AutoTerra: Operating Systems

Chapter 57: The Slime

“GAAAH!”

Just finished their swivel lever pull from the center of the gate, some team members were startled by the fall of a lump of flesh and shins that had been crushed from the sidelines between the lever and the gate, falling to the floor, and then falling into the ground, almost about the chairman's leg.

“Ish! Make a shock,” hiss one of the soldiers annoyed while stroking his chest.

“This same meat bone dries, Chairman?” ask another soldier.

Edrick noticed the lump of dried meat, calmly kicking the object back so as not to block the road.

“That's. We've found many things like that while browsing this ship.”

It does. From earlier the name of the lump of meat, bones, and dry blood spots must always be found in every area of the ship, whether it is from the human body or the monsters.

“Ya, already. Now, we turn the lever.”

They were back ready to turn the lever. But had not been able to give a warning, another object fell from the ceiling of the corridor. A sticky, viscous object with no apparent shape.

“Awas!”

“GAH!!”

Suddenly Edrick and the three soldiers jumped away. It was now in front of the gate, blocking their way. A very viscous liquid object, its cream color resembles the color of human skin. Have some body parts such as hands, feet, and eyes stuck irregularly on the object.

It's disgusting, it's messy.

[Name : Slime-D]

[Type : Infection]

[Nature : Passive]

[Status: Danger]

[Identification: Expected Artificial Object]

“Jeez, anything like this?” edrick was panicking.

Wirma checked the radar. “Tadi not detected anything around here. Now, the creature instead reads as a blue dot.”

“What is the creature harmless so until it marked the blue dot on the radar?” ask Sadin.

“AutoTerra System scans if this creature is an Extreme Level Infection. Surely, he is dangerous,” said Astan.

“Nature Passive,” added Tenma, just back talking. “Passive creatures are usually quiet. Maybe that's why radar is hard to detect.”

Come to think of it, there really is a point Tenma said. If they see the response of the creature, it seems that the movement is slow and calm. However, the gaze of one eye attached to the surface of the slimy body really makes their hair goosebumps.

“So, what to—Gyaaah!!!”

They flinched, realizing Slime-D's slime-slime was darting rapidly towards them. Their reflexes were all trying to avoid those slime. Didn't expect that Slime-D could attack suddenly like this.

“Shield!”

[Shield Type-3: On]

One warrior activated the Shield Ability, creating a wide holographic shield that protected them from the slime-D splashes. Unfortunately, the hologram shield appears to be slowly melting due to the effect on the mucus.

The Silver Rank Warrior was trying to protect the others from the attacks of Extreme Level creatures, it felt somewhat impossible. Their difference in strength was too striking.

“Chairman, my shield can't hold its attack any longer!”

“Which has the same ability, help him!”

[Shield Type-3: On]

One more soldier added one shield on the front, thickening the shield layer. But, it still melted like the shield before.

Astan who was watching the two trying to protect them felt rather unwell. If only his Shield Ability had already broken through to Type-3, maybe Astan could also help.

“Ergh…! Can't do. The liquid of this creature is too strong,” ringis the warrior, trying to maintain his shield.

“That creature must be obliterated!”

“No, tungg—.”

Not yet had Edrick warned, one soldier desperate to shoot Slime-D using an assault rifle. Instead of dying, the liquid on the body of Slime-D increasingly spread everywhere due to the shot, the more fluid also attached to the shield to make it melt hollow.

“Too many holes...!” The soldier was unable to defend his shield.

“Cut the shield! I'll hold off using my Ability Program.”

Two soldiers turned off their shields. Soon Edrick re-enables his Ability Program.

“IRN 197-1 : Iron Wall!”

One iron wall appeared in front, pushed Edrick towards the Slime. When the iron wall almost fell on him, Slime-D released back its thick liquid, penetrating the sidelines of the iron wall according to size.

If there is a gap as thin as anything, then Slime-like creatures can still penetrate it.

Edrick widened, realizing that some Slime-D liquid could still penetrate through the cracks of the iron wall he made, even now darted past it.

“Menghin—.”

Not yet had Edrick warned, the fluids had hit the armour of two soldiers who did not have time to avoid.

“What a— Ti-no! My armour's melting! Arrrgh!!!”

