Chapter 46 Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland 9
The mycelial mutant was incredibly fast, its sharp claws leaving several afterimages in the air as it aimed straight for Zhou Jue's face.
But Zhou Jue reacted even faster.
The moment the other person lunged at her, she didn't retreat. Instead, she took a step forward and twisted her body to the left at an incredible angle.
"Whoosh!"
The claws, carrying a strong gust of wind, almost grazed her combat suit and helmet, leaving five deep scratch marks on the metal wall behind her.
In the blink of an eye, the Boundary-Breaking Shovel in Zhou Jue's hand had already drawn a cold arc from bottom to top.
"Pfft!"
The sharp blade of the shovel precisely cut into the mutant's lower jaw, piercing through its entire skull.
The mutant's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, its entire body frozen in mid-air, its turbid white eye still fixedly "staring" in Zhou Jue's direction.
Zhou Jue flicked his wrist, pulling out the Boundary-Breaking Shovel and bringing out a pool of black, foul-smelling liquid.
The mutant's corpse fell heavily to the ground and remained silent.
[Ding! 'T-virus' fungal hybrid variant sample detected. Collect?]
[WARNING! This variant carries highly infectious parasitic spores; incineration is recommended.]
"Collect the samples, then incinerate them," Zhou Jue calmly ordered.
After speaking, he stepped forward, used the boundary-breaking shovel to cut off a small piece of tissue sample, a faint light flashed, and the tissue sample was collected by the system. Immediately afterwards, Zhou Jue took out a small high-temperature incinerator from his tactical backpack and threw it on the corpse.
"call--"
Blue flames instantly erupted, turning the eerie corpse and the surrounding mycelium into ashes.
Having resolved this minor incident, Zhou Jue did not delay and immediately headed towards the diesel storage depot.
The door was not locked.
Pushing open the heavy iron door, Zhou Jue found more than a dozen huge metal oil tanks inside. He checked them and found that most of them were still full.
She quickly took out a large-capacity portable oil can from the Starry Sky Box and began filling it with oil.
On the personal terminal, the countdown continues relentlessly.
【03:17】
【03:16】
After filling the oil drums, Zhou Jue didn't linger for a moment and immediately returned the way he came.
As she took the elevator back to the G floor and rushed back into the main corridor where everyone was, the lights in the shelter began to flicker wildly, as if they might go out at any moment.
The survivors huddled in a corner, their faces filled with fear, while Wang Yong stood guard nervously in front of them, gun in hand.
Upon seeing Zhou Jue appear, Wang Yong's face instantly lit up with wild joy: "Boss! You're back!"
Without wasting any words, Zhou Jue threw the oil drum over: "Power room, B1 level, add this in."
"Yes!" Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Yong shouldered the heavy oil drum and rushed towards the elevator.
Just as Wang Yong's figure disappeared into the elevator.
"Smack!"
The entire shelter was plunged into absolute darkness and deathly silence.
The sound of the air circulation system stopping made everyone feel a tightness in their chest.
In the darkness, the survivors' breathing became heavy and filled with terror.
"Don't panic!" Zhou Jue's voice rang out, cold and calm, like a stabilizing force that temporarily calmed everyone's emotions. She turned on the tactical spotlight on her helmet, and a beam of bright light dispelled the darkness in the small area.
Time passed second by second.
Every second felt like an eternity.
Just as one survivor was about to break down and cry—
"Buzz..."
A low, rumbling sound of machinery came from afar.
Immediately afterwards, the overhead lights flickered twice and then came back on.
Soft white light once again filled the entire corridor. The sound of airflow could be heard again from the ventilation vents.
Light and fresh air are back!
"I...I survived!"
"We're saved! We're really saved!"
The survivors erupted in thunderous cheers, embracing each other and weeping with joy.
Soon, Wang Yong also ran out of the elevator. He ran up to Zhou Jue and excitedly reported, "Boss! The fuel tank is full! Everything in the power room is normal!"
Zhou Jue simply nodded.
She walked up to the group of survivors who were still celebrating, and only spoke slowly after they gradually quieted down.
"From today onwards, this is my place."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"If you want to live here, you must follow my rules. First, my orders are absolute."
"Secondly, there are no idlers here; everyone must work in exchange for food and shelter."
"Third, no one may enter the closed areas without authorization, nor may they possess weapons and supplies."
