BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1318: The Vermillion Lake (8)

The following day, the group went back to the lake. The morning sun cast rich lights across the water, but these peaceful visions masked a more dangerous reality. Erik and his comrades stared at the dark surface with serious expressions.

"Are we really sure it can only be there?" Ben asked. The idea of having to go into these waters didn’t sit well with him.

"It must be," Erik said, eyes fixed on the ripples disrupting the surface. Emily looked worried, something that Erik noticed.

"Is there a problem?"

Erik’s sudden question surprised her. "Ye—No. It’s just that I think I’ve already seen this place. I didn’t recognize it at first, but I think I saw it in one of my visions."

"A vision?" Amber asked. "What happened in this vision?"

Erik paused. "A man, a woman, and some monsters were battling a powerful thaid. Their battle was so mighty they reshaped the area."

Mickey gave her a pensive look. "Can you tell us more?"

"Yes. My time with Erik made me realize he was the one fighting the monster; he had the same powers as the man. The woman was presumably me since she used a rifle, and the monsters were the Chimaeric Demons shapeshifted into something else."

Gwen frowned. "Why didn’t you share this vision with us before?"

"Because I wasn’t sure before…"

Silence ensued.

One of the clones turned to Emily. "Even if they weren’t there, nothing says they were dead. They might have gone inside the waters or could have simply hid."

Emily wasn’t convinced.

"I hate to say it," Floyd forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, "but if Emily saw you fighting a powerful thaid in that vision, it probably means there’s one down there right now, just waiting for something to plunge into the waters. We can’t go in."

Inside the still waters, ripples appeared at regular intervals, showing movement beneath the murky depths. These weren’t subtle disturbances—something large moved under the surface, displacing considerable volumes of water.

The group had always known there were thaids in the lake, but thaids were everywhere; it wasn’t shocking for them to be inside the lake.

The problem was the monster Emily saw. The monster appeared to be powerful enough to reshape the area during its battle with Erik, forcing Gwen’s group to avoid the lake.

The group stood at the shore, watching the dark water with apprehension. None of them spoke for several minutes.

"What do we do?" Amber asked. "If the lab is underwater, we need to search," she said. "The problem is that this place is massive."

Erik paused. Knowing there was something even he would have trouble dealing with meant the others needed to get the hell out of here.

Of course, Mur was full of such creatures, so it wasn’t like it made a difference. novelbuddy.cσ๓

Erik stepped closer to the water’s edge. "I can use Elemental Lord to control the water, create a breathing space, and move through the lake."

"You want to go alone?"

"Those ripples suggest there is not just one thaid in those waters," Ben said.

Erik watched as a shadow passed beneath the surface—something large enough to make everyone tense.

"I need to find the lab. I didn’t come here just to stop now." Erik said. "It’s clearly not on land."

Gwen studied the water before them. "You’ll waste time searching alone. The lake covers too much area for one person. We knew already there were thaids in it, but if what Emily said is true, then the lake is hiding something far more insidious than two or three thaids."

"What do you suggest?" Erik asked.

"Make more clones," she said. "Didn’t you say your new ones mature in minutes after creation? Let them search while we stand guard."

Erik considered her words. The Dark Shapes were indeed perfect for reconnaissance—adaptable, quick to mature, and connected to him through the Hive Mind.

"She’s right," Mickey said. "You could search around more quickly and easily, and you won’t encounter any danger, granted you avoid stirring up trouble."

"The entire lake can be the hornet’s nest."

The Chimaeric Demons knew Erik would never do something like use the clones, his children, as bait or as expendables. That turned into a reality when Erik grimaced.

"I will make the clones," Erik said. "But I will still go into the waters. If something really is there, then I will grab its attention. The clones should be able to search more quickly."

The others wanted to stop him, but they knew they had no power over Erik. Even his lovers didn’t.

Erik stepped away from the group and channeled mana. He pricked his finger and made 50 drops of blood fall on the ground. They quickly enlarged until they took the shape of eggs, which broke in half a minute, and from which small humanoid creatures came forth.

They weren’t human, since they had wormlike features. Then the creatures spread, and as they got farther from Erik, they got larger and larger. Within minutes, fifty new clones stood before him, attending instruction.

"I need you to search the lake," Erik said. "Look for structures, entrances, anything artificial. Transform into aquatic creatures and remain undetected. Report through the Hive Mind."

The clones already knew what they had to do, but still waited for Erik to give them orders.

The Dark Shapes weren’t like the Chimaeric Demons. The traits that the Mirror Centipede’s brain crystal powers had were still there, not muddled or erased by new powers or the system’s intervention, as in the Chimaeric Demons’ case.

The orders Erik gave were absolute for both kinds of clones, but the Chimaeric Demons had Erik’s best interest in mind, so when they thought he was doing something wrong, they would act in defiance of the orders. Theirs was more absolute loyalty than absolute obedience.

The Dark Shapes were the opposite. The Mirror Centipede’s clones only had to do what their creator ordered.

The stricter the order was, the more rigid their behavior would be. Even the Dark Shapes followed that same behavior when Erik gave them an order.

However, if he said to scout around, they would have enough freedom to avoid death if necessary, but if Erik ordered them to do something and die in the process, they would.

Their bodies shifted once Erik gave the order—limbs fused into tails, heads flattened, and gills formed along their necks. Within seconds, they mirrored various lake-dwelling fish. One by one, they slipped into the water.

"What do we do while they search?" Emily asked.

"Stay alert," Erik said. "If something happens, I might need your help."

The group spread along the shoreline, weapons ready. Erik then plunged into the waters.