Chapter 86 Schemes
At dawn, the temporary camp awoke in a tense and oppressive atmosphere.
After a quick breakfast and a check of the equipment, everyone assembled.
General Chen Jichuan gave a brief final mobilization speech, emphasizing mission objectives and teamwork discipline.
The convoy could not proceed further, leaving some soldiers to guard the camp and vehicles. The main force set off on foot, heading towards Anshi High-tech Zone, five kilometers away.
These last five kilometers are a veritable death corridor.
On the abandoned streets, piles of car wreckage lay, rusted steel frames twisted into bizarre shapes, covered in dust and dried blood. Broken glass shattered with a sickening crackling sound underfoot.
Zombies poured out from every corner. Drawn by the scent of a large number of living people, they roared and converged into a chilling, gray-black tide, staggering but stubbornly charging forward. The air was instantly filled with a nauseating stench of decay.
"Fire! Maintain formation! Advance!" The officer's roar rang out amidst the gunfire and the explosions of supernatural abilities.
The well-trained soldiers formed a formation of alternating cover, and a dense network of firepower tore the zombies in the front ranks to shreds.
Fireballs, wind blades, ground spikes, ice cones... civilian superpowered individuals also displayed their unique abilities, with various colored energy beams exploding in the dimly lit streets, blasting away, freezing, and tearing apart the approaching zombies.
Ruan Ning's squad was positioned in the middle of the formation, slightly to the flank.
Ruan Ning did not use her large-scale water-based abilities extensively, but instead used precise water arrows and water blades to kill approaching zombies, thus conserving energy.
Zhou Min activated her full mental perception, constantly warning of zombies suddenly lunging out from side buildings or underground passages, buying the team time to react. Lin Yan protected the other side, unleashing her level two strength; with a swing of her machete, ordinary zombies fell almost instantly upon contact.
The raging fire was like the most ferocious vanguard. Instead of using the energy-consuming flame jets, it relied on its powerful physical strength and sharp claws and teeth to directly charge and tear apart the zombie horde that tried to approach the team. The flames on its body would only suddenly rise up when it was surrounded by a large number of zombies, igniting the surrounding rotting flesh and clearing a brief opening.
The battle was fierce and chaotic. Zombies fell constantly, but some unlucky superhumans or soldiers were dragged into the horde, letting out short screams before falling silent. The stench of blood and burning was overwhelming.
The pace of progress is slow but determined.
An hour later, the team finally broke through the densest block and saw the relatively independent building complex with a distinct research institution style—the Blue Ocean Biotechnology Research Institute.
The main building is not tall, but it occupies a large area. It consists of two buildings connected in an "L" shape, east and west. The exterior walls are covered with withered vines and stains, and many windows are broken, making it look lifeless.
Chen Jichuan immediately ordered: "Proceed according to plan! Military teams one and two, follow me into the Eastern Research Institute! Team three, maintain perimeter security, establish a defensive line, and intercept any remaining zombies! Civilian ability users, coordinated by their respective team leaders, will enter the Western Research Institute to search! Targets: all intact or repairable scientific instruments, storage devices, and paper or electronic data! Priority lists have been issued! Be careful, maintain communication, and immediately request assistance if you encounter a strong enemy! Remember, we only have one day! By this time tomorrow, regardless of the outcome, we must assemble here and evacuate!"
The order is clear and leaves no room for doubt.
The military forces immediately sprang into action, dividing themselves into several well-trained groups and quickly entering the Eastern Research Institute through different entrances. The operation was swift and orderly.
The situation was somewhat chaotic among the civilian supernatural beings. They stared at the dark entrance to the Western Research Institute, then at each other, and for a moment, no one moved.
"Damn it, what are you dawdling for! Want to feed the zombies?" A burly man with a face full of scars—the leader of the Venomous Fang Squad—spit out and led his men through a side door. They seemed to have a pre-planned destination, heading straight down the stairwell.
Seeing this, Lei Bao also frowned, cast a cold glance in Ruan Ning's direction, and said in a low voice, "Let's go!" He and his men followed closely in the direction of the Poison Fang Squad and disappeared at the bottom of the stairs—they chose the second basement level.
Seeing this, the other teams also sprang into action, some choosing the first-floor lobby and lower rooms, while others explored the upper levels in groups. No one wanted to be alone, but cooperation was limited to temporary gatherings, with each team wary of the others.
Ruan Ning quickly observed the structural diagram of the Western Research Institute and then used her mental power to slightly sense the energy fluctuations near the entrance.
“Let’s go this way,” she pointed to another, relatively secluded entrance to a safety passage leading to the basement level, “to the lower level. Be careful, keep your distance, and watch out for Lei Bao and Du Fang’s men; they might be waiting down there.”
The three people and the dog quickly entered the passageway. The stairwell was filled with dust and a musty smell. The emergency lights had long since stopped working, and only the portable light source that Zhou Min had taken out and the water sphere that Ruan Ning had conjured, which emitted a faint glow, provided illumination.
The fire was at the forefront, its nose twitching constantly, wary of the darkness ahead.
The basement level was more complex than I had imagined. The corridors crisscrossed, with laboratories, sample rooms, and storage rooms on both sides, each with a broken nameplate. Many doors were open or damaged, and the interiors were a mess, with broken glassware, overturned tables and chairs, and scattered documents all over the floor. Occasionally, one could see human remains that had long since dried out or were reduced to skeletons.
Instead of rushing deeper, they quickly explored several rooms near the entrance to confirm that there were no large-scale zombie ambushes or other teams of superhumans.
“This place is badly damaged,” Lin Yan said, examining a fallen refrigerator. “There probably isn’t much of anything useful here.”
"Focus on finding core laboratories, server rooms, or special sample libraries," Ruan Ning said in a low voice, her gaze sweeping over the signs on the wall.
Suddenly, the fire stopped, a low, warning growl emanating from its throat. It turned towards a corner deep in the corridor, its body slightly lowered, sparks flickering on its surface.
“There’s something there, alive, with a strong energy response… but very chaotic.” Zhou Min’s face paled slightly as she focused her senses. “More than one… like… a mutant trapped inside?”
Ruan Ning's eyes narrowed, and she made a shushing gesture, indicating that she should slowly approach.
After the corner, there was a heavy metal door with the words "High-risk sample isolation area" still faintly visible on it.
The door appeared to have been violently damaged; the lock was twisted, revealing a crack. An unsettling draft, carrying a mixture of putrid stench and the smell of some pungent chemical, was seeping out from the crack.
Faintly, one could hear the sounds of fingernails scraping against metal and dragging footsteps coming from inside.
Meanwhile, directly below them, members of the Venom Fang Squad and the Thunder Leopard Squad were gathered in a room resembling a central control room, the atmosphere eerie.
"They've gone into the basement," Captain Poison Fang grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "According to 'that person,' they're going to first collect the 'good stuff' they cleared out below, and then wait until they find something, or get entangled with those 'monsters' inside..."
Lei Bao's face was grim. He nodded and said, "Make some noise in the passages leading to other areas on the basement level to attract some 'guests'." Lei Bao instructed a team member beside him who was good at creating noise and traps, "Don't let them die too easily... and don't let them have a chance to run down with their loot."
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