Zhou Jue's gaze swept over everyone, and his eyes, hidden beneath his helmet, seemed to pierce through people's hearts.
"Those who can do it, stay. Those who can't, the door is right there, the world outside is vast, you can go and see it anytime."
No one spoke.
Are you kidding me? Who dares to leave now? Outside is a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, but here is an impregnable fortress, and we have a god-like leader. Only a fool would leave.
"We'll all listen to the boss!"
"We'll do whatever the boss tells us to do!"
Everyone expressed their opinions, with an unprecedented level of respect.
"Very good." Zhou Jue was very satisfied.
"Wang Yong".
"Here I am, boss!"
"You're in charge of registering them and compiling a list of everyone's strengths and abilities. Then organize the workforce to thoroughly clean and organize Level G and Level B1. We need to establish a safe residential area, a supply warehouse, and a medical station."
"Do not go to other floors for now."
"Yes! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Wang Yong straightened his chest and answered loudly.
After arranging these "tools," Zhou Jue went to the main control console alone once again.
This B4-level shelter hides too many secrets. That mycelial mutant was definitely not a random occurrence.
She inserted the "universal interface key" again.
This time, she ignored the basic control systems and directly accessed the highest-level encrypted database.
On the screen, the data stream refreshed again like a waterfall.
Soon, folders marked "Top Secret" appeared on the screen.
Zhou Jue opened the first folder, which was titled "[Genesis Project Log]".
The contents of the log made Zhou Jue's heart sink little by little.
This is definitely not a simple virus research institute.
Instead, it is a top-secret base of a "small day" organization aimed at creating "super soldiers" and "controllable biological weapons".
As for why the "Little Days" research institute was built in the East, to be precise, it was partly to shift blame for its failure, and partly...
Since ancient times, they have enjoyed conducting human experiments on the land of the East!
Of course, there are also Western influences in this.
They were studying a primitive virus from a meteorite in outer space, codenamed "Gaia." They were attempting to use the "Gaia" virus to forcibly accelerate biological evolution.
The so-called "T-virus" was not their research target at all, but rather an accidental byproduct of a failed experiment.
An experimental accident led to the leakage of the "T-virus," which quickly infected the entire hospital and eventually spread worldwide.
At the last minute, the researchers at the base activated the shelter's lockdown procedure, sealing themselves and their most "successful" creation inside.
Zhou Jue continued to flip through the pages.
The log ended with a message written in blood by the project manager.
We unleashed the devil… but we also created a 'god'… the 'Chimera,' humanity's only hope, and also its ultimate destroyer… It is sealed in the 'cradle' on level B7… We absolutely… absolutely must not let it awaken…
Chimera? Level B7?
Zhou Jue quickly pulled up the structural diagram of the shelter.
This shelter has a total of seven floors! And the access she just gained only extends to floor B4.
The deeper layers, B5, B6, and B7, remain under the highest level of physical and informational blockade.
Just then, the system's voice rang in her mind.
[Ding! High-value hidden mission clues detected!]
Side Quest 3 Update: 'Memory Titanium Alloy'.
[Mission Objective: Enter Level B7, locate and recover the cryogenic hibernation pod (primarily made of shape-memory titanium alloy) used to store 'Chimera'.]
Side Quest 4 (New): Clean House.
[Mission Objective: Eliminate the 'Chimera' completely before it fully awakens.]
[Task Reward: ???]
[Mission Failure Penalty: The coordinates of this world will be completely exposed, and the interdimensional coordinate anchoring system will be locked by an advanced civilization.]
Zhou Jue's body jolted violently.
Failure penalty... System locked?
This was the first time she had ever seen a task issued by the system come with such severe penalties for failure!
This is no longer a simple task; it concerns the life and death of her and System 001!
"Brother Tongzi, what exactly is this 'Chimera'?"
[Depending on the existing data...]
[The 'Chimera' is the final creation of the 'Genesis' project, a fusion of the 'Gaia' primordial virus, the genes of multiple planetary predators, and some mechanical modifications... an ultimate biological weapon.]
According to the log description, it possesses multiple capabilities, including high intelligence, ultra-high-speed regeneration, form simulation, and energy absorption.
[Current Status: Low-Temperature Hibernation. Awakening Countdown: Unknown.]
Zhou Jue stared at the crimson "[B7-LEVEL-ACCESS-DENIED]" message on the control panel.
She knew she had no choice.
She had to go and meet this so-called "god".
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