Chapter 122 Reunion Again "It really is because I wanted to see you."...

Sang Li reached out to try to influence the consciousness of the two 916s, but a wave of chaos quickly flooded her mind.

Their fragmented memories, pain, bloodlust, and distorted human consciousness all rushed toward her.

Sang Li suddenly felt a splitting headache, and her vision blurred with red and black, as if a thousand eyes were staring at her.

vomit.

She was clutching her neck, almost losing control due to the backlash.

Chi Du noticed something was wrong, and his eyes narrowed.

The crack is opening.

Although he cannot use it an unlimited number of times in a short period of time, it is enough to kill the monster in front of him.

It shouldn't be too bad.

Just as they were about to take action, a series of machine gun shots, along with the sounds of metal clashing and bones shattering, suddenly came from behind 916.

immediately.

An even uglier 916 head, dismembered and pieced together in the experiment, flew into the laboratory like a cannonball.

Splattered blood and fragments of internal organs splattered against the wall!

Sang Li was startled.

She turned around in astonishment and met the monster's head in the eye.

This lab is going crazy, how many 619s are there?!

The stench of blood instantly filled the air, as if countless mouths were roaring simultaneously.

The confusion gradually subsided, but a lingering headache remained.

The lights in the depths of the corridor flickered, and the electricity crackled.

Chi Du's expression turned cold. Although he didn't know what had happened, the electromagnetic dagger suddenly flashed with a cold light. He stomped his foot, and the crack opened again.

However, the next second, 916’s bloated body suddenly froze, and then it was forcibly cut open, its limbs exploding!

Limbs and flesh were scattered everywhere, hitting the walls and ceiling with dull thuds.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere.

The stench was overwhelming.

Sang Li subconsciously raised her arm to shield herself, but caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.

Amidst the flickering flames and sirens, the man walked against the chaos of the corridor.

Long and sharp as a blade.

Holding a gun in one hand, his black combat trench coat fluttered in the blood-red light, as if he had stepped out of purgatory. Blood mist and sparks sprayed behind him, making his face appear exceptionally cold and stern, like a demon returned from hell.

She looked up and saw a figure slowly emerge at the end of the corridor, where blood was splattered everywhere.

Lu Jin.

Sang Li stood up, her eyes filled with astonishment: "Why are you here?"

Chi Du tensed, the electromagnetic dagger still in his hand, his knuckles turning white. To him, this man was more troublesome than all the 916s combined.

Lu Jin did not stop. His black military boots rolled over the blood and limbs on the ground, and he even stepped over a writhing, bloated corpse of 916.

The corpse hissed and bubbled, but he didn't even blink. He chuckled softly, "Because I missed you."

After saying that, he raised his wrist and gently pressed down with his thumb.

A deafening explosion suddenly rang out, and the safety wall was blasted open by the flames and shockwave. Debris flew everywhere, and flames swept through the corridor, illuminating his cold, handsome profile.

Lu Jin turned to the two of them and said, "Let's go. This thing will get up again in a little while."

Sang Li frowned.

One or two of them are just showing off.

Chi Du narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at him, remaining silent.

Lu Jin glanced at him sideways and said sarcastically, "What, you can't even kill this?"

Chi Du: "Are you blind?"

Sang Li: "..."

"Why did you come here?" Sang Li abruptly broke the deadlock, feeling uncomfortable being caught between two men.

Lu Jin lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over her bloodstained hands, his voice tinged with weariness: "It really is because I wanted to see you."

"Get lost," Chi Du snorted.

The three of them hurried through the wrecked corridor.

Lu Jin walked at the back, glanced back at the still slightly wriggling remains of 916, took out a vial of silvery-white reagent from his pocket, and tossed it to the ground.

Snap.

The reagent instantly turned into a pool of transparent, foamy colloid, which spread rapidly, covering 916's flesh and solidified into a film like a spider web.

Sang Li couldn't help but frown: "What is this?"

Lu Jin said calmly, "Central nervous system viruses can slow down their regeneration."

Sang Li was taken aback: "How do you know how to restore 916?"

Lu Jin glanced at her: "Bai Heng found out."

