“Phil's right. Cap was ill. The genetic anomaly and the beetles were somehow connected, and Cap knew it. “ Muttered Sam under his breath.

Sam removed the container from Cap's belt, a can that looked like an insect can. The only difference was in the organic conservation system. The beetles flocked into the open jar as if on command, the electronic bait worked.

  “I need to collect more bugs. Then we will figure out what they are.”

Collecting bugs, Sam decided to take the weapon from Cap but changed his mind as he would have to reconfigure the guidance system. Then he went to the throne of Rсhod and took the sword and staff.

  “I'm sorry, but you won't need this.”  Sam addressed Rсhod respectfully.

Sam carefully examined Rсhod, his attention was attracted by the armor, he remembered that once, in his childhood, he saw a similar armor on one of the generals on Titarian.

  “The only thing of value here is your dicron armor. ” Sam said.

Sam stood for a while, looked at the dead Cap and left the room.

  “I'll have to go down, there's no other way out. Maybe Phil downstairs survived the fall. When he fell, there was a splash of water.” Mused Sam, going to the edge of the collapsed structure on which they had passed before.

 Sam secured one end of the rope to the beam and descended into the thick gray fog that hid the bottom of the grotto. The rope barely reached the bottom. It was difficult to see something in the black fog, and Sam turned on the flashlight. Something pushed him hard from behind, but he stayed on his feet. Sam pointed the flashlight at himself and saw a bloody spike sticking out of his right side.

  “What's it? No!” Howled Sam finally feeling the pain.

 Sam tried to make out what it was, but the next moment he hung in the air, and a vile black monster appeared in front of him. The beast did not understand what he caught. Its large nostrils narrowed and parted, trying to smell the victim. The scent of human blood caught his attention, and the monster approached Sam so close that he could see the terrible appearance. The scanner in Sam's helmet triggered, detecting many approaching objects. The automatic shoulder cannons swung toward nearby targets.

System message. “Autocannons activated, targets set”

Sam pointed the barrel at the monster's face and pulled the trigger. It seemed that all the darkness was set in motion, the roar of weapons and the screams of monsters filled the grotto. Sam methodically shot every creature that approached.

System message . “Ammo 25%, 20%”

Sam tried to move, but a spike protruding from his side and pain prevented him.

System message .  “Ammo 10%, 5%, Attention. Damage to internal organs, painkillers introduced, possible infection.”

Sam felt the pain dull and jerked in front. The automatic cannons stopped firing and the angry monsters with a wild growl rushed at Sam, he killed the two nearest creatures. The others stopped briefly, this gave Sam the opportunity to get the DG-9 defensive grenade, which he took from the dead Dave, squatted down and raised his hand. “Closer! I will not give up without a fight!”

At the very moment when the monsters, as if on command, rushed to Sam, there was a deafening explosion. A spray of hot metal scattered, destroying everything within a radius of one hundred meters. The shockwave dispersed the dense fog.

 A ghostly silhouette flashed across the upper tier of the grotto.

"What's down there?" Said the ghost in surprise, who saw the explosion at the bottom of the grotto.

The grenade did not harm Sam, but he still passed out for a while. Through tinnitus and dizziness, he heard a system message “Attention. Remove the armor plates 1 and 2, treat the wound with a solution of m2, use the bandage number B1. You will need to contact the nearest medical facility within an hour.”

Sam got up and looked around, the scanner was clear. Dim rays of light shone from somewhere above, and Sam walked slowly toward the illuminated section of the rock.

A pleasant armor initialization melody played in the helmet. “We are glad that you have used the services of our company Strong Armor! We hope you enjoy our product. We have prepared a surprise for you, you can replace your damaged armor with a new one, with a seventy percent discount! Don't miss this opportunity. The promotion is valid for fourteen days!”

“Shut up!”  Sam barked “With such a wound I will not last an hour.”

Coming out of the water to the shore, Sam took off his helmet and armor. He treated and bandaged the wound as recommended by the life support system. Exhausted, he sat down, leaning on the ground against a rock.

“That's all, the end, it could not be otherwise.”  Muttered Sam and passed out.