I headed to the walls in this room. Along the walls, several large screens displayed maps and diagrams. The rest showed announcements, assignments, supply level, or security information.
Probably the usage is to avoid commotion by placing a lot of devices with the important things in it. But what captured my attention the most is the fact that a few screens occasionally flickered.
I walked closer to another side of the wall. Some of the screens showed outdated information.
Shin Hayato approached me and stood straight,
"This information was from 20th May 2114. The date is written at the bottom left corner."
I sighed and checked the date,
"Is it because they lack replacement components ?"
Shin Hayato nodded and waved his hand,
"Yes. That's one of the possible reasons. Now come on, we need to find out more about this place."
IRIS flew to the very top of the room, its screen switched to [Information Room Scanning : 5%].
I let IRIS do its scanning. Once we regather with the rest, it's probably easier to explain with IRIS projecting the map it made. I raised my head to look at the ceiling.
Along the floor and ceiling, narrow strips of artificial lightning lit up the room. The room was mostly made of dark metal and reinforced panels despite having exposed wiring.
There weren't any unnecessary decorations, everything here served its own purposes. Shin Hayato signalled me to get closer to the workstation he was observing.
I came closer to him,
"What's wrong ?"
Shin Hayato tapped on the monitor,
"This monitor's screen is shattered. It's quite a surprise that it still works. Even the chairs around are not necessarily alike. I tried sitting on one of them and nearly fell down."
He pushed the chair's seat before walking around,
"The budget here definitely is lower than Elysium Ark's. But they still tried their best to make use of it. Even the screens have limited access, unlike the ones in Elysium Ark where you can watch a movie there."
BEEP... BEEP...
IRIS finished its scanning and spun around. It rested itself on my shoulder, projecting an image of the Information Room perfectly. I smiled and gave it a pat.
Shin Hayato nodded and crossed his arms,
"Come on, we still need to get going before they return. We just discovered two rooms in District C, Cafeteria and Information Room."
I sprinted after Shin Hayato, twisting to every corner yet never memorizing it. Shin Hayato stopped at his tracks and raised a hand.
I peeped over to see what's ahead. Shin Hayato lowered himself a little, tiptoeing before passing the door. I tilted my head then I noticed a HoloSign saying [Administration Office].
I crawled to avoid getting caught. The door had a small window at the very center of it. I managed to catch a glimpse of people holding clipboard and talking to each other.
Despite that, I couldn't hear what they were saying. IRIS stuck itself to the ceiling, dropping to the floor once it reached to the other side.
I brushed my clothes and continued to follow Shin Hayato. Finally, we arrived at another room. Shin Hayato stood in front of the door as it glides open.
We entered the room, observing the surroundings. IRIS did its job by scanning the room.
Shin Hayato strolled to the center of the room that contains a large worn circular table,
"Efim told me that this place is for workers to rest between assignments. And yes, this spacious circular room is used to accommodate groups rather than being a specific room like the rest."
I noticed some of the chairs were clearly manufactured while some have been repaired. The chairs' positions were also randomized. A couple of chairs are placed on top of the table.
One or two chairs are also on top of the shelves. I moved near the table, it was covered with scratches, markings and a few areas where the original coating had started to wear off.
Shin Hayato's voice came over as he sat on a built-in couch across the wall,
"This place feels more like an abandoned storage room. Who even puts a chair on top of the shelf ?"
He slapped the cushions before sighing,
"Even the cushions are old and flattened. There are patches on some. But overall, this place is still useable even if it's worn out."
I reached to a shelf, grabbing a magazine from it,
"But I hardly see anyone who spends their break time here. In the mechanic room I went, someone was sitting on a bucket or a chair similar to this room."
Shin Hayato raised his head and scratched his chin,
"I would too. This place is too far, not strategic enough."
I nodded, adding more of my observation,
"This place is also dimly lit. I don't think there's more to investigate."
Shin Hayato stood up, glancing at IRIS,
"Then we wait for IRIS to finish its scanning."
◇ ◇ ◇
We headed out of the room and walked along the hallways.
Suddenly, a deep voice came from the speakers,
"Everyone, please gather in front of the Administration Office to collect your wages. Efim and Grigoriy will be the ones handing out your wages."
Shin Hayato crossed his arms and whistled, walking ahead of me. I had told IRIS to explore this bunker once more with the updated map.
Eventually, we arrived in front of the Administration Office.
Efim climbed on top of a chair,
"Aléssio ! Aléssio ?! Where are you ?!"
I raised my hand and rushed past the crowd,
"Here !"
He dropped a pouch of coins then shouted for the next person,
"Shin Hayato ! Is he here ?!"
I walked away from the crowd and leaned onto a wall. I opened the pouch and counted the total of coins I got.
I mumbled under my breath,
"One hundred dollars... Fair enough, I was just washing the TerraRider. It's probably enough."
I pulled out my ChronoLume to check the time, it showed [15.50]. I sighed before stuffing the ChronoLume back to my pocket. I paced back and forth while fidgeting with my fingers.
What time is it in Elysium Ark ?
And why are all the technologies always connected to the time where we're at ?
Perhaps I should tell Dr. Aurèle to help me modify this ChronoLume once we finished this mission.
Before I could find Shin Hayato, Grigoriy screamed at the top of his lungs with a megaphone,
"For those who have collected their wages, please leave to avoid commotion and crowdedness !"
I bolted out of the cramped place, rushing to the cafeteria to avoid my eardrums being broken. Even the quiet ones are probably the loudest when it comes to finishing tasks as fast as possible.