Chang grabbed the test tube, something that Anthony reluctantly tolerated. We kept a keen eye on the Chinese scientist, just in case he was trying to trick us.
He led us into a room small enough to be possibly made from a refurbished wardrobe. Whatever that wardrobe was in the past, it was now a tiny bit of flooring with a strange machine taking up most of the space. Even upon getting a closer look, I couldn't tell what it was, though it resembled some strange combination of a microscope, a laser pointer and a 3D printer.
Turns out, that alone says a lot. While I was wrong about the 3D printer part, Chang did peek through the lens atop the machine, much like how an ordinary scientist would through a microscope. He then turned a previously unseen knob, which activated the laser pointer.
- What are you doing? - I asked curiously.
- Analyzing - was Chang's entire response.
The machine made a beeping noise before lifting the laser pointer, rising it to blast every inch of the tube with the red beam. When it reached the top, the goo squelched, albeit briefly, as the laser was promptly turned off. The analysis was complete.
- Let's see the results - Chang stated before leaving the machine behind.
- Where are you going? - Anthony blocked him.
- See all those cables? They lead back to my office, that's where my computer is. I can only check the results there - Chang explained, slowly growing irritated.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kaF3h2bEA
Anthony thought for a moment before letting him go. I followed the two adults over to the office. Along the way, we ran into Agent Nebula.
- Crook apprehended? - she asked.
- It appears that they are not a crook - Anthony reported.
- I am not evil, why are you skeptical?! - Chang growled.
- Because a good spy is always skeptical - Nebula responded.
- I'm really getting tired of listening about your espionage. Can we go and get this over with? - Chang glared at her.
- Get over with what? - Amber picked up.
- We let him run a professional analysis of the goo... - I briefed her.
- You did what?! - Agent Nebula suddenly turned to me - He could be saving vital information that could jeopardize our mission right now!
This was when I remembered Captain Nigel's attitude towards Nebula. He always claimed that she is paranoid, approaching whatever she said with a big grain of salt. He even mocked her once during our previous mission, his words now echoing in my memories, which were beginning to resurface.
However, unlike Nigel, I did not consider Nebula paranoid, mainly because she saved our lives shortly after being accused by our principal, which he obviously dubbed a manifestation of her delusions.
So, I didn't protest when Nebula started combing Chang, much to his dismay. He grumped like a child who wasn't allowed to buy a mouthful of candy.
Once Nebula finished, she did let him go. Chang made it to the room I had smashed into earlier, which now boasted a metal tile covering up the shattered window. It seems like Chang managed to get some repairs going while we were busy dealing with the guards.
- Did you find that angry guy? - I turned to my peers, starting a conversation while the results loaded on Chang's computer.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUjQ9JyzrK
- No, not even a trace - Claudius sighed.
- Vanished without any explanation - Amber added, equally disgruntled.
- Maybe Einstein... erm, Edward and Nigel found something? - I suggested.
- Hopefully - Claudius replied.
- Oh, you mean Shi Giuying? He likes to dissapear. I have to admit, he's really good at it - Chang heard us - Sometimes, I couldn't find him if he did as much as leave my office...66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaSVJUJbhn
- Tell us everything else you know about him - Nebula ordered.
- Well... - Chang rolled his eyes - He is a fellow scientist and wanted me to look at your sample. He is a botanist and works somewhere in the upper levels of this habitat. And he really likes sushi.
- Okay... - Amber nodded slowly.
- Oh, I got something that may interest you! - Chang suddenly sprung to life - This sample has been near the Point of No Return several times.
- How can it be of No Return if it came back? - I asked.
- I said near. My apparatus can detect heat signatures and the ones found on the tube match the temperature range of that region - Chang explained. He seemed to be much happier, probably because he hoped that we could finally leave him alone.
- So it's a region, not a point - Claudius noted.
- Indeed - Chang sighed - it's a thin border between the habitable altitude and the threshold of the hell that lies below - he added ominously.
- I guess we should go there? - I proposed, giving Chang additional hope.
- Since it's our only lead, I say we do so - Einstein stated.
