Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

Chapter 18

Upon entering the Central (South) district, there was a large sign hanging in front of the building that read “Center District.” In front of it, a large red bird, presumably a Vermilion Bird, was illustrated as a sculpture, along with an explanation about it as a mythical creature.

[A creature born anew from the flames, immortal. Vermilion Bird. Even in death, it is reborn. Our research aims to ensure the continuity of mankind.]

It seemed to describe a bird like a phoenix, and I thought about how the bird called Vermilion Bird had such characteristics.

During the five days, I spent in the underwater base, I mostly stayed in the West District and the central area. So, it was my first time in the actual Central District, to which its building looked more spacious than the ones in the West District. In general, the accommodation area was divided into essential places like laundry rooms, lounges, shower rooms, and research centers. Apparently, the researchers here were devoting their lives to the research center and spent the rest of their time in the South District’s accommodation area.

As everyone was heading towards Central District, Yoo Geum-yi halted her tracks and looked towards the research center. It was a connecting corridor to the Deep-sea Research Center, the Rare Minerals Center, and the Underwater Pollution Center. The connecting corridor was completely blocked by a wall-like barrier, presumably a blockade.

I looked at Yoo Geum-yi’s back and said, “The center might’ve been less damaged than you expected. It will probably be fine after the fire has been extinguished. Don’t worry too much. Let’s think about it after we rescue Kim Gayoung first.”

Yoo Geum-yi stared at the side where the research center was and said, “······ They must have been trying to survive on their own. After all, researchers are good at enduring hard work. They specialize in torturing themselves. As for me, all my papers are on USB and emails. Just in case.”

“Why?”

When Baek Aeyoung asked, Yoo Geum-yi sighed, replying to the question, “There are marine creatures kept for research purposes in the Deep-Sea Research Center. There are quite a few that would escape if we just opened the aquarium tank.”

“That’s not good.”

“Yes. I know.” Yoo Geum-yi turned her head away from the research center and took a heavy step, repeating her words again, “I know.”

Just before entering the Central District, Shin Haeryang, who had been walking ahead since some point, headed towards the escape hatch. The question of the whereabouts of the Central District’s accommodations immediately came to mind, but my body was already following the people ahead. Baek Aeyoung slid into the escape hatch port control device area and checked the panel.

“There are three available!”

With a total of six people, there were only three escape pods with green lights on. The thought of who to take in the one-seater passed through my mind. Looking around, I found Shin Haeryang engrossed in monitoring the screen that is occupying an entire wall.

The man, Shin Haeryang himself didn’t seem to care whether there were more or fewer escape pods, but when I looked at what he was watching, there were 77 launched within 10 minutes, displayed as small images on the screen, heading towards the sea surface. Initially, I assumed they had escaped for quite some time, but the speed at which the pods were launched slowed down gradually.

Not even five of them were heading vigorously toward the sea surface. Unlike the escape pods that entered the epipelagic zone (~200m), the rest could not even escape the mesopelagic zone (~1000m) and their speed gradually decreased. Most of the escape pods, which had been launched from the deep-sea floor (~3011m) where the 4th undersea base was located and headed straight towards the ground, had failed to even surpass the mesopelagic zone (~1000m)

Although I wasn’t sure about the water pressure factor, simply calculating the distance between the mesopelagic zone (~1000m) and the sea surface (0m), it was a distance equivalent to 22 15-story apartment buildings. In short, it was not a distance that could be swum by human power alone, so the escapees couldn’t have just given up on the escape pods and swam to the surface.

The escape pods, which failed to reach the sunlit area, struggled to get out of the water and were now sinking due to their weight. Watching the 72 escape pods gradually descending, Yoo Geum-yi screamed, while Seo Jihyuk swallowed his breath.

Baek Aeyong shakily watched the escape pods displayed on the screen and muttered weakly, “…I think we shouldn’t board them.”

Shin Hae-ryang gritted his teeth while watching the escape pods drawing parabolas that were descending back into the dark sea.

“Who messed with the escape pods?”

