Altered (Male Reader-Insert)

[15]

 Entering the dark vents, you squint your eyes to see better. it's way darker than you expect. You notice the ground is covered with white latex. Lin holds your hand, saying that you should stick close together. You nod and you both try to find your way out. There are two paths available, one in front of you and one on the left.

 You first start going left. The paths are thin so you can't walk beside each other again. As usual Lin goes first while making sure you're still with him by holding your hand. The place is cluttered with multiple latex objects and boxes everywhere.

 Lin stops to tell you there's a gap ahead. You look around for any boxes that can be pushed but can't find any. So you turn around and head to the other path with you on the front since there's not enough space for Lin to pass by.

 You eventually find a box that's pushable but since there's little space you tell Lin to give you more room. He lets go of your hand and tells you that he'll wait near the entrance and will join you once you're back. You push the box as quickly as you can so that you can quickly reunite with him.

 You make it to the entrance and let Lin push the box. You follow closely behind and while making your way to the hole you see a box jump up. Only you noticed it but you decide to leave it since this place is dangerous.

 There's more branching paths and at this point you both start taking turns randomly while avoiding any place that might seem dangerous. You see a poster with big bold letters making it readable, it says "right right up up left left down down". You try to remember this since it might be the exit path.

 You then encounter moving slime puddles that only dash. You eventually run into a group of puddles. You head back and try to go right but there's another slime puddle in the way. Lin grasps your hand out of fear as he says that the slime puddle is getting nearing.

 Surprisingly he then tells you that it's going back and is leaving the path open. Lin cautiously moves forward while you stay close behind him. After making another set of turns a spider comes down from the ceiling holding a box. It tries to block your way with it but a snow leopard sticks its head out from the top and begins attacking it, making the spider go back up with the box.

 Lin says that there's another gap to the right so you head left to look for a box as it's the only path left. He then slips on something making you kneel down to check on him. You also slip on something and land on top of Lin.

 You stand back up while looking back to see what you slipped on. Apparently you both slipped on a piece of paper. Just as Lin stands up you both hear something approaching. Realizing that it's running towards you Lin grabs your hand and quickly runs away from it.

 While running Lin has to push boxes out of the way, slowing you down. You then hear Puro yelling that he's holding it back and that you two should keep running. You both run as fast as you can and eventually make it out.

 You both pant as you try to calm down after being chased. Letting yourselves relax you both walk to the next room. Just as you enter it you hear Puro's voice. You look around before realizing it's coming from the smaller vent.

 "It's me, Puro! After you both ran away, I deliberately attracted the leopard's attention, so it wouldn't continue chasing you... I tried really hard to grab that leopard's hind leg in the dark to buy you two some time...

 I helped you again this time, humans! But, humans, you two can run so fast together, it really caught me off-guard! Excellent... It seems I don't need to worry about you anymore, humans can deal with these problems themselves!

 You're welcome! I had to do this! Humans, I should get going... This ventilation duct is too small for me to get out of... I will find an exit ahead of here and wait for you to arrive... Then see you in the generator room, humans!"

 Puro slips back into the vent. With no dangers in the room you can now explore without having to worry. You first look at the set of photos showing a person graduating, getting hired as a scientist, working, and then getting transfurred.

 You turn around and decide to read the two notes starting with the one on the tool rack and then the one on the wall.

 "To the new engineer: Ventilation ducts aren't corridors. They are still ducts for air flow. The floor here isn't strong, please tread carefully. If you find something loose, repair it in time."

 "To the new engineer: The password of the maintenence vent is hinted back in the air-conditioning area. If you can't find it go back and have a look."

 You look to your right and see another password machine. Looking behind you, you see a clipboard so you decide to read it before trying to solve the password.

 "Are black latex beasts truly black? This question must sound bizarre. I have been staring at these creatures for almost a year, and their deep blackness has fascinated me more and more. Black latex beasts can't produce melanin, nor do they have any black substance in them, but we perceive them, aside from their core, as pitch-black. It's unbelievable.

 Perhaps it is their special body composition and cellular structure that lets them absorb all light, making them completely dark to human eyes? After all, human eyes can't see all kinds of light. The spectrum that we humans can perceive is only the empty black on the black latex beasts. We will never know how beautiful their original appearance is..."

 You then head for the machine. You remember about the poster back then and guess that it might be the password. You look at the screen and notice the cursor on it is more visible. Inputting the directions, you move the cursor right two times, increase the selected digit two times, move the cursor back two times then decrease it two times leaving it 8020.

 The password is correct as the door to your left makes a click. You catch up with Lin just as he leaves the room behind. With the vents now being wider you can walk beside each other comfortably now. Eevn though you're no longer in the dark anymore, Lin still holds your hand.

 You hear something land behind you so you both look back and see a snow leopard. The two of you run from it and enter a small vent to get away from it. While you rest for a bit a slime puddle comes out from a small vent on the ground. It attaches itself to Lin and you both try to get it off.

 You walk a bit more and are surprised to find an aquarium wall. There are two posters on the glass, one of them saying to not touch the glass with your hands and the other stating that it's an "Aquatic Life Nurture Center".

 There seems to be no danger here so you both stand there and watch the aquatic latex beasts. From what you can see, there's dog-like squids, sharks with tiger stripes, aquatic roombas that cleans the glass, fish hooks, sea bunnies and fish.

 You watch a bit more and some of the latex beasts happen to notice you. One of them is an orca which just tilts its head and waves at you. Another is an axolotl, it's currently focused on something but when it sees you two it stares at you for a bit, especially Lin, before swimming back up.

 A metal box then lowers down into the aquarium with a window on one of the sides. You can see a scared snow leopard inside it. You then see a huge latex beast that seems to be a combination of a crocodile and alligator.

 It's casually swimming with its arms behind its head before stopping in front of the window. It looks at you two and when it sees you staring at it, it flexes its muscles. You look away and try to act like you weren't staring at it. It then winks at you before swimming away, trying to show its butt in the process.

 Having felt like you've watched enough of it, you tell Lin that you should get going. He agrees and walks on ahead, you follow after him but not before you adjust your briefs.