Chapter 98. Meeh'ek
"How many times must I repeat myself? I can't understand a single word you said!" Charles iterated, his voice laced with clear frustration at the humanoid creatures before him.
The three monsters remained unfazed in the face of Charles' angry lashing. They seemed to be unable to comprehend Charles' words either.
"Fuck! Why bother talking to this bunch of idiots? Let's just break out!" Richard wrestled for control over Charles' body as he itched for action.
"Stay calm!" Charles forcefully suppressed the chainsaw that had sprung out of his prosthetic limb. It was painfully clear that this was not the opportune moment for a confrontation.
"Why! Do these things look like they are open to communication? If they hadn't drugged us earlier, we wouldn't even have been captured!"
"They had managed to capture us even with the crew's resistance. Their strength cannot be underestimated. Acting recklessly would cost everyone's lives."
While Charles argued with Richard in his mind, the creatures retreated from the room and closed the iron door behind them.
"Look! All because of you, we lost a good chance to escape!" Richard grumbled incessantly in Charles' mind.
"Shut up! It's my time now!" Charles snapped back in anger. Finally, silence and peace returned to his mind.
Charles let out a sigh and crouched down. He yearned to leave this cell, too, but acting rashly would likely result in disaster.
They only had one chance. If they failed, only death awaited them.
He could not afford to die here.
Initially, Charles was expecting the day to pass uneventfully after the creatures' previous entrance. However, the iron door ominously swung open once more half an hour later.
A creature was pushed into the room. Its appearance was similar to its fellow species, minus the fleshy robe.
Charles rose to his feet and stared at the newcomer. He was puzzled. Why would these creatures send one of their own kind into his cell at such an odd timing?
Soon, an unexpected expression appeared on the creature's face. Although its facial features were distorted, Charles could clearly see the apparent fear on its face.
It's afraid of me? Charles was befuddled. Emerging from n0v@lbin☆, this material harbors clandestine details.
"Hey, who are you?"
Hearing Charles' question, the humanoid creature flinched and jolted away. It frantically pounded at the iron door with its limb, showing no intention to communicate with Charles at all.
A series of rapid, jumbled noises emerged from its elongated lips, seemingly conversing desperately with its kind outside the door.
Sensing no hostility from the being, Charles approached it.
They are not dead. They have been imprisoned, too. The weight on his chest was lifted temporarily.
Just as Charles was about to ask for more details, a long, crimson needle shot out from between the bars and pierced the Meeh'ek.
Its long lips quivered, and its cross-shaped pupils quickly reddened. Accompanied by the sound of cracking bones, its body rapidly ballooned.
Charles took a step back with his brows pressed together. There was something sinister about that long needle.
"%*#;&;#...!!" The Meeh'ek's earlier timid demeanor from earlier had vanished. Its limbs thrashed wildly, and it charged at Charles with a bestial roar.
Bang!
With a swift kick, Charles sent the creature flying toward the wall. However, it seemed impervious to pain. It rose up once more and pounced at Charles.
As Charles dodged the Meeh'ek's attacks, he could see eyes peering through the gaps in the iron door's bars.
Are they treating us like some monkeys putting on a show? Anger surged within Charles.
Just then, Meeh'ek lunged at him again. It seemed to have completely lost the ability to think; he had no reason to hold back either then.
Woosh!
The grappling hook shot out of his prosthetic limb and embedded itself into the Meeh'ek's head. With a fierce tug, the creature was pulled toward Charles.
Bzzzzztttt
The chainsaw spun rapidly as fireworks of flesh and blood splattered across the room. The Meeh'ek's head was cleaved into two halves. Its body went limp and slumped to the ground.
Covered in blood, Charles turned to look at the eyes beyond the door with an icy gaze.
Seeing that one of their own kind had been violently slaughtered, the owner of those eyes showed no emotion. It pulled out a notebook as though recording something.
Once it was done writing, a metal plate slid down to obscure Charles' view of the outside world once again.
"Well, seems like those guys outside aren't keen on engaging with us. By the way, let's just refer to these creatures as Meeh'ek from now on. What do you think?" Richard remarked.
"What do you think they were doing?" Charles' focus was on something else.
"What were they doing? Sending someone to kill us. What else could it be?"
"No, they had all the time on hand to kill us when we were unconscious."
"Then what do you think they were doing?"
"They are conducting an experiment," Charles suggested.