Girls' Frontline: My Apocalypse with Dolls

Page 235

There were so many things in this shop that they didn't understand, from the equipment used to the work processes, and even the way they were provided with their jobs was quite unusual.

45 instinctively reached for the walkie-talkie to report to her teammates above, but then suddenly remembered that she was underground, and there was no signal here...

"Damn..."

She had no choice but to press the play button.

Let's take it one step at a time...

[3] Due to the aging of the equipment, the noise of the computer will increase with the amount of work you do and the time you spend on it. Please control your work time reasonably and complete your work on time as much as possible.

[4] The ventilation system controls the temperature of the work area. Under normal working conditions, it is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it will also generate noise during operation. Please turn off the ventilation system as needed. However, please note that the temperature will start to rise immediately after the ventilation system is turned off. Do not allow the temperature to reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid serious consequences (this is not the room temperature of your work environment, but the room temperature of the entire underground facility).

[5] Please pay attention to the ventilation ducts on both sides. Their wire partitions have been damaged for unknown reasons. Please be careful. If you notice any abnormal noises coming from the ducts during the work process, please stop using the computer, ventilation system and other activities that will generate noise immediately, and wait for the sound to go away. Remember, do not try to finish the work as soon as possible and prolong the use time. The ventilation system remote control is on the table. Please control it yourself.

[6] This computer has a motion sensor. If needed, please pay close attention to the sensor's status. However, please note that switching tasks will cause the work process to... hiss hiss hiss...

While silently waiting for the work to be completed, 45 people listened to the voice recorder, but then a jarring static sound abruptly cut off the report.

"Tsk, will this scrap metal break down?"

45 picked it up and looked it over several times, but no signs of damage were found, so its function should be normal.

Tsk, so be it. Anyway, she already knows the general idea of ​​what to do. As for the fact that she has to turn off the equipment and stop working if there is noise nearby, her sense of humor at 45 makes her subconsciously think that this annoying noise is making her neighbor next door unable to sleep and thus wants to climb the ventilation pipe to give her a good thrashing.

...Hiss hiss hiss...Hello? Hello?!

A gasp startled 45, who was in a quiet environment, and the voice recorder beside her started working again.

"OK, OK, listen carefully. This is the voice of one of Douglas's old buddies. Don't listen to the second half of the recording anymore. They speak too slowly, and the information they give isn't entirely accurate. If you believe everything they say, you're doomed! Now, listen to me. I'll tell you what to do next. Listen carefully!"

It was the voice of a middle-aged man, highly tense. The 45-year-old could recall that when they were listening to Douglas's recording in the security room, there were other male voices in the recording environment, and this was one of them. He wasn't lying; he had come with Douglas.

The recording conveys an even stronger sense of threat, because "believing everything you say will ruin you."

Don't trust the mall management, trust him instead?

He was the previous security guard, and his experience might be more valuable for reference.

Well, let's listen to it then. Anyway, the process is semi-automated; all she has to do is click...

"First, there's the work you need to do. Don't worry about the specifics; just understand it by the three main categories the equipment has been divided into. The first category is 'printing,' which takes the longest, is the noisiest, and is the most dangerous. Only do this type of work when you've confirmed it's safe."

"The second type is ordering supplies. The activity is relatively quiet, and the completion time is not too fast. It is relatively safer than the first type, but it is still quite dangerous. You should judge the situation yourself, but if you hear any noise from either side, you still have to stop, understand?"

The man's sudden roar sent a chill down 45's spine again; the so-called voice was emphasized once more...

"OK, alright, this is just a recording, there's no point in me asking. Just keep it in mind. Continue. The last item is the fastest, with no sound. If you hear a sound from the ventilation duct, you can proceed. After all, this thing is silent during operation. I've tested it. Just turn off the ventilation system. By the way, speaking of the ventilation system, you need to pay attention to temperature control!"

"If you turn it off, the temperature will rise very quickly, even if it's only for a few seconds. Also, there's something wrong with the recording. You'd better not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, because the margin for error left for you is too small! Understand?! Okay, I'll take that as you understand!"

This recording provides a simple introduction to the job type and gives a basic lesson to 45, which is indeed easier to understand than the official recording.

However, this atmosphere is truly suffocating...

"OK, next is that motion sensor. First of all, you need to understand that this thing can't be used at the same time as your work. You can only do one thing at a time. Also, don't completely trust this thing. You have to trust your ears!"

