After clearing the air in the vaulted room, Gray immediately proceeded with cleaning the tube Phillip was staying in.

Meanwhile, Phillip was trying to regain control of his own motor reflex despite the lack of space inside the tube.

[Outside Temperature is 22 Degrees Celsius. Should I prepare appropriate weather clothing, Captain?]

“Yes…”

Though he wasn’t quite sure what she meant, Phillip decided to rely on the AI that calls him captain. He doesn’t understand why Gray calls him captain, but his more curious as to what she capable of.

[Now opening Stasis Cell. Please don’t touch the glass.]

As instructed, Phillip pulls back his hand from the glass and leaned away from it. And after that, the glass springs open and the air from inside the room immediately fills the tube.

[Due to current status, I can only use the air purifier within the Laboratory Vault. Other ship segments are too damaged to function and some have been disconnected. My advice to the captain is to prioritize reactivating all available ship segments.]

Despite the things Gray has told him, only a few got into his head.

Phillip was too focused on trying to put strength unto his legs because he would be carrying his own weight after the strap would let go of him.

And when he finally did take his first step outside the tube, he felt a sense of release. Though thanks to being in a Cryo-stasis state, he didn’t feel the time, but in his subconscious, he knew that it was a very long time since he came out of a tight space.

But to his surprise, he didn’t feel the supposedly cold hard steel floor. When he looked at his foot, he was apparently wearing some pair of boots that is connected to his tight suit.

[Augment Suit Activity detected. Nano-plating was formed from the Bio-steel tissue coating in response to sudden environmental changes. With Captain’s permission, should I record this and further similar activity?]

“Please do…”

After he finally walked out of the tube, Phillip stretched his back and after snapping noises echoes from his spine, a metal support frame formed on his spine.

[Spine Frame formation detected, other than back support, further functions are unknown.]

“Well, it does feel better with this.”

Phillip tried to twist his back to see, but since he wasn’t that flexible, he gave up and looked around the room instead.

He took a deep breath and took in the smell of the room.

Though Gray claimed that she purified the air, she wasn’t able to erase the smell of something rotten inside the room. This made Phillip cough from the rancid smell grating inside his lungs.

Immediately, the Augment suit reacts and a metallic mask covers his mouth and nose while simultaneously cleaning out the bad smell from inside his lungs.

[Apologies Captain, the scented purifier already expired 170 years ago. Due to missing segments, I wasn’t able to synthesize anything.]

“That’s alright, and speaking of which. Do you know where these segments are? I have no memory about this place.”

[Ship layout will be sent to the Assistance device 4 meters from you.]

After Gray pointed out the precise location of the said device, Phillip notices that the device is just sitting just outside the shielded wall. Around a bone which is probably the skeleton’s wrist.

“How long were their corpses sitting there?”

[Scanners indicate that these remains have been degrading since 189 years ago. Cause of death: unknown. Missing Memory Core might have records of events from 189 years ago.]

“And where is this Memory Core?”

[Location: Unknown]

Hearing her response, Phillip lets out a sigh and starts walking towards the shield wall. Though it was a wall, he was able to casually walk pass through it like it wasn’t there.

Immediately, the suit spreads and covers every part of Phillip’s skin and even his head. It transformed into a combat suit as if it responded to something.

[Augment Suit Combat Mode Activation detected. Toxic air triggered the Nano-suit’s defensive function. Sensitivity to aggression has been recorded.]

“I didn’t realize that this suit is alive.”

[Inaccurate: Augment Suit is an extension of the user’s senses. It enhances both physical abilities and basic sensory organs, although further adjustment is required to disable hyper-sensitivity.]

While Gray was explaining, Phillip picks up the device and wears it on his left wrist. Immediately, the suit absorbs the device and disappeared.

[Bio-steel Nanites have disassembled and assimilated the device. Device is still functional.]

Immediately, the screen of the device reassembled on the back of Phillip’s back hand and was suddenly projecting what should be a layout of a ship.

“Where are we?” Phillip asked while looking at the layout. But all of a sudden, he felt a pulse inside his body. As if it was rejecting something.

[I cannot access the assistance device for instructions. Please grant access.]

It appears that the device his suit absorbed also strip Gray’s authority over it. He realized that and was slightly confused in what to do.

“What should I do? I don’t know how.”

[Solution: unknown. Missing Data Logs from Missing Memory Core might have answers to the question.]

“So that’s how it is huh. But I do want to have you help me.”

While looking at the ship layout, all of a sudden, his head suddenly hurts as a voice resounded in his head.

“Destroy”

It wasn’t Gray’s voice. It was another woman’s voice. But it felt familiar for Phillip. But since it felt and sounded like a whisper, it immediately left his mind.

[Connection established. Device Software to Network System link synchronized.]

“So giving a vocal approval does the job, huh?”

[Augment Suit foreign substance and unknown software assimilation abilities have been recorded.]

[Requesting approval to run schematics with current data gathered.]

Though the headache staggered Phillip for a bit, he took deep breaths and calmed himself down. After a while, he looks back at the vaulted room and stared at the camera staring at him.

“Run the schematics. Also, try to send me a layout of the surrounding terrain.”

[Yes, captain.]

[Connection to bridge mainframe is damaged]

[Unable to use scanners]

“Run diagnostics.”

[Will run diagnostics]

[All routes to Bridge Mainframe unavailable]

“Is there really no way?”

[Connection in compartment B3 has slight response. It is possible to repair. Possible problem: Lack on power core.]

As Gray said, she lets a part of the ship layout blink in red. On the other-hand, the Vaulted Room is blinking yellow while Phillip was blinking blue.

Phillip looks at the rusty sliding metal door. But since it’s very rusty, he doubts that it would open.

“Hey, Gray. Can you open the door?”

[Door hydraulics have degraded and wouldn’t respond. Force will be required to open.]

Hearing Gray’s suggestion, Phillip smiles and looks at the door with his clenched fist.

“I guess I can try and test out the Strength Augment.”

-End of Chapter-