Chapter 9

"What survivors? It's all just a fake illusion created by the monsters!"

"You follower of the Path of Oblivion! Give me your life!"

"..."

Regardless, the audience watching this scene was genuinely happy that there were still a few survivors of this civilization.

Even the staff of the Herta Space Station, who were in a dire situation, briefly forgot the pain of losing children, the pain of losing spouses, and the agony of being separated from loved ones by life and death.

At that moment, they truly believed that perhaps there was warmth in this universe, and that it would not bring down ultimate despair and destruction.

And on the Astral Express.

Pom-Pom coughed lightly and tilted its head to look at Bai Bai Xuan, who was treating it like a giant doll, pinching its ears and trying to tie them into a knot:

"This file is coming to an end, right? How about we find an opportunity to pay our respects later?"

Bai Bai Xuan rubbed the rabbit ears in his hands, not answering the question directly, but staring blankly at the scene in the sky.

At this moment, he looked more like a philosopher.

Pom-Pom saw that his state was a bit strange, so it asked softly:

"Passenger Bai Bai Xuan, are you also feeling sad for the lives lost and moved by the lives that survived?"

Pom-Pom suspected that this footage had touched upon Bai Bai Xuan's past, which was why he was making such an expression.

Bai Bai Xuan raised his right hand and tapped the frame of his glasses:

"No, I am contemplating a philosophical question."

"When the prey knows the bait is bait, when does it look at the bait; when does it swallow the bait?"

"What do you think, Pom-Pom?"

Pom-Pom shook its head; Bai Bai Xuan was saying things it found hard to understand, so it had to continue watching the screen to pass the time.

"Pom-Pom is just Pom-Pom; I don't understand the question you're asking."

On the other side, the "Herta" space station.

Upon seeing the three "giants" armed with live ammunition, March 7th immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

She rested her hand on "Stelle's" shoulder and leaned against her, appearing extremely exhausted:

"Phew~ finally back to life!"

She looked back with lingering fear at the lightless corridor behind her, as if terrifying monsters were lurking in the shadows.

It’s all the Foundation’s livestream's fault for making a sunny, cheerful girl afraid of the dark!

"Stelle" blinked and mimicked March 7th's tone:

"Back to life!"

Dan Heng watched the two of them calmly:

"Alright, let's part ways for now."

Then, he looked at the still somewhat dazed "Stelle" and said:

"You and March go back together."

"Asta from the Security Department lost contact nearby; I have to bring her back."

Having said that, he returned to the darkness.

March 7th and "Stelle" waved at him:

"Mm, be careful."

"Safe travels!"

Beside them, the three Space Marines were also looking beyond the firmament, recalling that battle of the past through the footage.

They did not speak; their gaze became their final tribute.

At this moment, in the footage.

The police officer moved the radio out and brought it before Maxim.

Maxim noticed that the officer's skin was abnormally pale, but perhaps it was due to being frozen for too long, so he didn't pay it any mind.

After finishing, the officer stood to the side, quietly watching Maxim operate the radio, neither asking questions nor moving.

As the dial turned slowly, cries for help in various languages rang out across the channel.

Although Maxim could not understand the meaning of these words, the audience outside the screen could.

Thanks to the Synesthesia Beacon invented by Elias Salas, the 56th member of the Genius Society, combined with a language cognition system.

Life throughout the entire universe, regardless of race or life form, could communicate freely.

Across different channels, the repeated content was basically the same: "Need rescue," "Save me," "There are survivors here," "Need clean food," "Need vehicles"...

Maxim sighed.

He was all too familiar with these cries for help, as they had been repeating tirelessly for days.

He had also held onto a glimmer of hope and gone to two gathering spots, only to nearly fall into an ambush by [SCP-610].

But just then, the turn of events in the footage made the expressions of all the viewers change in unison.

The officer's eyeballs fell out, and red tendons, like red gel, slowly flowed from his facial features, squirming silently toward Maxim.

That human skin was merely a disguise for [SCP-610]!

"They're all [SCP-610], so why do the monsters in different areas have different levels of intelligence?"

"Could it be a biological computer?"

Silver Wolf asked while retreating with Kafka.

Kafka lightly traced her lower lip with her index finger:

"If I had to guess, could it be the difference in the amount of biomass?"

"The humans of a village allow it to perform behaviors that lure prey."

"The humans of a small town allow it to understand camouflage and comprehend phonetic symbols."

"Hey, do you think it's possible that this kind of monster eventually starts to think of itself as human?"

Silver Wolf nodded:

"That's obviously impossible. No matter how much it looks like a human, its diet is wrong to begin with."

"Alright, time to go to the next set. Hopefully, there won't be monsters like that there; they look quite terrifying."

Kafka smiled, her eyes pure yet enchanting:

"Don't worry, that's the Luofu Luofu Xianzhou 'Luo Fu'. Even for us, it takes quite an effort to sneak in."

Fortunately, Maxim’s perception of [SCP-610]’s aura had been maxed out during this journey.

The moment it released its malice, Maxim reacted instantly, rushing out of the police station and playing a game of cat and mouse with the monster.

Just as the flesh monster lost its target and began to search for the prey's trail with its eyes in confusion.

A hand patted Maxim on the shoulder.

It scared him so much he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Fortunately, he reacted in time and restrained his behavior.

He lowered his breathing as much as possible, slowly turned his head, and looked at the survivor in the small town.

It was a child who looked no older than 12, with blonde hair and a few freckles on his face.

"Uncle, did you come from outside? Is it safe where you are?"

Maxim ruffled the boy's hair and whispered:

"Yes, I come from a safe place. How many people are left here?"

Body temperature normal, hair didn't fall out when touched; it was a real person.

The boy replied:

"Not many left. Everyone got sick at first, and then they turned into monsters in the hospital."

"Uncle, you must not go near there; it's more terrifying than hell. My dad tried to save my mom, but he didn't come back either."

Maxim vigilantly poked his head out to observe the surroundings. After confirming that the monster from earlier had left, he continued to squat and look into the boy's eyes:

"Can you take me to see everyone? I have a way to get them out."

His eyes were a beautiful purple with no signs of pupil dilation, and the pupils changed with the brightness of the environment; he was a real person.

The boy nodded, looking very well-behaved.

Then he crouched down and led the way.

Maxim thought for a moment and pressed and held the communicator behind his ear for a while.

This was to initiate a call request.