326 Clarify the current situation

P.S.: If you want a more immersive experience, you can still play the aforementioned "The Claudication Room".

If she were human, her palms would definitely be sweating, but her mental state is no different from that of a human who sweats.

"Okay, lastly, and most troublesome, oh my god, I'm most afraid of this thing... O, OK, let's get this straight. Remember the way you came? It was long, right? And lots of corners and rooms. Now I'm telling you, you're not safe. First, let's talk about the workroom where you're sitting. Did you notice? The doors here are the same as the security room—one sliding door and one fireproof door. But the problem is, the sliding door has a window on it, and it can only be closed, not locked! Damn! I suspect they did this on purpose. Cough... cough! Anyway, there are no lights on the fireproof doors here. You can peer through the window to see what's happening in the corridor and open or close the fireproof doors as needed. But remember, you can't keep the fireproof doors closed all the time. Once closed, the room temperature will rise very quickly. You can only close them briefly as needed until the threat is gone!"

"Snapped!"

The voice recorder slipped from its grip and fell to the ground; 45 quickly picked it up.

"Damn it, there are so many rules, I can't remember them all!"

The girl was currently extremely busy and trying to jot down and clarify the key points of the other person's words, but...

"Thump...thump..."

Damn!

There was no time to worry about recording. 45 pressed all the buttons on the devices with the "off" symbol, and in an instant, the entire workspace fell silent.

Although she was very young, she must have heard correctly, she couldn't have misheard...

There's a sound coming from the ventilation duct... on the left!

45 instinctively wanted to step back, but realized that there was another ventilation duct behind him, so he could only sit there and stare at the dark entrance.

Thump...thump....

Something is hitting something inside...

45 didn't dare lift a hand, afraid of bumping into something that might make a sound.

A few seconds later, the sound stopped, as if waiting for something.

I don't know what it is, but it's definitely not friendly...

Thump...thump......

The sound seems to be fading away; at 45, you can feel the change in volume...

About a minute later, it was finally clear that the sound had truly left.

Tsk, 1:38am, that's not early at all. I've wasted a lot of time, and there seems to be a lot of work left to do.

"click"

45. The equipment was turned back on, ready to continue the remaining work.

Let me finish playing the previous recordings...

Damn it, thank goodness I didn't yell it out during the recording, or she might have been finished.

Okay, what did the recording just mention? Let's go back to it.

While working, 45 stood up and looked behind him, seeing the situation in the corridor through the window in the door.

Narrow, dark, with a large number of cluttered facilities attached to the walls, and the corridor light at the end of the corridor flickering constantly. In the darkness, it is impossible to see anything at all.

Moreover, the way it flashes... is that it is normally dark, and when it lights up, it only lasts for a short 1.3 seconds... The interval is irregular, and it is mostly in a dark state.

*Sizzle*... Recording continues

"See that other monitor on the table? That's for monitoring the surveillance footage, showing the hallway you came in through and every room along the way. Pay attention to the thing's location. You can play a sound to lure it into another room, but you can only use it once every three minutes, so it's just a delaying tactic. Sooner or later, it will be in the hallway behind you. And if it goes around the corners ahead and ends up in the hallway directly opposite the workroom, playing a sound won't distract it! So keep looking back, through the windows on the doors."

Observe its location. Even if it's dark and you can't see anything, keep turning around. This will slow down its movement. If it gets too close, close the door until it leaves. Also, remember to check the temperature; don't close it for too long out of fear, as this could cause the temperature to go out of control.

......

"Remember these rules, they can save your life. Don't expect your colleagues to help you here; you can only rely on yourself. Good luck, I have to leave now."

......

So the question is, how much of this set of rules did 45 actually remember?

The answer is that I memorized it all. Actually, it's not particularly complicated. I just need to do some practice to help verify her point of view.

The problem is that she still doesn't know what the threat she's facing is; the only information she has is that the thing can move.

She'd already experienced the ventilation ducts, but she had no idea about the corridor behind her...

The surveillance cameras here are just like the ones above; they're full of static, making it difficult to see the situation in each area.

The screen showed a surveillance video and a route map, which could determine where the thing had gone. It could be distracted by playing a sound, but the sound could only be played once every three minutes. Once it reached the long corridor directly behind it, the sound would no longer be effective. It was necessary to look back and observe its situation more often and slow down its actions. If it got too close, the door would be closed.

