Chapter 50 Select Channel Direction 1
The air in the ventilation duct was mixed with the smell of dust and sweat, and the sound of four people crawling forward echoed in the narrow metal passage.
Lin Che stopped moving. Three forks appeared in front of him. The pipes leading to different directions were like three equally dark mouths, waiting for them to make a choice.
“We’ve reached a fork in the road. Which way should we go?” Lin Che asked in a low voice. His purple hair was covered in dust, and he looked a little disheveled.
Lu Zhao took out his tablet computer, and the faint light from the screen illuminated his furrowed brows.
He quickly pulled up the floor plan of the nuclear power plant, ran his finger over several possible routes, and finally stopped at the passage on the right.
"According to the floor plan, the passage on the right should lead to the outdoors."
Lu Zhao said, his eyes fixed on the screen, "If the map is correct, we can avoid most patrol areas by taking this route."
Lin Che looked towards the passage on the right, his pupils slightly dilated: "I saw a faint light deep in the passage on the right, it might be a light source from the outside world. I'll go explore the way first."
"Wait." Xiao Ran suddenly reached out to stop him, his body tense like a vigilant cheetah.
His ears moved slightly, listening to the sounds outside. "There's something wrong with the left passage. I heard the sound of machinery running. It's very slight, but it's definitely not an illusion. There may be an automatic patrol robot."
Su Wanqing looked at the middle passage. This road looked the most inconspicuous. There was no light and no sound, but she had an inexplicable intuition that this was the safest choice.
"I think we should take the middle path." She said softly, her left hand unconsciously stroking the jade bracelet on her wrist.
"For what reason?" Lu Zhao frowned and asked, "There is no clear exit mark for this road on the plan map."
"Intuition." Su Wanqing answered briefly, and then realized how unscientific this answer was, especially when facing a rationalist like Lu Zhao.
“I can’t really explain why, I just feel this is the right path.”
Lu Zhao was obviously not satisfied with this answer. He looked down at the floor plan again, trying to find a more scientific basis.
Lin Che looked at Su Wanqing, a trace of trust flashed in his purple eyes: "I believe in Wanqing's judgment. I worked in the perfume industry before the end of the world. Intuition is more reliable than reason at times."
"Intuition is sometimes a subconscious perception of danger." Xiao Ran added that as a former special forces soldier, he was no stranger to this saying, "On the battlefield, many comrades saved their lives by relying on this inexplicable feeling."
Lu Zhao was silent for a moment, and finally nodded in agreement: "Okay, the middle passage. But we must be vigilant, this road is almost a blank area on the plan."
After making the decision, the four of them began to move forward along the middle passage. Lin Che still walked in the front, lightly touching the inner wall of the pipe with his fingers, sensing possible dangers.
Su Wanqing followed closely behind, looking back from time to time to check on Lu Zhao and Xiao Ran's situation.
The passage was longer than expected, and time became blurred in the darkness. Only the faint light occasionally emitted by Lu Zhao's watch reminded them of the passage of time.
"Let's stop and take a rest," Lu Zhao suggested, "We have been crawling for nearly an hour and need to replenish our energy."
The four of them found a slightly spacious place to stop. Su Wanqing took out a few packs of compressed biscuits and water from her space ability and gave them to everyone.
Even in the dark and narrow ventilation duct, she still maintained the habit of sharing food, which gave her a familiar sense of security.
"Try this, a new formula of energy bar, it tastes much better than before."
Su Wanqing handed each person a dark brown energy bar with a hint of relaxation in her tone.
Xiao Ran took the energy bar and was about to say thank you when his expression suddenly changed and he pricked up his ears.
He made a gesture to silence them, and the four of them immediately quieted down.
"There is a sound." Xiao Ran lowered his voice, "There is a metal collision sound in the pipe behind, and the rhythm is very regular, like a robot checking the ventilation duct."
Lu Zhao put away his tablet computer instantly, his expression serious: "Have they discovered that we took this road?"
"Not necessarily, it may just be a routine check." Xiao Ran analyzed, "But no matter what, we have to leave quickly and can't stay here for too long."
The four of them quickly packed up their things and continued to crawl forward. This time, they deliberately slowed down their movements and tried not to make any noise.
Su Wanqing could feel her heart beating faster. Every time her knees hit the metal floor, she became nervous, fearing that they would attract pursuers.
"How long will it take us to reach the end?" Su Wanqing asked in a low voice.
Lu Zhao shook his head: "Not sure, there is very little information about this area on the floor plan."
"My supernatural senses tell me that we are not far from a certain space."
Lin Che responded softly, “Maybe we’ll reach an exit in another ten minutes.”
Xiao Ran was on guard at the back, occasionally looking back to listen to the movements behind him: "Those robots are catching up, but they are not fast. We are safe for the time being."
The four of them quickened their pace and continued to move forward. The ventilation duct became narrower and narrower, and Su Wanqing had to crawl sideways. Occasionally, her shoulders would rub against the top of the duct, making a slight friction sound.
"The worst part is, we don't even know where this passage leads to."
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Lu Zhao grumbled in a low voice, "It might be another dead end."
"No." Su Wanqing said firmly, "I have a feeling that this path is right."
Lin Che suddenly stopped and Su Wanqing almost bumped into his back.
"What's wrong?" she asked nervously.
“There’s something wrong with the pipe ahead.” Lin Che carefully touched the inner wall of the pipe. “The texture has changed. It seems to be made of another material.”
"Could it be a trap?" Lu Zhao asked vigilantly.
Xiao Ran's voice came from behind: "Whether it is a trap or not, we have no choice. The sound behind is getting closer and closer."
Lin Che took a deep breath and continued to crawl forward. The material of the pipe had indeed changed, from an ordinary ventilation duct to a smoother metal, and the temperature was also a little lower.
"The pipeline design here is more sophisticated." Lu Zhao observed, "It may lead to some important area."
"Or it could be a secret area." Su Wanqing added, the data she had analyzed in the safe house flashed through her mind, "It may be related to the 'Biological Reset Plan'."
The four of them continued to move forward, and Lin Che suddenly discovered that there was a downward slope in the pipeline ahead.
“Be careful, the front is tilted downwards.” Lin Che warned, “and the angle is not small.”
"Is it the emergency evacuation route?" Lu Zhao guessed.
“Maybe.” Lin Che replied, “I’ll go down and take a look first.”
Lin Che climbed down the slope carefully. The passage became steeper and steeper, almost turning into a vertical shaft.
He had to hold on to the raised part of the inner wall of the pipe to prevent himself from slipping.
"What's the situation?" Su Wanqing asked anxiously.
(End of this chapter)
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