I stared at the screen dumbfounded, watching the escape pods shining like light bulbs. There would probably be continuous screams inside those pods. It couldn’t be that all 72 of them had broken down at once, so someone must have intentionally sabotaged them.

I asked Shin Hae-ryang, who was next to me, in a daze, “…Which crazy person would do this?”

“I don’t know. …There are too many people here.”

There was no proper procedures in this undersea base, neither people nor things. Had those upper-ups really gone mad? Seriously.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“The original goal of coming to this residential complex was to rescue Kim Gayoung and use the escape pods in the complex. Since escape from the complex is now impossible, let’s rescue her first.”

I was surprised that Shin Hae-ryang still aimed to rescue the researcher. I had expected him to suggest going straight to North District or East District to find escape pods, but apparently, he wasn’t that kind of person. Or maybe I just didn’t have any faith in him in terms of character.

Shin Hae-ryang promptly led the bewildered group towards the residential complex, walking without hesitation to avoid any delays. Observing his back, I asked him to hand over the child he was carrying on his back. Shin Hae-ryang nodded slowly.

Looking at him, I inquired, “Do you think the escape pods from the West’s side have managed to escape safely?”

Shin Hae-ryang frowned at my question, possibly thinking of his teammates who had boarded the escape pods. He stayed quiet for a while before replying, “I saw the first launched escape pod entering the bathypelagic zone (1000m~3000m), but I don’t know anything beyond that.”

Seo Ji-hyuk and Baek Ae-young appeared equally shocked, but they quickly got back to reality and started discussing why the escape pods were in that condition. “It’s the escape pod launch system.” “No, it seems there’s an issue with the engine of the escape pod.” “No, it’s because the ejection was done wrong.” “What do you know?” “Well, what do you know then?”

Listening to their bickering, Yoo Geum-yi interjected with a question. “What happens to the people that are trapped in those escape pods?”

It was the question I wanted to ask but couldn’t, and Yoo Geum-yi asked it first. Or maybe, upon second thought, I didn’t want to hear the answer. I was already grappling with what I had experienced so far, and I didn’t want to know any more tragic or sad things.

Scratching his cheek, Seo Jihyuk responded with another question. “GMDSS¹ and GPS are installed, so tracking is possible, but who’s around here to help collect and rescue those escape pods one by one?”

“There’s…no one,” Yoo Geum-yi replied bleakly.

Seo Jihyuk nodded in agreement. “That’s right, no one. Would they really have put a full 72 hours’ worth of oxygen in the escape pods meant for one-time use, or just a little bit for emergency use?”

“…Just a little bit?”

“Ding dong daeng!” Seo Jihyuk made a xylophone sound with his mouth, Yoo Geum-yi’s face fell into despair, and my face must have looked similar to Yoo Geum-yi’s. Frowning, Seo Ji-hyuk began to explain further. “Of course, it’s not that the escape pods have so little oxygen. The compression ratio of the air we breathe at 3km underwater and on the surface is different. If there’s a nearby ship that can reach the escape pods as they surface, there’s a chance of survival. Breathing at the bottom of the ocean lasts for 2 minutes, but on the surface, it’s 2 hours.”

As I listened blankly to these explanations, I felt a vibration from the pad on my side and opened it. A notification for a new post had vibrated the pad. A post from the 4th Underwater Base was uploaded.

Title: We’re waiting! Please come quickly!

Content:

The lights have gone out! We’re still waiting. Please save us! We want to leave this place. We’re in Room 77!

The notification snapped me out of my thoughts. I couldn’t fathom the fear that would come with waiting alone in a dark, waterlogged room with only a pad for company. Despite feeling distressed, I kept walking purposefully, knowing that the stairs would lead me directly to the main dormitory.

Author’s Note

6 Companions

Shin Hae-ryang

Baek Aeyoung

Seo Jihyuk

Yoo Geum-yi

Park Muhyun

An unidentified young child

1. The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is a worldwide system for automated emergency signal communication for ships at sea developed by the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) as part of the SOLAS Convention.[↩]

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