Chapter 51 I don't remember how many times I've died.

[Warning: Invincibility buff duration: 60 seconds.]

Li Nai raised his furry black paws and scratched his round ears incessantly, gazing longingly at the cold iron bulkhead.

Did it succeed or not?

If she hadn't escaped, what would she do if she turned back into her original form?

The dog barked impatiently.

"Hey, did you hear the dog barking?"

"Is there?"

In the desolate space, the echoes of two pairs of women's heels ceased.

Li Nai covered the panda's mouth with both paws. A warning rang in his ears: he must not be discovered hiding in the "intruder" pod.

The sound of two pairs of women's heels echoed again as they walked away, one after the other.

She had just breathed a sigh of relief when the system's huge countdown began flashing before her eyes.

[10, 9, 8...]

My heart was pounding.

【……3, 2, 1】

A powerful suction force pulled her from above, and the dizziness, like being sucked into a wavy glass tube, disappeared. She opened her eyes, and a blinding white light burst forth.

After the light adjusts, the LED white light channel, reminiscent of a Hollywood sci-fi movie, comes into view.

Where is she?

Was the mission successful?

Did they successfully escape?

She stood there dumbfounded, looking around in panic, her hands frantically searching her pockets for something to put inside.

Soon, she got the answers to the first three questions.

She is also simulating a security maze to strangle intruders.

The mission failed because they came up empty-handed.

The escape attempt failed completely in the next second.

Pfft!

Her gaze suddenly rolled forward and fell, circling around to her chest, then her knees, and finally landing on her feet.

Blood spurted from beneath his feet onto the LED-lit floor turned into a torrential downpour, staining the ground and creating a wet, picturesque scene. White and red, truly beautiful.

Monitoring center room.

The screen, which occupies the size of one wall, is divided into a series of smaller screens, and from a distance it looks like a honeycomb.

Each group of small screens is further subdivided according to the type of intruder and the intensity of the threat, and then each intruder in the group is assigned a batch serial number.

On the small screen of clone A-level 143, a bloody replay of decapitation and death is playing.

"Hmm... Why did number 143 suddenly stop moving? There must be something going on with this sudden change..."

The staff member in charge of the A-level clone team frowned, scrutinizing every detail of the playback. He took a moment to rub his aching brow bone and eye sockets with his knuckles.

"Is there anything unusual about number 143?"

A woman's voice came from behind.

The voice was familiar. It belonged to his superior's superior, and one of the bosses of the entire project team. He forced his eyes open; no matter how sleepy he was, he couldn't afford to be negligent.

“G Management”.

The staff member immediately stood up.

Ji Fenglan waved for him to sit down.

The man sat down heavily, as if his physical strength had been exhausted just from standing up to respond.

He roused himself and pointed at the screen: "These past few days, I've observed that No. 143 should have been the winner among all the intruders, no, among all the intruders, who was most likely to reach the core of the 'maze.' But every time at a crucial moment, he suddenly stops in place, as if he's frozen and doesn't move. I think if we can figure out what happened in the moments before and after the freeze, we might be able to find the answer."

Ji Fenglan leaned gracefully against the table, one hand on her lower back, her gaze fixed on the faces of the staff members. Her amber eyes gleamed coldly under the lights of the numerous screens. From the very beginning, she hadn't looked at the familiar face, number 143, on the screen.

The staff member blinked and rubbed his eyes.

"Go and rest. You've worked hard—" He glanced at his name tag. "Comrade Wang Hai."

Wang Hai was somewhat flattered, and then left with his back hunched over.

Ji Fenglan sat down, her fingertips tapping on the keyboard. The screen had switched back to the normal time display. She searched for and tracked the whereabouts of the disposed body. A minute later, the coordinates were confirmed. Maintaining her seated posture, her gaze slightly lowered to the table, she tapped the input box on her phone with one hand.

"Why is G management here?"

Behind them, a gentle young man's voice rang out.

Ji Fenglan's eyes paused slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. He clicked send, turned off his phone screen, and completed the two actions in an instant.

Instead of standing up immediately, she spun around in her chair and looked at the middle-aged man standing a few steps away, with the posture of an officer.

"Let's check on the progress, Mr. Lin."

The man wore a modified Chinese-style formal suit, the elegant bamboo pattern on the black silk fabric shimmering as he walked. His meticulously combed black hair showed not a single gray hair that should have appeared at fifty-seven years old.

He stopped beside Ji Fenglan, his gentle face still showing glimpses of his handsome youth as he looked up at the screen, which was as big as a wall.

