57. Raid

The cold, dry, eerie smell of preservatives and unknown chemicals weighed heavily on the air of the abandoned gene bank, like a solidified substance. Flashlight beams pierced the darkness of the circular hall, like searchlights sweeping across a silent cemetery. Each swing illuminated the distorted forms immersed in the murky, pale yellow liquid, as if disturbing the nightmares of countless dormant beings, neither alive nor dead.

Ling Ye's knuckles, gripping the bayonet, turned slightly white. His flashlight swept across the nearest "jar." Suspended within, a mass of flesh, thick with blood vessels, pulsed irregularly. Several tissues resembling human eyeballs were abruptly embedded on the surface. The pupils seemed to shrink eerily as the light passed over them. His stomach churned, but he suppressed the physical discomfort and whispered, "...These things are still 'alive'?"

Lei Qing's resolute face appeared even colder in the shadow of the flashlight. His sharp gaze swept over the maintenance equipment connected to each incubator, where the indicator lights were still flickering faintly. "The energy supply hasn't been completely interrupted. These devices... are maintaining their 'activity' at a minimum." His voice was low, with the extreme caution of facing an unknown creation. "I'm afraid the Guichen Cult is using more than just corpses."

Stardust stood behind the two men, his face beneath his hood pale and bloodless. His powerful mental perception was under immense pressure here. Countless chaotic, distorted, faint mental signals filled with pain and hunger, like an icy tide, continuously emanated from the jars, assaulting the barriers of his consciousness. He closed his eyes, frowning, trying to filter out the sickening "echoes," his voice trembling with a subtle tremor: "They are... in pain... and... hungry. The mental fluctuations are extremely abnormal, not like a complete consciousness, more like... fragments, instinctive wails."

"Find the control terminal." Lei Qing made a quick decision, his eyes casting towards the dusty control consoles surrounding the hall. "Maybe we can find some storage media and bring it back for analysis. Bai Yan might have a solution."

Ling Ye nodded, taking a deep breath of the unpleasant air. He and Lei Qing, one on each side, cautiously moved toward the nearest row of control consoles. Their footsteps rustled softly on the dusty floor, a sound remarkably clear in the dead silence, where only the faint hum of operating equipment could be heard. The flashlight beam swept carefully across the consoles. The screens were pitch black, the buttons were coated in thick dust, and many cables were old and broken.

Stardust stayed where he was, his mental power highly concentrated, like a living radar, not only monitoring the direction of the entrance to prevent any Guichen Sect guards from following the sound, but also carefully sensing the energy flow of the entire gene bank, trying to find possible core control areas or abnormal energy sources.

"Over here." Ling Ye stopped in front of a relatively intact console. It seemed to be a secondary control console, with thicker cables and more ports. He brushed the dust off the screen, revealing a blurry label underneath: "Master Data Interaction and Backup Node."

Lei Qing quickly approached and pulled out a multi-function cable and portable storage device from his tactical backpack, attempting a physical connection to extract any remaining data. "Give it a try."

Ling Ye crouched down, carefully examining the interface panel beneath the console, searching for an available data port. His movements were gentle and professional, avoiding triggering any alarms or defense mechanisms. Sweat trickled down his temples, not just from nervousness, but also from the invisible, mental oppression engendered by this very space.

At this moment, Stardust suddenly opened his eyes, and his gaze from under the hood looked sharply into the darkness deeper into the hall. His voice was more solemn than ever before: "Something... has awakened!"

Almost as soon as he finished speaking——

"Gurgle...Puff..."

A subtle sound, like bubbles rising and bursting from a viscous liquid, came from a group of culture tanks in an area in the center of the hall.

The three of them instantly entered combat mode, their weapons pointed at the source of the sound.

