This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

SHIZU

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Shizu blinked, her eyes still glowing black and green as she followed the massive underground facility above the ground. Her [Code Watcher] might've let her see through objects, but it couldn't penetrate deeper than what looked to be the first floor of the facility.

"This is... Are they down there?"

Narrowing her eyes, she eventually managed to track down an entrance into the massive facility. Staring at what looked like a broken open metal hatch, Shizu knew immediately that her two Gods were exploring right underneath her feet.

"They've been here," she quickly noted, having noticed the general state of disarray around the general area of the hatch. "It's not even a question anymore."

While she saw bullet holes on her way there, the fact that some of the trees were almost falling off from the number of bullet holes they sported by the base of their trunks. Moriya had clearly set to work collecting wood, even if it wasn't the method that was usually employed back home.

'Never mind that,' she quickly shook her head in thought. 'I have to get down there.'

Without so much as a second thought, Shizu jumped down the hatch, her feet landing on cold hard metal as she raised her hands up in alert. Around her, red lights were already blaring, annoying beeping sounds echoing from the depths of the facility as if to warn her to stop where she stood.

"Guidance?! Moriya?!"

Calling out to her Gods, the princess kept her [Code Watcher] active as she peered through the furthest distance her vision could reach. Just from jumping down, she could tell that the facility went even further than she had previously thought, the corridors on the edges of her range almost tapering off as if there was more to them than simply being dead ends.

"How big is this place?" she couldn't help but ask.

Forcing herself to relax, Shizu marched forward, her wits on high alert as she navigated the winding hallways of the facility. Thankfully, her power made it so that it was practically impossible for her to get lost unless she really didn't know what she was doing.

Seeing through walls and rock, the princess took a breath as she found yet another hatch leading further down into the facility. Immediately, she debated whether or not she should go ahead and jump down instead of searching the entirety of the first floor. Looking around, she hadn't seen any familiar silhouettes that she'd associate with either of her two Gods. And even then, Moriya's shining code would be a dead giveaway the moment she saw him running around.

"I guess I should jump in."

With determination running through her veins, Shizu jumped down into the deeper depths of the facility. Like the first floor, the alarms were also blaring out along with the flashing red lights that almost made her head spin. And still, the entire complex still looked as convoluted as ever, with hallways upon hallways being interconnected along winding paths that somehow looped around into connecting with other hallways.

"Guidance?! Moriya?!"

Once more, she called out, her voice echoing against the narrow passageways. Like before, nothing returned to her except for the sound of her own voice and the blaring alarms signifying a break-in. Sighing, she used her eyes to peer through the walls again. Also like last time, her range simply wasn't big enough to cover the entire floor, with dead ends being formed in the periphery of her vision even as she strained and squinted.

"Nothing, huh..."

Stepping forward, Shizu moved on, doing the same things she did back on the upper floor as she navigated her way through the maze that was the facility. Still, despite the general urgency of her situation, she couldn't help but find what she was doing to be fun and exciting. Here she was, exploring what was clearly a Marquean secret facility, surely filled with danger and possible secret weapons that the enemy might use against her home. She had the perfect opportunity to sabotage the Marquean effort, maybe even discover a clue as to whether or not the rumors of Marquee having a superweapon is true.

'I'll just have to find it here,' she determinedly thought. 'Surely, there's gotta be something-'

[*BEEP! BEEP!*]

"Ngh!" Shizu flinched as a stabbing pain radiated from her chest. "W-What the?!"

Alarmed, the princess stood in place, her focus going back to the offending thing in her chest that she was trying so hard to ignore. Already, the temptation to just try and claw at her chest to get to the device was growing within her, but she managed to take a deep breath before she looked at herself in detail.

Based on what she was seeing with her sight, the device had somehow buried itself deeper into her body. The sphere was almost touching her heart now, its Numbers moving with more intensity as it emitted more of its signal than she had seen it do before. Trailing the Numbers, she noticed that the signal was suffusing throughout the facility, as if the walls themselves were helping the device do its job. And even worse, a faint signal was starting to make its way into her body.

"The enemy?" she wondered aloud, her hand placed over her chest as she gathered her bearings. "Are they trying to use me or something?"

Immediately, the thought of Marquee having some kind of mind control facility sprang into mind. Would the thing inside her somehow influence her thoughts? Would Marquee be able to make her sell out her precious home?!

"G-Guidance?! Moriya?! Are you there?!"

And just like that, the sense of adventure she once had was replaced with the previous sense of urgency she had prior to jumping in. Pumping her legs, she intensified her search, her eyes flitting across the walls in an effort to get at least a glimpse of the Gods that might be able to help her.

She couldn't let such a tragedy like her selling out the Empire happen. She refused to become the very thing she swore to destroy!

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SHADE

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Tailing the worker deeper into the facility, Shade was sweating bullets as he found himself going deeper and deeper into the warehouse. Somehow, there was an entire facility deep underground, a sprawling network of metal hallways almost making him regret trying to infiltrate the place alone.

"How far does this thing go?" he couldn't help but whisper to himself as he followed the worker around the corner. "I feel like I won't make it out alive if I go even deeper."

Still, the deeper he went, the more Shade was sure that he was on the right track. Surely, nobody would build this massive a complex if they weren't going to hide something in it. Even if it wasn't, the amount of information he would get from here would at least make the trip worth it.

Keeping his distance, Shade managed to keep himself hidden all the way until the worker entered one of the numerous rooms they had passed through. He quickly made his way to the door, but with the lack of any other entrances, opening it would be liable to get him caught in the act.

'I have to eavesdrop then...'

Keeping his ear to the door, Shade closed his eyes, his senses focusing in on any possible conversations happening on the other side.

"Ah, sorry for making you wait," the worker apologized, his tone taking on a more sophisticated tone. "One of the Intellects in charge of the Project has been asking too many questions as of late."

"I see," Carbuncle's voice echoed from behind the door. "I assume that there won't be any problems with our deal?"

Shade took a short breath. He could tell that the former spy was more nervous than usual. Perhaps there was something more going on here than it simply being a money thing...

"There won't be," the worker, sounding more and more like a higher-up, audibly nodded. "Now, I hope that you have the schematics ready. We cannot afford any more delays, especially if the rumors regarding Project D are true."

Project D? That sounded important. Was that the superweapon that they were there to investigate in the first place?

"That damnable project will surely fail," Carbuncle spat out in disdain. "Marquee is playing a dangerous game."

"A game that will be won by the thinking man," the boss scoffed. "And seeing as you're here along with the rest of your family, it's clear that you think the same way."

Shade ground his teeth as he kept on listening. He could only imagine the amount of anger Carbuncle might be going through right now. Seeing as he hadn't heard anything from Alcian, he could only assume that she was doing this on her own. Or perhaps-

"What're doing here?"

Shade's eyes widened as he immediately went for his [Rozen]. Transforming it into a whip, he was about to lash out when a pair of hands put him into an arm lock.

"Don't move," the man warned behind him. "Unless you want us to fight right here and now."

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