The Underclass - Chapter 18
Chapter 18
The word "rebel" had never spilled from Galaxy's mouth with such gratification before.
She had never previously considered herself part of the rebel army like Rat King claimed, but in this moment, she felt these were the only two words that could bring her any comfort.
Everything she had seen and heard today was overwhelmingly oppressive.
Saying this, she couldn't help but chuckle. 6724 stiffened, being forcefully dragged inside by Galaxy. She had no idea what Galaxy intended to do, nor did she have a chance to call for help.
Galaxy bound her feet as well, then paced toward the scattering of large stone blocks. After circling the area once, she walked back.
Tyap-j was simply too hard and sturdy; it was nearly impossible to break off a piece by hand. But that wasn't a problem. She already had the Black Water; taking the tyap-j now would be redundant.
Soon enough, she dragged 6724 back out and unbound her feet.
6724 frowned. "What did you do?"
She wasn't particularly worried that Galaxy could damage the tyap-j. After all, the material was so tough that even explosive charges struggled to crack it, making manual destruction an absolute impossibility.
Galaxy didn't answer. She dragged her all the way back to the elevator.
It wasn't until they were at the elevator doors that Galaxy shoved her forward. "Enter the passcode. Send me up."
6724 hesitated, making no move. Galaxy leaned close to her ear, her tone almost intimately soft. "Darling, I know what you're thinking. You're betting I don't dare kill you, because if I show lethal intent, the omnipresent defense systems will execute me on the spot. You're trying to stall until someone comes and captures me."
"But there are no automated defenses right at the elevator doors, are there? What do you think happens if you piss me off at the very last step? Will you become my meat shield and die before I do?"
6724's eyes went wide. She trembled, ultimately yielding to Galaxy. Gritting her teeth, she inputted the new 64-digit passcode on the keypad.
With a chime, the elevator doors opened. Galaxy didn't let her go; instead, she yanked her inside. Just a second before the doors closed, she said slowly, "Do you know what I was just doing back there?"
She gave a soft smile and pressed a button in her pocket. The next second, violent tremors erupted from beneath their feet, rolling through like surging waves, followed by a massive, continuous string of explosions.
The mechanical systems began broadcasting alarms everywhere: "The institute is under severe attack! The institute is under severe attack! All personnel, proceed immediately to Laboratory 001. All personnel, proceed immediately to Laboratory 001."
6724 stared in horror. "What did you do?! You should know tyap-j can't be blown up!"
The elevator was already ascending, the shockwaves growing fainter until they disappeared entirely. Galaxy laughed. "I know. That's why my target was never the tyap-j. I was blowing up your artificial sky."
Her smile was vicious. "Didn't you tell me yourself? The cultivation of Black Water requires continuous, uninterrupted irradiation from moonlight; otherwise, both the water and the raw ore will be ruined instantly."
6724 let out a shriek. It was the fury of suddenly realizing the research results she had worked on for years were likely destroyed. But she couldn't fight Galaxy, and her hands were still bound. "You lunatic! Who the hell are you?!"
She demanded viciously.
Galaxy didn't answer her directly. "Didn't we both give blood samples when we entered Laboratory 001? You'll find out sooner or later."
Although the rebel leader had given her something to alter her blood genetics, she hadn't purposely used it today. And when entering Laboratory 001, she had specifically chosen not to.
She no longer cared if Galaxy's name ended up on the desk of some important official or in the digital databases of every human and mechanical cop in the city.
At this moment, she was even somewhat thrilled that her name would be left behind.
She did this.
She destroyed it.
She had also left An Hua's name in the laboratory.
Everywhere she went from now on, she would leave An Hua's name behind.
Instead of constantly hunting for her, it was better to simply force her out into the open.
Upon reaching the surface, 6724 clearly didn't want to leave the elevator and enter the radiation-filled mine tunnel. Galaxy didn't force her. She just untied the ropes from 6724's hands and exited the mine alone.
She and Fula had prearranged a special method of communication. The moment she got out, she couldn't wait to contact her.
They didn't have a fixed residence in District C. Over the past half a week, Fula had taken her to stay at various locations—sometimes a small village near the hot springs, other times nameless inns. Most were shady, chaotic places that wouldn't draw attention.
