Chapter 79 A Man of Brown Clothes and a Man of Jade (5)
The urgent alarm sounded heavily as it approached, ringing out eight short times before repeating itself again.
This is a special symbol for the Pinheid cipher signal, indicating that a major "error" has occurred somewhere.
Once she cut off the research center's internal network, she had no room for regret.
It just so happens that she is the kind of person who never regrets things.
Shu Ningmiao hid herself in the corner of the door. From this angle, she could see the researchers in the School of Life Sciences sweeping the ground with their terminal flashlights, and occasionally hear the rumbling sound of something being kicked over.
Although alarms were constantly blaring around them, the people inside the School of Life Sciences were not particularly alarmed.
These research-obsessed madmen had no real sense of danger, and the security forces were mostly concentrated in other branches.
Compared to the most advanced war equipment that condenses technology, the funding for the Academy of Life Sciences is cut every year, so there's really nothing worth paying special attention to.
Shu Ningmiao knew very well that if the fragments had pointed elsewhere, the obstacles she had encountered along the way would not have been as simple as they were now, and she should feel lucky.
She followed the direction of the shards, keeping her back against the wall, and walked over silently.
The Life Sciences Institute has a different structure than other places—it has seemingly endless corridors and numerous rooms, making it more like a high-end medical facility.
The automatic sensor doors in front of each room require a card to open; she had noticed the staff swiping their cards when she entered Yeluqi's room before.
Even with the power outage, the doors can't all be left wide open; the security door has a physical lock, and she still needs to find the key.
Shu Ningmiao was still pondering her next move when a slightly larger spot of light flashed in the distance. She quickly and cautiously pressed herself against the wall—this didn't seem like the kind of light a terminal could emit.
The sound from afar grew louder and clearer along with the light, as if it were gradually approaching her.
The leader wore a mask and carried a light source; the spotlight illuminated the area within several meters as bright as day.
Behind them walked several soldiers carrying guns, also dressed in uniforms and wearing masks.
He's a member of the military.
Shu Ningmiao's brows furrowed suddenly. These people's senses were not as dull as those of the carefully protected researchers.
The corridor was clean and spacious, with hardly any objects to block the view.
The footsteps of the approaching person drew closer.
The leader, his hand on his waist, whispered, "The School of Life Sciences has already checked everything; there's no one else here."
A muffled response came from my waist: "Pandora Institute has been raised to Level 1 alert. We have discovered that the core of the combat simulation system under repair has been damaged."
"Was it done by intruders?" The leader frowned.
After a moment of silence, someone said, "The damage has been going on for some time now. The area's security system has been manually shut down, and no one has noticed it yet. We suspect the intruders have been lurking for more than three days."
"Remain on high alert until the all-clear is lifted. The situation has been reported to both the officers and the police department. We are ready to receive further instructions at any time."
After he finished speaking, a hissing sound came from the other end, and the signal was lost.
The person following closely behind him took a few steps forward and suggested, "The research center's main hall is just ahead. Why don't we go to Pandora's Institute to provide support?"
Everyone knows that the invaders wouldn't come to the Academy of Life Sciences. Going to the Pandora Academy now might allow them to get some credit.
When they joined the army, they all thought they could go elsewhere to make a name for themselves. Who would want to stay in this wretched place and protect a group of researchers who looked like they owed them millions of dollars?
The leader spoke coldly: "No one may leave their post without authorization."
The man shrugged helplessly, his ear twitched slightly, and his expression under the mask suddenly turned serious.
"I've been wanting to say this since just now."
The man quickly turned around, pointed the gun behind him, and pulled the trigger: "The breathing sounds don't seem to match our numbers."
A series of soft, falling sounds suddenly rang out from the fork in the corridor not far away, as if someone had dropped something in a fright.
The group turned around at the same time, their initial disappointment instantly replaced by excitement. They all pointed their guns at the direction from which the sound came and slowly approached, keeping their bodies low to the ground.
Surrounded so densely by special guns, even a superhuman would have no chance of escape.
Something clattered down from above, breaking the eerie silence.
Before it even hit the ground, several bullets were fired simultaneously, instantly turning the falling object into a sieve.
Amidst the sharp gunfire, he heard a familiar yet furious cry of alarm.
"What are you doing!"
They all stopped firing, and the person who fired the first shot curled his lip in exasperation: "It's the central air conditioning hood."
The leader raised a spotlight, illuminating a white area. Not far away at the fork in the road, two researchers in white lab coats stood, glaring at them angrily.
“Do you want to kill people? This isn’t a slaughterhouse.” The two researchers looked at them with disgust.
The person in front of him brandished his gun: "Identity verification."
One of the researchers took out an ID card and waved it in front of them: "Did you see that clearly?"
"Tsk." The soldier who had spoken earlier approached them, examined the information carefully, and put away his gun with displeasure: "What are you wandering around for? