The scarlet light, like a huge red cloth, was brutally draped over the battered face of the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Lu Zhaoming narrowed his eyes, sensing the ominous restlessness in the air, feeling as if some unclean thing was about to emerge.

"Everyone, open your eyes wide!" Lu Zhaoming lowered his voice, a hint of tension barely perceptible in his tone. "This thing is definitely not a weather forecast!"

He knew perfectly well that the weather after the apocalypse was always like a randomly playing horror movie, and you never knew when it would rain acid rain.

But this red light is clearly not a masterpiece of nature, but a man-made monster.

Just then, the long-absent system notification sound, carrying a hint of mechanical coldness, rang in Lu Zhaoming's mind: **"Unknown signal source detected, 99.99% correlation with the White Coat Experiment."**

"White robe?" Lu Zhaoming frowned. These two words were like the key to Pandora's box, instantly stirring up his less-than-pleasant memories.

Those lunatics in human skin never manage to cause any trouble.

"Looks like I've stirred up a hornet's nest this time," Lu Zhaoming muttered to himself, his eyes sharpening even more.

"Boss, should I go scout ahead?" Liu Yan gripped his gun tightly, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.

Lu Zhaoming shook his head, rejecting the suggestion: "You stay here to protect everyone. I'll handle this myself."

"No!" Su Li's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness. "Your body hasn't fully recovered yet, I can't let you take the risk alone."

As she spoke, Su Li stepped forward and grabbed Lu Zhaoming's arm, her eyes filled with worry.

“If you want to go, let’s go together. I don’t want to have to burn paper money for you again right after I’ve just found someone I like.”

Looking at Su Li's delicate face, Lu Zhaoming felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He knew that this seemingly alluring and charming woman possessed a stubbornness and a sense of responsibility deep down.

"Okay, let's go together." Lu Zhaoming shrugged helplessly, but secretly resolved that no matter what happened, he would protect everyone around him.

The group jumped into the modified off-road vehicle and sped off in the direction of the red light.

The roar of the engine sounded particularly jarring in the silent wasteland, as if declaring war on this apocalyptic world.

The closer you get to the red light source, the stronger the chemical smell in the air becomes, making your throat dry.

Looking around, all you can see is an abandoned research station, standing alone in the wilderness.

Outside the research station, countless infected corpses lay scattered about, some missing limbs, others with their heads completely devoured, a scene of extreme gruesome carnage.

"Ugh..." Qinglian covered her mouth, her face pale, clearly disgusted by the sight before her.

"You'll get used to it." Su Li patted Qinglian's shoulder, her tone eerily calm. "In the wasteland, dead people are the most common sight."

Lu Zhaoming didn't speak, but silently observed his surroundings.

He could sense that the energy fluctuations in this area were unusually strong, as if some powerful force was accumulating.

“Some kind of high-risk experiment was once conducted here,” Dr. Li said solemnly, adjusting his glasses. “The chemical composition of the air is very complex, but what is certain is that it contains some kind of mutated plague virus.”

"A mutated plague?" Lu Zhaoming frowned even more. "Is the White Robe up to some other insane thing again?"

He activated the system and conducted a comprehensive scan of the research station.

Soon, a hidden underground entrance came into his view.

"The entrance is here," Lu Zhaoming said, pointing to an ordinary floorboard. "Be careful, there might be an ambush below."

Lu Zhaoming led the way down, followed closely by Su Li, while Qinglian and Liu Yan brought up the rear.

Xiaocao clung tightly to Lu Zhaoming's leg, sobbing softly, clearly terrified by the eerie atmosphere around her.

The interior of the underground laboratory is even more terrifying than the outside.

The walls were covered with strange symbols and bloodstains, and the air was filled with a putrid smell.

"Waaah...there...there are people..." Little Grass suddenly pointed to a room and said in a trembling voice.

Lu Zhaoming gestured for everyone to be careful, then slowly pushed open the door.

Inside the room, an old man in a white coat lay on the floor, barely alive.

His face was wrinkled, his hair was gray, and his eyes were filled with fear and regret.

"Who are you?" Lu Zhaoming stepped forward and asked in an icy tone.

The old man looked up and saw Lu Zhaoming and his group, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

“I…I’m Lao Zhou…I used to be a researcher in a white coat…”

"White robe?" Lu Zhaoming's eyes sharpened. "What are you doing here?"

Old Zhou coughed a few times and said weakly, "The red light... is the sign that the 'Life Matrix' has been activated... It will accelerate the evolution of infected individuals... and destroy the immune system of normal humans..."

"Life Matrix?" Lu Zhaoming looked puzzled. "What is that?"

“It’s…it’s their plan…” Old Zhou said haltingly, “They want to create…the perfect…infected…”

Just as Lu Zhaoming was about to press for more information, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded in the laboratory.

"Oh no! We've been discovered!" Su Li's expression changed, and she quickly pulled out her pistol.

"Hurry up!" Lu Zhaoming shouted, picked up Xiaocao, and ran outside.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!