Upon hearing this name, a complex emotion flashed across Sang Li's eyes, and she even took a breath.

She thought that Bai Heng didn't want to talk to her anymore.

Lu Jin did not continue the topic.

The first floor of the laboratory building was completely dilapidated, with flickering lights and walls riddled with holes from being gnawed away. The three of them passed through the cracked security door and headed towards the stairwell to the second floor.

The journey was silent until Lu Jin suddenly spoke: "If it were me, I wouldn't let you take such a risk."

Sang Li was slightly taken aback. Before she could respond, Chi Du coldly interrupted, his voice filled with a bloodthirsty tone: "Only you would treat her as a weakling."

Lu Jin paused, his gaze flippant: "Heh. I'll take you back."

Chi Du lightly tapped the hilt of the electromagnetic dagger with his fingertips: "In what capacity?"

Sang Li, who was walking in the middle, finally couldn't hold back any longer. She raised her hand to separate the two, her brows furrowed, and said, "Enough, stop arguing!"

The second-floor corridor was very clean.

But there was still a faint smell of blood in the air.

Lu Jin walked ahead: "He Chen is in the solitary confinement room on the third floor."

Sang Li asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

Lu Jin turned half his face to the side, his eyes and brows shrouded in the dim light, a faint smile playing on his lips: "I know everything."

Sang Li squinted.

She felt that Lu Jin looked a bit strange, as if he was deliberately hiding something, or as if he had planned everything all along.

Sang Li asked, "Besides wanting to see me, why did you come?"

"Because of me, I have nowhere else to go." Lu Jin smiled. "So, I beg you to take me in."

"ah?"

Suddenly, Chi Du stopped and reached out to grab Sang Li's wrist.

Hearing the noise, Lu Jin slowly stopped and turned around.

Chi Du stared at Lu Jin: "You have the scent of Sloan on you."

Sang Li was puzzled.

Sloan?

Wasn't Sloan missing?

Sang Li's heart skipped a beat, and her breathing quickened: "What did you do to Slo?"

Lu Jin looked at them, and couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Slo's breakdown: "He's helping me hold off the pursuers. I told him that if he succeeds, he can see you."

Sang Li stared at Lu Jin: "Aren't you a member of BEAM? You've betrayed the organization!"

Lu Jin didn't seem to care at all: "Of course, you can't call it betrayal."

He paused for a moment, his eyes dark, and uttered two words.

"It is betrayal."

Lu Jin's gaze fell on Sang Li's face, and he lowered his voice: "Do you think I would hurt Slo?"

Sang Li nodded solemnly, her gaze extremely serious, without the slightest hesitation.

"..."

Lu Jin was speechless for a moment, his lips twitched, and he gave a half-smile: "Fine."

He felt a sense of inexplicable frustration.

Chi Du gave him a cold glance.

At the end of the corridor, the iron door to the solitary confinement cell stood coldly.

Lu Jin stepped forward and easily ripped off the keypad, a crackling sound of electricity emanating from it. With a casual push, the heavy door swung open.

It was pitch black inside, as silent as a tomb.

Sang Li frowned and fumbled for the switch on the wall. The glaring incandescent light suddenly shone on.

Before me were rows of neat little cubicles, each only a few square meters in size, empty except for a cold stainless steel chair facing the wall.

There were no windows, no clock, only deathly silence.

This design seems specifically designed to make people forget time and be driven mad in endless darkness.

A chill ran through Sang Li as the sound of footsteps amplified in the narrow corridor.

Until the end of the corridor.

Sang Li took a deep breath and opened the door.

The light from the corridor shone in.

She saw a woman bound to a chair, her hands secured with metal straps, her head tilted slightly, her dark hair obscuring half her face.

She remained motionless, as if asleep, or like a lifeless statue.

Sang Li held her breath and whispered, "Mom?"

The woman remained motionless, as if she hadn't heard a thing.

The air was frozen, with only cold air passing through the ventilation ducts.

Sang Li bit her lip, but still took a step forward, her voice very low, as if she were cautiously touching upon some unbelievable truth: "Mom?"

yes.

It's my own mother.

silence.

Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

But the person on the other end seemed not to hear.