The flashlight immediately focused on the area. The murky liquid in one of the culture tanks was violently roiling and bubbling. Monitoring lines connected to the tank wall emitted a piercing red alarm light! The previously relatively still, twisted specimen inside, resembling a haphazard patchwork of various insect arthropods and some kind of mammalian muscle fibers, was now twitching and expanding wildly! It struck the solid, transparent tank wall with a dull "bang! bang!"

"What's going on?!" Ling Ye shouted, holding the bayonet across his body.

"The energy fluctuation is abnormal! The energy output of the maintenance equipment is increasing rapidly! No... it's the things inside that are actively absorbing energy!" Stardust reported hurriedly. His mental power clearly captured the crazy core that was devouring the maintenance energy like a black hole!

“Crack!”

A clear, teeth-grinding cracking sound echoed! The wall of the reinforced glass culture tank was violently blasted with a spiderweb-like crack by the madly expanding monster inside! A pale yellow preservation fluid with a pungent smell gurgled out from the crack!

"It's coming out! Prepare for battle!" Lei Qing's voice was as cold as ice, the muzzle of his sniper rifle firmly locked onto the rupturing culture tank. He didn't hesitate at all. In this environment, any escape of an unknown creature could have devastating consequences.

"We can't let it out completely! Otherwise, the noise will be too loud and attract the guards up there!" Ling Ye's eyes sharpened, and he leaped out like a cheetah, not directly at the ruptured culture tank, but towards the nearby maintenance equipment area connected to the other tanks! His goal was clear—cut off the energy supply! Or, perhaps, cause even greater chaos to conceal the unpredictable movement here!

His movements were as fast as lightning, and the tip of the bayonet accurately pried open the outer casing of a device, revealing the intricately tangled cables and the energy core flashing a dangerous red light.

"Stardust! Disrupt it! Delay it as long as possible!" Lei Qing gave the order while pulling the trigger!

"Swish!" The sniper rifle, equipped with a high-efficiency silencer, emitted a slight muffled sound. The specially designed bolt instantly pierced the wall of the ruptured culture tank, blasting a bowl-sized hole in the frantically struggling monster within. Sticky, foul-smelling dark green liquid and shattered tissue splattered everywhere!

However, the monster seemed to have no sense of pain, or perhaps its life form was already bizarre, and the trauma only made it more violent! More limbs broke open and tore outward!

Stardust took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the interference of the chaotic mental signals in his mind, and condensed all his mental power into an invisible shock wave with strong confusion and dizziness effects, smashing it at the struggling monster like a sledgehammer!

The monster's movements suddenly stopped, and its flailing limbs became momentarily uncoordinated, as if its "consciousness" had been forcibly disrupted.

At the same time, Ling Ye had found the energy bus that maintained the equipment. Without hesitation, he slashed down with the bayonet with an icy light!

"Crackle!" Dazzling sparks exploded, and a burning smell filled the air. At the node Ling Ye had destroyed, half of the indicator lights on the maintenance equipment for the dozen or so culture tanks connected to it instantly went out!

The energy supply to the cracking jar suddenly cut off, and the roiling liquid inside calmed down a bit, and the monster's struggles weakened significantly. But it still relied on its remaining inertia and a certain inner madness to try to break free.

"It works!" Ling Ye shouted, his eyes quickly scanning the other devices that were still running, "But it can only suppress it temporarily!"

"That's enough!" Lei Qing aimed again, and this time, the bullet accurately shot into a vulnerable part on the top of the culture tank that looked like a circulatory system or injection port!

"Bang!" A louder cracking sound echoed, the entire tank's roof structure shattered. Preservation fluid mixed with the monster's remains surged out, flowing onto the ground with a corrosive "hissing" sound. Most of the monster's body remained stuck in the ruptured tank, with only a few twitching limbs hanging limply outside before finally becoming completely motionless.

The crisis was temporarily resolved.

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, but their hearts were heavy. This gene pool was far more dangerous than they had imagined. These "legacy" of the past were like time bombs.

"Hurry up!" Lei Qing urged.

