Chapter 632
Chapter 632
"Like I always say, Iris has really improved a lot compared to before. Her expression has come to life so much, don't you think?"
"Not long ago, when we did this, she was about to die."
"...That was because the tempo of the game was too fast."
Meanwhile, while Iris was happily darting around what used to be the Artemis Biotech Research Lab, the three of us—excluding the now-missing Lorentina—were heading to Songdo.
The expo was now only about a week and a few days away. It felt a little strange to say it, but now that Harmony and Dice were also Biyams, it was time to lead them deeper into the cartel.
To be specific, we were in the process of officially registering them as expo personnel before the event kicked off. There were no problems with the procedure or the location. These two were also part of the Final Championship crew, after all.
They also knew about our parents’ identities.
Anyway, as we were on our way to work, both of them had faces brimming with smiles that could stretch all the way to their ears. It made sense, though. When you think about who the main protagonist of this expo was, it’s pretty simple.
Around this time, the Mecha Biyam bodies, not just for three but four people, were being inserted into the expo building. We had to make sure everything was functioning properly in advance. Especially since Nasty was joining this time.
They probably needed to see a bit of the surroundings... but that was secondary.
"Hehe, we're going to see the Mecha Biyams..."
"I'm already excited."
"...If you keep making that weird expression, I’ll make you change lanes and drive to the ends of the earth instead of going inside the expo building."
"Whoa, expression management. Expression management."
"By the way, is it okay that we’re not bringing Iris along?"
"The manual is written down, so it’s fine."
These Biyams, who had become so addicted to Biyams that they turned into Biyams themselves, made me uneasy. If uranium and plutonium are both collected together, they'll hit the critical point, and if you gather a bunch of troublemakers like them, who knows what kind of chemical reaction will happen? At least Mav was the sensible one, so I trusted her on that.
Anyway, despite Harmony’s valid point, this was just one of those situations where schedules never match. I’d arranged for Iris to join after the broadcast if she wanted to come.
And the talk about Iris wasn’t random.
As mentioned earlier, we were currently sitting in seats of an unmanned vehicle, watching the scene of Iris running around the Artemis Research Lab.
Everyone chipped in with their comments.
"I keep feeling that when small contaminants keep swarming like that, it seems like even close-range weapons have their limits. It was so much easier when Lorentina was around."
"Oh, that... Wait, isn’t her harpoon attack ridiculous? The power is enough to one-shot both small and large kinds, and she can keep attacking consecutively. How is her arm even built?"
"I finally understand why I could never win in close combat against her when I played Glory and Honor."
"No, it’s not about winning or losing. The problem is just standing in front of Shark-sis, isn’t it?"
...That makes sense, right?
I mean, where else would you find someone who can shoot a harpoon at the same speed as a bullet? I heard her arms move almost like a bowstring, didn’t I?
I could barely see and defend, and considering that stabbing and withdrawing quickly is far faster than sweeping through, it makes sense why that would be advantageous.
Anyway, why did I bring this up? It was because when I did GTFO with Lorentina... she truly reigned as the reaper of all contaminants. When we played at the highest difficulty, she wiped out wave after wave of small contaminants, not even being stopped by shotgun turrets, with just a spear.
"If Lorentina had been there, it wouldn't have been a horror game but more like a tour of the Biotech Research Lab."
"That would’ve been interesting in its own way... but she returned to the base yesterday, so that’s a bit of a shame."
"Well, we’ll still be able to see her during the expo, and she’ll be staying in Korea for quite a while. Does it still feel like a loss?"
"Ugh."
It was amusing to watch the two of them go pale at those words.
As I said, this time Lorentina, and the Hammerhead strike team under her senior’s command, were technically on a long-term deployment. They were expected to stay in Korea for at least a year.
Once I told them that, I could already imagine their reaction... It was going to be a sight. They’d probably twist their bodies around in shock. But since Shark was like a natural disaster, and I wasn’t the one rolling around, whatever.
As I thought that, I looked around. I could see a lot of apartments nearby and the well-organized, futuristic-looking buildings that seemed to have been designed from the ground up... It looked like we were getting close.
