Chapter 66 What's different about using outsiders in experiments with infections?

The infected person struggled desperately.

Brother Cha grabbed him from behind and pressed down on his neck.

"Awooo!"

The infected person's legs were kicking incessantly, and his hands were waving behind him.

"Hey, come help!" said the guy in the scaffold.

The greedy girl held down the leg, while Fang Zhiyi and Chu Zhao each controlled one arm. The four of them worked together to press the infected person in front of the camera.

The camera detected someone approaching, and a red light shot out from it, scanning back and forth.

"Will it work?" asked Brother Ca.

Fang Zhiyi said, "Don't rush."

The infected person rolled their eyes, and two beeps signaled that the iris recognition had failed.

"Damn, this won't work," said the guy who was wiping.

Fang Zhiyi said, "Let's try again."

Chu Zhao observed for a while: "We need to get him to open his eyes."

"Damn," Brother Ca retorted, "does he even understand human speech?"

Infected person: "Awooo!"

A group of people hurriedly held the infected person down.

The commotion at the elevator entrance was quite loud, and in the distance, one could hear hurried footsteps approaching.

Agile, mimicking infected crawled across the ceiling, while a gigantic infected struggled to squeeze its massive body into the narrow corridor…

The elevator entrance faces the corridor directly. If these infected people block the way here, there will be nowhere to escape.

Not to mention that the infected person in front of him became frantic, and his struggles became stronger and stronger, almost to the point of being out of control.

As the slippery tongue dangled down from behind him, Brother Cha cried out in despair, "Think of something!!!"

Fang Zhiyi gritted his teeth and reached out to poke the infected person's eye socket.

The infected person instinctively closed their eyes.

Fang Zhiyi continued her actions swiftly and decisively, pulling his eyelids upwards and forcing him to open his eyes and look ahead.

At the same time, Chu Zhao cooperated perfectly, pressing the infected person's head firmly in front of the camera.

A flash of red light.

[Employee's identity has been verified]

After this line of text appeared, the elevator doors slowly opened. The reflective glass inside the elevator reflected the densely packed mimic infected people in the corridor.

Fang Zhiyi shoved the infected person aside, went straight into the elevator, and pressed the button for the 15th floor.

Turning around, I saw the mimic infected swarming into the narrow elevator entrance, their faces hanging upside down from the ceiling, emitting eerie hissing sounds.

Brother Ca's voice was distorted: "Close the door!"

Fang Zhiyi pressed the close button hard.

The elevator doors closed slowly just before the mimic infected could catch up.

Thump.

A feeling of weightlessness washed over me as the elevator slowly rose, pulled upwards.

"Damn, this is too exciting!" Brother Cai leaned against the elevator wall, wiping away a bead of cold sweat.

Fang Zhiyi and Chu Zhao exchanged a smile.

The elevator stopped on the 15th floor.

Upon opening the door, a snow-white corridor comes into view. The entire building has a consistent decorating style, with cool white tiles on the floor, creating a cool tone that makes you feel like the temperature has dropped a few degrees Celsius.

Brother Cha shivered: "Why do I feel colder and colder..."

The gluttonous girl felt the same way.

Even Chu Zhao's face turned a little pale.

Fang Zhiyi took a deep breath; the air was a little cold, and he had a bad feeling: "Let's hurry up and leave after we finish the mission."

As he spoke, he quickened his pace.

The recipient is currently in a meeting, so all you need to do is find the meeting room on the 15th floor.

After passing through a series of desks and cubicles, I finally saw a place that looked like a meeting room.

Looking through the window in the door, it was pitch black inside, and a video was playing.

The man in the suit and tie was speaking: "...There has been a new breakthrough in the development of the Type III biological agent, and the test subjects have evolved in various aspects... Abandoning the traditional injectable agent, this time a spray agent is used, which can produce more test subjects at the same time for control..."

"The effects of the three types of biological agents are as follows: In the first stage, the experimental participants felt chills all over their bodies, temperature imbalance, drowsiness, and fatigue... The second stage is high fever..."

Before the speech was even finished, a gentle voice came from the side: "Hello, may I ask what you are doing here?"

Fang Zhiyi withdrew her gaze and noticed that a man in a white lab coat was standing in the office area. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and held a steaming cup of black coffee. He looked harmless and refined.

The delivery task is highlighted.

Fang Zhiyi said, "We're here to deliver goods."

His eyes behind his glasses lit up: "Delivery... is it the serum from the Highway 2 campsite?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded: "Yes."