Ling Ye quickly returned to the main control console and connected the portable storage device to a data port he had found that looked relatively intact. The indicator light on the device began to flash, indicating that it was attempting to read data.

The progress bar moved slowly, and every second seemed infinitely longer. The eerie silence within the gene bank returned, with only the occasional subtle sounds of flowing liquid and humming equipment from the still-operating culture tanks, reminding them of the danger lurking around them.

Xingchen's mental power remained on high alert. He suddenly pointed to an area on the other side of the hall, surrounded by more cables and large equipment. "Over there... the energy flow is most concentrated. It seems... there's an independent core processor group."

At this moment, the portable storage device in Ling Ye's hand made a slight "beep" sound, and the indicator light turned into a steady green.

"Data extraction completed!" Ling Ye quickly unplugged the device and put it away properly.

"Go over there and take a look." Lei Qing pointed to the area where Xingchen discovered the anomaly, "Then evacuate immediately."

The three of them quickly passed through rows of silent culture tanks and headed for the corner of what was presumably the core processing area. Here stood several larger, more complex cabinets, their surfaces covered in various indicator lights and data ports. Although also covered in dust, they appeared relatively well-preserved.

Ling Ye and Lei Qing carefully examined the cabinets, trying to find more crucial logs or sample catalogs. Xingchen stood a little further away, his mental power like a fine chisel, probing the cabinets' internal structures and any potential hidden information flows.

Suddenly, Xingchen's body shook violently, as if struck by an invisible electric current. He groaned and staggered back half a step. His face under the hood instantly turned as pale as paper, and his pupils contracted violently!

"Stardust!" Ling Ye and Lei Qing realized something was wrong at the same time and immediately stepped forward to support him.

"I... I saw it..." Stardust's voice was filled with heavy gasps and incredible horror. "Fragments... many fragments... about the 'God-making Project'... more than one research institute... this is... one of the backup libraries... they... they are trying to revive... the genetic fragments of 'Infected Person Zero'!"

The "original infected person" mentioned in the previous intelligence, who caused the complete fall of a certain research institute and had the ability to infect collective consciousness!

"Here... is this monster's genetic backup?!" Ling Ye's heart sank. If the Guichen Sect got hold of this thing...

"More than just a backup..." Stardust raised his head with difficulty, the horror of that fragment still lingering in his eyes, "There are signs... they... may be trying... to 'activate' it... using these... 'nutrients'..." His eyes swept over the twisted specimens soaked in jars around him.

This news was like ice water poured over their heads, chilling Ling Ye and Lei Qing to the bone. The madness of the Guichen Cult was far beyond their imagination!

This information must be brought back immediately!

"Retreat!" Lei Qing ordered without hesitation.

However, as if to confirm Stardust's words, the lights throughout the gene bank—those few remaining, faint indicator lights from the maintenance equipment—began to flicker erratically and crazily! A low, intermittent humming sound, as if coming from deep underground, emanated from the core cabinets, as if some sleeping behemoth was being disturbed at an inopportune moment!

"The energy level is soaring! Unstable!" Stardust said urgently.

"Let's go!" Lei Qing pulled up the poorly-conditioned Xingchen, and Ling Ye stayed behind. The three of them followed the same path they came from and rushed towards the metal gate of the gene bank at the fastest speed.

Just as they rushed out of the gate and returned to the circular maintenance tunnel—

"boom!!!"

A dull roar, not an explosion but rather the violent release of some kind of energy, echoed from the depths of the gene bank! The entire tunnel trembled, and dust fell in a flurry! Then came the continuous, piercing sounds of ruptured culture tanks, and some kind of... horrifying, inhuman hissing and roaring, a mixture of various biological characteristics!

The gene pool is completely out of control!

"Hurry!" Lei Qing growled, and the three of them ran wildly along the tunnel, leaving behind the space behind them that was evolving into a real hell.

…

At the same time, on the surface, outside the Guichen Sect's warehouse area.