But tonight's rendezvous point was a wooden cabin beneath the largest bridge in District C. Upon approaching, Galaxy saw a sign that read 'The Kalagin Family'. She remembered that during their moments of passion, Fula had once made Galaxy call her by her full name—Fula Kalagin.
This was her family's old home.
A bad premonition surged in Galaxy's heart. She knocked on the cabin door, but there was no response. Immediately after, she caught sight of a glaring patch of white on the grass behind the cabin.
Galaxy stiffened entirely. She didn't dare look over. Even though she knew full well the house was empty, she stubbornly kept knocking on the door. A cold dread seeped up from the soles of her feet, leaving her only able to swing her arm mechanically.
Soon, a familiar voice called out from the spot of glaring white: "Galaxy. Are you too afraid to come over?"
"Is the bravest person in our organization too afraid to come over?"
Galaxy closed her eyes. The moment she heard Fula's voice, her eyes immediately turned red. The sour sting of grief threatened to spill over, but she forced it down. Lifting her heavy legs, she walked around the cabin and finally saw Fula sitting on the roof of another small wooden shed behind it.
Fula was looking down at her from above. Her long hair was stark white from root to tip, but her facial expression was exceptionally serene.
"How did it go? Did you get anything useful?"
Galaxy climbed up to the roof and sat shoulder to shoulder with her, nodding numbly. "I got it. Fula, are you going to die?"
Fula replied, "Most likely. But I'm glad you're okay."
Galaxy asked, sounding almost childish, "Can you not die?"
Fula shook her head. "I probably can't manage that."
The air grew quiet, dead silent even.
"Have a smoke with me," Fula said slowly. "It's been a long time since I had one."
She pulled a cigarette from her pocket. Soon, smoke drifted between the two of them. Fula waved it away and pointed to the magnificent bridge before them. "Do you know what bridge that is?"
Galaxy shook her head. "I don't know."
"It's the largest bridge in District C, the Andoriel Bridge," Fula explained. "It took a year and ten months to finish. The day it was completed, it was hailed as one of the greatest bridges of this century."
"But the people who died building it were buried and forgotten," she continued. "My sister went to work on this bridge for the money. She did the most grueling physical labor for the lowest pay every day. And then one day, she just worked herself to death."
It wasn't SAR, nor was it murder. Her sister had simply, trivially, died of exhaustion.
Fula searched everywhere for justice, but found none.
"But soon, I'll be going to see her," Fula said softly. "I used to wonder how I would die. I thought about it a lot. I figured I'd either die during an assassination mission or on some battlefield. I never expected that for the people of District C, even death can only be this mundane. You either die from backbreaking labor, or you die from the most common disease, SAR."
"Fula, stop talking." Galaxy blinked, and the tears finally fell. A heavy sorrow engulfed her completely.
She had been wrong earlier. She hadn't lost her empathy; she simply couldn't muster empathy for strangers.
But right now, Fula's calm demeanor brought her immense agony.
She couldn't save Fula. She could only watch helplessly as Fula marched toward death.
Fula reached out and stroked her head, letting Galaxy rest against her shoulder, and handed her the cigarette.
Galaxy took a drag from it. The two chain-smoked one cigarette after another, scattering ashes and butts all over the roof. As Fula's hands gradually grew stiff, Galaxy suddenly felt the Black Water in her pocket. In a daze, she remembered something else and quickly asked, "Where is the bag I asked you to hold onto for me a few days ago?"
Fula replied, "In the house below. Why?"
Galaxy pressed her lips together. She hastily jumped down, retrieved her bag from the cabin, and found the two remaining syringes. She had taken them from the snow mountain lab in Lucia Town—the exact same substance that had been injected into her.
"Fula, there's a laboratory in Lucia Town called Heaven. Every test subject inside was injected with this," she said. "I took one to give to your organization for testing, but there aren't any results yet. I kept the rest safe; I only have these two on me. I'm guessing it's something that enhances the human body. Just give it a try, please?"
Fula's face had lost all the radiance it held when they first met. In the short time Galaxy had taken to fetch the syringe, she had lost the ability to speak clearly, only managing a weak nod.
Gritting her teeth, Galaxy plunged the needle in and firmly injected the fluid.
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