BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1327: The generator

Erik sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of their tree shelter while Amber paced back and forth.

Her face was flushed with anger, her hands clenched into tight fists, and her eyes filled with fury and fear from almost losing someone she cared about.

Her every step radiated anxiety. They'd seen Amber angry before, but watching Erik nearly die in another reckless encounter had sparked something deeper.

"You went alone against that monster?" Amber asked. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't alone," Erik said. "Emily was with me, and the clones were there too…"

Emily nodded from her spot in the corner. Amber gave her a dirty look. She was in as much trouble as he was.

Benedict crossed his arms. "Against that azure, thaid is still a death wish. We saw what it did to the surrounding area."

"The lake has practically boiled on one side," Martha said. "The destruction radius was enormous."

Mira sighed.

"You could have died, both of you. What would we have done then?"

Erik gave her a look. "We handled it."

"That's not the point," Amber said. "We're a team. We face threats together. No more solo heroics, Erik. You might be powerful, but you're not invincible."

"We killed it, that's the imp—"

Erik's head jerked up suddenly, his eyes distant as he received a telepathic message from one of his clones. The others recognized the expression and fell silent.

After a moment, Erik stood. "We need to go to the lake. Now."

"What is it?"

"My clones found something. Something quite weird."

The group exchanged glances, setting aside their earlier scoldings.

"Lead the way."

They went through the forest, guided by the moonlight and Erik's fire. The night air brought the persisting smell of smoke and ozone from the previous battle. When they reached the lakeshore, dozens of dark shapes and Chimaeric Demons waited for them.

A Chimaeric Demon stepped forward.

"What's going on?" Gwen asked. "What is so weird to prompt us to head to the lab so quickly?"

"I don't know what that is either. I need the biological supercomputer to check it out," Erik said. Then he turned to the clones and nodded. "Show me."

He was going to create air pockets for everyone to breathe underwater. "The lab is completely flooded."

"Underwater expedition in the middle of the night," Allan said. "Perfect."

Erik didn't really need to bring them along, but given the earlier scolding, he didn't mean to upset them more than he already did. Besides, they were in this as much as he was, so he had to show them some basic respect.

Erik channeled his mana, calling upon his Elemental Lord's brain crystal power. The water in front of them churned, creating spherical pockets of air large enough to surround each person.

"These will move with you and bring fresh air." Erik paused. "But stay close to me."

Using telekinesis, Erik lifted the entire group and guided them into the dark waters. They descended through the murky depths until they reached a structure in the lakebed.

The clones had already cleaned a lot of the debris that had previously hidden the structure and that filled it. There were thousands of them at that point, so it didn't take much. The water level was also significantly lower, given the battle between Erik and the azure thaid.

The entrance to the laboratory gaped open, its heavy metal doors forced apart by the Dark Shapes earlier that day. The clones guided the group through the swamped corridors, past derelict equipment and crumpled walls.

"Centuries underwater." Amber observed from inside her air bubble. "I'm surprised anything's left standing."

They went deeper into the facility, following the Chimaeric Demon through a maze of corridors. In the end, they reached a section where the passage widened into what must have once been a central hub.

They walked through a corridor that the clones had clearly cleared earlier that day, which explained their delay in reporting this discovery to Erik. They didn't find it earlier.

The clone pointed to a wall made entirely of thick glass that separated the corridor from a large chamber beyond. "There, Master."

Erik approached the glass, wiping away sediment to peer inside. The others gathered around, their faces illuminated by an unexpected sight—lights. Actual functioning lights inside the room.

"It's still powered!" There was a look of utter disbelief on Martha's face.

Inside the sealed room stood rows of equipment surrounding a central pillar that hummed with energy. The machinery appeared unaffected by time or water damage, its surfaces glinting as if new.

"What are we looking at?" Floyd asked.

Erik could do nothing but turn to the biological supercomputer.

<What the fuck is this…?>

[A… generator?]

<Ok, but how could this still be standing?>

[The room must be sealed.]

<After centuries?>

[The Silverline corporation must have used a far more advanced technology compared to their time. To survive this much means their level was almost on par with the current years.]

<Seriously? But they lived centuries ago!>

[What did you expect? They created thaids and brain crystal powers.] freēnovelkiss.com

Erik remained silent.

<So, this place has energy. Is there a chance we might be able to find actual data now?>

[We already have the labs' locations.]

<I want THE lab's location. We might be able to find out where they are based on the information we get here, if possible. The blackguards might have wanted to stay near the lab where dad found you.>

[It can be, but we can't be sure.]

However, Erik noticed something while looking at that weird reactor. <Is that…?>

[A brain crystal. Yes.]

<What? How?>

A pause followed, longer than expected from the usually instantaneous answers the system gave him.

[There is no data available. But it makes sense. The Silverline corporation couldn't have just tried to give people brain crystals. They must have tested them first, at least to find ways to use them.]

The group exchanged concerned glances. Erik remained silent for quite some time at that point.

"What, Erik?" Amber asked. "What is the biological supercomputer saying?"

"That it knows shit…"

[Thanks.]

Erik turned to his clones. "Have you been in already?"

"No, master. The room is sealed, and we think it will be until the base is flooded with water."

Mickey approached the glass. "Could this be why they created thaids?"

"The blackguards made it clear that the thaids were a by-product of whatever research the Silverline corporation was making. It's likely they accidentally created them but found the brain crystals and then tried to understand what they were and if they could use them for their purpose."

"It makes sense," Mira said. "It explains why they kept proto-Thaids inside the labs. They grew them to see what happened to the brain crystals. Maybe a more powerful one could affect their research in ways we, or they, could not understand."

[I think the goal for this lab was to create a source of renewable energy based on mana.]

<It can be.> Erik's eyes narrowed. <Can you restore this facility to operational status?>

Another pause. [It's theoretically possible,] the system said. [However, there is water damage to 93.7% of the installation. We might need for you to substitute most of the materials with the Verdant Architect's brain crystal power. But the devices outside that room can't be fixed in a short time. Creating something is one thing; restoring others to get their data is another. At best we can get the lights functional.]

<We also need to remove the water and seal the breaches.>

[And restore the lab's exit. That door wasn't supposed to be in the water. There most likely was some sort of tunnel heading to the outside. Otherwise, people couldn't get here.]

<Let's do this, then.>