Chapter 53 Key Evidence
The four of them climbed up the stairs, and the exit in front of them was like a starlight in the cave.
Another muffled sound came from behind, this time closer.
"Someone is following us," Xiao Ran said in a low voice, his hand already on the gun handle at his waist, "I'll cover you, you go first."
Lu Zhao shook his head. "Let's go together. Now is not the time to separate."
Lin Che raised the flashlight and illuminated the front. "There are two more stairs. We should be almost at the ground level."
Su Wanqing endured the pain in her knees and followed Lin Che upwards.
She recalled the horrifying scenes she had just seen in the laboratory, the volunteer who turned into a monster, the cruel experimental records, and the excited voice of the researcher.
All this confirmed her most terrifying guess: the end of the world was not an accident, but the result of someone's careful planning.
Finally, they reached a metal door at the top of the stairs. Lin Che pushed the door carefully, but it didn't budge.
"It's locked," Lin Che said, turning to Lu Zhao, "Can you open it?"
Lu Zhao checked the door lock, which was an electronic combination lock. He took out a small device from his pocket and connected it to the combination lock.
"Give me a minute," he said, his fingers moving rapidly over the device.
At the same time, footsteps at the bottom of the stairs were getting closer and closer, accompanied by low voices.
"Hurry up, they are coming," Xiao Ran gripped the gun tightly and faced the bottom of the stairs.
Lin Che stood beside Su Wanqing and asked in a low voice, "How is your spatial ability going?"
"It has recovered a little," Su Wanqing replied, "but it's not enough to take all of us away."
"Okay!" Lu Zhao said suddenly, the door lock clicked and the green light came on.
Lin Che immediately opened the door. Outside was a dim warehouse filled with boxes and discarded equipment.
The four of them quickly entered the warehouse, and Lu Zhao carefully closed the door and then locked it again with his equipment.
"That should hold them back for a while," he said.
The warehouse was huge, covered in dust and cobwebs, and it was obvious that no one had been there for a long time.
The only source of light was the moonlight filtering in through a few tall windows.
"Where are we now?" Su Wanqing asked.
Xiao Ran looked around. "It looks like an old warehouse area, not far from the nuclear power plant."
Lin Che found a sliding door leading to the outside, "This way," he said, "I should be able to get out."
The four of them carefully walked through the warehouse and came to the sliding door. Xiao Ran tried to push it, but the door was too heavy and did not budge.
"Locked," he said.
Lu Zhao checked the control panel next to the door. "This door is electric, and the control system has been powered off."
Suddenly, there was a banging sound on the metal door behind them; someone was trying to break in.
"We have to find a solution quickly," Su Wanqing said nervously.
Lin Che noticed a manual switch next to the control panel, "There is an emergency switch here, but it requires a key."
Xiao Ran stepped forward and took out a knife from his pocket, "Let me try."
He skillfully inserted the knife into the keyhole and gently turned it. After a few seconds, the lock opened with a click.
"Basic skills of a special forces soldier," he explained to the surprised Su Wanqing.
Lin Che immediately turned the switch, and the sliding door slowly rose up, revealing the night outside.
"Hurry up," Xiao Ran said, and they bent down one by one and passed through the gap at the bottom of the door.
Just when Su Wanqing was the last one to go out, the metal door behind her was finally knocked open and several figures rushed into the warehouse.
"They're getting out! Stop them!" a rough voice shouted.
Xiao Ran pulled Su Wanqing up, and the four of them quickly ran towards the woods outside the warehouse area.
Gunshots rang out behind them, and bullets hit the ground around them, kicking up dust.
"Scatter and run!" Xiao Ran shouted, then turned around and fired two shots to buy time for others.
Lin Che supported Su Wanqing and ran towards the woods on the right, while Lu Zhao ran to the left.
Xiao Ran covered from behind for a few seconds, then also ran towards the woods.
Lin Che and Su Wanqing walked through the dense bushes and did not stop to rest until they were sure they had shaken off the pursuers.
"Are you okay?" Lin Che asked Su Wanqing with concern.
"It's okay," Su Wanqing panted, "but my knee hurts a little. We have to find Lu Zhao and Xiao Ran."
Lin Che nodded, took out a small intercom from his pocket, turned it on and whispered, "Lu Zhao, Xiao Ran, can you hear me?"
