Even though it was mealtime, there was no time to eat.
To retrieve the core of BB-0027, which might have been mistaken for trash, Clara immediately decided to head to the resort’s Pollution Treatment Center.
Like the Pollution Treatment Center in Central City, the resort’s center was also underground. However, its scale was much smaller than the one in Central City, about the size of a normal garbage station.
After all, there just wasn’t as much garbage here to process.
The entrance to the garbage station was near the main gate of the facility, as such places were always set up outside—having them inside the resort would be an eyesore.
The issue with BB-0027 couldn’t be revealed, so Clara declined Sista’s company and only brought Fran along, who drove the borrowed tour vehicle.
The door was closed, as expected.
But there was no need to greet any staff; with Fran, opening the electronic access door was no problem. Although breaking in was illegal, as members of an evil organization, this level of law-breaking was nothing to them.
But the moment the door opened, a colored, pungent smell rushed out to meet them.
Clara immediately gagged, unable to bear it.
“Ugh, blegh—”
The smell of garbage was strong even in the surface elevator lobby. Pinching her nose, Clara took a step back, a sense of dread rising in her chest.
“Merciful Father, just how filthy is it down here?”
[Connection to senses terminated.]
Nix immediately “escaped” from Clara’s neural link, sharing in the good times but not the hardships.
Fran frowned, but still stepped into the elevator lobby, saying:
“There shouldn’t be such a strong smell. The facility is designed to purify garbage—except for the processing workshop, other areas shouldn’t stink at all…”
The collected garbage would be automatically sorted: metal recovery, incineration, ash landfill, and so on. After these procedures, it should be rendered harmless.
[If the garbage is being handled underground not by machines, but by Moon Rabbits…]
Nix’s hypothesis was highly plausible.
“We’re here.”
The resort was small, so the Pollution Treatment Center wasn’t deep underground. The descending elevator quickly reached the center, opening to reveal a dimly lit, pitch-black factory.
No one needed to be on duty here; fully automated AI handled all the pollution processing.
Jobs that nobody wanted to do were always given to AI.
The stench was even more overwhelming here. Clara felt as if her face was about to rot away.
Nix, give me a gas mask.
Though she hadn’t transformed, Clara still put on a gas mask.
This time, it was genuinely necessary.
“Don’t hog it, I want one too!”
Fran covered her nose with her sleeve, trying to snatch the mask off Clara’s face. Clara quickly said:
“Have Nix make another for you. As long as you don’t stray too far from me, it won’t disappear.”
With the gas mask on, Fran finally relaxed.
“Coming to a hellhole like this, there’s no way I’ll be able to eat dinner later.”
[You could also eat dinner here.]
“That joke isn’t funny. Is your language module set to hell mode?”
Clara finished roasting Nix, then turned to Fran and asked:
“So, where’s all the garbage piled up?”
“The trash waiting for processing is over there.”
Though it was her first time here, Fran seemed familiar with the center’s layout. She turned on the interior lights via the control console, then checked the logs.
“Good news: the batch of trash delivered just now hasn’t been dumped into the incinerator yet.”
Fran then led Clara to a garbage pit.
All the daily waste produced by the people on this island was waiting to be processed here. The amount wasn’t large, but it had still formed a small mountain.
“Hmm, less than I imagined?”
“Well, the resort hasn’t officially opened to guests yet. With only a few dozen people on the island, how much garbage can they generate? Your garb… your white plastic bag should be here too.”
“Nix, scan it.”
Clara tossed the task to Nix. She had no intention of rummaging through such a huge pile of garbage herself—she couldn’t even stand the thought of jumping into the pit.
At least there were no Moon Rabbits here.
Maybe the smell was leaking because of a faulty ventilation system or something?
[Found it.]
Nix worked with his usual efficiency.
Just like in the Exhibition Center when facing the witch, Clara’s vision lit up with a white marker—only this time, the white spot was inside the foul-smelling trash pile.
“…You want me to dig through that with my bare hands?”
Farewell, BB-0027, I’m afraid I can’t keep my promise to you!
Clara bid BB-0027 goodbye in her heart.
[Nix thinks you gave up too quickly.]
As Nix spoke, a layer of white, transparent membrane formed over Clara’s body.
[Protective suit. It’s strong enough for you to dig through trash.]
Physical contamination could be prevented, but what about this psychological trauma?
Even so, Clara braced herself, jumped into the garbage pit, and marched toward her hope buried within the mountain of trash.
Crack—
Suddenly, the lights in the Pollution Treatment Center went out, leaving only the faint emergency lighting of “blackout mode.” The visibility through her gas mask was poor to begin with, and now, in the gloom, it was even harder to see.
“Did someone touch the control console?”
“I’ll go check. You keep looking.”
Fran said this as she flipped open the holster on her thigh and walked toward the main hall.
But as far as Clara could remember, Fran’s handgun had never actually been used for anything?
Clara felt uneasy and started digging faster, intending to find the plastic bag and then regroup with Fran, lest anything unexpected happen to her—squelch!
“Huh?”
Instead, she pulled out a pair of rabbit ears.
Naturally, beneath those ears was a filthy, foul-smelling Garbage Rabbit, its split, three-lobed lips baring sharp fangs as it lunged for Clara’s arm.
“Damn!”
But before it could bite Clara, she flung it away with a jerk.
Immediately, more and more rabbits started crawling out from all directions.
“You didn’t spot them during your scan?!”
[They weren’t there before. There are drainage pipes beneath the garbage pile.]
As expected, this garbage station had already been occupied by Moon Rabbits!
Realizing that Clara and Fran had arrived—specifically, after the lights were turned on—they had hidden themselves. Now that the lights were off, they’d received some sort of signal.
“Fran’s in danger!”
Harnessing the superhuman physical abilities of a magical girl, Clara grabbed the battered plastic bag and kicked off the wall, leaping out of the garbage pit.
[The rabbits didn’t attack earlier because their numbers are low—they’re trying to preserve their species. Nix believes now is the best time to wipe them out.]
“Not many?”
From what she’d seen in the caves, “not many” still meant hundreds. These creatures had even tunneled from the caves into the garbage station. The entire island’s underground must be riddled with their tunnels!
Next, Clara heard gunshots in the treatment center’s main hall.
Fran’s syringe gun didn’t use gunpowder, so it couldn’t have made that sound.
“Whose gun is that?”
[Nix believes it’s impossible for it to be the Moon Rabbits.]
Rabbits with guns.