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A steps into the unknown

A steps into the unknown

Here’s the translation of your chapter:

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"Well, this was unexpected!"

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In the same place as the old warehouse...

"Brother, maybe this is a little dangerous. Shouldn’t we turn back?" says a girl with long blonde hair and dazzling crystal-blue eyes that almost seem to glow in the deep darkness. Her voice is shaky and nervous as she stares at the broken, dark staircase.

"Look, Haruki, I know this might seem dangerous… or maybe even… scary…" says the boy, who also has blonde hair and crystal-blue eyes, looking like a male version of the girl. His tone is serious at first, but then it becomes tired as he looks into her eyes with his beautiful, saddened gaze. He approaches her, holding her face in his hands and says with a serious voice, "But we have to do this. Remember what we promised each other? No matter what, we won’t die until we reach Far Far Far Land, where…"

Then, his voice turns gentle and warm as he gazes into her eyes, his cold hands holding her face. "Our home… where we’ll finally belong, not treated like slaves or…" His tone becomes serious again, now even tinged with anger and contempt, "…like trash!"

"We’ll find Dad and Mom there, I know it. But we need to hold on, okay?"

Haruki smiles warmly, hugging her brother who is about five centimeters taller than her. "You're always amazing, Haruko..."

Haruko returns the hug, then gently pulls back, extending his hand to her. "Trust me." Haruki looks at his hand and takes it without hesitation, and together, they begin descending the stairs carefully. The old iron steps creak loudly, and as soon as they reach the damp, moldy ground, they turn on their flashlight, glancing around. Suddenly, Haruko spots a sign, and as he wipes the dust off it, his hand momentarily leaves his sister's. He reads the sign aloud: "Soundproof Zone, 90 meters ahead…"

"What is this…? I don’t think this place has the files we're looking for," says Haruki hesitantly, looking at Haruko and waiting for his decision.

"You’re right, but maybe there's something that can protect us, like a weapon or something," Haruko says, looking at her curiously.

"I don’t think there’d be weapons in a soundproof zone. I… just, why would they even have a room like this?" Haruki replies, her voice uneasy as she glances around, with only the sound of dripping water from the ceiling echoing.

"I don’t know, Haruki… but since we’re close, maybe there’s a chance for us. Besides, we barely escaped the giant earlier, thank God..."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Haruko sighs with relief, holding his sister's hand firmly, urging her to move forward as she follows, glancing at him with a reassuring smile.

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“What the heck, why can't I find any monsters anywhere around here?”

Kuroutobi complains as he kicks at the scattered skulls on the floor, all missing bodies. He shines his blue oil lamp around, eventually spotting a sign ahead. Rushing over, he manages to make out only the word "Power…"

"Power? Do they mean electricity? But where?" he wonders, glancing around, looking for anything power-related. But the place is so dark and filthy, it’s impossible to tell. He leans against the sign, exhausted, sighing. "I haven't made any progress. Maybe the clever kid or that guy with the strange hair found the files already… Or maybe Bilo found them—she’s always so lucky. Maybe I should just head back. How much time is left, anyway? I feel like I've spent ages searching… Oh right, time matters here too; I need to find a clock."

As soon as he stands up from the sign, it falls down, and behind it, he spots exactly what he was looking for—a lever in old red paint with "Turn Off Power" written below and "Turn On Power" above.

"Oh yes! At least I found the power! I wonder, will it light up the whole warehouse?" Kuroutobi wonders aloud, pulling the lever up, but nothing happens. He pulls it up and down repeatedly, but still, nothing. "Oh, of course there's no power! This place is about to collapse; the last thing it’d have is electricity. What was I thinking?" he scoffs at himself, leaving the lever in the "On" position as he continues down the hallway. Eventually, he spots something—a door with most of the writing faded, except for one clear word: "Lab…"

Kuroutobi smirks optimistically. "Alright, looks like I’m making progress here! Labs always have files…”

He pushes the door open, relieved to find it unlocked. The door creaks loudly, echoing as he steps in and sees beakers and test tubes scattered on tables and across the floor, some broken and some intact.

Moving closer to the intact test tubes, neatly arranged but empty except for cobwebs and spiders, he grumbles, "I hate chemistry." He grabs a test tube, tossing it aside carelessly, then searches the shelves and cabinets. All he finds are rat nests; one even has a rat in it. But wait… Kuroutobi stares at the rat, surprised, as he realizes: "What the hell? A rat with violet eyes, blue fur, and… two tails? You’re definitely some kind of test subject…"

The rat doesn’t attack, bite, or even try to escape; it just sniffs around. Kuroutobi releases it, then moves toward other shelves to keep searching. Curiously, the rat follows him, circling around and even tugging on his pants as if it wants to show him something.

“Whoa, do rats usually do this?” Kuroutobi says with admiration, bending down to face the rat. "Can you understand me? If you can, jump twice."

The rat jumps twice, and Kuroutobi laughs in amazement. "Oh my god, you actually understand me! Okay, if you understand, do a royal dance!" The rat pauses, looking at him silently, as if asking, "Are you serious?"

Kuroutobi laughs again. "Just kidding, just kidding. So, what do you want to show me?" The rat scurries over to a piece of paper, tugging it out from the cabinet. Kuroutobi follows, grabbing the paper and reading the text, written in purple ink.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be stuck here… The Kariuse surround the warehouse, and everyone is sacrificing each other. The only thing I can do is write and take care of my test rats. But I don’t want anyone to know I’ve hidden weapons with silencers in the soundproof room… I have to get there before I rot in this cursed forest! I refuse to die at the hands of a Kariuse, or in this godforsaken place where nothing works properly—not even time!”

"So… the soundproof room, huh?"