We all jumped. Einstein was not a man renowned for his sneaking abilities, but he managed to get the jump on us, probably because we were so focused on Chang Yazhu and his research that we forgot about the two oldest members of our team.
- I agree. We should pass through the garden to see if we can find Shi in there - Nebula responded.
With that, we left Chang's office. I glanced one more time at the impressive contraption in his lab before we made it out. Chang was unsurprisingly delighted to see us go.
- Goodbye! - he grinned.
Having left, we used our jetpacks again (much to my concern) to fly up to the garden, which is from where the vines dangled. Somehow, there was even more vegetation in the garden than in the main hall, which shouldn't be surprising given its name, but the sheer amount of greenery below still made it shocking.
Most of the foliage was actually growing on the walls, a tactic known as vertical farming. We already managed to come across it on Mars, where it was pretty widespread. During our time on that planet, we even did some vertical farming of our own, forced to grow food within our rover.
We passed by some gardeners, though they were dressed like scientists. I didn't mind, as there was a lot of science involved in cosmic gardening. This was relatively normal. So, I focused on their faces, hoping to find Shi among them.
As I gazed upon them, the gardeners seemed to gaze back, very warily. This fueled me with concern.
What was more concerning was one scientist standing up and staring at us for much longer than the others did. We stared back, unsure if we should run or stay. My internal compass told me to run. So I did, jumping away.
However, I had to stop fairly quickly, as I almost ran into another gardener. Turning around, I realized that I was wrong - it was one of the guards we encountered earlier. To be more specific, the dangerous one.
Instead of greeting me, he grabbed his gun and tried to shoot me. I lunged away, dashing into the bushes.
The guard's quick reaction sent the gardeners into a frenzy. They focused on my teammates, trying to capture them, from the looks of it. I couldn't really tell, as I had to swiftly crawl through the thick roots to avoid the guard, who was probably looking for me.
One thing I could tell was that my allies were getting the upper hand, as sounds of fighting could be heard, paired with unfamiliar grunts, indicating that those who were attacked weren't people I knew.
I crept out of the bushes, cautiously peeking out of the overgrowth before stepping outside. Shockingly, I ran into a guard.
Fortunately, it was the cowardly, stammering one. When I appeared, he jumped away. However, he was still dangerous, as he notified his much more imposing coworker about my whereabouts.
I didn't waste time confronting the stammering guard. Instead, I ran. This wasn't too heroic, but it raised my chances of survival.
There was a fever around the garden, a fever focused on us. Whoever the gardeners were, they recognized us. And in their minds, we weren't good people.
At the corner of my eye, I saw Agent Nebula's uniquely tied braid, which resembled a scorpion's tail. This indicated that my allies were near.
Sure enough, I promptly ran into them. Well, Arika almost ran into me, focused on finding the right path. Luckily, nobody was harmed and we continued.
- What's going on? Why does everybody hate us suddenly? - I questioned.
- Conspiracy theorists, from what I could tell. They seem to be very upset with us, probably because we're at the centre of their theories - Arika explained.
- I knew it! - I gasped. I was worried about conspiracists, but pushed those fears aside, staying focused on our mission. However, my concerns were proven true and we were in quite a predicament. Especially since the scientists, paired with the two guards, were bearing down on us.66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2L84MuZHZ
We tried splitting up, only to find ourselves trapped in a dead end. As the aggressive guard appeared, Agent Nebula leaped over the railing and fell. I instinctively looked down, seeing that she activated her jetpack and was in the midst of escaping.
Anthony noticed this sooner than I and did the same thing. He fell before I saw Nebula, provoking a terrified shriek from me. However, now I knew what he was up to. Moreover, I had to do the same thing.
I gripped the railing and climbed onto it, staring into the green abyss below.
- Jump! - Dawn rushed me, doing that herself.
Arika came down next, then Claudius and Sebastian. Amber tried to fight back against a conspiracy theorist, but chose to flee once the guard showed up.
So, despite my obvious and overwhelming fears, I jumped.
ns216.73.216.86da2
and then Add to home screen.