Глава 16

Haha, thank you, Vetochki.

I remember you... You were the meekest of all the children. You will have a happy ending, even if the rest of these scum—

<i>Uchitel!</i>

...At least I didn't let him bleed out slowly in the snow.

Stand up, Vetochki. Go to the back and find that doctor for me.

Paul, go get Nikto and tell him to gather everyone who wants to leave the mining district at the south dormitory.

Get them ready, we need these chips out of us.

You believe what that guy said?

Doesn't matter, we need the chips out of our bodies. Even if they don't explode, they definitely transmit our location.

The Patrol Units have already found us once, and we don't know when the next squad will show up. If this keeps on, we'll be on the back foot the entire time.

Alright, I'll get it done.

<i>Uchitel</i>, y-you pro-promised... me...

Oh, you're still here.

I didn't promise you anything, Vetochki.

Besides, if the rest of the bastards in his units are dead, why should he be any exception? Because of his arrogance? Because of his ridicule?

No...

...Never mind. You wouldn't understand. Forget what I just said.

Right, take this.

What... is it?

A stopwatch. I found it in the institute, should still work. When we get a minute, I'll teach you how to use it.

From now on, you won't need to live your life counting meaningless numbers, worrying about a miscount leaving people dead in the mines.

At least now... Go, Vetochki. Go help me find her.

<i>Uchitel</i>, your hand... is shaking...

Hush. Go do what you have to do.

...At least... let me...

Pray that your... soul... can be... saved.

Even though you've seen how those men treated us, and seen how I killed them?

Y-Yes.

Do not be so quick to bless others, or to forgive them, Vetochki. Me included.

Now go already. We don't have time.

...Gospodin Rankin.

Hello, Gospozha Serafina.

Though we have not known each other for long, I want to believe that, since your medical team was willing to come to such a remote place to treat the Infected, you are people I can trust.

I am sorry that I now have no choice but to ask for your help.

Please, go ahead. As long as it's something I can help with.

I just learned that inside every miner, there is a tracking chip that could explode at any moment. We need a way to extract them so we can escape the Patrol Units.

I am prepared to serve as a test subject myself.

If it is successful, please perform the surgery on the others. If it does unfortunately explode, then I hope you will be able to give me first aid.

If I die... then I ask you to tell everyone waiting for me about this.

Now, I must ask you to leave—

No. Let me do an examination first. May I?

Go ahead.

...I regret to inform you, these chips really could explode.

They contain miniaturized, high-powered Originium bombs. If the chip does not receive electrical signals from the local district relay or the human body, it will trigger an explosion...

If you hope to get everyone out of this district, then you must remove the chips.

Amazing. Is this your Arts at work?

Of course...

I may be able to temporarily copy the signal to fool the receiver. But I must warn you, this still carries a great deal of risk.

We can't afford to wait for a perfect solution. Your idea is good enough.

One moment, then.

Raidian starts using her Arts, causing beams of energy to resonate at the same frequency as the chip's receiver.

Rankin nods and sits down, grasping the hilt of his dagger. It is cold, smooth, and solid as he rubs it against the calluses of his palm.

You'd best back away from me a bit, Doctor.

That won't be happening. This is the first time I've tried it, so I need to observe it in real-time.

I can guide your hand using nerve impulses. Take care not to detonate the chip.

Incredible... It's a shame we didn't meet sooner.

I hope we will still have the chance to chat after this.

Rankin wipes his dagger with some alcohol, pointing its blade at the scar on his leg before plunging it into his flesh.

Phew...

...It worked, right?

The youthful miner nearly leaps up, forgetting the cut on his leg oozing blood.

Calm down, your wound needs dressing.

Ah, of course. Thank you, Doctor. I owe you my life.

You are truly amazing. I have never seen a physician as skilled as you. You even remind me of an Ursine soldier.

What do you mean by that?

Sorry, please do not misunderstand me. This is the highest praise I can think of.

I mean true Ursine soldiers, not those Patrol Unit brutes. The ones who drove off the invading Nightzmora and freed us from the tyrannical Hippogryphs. They were true heroes.

Oh, yes, have you read Igor Velikiy's biography?

We should prepare for surgery on the others. How many will we need to operate on?

I'm afraid it's a number that will leave you and your colleagues running ragged.

My decoy electrical signal can cover the entirety of this area, and my colleagues can coordinate the surgeries. That being the case, I reckon we will need to stay here for some time.

Time is something we are short on.

Have the medical team prioritize the elderly and children, then teach the others to perform the surgery. Hand out some scalpels. My people are not squeamish.

I would appreciate it if you did not make medical decisions for me.

Ah, no, Doctor, I did not mean to order you around.

Since the duty of leading everyone out of this mining district is mine, I need to make decisions accordingly.

Patrol Units who can show up at any time, extreme weather, lack of supplies... All things that will prove fatal.

I hope we can reach an agreement on this.

No matter what happens, we need to be wary of infection. My team will oversee the sterilization procedures.

Then let's begin.

'Act first, then discuss the future.'

Blurghhh—!

*cough* *cough*! Blergh... *cough*!

Is this your limit?

When you were eating smoked sausages back in Grypherburg, did you never wonder how they were made? Never went to see the slaughterhouses in the satellite cities?

<i>Idi nahui!</i> Rot in hell, Rankin! <i>Suka blyat'!</i>

I swallowed a bunch of snow but I still can't get the smell of blood out of my nose. Next time I have the chance, I'm dumping fresh burdenbeast blood into your soup!

Fresh burdenbeast blood is expensive. A bucket can cost more than a hundred chervontsy, we can't afford that...

It was a metaphor, dammit... I didn't know you used to be a gourmet chef, Hawley.

My son transported that sort of thing when he was a truck driver. The Grypherburg nobles believed the blood of young burdenbeasts would make them beautiful.

He told me a lot of things about the city in his letters, but the last one I received was seven years ago. I hope he's still alright...

Then I'll have to ask you to make sure Nikto doesn't mess with my dinner.

I'll make sure. Nobody is messing with anyone's dinner.

I hope this won't end up being our last meal, or I'll be cursing you to the grave, Rankin.

Whatever you say. I'm in good spirits today.

It's been so long since I've felt this sort of freedom.

We have finally broken our shackles. We are free now. What we want to do, where we want to go, and how we want to live our lives, we can decide for ourselves now.

You should save the poetry recital for when we're actually safe...

So, what now?

The plan hasn't changed.