Just when she thought she had made a mistake, the woman slowly moved.

At first it was just her fingers trembling, then her shoulders, and finally, she stiffly raised her head.

Strands of hair fell down, revealing eyes that were bloodshot from torture.

Suppressed, numb.

Her gaze lingered in the air for a long time, as if she couldn't believe the person standing before her.

His gaze was vacant, then gradually tightened.

Finally, trembling lips slowly uttered a sound: "...Lili?"

It felt like a dream, like a call after traversing thousands of mountains and rivers.

Shock, disbelief, ecstasy, mixed with a suffocating pain.

Sang Li's heart trembled violently, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

All the suppressed emotions surged up.

She thought she had long since cast the word "mother" into the deepest darkness, with things like divorce, being abandoned, and disappearing.

She originally thought she would be all alone from now on.

But when that trembling "Lili" came out of the woman's mouth, she felt as if she had been punched in the heart. What had happened all these years?

Tears welled up uncontrollably, my breathing became rapid, and my chest heaved violently.

"Mom..." she said, almost choking back tears, her steps trembling.

She reached out her hand, but stopped in mid-air, like a frightened child, afraid to actually touch it, afraid that it was just an illusion, afraid that it would shatter if she touched it.

“Li Li”.

Finally, Sang Li rushed over and hugged the thin body tightly with both arms.

The woman's body was cold and stiff, but the moment she was embraced, she trembled, hesitated, raised her hand, and slowly and clumsily hugged her daughter back.

Sang Li's voice trembled and broke into broken sentences: "I thought you really got divorced!"

I thought you were at least on the path to a better life!

What kind of awful place is this?! Why am I suffering here?!

"Take Dr. He with you first."

Chi Du spoke in a low voice, interrupting the surging emotions between mother and daughter.

Now is not the time.

Sang Li was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses.

He Chen slightly raised his eyes, saw the cold and stern face clearly, and his lips twitched slightly: "Chi Du?"

Her voice was hoarse and weak, as if she hadn't spoken in a long time.

Chi Du nodded, his expression calm: "It's me."

He Chen stared at him for a few seconds, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, before finally asking softly, "Are you alright?"

“Very good.” Chi Du said calmly.

"That's good..." He Chen didn't say anything more, as if a weight had been lifted from his heart.

Sang Li's nose stung with tears. Seeing her mother's almost collapsed state, she couldn't help but squeeze her hand tightly.

Chi Du bent down and carried He Chen on his back.

She was too light, like an empty shell that had lost its weight.

A hissing sound came through the headphones, followed by Amber's voice, relaxed and dismissive: "Little Pearl, my problem is solved."

Sang Li thought for a moment, then lowered her voice: "You and Chi Du, take my mother back first."

Chi Du turned around, his gaze serious: "And what about you?"

Sang Li's gaze was cold and resolute as she raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face: "I'm going to find Slo, and I'm also going to find the Management Bureau."

She turned around, the firelight and shadow reflected in her eyes like a burning flame.

Chi Du frowned: "I'll go with you."

How could we leave Sang Li alone?

Sang Li shook her head: "My mom is safest with you. Besides, you're already a bit tired."

Chi Du fell silent.

Displeased.

Lu Jin sneered, his tone full of sarcasm: "Go home."

Incompetent people should go home early.

Lu Jin stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall with a half-smile on his face.

Sang Li was annoyed and punched him in the shoulder.

"Watch your expression."

Lu Jin paused slightly after being hit, but instead of dodging, he chuckled softly, his dark eyes filled with an unfathomable emotion: "I'll go with you to find Slo."

Chi Du's expression suddenly turned cold, and his suppressed hostility was almost overflowing, as if it would turn into a sharp blade at any moment.

“I don’t feel comfortable letting you be with him,” Chi Du said, almost emphasizing each word.

Sang Li did not back down and stubbornly said, "But my mother can't have any problems, and Amber also needs to settle other abnormal beings, so I'm not at ease with that."

In one sentence, he completely shut down all of Ike Watari's rebuttals.

Chi Du's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, but he ultimately remained silent.

After a moment, he looked away: "Be careful."

Once Sang Li has made a decision, no one can change it.

That's how it used to be.

