The instant they passed through the dimensional rift, Maine's crew experienced the most bizarre, indescribable sensation of their lives.
As if thrown by irresistible force into an industrial-grade tumble dryer running at full power—spinning wildly, directional sense completely lost.
Immediately after, more terrifying sensations struck. Their bodies seemed thoroughly torn apart, shattered by invisible forces. Every cell, every neural signal disassembled into most basic particles, mixed and stirred.
Consciousness floated in pure chaos and void, nearly completely dissipating.
Right at this critical point, that force suddenly reversed, re-kneading and reshaping their "ground-up" existence.
"Ugh...!"
"Shit..."
"Fuck..."
The process of recovering consciousness accompanied suppressed pained groans and curses.
Everyone without exception lost balance, unable maintaining standing positions.
Maine's knee slammed heavily onto cold, hard ground, making dull thuds. He desperately supported his body with modified left arms, barely avoiding complete collapse.
Dorio similarly knelt on one knee, bronze facial muscles taut, enhanced frame also trembling slightly.
Falco braced hands on ground, shades askew, breathing heavily.
Pilar completely collapsed on ground, slender mechanical arms sprawled powerlessly.
Rebecca lay spread-eagle on ground, gaze unfocused, chest heaving violently, feeling internal organs all displaced.
Only Morell—after Cairo's targeted deep optimization, her body's spatial disturbance tolerance far exceeded companions.
She merely staggered two steps. Figure swaying, quickly regaining balance.
Almost the instant stabilizing, her enhanced sensory systems fully activated. Cold compound optical lenses sharply surveyed surrounding unfamiliar environments.
Outer armor plates on arms silently slid open. Sonic blades flickering with ghostly-blue energy micro-glows hadn't fully extended but were already in pre-activation states ready for instant deployment. Her entire being like a fully-drawn bow, radiating warning auras keeping strangers away.
Cairo's previous mission briefings had given them extremely high danger assessments for "the other world."
At this moment, just struggling back from that near-"death" transport experience, intense survival instincts plus vigilance toward unknowns drove them—must immediately confirm personal safety.
"Everyone okay?" Maine's voice carried traces of forcibly-suppressed hoarseness. He raised his head first, vigilantly surveying surroundings while using his right arm—that bionic limb integrating powerful shield generators—protecting his front, assuming defensive postures.
"Still... managing..." Rebecca struggled trying to get up but limbs somewhat weak. Dorio reached out, yanking her upright.
"Feels like getting disassembled then reassembled—maybe some parts installed wrong..." Pilar muttered, flexing his signature long arms, checking if joints functioned normally.
Falco quickly adjusted shades. Gaze through lenses rapidly scanning environmental parameters. Sasha and Kiwi stood back-to-back. Their electronic warfare cyberware had silently activated, constructing small-range passive defense barriers, sensing surrounding electromagnetic fluctuations and data streams.
However, attacks or extremely dangerous environments they'd envisioned didn't appear.
Scenes entering vision instead made their tense nerves feel traces of bewilderment.
They stood inside a massive cavern seemingly artificially excavated.
Cavern ceilings were very high, vanishing into shadows—only sporadic points like starlight, stable yet distant light sources barely outlining dome contours.
Main light sources came from tubular luminescent bodies embedded in walls. They emitted cold-toned, uniform, non-glaring white light, illuminating entire spaces like some sacred halls or harsh factories.
Underfoot was a circular platform slightly elevated about thirty centimeters above ground. Surfaces weren't smooth but densely carved with complex, unfamiliar geometric patterns, nested rings.
These engravings were deep and precise—as if instantly melt-carved using extremely high-energy tools, forming structures of unknown functions resembling altars or some energy-focusing bases.
All around stood various instruments and equipment they couldn't comprehend.
These devices' appearances gave first impressions of roughness, primitiveness, even some clumsiness.
Massive brass-colored or dark-steel-colored gears over a meter in diameter tightly meshing with equally robust drive rods, slowly rotating while emitting heavy, rhythmic friction sounds...
Thick cables wrapped in substantial black insulation layers—like hibernating metal pythons—bundled coiling on sturdy metal frames or extending along floor grooves. Some junction points showed exposed interfaces flickering with faint arc glows...
Some waist-high glass tubular or cylindrical containers sealed slowly-flowing, glowing green or dark-blue unknown liquids or gases. Glow intensities pulsed with certain patterns—as if breathing...
However, this "roughness" and "primitiveness" were merely visual illusions—stylistic choices.
Looking carefully revealed hidden exquisite craftsmanship beneath: every tooth on those massive gears machined perfectly, meshing gaps tiny beyond naked eye detection. Metal surfaces gleamed with cold luster only achievable through special heat treatments and polishing—definitely not ordinary brass or steel.
Those thick cables' insulation layers appeared heavy yet materials were flexible with extremely high strength. Faintly visible beneath weren't ordinary copper cores but some dark-silver, obviously-extremely-high-energy-conduction-efficiency exotic metal wire weavings.
Faint energy humming from instrument interiors was stable and low—zero noise or fluctuations, revealing power cores and control systems' reliability and precision far exceeding Night City's common tech levels.
The entire environment's atmosphere inexplicably held some similar temperament to Cairo's wasteland workshop they were familiar with.
That completely discarding needless aesthetics and ergonomic comfort, purely pursuing functionality and utilitarian mechanical aesthetics.
Every bolt, every conduit's existence seemingly only for most efficiently achieving some clear purpose.
Just that this place's style appeared even older, heavier than Cairo's relatively "modern" and "integrated" workshop. Those exposed gears, levers, steam power elements carried age-settled, near-obsessive solemnity—as if silently proclaiming some ancient-originating worship and persistence toward mechanical power.
"This place... is what the boss called 'the other end'?" Rebecca shook her head. Green optics curiously examining this location—rather than dangerous zones, more like some ancient tech ruins. "Looks... pretty solid?"
"Stay alert." Maine commanded gravely. Though environments seemed calm, he dared no carelessness.
His left arm—that limb integrating master-crafted plasma cannons—energy circuits faintly glowing, in low-power standby states.
Just then, rhythmic footsteps with metallic friction sounds echoed from one side cavern passage.
Sounds steady and powerful, reverberating through cavernous spaces.
Everyone's gazes instantly focused on sound sources. Just-slightly-relaxed nerves tensed again.
Weapon systems quietly adjusted to ready-fire states. Dorio stepped forward half a step, subtly protecting Rebecca, Pilar and other slightly-weaker-defense members behind.
Morell's figure slightly lowered. Sonic blade humming barely-audibly rose one level.
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