*Tshhhhhhh...*
The lid of the Cryogenic Pod opened gradually, releasing a white, cold fog that spread throughout the room. The lid completely raised, revealing the entity inside the pod... if it could even be called an entity at all. Something resembling a Green Jelly rolled out from the pod and fell onto the ground.
*Blob, blob, blob...*
It bounced a few times, coming to a stop a few meters away, motionless.
"Errr..." Rean, Roan, and Luan were at a loss for words. They glanced back at the pod, hoping to find the actual being they were expecting. However, to their disappointment, the pod was now completely empty after the Jelly rolled out. "Um... System, where is the being you mentioned?" Rean couldn't help but inquire.
-Searching...-
-It is located two meters to your right.-
Rean, Roan, and Luan turned their attention to the Jelly, only to find it still and lifeless. "Is it alive? Wait, is it even a living being? It appears to be nothing more than some Jelly Dessert."
*Blub!*
Suddenly, the Jelly pulsed once, and a green bead-like object moved within it.
*Glug, glug, glug...*
Three cavities formed on the front of the Jelly, or perhaps it was the back? Maybe Top? Bottom? Side? They weren't quite sure. These cavities resembled a mouth and two eyes, although they were empty. Luan noticed a small accumulation of Divine Origin Energy within the eye sockets, though. The... creature... then sucked in the air into its gelatinous body and emitted a peculiar, high-pitched voice. "Zeta, why are the living samples out of their cages? Weird, I don't remember having this species in our stock. Besides, didn't I tell you not to wake me up for the next three days? I need my rest!"
The twins' group was taken aback by the Jelly's words. Three days? Could it be that it had been awake since they arrived on the Spaceship over two weeks ago? No, that didn't make sense. According to their knowledge, this pod had been housing this... thing... for countless years. It seemed the Jelly was unaware of the extended duration it had spent inside the Cryogenic Pod.
The Jelly noticed that it couldn't hear any response from its robot, so it turned around to search for it. Only then did it see the fallen robot on the ground. "What?! Who broke my Zeta?!!! Do you have any idea how expensive this model is?!!!"
"Um..." Rean raised his hand. "I apologize. I asked a question to that robot, but then white smoke started to emanate from it before it fell to the ground on its own. Could it be a failure in its algorithm?" He had numerous questions, but he thought it best to try and calm the Jelly down first.
The Jelly jumped back, trembling. Its face, if one could call it that, displayed shock upon hearing Rean's words. "You can speak? This Universe shouldn't harbor any species intelligent enough to communicate. Could it be that you are a visitor from another Universe? Yes, that seems more plausible. Nevertheless, it doesn't explain why you are in my lab right now. However, I will make sure your superiors pay for what happened to my Zeta, so you better be prepared."
Rean shook his head. "We came here because the Spaceship's System informed us that there was a living being in critical condition inside a Cryogenic Pod in this Chamber 13R. Just so you know, it was me who replaced the Divine Energy Conversion Capacitor to fix your Cryogenic Pod and save your life."
"What are you talking about?" The Jelly didn't believe Rean. "I'm Tanxan Tanxin, one of the leading researchers aboard the Dimensional Yin Yang Spaceship! I keep my equipment in pristine condition! There's no way my Cryogenic Pod could malfunction after just a few days of sleep," it said, attempting to retrieve the broken Zeta from the ground.
However, it soon became apparent that something was amiss. The red emergency lights were on in the corridor, and there was hardly anyone in sight. Well, the only ones in sight were the twins and Luan... Moreover, Tanxan's lab was in complete disarray compared to how he had left it a few days ago. "What is happening here? System, report the status!" Yet, the system remained silent.
"Um..." Rean caught Tanxan's attention. "Apologies, but if you want to communicate with the system at the moment, you'll need to use one of these." Rean then handed one of the few devices he had taken before entering the chamber to the Jelly.
Tanxan recognized it immediately. "Are you serious? Has the Dimensional Yin Yang Spaceship come under attack? Wait, could it be that your race attacked us, and you are now here to capture me?"
"No, no, no!" Rean promptly refuted that idea. "We had absolutely nothing to do with what happened here. If we truly wanted to capture you, do you think we would have allowed you to exit the Cryogenic Pod?"
"That's true..." Tanxan had to admit that Rean's words made sense. He then turned his attention to the communication device before speaking. "System, report the status of Chamber 13R. ID Number: 07794513S, Tanxan Tanxin."
-ID number found. Inquiring request accepted. Chamber 13R has sustained significant damage. Repairing robots are insufficient to restore its functionality. The Defense System has been activated to attack any intruders from outside the Seventh Region.-
"What?!" Tanxan exclaimed, looking back at Rean, Roan, and Luan. "The Defense System only activates if the ship is in danger. How did the three of you end up in my lab with this thing activated?"
-Sector 507-258B Temporary Clearance Manager Rean Larks and his two subordinates fought their way through the Defense System to reach this location. Objective: Reach Cryogenic Pod 401349X, which was in critical condition. Total number of Patrolling Robots destroyed in the process: 389. Total number of wall-mounted defenses destroyed: 257.-
"This..." Tanxan finally started to believe the twins' group. "What in the world is going on?"
Rean raised his hand. "I think a better question would be 'when.'"
"When?" Tanxan began to feel a sense of foreboding. "System... How long have I been in the Cryogenic Pod?"
-Inquiring request accepted. It is impossible to calculate the exact duration. Would the last time the pod communicated with the system suffice?-
"Yes!"
-The last log filed by Cryogenic Pod 401349X occurred 12,589,741 years, 8 months, and 22 days ago. User Tanxan Tanxin should be aware that the pod had already been in use for an extended period before that, which the system is currently unable to estimate. The total activation time exceeds the system's recording capabilities.-
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