The intercom rustled, and then Lu Zhao's voice came: "I can hear you. I have shaken off the pursuers."
“Where’s Xiao Ran?” Lin Che asked.
After a few seconds of silence, Xiao Ran's voice was heard: "I'm fine. There were two people chasing me, but I've dealt with them. Where do we meet?"
Lu Zhao's voice came again: "Go west, there is a path over there that leads to an abandoned gas station. We will meet there."
“Understood,” Lin Che replied.
He put away the intercom and turned to Su Wanqing, "Can we go?"
Su Wanqing nodded, "You can go, don't worry about me."
The two began to walk westward, the night providing good cover. Lin Che walked in front, stopping from time to time to confirm the direction.
"How do you know these places?" Su Wanqing couldn't help but ask.
Lin Che smiled slightly, "Before the end of the world, I often came to this area to collect some special plants for spices. I am familiar with the terrain in this area."
Su Wanqing nodded thoughtfully, "Lin Che, what do you think the evidence we found can prove?"
Lin Che thought for a moment, "It proves that this disaster was not an accident. Someone deliberately released the virus, probably for the purpose of screening people with special genes, just like what the document said, 'screening for high-quality genes'."
"But why? Why create such a disaster?" Su Wanqing asked puzzledly.
"Perhaps they really believe that this method can promote human evolution," Lin Che said, "or they have a deeper purpose related to the 'Biological Reset Plan', as we have seen in previous documents."
The two continued walking forward, and after about twenty minutes, they finally saw the abandoned gas station.
The station was completely dark, with only the moonlight illuminating the outlines.
Lin Che took out the intercom and said, "We are here. Where are you?"
"I'm behind the gas station," Lu Zhao replied.
"I'll be there in five minutes," Xiao Ran's voice came.
Lin Che and Su Wanqing approached the gas station carefully, went around to the back, and saw Lu Zhao leaning against an abandoned truck.
"No one is following you, right?" Lu Zhao asked.
“No,” Lin Che said, “We got rid of them.”
The three of them waited for Xiao Ran. A few minutes later, Xiao Ran's figure emerged from the darkness.
"Sorry for the delay," Xiao Ran said. When he approached, Su Wanqing noticed blood on his arm.
"Are you hurt?" she asked worriedly.
Xiao Ran shook his head. "It's just a scratch. It's okay."
The four of them found a relatively secluded place to sit down and rest. Lu Zhao took out the USB flash drive he found in the laboratory from his backpack.
“The information here is extremely important,” he said. “If we can find a computer, we can look at everything.”
Su Wanqing thought for a moment and said, "There is a computer in the safe house. We can go back and check it out."
Lin Che looked around. "This place is quite far from the safe house, and I suspect those people will track us. We need a means of transportation."
Xiao Ran stood up and said, "I'll go check this gas station, maybe I can find a usable vehicle."
Lu Zhao also stood up and said, "I'll go with you."
After the two left, Su Wanqing turned to Lin Che, "Do you think that video is real? Have those experiments really been conducted on human bodies?"
Lin Che said solemnly, "I believe it's true. The researcher in the video sounded very excited, as if he had accomplished something great. People like him don't care about the lives of their subjects."
Su Wanqing thought of the man who had mutated in the isolation cabin and shuddered. "Those people are so scary. How could they do such a thing?"
“Power and ambition,” Lin Che said softly, “When people think they are doing something great for humanity, they will find all kinds of excuses for their actions, even if that means sacrificing some people.”
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"But that was no ordinary sacrifice," Su Wanqing said. "It was the end of the world."
Lin Che nodded, "That's why we have to stop the 'Biological Reset Project', whatever it is."
At this time, Lu Zhao and Xiao Ran came back.
"There is a van that is still usable," Xiao Ran said, "I fixed the circuit and it should be able to drive."
"There's half a tank of gas in the car," Lu Zhao added, "enough for us to get back to the safe house."
The four of them packed up and prepared to leave. Lin Che helped Su Wanqing stand up and asked softly, "Can you still go?"
"We can go," Su Wanqing said firmly, "We have to bring the truth back."
The four of them came to the dilapidated van, Xiao Ran sat in the driver's seat, and the others got in the back seat.
"Fasten your seat belts," Xiao Ran said, and started the engine.
The van roared and slowly drove away from the abandoned gas station and headed towards the safe house.