Ji Fenglan glanced at the middle-aged man's profile out of the corner of her eye. He had a straight, slender nose and calm phoenix eyes that held a pair of dark eyes that revealed a hidden cunning.

Lin Zhijun's gaze paused, lingering on the replay image marked as clone A group 143.

"Dying from an unknown disconnection again?" The man's voice was full of interest.

"A broken wire? You mean there's a quality problem with wire number 143?" Ji Fenglan asked calmly, her eyes wary.

“What a remarkable clone.” Lin Zhijun was lost in thought and didn’t pay any attention to her. “I don’t seem to recall any information about it.”

Ji Fenglan: "I'll have someone retrieve a copy for you now."

Soon, an assistant came in carrying a stack of documents, put them down, and left.

Ji Fenglan stood up and handed the documents to Lin Zhijun.

"Number 143 is a new clone I recently developed. Its data was indeed not given to you along with the other intruders. Please forgive my oversight."

Lin Zhijun turned the pages carefully, his finger suddenly stopping on a certain page.

"A new product from three months ago? At this stage, it's just a baby. Aren't you worried about investing in it so early?"

He gave Ji Fenglan a gentle, slight smile.

Ji Fenglan: "I created the YV251 clones to serve as base guards and for field deployments. This security system upgrade project is a good opportunity to test their capabilities. If it doesn't work, we'll create another batch."

Lin Zhijun closed the file. "I think the YV251 clone managed by G has great potential. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I visited your experimental base. Do you mind if I go take a look tomorrow?"

"Of course I don't mind."

Ji Fenglan also revealed a gentle smile that resembled the other person's.

...

A massive waste processing and recycling station was under construction. In one of the waiting areas, broken robot parts and human remains were piled up like small hills. The stench of blood mingled with the smell of metal, making those who were called in feel nauseous.

Two workers in black protective suits passed by Corpse Slope, carrying a headless female corpse one in front of the other, with a head placed on the woman's stomach.

Amidst the busy sorting of machine parts and cloned human remains by the crane claws, they gradually approached the back door entrance.

At this moment, someone was already waiting in the shadows by the door.

"Miss," the staff member walking in front said softly.

To make sure the other party could see clearly, he led the people behind him as they carried the corpse into the shadows.

A flashlight beam shone, carefully illuminating the head and body. After confirming they were the original pair and not clones, he gestured for them to place the bodies into pre-prepared bags.

...

Li Nai suddenly sat up, the deep, inky dream receding into the back of her mind like the tide.

As my vision cleared, I saw a digital clock hanging on the wall. The minute hand ticked, showing 08:30.

"Oh no! I'm going to be late!"

She threw back the covers and got out of bed, still wearing a light blue hospital gown, looking down to find her shoes. She muttered to herself, "I'm late for the first day of training."

After searching around and not finding her shoes, she simply gave up and ran out of the room barefoot without even washing up.

After turning around blindfolded, she realized she couldn't find the exit.

Slow down and look around.

It was eventually determined that this was not her original residence.

What's going on? Merck changed rooms without saying a word.

Training, training...

She looked around, hoping to find some signs or other markers to indicate the way.

A tall, thin man leaned against a corner wall; his back looked very familiar. The left half of his body was visible, his head bowed, and he appeared to be writing.

"silent……"

Li Nai shut her mouth, her mind racing, and decided to scare Merck.

Soften your steps, approach slowly, and extend your hand—

"We've finally arrived." Merck suddenly turned around, without looking up, and while checking his watch, said something completely inexplicable.

"You were a minute late this time."

Li Nai frowned and muttered, "What? A minute slower?"

Hearing the word "slow," she remembered she was going to be late for training—no, she was already late. She couldn't help but complain, "Why didn't you tell me you were changing rooms? You secretly moved while I was sleeping! What am I going to do? I'm going to be late! If..."

“Misi won’t punish you, she won’t kick you out.” Merck had anticipated her lines.

The door to the room behind him opened, and Merck gestured politely for him to enter.

She noticed the room, which seemed to be the place she had just run from.

She looked up at Merck, and just as she opened her mouth to take a breath, he stole her line again.

"Yes, that's right. This is the room you just ran out of. Missy is waiting for you at the very back by the window."

Li Nai opened her mouth wide, paused slightly, and a guess flashed through her mind. She looked at Merck again, this time without speaking, but expectantly waiting for him to speak her mind.

As expected, Merck said calmly, "Congratulations, you guessed right. Missy was waiting for you to wake up in the room. But you ran out without looking back or even glancing at me."

