Ryan tried to break free, but he was no match for the ch’s imnse strength. He twisted his body and yanked against the guard’s grip, but no matter what he did, he just couldn’t escape.
“Let go of !” he hissed. “What the hell do you want from ?”
“You’ve been chosen,” the ch pilot sneered, venom lacing his voice. “You should feel honored. Not everyone gets the privilege of being selected for enhancent.”
The ch pivoted and strode toward one of the tunnels leading out of the chamber. In a last-ditch effort to resist, Ryan planted his feet firmly, pushing his heels against the cave floor. However, it was in vain. The ch kept moving forward, half-dragging the resisting Ryan along.
“Let
go! Where are you taking ?”
“You’ll see soon enough,” the ch pilot replied, his voice laced with the sa nasty mocking intonation.
The other workers couldn’t help but notice what was happening, but they could do nothing about it. A couple of them cast sympathetic glances at Ryan as he was pulled away, but they quickly turned back to their work as the guards shouted for them to keep extracting mana consumables.
Ryan was uncertain about what was happening. Why was he being taken away? Sure, he secretly hoped to join the resistance if given the opportunity, but there was no way Los Demonios could know this, since he had never shared his thoughts with any of the fellow captives.
He was aware that surveillance caras were installed in almost every chamber and tunnel of the mines. Maybe those monitoring the feeds had sohow realized he was plotting sothing and decided to act. It was the only explanation he could think of.
The question of where he was being taken had a pretty obvious answer, though. He knew there was a special place above the mines called the tech lab, where the bandits occasionally took survivors, never to be heard from again. Sotis, however, so of them did return, but they were never the sa. Those taken to the tech lab either never ca back or returned as cyborg monstrosities, obediently following every order given by the bandits. However, these cyborgs weren’t very effective, frequently malfunctioning and eventually breaking down entirely.
He was certain the tech lab was where he was being taken. Ryan just knew it. He had witnessed a few survivors return from there, and they looked nothing short of horrifying. He would do anything to avoid suffering the sa fate. He continued to struggle against the ch’s iron grip, but it was no use. It felt as pointless as trying to break through a concrete wall with his bare fists.
The tunnel grew closer and closer. Ryan knew that the ch would weave through the maze-like network of tunnels to the elevator that would transport him to the tech lab. He had to avoid that at all costs. But what could he possibly do?
They were nearing the tunnel when panicked shouts rang out from behind. The ch halted and turned partially to look back, forcing Ryan to do the sa. As he glanced into the chamber they were about to leave, he saw a scene that every worker dreaded encountering.
From multiple tunnels on the opposite side of the chamber, a swarm of gigantic bugs appeared. Each was the size of a human, equipped with enormous mandibles and protected by tough exoskeletons that were difficult to breach. These massive bugs occasionally erged from the depths when humans got too close to their territory, and the first ones they attacked were often workers rather than guards.
This ti was no exception. A couple of the bugs unfurled their wings and leaped onto so of the workers, knocking them to the cave floor under their weight. The workers scread and thrashed their arms and legs as the massive bugs pinned them down.
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Blood sprayed in every direction as the bugs buried their fangs in human flesh. A few more insects stayed where they were. Instead of charging at the humans, they launched acid projectiles from their mouths. Those of the workers who were hit went down, screaming in agony as acid ate at their faces and torsos.
The attack unfolded so quickly that several workers were killed even before the chs were able to open fire on the insects. While small arms struggled to penetrate the hard exoskeletons of the bugs, the chs were not ard with such weapons. Instead, they were equipped with mini-guns, energy cannons, and powerful lasers.
The laser shots, streams of high-powered rounds, and energy projectiles sliced through the ranks of the massive bugs with chilling efficiency. Even though so of the bugs attempted to charge at the chs, they were all eliminated well before they could get within striking range.
Ryan hoped that if his captor decided to join the other guards in battling the bugs, he might get an opportunity to escape. While it was obvious they didn’t really need his assistance, Ryan knew that the bandits relished the thrill of exterminating bugs, so his captor might not be able to resist the temptation to charge into the fray.
Unfortunately, his captor clearly had a different opinion. Gazing down at Ryan, he stated, as if he could read his thoughts, “My comrades can take care of those fuckers without . Now, let’s move, scum.”
He moved out of the chamber, dragging Ryan along with him. For several minutes, they made their way through the tunnels, the ch effortlessly maneuvering through the labyrinthine network, half-pulling and half-dragging Ryan along.
Ryan tirelessly tried to break free. Yet, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t loosen the grip of the tal fingers clamped around his shoulder, which felt like they were close to crushing his bones. The ch didn’t pay any mind to his futile efforts to escape.
Ryan longed for the resistance to co and help him. However, as a realist, he knew that the chances of them appearing at this precise mont and in this exact spot in the mines were nearly nonexistent. As they drew closer to the elevator, his hope of being saved dwindled further.
Eventually, they arrived at the elevator. The ch hauled him inside and pressed a button on the control panel. The doors creaked closed, and the lift began its shaky ascent. Monts later, it halted, and the ch yanked him out.
The dimly lit tunnels of the mines were replaced by the clean, utilitarian corridors of a typical office building. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting a stark glow on the whitewashed walls and polished concrete floors. The air was filled with the faint hum of ventilation systems, mixed with the distant sound of voices and the clicking and humming of various machines.
The ch navigated the tunnels for a little while before finally coming to a stop in front of a door. He pressed a button on the control panel, and when the door slid open, he dragged Ryan through into a dark room. Before his eyes had a chance to adjust to the darkness, he was rudely lifted and flattened on a wide horizontal platform.
Ryan fought as hard as he could, but the ch held him down firmly with one hand. A few people erged from the depths of the dark room and secured restraints around his wrists and ankles. Once they were in place, the ch released its grip on his chest.
“Get back to your post,” a familiar voice echoed from the shadows.
The ch turned and headed back to the door. As the door slid open, light from the corridor flooded in, illuminating a horrifying machine above the platform with long tal arms, each tipped with a nacing tool. As a wave of panic surged through him with renewed force, Ryan resud struggling to break free again, but he couldn’t tear the leather straps that restrained him.
“It’s no use,” the man who spoke earlier said as he erged from the shadows, gazing down at Ryan. Ryan recognized him imdiately. He had a bald head, thin lips, and dark, cruel eyes. His na was Kato, and he served as Skullface’s second-in-command.
Kato’s thin lips curled into a cruel smile as he said, “Shall we begin? I promise it will hurt.”
He then pressed a button on a nearby computer terminal, and the horrifying machine above Ryan sprang to life, roaring and whining ominously.
He let out a terrified scream as spinning circular blades, drills, and chainsaws began to inch their way down toward him.
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