The bespectacled man put down his coffee cup, took the cooler with both hands, and opened it on the spot.

As soon as the box was opened, cold liquid nitrogen gas wafted out, revealing vials of serum inside.

"Great... With the serum, our experiments can proceed much faster..." A hint of fanaticism flashed across the bespectacled man's face as he seemed lost in his own world, muttering to himself incessantly.

Fang Zhiyi waited for a while, but when he didn't mention the payment, she couldn't help but speak up: "The agreed-upon payment..."

The bespectacled man closed the cooler: "Ahem, the payment, of course, I'll give you every penny." He picked up his coffee cup again, "but the payment you owe is in the safe on the -1 floor, so I'll have to trouble you to come with me there again."

Fang Zhiyi: "..."

If it's that safe, it seems... he should have already received his reward. Not only did he get 1000 parts, but he also received a reward far exceeding that value.

How should I put this?

He wondered if nobody wanted the safe?

Brother Cai also realized: "I remember that safe, boohoo..."

The greedy girl quickly covered his mouth and forced a smile: "You guys talk, just ignore him."

The bespectacled man smiled and nodded: "Yes, a safe. Valuable things should be stored properly, shouldn't they?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded haphazardly: "Uh... I completely agree..."

The man with glasses: "Then let's go to the -1 floor."

Fang Zhiyi said tactfully, "-1 floor... I heard it's not very safe down there."

The bespectacled man was surprised: "Really? I didn't know that." He suddenly realized, "There were indeed some mischievous insects that escaped from the lab, but everything is under control, and I can guarantee your safety."

...You said those mimicking infected were bugs. And you were being mischievous.

The bespectacled man invited them to the -1 floor again, and Fang Zhiyi changed the subject: "Do you know Mark?"

The bespectacled man narrowed his eyes slightly: "Mark?"

Fang Zhiyi: "We're here to see him. His mother asked us to let him go home as soon as possible..."

This is a side quest that costs 500 parts and also rewards you with a Highway Camp Pass.

The bespectacled man: "Mark, of course I know him. He's a big celebrity and a big boss in our company! I didn't expect you guys to know him too."

Fang Zhiyi asked, "Where is Mark now?"

A subtle emotion, somewhere between anger and hatred, flickered across the bespectacled man's face, but it vanished quickly before it could be clearly seen, leaving only regret: "He's missing."

"As you can see, the bear market turned out like this because of the biological agent leak. Since then, the company has been in chaos, and many people have disappeared... I am deeply saddened."

As he spoke, the bespectacled man walked to the elevator and pressed the down button. "So, let's go to the -1 floor together first."

Fang Zhiyi realized that the Sun Umbrella Biotechnology Company was a murky place. Since the person had disappeared, he decided to let it go and didn't insist on taking on the mission.

And the guy with glasses was so insistent on sending them to the -1 floor, it just felt... weird.

"No...we have other things to do," he politely declined.

A glint of white light flashed from the glasses of the bespectacled man: "So eager? The reward this time is a large sum of parts."

Fang said, "We have other goods to deliver."

Chu Zhao continued, "We still need to go to the next car campsite."

Only Brother Cha was still clueless, scratching his head blankly: "Really? I don't remember..."

The greedy girl covered his mouth again, gritting her teeth and saying, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."

Brother Ca: "Waaah..."

Seeing their determined expressions, the bespectacled man didn't insist any further. "Alright," he said with a smile. "But since you're not company employees, you probably can't use the internal elevator, right? I'm going to the -1 floor anyway, we can go down together."

How to get down is indeed a problem.

They used the iris recognition of an infected person to open the elevator when they came up, but there isn't another infected person on the 15th floor for them to use now.

Fang Zhiyi and Chu Zhao exchanged a glance and replied, "Okay."

There is currently no other option.

The man with glasses opened the elevator doors and stepped inside first. With five people standing inside, the space felt cramped and crowded.

Being too close, Fang Zhiyi smelled a strange odor emanating from the bespectacled man, which made him instinctively feel disgusted and want to stay away from him.

What does this taste like?

Fang Zhiyi searched for the source of the smell, but the white coat on the bespectacled man covered him completely, and only the coffee cup in his hand could be seen.

The man with glasses asked, "Where did you park your car?"

"Underground parking lot," Brother Ca instinctively replied.

The man with glasses: "Oh, then I think you guys also need to go to the -1 floor."

Fang Zhiyi said, "Let's go to the first floor."

