Nikke, something’s seriously wrong with this evacuation point! Chapter 97 97: Mom!

Getting into the research institute turned out to be far easier than Charon had expected.

Abe simply led him through a maze of corridors, and before he knew it, they had already entered the facility without encountering a single obstacle.

Soon, they arrived before a laboratory on the second floor.

A place so lacking in secrecy that it practically counted as semi-public.

"Stop looking around," Abe said flatly. "This is one of those laboratories nobody even bothers using. Aside from the word 'laboratory' written in the archives, absolutely nothing about this place has anything to do with research."

"I heard it was originally categorized as a laboratory just to scam additional budget funding."

Her voice remained entirely monotone.

"In other words, you don't need to be so paranoid. Nobody cos here."

And she was right.

The surrounding area was eerily quiet.

Outside the windows were birdsong, flowers, greenery everywhere–a peaceful rear garden clearly designed for strolling.

Yet not a single person could be seen.

Only then did Charon finally understand what people ant by a "departnt of exile."

"The people assigned here spend all day drinking tea from their mugs," Abe continued expressionlessly. "So of them don't even read newspapers anymore. A few are younger than ."

"Anyone sent here basically loses their future. That's common knowledge."

"But you don't seem affected at all," Charon remarked while standing at the doorway, turning back toward her.

This woman looked exactly the sa as when he first t her–back when her title had still been "Professor."

That confidence buried deep in her bones…

It felt completely indestructible.

"Aren't you the sa?" Abe's dead-fish eyes lingered on him briefly. "I still have no idea how you managed to completely change identities, enter the military system, and avoid being discovered by Andersen… or rather, Andrew."

"We're both pretty ridiculous."

Andersen? Andrew?

…Alright, you bastard. So you really were hiding things from .

Still, whatever.

The Andrew Charon knew might possess secrets, but he absolutely wasn't the type to betray his friends.

Abe pushed open the laboratory door, and Charon followed behind her.

Despite being located inside the city–where conditions should've vastly surpassed those old military ruins–the equipnt here looked even worse than the science room of a run-down middle school.

Outdated machinery.

Old models.

Mostly manual tools.

And yet…

Within only two days, Abe had handcrafted exactly what he needed.

At the center of the lab sat a one-ter-wide machine atop the main workbench.

A hemispherical socket was embedded in its center, designed to accommodate Rapture cores of varying sizes.

At this point, Charon could only stare in awe.

"Professor Abe, you are insane," he said sincerely. "You actually handcrafted sothing this incredible."

Just that hemispherical interface alone looked impossibly difficult.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Abe rose onto her toes and lightly flicked his forehead. "There's no way I hand-carved a spherical mold."

"The precision components were all 3D-printed. I rely modified the surface to make it look tallic."

"…3D printing?"

Charon leaned closer for inspection.

And she was right.

Especially the outer shell–it absolutely looked tallic at first glance.

Her craftsmanship was terrifying.

"Don't underestimate it just because it's compact," Abe continued. "There are still highly precise internal components. The thing weighs nearly one hundred kilograms."

"So exactly how are you planning to transpo–"

She froze mid-sentence.

Because right before her eyes, Charon casually reached out and touched the machine–the "Rapture Core Energy Converter," otherwise known as the core generator–

–and the entire massive device vanished.

"…What?"

Abe's pupils shook violently.

She already knew Charon possessed unusual abilities.

But this?

This directly challenged her materialist worldview.

"This is a little trick only I can use."

"Bullshit!" Abe snapped imdiately. "I can tell the difference between magic tricks and actual magic!"

"Even so, this really isn't magic." Charon spread his hands helplessly. "Whatever. The important thing is just understanding that I can do certain things ordinary people can't."

Charon hadn't revealed his special abilities to Abe thoughtlessly.

First of all, Abe was Ana's current guardian. Remaining forever ignorant about Ana's past had never been realistic.

Secondly, just as Charon had believed when entrusting Ana to her in the beginning–

Abe was trustworthy.

Her intelligence, combined with his strange abilities, could accomplish incredible things together.

Telling her the truth would make future cooperation much easier.

And why now?

Simple.

If he'd tried explaining this over the phone, her only response would've been:

"Yeah right. I totally believe you."

After allowing Abe so ti to process the ntal shock, Charon pulled the generator back out and began reading the instruction manual.

Abe had written it extrely thoroughly.

Part one was a foolproof operating guide even monkeys could understand.

Part two explained repair procedures in case of malfunction.

She'd even included a storage chip containing 3D-printing blueprints for replacent components.

Unbelievably considerate.

"So…" Abe's dazed voice drifted from behind him. "You can transport objects outside the city completely undetected?"

"Basically, yes. Though there's a storage limit. This machine alone occupies nearly one quarter of my inventory capacity."

And it was heavy.

Carrying it noticeably reduced his stamina recovery speed.

"One quarter…" Abe muttered thoughtfully. "You ntioned earlier that the laboratory out there is self-sustaining, right?"

"And that it uses geothermal power?"

"Yeah. Can you fix it?"

"I probably can. But not imdiately." Abe shook her head slightly. "I'd need a professional team to analyze exactly what's broken."

"Or…"

"You could bring my drones there. I can perform a complete remote scan through them and identify the problem that way."

"If that works, you'd be saving our lives."

"There's more." Abe crossed her arms. "Did you search the laboratory's botanical agriculture bays?"

"…There are agriculture bays?"

Charon scratched his head awkwardly.

Apparently they'd completely missed that.

"Even if there aren't any, just build one." Abe said casually. "Hydroponics are enough for now. I'm familiar with the process."

"I'll send you a manual and the required equipnt list later. Just gather the materials according to the specifications. The nutrient solution formulas will also be included."

"Bring the raw ingredients back with you and let the Nikkes handle production. They already possess the necessary knowledge."

"At that point, you can start growing vegetables there."

"If the population stays small, it should provide enough food."

"Professor Abe."

"Hm?"

"…Mom."

"Quit it, that's creepy as hell!"