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MAZE - Chapter 968 - The plan
🕑 Added 2024-11-16 06:11:38 +0000 UTCKa’mal grabbed his tablet and displayed a presentation on the big screen. It showed a central structure surrounded by eight rings.
“This is a representation of the lab. This square in the center is the actual building. The rings are the many barriers placed around it. I have to say, the humans outdid themselves. They created these massive spell circles with mana crystals, and rare materials to enhance their effects. But because of that, we are sure it won’t be easy to change the effects. Each ring is responsible for a specific type of protection, ranging from physical effects to magic, and blocking any communication signals trying to get in or out.”
“Communication? Wouldn’t that mean we can’t do a live stream if we’re inside?” Vash asked.
“That is a problem, yes. But we’ve figured out a way to circumvent that issue,” Ka’mal said, advancing to the next image. It was a pair of long black transmitters connected through what looked like a thick rubber pipe.
“Is that a double-sided strap-on?” Neria asked.
“What?” Ka’mal turned to the monitor.
“I see it,” Blade nodded. “That long thing in the middle is the belt, and the antennae are the dicks.”
“No, they’re not!” the elf protested.
“I mean, they don’t look like the most interesting dildos, but yeah. I can 100% see how it could be a double-sided strap-on,” Ziltan added.
“Who made this device? They might have some penis envy to solve during therapy,” Skyler suggested.
“It’s not a strap-on!” Ka’mal gasped, rubbing his eyes. “Listen, you can see whatever you want here, but just pay attention for now, okay? We’ll figure out the appearance later.”
He got some boos from the group, but everyone quickly quieted down. Even though this was a dangerous operation with the potential to end the war, adventurers were still adventurers. They were the kind of people who would make jokes no matter the circumstances. It was that or letting the weight of their actions overpower them completely.
“Moving on. These transmitters will help us relay the images we get inside. We’ll have a pair of them between each of the barriers. One of the antennas will be inside the barrier and the other on the outside. The rubber pipe connecting them is what actually passes through the barrier. Internally, they have a series of spell circles and runes set up so that the signal isn’t disturbed.”
“I’m assuming we can’t just leave these transmitters stationary. There are probably patrols or something that would force us to move them. And that’s where I come in—more specifically, where my snakes come in,” Hera said.
“Exactly. There are patrols, cameras, and sensors that could detect the transmitters if left on their own. I was thinking about using your snakes in pairs to hide and ensure there’s always one on each side of the barrier. If needed, we can extend the rubber pipe up to two meters. Anything beyond that length will start to disrupt the signal and deactivate the protections,” Ka’mal explained.
“You keep calling this a rubber pipe, but it’s just a cable,” Flint frowned.
Ka’mal let out a long sigh. “Look, that’s not up to me. I asked the people in R&D who designed this, and they insisted I call it a pipe. They gave me a 20-minute explanation about why this is a pipe and not a cable. I’m just saving myself some trouble.”
“But it’s flexible and can be tugged or slackened like a rope, right?” Flint asked.
“Yes. It behaves exactly like a cable. But it is a pipe. Just bear with me.”
“Why call for Hera specifically? Her snakes are useful, but she’s not the only one with skills like this. Many people can create constructs that can move and follow orders,” Vash noted. Hera didn’t seem bothered by the question—it was something she was curious about too.
“That’s true, but not many have constructs that can act independently like hers do. Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you tell your snakes to hide from monsters, they can identify what a monster is and hide without you having to specify each one, right?” Ka’mal turned to Hera, and the rest of the group followed his gaze.
“That is true. But they’re not infallible. If I don’t recognize something as a monster, neither do they. And monsters can still sneak up on them,” Hera explained.
“Sure, but if their environment changes, they will adapt without your input.”
“Yes.”
Ka’mal nodded. “That’s exactly what we need. But Vash is still correct—there are others with similar skills, some who could create better-suited constructs for this task. However, Hera’s ability has two major advantages. First, the number of snakes she can summon. We have eight barriers, so we need at least sixteen snakes, and we aren’t entirely sure if there are more barriers inside the lab.”
“And the second advantage?” Hera asked.
“The area where the lab is located has a decent number of snakes. If the cameras or patrols see them moving around, it won’t look suspicious.”
“Sure, there’s nothing suspicious about a pair of snakes connected by the belt of a strap-on,” Skyler rolled her eyes.
“It’s not a strap-on!” Ka’mal exclaimed. “And do you really think we didn’t consider that? This is basic infiltration strategy. The exterior structure has spells to make it invisible, blend its temperature with the environment, reduce noise, and even make it smell like a forest.”
“Oh, okay. That actually makes a lot of sense,” Skyler nodded.
“Anyway, do you think your snakes can handle it?” Ka’mal turned back to Hera.
Hera nodded. “Probably. But I’d feel much more comfortable if we could test it first.”