“Sa-sick…! Ergh! I-i. it's hard. Waaaarghh!!!”

“Warrior!”

One soldier was about to approach, but Tenma was arrested when he saw blood pouring down the bodies and armor of the two poor soldiers. Not only that, their breathing became more congested, their internal organs were destroyed, and slowly their whole body was melted away from the crevices of the armour.

Everyone was in shock, not believing what they saw. Seeing the two teammates die in a state of melt, die horribly in front of them. The abilities of this monster were truly terrifying.

Edrick doesn't believe this. Because of his negligence in regulating ability, not realizing that it had given slime-D fluids to penetrate, resulting in their team losing two members.

“Chairman, your iron wall!” persemat Astan panic.

When Edrick turned his head, he was again made to realize that his thick iron walls could be melted by the whole body fluids of Slime-D.

The liquid was now almost spreading towards them again. But unexpectedly one soldier spouted cold air from his weapon until it froze into a chunk of ice.

They were all able to breathe a sigh of relief for now after seeing all the Slime-D liquid successfully frozen. They did not expect, the creature would be defeated using a freezing weapon.

“Ma-forgive me. I didn't realize it could be frozen—.”

Edrick lowered his head, raising one hand, gesturing for the soldier in possession of the freezer to pause for a moment.

“You have Ice Gun?”

The soldier only nodded in return, but the look on the face behind the helmet still showed guilt.

The chief patted the helmet. He regretted when he forgot to give orders to Ice Gun user soldiers to freeze Slime-D. Edrick thought that no one on his team used Ice Gun weapons, on average, using this type of assault weapon. Moreover, they still did not know what kind of creatures roamed here and it was hard to know how to deal with them.

In that case, Edrick should have given the order from the beginning to freeze Slime-D. Surely the two members will not be lucky like this.

“Who else has an Ice Gun or something?”

No one answered, a sign that no one was using a freezing weapon, except this one soldier.

Edrick was able to check the weaponry data of its members through the system panel. On average, they use assault rifles, including Astan. Some use Laser Gun, Plasma Rifle, Sniper Rifle, and Shotgun.

Weapons such as Ice Gun, Flame Thrower, Granade and Rocket Launcher are usually very difficult to obtain for users of the Silver Rank system down, the price is expensive. It was only natural that many of them did not have these types of weapons.

Edrick breathed heavily. “….Never mind. Everything has already happened. Regretting and debating the problems that have already occurred will only hinder our duties. This is a lesson so that we, especially me as your chairman, can be more thorough, focused, and alert to the possibilities that we will face.”

To say so, Edrick was unable to hide his regret for having neglected to set the strategy just because of one enemy.

Wirma walked over, patting her on the shoulder, trying to calm down that things like this were not impossible.

At any time, death would always lurk them.

“Grrawww...”.

“Grraaawwh.

Again they were surprised by the two soldiers who died rising again in a melted body, as well as the bones that can still support their bodies to stand even irregularly.

“They rise?”

“That must have been the effect of Slime's infection.”

“Let me handle!”

The Ice Gun wielder again spouted cold air towards the two melted bodies of the soldier. Some can still freeze, but it takes a long time to freeze them completely because the body size is much larger than the Slime-D earlier.

“Grraaawh!”

“Akh—.”

The soldier was forced to retreat when one body tried to reach him with melted hands, plus the Ice Gun ammunition was also exhausted and needed to be filled.

“Their bodies are hard to freeze. But, it looks like it can be shot, there are some parts that are still solid and have frozen,” said the soldier while filling Ice Gun ammunition.

“OK, we try to shoot.”

Several soldiers shot the shattered bodies of the two bodies. After being shot successfully, both bodies were confirmed to have been destroyed, will not be able to rise again. Just in case, the Ice Gun user again froze the shattered and melted body parts so as not to rise suddenly again.

“Everything, safe!” said Ice Gun user after completing the task.

“Yakin? Later even rise again.”

“Udah crushed frozen so, where can rise again,” elak Astan on one of the soldiers.

Corridor is safe. No more attacks of creatures such as Slime-D or sudden attacks of dead bodies affected by Slime-D infection.

Yes, for the moment they are safe.

...~*~*~*~...