The parking system was connected to the cars, so I left the car to park itself and got out with Harmony and Dice near the entrance.
"Ah, the weather is nice. It feels great to be out in the summer. The sunlight is a bit harsh, but the humidity makes it fantastic."
"Yeah, but it’ll start getting cool from the fall. In winter, I’ll probably just be stuck indoors."
"...Is it really that serious?"
"If your body cools down, indigestion will hit within 10 minutes. If your digestive organs stop working properly, food can start to rot in your stomach."
"Ugh..."
That was something I’d personally experienced before.
Every winter, I ended up vomiting everything I ate, and my body could barely move. Considering that reptiles go into hibernation in the winter, it wasn’t surprising.
Anyway, after hearing that shocking story, both Harmony and Dice’s expressions turned sour, but hey, reality is reality.
I thought about that as we walked into the building. The place we were checking today was Building A, and inside it, there was a Q&A room, just like last time at the expo.
The only difference was that last time, the Q&A was filled with renowned scholars, celebrities, and military personnel, but this time, it was a random selection via a lottery. It was more like a fan meeting.
But today, there were only the three of us, and the facility wasn’t fully prepared yet. Most of the people inside were construction workers and facility management staff.
"Wow, you guys are really working hard."
"Whoa, Eugene! Good to see you! And the person behind you... I wasn’t sure at first, but it’s really you. Congratulations on becoming a Biyam!"
"Ah, well, of course. Thanks, thanks. I’m really satisfied. Hehe."
"...Ugh."
Was it really something to congratulate?
Anyway, I looked around, inspecting the area. As I said before, the reason we were in Building A today was to visit the Q&A room, and we opened the door to the conference room, which still smelled of concrete.
As soon as we turned on the lights, a huge auditorium appeared. There was a large stage in the middle, with an entrance for the performers behind it. That was where we were heading today.
We walked across the entrance, and after a bit, we stopped.
"...Ah, the coffin we saw before. They added another one."
"You’ll finally be able to see Nasty, the one you’ve been waiting for. Are you satisfied now?"
"Hehe."
That strange laughter... where did they learn that?
Anyway, there was no need to delay any longer, so while Harmony and Dice were focused on the coffin, I subtly turned my left wrist, wearing the Icarus Watch, and input a specific action signal.
After a little while...
Giiing!
"Wow, it’s working!"
"The synchronization will be finished in 30 seconds, and the coffin will open, so please stand aside."
"Finally!"
The coffins started glowing in their respective colors.
Turquoise, blue, purple, and yellow. At that moment, the UI in the center of the coffin displayed a percentage. From 0%, it only took about 20 seconds to reach 100%.
As we all stood there, watching the spectacle with different expressions...
"...Oh, oh, it’s opening."
"The sleepyheads are waking up. Welcome to my hometown, Korea."
"...Phew, that was long. Now that I see it, it’s clear why people said all the Archetype friends had changed their bodies. It feels so strange to see them like this."
"Finally... finally, it’s out! From now on, it’s Nasty’s world—A-boo-bap!"
"Ah, so cute!"
"Wh-what! I’ve been caught! Please, save me!"
Ah, Nasty got caught in the end.
Three big ones, all 172 cm tall like me, and one tiny one, barely 150 cm. And the tiny one—Nasty couldn’t resist the power of a Biyam.
Leaving behind the fourth era of suffering, I quietly activated the drone cam I had brought.
"...Ah, the stream is on... Whoa, a Mecha Biyam joint stream? And in real life?"
"Yeah, it looks like they started it in Songdo, where the expo is being held."
"That’s cheating, cheating."
"...Should I have gone too?"
A few minutes later.
After overcoming many obstacles and clearing several missions, the multi-Biyam stream got bumped down in the viewer rankings by a full-on Biyam stream.
It was inevitable.
"Help, I’m at 2% health! Acid fog level max! Who’s holding the turbine and relay?"
"Ah, a swarm of contaminants is coming this way! Someone pull the turret out of my back and stick it in the ground!"