“We have a small-scale model for testing. I say small-scale, but it covers about 300 meters. Since we’re dealing with something that spans a few kilometers, it’s different, but it should be enough to work out the kinks,” Ka’mal paused. “Actually, now that I think about it, there might be one more job suited for you.”
“Another? Aren’t you putting too much on her?” Neria crossed her arms.
“I agree. I don’t think that’s a good call,” Blade replied without even looking in the Ophidianite’s direction.
“Maybe. But I honestly think Hera might be the best option for this. Let me explain the rest of the operation. The idea is to have a team sneak into the facility. The way to do that will be provided by other members arriving here later. Once inside, the team should split into two. One single person will enter a protected area through a vent and head into the heart of the laboratory, while everyone else goes for a more frontal assault, if you will.”
“Weren’t we supposed to be sneaking?” Roan asked.
“Yes. But considering how many people we are sending, we don’t believe you will be able to stay hidden for very long.”
“How many?” Ziltan asked.
“The infiltration team will have 20 people. In total, there will be 35. We will have 15 protecting our escape route and ensuring the transmission stays steady. There’s also another group handling the images once they reach here, but that’s not something we have to worry about. They were already briefed and taken to the studio where they will be working,” Ka’mal said, changing the slides to show the numbers and the breakdown of each team.
Aside from the 35 invading the lab, there were another 50 people working on logistics, supplies, and processing the images.
“That still doesn’t explain why Hera should go,” Neria pressed.
“I’m getting there,” Ka’mal changed the slide again, now showing an internal view of the facility, including a floor plan. The place was massive, but there was something odd—a single ventilation duct leading to a small, separate area with a couple of large rooms and three cells.
“Here. This is the layout of the laboratory. As you can see, there is something out of place. From what we know, the Soldiers of Strength are all in the main facility. But this part,” he pointed to the separated area, “we have no information on, aside from its existence. That’s why we’re sending a single person who can handle themselves well here.”
“But why do we care about that place? There are enough cells in the other areas. We should be able to get plenty of footage of people being experimented on,” Vash asked.
Ziltan answered, “That side area feels like someone’s playground—a part of the facility used for personal research. Trust me, if someone needs a private section inside a lab like this, whatever they’re doing is much worse than what we’re seeing everywhere else.”
Ka’mal nodded. “That’s true. But we’re also considering the possibility that they’ve separated the human prisoners. The whole point is that we need to show humans as prisoners. We need to expose that the Guild is using their own people as lab rats. We know this blueprint is a few months old. If this side area was an expansion, it’s possible they are splitting up the humans and non-humans. Or, like Ziltan said, something even worse could be happening here.”
“So one person will go there to verify if it’s a hidden human prison. What about the rest?” Roan asked.
“The rest of you will spread out through the laboratory, searching for cells or people being experimented on. Your goal is to do a quick sweep and record everything. On your way back, you can attempt to rescue people. Because of the size of the structure, we need a lot of people to cover the ground quickly.”
“There has to be more to this. You wouldn’t be sending that many people for a stealth job,” Ziltan pressed.
Ka’mal sighed. “I was going to wait to tell everyone, but you’re right. We have reason to believe that all the Strength daemons are connected in a single network, so by destroying their containment cells, we expect to be able to destroy all Soldiers of Strength in one blow.”
“Why the secrecy? We’re already here,” Roan frowned.
“Because we still don’t know if that’s what we’re going to do. We don’t know the ramifications of killing all the Strength daemons. It’s possible that everyone connected to them will die as well. The Alliance is waiting on a decision from the Council. But even if they decide against it, the large number of people is intended to help rescue as many prisoners as possible,” Ka’mal explained, his voice showing how much he was struggling with the information.
“So the Alliance is going to decide who lives and who dies?” Neria asked.
“After the last battle, where the humans nearly reached the Beastmen capital, yes. The situation has become one of sacrificing the few to save the many. It didn’t help that every person we saved told us they were constantly begging to die while connected to a Strength daemon,” Ka’mal continued.
There was a long pause as everyone processed the information. If they were going to kill all the Soldiers of Strength like that, it would come at a heavy price.
“Ka’mal, that still doesn’t explain why you’re suggesting she’s the one to take that job,” Blade said, turning to Hera. “I mean no offense, but you don’t look strong enough to handle whatever might be in that separate area.”
“What level are you?” Hera asked Blade.
“High 70s.”
The Empress nodded. “Okay then. I’m level 58. Let’s spar.”
“What?” Blade looked surprised. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? I’m almost level 80.”
“I did. I’m assuming you have no idea what I can do. And I’m guessing you wanted to go to that area yourself. Instead of arguing back and forth, it’s easier for you to see it firsthand. For the record, I don’t think I will be able to win. But you might be surprised at how close the fight can get,” Hera turned to Ka’mal. “Do we have an arena here?”
The elf sighed. “Yeah, follow me. I knew this kind of thing would happen, but I didn’t expect you to be the first one to ask for it.”
Comments
Imp
Here is tired of everyone's crap. "Let's get it over with. Le sigh."
