughly a hundred Neophytes set out at late noon, but this time there were no problems with others trying to take control of the chain of command. Leading them this time was not a draftee, or a new recruit. Instead, it was a veteran named Jack who suffered from a strange injury that brought him back to the Neophyte level.
Although in a fight he was not the strongest, owing to his injuries, he was still the best choice to lead the group of teenagers. He had the most experience.
The command centre had come to the conclusion that while the excessive number and formidable strength of the enemies was definitely a major factor in the high casualty rates they suffered, the fact that everyone became relaxed, let down their guard, and didn't keep sentries to look out for incoming enemies was just as significant a factor.
Considering the severe lack of experience and impromptu nature of their missions, this was not listed as a demerit for Maximilian, but pointing out how their inexperience could get them all killed was an excellent way to get everyone to behave.
From the very start, the procession felt different under Jack's command. It was no longer one continuous line of soldiers walking through the corridors, but rather countless, broken up teams following each other with a short distance in between. At the very front was a team dedicated to scouting, to watch out for any enemies that they might encounter.
Most of the combat force was evenly spread out, though Nero and his team were stationed right in the middle, and were in fact told to avoid fighting unless necessary.
Jack wanted them to not only conserve strength, but avoid sustaining any injuries that the fights may cause. Shirly was near the front, right behind the scouts, passing directions. Moreover, in case they encountered enemies, based on where they came from, Jack even outlined which teams should attack first.
The closest teams would naturally attack head on while the rest supported while also ensuring no other enemies came in from other places.
While this sounded good, as someone who had been to the lower levels, Nero knew how dense the fog would get. But he didn't say anything for now. It was best not to interfere with Jack's command.
The grizzly, middle aged man did not look like he particularly welcomed criticism or unwanted advice.
Nero reentered the research facility, and this time the descent was not slow. Since the stairwell went down all the way down, probably even below the fifth floor, and they didn't need to check the other floors for anything, they just kept descending.
By now, the faint chill of the fog was a familiar sensation for Nero. But as they went down from the first level to the second, and then the third, their entire group started to become extremely uncomfortable, and Jack had to change his arrangement.
Everyone came closer together, and the scouts were spread out across the whole group, using their various sensory abilities to check the fog for any dangers.
Then, when they descended to the fourth level, where the fog became so thick that they could barely see the people in front of them, everyone started to panic. Fighting a dark berserker in these conditions seemed next to impossible.
Their movement suddenly changed, as if they were hit by something, but quickly recovered. The fight ended without any casualties.
"Can confirm, it was a lone Mutt. Due to its size, it managed to avoid all our attacks coincidentally. Take note, use more area of effect spells in the future to determine target type."
With that battle being resolved without issue, they continued to move forward, yet only a short while later, they stopped again when another enemy was detected.
It was impossible to avoid fights, especially due to how many of them there were, but with each fight the team actually adapted to blind combat. The unfamiliar voice which detected enemies and gave out instructions was very concise yet effective.
What surprised Nero the most was that, even when they encountered larger groups of foes, they managed to hold them off without much trouble.
Perhaps it was the fact that they could see each other, while the enemies could not see anything at all, which gave them a significant advantage in fights. Through it all, Nero and the rest never needed to lift a finger.
It was both intense and anticlimactic at the same time. see-MVLeMpYr-for-more
With slow and steady progress, Shirly eventually brought them to their destination after an arduous two and a half hours.
The distance actually wasn't so great, but with no visibility and continuous fights, it took a long time to reach.
Nero, Arter, Gabriel and Maximilian walked up to her, with Maximilian carrying the bomb in his bag.
"This should be the door to the high security zone Remi talked about," Shirly said, her hand held out in front of her. She was touching the door, not that any of them could see.
"The problem is, once we go through it, how will we find the security node?" Nero asked. "Even if we are just going to set off the bomb, we at least need to be sure that it's next to the node?"
None of them, not even Jack, had a good solution to this problem. What was worse was that once they went too far away from the group, the ability which allowed them to see and hear one another would become ineffective.
While they all discussed possible strategies, no one noticed the slimy tentacles on the ceiling right above them. They crawled slowly, so as to not make any significant sounds, and reached towards the very door Shirly was touching. It was as if the tentacles, too, were waiting patiently for the door to open.