After much struggle, we finally made it back to the ship. The journey was long and exhausting, but we managed. I had only one desire—to collapse onto a bed and lie there for hours, as the recent events had drained me both mentally and physically. Unfortunately, there was still urgent work to be done, and I knew it all too well, so much so that I wanted to howl.

"We need to shut down the navigation system," Neight said, almost echoing my thoughts.

Looking at him, worn-out and covered in dirt from head to toe, I sighed heavily.

"Listen, I think you should go rest. I can handle it myself."

Of course, it was tough for me. But I was sure it was even harder for him. I was genuinely worried about his condition. Knowing his stubbornness and reluctance to show weakness, I could easily believe he was holding on by a thread, trying to hide how things truly were. I feared he’d once again put the mission above his own life and health.

"Unfortunately, you can’t," he replied apologetically. "I’ve taken away your access to all the main control panels… Sorry, I was afraid you might pose a threat because of… well, your rather impulsive behavior."

Hearing this, I felt genuinely hurt. It wasn’t entirely unexpected; after all, I’d guessed it might happen, but the timing was frustrating.

"Ugh… Nothing to be done. I guess we’re going together, then."

"I can go alone."

I glared at him.

"Look, this isn’t even funny anymore," I said firmly, trying to keep my cool. "Maybe it’s time to stop taking everything on yourself? You really shouldn’t overexert yourself, or your condition could get worse. I just want to help… Yes, I’m useless with a lot of things, and you handle everything better, but I’m capable of entering a few commands if you dictate them."

"Emma, I have nothing against you. I just don’t see the point in using two people’s time when I can handle it alone."

There he goes again with his silly obsession with efficiency! Will he ever stop?

"And what if you get worse? Then what? No, think what you want, but you’re not going alone. And besides, we’re wasting more time on this pointless discussion, so let’s go! The sooner we start, the sooner we finish."

Having said my piece and not giving him a chance to respond, I confidently headed down the hallway toward the stairs to the second floor. Behind me, I heard a frustrated sigh and then footsteps catching up to me.

I had to wait by the door for Neight to climb the steps. It turned out I no longer had access even to the control room. Out of breath, he approached the panel, and as he fiddled with it, I looked at him sulkily, puffing out my cheeks, but held back from voicing my irritation. When the doors opened, Neight went in first, and I followed him.

Once inside, Neight headed straight for the control panel. He bent over it, groaning and wincing in pain as he began entering commands. The keys clicked rapidly. Meanwhile, I just stood there watching, a bit lost as I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to do.

"Can I help with anything?"

"Just wait. Don’t distract me, please," he replied, fully focused on his work.

Obeying, I stood quietly to the side, waiting. I felt uncomfortable, as if I didn’t belong here, like I was intruding—although maybe that was the truth. But now there was nothing else for me to do but wait, listening to the keystrokes and occasionally glancing at the monitors on the control panel. Finally, the sounds ceased.

"All done," Neight finally said, stepping away from the panel.

"All right, so what do I need to do? Disable the navigation?" I asked, perking up.

"No need. I already did it," he replied calmly.

"What? But… wasn’t I here to help?"

It saddened me that, once again, I couldn’t do anything, and that made me feel useless.

"I did warn you I could handle it alone. But don’t worry. At least you accompanied me and made sure nothing happened to me, as you wanted," he said with his usual polite smile, though then he grew more serious. "I’m going to the lab. I need to rest and recover… Well, I think you understand."

"Y-yeah. But wait, is there something I can do to help?"

I was still trying to contribute somehow. Plus, I genuinely wanted to do something for him.

"No need. I think it would be… uncomfortable for you…"

"I’m ready. If needed, I’ll do whatever it takes!" I replied firmly, stepping slightly forward.

Surprise flashed in Neight’s eyes. However, his expression softened quickly, and he gave a warm smile. Honestly, it felt unusual to see him like that.

"You know, it’s still unnecessary. But if you truly want to do something, I have a task for you. You can analyze the water sample from the lake, all right?"

My eyes lit up, and I nodded eagerly.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Great. When you’re done, make sure to rest properly, too. Then we’ll figure out our next steps."

"Understood," I replied, satisfied.

Neight headed to the door, but he stopped just at the threshold and, without turning, added:

"Emma… I might need a bit more time to recover this time. I’ve restored your access to all systems, so please… try not to do anything reckless."

His tone was as serious as it could be. Was it because he feared my next emotional outburst or unpredictable behavior, or was it due to some other factor? Could he have known something I didn’t even suspect? Either way, I didn’t want to disappoint him again.

"I promise I won’t do anything foolish. I won’t let you down."

"Let’s hope so," he replied, then left the control room.

In his last words, there was a touch of sadness mixed with a sort of acceptance. It felt as though he had let go of the situation and was ready to leave it all to fate.

