Chapter 543 The Source?

Time flies by in a busy schedule.

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

The Fuhman team finally emerged from the contaminated zone, and contaminated zone number 96 collapsed.

The Operations Department's intelligence team immediately reported the news to Minister Duan.

Minister Duan immediately contacted the nearest outpost and requested that they bring professional equipment to conduct the testing.

The concentration of contaminated material is very high near the area that just collapsed.

The dissemination process takes time; the research institute needs at least seven days of data comparison.

Everyone is waiting for an answer.

The Fuhe team emerged around 8 PM, and as soon as communication was restored, Fuhe started posting in the 4S group chat.

Oh no, it's already the 5S.

Jiang Mu felt he couldn't exclude outsiders, and somehow managed to bring Xia Mingang into the discussion as well.

[Fu Heng]: "Guess who the gatekeeper is this time?"

Yun Zhao had just finished showering when she picked up her communicator and saw that no one else was responding. So, she typed out a message.

[Yun Zhao]: "What is it?"

[Fu Qian]: "It's a bus stop sign! A bus stop sign! Heaven knows how many times we've passed by it!"

[Yun Zhao]: "Wow, that's really amazing."

At that moment, Xie Tu pushed the door open and came in.

Seeing that her hair was still dripping wet and she was busy sending messages, he went into the bathroom with a helpless expression, took out a dry towel and dried her.

[Fu Heng]: "@Yun Zhao, does your reply have to sound so robotic?"

Yun Zhao let Xie Tu dry her hair, then lay down on his lap and continued typing.

[Yun Zhao]: "If I don't reply, the conversation will just go cold."

【Fu Heng】: "That's true. If a lazy person creates a group, you can't expect him to actively participate in it."

[Big-Headed Chubby Girl]: "?"

Fu Heng ignored him, saying, "There's a lazy person, a mute, and a newcomer. Aside from those three, only the two of us are alive."

Xie Tu glanced at the contents of her communicator and asked, "Does 'mute' mean me?"

He's just a man of few words.

[Yun Zhao]: "They don't talk in the group chat. Do you think it's possible that it's because the four of us are all in the same base?"

We've grown tired of each other during the day, so of course we won't chat in the group at night.

[Fu Qian]: "...I'm being isolated?"

[Yun Zhao]: "Do you want to join us?"

[Fu Yan]: "Never mind, there are several sentries testing data on the outskirts of the contaminated area. With all these recent events, I have a feeling that a storm is brewing."

When it comes to serious matters.

Jiang Mu finally showed up.

[Big-Headed Chubby Girl]: "The pollution concentration is increasing again tonight; the test at the base shows 35%."

Jiang Mu was referring to the Dawn Base.

The four bases are far apart, and the dark matter in the air is slightly different. Contaminated Zone 96 is the closest to Dawn Base.

[Yun Zhao]: "@Xia Mingang, how about where you are?"

[Xia Mingang]: "33, no change today."

He was indeed watching their conversation.

[Fu Heng]: "Alright, I haven't slept for three days and four nights. I'll ask about the data results when I wake up."

Fu Heng logged off quickly after sending the message, and the group fell silent again.

The cold light from the screen reflected in Yun Zhao's eyes, making his usually bright eyes appear somewhat dim.

She closed the chat page and logged into the forum again.

The missing person notices with high rewards are still displayed on the homepage, glaringly like a form of mockery.

"Still no news?" Xie Tu's voice came from above her head, and his warm hand gently stroked her hair.

Yun Zhao shook his head. "No."

It felt like a heavy stone was pressing on her chest, making even breathing difficult.

I thought that with such an enticing reward, at least someone would provide some clues, but there was no response from my private messages.

There wasn't even a single false message to deceive her.

"We'll find it," Xie Tu whispered to comfort her.

Yun Zhao nodded, burying her face in his clothes, her breath filled with his reassuring scent.

She knew he was comforting her, but at that moment she was willing to believe this "maybe".

Anyway, she didn't believe Yun Jue was dead.

Xie Tu gently patted her, "Don't think too much. Don't you have to go to training tomorrow? Go to bed early and get some rest."

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhao sat up from him and opened her arms to him, like a child asking for a hug.

Xie Tu chuckled softly, the vibrations of his chest coming through the fabric of their close-fitting clothes. He easily picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, not forgetting to rub his chin against the top of her head as he did so.

The warm light in the bedroom cast their shadows on the wall, overlapping into an inseparable shape.

Yun Zhao nestled in Xie Tu's arms, listening to his steady heartbeat, and his restless anxiety gradually subsided.

She seems to be becoming more and more dependent on him.

*

late at night.

A research institute in the inner city.

The third basement level was still bustling with activity, with staff members busy moving between their workstations.

"Latest data from the forward outpost."

Inside the office.

Dean Jiang picked up the newly released test report and handed it to the base manager. "Although it's only the first day, we can basically confirm that the increase in dark matter outside is directly related to the collapse of the contaminated area."

This means that for every contaminated zone the operations department eliminates, the dark matter outside becomes more concentrated.

Commander Shen stared at the data in the report, his brows furrowed deeply, his expression filled with worry.

"So, every time we clean up a contaminated area, the outside world actually becomes more dangerous?" It was Minister Bai who spoke.

Inside the office.

Several ministers from the base were present and arrived shortly after receiving the news.

Dean Jiang adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses calm and sharp: "Current data does indeed point to this conclusion: the collapse of the contaminated area will release a large amount of concentrated dark matter, which will spread to uncontaminated areas."

Once the concentration of dark matter outside exceeds 60%.

Ordinary people with weaker resistance may experience large-scale distortions.

As dark matter spreads, the world is highly likely to fall into darkness again.

The cycle repeats itself...

Minister Duan sneered: "All these years, the Operations Department has been risking its life to clean up the contaminated areas, isn't that just accelerating the collapse of the world?"

The air in the office froze instantly.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Dean Jiang broke the silence, saying, "My suggestion is that we should temporarily halt the salvation plan until a solution is found."

Minister Duan tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, making a dull sound: "How many sentries have been sacrificed at the four bases because of this plan? Once it's stopped, what do those fallen soldiers matter?"

Thinking about how all her efforts over the years might have been in vain...

Minister Duan felt as if a piece of burning coal was stuck in his throat; he couldn't swallow it down or spit it out.

Dean Jiang sighed, "At least until we find the source, it's not advisable to enter the contaminated area frequently."

The source...

Chief Shen and Minister Bai exchanged a glance.

Minister Duan, sitting opposite, looked up and took in the silent exchange between the two, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Base Chief Shen coughed lightly, "This matter cannot be decided by our base alone. Let's hold a meeting of the four bases tomorrow morning to discuss it together."