The Natives of This World Are Fierce
Chapter 51 - 50: Hint
Baru understood from Norton’s attitude that he wasn’t going to get any more useful information.
So, he adopted the posture expected of a survivor.
He began to recount the terrifying memory with genuine emotion.
"That night, I caught two sneaky kids. Right, I remember their names were Jack and Joseph. Yes, those were the names."
Norton, of course, knew Baru was talking about the other two survivors, who were in separate rooms.
As Baru began his recollection, the people beside him switched on audio and video recording equipment.
"At the time, I found their reactions strange. They seemed terrified by something, and their nerves were stretched to the breaking point. I knew my M9 could shut them up, but it wasn’t enough to scare them to *that* degree."
"The one thing they kept repeating was that we had to leave, to get away from the mine."
As he said this, an expression of regret appeared on Baru’s face.
"But at the time, after learning that the two of them had also been there the night before, I was desperate to find out what happened to the company’s security guards. If only I had known... I should have listened to them!"
Then, he gave a self-deprecating smile, no longer dwelling on his regret.
"We soon understood why they were so panicked."
"A song... or to be precise, just a melody. But I could somehow understand its meaning."
At this point, Baru’s expression became conflicted, as if he was struggling to find the words.
"It was the kind of thing... there were no lyrics, but I just knew what it meant. The temptation... I-I don’t know what came over me, but I wanted to follow the sound of that song. I started to feel that everything except my own body was unclean..."
Hearing this, Norton and the others exchanged glances. Although they couldn’t comprehend this strange melody Baru described, they now basically understood why the missing people had left their clothes and weapons at the scene.
Immediately after, Baru’s expression shifted to one of terror, a mix of unease and agitation.
It was hard to imagine what could make a battle-hardened veteran wear such an expression.
"I consider myself to have undergone the most rigorous training. My stamina, endurance, and even my willpower are at the peak of human capability."
Everyone present silently agreed with Baru’s words. An elite like him deserved such a description.
"But that pain... it transcended the limits of both body and mind!"
"It was like... It was like..."
He desperately searched for a way to describe it, then his head shot up.
"The soul!"
"It was like my very soul was being tormented! That thing... that ore vein... it was devouring my soul!"
"I don’t know what it was like for the others, but I was conscious. I could feel myself being slowly digested the entire time. How I wished I could have just passed out!"
As he spoke of that pain and terror, Baru’s face contorted.
The camera recorded the entire scene.
The medical monitors at his side showed Baru’s heart rate spiking, a clear sign of his extreme agitation.
Norton nearly called for a doctor several times.
Fortunately, Baru gradually calmed down.
"I thought I was done for, that my body and soul would become nourishment for that Demon Ore."
"Until they appeared!"
At this, Baru’s tone suddenly became animated.
"Who were they?"
Norton immediately pressed.
Baru looked at the people around him. Beneath their bulky hazmat suits, he could see faces filled with tense expectation, nothing like the cold, professional demeanor of special operatives from a sci-fi blockbuster.
It was a comical thought; he, in his simple hospital gown, looked more normal than anyone else in the room.
"I don’t know. I don’t know who they were, but I know they were human. Humans who knew about that terrifying mine and possessed special powers!"
"There were three of them! They shattered the protective layer the ore vein had disguised itself with and burst in along with the rainwater!"
"At that moment, my body attacked them against my will, but my mind was still clear."
"Perhaps I had already started to assimilate with the ore vein, because I could feel its intense desire to devour, as well as its unconcealable fear."
At this point, everyone knew the part they were most eager to hear was coming.
"They were wearing black robes, and both the rain from the sky and the water on the ground flowed around them, avoiding them completely!"
Baru recalled the miraculous scene.
The battle began almost instantly.
Baru marveled as he recalled the incredible speed and strength his body had possessed at the time.
It was clear the three had written off the seven who were already crystallized, showing them no mercy. However, they intentionally tried to spare the remaining ten of us, as their attacks were mostly meant to push us away.
The fight went from a one-sided suppression to the ore vein exploiting a weakness, using the bodies of the ten people to entangle the black-robed figures while it collapsed the entire mine.
What followed was the "earthquake" that Old Ode and the three police officers felt.
That was the force of the collapsing mine being shattered from deep underground.
The entire battle was filled with both unconventional violence and incredible danger.
Under these circumstances, the ten "flesh puppets" miraculously survived, carried out from underground by the buoyant water.
Baru and three others were judged to be too severely injured, so the three figures in black took them far from the mine to be treated.
Hearing this part of the story, the patrol officer who had discovered them couldn’t help but speak up.
"So you’re saying the emergency call I received was actually made by those figures in black?"
This was a breakthrough. Norton seized on the key point and pressed further.
"Where did the call originate? Have you checked?"
The patrol officer was prepared for Norton’s question and replied with regret.
"We’ve already checked. It was a highway payphone."
The lead went cold. Disappointed, Norton could only ask Baru to continue.
At the end of his narrative, Baru stressed that as he was drifting in and out of consciousness, he vaguely heard phrases like "the footsteps of darkness’s return are quickening" and "recall the remaining forces."
It was clear that saying so much in one go had drained what little energy Baru had.
He was now breathing weakly, while a medically-trained member of the team helped regulate his breathing.
Meanwhile, Norton’s brow furrowed and relaxed, then furrowed again.
Many questions had been answered.
For example, why the four of them were found far from the mine, why they had regained consciousness sooner than the others, and why Baru had been able to ask that question at the beginning.
’But why would the three figures in black avoid the police? While I can understand their reasons, shouldn’t a crisis of this magnitude be reported to the government?’
As Norton subconsciously voiced this question to the others, Baru, lying on the bed, spoke in a low, seemingly offhand tone.
"Perhaps it’s a lack of trust."
’Baru knew full well that the Dawn of today was a shadow of its former self. The great heroes of millennia past had endured under immense pressure, but the current Dawn could not withstand another betrayal.’
’He knew what nations were like, especially a capitalist superpower like the United States.’
’The lust for control was an incurable vice of those in power.’
’Until Dawn was strong again, they could not take that risk!’
’They could not risk the Hope of all humankind, of the entire world!’
’As for preparing the nation, he had already given Norton his hint. He trusted that Dawn’s Magic Controllers and Sages would have better plans in place.’
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The next Chapter will be a bit late, please check back tomorrow.