It's the same now.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have remained silent for so long back then.

"I'm waiting for you."

"good."

Sang Li watched his departing figure and sighed.

Lu Jin's gaze swept over Sang Li: "So, when you had to choose between the two, you still chose me."

Sang Li rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned to leave: "Stop talking nonsense, go find Slo."

Before he had taken two steps, his wrist was suddenly gripped by a scorching force.

Sang Li was startled and looked down.

Lu Jin pulled her back.

Just like any other time the two of them went shopping or to the movies.

The heat from her palm made her feel a little uncomfortable for a moment.

"Let's go." Lu Jin said in a low voice, unable to hide the emotions in his eyes, but his tone was very sincere: "I really miss you, and I'm not lying about that."

Sang Li's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously tried to pull her hand away, but he held it firmly.

never mind.

The two walked side by side.

Their figures moved through the corridor, just like that night when they walked hand in hand through the labyrinth of memories.

The ground beneath my feet was littered with the remains of 916, with flesh and blood scattered everywhere and broken tentacles lying haphazardly.

Sang Li pursed her lips and quickened her pace.

Lu Jin still held her hand tightly, as if afraid that if he let go, she would leave again.

Arrive at the perimeter of the laboratory building.

The vast sea surface was churning with waves.

Lu Jin arrived by motorboat.

No wonder he's the captain.

Their appearances all have a very cinematic feel.

Like an action movie.

Unlike doing it secretly.

Hold me.

"You're trying to sneak in your own agenda."

"Yes, hold me tight."

Sang Li pressed against Lu Jin's back.

The jet ski cut through the waves, and the deafening roar was quite pleasant to hear.

When we arrived at the island, the sun was shining brightly, but now the sky is overcast. The sea is pitch black, with only the waves below reflecting a cold, icy light occasionally.

"We've arrived." Lu Jin operated the control stick with one hand, pointing forward with the other.

Following his gaze, Sang Li saw a huge oil painting, seemingly suspended in mid-air above the sea. The painting was battered by waves, yet it showed no cracks, resembling an eerie door.

This was the first time she had ever found the painting so pleasing to the eye.

"You had Sloan intercept the pursuers?" Sang Li asked.

Lu Jin raised an eyebrow: "Smart?"

Sang Li: "He definitely didn't do it voluntarily."

Lu Jin: "Of course, but he had no choice."

The motorboat skimmed the waves as it swooped down, its propellers kicking up sea mist.

The next second, the two were drawn into the painting!

Everything went black.

A cold, damp smell hit me.

When Sang Li opened her eyes, she found herself and Lu Jin standing in a huge seaside marine park.

This place has long been abandoned.

The amusement park rides were rusty, the glass dome was broken, and seawater had seeped in, bringing with it a rotten fishy smell.

The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the echo of seawater crashing against the dilapidated walls.

Three people lay sprawled on the ground. They were members of BEAM's pursuit team. They were all unconscious, their faces pale, as if something had drained their strength.

"Hiss," Sang Li exhaled a cold breath, her brows furrowed, "This place is truly ghostly."

“It’s not a ghost.” Lu Jin narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, “It’s Slo who’s delaying them.”

Therefore, I deliberately drew this style.

He walked ahead, his black trench coat fluttering in the broken seawater currents, and glanced at Sang Li: "Quite a lot of people have come."

Sang Li: "How many? It's to prove you're important."

“Besides this team, there should be at least 30 people who were there to capture me.” Lu Jin smiled sinisterly. “There’s another person leading the team. The money’s here.”

"Who?" Sang Li asked instinctively, "Money, you mean money that can be spent?"

Lu Jin: ...

"Qian Rujun".

"Your boss?"

BEAM's senior management.

"Yes, one of the instigators of the experiment. He must be hiding somewhere. Find him, and you'll know the answer to the question."

Okay.

After all, in the world created by anomalies, anomalies are invincible.

The doors of the ocean amusement park slowly opened.

The scraping sound of the corroded iron gate was sharp and piercing, like a tearing nerve.

It's colder inside than outside.

A wave of dampness hit us, and the air was filled with the pungent, sweet smell of rotting seaweed and rust, as if we could inhale the scent of death with every breath.

