Chapter 37: What The Hell Is This!?

"What the hell, why isn't the control room responding?!" Security guard A stationed on the lower deck of the ship asked with some annoyance. "How much longer do we have to be trapped in this damn place?"

"Something is not right..." Security guard B next to him lit a cigarette, his eyes scanning the surroundings surreptitiously. He whispered, "Do you see that? Those guys in black clothes seem anxious."

"Anyone would be anxious when trapped in this damn place," Security guard A said impatiently.

"No, this is different..." Security guard B shook his head. As a former engineer for the Blackwater Company who had fought in Iraq with mercenaries, he sensed an underlying unease in the air.

He said to Security guard A, "Those guys are different from us. They are well-trained, well-equipped, and foreign armed forces. According to common sense, they shouldn't have to worry about being trapped in this place, but now, look at them, they are obviously worried...what do you think they're worried about?"

Security guard A's heart was beating fast from what Security guard B said. He instinctively gripped the gun in his hand.

Security guard B didn't say anything else. He just silently watched the guys in black ops uniforms, who seemed to be communicating with someone.

Soon, a few more people in black ops uniforms arrived, and they talked with an anxious tone. Security guard B couldn't hear very well, so he moved his butt a little bit when they weren't paying attention, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. He only heard some vague phrases like "unable to contact the superiors" and "delayed evacuation timing."

"Why do they need to evacuate?" Security guard B was puzzled. He turned to look at Security guard A, and then he saw a horrifying scene.

A person wearing a security uniform, covered in blood, stuck half his body out of the ventilation duct behind Security guard A. Two things that no longer looked like hands extended from his tattered sleeves and grabbed at the unprepared Security guard A.

"WATCH OUT!" Security guard B shouted, grabbing the collar of security guard A and pulling him over.

Caught off guard, security guard A stumbled as security guard B pulled him. He was about to get angry, but then he saw the look of horror on security guard B's face, so he quickly turned around.

"What the hell is this?!"

As they watched, the figure grabbed at nothing and fell out of the ventilation duct, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Red blood mixed with white fluid splattered everywhere. It might have been an illusion, but security guard A thought he heard the sound of bones breaking when the figure hit the ground.

Compared to the stunned security guard A, security guard B was much faster. He pulled out his gun and aimed at the struggling figure on the ground, shouting, "Don't move! Put your hands behind your back!"

However, the figure writhed on the ground as if it hadn't heard him. A sound like swallowing kept coming from its body, sending shivers down everyone's spine. Finally, the figure adjusted its posture and slowly stood up under the gun of security guard B.

Security guard B was stunned, and the cigarette in his mouth fell to the ground.

The figure in front of him seemed to be melting away, and its facial features had disappeared. Black and red veins intermingled under its pale skin, and its lower jaw was missing, leaving only a fleshy tongue-like sausage hanging there.

"What the hell is going on?" People in black ops uniforms came over after hearing the commotion. The person in front pushed security guard B roughly aside and then saw the monster in front of them.

"What the fuck! What is this thing?" The person in black ops uniform cursed and lifted their HK-416 to fire at the monster. Rifle bullets tore through the creature's body, accompanied by splashes of red and white fluids. The monster fell silently, leaving only its body still twitching.

"What the fuck is this thing?" Security guard B turned his head and asked the black ops unit beside him in horror. "Do you guys know what the fuck this thing is?"

"It's none of your business," the leader of the black ops unit replied impatiently. He turned to the others beside him and said, "You've all seen it, we're probably abandoned now."

The black ops figures behind him looked at each other in confusion. After a moment, one of them kicked the wall beside him.

"So our lives are worth nothing?" he cursed.

"Go inform Team B that we've been abandoned. We have to find a way to leave this damn ship ourselves," the leader of the black ops unit said to the others behind him. He looked at the panicked and pale security guard A, then at security guard B.

"Do you know how to leave the lower decks?" the leader of the black ops unit asked.

"We need to restore power and open the gate to the lower level, but we need a magnetic card for authorization," security guard B replied.

"Of course I know we need authorization. That's why I'm asking if there's another way," the leader of the black ops unit said.

"Well, there is," security guard B said, "But we'll have to go through the lower decks to the other side of the ship, activate the emergency protocol, which is only triggered when the ship is at risk of sinking, and we still need authorization from the lower level security."

"Where can we find that thing?"

"In section B of the lower deck, very close to the emergency situation processing center in section A."

"Very well..." the black ops figure nodded. "What's your name again?"

"Just call me Clark. I used to work as an engineer at Blackwater Company."

"Blackwater Company..." the leader of the black ops unit's tone became nostalgic. "That's a familiar place."

"So, Clark, listen. This ship is going down, and I need you to take us to section A to activate the emergency protocol you mentioned, and then we'll leave this damn ship!"

"What? The ship is going to be destroyed? Why?" Security guard A couldn't help but ask.

"Did you see that thing coming out of the ventilation duct?" The man in black said calmly. "That thing came down from the upper deck. With the bulkheads sealed, if something can get in, it means that we are now surrounded by it."

Security guard A clearly wanted to say something more, but security guard B, now called Clark, covered his mouth. Clark nodded at the man in black in front of him and said, "No problem, I'll take you to section A, but it won't be safe along the way."

"I and my team will do our best to ensure your safety," the man in black said, and then ordered his subordinates, "Notify teams B and C to converge towards the direction of the cargo hatch on the lower deck. We are ready..."

Before he could finish speaking, security guard A suddenly raised his hand and said, "Silence, listen..."

The black ops team captain frowned and stopped. The air in the corridor instantly became quiet. Almost all of the lighting equipment had failed after the power was cut off. Only the emergency lights on the wall were still flashing with eerie red lights.

Vaguely, a strange sound came from the nearby cargo hold, like the sound of an elevator door opening, followed by footsteps. The sound was very chaotic and didn't sound like a human voice at all. Then, the dense footsteps abruptly stopped.

All the people present turned their stiff necks and looked towards the cargo hatch on the lower deck. In the darkness that even the emergency lights couldn't penetrate, a head with shiny green scales emerged. The orange-red eyes were dull but also eerie.