There was silence in the car, everyone was lost in their own thoughts, thinking about the discoveries of the night.
The evidence changed their understanding of the end of the world. It was not an accident, but a carefully designed plan.
And they may be the last hope to uncover the truth and stop it all.
Xiao Ran drove attentively, checking the rearview mirror from time to time to make sure he was not being followed.
Lu Zhaoze opened his notebook in his seat and read the paper documents he brought out from the laboratory in the dim light inside the car.
"Any new discoveries?" Lin Che asked.
Lu Zhao turned a page and said, “The specific abilities of the holders of the seven elements are mentioned here.
Water, fire, wind, earth, metal, wood, and one is 'spirit', which seems to be the rarest one."
"What kind of ability is Ling?" Su Wanqing asked curiously.
Lu Zhao continued reading, "According to the description here, spiritual element holders can sense and manipulate life energy, and some are even capable of short-range telepathy."
“So we already know the six elements,” Lin Che said, “water, fire, wind, earth, metal, and wood.
If we add the spirit, there are seven kinds.”
"And the four of us represent several of them," Su Wanqing pondered, "Lin Che is water, Xiao Ran is fire, Lu Zhao is probably gold or wood because he can control machinery, and I have the ability of space."
"It may be related to the spirit," Lu Zhao said, "You can manipulate space, which is beyond the scope of basic elements."
Su Wanqing looked at him in surprise, "Are you saying that I might be the holder of the spiritual element?"
"It's possible," Lu Zhao nodded, "but we need more information to confirm it."
Lin Che thought thoughtfully, "If that's the case, then the 'Biological Reset Plan' might be to gather all the element holders and use their abilities to do something."
"For example, opening the inter-dimensional channel," Lu Zhao added, "was mentioned in previous documents."
The four continued their discussion as the van drove along the dark road. The only sounds in the car were the roar of the engine and their low conversations.
Suddenly, Xiao Ran slowed down and pulled the car to the side of the road.
"What's wrong?" Lin Che asked vigilantly.
Xiao Ran pointed forward, "Look there."
About a hundred meters away, in the middle of the road, there was a figure standing facing their direction.
Even in the darkness they could see that the man's movements were unnatural, like he was having convulsions.
"That is." Su Wanqing's voice trembled a little.
"Zombies," Xiao Ran said calmly, "It seems this area is not safe yet."
Lin Che looked around, "There may be more than one. What should we do?"
Xiao Ran thought for a moment and said, "Taking a detour would waste too much time and fuel.
We'll just go straight at it."
He turned to the three people in the back seat, "Fasten your seat belts. I'm going to speed up."
After making sure that everyone was buckled up, Xiao Ran stepped on the accelerator and the van rushed forward.
The zombie seemed to notice the approaching vehicle and began to stumble towards them.
"Hold on tight," Xiao Ran said, then turned the steering wheel slightly to the left, just in time to avoid the zombie.
The van whizzed past, but at this moment, more zombies suddenly jumped out from the bushes on the side of the road. Some fell in the middle of the road, and some banged on the car windows.
Xiao Ran remained calm and controlled the steering wheel, and the van slithered forward among the swarm of zombies.
A zombie jumped onto the hood, pressed its hideous face against the windshield, and let out a terrible roar.
Xiao Ran slammed on the brakes and then accelerated, and the zombie was thrown out.
"We're almost out of this area," he said, speeding up.
Finally, the zombie horde was left behind and the road ahead became empty again.
"That was so thrilling," Su Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief.
“This means that we left the laboratory at the right time,” Lin Che said, “The zombies are moving, probably attracted by the movement in the laboratory.”
Lu Zhao looked at the dark woods outside the window and said, "I'm not only worried about the zombies, but also the people who are tracking us.
They are clearly not going to give up easily.”
“We will return to the safe house, study the information, and then make the next plan,” Lin Che said firmly, “Neither the zombies nor those people can stop us from learning the truth.”
Su Wanqing looked at Lin Che, whose profile looked particularly resolute in the moonlight.
At this moment, she had more confidence that they could uncover the truth and stop the "Biological Reset Project".
The van continued to move forward. In the darkness, the direction of the safe house was like a beacon guiding them forward.
The evidence they carry will be the key to understanding the truth of this apocalypse.
(End of this chapter)
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