Chapter 94

How could that be? Aren't they all dead?

Before embarking on this mission, everyone present had read materials related to the underwater ruins. A large portion of those materials were brought back by Xiao Cheng years ago, and the deaths of the other members of the investigation team were also a fact.

Seeing these people again today could mean two things: either it's a hallucination caused by pollution, and these people are simply projections of the past; or these people didn't die and, for some reason, have even retained their original appearance.

Regardless of the possibility, they are no longer normal people.

"Who are these people?" Wu Yongnian asked warily.

"They were also sent by the General Administration. Do you have any action permits? Please confirm." He Ping seemed to realize that he had been a bit rash and smiled awkwardly.

Lu Chenzhou handed over the action permit, which was marked with a date. Wu Yongnian took it, glanced at it, and showed no expression on his face.

If this is a projection, it's a bit too intelligent.

Xiao Shengyun observed secretly.

“We’ve been here for ten days. There are too many monsters in here, and it’s taken us a long time just to clear them out. Sister Liu is injured, so we’ll rest here for half a day before continuing on our way,” He Ping explained.

Liu Ying is a pretty girl with short hair. She is leaning against the wall. Her leg is injured and wrapped in layers of bandages.

Xiao Shengyun and the others exchanged a glance. Their main purpose this time was to stop the True Knowledge Society, and they didn't have much time. However, they also needed to rest, so they readily agreed.

"Seniors, have you obtained any useful information since you arrived here?" Lu Chenzhou asked.

It doesn't matter whether these people in front of us are human or ghost, as long as we can find something useful.

Wu Yongnian: "After we arrived, we encountered four waves of pollutants, all from mutated marine life. These mutated species were stronger than those on land. Later, we saw some murals, which you've probably seen before. The corridors of this building are interconnected, making it easy to get lost."

Perhaps it was because everyone else looked intimidating, but after tidying up the remaining equipment, He Ping sat down next to Xiao Shengyun and added, "Those murals seem to be alive. I once saw the snake-man on them moving."

Alive?

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Wu Yongnian's expression turned serious, clearly not believing what He Ping said.

"I really saw it, and Brother Xiao Cheng saw it too, only you two don't believe me," he muttered.

He Ping was younger than he looked at first glance, with brown curly hair, bright eyes, and fine downy hair on his face. His talent must be quite special to have been assigned to the investigation team.

He hugged his backpack to his chest, took out a tablet from it, and recorded the battle that had just taken place.

"That thing is twenty years old; such recording devices are obsolete now."

Zhou Zhi's voice rang in Xiao Shengyun's mind. His heart skipped a beat. He looked around, but everyone else was doing their own thing and no one heard him.

"so?"

"In the end, the recording device was brought back, so now we are just immersing ourselves in their experiences back then, and nothing we do can change the history that has already happened."

They are now in parallel with footage from twenty years ago.

"Sister Liu, does your leg still hurt? I have some painkillers here." He Ping moved closer to Liu Ying, and the three of them stood close together.

Everyone was dead. Xiao Shengyun looked at the harmonious scene before him and pursed his lips.

After resting, everyone entered another passageway in the room.

These corridors were narrow and long, making them feel as if they were walking through the tail of a giant snake.

When Xiao Shengyun passed the snake-man mural for the third time, he stopped.

Each fallen snake-man was simply arranged into a pattern, which then merged into an "ocean," at which point the "ocean" rippled slightly.

"What's wrong?" His pause caught his companion's attention.

"The mural moved slightly." Xiao Shengyun took a deep breath.

As soon as he finished speaking, the black lines on the mural began to twist violently, as if something was about to burst out of the wall.

The murals have come to life.

What are all these things?

Wu Yongnian looked terrified and instinctively shielded his two teammates behind him.

The black lines struggled violently, and small snakes leaped down from the wall, approaching the group.

Zhou Zhi instinctively swung his knife, but the knife passed right through the snake's body and only struck the air.

This is also a projection.

The snake passed through the onlookers and attacked Wu Yongnian. A burst of fire lit up the area, and the flesh sizzled as it was burned by the flames.

"What's going on? Why can't we attack?" Xie Yuan's bullets also missed their mark. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Even after dealing with pollutants for so many years, he still felt fear towards these things because you never know what their capabilities are.

“This is a projection,” Zhou Zhi explained his conjecture.

These are the past experiences of the investigation team. At that time, Wu Yongnian did not believe He Ping's words, so he showed that look of fear.

They could only sit in the audience and watch as the snakes bit Wu Yongnian, leaving wounds on his body. Liu Ying's situation was even worse; her protective suit had been torn by some monster, and the monsters, attracted by the smell of blood, kept moving closer. Liu Ying, whose movements were already slowed by her leg injury, was now in an even more difficult situation.

"ah-"

A snake bit Liu Ying's wound. She bit her lip and groaned, then used her knife to cut the snake in half.

Wu Yongnian used flames to disperse the snakes and then supported Liu Ying with one hand.

"Captain, there's a room fifty meters ahead. We can go there."

Such investigation teams are usually equipped with a member who has a talent for detection, and He Ping serves in this position.

The interior of this ruin is strange; monsters attack in the corridors, but the rooms are safe zones.

Wu Yongnian and He Ping escorted Liu Ying to a safe room, one on each side. Liu Ying's legs were already a bloody mess. She sat on the ground, and even though she tried her best to suppress her painful gasps, they still leaked out from between her teeth.

“I can no longer move, and the pollution has already entered my body. You go forward, find Xiao Cheng, and leave me here,” Liu Ying said calmly.

The calmness in her voice shocked everyone. Although everyone on the mission was prepared to never return, it was the first time they had seen someone so casually give up their life.

I stayed behind so as not to be a burden to my companions.

"We can't abandon you..." As the team leader, Wu Yongnian was bound to take care of each team member. His personality was often ridiculed for being too indecisive.

"Captain! Move forward and find the source of the pollution," Liu Ying said calmly.

Then she did something unexpected: she stained a large patch of gauze with her own blood.

"Use this as bait later."

Liu Ying's body heaved with pain, and her face grew even paler.

Abandoning Liu Ying is the best solution. Wu Yongnian revealed a sorrowful expression. He still had to continue until he obtained the information he needed.

He continued on his journey.

"Are you really just going to abandon her like this?" Chen Buyan asked incredulously.

Liu Ying is still alive; being abandoned would be worse than death for her.

"The primary principle of the investigation team is to obtain enough information and pass it on. For this, they are willing to give up everything, including their own lives and the lives of their comrades," said Lu Chenzhou. He understands Wu Yongnian, and as the team leader, he would prioritize completing the mission.

"Sister Liu, I still have some nutrient solution in my backpack, oh, and a packet of candy. Hang in there, we'll come back for you." He Ping took the items out of his backpack.

Liu Ying patted his head.

Lu Chenzhou and He Ping continued walking forward, with the rest of the people following behind them.

They didn't encounter any monsters on this journey, but they soon discovered a more troublesome problem: they seemed to be going in circles.

He Ping saw the familiar road sign, which he had left himself, as if mocking their futile efforts.

“We’re back where we started,” He Ping said.

"Obviously."

“But we keep moving forward.” He Ping has an extremely strong sense of direction. His talent is “X-ray vision,” which allows him to see the internal structure of everything, from a small model to a large castle.

"Unless this building is a circle, we can walk around it again and see if we can run into Liu Ying," Wu Yongnian said.

They walked around again.

I didn't encounter it, but I saw a familiar road sign.

He Ping's face went blank.