Chapter 47 Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland 10

The existence of the "Chimera" was like a sword of Damocles hanging over Zhou Jue's head.

She knew very well that a highly intelligent biological weapon, once awakened, would not stay quietly on level B7. This shelter, along with her and the group of survivors, would become their prey.

Rather than passively waiting for death to come, it is better to take the initiative.

"Brother Tong, how do I get into level B7?"

Levels B5 to B7 are independently locked areas, requiring three different keys and corresponding iris recognition permissions to open.

According to database records, the three highest-level administrators died in the early stages of the disaster. The keys are missing, and the iris data is no longer valid.

[Analysis of forced breakthrough plan underway...]

Option 1: Use a 'universal interface key' to crack it. Estimated time: 79 hours. There is a 91% probability of triggering the 'Chimera' hibernation pod's emergency defense mechanisms—a high-voltage electric grid and nerve gas.

[Option Two: Physical Demolition. The entrance to Level B5 is constructed of 3-meter-thick depleted uranium composite armor, which cannot be destroyed by conventional means. Cutting it with a 'Boundary-Breaking Shovel' is expected to take 3 minutes of continuous work. The enormous noise and vibration generated during this process have a 99.8% probability of prematurely activating the 'Chimera'.]

Both options are tantamount to suicide.

Zhou Jue frowned deeply. She quickly flipped through the incomplete data on the control panel, trying to find a clue.

Since it was designed by humans, it must have loopholes, or rather... backdoors.

"Access." Zhou Jue suddenly realized something: "With my current highest level of access, can I activate the shelter's internal defense system?"

[Yes. The host currently has full control over all security facilities from level G to level B4, including automatic defensive machine guns and tear gas dispensers.]

"Retrieve the monitoring data from the warehouse where the mycelial variant appeared in layer B3."

[Retrieving...]

A blurry surveillance video appeared on the screen. In the footage, a researcher in a white lab coat stumbled into the warehouse amidst the chaos of zombies storming the shelter. He appeared to be infected; his body was convulsing violently, and soon, grayish-white mycelium sprouted from under his skin.

But he did not die immediately. In extreme pain, he pulled something out of his pocket and stuffed it deep into a ventilation duct in the corner of the warehouse.

After doing all this, he completely lost consciousness and became the monster that Zhou Jue had encountered before.

"Enlarge the thing he stuffed in."

[In progress: Super-resolution image restoration...]

The image was processed and became clearer. It was a silver object, resembling an ID card.

The item detected is one of the 'B5 Floor Keys'.

Found it!

Zhou Jue was secretly pleased. It seemed that not all three people in charge had died so easily. At least one of them had hidden the crucial key before he died.

She immediately got up and rushed towards level B3.

This time, she didn't alert anyone. Wang Yong was leading the survivors in a vigorous "base construction" effort, and the entire G level was full of life, a stark contrast to the post-apocalyptic scene outside.

Zhou Jue arrived at the warehouse and easily found a slot that was magnetically attached to the inner wall of the ventilation duct.

She took the silver key.

[Ding! You have obtained the 'B5 Floor Key'. Unlock progress: 1/3.]

"What about the other two?" Zhou Jue asked the system.

[Based on cross-referencing of the database, the last vital signs of the other two individuals were detected in the medical experimental area on floor B2 and the sample cryopreservation room on floor B4, respectively.]

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Jue immediately headed to his next destination—the B2 Medical Experiment Zone.

The air on B2 was thick with a pungent odor of disinfectant mixed with the smell of blood. It was far more chaotic than the other floors, with overturned lab benches and broken glassware scattered everywhere.

Based on the system's location, Zhou Jue arrived at an operating room.

The door was locked from the inside.

Zhou Jue used the Boundary-Breaking Shovel to cut a large hole in the door and went inside.

In the operating room, a skeleton, already reduced to bones, lay beside the operating table, dressed in a lab coat. A scalpel was embedded in its sternum. It seemed to have chosen to end its own life after being infected.

In its skeletal hand, it tightly clutched a second key, a black card.

[Ding! You have obtained the 'B6 Floor Key'. Unlock progress: 2/3.]

The last one, on level B4.

Zhou Jue rushed to the sample freezing room on floor B4. This was the coldest place in the entire shelter, and the air was filled with a chilling cold.

Rows of enormous liquid nitrogen freezing tanks stand like silent guards in the warehouse.

The body of the third person in charge was found next to a half-open freezer. His death was the most gruesome; half of his body was frozen into an ice sculpture by the low temperature, while the other half showed signs of being eaten.

Zhou Jue searched him for a while, but found nothing.

"Brother Tong, scan this area."

[High-precision scanning in progress... A key signal was detected in a drainage pipe 3 meters below the target body.]

Zhou Jue immediately pried open the metal grille on the ground, and a cold, foul stench rushed out. She endured the discomfort and reached inside, quickly touching a cold object covered in slime.

The third key, a golden card, is in my hands.

[Ding! You have obtained the 'B7 Floor Key'. Unlock progress: 3/3.]

The conditions required to enable B5 layer permissions have been met.

Zhou Jue breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of heading to floors B5-B7 immediately, she returned to floor G.

Before taking on the final boss alone, thorough preparation is essential.

She called Wang Yong aside and gave him a list.

"According to this, find all the usable explosives, highly corrosive liquids, and high-voltage capacitors in the shelter and send them to the entrance of level B4."

Looking at the alarming terms on the list, Wang Yong, though filled with doubt, stood at attention and saluted without hesitation: "Yes, sir!"

While the survivors were busy collecting "trap materials," Zhou Jue was checking his equipment in his makeshift room.

The boundary-breaking shovel, the high-frequency vibration blade, the silenced pistol, and the "Obsidian" matching electromagnetic rifle.

"Brother Tongzi, is there anything in the points mall that can deal with biological weapons?"

[Recommended Exchange: 'Gene Collapse' Potion (One-Time Use). Can disrupt unstable gene chains, with remarkable effects on fused organisms. Price: 10,000 points.]