Volume 4 Chapter 3 (1/2)
The air-conditioning was on and music was playing inside the empty casino where chips and cards were strewn everywhere. But fortunately, there were no red slimes or half-melted victims.
”Truth.”
As we continued deeper in, Anastasia climbed over a bar counter and tossed me something large. I caught the heavy case that reminded me of a container of industrial cleaner.
”Orange juice?”
”It's important to stay hydrated. Especially that Cla.s.s Rep of yours since jetlag can be taxing on the body.”
Since it came from behind the bar counter, was it a c.o.c.ktail chaser?
”But how many liters is this? How many weeks does it take for an American to drink all of this?”
”I can't tell you anything about liters. This is the country of pounds and gallons, remember?”
Even after I poured a gla.s.s for each of us, there didn't seem to be any less of it in the container. It was too heavy and bulky to carry, so we left the bottle after drinking a gla.s.s each.
”Oh, is that it, Truth?”
We found it in the very back, but in a location where the customers on the floor could see it.
The thick metal door was of course closed, but that did not matter. We pried it open with a cyber attack and walked right in.
The secret underground pa.s.sageway unavoidably reminded me of the Bright Cross which had taken root deep below Kukyou City.
The walls and floor made of silver stainless steel were lined with entirely sterile fluorescent lights.
”(...Tch. I guess the floor isn't reflective enough to see up the Cla.s.s Rep's skirt.)”
”Truth?”
”No one cares about yours, little girl.”
”That kind of hurts, you know!? It's not that I want you to see, but I don't like being entirely ignored either!!”
We continued our conversation while grappling a bit.
”Is this a normal sort of facility that any casino would have?”
”Don't ask me. But this is Vegas. We'll do anything to ensure our trust in money. The most common timing for bank robberies isn't in transit or at the vault; it's when the money is being loaded into the transport truck parked at the back entrance, so it would make sense to have a secret exit.”
Anastasia smoothly answered me in her unnecessarily feminine j.a.panese.
Las Vegas was a casino city, so if each of those casinos had a secret like this, wouldn't the ground under the city be full of tunnels?
Once we entered a very long and straight pa.s.sageway, we found a lot of people there. A man in a pricey suit leaned against the wall, a bunny girl sat on the floor, and an elderly couple was holding each other close... The people here were definite survivors. When the commotion had begun, they had ignored the surrounding screams and prioritized their own safety. ...And of course, we were no exception.
Anastasia gestured us onward.
”Focusing on the people here won't change anything. Let's keep going, Truth.”
”R-right.”
I really didn't want to use this phrase when we were up against those gels, but this was a fluid situation. This place would not be safe forever and then the people here would leave like water being pumped out.
I think the pa.s.sageway was more than a kilometer long.
It took me a while to notice the rail embedded in the center of the floor. There may have been an electric vehicle used to quickly travel its length.
”Pant, pant. We shouldn't have left that orange juice. If I'd known this was coming, I would have at least filled up a bottle with tap water. I mean, that could make you sick if you're unlucky, but this is no time to be picky and demand $4.99 bottles of carbonated water or mineral water. Right, Truth?”
”...Oh, that's right. Water and food are going to become an issue from now on.”
The gels seemed to prey on living creatures, but it was unknown if they would eat ”dead” food such as the meat and vegetables in the supermarkets. But if they would just devour everything, this would be a major problem indeed.
Needless to say, we could not function without food and water. That could lead to conflicts between humans and not just versus the gels.
And if they could eat more than just humans, their movement patterns would be even more difficult to predict. They would probably physically trap us and go in for the attack.
”It's looking like Vegas might be done for.”
”Yeah, maybe so...”
I chose not to provide a clear statement and stuck to a ”maybe”.
”The situation is progressing at an accelerating rate,” said Maxwell. ”If the damage spreads exponentially, it is easy to predict a scenario in which all people have vanished from Las Vegas and only those gels wander the streets.”
”Maxwell, is the damage limited to Las Vegas? Is this happening anywhere else?”
”No. There are some cases of misinformation being posted for amus.e.m.e.nt, but there is no objectivity to those reports. For the time being, I can say the damage is being contained to Las Vegas only.”
...Contained, huh?
That made it sound like things were a lot better than they could be.
But to be honest, I found it difficult to imagine Las Vegas's administration making a counterattack. I mean, these liquid monsters could crawl through even the tiniest gap. Even if the actual danger went away, the damage to their reputation would remain. The desert was a large place, so some would find it simpler to build a new casino city than to restore this one.
Once our conversation started to die down, a stairway leading up finally came into view. It really was a single straight pa.s.sageway. I had to wonder how many other unconnected secret pa.s.sageways ran below this city. It felt like walking along just one of the pieces of yarn in a hand-knit scarf.
We pressed our ears against the metal trap door to see what we could hear outside.
”...I don't hear the wind anymore,” said Anastasia.
”Let's hope that isn't just because the door is so thick.”
”No. Based on the personal site of a civilian meteorologist, the sandstorm has officially ended. I am currently checking several other sites to confirm...”
I pressed my palms against the door and took a deep breath. After preparing myself, I slowly opened the trap door.
A sudden gale...did not blow us away.
It was quiet.
The sandstorm had apparently settled down. But it was dark. That had nothing to do with weather conditions. It was simply close to sunset. But I could not appreciate the beautiful setting sun of that desert city. At the moment, it felt like running across a raging fire.
After I slowly climbed outside, a sour smell stung my nose. We were at a trash dump behind a restaurant. The casino couriers may have packed the cash and gold bars in trash bags and buckets before sending them underground.
And a question occurred to me.
”...Why is it so quiet?”
Las Vegas was known for having more outside tourists than actual residents. The average number on a weekday was more than four million. If that many people were fleeing from the gels, I should have heard heart-rending screams from every direction.
”You're kidding, right?”
Anastasia sounded dazed as she nervously poked her head out.
The Cla.s.s Rep held that 11-year-old from behind to help calm her unease. Or did her silk clothing just feel that good to the touch?
”Satori-kun, does this mean...?”
”Yes.”
This was the worst case scenario.
I placed that hurdle before us while praying that someone would prove me wrong.
”Everyone has already been wiped out... Those things have taken over Las Vegas.”
That changed how I thought about any presences I sensed.
The word ”survivors” vanished from my mind.
I saw something move out of the corner of my eye.
That presence was like a ma.s.s of fattened pride that did not even try to hide itself. What was it that appeared from further down the alley? It was of course a translucent red slime the size of a home refrigerator.
It was bigger than they were before.
...Or was this several of them combined?
We did not have time to sit around and think about it.
I kicked a rock at my feet to break a nearby restaurant window. The gla.s.s noisily shattered, the improved ventilation sent the wind blowing through the building, and the sand made its way inside the restaurant. Without even waiting for the gel to follow, I gestured the Cla.s.s Rep and Anastasia.
”(Run.)”
The gel had come from further in the alley, so we were forced to flee toward the main road.
But things were even worse there.
The Cla.s.s Rep flinched back like the sight had physically struck her.
”Uuh!?”
There was red everywhere.