Su Lin, Mu Lin and Bai Yan, with the help of the increasingly intense explosions and noise coming from the east, sneaked silently to the edge of the warehouse area like three wisps of smoke.

The warehouse area consists of several huge buildings that were originally converted from large shopping malls or storage centers. They are surrounded by barbed wire and have guard towers. But at this moment, most of the guards' attention is obviously attracted by the chaos on the east side. The number of patrol personnel has been significantly reduced, and it seems a bit chaotic and tense.

"The guards have weakened considerably," Su Lin muttered, crouching behind a broken wall, his amber eyes observing carefully. He could sense the spatial power within him stirring, that invisible "pocket" ready to hold as much supplies as possible.

Mu Lin stood beside him, a faint cold mist surrounding him, causing the air around him to drop a few degrees in temperature. He calmly analyzed, "Ayan did a good job. According to the plan, we will enter through the broken vent on the west side. Bai Yan, the situation inside is unknown. Be careful of abnormal gases or biological contamination."

Bai Yan nodded, pushing his rimless glasses up on his nose. His off-white turtleneck sweater looked remarkably clean in the dim light, a stark contrast to the dilapidated surroundings. He leaned against a heavy medicine box behind him, and his voice was calm. "Understood. I'll pay attention to the environmental indicators. Su Lin, upon entering, prioritize searching for sealed packages of food, medicine, water purification tablets, and energy batteries. Pay attention to weight and volume. While your ability is convenient, it has its limits."

"I know." Su Lin took a deep breath, feeling the subtle touch of spatial energy flowing through his fingertips, "Let's go!"

Using the shadows and the wreckage for cover, the three of them quickly moved to the west side of the warehouse. There, a gap leading to the internal ventilation duct had been created by the collapse of the wall. It had been blocked by some debris, but they had cleared a narrow passage in advance.

Mu Lin was the first to explore. The cold air condensed in his hands formed a thin, almost transparent ice mirror in front of him, reflecting the situation deep in the pipe. After confirming that it was safe, he signaled Su Lin and Bai Yan to follow.

The ventilation duct was narrow, dark, and covered in dust and rust. The air was filled with the peculiar smell of old mold and piled-up goods. They crawled forward, their movements light, with only the subtle sound of clothes rubbing against the duct wall.

After crawling for about ten meters, a ventilation duct grille appeared in front of them. Through the gaps in the grille, they could see a huge warehouse space filled with various crates and sacks. The light was dim, with only a few emergency lights providing poor illumination.

Mu Lin carefully used ice crystals to temporarily seal the part of the grille's edge that might make noise, and then worked together with Bai Yan to silently remove the grille.

There happened to be a pile of cargo boxes stacked high below, forming a natural buffer and cover. The three of them jumped down lightly one after another, landing on the soft surface of the boxes without making any noticeable sound.

The interior of the warehouse was even larger than it appeared from the outside, with shelves stacked high with all sorts of supplies. However, much of the warehouse was in disarray, clearly indicating that the Guichen Cult's management was not meticulous. Besides the musty smell, the air also faintly tangled with the scent of food, cloth, metal, and something... a strange blend of faint blood and potions.

"Separate yourselves and keep in touch," Su Lin whispered, pointing in three directions. "I'll go over there to check for food and daily necessities. Mu Lin, you go find energy and tools. Bai Yan, you'll be in charge of medicine and possible technical items. In ten minutes, regardless of what we've harvested, return here to gather!"

Mu Lin and Bai Yan nodded, and the three of them immediately dispersed, as if merging into a dark stream, quickly disappearing into the huge maze of shelves.

Su Lin was the fastest, moving swiftly along the shelves, his amber eyes like the most precise scanner, searching for his target. Soon, in a relatively dry area, he spotted a large number of compressed dry food boxes and canned goods bearing old-fashioned trademarks. Delighted, he immediately stepped forward, placing his hands on the boxes and concentrating.