She blinked, her cheeks feeling a little warm.

“Go inside.” Merck patted her arm gently.

She tiptoed inside, her eyes scanning the not-so-small room, and sure enough, she saw Misike by the window at the far end.

Missy tilted her head, revealing her beautiful face. Her thick, curled eyelashes drooped down, and her deep, dark eyes stared intently at the emerald in her hand.

As if hearing her footsteps, he clutched the emerald pendant in his palm.

Li Nai was in a good mood, and it seemed that she was very pleased with the gift she gave.

"Thank you for your birthday present. I really like it."

A breeze blew in through the window, causing Missyco's curly hair to flutter slightly.

The smiling face of Venus, turned around, completely shattered Li Nai's aesthetic.

A wave of unease washed over me. I touched my neck, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Your neck still hurts a lot?" Missy's eyes narrowed.

Li Nai snapped out of her daze, looking blank and not understanding for a moment.

"No, it's just a little itchy."

"What about other places?"

"It doesn't itch," she answered truthfully.

Misik's eyes relaxed, and he asked casually, "What do you want after it's done? Anything I can do."

Li Nai looked serious.

She didn't really want anything else. Completing the mission for Mishiko was her greatest gift. However, being too indifferent might arouse suspicion, especially from the woman in front of her.

"In this world, it seems like there's nothing I really want. How about you throw me a grand birthday party?"

Her eyes were veiled, lost in a memory.

“I’ve hardly ever celebrated my birthday since I was little. The only time I ever had a birthday cake was when I ate one at the orphanage’s teacher’s birthday party. Teacher Shi was a kind person and gave me the biggest piece.”

He couldn't help but lick his lips. "That was the sweetest cake I've ever tasted in my life."

Someone gently lifted her chin.

Before she knew it, Missy was standing in front of her, very close, exuding the fragrance of roses.

He raised his face and looked into a pair of deep eyes.

"Okay. I will definitely throw you a grand birthday party."

...

In a corner of the base, there is a bar with a brightly lit sign.

At this moment, the place was bustling with activity. Men who weren't on duty gathered together, smoking, playing cards, and each holding a bottle of various kinds of liquor. If there were any nouveau riche from before the apocalypse present, they would surely recognize some of the bottles of fine wines. These were wines they couldn't bear to drink, kept as collectibles to enhance their status, and would show off to visitors when necessary, and incidentally invite them to taste them.

Li Nai covered her nose and walked through the smoke-filled crowd, closely following the young man Liang Ge who was walking in front.

They were seated at the bar, and the bartender, ever observant, served them two drinks.

Li Nai awkwardly withdrew her hand, indicating that she didn't need it. She glanced uncomfortably around the noisy and chaotic bar area.

"Brother Liang, you didn't bring me here just to make me do cleaning, did you?"

Liang put down his wine glass and glanced at it.

She quickly explained, "Um, you know. I have training tomorrow. I'll come to do the cleaning afterwards."

Ah Liang suddenly smiled, his starry eyes sparkling beneath his bangs. "You seem very nervous."

He deliberately swirled his glass in front of her, then downed it in one gulp. The glass landed on the table, and the bartender immediately took it away, replacing it with a new one. Judging by the color, it was a different kind of drink.

Just when Li Nai thought the other party was about to have another drink,

"Don't let her down."

Ah Liang stared at the slightly swaying reflection in the cup, a serious expression spreading across his face.

"Don't worry, I won't let Missy down." She was very confident.

“Listen.” Ah Liang looked up at her, his gaze seemingly a warning or a mockery. “If you want to gain someone’s trust step by step, you must never disappoint her, not even in the slightest.”

Li Nai felt a strange chill. She grasped a slight meaning; Liang Ge's meaning wasn't about the plan, but rather—

Did he see through my intentions in approaching me? But why did he warn me instead of reporting me? Perhaps he didn't see anything at all.

"Brother Liang, how long did it take you to gain someone's trust? Does she trust you completely now?"

Ah Liang lowered his eyes to the red wine, then drank it all in one gulp.

Another glass of wine was handed to him. He raised his glass, the pale green liquid shimmering, as if offering his blessings to her.

I wish you success.

Unexpectedly, Liang Ge's obviously perfunctory remark actually came true.

She opened her eyes and could clearly feel the weight of her hands.

Looking down, he saw a simple glass tube in his hand. Inside was a special drug that was of great concern to both Misike and Lin Zhijun's factions, and indeed the entire world.

In contrast, the danger that was chasing her made her hair stand on end.

I hope to get out alive and see Missyco.