Глава 16

Ahead is the tunnel where we first found Oka.

It should have been placed under lockdown soon after... but now, it looks completely abandoned.

The good news is that Originium particle activity has also dropped after work stopped. Infection risk should be minimal as long as you do not touch the deactivated Originium crystals.

I'm not detecting any other lifeforms. We should be able to get in without a fight.

We still don't know what happened here.;The Patrol Units and guards could return any time.

Time is of the essence.;Let's do this quickly.

Are you sure this is the right way, Ksenia?

I don't see anything.

Sorry. I've only been down here once before...

Let me find the emergency power switch.

Here it is.

Ok, looks like this is the right way. All we need to do is to go in the opposite direction from the mine carts.

Opposite direction? I thought we're going deeper.

It leads to somewhere other than the mine tunnels. I don't know what it's actually for, but the carts only carry goods, not people.

What about the cart? Can we use it?

There are no structural issues, but it's been abandoned for so long that there's only enough emergency power for the lights. I don't think it's a good idea.

I agree.;We can walk.

Mm.

You two, get on the cart.

What?

There's no safety belt!;We can walk!

Get on, Doctor. We can save time that way.

But it won't start—

I'll take care of it.

Do you need me to lift you up, Doctor?

...I can do it myself!

Are you ready?

What are you planning—

—Whoa?!

We'll be thrown off the cart.;The cart's going to fall apart.

It'll be fine. Just sit tight.

Here we go!

Thank goodness the tunnels look intact.

But we should have started a fire before coming down... it's a lot wetter than the outside. The difference is almost as great as the Iberian coast compared to inland Ursus.

Of course, there is a dramatic difference in temperature as well... are you alright?

I'm fine. What about you, Doctor?

Every part of my brain feels equally shaken.;You looked like you enjoyed it, Mon3tr.

I kept the speed steady.

Mon3tr is a very good cart driver. Or cart pusher.

Sounds like the problem's not on my end.

I have a question, Ksenia.;When was Oka first discovered in the mines?

I'm not sure exactly when. The first sample arrived at the lab a month ago.

That was when I learned of the appearance of this heretofore unheard-of substance in the Originium mines.

But it's strange...

This substance that appeared in the mines...;What made the lab decide to perform human experiments?

Infected exposed to Oka in this tunnel were subject to unusual mutations.

Their infection readings soared, but their vital signs remained stable, 'healthy' even...

That sounds familiar.

Have you encountered other patients like this? Have they come into contact with Oka?

There may be another possibility.;We're not sure yet...

In any case... the Ursine government wanted to replicate the 'miracle'.

I suppose they wanted a docile labor force that did not fear illness or pain... perhaps even employ them in combat.

I'm not surprised the government would react that way...;They haven't realized the potential danger.

I think we're getting close.

This is as far as the rail goes. We'll have to proceed on foot.

The three of you move forward in the darkness.

You hear before you see. It is the heavy sound of water.

The three of you look up and slowly open your eyes.

You soon realize that the light in the tunnel is not coming from outside. It is coming from the stationary liquid in front of you on the ground—and the 'waterfall' at the very end.

It glitters like obsidian, refracting light from a crack high above as it falls, making the cave bright as early morning after a shower.

...An obsequent river.

You can tell?

Yes. Like an obsequent river, the Oka cannot flow outwards along the dip, so it can only flow backwards, until it lies 'still' like this.

But it continues to flow in a way, even without external forces acting on it. That's why they named it 'Oka'—river.

The liquid is everywhere.

It's like a natural karst cave. You can't even tell that it used to be a mine.

Even stranger, Oka itself is almost like water.

What do you mean?;How could it be?

Well... in a manner of speaking.

Oka becomes highly stable after it is allowed to stand still for a while. It can even be used as a universal solvent.

Wait! We still shouldn't touch it with bare hands—

Oh...

Mon3tr bends over and collects some liquid with a test tube. She is not wearing gloves, or any other form of protection.

Her expression grows solemn as she shakes the liquid in the test tube with wet hands.

Mon3tr?

You should not touch it directly—I have protective equipment. You can tell me if you want a sample, and I'll collect it!

(Whisper) Doctor... I know what this is.

What?

Ksenia, the samples...;Can you get some samples from around the waterfall?

Oh, okay.

Wait here. I'll be back soon.

...Be careful.

This liquid that they call Oka... it's Originium.

Originium...;Why does it look that way?

It's complicated.

Do you remember the 'Transmitter' that Rhine Lab was studying, or the 'Corazonix' that is often mentioned in Iberian alchemy?

I do.;Are they related?

This is their prototype... or perhaps I should say, the original form.

What the Transmitter and Corazonix have in common...;They both serve as a kind of medium.

Yes. A medium that reacts directly with the human body, or to store information.

So that's why they are both liquid?

I think so...

You understand, Doctor, that Originium is both a vehicle for information, and a vehicle for energy.

Both the Transmitter and Corazonix re-record Originium energy through specific means, in order to record different types of information.

The Oka here is the remnant of Originium, after its energy was extracted in an even more effective manner.

So it's really a form of 'universal solvent', and this explains why the Infected who came into contact with Oka became 'mutated'.

Because of its nature as drained Originium, Oka neutralizes the Originium activity inside the Infected, while creating the perfect conditions for the continued growth of Originium.

It allowed the Infected to retain their vital functions temporarily, but does not change the fact that death would inevitably follow soon.

Meanwhile, all the uninfected individuals injected with Oka died of severe rejection, due to the lack of active Originium in their bodies...

Its presence here in such quantities...;It means...