A faint light flickered from his fingertips, and the pile of compressed food boxes vanished in an instant, as if swallowed by an invisible maw, leaving only a faint trace of dust on the ground. Su Lin's face paled slightly, but his eyes remained bright. He continued forward without pause, gathering whatever sealed cans, bottled water, and some clean fabrics and clothing he encountered into his own space.

He could clearly feel the "pocket" rapidly filling up, and a dull pain began to appear in his mind, a sign that his ability was approaching its limit. But he gritted his teeth and forced himself to speed up, taking away as many of the supplies that were crucial to survival as possible.

Elsewhere, Mu Lin found a storage area for energy and tools in another section of the warehouse. He saw some old but well-maintained generators, boxes of fuel, and various types of batteries and tools. He prioritized marking the energy batteries with high energy density and relatively small size, along with several cans of high-efficiency fuel, ready to be collected by Su Lin. Meanwhile, he was vigilantly monitoring his surroundings, a faint chill lingering in his hands, ready to respond to any emergency.

Bai Yan groped his way toward the area of ​​the warehouse with the most complex smells, where he suspected medicines and technical items might be stored. His steps were light and his eyes were sharp, carefully scanning every shelf through his lenses. He found several damaged medical kits, containing only basic tourniquets and expired disinfectant, which disappointed him. But soon, in a relatively clean metal cabinet that seemed to have been moved in later, he found a surprise—several well-sealed boxes of broad-spectrum antibiotics, some surgical sutures, and even a small box of unopened energy magazines that matched some of their weapons!

He quickly gathered these valuable supplies and was about to rejoin Su Lin and the others when his eyes were suddenly drawn to several unremarkable metal boxes in the corner, each labeled with a special biohazard label. He had seen that label in some confidential archives from the old days; it was usually used to store highly dangerous biological samples or experimental reagents.

Acting on a hunch, Bai Yan walked over. The box was locked, but he noticed signs of recent wear and tear around the keyhole. He pondered for a moment, then retrieved a slender probe from the medicine chest and carefully inserted it into the keyhole. Using the subtle feedback from his hand and the model of the lock's internal structure he had constructed in his mind, he gently turned the key.

With a light "click", the lock was opened.

Bai Yan took a deep breath and slowly opened the lid. Inside was a thick layer of cushioning material, holding several oddly shaped metal tubular containers. The translucent walls of the containers revealed a small amount of strangely colored liquid—one a dark red like coagulated blood, another emitting a faint, ominous blue-green fluorescence. There were no labels on the containers, only a string of incomprehensible laser-engraved code.

Bai Yan's pupils narrowed slightly. He sensed an extremely faint, yet inherently dangerous... energy radiation from these containers? Or perhaps some highly concentrated, active... xenogeneic gene fragment? It was somewhat similar to the mutant tissue samples Ling Ye had brought back from the tunnel carriage, but even more... pure and eerie.

Could it be that the Guichen Sect also stored things related to that underground gene bank here?

He didn't have time to study them carefully. Without hesitation, he carefully put away the dangerous sample tubes and placed them in the innermost isolation layer of the medicine box. This thing must be taken back for Ling Ye to analyze carefully.

Just then—

“Woo-woo-woo!”

A shrill and rapid alarm suddenly rang out from outside the warehouse, instantly spreading throughout the entire area! Immediately afterwards, glaring red alarm lights in several previously dim corners of the warehouse swirled and lit up, illuminating the entire warehouse in a blood-red glow!

"Exposed!" Su Lin's voice came through the bone conduction headset with a hint of urgency, "There are patrols coming towards the warehouse! A lot of them!"

Almost at the same time, there was a heavy banging sound from the warehouse door and the guards shouted rudely: "Seal all exits! Someone is invading the warehouse! Quick!"

Plans can't keep up with changes! Although the chaos on the east side attracted most of the attention, it was clear that the warehouse area itself had an emergency mechanism, or their infiltration was discovered by a secret sentry after all!

