The load on my back was heavier than expected.Dozens of portable lanterns, and an enormous amount of food supplies.But that wasn’t what truly felt heavy.It was the countless gazes fixed on me.“Captain Kyle.”“….”Slightly heated, expectant eyes.Hundreds of Ark Division soldiers stood in perfect formation, Benjamin and the company commanders leading at the forefront.“Chief of Staff.”“Yes, sir.”“Follow the lantern lights. You’ll pass through the shelter and reach the 7th Defense Force base.”“I’ll keep that in mind.”A hidden entrance in what had seemed like nothing more than a storage room for food and supplies.As I lifted the massive steel hatch, an electromagnetic pad revealed itself beneath.So this is the control panel.Normally, only senior officers or high-ranking facility staff could open it.I placed my hand on the activation panel.For a few seconds, there was no reaction.Then, after about ten seconds, a faint electronic screen appeared—followed by a cold mechanical voice that echoed through the silence.[Authorization recognized][Master key verified]No reason to hesitate.“Open access gate.”[Opening access gate to /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ underground defense facility.]A metallic screech echoed as the heavy door rose, revealing a sight that made some gasp—A stairway descending into a bottomless pit.I took a deep breath.There was a need to steel myself.At the end of those stairs lay pure darkness.From here on, it’s all on me.The labyrinthine warren of tunnels was like an anthill—one misstep could twist your path.“I’ll go first.”“All units! Attention to the Captain—!”Benjamin’s voice thundered.“Salute!”Chachak!Their crisp salute followed me as I began my descent.“Let’s go, Eli.”[Mega Flare: Day 9][Entering city defense facility: “AntCave”]Only Eli and I were deployed for the initial operation—technically, with three engineers in tow.The “AntCavel” was a subterranean facility buried about thirty meters down the stairwell.When we reached it, quiet exclamations escaped the team.“This is… incredible.”“Quite something, huh?”Illuminated by lantern light, the interior unfolded like a massive circular tunnel—as wide as a subway line, extending endlessly into the dark.It was overwhelming.And yet, this was only the corridor.The actual shelters—emergency bunkers—were far larger.Just as expected from a defense facility, it’s stocked with provisions.“It’s amazing.”“Eli, is this your first time here?”“I’ve never had a reason to come down here before.”Of course. Someone from a corporate royal family wouldn’t have needed to tour a shelter.“I wish they’d at least built an emergency power plant here, like at the bases.”“That wouldn’t have been enough.”Given the sheer scale, ordinary backup generators wouldn’t suffice—and they obviously couldn’t build a nuclear plant underground.So despite all the effort invested, the facility had never been truly completed.That was the reality of the Antcave.Still, if used properly, there’s no better place.Originally, the requirements for operation were too strict—without early restoration, it would flood from underground water.But thanks to our accumulated progress, we’d overcome those obstacles.And that alone stirred a strange sense of excitement.Sure, it was unfinished, but—We can fill in the gaps as we go.Now was not the time for satisfaction, but for focus.Everyone had finished their checks.“As I said before—unless it’s absolutely necessary, no firearms inside the bunker.”Eli slung her shotgun over her shoulder.“Understood.”Even reinforced concrete takes damage from bullets.And if the rounds ricochet, they could injure our own team.With the air filtration system inactive, we had to avoid firing unless critical.“Let’s move.”I continued tracing the route in my mind.The numerous trials I’d endured before had etched the layout into my memory.The Ark Division’s position is on the city’s northwestern edge.The [7th Defense Force Base] and [Weizen Cultured Meat Complex] were in the northern central district.Not too far—but crossing the Antcavel was no easy journey.We couldn’t afford to relax.Splash, splash…Water echoed softly underfoot where groundwater had begun to pool.Maybe it was the contrast—this uneasy tranquility in such a place—that helped me collect my thoughts.The first destination is…The 7th Defense Force base.The armored division.The reason we chose that base was its specialization.The 7th Defense Force was primarily composed of mechanized pilots—the armored combat division.Even if manpower was strong, true superiority depended on equipment.Securing those combat units would give us options.After all, we needed to restore the power lines and substations.And that meant dealing with the entities lurking near the nuclear plant.Also—the next squad has a pilot.One of our key members, Tyron, could only fight at full strength inside a combat unit.So seizing the 7th base first was the most efficient way to minimize risk.As I pondered this, the sound of splashing faded—and silence settled in, heavy and deep.It was a long walk ahead—tedious, even.I didn’t like the quiet.It made me think too much.Time to ask what had been on my mind.