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I dropped into a chair to take a breather. My whole body was buzzing, begging me to take a break—or better yet, to sit still for a few hours. Silence settled. My eyelids shut, but instead of pitch darkness, I saw an image of a clearing with a deep blue lake at its center. As peaceful as it looked, this vision filled me with dread because I knew what was lurking in those depths.

I was jolted awake as if struck by a shock, and my eyes flew open. There was an unpleasant taste in my throat, the kind that lingers after a short midday nap that somehow only makes you feel worse. I realized I had dozed off, so I quickly pulled out my notebook to check the time.

23:27. And outside, it was bright. The first half-day was always fully illuminated. Sunlight filtered through the front window, and bulky clouds drifted across the sky, faint reminders of the past storm, though it was clear they would soon disperse.

My stomach growled. I realized we hadn’t even had dinner since returning to the ship. Not to mention, I was still covered in dirt, though I knew I couldn’t do anything about it for now. Water had to be conserved.

Speaking of water. Neight gave me a task. But…

I leaned back in the chair, closed my eyes, and groaned in frustration.

How am I supposed to analyze a sample? I have no idea how!

Frustrated, I lowered my head, and my gaze landed on a blinking blue icon on my notebook screen. I tapped it, and a message expanded instantly.

"Emma, I’ve sent you some data that might be useful. You can go over it while I recover."

The message had files attached, but the first one caught my attention right away: "User Guide for the Multifunctional Analysis and Processing Device."

Did he really plan everything? I thought in amazement.

Out of curiosity, I glanced at the time the message was sent and realized he’d sent it while he was busy disabling navigation. He must have done it through the main control panel, and I hadn’t even noticed.

Well, now I definitely have something to do.

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I sat in the kitchen, finishing off the last of the mashed greenvegs made from pre-packed ingredients. This time, I didn’t bother with fresh vegetables, though they certainly tasted better. Right now, I had other priorities, so I didn’t want to spend much time cooking.

I occasionally glanced at the analyzing device humming steadily in the corner as it went about its task. I hoped I hadn’t made any mistakes. At least, I had followed the user manual precisely when loading the water sample and starting the process. What worried me the most was that the device included a radiation exposure function, so I looked at it as if it were a bomb that could explode at any moment.

The device beeped, signaling it had finished, and I quickly jumped up to check the results.

Finally, my knowledge of biology and chemistry is coming in handy, I thought as I went through the data.

Preparing for university entrance exams hadn’t been in vain. I still remembered nearly everything, so I could easily interpret and compare the results.

Hmm… Iron and copper levels are normal. No dangerous impurities, which is a relief. But the water hardness is a bit high. I wonder if the ship’s system has anything to soften it.

After analyzing the data, I concluded that the lake water was safe to drink, which was a huge relief. Of course, there was still the issue of the dangerous creature lurking in its depths, but I hoped we’d figure out a way to handle that. Most importantly—we had water now!

I’m sure Neight will appreciate this news," I thought. "I wonder how he’s doing, by the way?

A mixed feeling of joy from this discovery and sadness recalling Neight’s condition rose in me.

I need to go check on him.

----------------------------------------

Whether it was due to exhaustion or the recent events, I no longer felt the same fear and dread about the lab, though the unease was still there. This time, however, I walked in without hesitation. The only thing I worried about was if I might disturb Neight. I found myself respecting him a little after the fight with the giant worm and feeling grateful for him saving me. And after we’d shared our real names, it felt like a heavy weight had lifted off my shoulders. There was hope that our cooperation might improve.

The lab was quiet and calm, except for the soft hum of the capsule where Neight lay, visible out of the corner of my eye. I tiptoed around, unsure if he was sleeping. I didn’t want to wake him if he was resting.

"Hey, Neight, are you asleep?" I whispered.

No response. I cautiously asked again a couple more times, but, seeing no reaction, concluded he was deeply asleep. I remembered his words—that this time his recovery would take longer. But how long, exactly? Heavy-hearted, I decided to check on him again in the morning and headed back to rest. It was late, and with the recent events, we still hadn’t managed to get back on our schedule.

Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly heard murmuring and sobbing sounds coming from the capsule.

"Professor… I didn’t mean to… You know I would never… Professor… Don’t kill me…"

Neight kept muttering in his sleep, as if in a feverish dream, repeating the same words. I stood frozen, not daring to move. After a while, he whimpered and took a heavy breath, then went quiet again.

I was shaken and didn’t know what to do. Did his words have any meaning, or was it just some random, meaningless sleep talk? The weight and pain in his voice made me wonder what would happen if our enemies found us. Could we really be captured not just for some dangerous experiments but… killed? Was that the real reason Neight cut off any attempts to contact others? Just when I thought things were starting to get a little clearer, new dark details emerged. Questions began to arise in my mind, questions that now wouldn’t leave me alone.

What did Neight do, and who is this professor he’s so desperately begging for forgiveness?