There are still mimicking infected people waiting for them on the -1 floor. The elevator entrance is quite a distance from the fire escape. Rather than being chased by the mimicking infected people, it is better to go out from the 1st floor, circle around the ground, and go to the underground parking lot.

The bespectacled man stood next to the button panel, smiled slightly, and pressed the buttons for the 1st floor and -1st floor.

The elevator descended, 15th floor, 14th floor, 13th floor...

Just as they arrived on the first floor, the man with glasses asked, "Aren't you really coming with me to the -1 floor?"

Fang Zhiyi felt extremely uncomfortable: "...No need."

Rejected again, the bespectacled man still smiled: "That's such a pity."

The voice said, "Downstairs, we've arrived at the first floor."

Fang Zhiyi left the elevator impatiently, then turned around and saw the bespectacled man standing there, calmly taking a sip of his coffee and mouthing, "Goodbye."

Fang Zhiyi really wanted to say that it would be better not to see each other again. But then she changed her mind and smiled, saying, "Goodbye."

The two stared at each other until the elevator doors closed.

Only after watching the elevator descend to the -1 floor did Brother Ca dare to speak loudly: "This place is too eerie—"

Before he could finish speaking, three pairs of eyes turned to look at him simultaneously, and they said in unison, "Shut up."

Brother Ca: "..."

"It's like I'm a jinx..." Brother Cai weakly protested.

Isn't that so?

Brother Ca: "Of course not, see, nothing happened after I said that—"

As they walked and talked, the conversation abruptly stopped when they stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby on the first floor.

The once empty hall was now filled with people.

They were dressed in security uniforms from Sun Umbrella Biotechnology Company. They were all tall and burly, fully armed, wearing helmets and bulletproof vests, and carrying riot shields and forks.

Fang Zhiyi looked at Brother Cha.

Brother Cai was still stubbornly insisting, "He's just a security guard..." As he spoke, he glanced at the body and couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn, those muscles and that physique, he could kill me with one punch."

Fang Zhiyi's brow twitched.

"I'll go give them a try," said Brother Cai. He then stepped forward and struck up a conversation, "Excuse me, bro—"

The security guards stood like iron towers, completely still, not even glancing at Brother Cha, as if nothing could attract their attention.

"Brother," the man continued, "we're here to deliver goods. Didn't you see your boss escorting us down?"

The security guard's eyes darted around, his dark eyes fixed on Brother Cha.

"Damn, what kind of look is that? I'm going to complain to your boss..."

Beep beep beep—

A piercing alarm interrupted Brother Cai's words.

"...Fire?"

The power to the entire building was shut off, and a blinding red light flickered from the ceiling.

Looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky was overcast and covered with dark clouds.

"Warning, warning! Infection level exceeds the limit."

"Please address the out-of-control situation immediately!"

The siren hanging on the security guard's body beeped.

Brother Cai was startled and looked around: "Damn! Where are the infected people?"

The security guards stepped forward in unison, picked up their riot shields and held them up in front of them, then approached them directly.

Brother Cha looked behind him, but there was no one there. He looked at the ceiling, but still saw nothing.

"Don't scare me... Where did this infected person come from?"

The greedy girl swallowed hard: "Is it possible that the infected people they mentioned..."

Fang Zhiyi calmly continued her sentence: "It's us."

Thump!

The security guard stopped with heavy steps.

At this moment, all the details of playing the bear market became clear. Fang Zhiyi said, word by word, "The Type III biological agent is spray-on, and the virus can be transmitted through the air."

A chill ran through my body.

The moment they entered the bear market, they were already infected by the virus. However, their previous reactions were too mild, and limited by their experience in zombie movies, they thought that only being bitten or injured would make them infected, so they did not notice anything unusual about their bodies.

[First stage of infection]

[Maximum Stamina -20]

The black mist that had been obscuring their vision tore away, and a line of negative effects appeared on everyone's bodies.

At the same time, the security team closed in.

Brother Cai: "Damn! Why are they arresting us when there are so many infected people outside???"

Sizzle.

The walkie-talkie hanging on the security guard's shoulder lit up red, and the voice of the bespectacled man came through: "Grab them, alive. I want to see what's so special about using outsiders as test subjects."

A large group of security guards blocked our way.

At that moment, a line of small text appeared above their heads.

Armed Infected

They are trained to use the equipment and understand some simple instructions.

A group of infected people.

They are still a group of infected people who are not afraid of death and do not know pain, who know how to use weapons and have a certain level of intelligence.

