Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Nightmare Descends

Ever since it was confirmed that this place was an alien base, Mike had been visibly excited. As a lover of science fiction, living in this era made him feel both exuberant and disappointed—exuberant because the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations had been proven, disappointed because he would likely never have the chance to actually encounter one.

Yet now, with the discovery of this alien base in Antarctica, Mike had a new idea. He felt as if he were the protagonist in a science fiction story, entering the stronghold of an alien civilization, soon to receive their gifts, then valiantly defending Midgard and becoming a new Avenger.

So, when Captain Robert gave the order to split up, Mike dashed off in excitement toward the direction where he kept hearing a mysterious sound. Although no one else had heard it, Mike believed this was a stroke of fortune bestowed upon him by fate.

Robert saw Mike’s excitement and only gave him a few brief instructions. He knew this team member was an enthusiast of alien civilizations, so he was unfazed by Mike’s fervor. As for the strange sound Mike mentioned, not only had nobody else heard it, but the recording equipment also failed to capture it. Robert simply assumed Mike was experiencing a bout of tinnitus.

Following the direction of the sound, Mike ventured deeper into the city. The buildings here were even taller than those on the outskirts, though their purpose was unknown to him—perhaps they were akin to human government edifices.

Lost in his own speculations, Mike closed his eyes slightly, straining to discern the sound he was hearing. He was certain the source was inside the massive structure ahead.

Although he didn’t know what the sound was, Mike was convinced it was his destiny. Without notifying any of his teammates, he entered the building directly.

This enormous structure differed somewhat from the others. While most buildings were adorned with sharp angles, resembling the heads of aliens, the one before Mike was amorphous, like an upside-down bowl pressed against the ground. Yet the bowl was far from smooth—twisted lines covered its surface, making it resemble a chunk of distorted flesh when viewed up close.

Mike ignored the grotesque appearance, striding boldly inside. He found nothing as he had imagined—no high-tech panels nor ancient, lingering alien elders—only a vast, empty floor.

“This can’t be... How could it be like this? How can there be nothing?” Mike frowned, pacing around the vacant chamber, until he finally noticed something unusual on the floor.

“Is this... Could it be?” Mike discovered irregular lines beneath his feet, seemingly interconnected. The entire floor appeared to be a vast pattern. Instantly, he thought of alien mechanisms, convinced only a genius like himself could unlock it.

He used his recording device to capture all the patterns, then pieced them together on his portable computer—he was the young tech specialist of the team.

“It’s just as I thought, the entire design forms a complete pattern. But how do I activate the mechanism?” Mike stared at the mysterious image on his computer. He knew he had found a mechanism, but had no clue how to open it. Was he doomed to fail at the last moment?

Fixated on the pattern, Mike muttered to himself. Gradually, his mind grew dizzy, as if a voice was telling him how to activate the mechanism.

“Open, seal, release...” Mike’s eyes glazed over as he stood, repeating these words, and walked to the center of the hall, where the floor’s pattern formed a lily blossom.

With a vacant expression, Mike drew a knife he carried and slashed his right hand deeply, then pressed his bleeding palm onto the lily.

His blood quickly soaked into the flower, which glowed with a red radiance. Mike’s blood was drawn across the floor, dyeing every carved line crimson.

At last, Mike emerged from his trance, only to first feel weakness and a heavy fog in his mind. Raising a hand to steady himself, he saw his wound and the blood pouring out.

“What... What’s happening?” Terrified, Mike collapsed to the floor, too drained from blood loss to stand, finally awakening from the spell.

Recalling the series of events since their dance, Mike felt a chill. He wanted to call for his captain, to warn them of the danger here, but it was already too late.

As his blood seeped through the floor’s seal, the monster imprisoned beneath was released once more. In Mike’s incredulous gaze, an enormous, indescribable creature crawled up from the fissure.

A nightmare-black, gleaming form, its shapeless body exuded a stench, writhing and flowing forward—a mass of amorphous protoplasmic bubbles, glimmering faintly. Tens of thousands of green-glowing, pus-like eyes formed and dissolved across its surface. And at last, in Mike’s ears, he clearly heard the horrifying, mocking cry: “Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!”

At the sight of the monster, Mike felt his soul wrenched from his body, shredded and reassembled, then forced back inside him. Fragments of rainbow light danced before his eyes; never had he felt so alive as in that moment. He laughed aloud, embracing the truth of this world.

The colossal body of the shoggoth rolled toward Mike, but he did not resist. Why resist? He was eager to merge with reality itself.

The shoggoth crawled over Mike’s form and quickly spread outward. Mike’s body vanished, his final wish seemingly fulfilled by the shoggoth to perfection.

Meanwhile, the other members exploring different parts of the base had no idea what their companion had unleashed. They continued to probe the long-abandoned alien ruins with curiosity. Their minds, clouded by corruption, no longer questioned anything illogical—such as how the base had been abandoned. Their fate was sealed the moment they discovered that peculiar statue.