Okay, she probably has a pretty good idea now...

Let's get back to work and observe for a while longer...

Meanwhile, in the security room above

Luo Fan was feeling a bit tired. He had been watching the screen for a long time without anything unexpected happening. Half an hour later, he was starting to feel unwell.

The girl beside her climbed onto her shoulder and comforted her, "Why don't you go rest for a while and let AK12 and the others watch over things for a bit?"

"No, I still want to see what it is with my own eyes. Maybe I won't be sleepy anymore after I see it."

He shook his head and declined the other party's offer.

After the girls finished their coffee, RPK got up to prepare another brew.

"I wonder how 45 is doing. Although I know there is no signal down here, it is still hard not to feel nervous after so long without any news."

Luo Fan was also uneasy about Sister 45's departure. After all, the recording said that no one should go out during this period, but Sister 45 was the one who had to go out.

Even though we've seen her enter the underground facility, who could have imagined what 45 would have to face inside?

"Don't worry, Commander. UMP45 has been able to lead her squad through so many battles for so long. Even if we don't talk about combat, survival must be the easiest thing for her. She's probably more at ease with her than you are."

AK12's attitude was very relaxed, as if she didn't care much about the current situation, but the way she comforted her made 416 feel a little uncomfortable.

While what she said is true, 404's ability to survive in the cracks is indeed top-notch...

PS: OK, I'm all recovered now, so I can get back to updating.

327 behind

1:52

"Ugh, damn it, why can't this thing be any faster?!"

45 can only do a few things, like clicking the mouse and pressing the remote control, but right now she wants nothing more than to get up and smash this pile of scrap metal on the ground.

Why is it taking so long? More than half an hour has passed, and we still haven't finished the first task.

The work had to be paused midway due to the noise from the ventilation duct on the left, but 45 could understand why the work was scheduled for such a long time; it was simply impossible to finish it in an hour.

If it's about printing flyers, then they probably have to print the entire amount that the mall needs to distribute in a day, otherwise why would it take so long?

"Okay, UMP45, calm down, think about something else. Check the security footage, yes, check the security footage, pay close attention to the images, there's something else you need to watch out for..."

Calm yourself down, and while the first task is underway, 45 starts operating the monitoring screen on another monitor, beginning to check the condition of each room and corridor from near to far.

Dark, dirty, and damp are the defining characteristics of this space. Who would have thought that such a place would be hidden beneath a gleaming shopping mall?

"Yes, the recent areas are relatively safe..."

After confirming the surrounding situation, 45 switched the monitoring to the furthest area.

"Okay, there's nothing here... wait a minute."

While browsing through the rooms, 45 saw something in the "safe room".

The existence of this thing is uncertain, even for 45, but... perhaps its existence itself is reasonable, but... its actions...

45. Subconsciously, he brought his eyes closer to the screen, wanting to confirm if he had seen something wrong.

“Damn it…”

She couldn't help but curse.

On the dimly lit surveillance screen, she could see a skeleton... no, not the fragile skeleton of a human, but a mechanical doll, yes, the kind of machine that performs songs and dances in cute costumes in those children's restaurants.

What 45 saw was a cold, lifeless mechanical skeleton beneath the suit...

For people with doll phobia, those costumes can still be associated with the word "cute," but the costumes underneath are not necessarily so.

Its height of over 2 meters and its eyes, as big as its face but completely black, are obviously more frightening.

The eyes are completely black, seemingly suggesting that this skeleton is not in working condition, but...

"Is it watching the location of the surveillance camera?"

In the image, the skeleton lies slumped against the wall like a high-dose addict, seemingly unconscious.

However, the face was directly facing the surveillance camera, and because its eyes were completely black and unfocused, it was impossible to determine whether the thing was actually looking at them.

However, 45 felt unwell all over...

She still wanted to examine it closely to see if the thing was really looking at her, so she moved her face even closer.

......

"Buzz buzz buzz... [No Signal]"

"Oh, damn it, why did you have to make a mistake at this time?"

The surveillance screen suddenly went black, and the same "No Signal" message appeared as above, indicating that something had gone wrong again.

45 also had to temporarily shift his attention away from the safety room, just as the last item of the first type of work had been completed.