Fang Zhiyi hesitated for even a second, which would be disrespectful to them, so he immediately turned and ran.

Brother Ca: "Wait for me—"

The exit of the hall was blocked by armed infected people, so Fang Zhiyi turned around and ran inside to find another exit.

A company this big can't possibly have only one entrance.

Chu Zhao walked quickly, but his voice remained calm: "There's a side door here."

Fang Zhiyi rushed over and indeed saw a door at the corner. He pressed the handle hard, but couldn't budge it.

The door was locked from the outside.

Fang Zhiyi asked, "Can you unlock it?"

Chu Zhao tried it, listened to the rattling of chains outside, and shook his head: "There's a chain lock hanging outside."

Brother Ca rolled up his sleeves: "I'll break down the door." He rammed the door with his shoulder, and with a "bang," the iron door didn't budge. Instead, Brother Ca jumped up and down in pain.

For a time, none of them knew what to do with the door.

Behind me, the sound of synchronized footsteps drew ever closer.

Fang Zhiyi made a quick decision, no longer arguing with the locked door: "Let's go!"

They ran frantically, putting distance between themselves and the armed infected. Fang Zhiyi gasped for breath, looked around, and fixed his gaze on the floor-to-ceiling glass window on the side: "The glass, smash the glass and get out."

The gluttonous girl stepped forward: "I'll do it." She put on her brass knuckles, swung her fist in mid-air, gathered her strength, and then slammed it into the glass.

At the point where the brass knuckles landed, the glass shattered instantly, forming spiderweb-like cracks. With a gentle push, the shards spilled out with a "crash," revealing a passage just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Fang Zhiyi slipped out, her steps never faltering, until she had left the building's perimeter before she dared to stop.

I took a walk around the Sun Umbrella Biotechnology Company, and it's already nighttime.

Tonight there are no stars or moon, the sky is gloomy, giving one a sense of foreboding.

A night breeze blew by, and perhaps because of the intense running, a chill ran through me.

Brother Cai plopped down on the bench, panting heavily: "Damn, my whole body aches."

Fang Zhiyi calmed her breathing and silently sensed the strangeness in her body.

The gluttonous girl asked, "What do we do now?"

"Ouch, ouch," Brother Cai cried out. "What else can we do? Go to the underground parking lot, get the car, and leave as soon as possible. I don't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another minute."

Unfortunately, no one listened to his advice.

Fang Zhiyi said, "We can't leave. We have to go back to the parasol."

Brother Ca's eyes widened: "Why?"

Fang Zhiyi pointed to the negative effects on his body: "We are already infected, and we must find the antidote serum before we are fully infected." He paused, "and the only place with the antidote serum is in the parasol."

[Mission - Infection Crisis]

To be or not to be?

[Choose option 1, find the antidote serum (0/1) and use it]

[Option 2: Wait for the virus to erode and mutate into an infected person]

Fang's meaning: "".

Who would choose the latter one?

"So we have to go back."

Brother Cha subconsciously turned around to look at the building behind him.

The building was brightly lit, like a beacon in the darkness.

"……go back?"

Having finally escaped, are we going to go back again?

Fang Zhiyi: "Of course I won't go back from the first floor."

The group of heavily armed infected were still looking for them. According to the bespectacled man, if they fell into their hands, they might become lab rats.

"Let's go to the underground parking lot first."

The group tiptoed through the park.

Night fell.

The office park was deathly silent, with only the cold light of the streetlights.

Walk down the slope to the underground parking lot, walk through rows of parked cars, and return to the fire escape entrance. Behind the door is the -1 level of the Sun Umbrella Biotechnology Company.

The underground parking garage was so quiet that you could hear the sounds of breathing.

Several people stood at the door, peering inside cautiously, trying to find any trace of the infected person.

However, the mimic infected have learned to change their appearance like chameleons, blending into their environment so well that they are impossible to detect unless you get close. Once you discover the traces of the mimic infected, it means you are already surrounded by them.

Thinking of the countless mimic infected beings hiding inside, Brother Cai swallowed hard: "Are we really going in?"

Fang Zhiyi pondered for a moment: "Go in, but not like this."

Brother Cha was confused and didn't understand what he meant: "What do you mean?"

Fang Zhiyi pointed upwards.

A passageway entrance appears above the ceiling.

Ventilation ducts

Each room has a ventilation opening; by crawling into the ventilation duct, one can avoid infected individuals and find antidote serum in the laboratory.