"Su Lin! Mu Lin! Come closer to me! Prepare to break out by force!" Bai Yan's voice was still calm, but he spoke very quickly. He quickly assessed the situation and pointed in the direction of the ventilation duct they came in from - that was the only exit that might not have been blocked immediately!

Su Lin and Mu Lin gave up searching without any hesitation and rushed towards Bai Yan's location as fast as possible!

However, it was too late!

The warehouse door was slammed open, and a team of Guichen Sect guards, who were as fierce as wolves and tigers and armed with weapons, rushed in. The red alarm lights shone on their ferocious faces and the black muzzles of their guns, full of a violent atmosphere.

"There! Catch them!" The leading guard captain saw Su Lin and Mu Lin moving between the shelves at a glance and shouted loudly!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Bullets suddenly poured down like raindrops, hitting the cargo boxes and metal shelves, making harsh collision sounds, and wood chips and sparks flying everywhere!

"Get down!" Mu Lin shouted, slamming Su Lin to the ground and pushing him forward with both hands. A thick, crystal-clear ice wall instantly formed in front of them! "Bang, bang, bang!" Bullets pounded the ice wall densely, leaving countless spider-web-like cracks and deep bullet holes, sending ice chips flying!

Su Lin, protected by Mu Lin, could clearly feel the tense force of his body and the vibrations of the ice wall as it endured the impact. His heart pounded, but he remained calm. He immediately focused and attempted to "move" a heavy shelf directly into the guards' path to block their charge!

Bai Yan hid behind another row of shelves. He did not choose to fight head-on, but quickly took out several smoke bombs and tear gas from the medicine box, pulled the safety, and threw them accurately in the direction of the guards pouring in and the position of the warehouse lights!

“Puff—chi—!”

Thick, acrid white smoke instantly filled the air, and tear gas began to take effect, causing the guards to cough uncontrollably and severely obstructing their vision. The lights inside the warehouse became hazy in the smoke, and the glow of the red alarm lights became even more chaotic.

"Let's go!" Bai Yan shouted softly, and took advantage of the cover of smoke to rush to Su Lin and Mu Lin.

Mu Lin maintained the ice wall, his face pale, clearly taking a toll from the constant bombardment. Su Lin's spatial transfer seemed to have had some effect, as the sounds of collapsing shelves and guards cursing could be heard in the distance.

The three did not dare to delay and immediately retreated towards the ventilation duct.

However, just as they were about to approach the gap, a cold, sticky, and oppressive breath, like an invisible swamp, suddenly spread from the other entrance of the warehouse!

The smoke seemed to be repelled by this breath and dispersed to both sides.

A figure slowly walked out from the dispersing smoke.

He wore a black robe embroidered with twisted dark red patterns, unlike the common guards. His face was covered by an expressionless metal mask, revealing only a pair of cold, indifferent eyes, as if looking at an ant. He held no weapon in his hands, which simply hung casually at his side. Yet, the suffocatingly powerful mental force field originated from him!

A priest of the Guichen Cult! And, he was definitely not an ordinary low-level priest!

Bai Yan's steps stopped instantly, his expression growing graver than ever before. Mu Lin also felt the overwhelming pressure, and the cracks in the ice wall spread at a much faster rate. Su Lin felt his breath catch, as if the air around him had become incredibly heavy, and even his spatial abilities were slightly stagnant.

"Intruders..." The priest's cold voice sounded, without any emotion, but it struck the three people's spirits like a hammer, "Those who desecrate the Holy Treasury... can only atone with flesh and blood."

He slowly raised his hand.

An invisible and violent mental shock, like a flood bursting through a dam, instantly swept towards the three of them!

The crisis instantly reached its peak!

Underground, Ling Ye, Lei Qing, and Xingchen were desperately fleeing upwards through the maintenance tunnel. Behind them was the increasingly terrifying roars and energy explosions from the gene bank's out-of-control...

The two teams were in a huge crisis at the same time!