"Argh, I’m about to go down... huh?"
"We’re all dead!"
Iris: "...Ah, okay, I’m back. The acid fog is done, everyone’s clear. Let’s move!"
And they finally reached the exit safely.
The toxic fog surrounded them, but as it cleared, the giant shape of Iris, moving like a demon from hell, emerged. She was cutting through the contaminants with overwhelming speed, breaking them apart with every swing of her hammer. Her movements were almost too fast to follow as she protected her team, dismantling the incoming wave of enemies.
As Iris stopped for a brief moment, the scene was even more intense: the steam and heat radiating from her body made it feel like the environment was on the brink of overheating. It was almost as though the heat itself was a physical presence, enveloping the area in a thick haze.
"…Umm...," one of the others muttered.
"Feels like something straight out of an animation," another said.
"Now I understand why Eugene was called the 'War God' back in Glory and Honor," someone else added.
"Yeah, no kidding," one of them remarked, clearly in awe.
Iris, standing in the center of it all, was clearly not slowing down, despite the immense heat she was emitting. Even though she wasn’t technically breathing, the heat from her body was being released through her mouth, making it appear as if she were gasping for breath. Her figure, bathed in radiant light, was truly a sight to behold, though those with experience in this kind of chaos knew better than to be fooled by appearances.
"We’re not impressed. Focus on the mission," Sonia remarked as she and the others continued to push through the chaos, installing the necessary equipment to open the barriers and eliminate the acid fog.
By the time they reached the final stretch, Sonia had to struggle to carry a heavy data storage device weighing over 80 kg. The exit scan was only a few dozen meters away, and after realizing there were no further obstacles in their way, the group sighed in relief.
However, in the midst of all this, Iris used her tail to lift Sonia’s waist and carry her effortlessly.
"Ah! I can’t go any further...someone help me move the scan device—wow, you’re lifting me?!"
"Iris, wait, what are you doing?" someone else shouted, laughing at the sight.
"Look at Iris! She just picked up Sonia with her tail!" another exclaimed.
The group couldn't help but chuckle as they watched the scene unfold. Sonia's face flushed with embarrassment, though the situation didn’t last long. Iris gently placed her back down after a brief moment, continuing her job of clearing the way.
"Ah, I still need to train more for this..." Iris sighed.
"You’re not that heavy!" Sonia protested.
"Judging by your late-night social media posts, I’m sure you’re more like a Quetzalcoatl than a pig, huh?" Iris teased.
"Anyway, let’s head to the exit scan point. We really need to get out of here soon," Sonia said, eager to move on.
They all made their way to the exit, struggling to carry the massive data storage device. As they reached the final checkpoint, an elevator slowly descended from the ceiling, and they all sighed in relief.
"Finally," Sonia muttered. "We’ve been down here for hours."
After a long day of clearing missions, the group was feeling the mental fatigue. The work they had done during the past ten hours felt like a full day's worth of effort.
As they finally stepped into the elevator, they heard a sudden donation notification from Eugene.
"Eugene (Official) has donated 50,000 to the Gods... Thank you for your grace."
"Ah, thank you, Eugene...?" Iris stammered in response.
"Wow, being a Biyam really gets you tips and tricks," another person quipped. "I’m so jealous."
"Now that you’re here, can you please share your tail? I’ve been waiting forever," one of them joked.
"Hey, everyone, hold on! The tail, get it off!" someone else yelled.
"I’m about to lose it!" Iris laughed as she maneuvered through the situation.
"Looks like Biyams really can make a fool out of anyone..." one person muttered.
The group, now equipped with the necessary data, had reached the exit point and were ready to leave the area. The mission was nearly over.
As the elevator started moving, they all took a moment to catch their breath.
The real-time viewership numbers were over 450,000, and the audience was watching their every move, especially as Iris cleared the last wave of enemies, showing the raw power of the Biyams in action.
"Watch out! The scan’s almost complete!" someone shouted.
The tension was high, but they were ready. The journey, filled with challenges and excitement, was finally coming to an end.