“The wall here—let’s hang a lantern.”“Good idea.”Even if lanterns were limited, we needed one every so often.The engineers quickly attached a pressure plate and mounted the light.Among them was a middle-aged man.Logan, was it?I approached him during the pause, and he looked startled.“Logan.”“Huh—yes, sir?”“Can I have a word?”“With… me, sir?”Maybe it was because I was the Ark Division Captain,but his tone turned overly formal.“I have a question.”“Ah—of course.”We couldn’t exactly sit down for a chat,so I decided to talk while walking.It might draw some attention, but I didn’t care—it wasn’t a secret.“What would you like to ask?”“The criminal containment zone. Tell me what happened there.”“Ah…”He paused, then exhaled softly.“So it was you, wasn’t it? Sealing the exits.”He must’ve suspected it since he saw my hover bike.“Yes.”“Well, thanks to you, it’s… safe.”That hesitation in his voice—something had gone wrong.I was about to ask when his beard twitched, and he spoke first.“You want to ask why I left, don’t you?”“Yes. If it was safe, you could’ve stayed.”“I’m not blaming anyone, but… when the overpass was sealed, the gangs started a war.”“A war?”So something had gone wrong.There was only one reason for that.“Because of Mother’s absence?”Logan’s eyes widened slightly.“You… know about Mother?”“Yes.”“Then this’ll be faster.”He nodded grimly and continued.“When Mother couldn’t return, the mafia scum went wild. That’s why I decided to escape with the children.”“Did their rebellion… succeed?”“The mafia’s?”“Yes.”“I can’t say for sure. But if the last person I saw was truly her… then yes.”“You saw her?”“Just a glimpse—among her followers. So I can’t confirm completely.”“What was the situation?”“She was leading a crowd east.”“East?”So she really went east.“Yes. I’m sure of it.”When he said that, the unease in my chest eased slightly.If it’s east… then I know where.Aside from me and Gale, few knew the city as well as she did.If she went east, that meant she aimed to occupy one of the major zones there.The [Pommel Android Production District], most likely.Even if she didn’t seize the entire area, she’d unify it soon enough.Her choice made sense—but something about it still felt off.Mother and her guard wouldn’t lose to a mere gang.So abandoning the containment zone must’ve had another reason.There’s something else behind it.As that thought deepened, we arrived at the first shelter.Accessing the shelter also required authorization.But with the master key, that wasn’t a problem.When the door opened, the view inside was impressive.“There really is a shelter down here.”The wide chamber revealed by lantern light was vast.“Each one can hold about a thousand people.”“Who could’ve built something like this?”“Well…”Elie paused mid-sentence, realizing the irony, and gave a sheepish laugh.“Right, that’s a weird thing to ask. My grandfather probably did.”“A remarkable man.”As we chatted, one of the engineers suddenly shouted.“Uh—sir, you’d better see this!”He led us to what looked like a storage room.Inside were piles upon piles of silver-wrapped blocks.“Preserved rations.”Food.“This is… food?”“Yes.”Small, rectangular blocks—made from dried and compressed grains.Barely edible, but thanks to advanced packaging, they could last centuries.“C-can I try one?”The trembling engineer asked, holding a block.“Go ahead, but it won’t taste good.”“Heh, okay then.”Experience had already proven it—You’d rather eat mud than this stuff.‘I said I wanted food, not dried sawdust.’Then came the reaction:“Ugh! Pfft—!”“Bleh.”Still, precious food was precious.If mixed with water into a porridge, it was bearable.As we watched that small scene unfold—something strange brushed my ears.Tak-tak-tak.“Hold. Wait.”“Huh?”What was that?Maybe I misheard. Maybe it was nothing.But I couldn’t ignore it.I turned to Eli“Eli.”“Yes. Faint, but I heard it too.”So it wasn’t just me.Tension spread immediately through the group.The dim light and the still air amplified it.Tak… tak… tak…Those are footsteps.I couldn’t tell how far, or from which direction.But one thing was clear—We weren’t the first ones to enter the Antcave.At this point, the only people who could be down here were from the Central Control Center.The butterfly effect—the inevitable arrival of survivors shaped by countless choices.

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