I'm practically moldy.

The hall was dimly lit, and the broken neon sign still flickered with residual light.

Welcome to Starlight Ocean World

Sang Li looked up and noticed that the faded writing on the glass notice board at the entrance was still clearly visible.

[Park Rules]

Please follow the rules below.

Please do not travel alone.

Every smiling employee deserves a response.

After 8 PM, all creatures in the pools belong to the park.

Only staff in red uniforms are our employees; you can ask one of them to show you around.

If you encounter an employee in a black uniform, please hide until they leave.

Sang Li: "..."

The handwriting looked as if it had been smeared with blood, and the last few lines had become a blurry mess.

"Seriously, this looks like it requires some brainpower." Sang Li stared at the notice and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "These rules are bizarre."

Is this a new method of Slow learning?

What is the underlying logic of this world?

On both sides of the corridor were huge fish tanks, their glass long since shattered, filled with dried-up fish carcasses. The fish's eyes bulged, their scales curled up, as if frozen in time at the moment of suffocation in the water.

Suddenly, an iron gate was pushed open ahead.

Immediately afterwards.

In the darkness, a figure slowly emerged.

The red uniform was wrinkled and covered with dried bloodstains.

He was wearing an "employee" name tag on his chest, the edges of which were rusted and almost falling off.

The man kept his head down, dragging his feet, the soles of his shoes scraping the ground with an unbearable "rustling" sound.

He only looked up abruptly when he was right in front of the two of them.

Her smile was stiff.

His lips were split open to his ears, the bloodstains long since dried, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

The eyes, however, were deathly gray glass beads, completely unfocused.

The man spoke mechanically: "Welcome."

His voice was hoarse, like the sound of bubbles rising from water.

Instantly, the neon lights throughout the hall flashed simultaneously, and the same sentence blared from all the broken speakers:

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome!

One sound after another, overlapping, distorted, and echoing electronic sounds, as if the entire ruins were welcoming them into hell.

Sang Li felt a chill run down her spine.

Lu Jin merely raised his eyes, his finger already on the trigger.

This place that Sloan created is quite interesting.

These rules will attack BEAM, and they will also attack themselves.

The paintings do not distinguish between friend and foe; only Sloan can control them.

The painting conveys emotions and logical rhythm.

Just like last time when I entered the painting, I first need to find a way to survive.

"Hehe." Sang Li laughed.

Every smiling employee deserves a response.

I am a polite and good child.

But the employees in red uniforms.

To follow or not to follow?

Only staff in red uniforms are our employees; you can ask one of them to show you around.

If you encounter an employee in a black uniform, please hide until they leave.

Sang Li was gritting her teeth in thought when she suddenly caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye and froze.

She suddenly looked at Lu Jin, her pupils contracted sharply, followed by a disdainful and strange voice: "...Captain Lu, are you wearing a uniform?"

Lu Jin was slightly taken aback and looked down.

Sure enough, his original black trench coat had been replaced with a black park uniform, with a name tag that gleamed coldly on his chest: "Ocean Park Work Badge".

"..."

The atmosphere suddenly became incredibly strange.

Sang Li subconsciously took two steps back, lowered her voice, and asked with a complicated expression, "Then should I hide now? Otherwise, according to the rules, wouldn't I be breaking the rules?"

A cold light flashed in Lu Jin's dark pupils.

But the next second, he suddenly noticed something and his eyes paused.

Sang Li looked down.

Her original tactical uniform was gone, replaced by a light-colored princess dress. The skirt was fluffy, the neckline was tied with a bow, and even her hair was adorned with a pink headband.

In this ruined ocean park filled with the stench of blood and decay, this outfit is completely out of place, so eerie that it sends chills down your spine.

Lu Jin paused for two seconds, then suddenly chuckled softly: "Quite cute."

These changes in clothing are probably not random, but rather part of the logic behind the paintings.

Only by finding the logic can we find Slow.

So, what should we choose now?

Sudden.

Neon lights flashed, and the broadcast echoed once more:

After 8 PM, all creatures in the pools belong to the park.

From the depths of the pool, a bubbling sound could be heard.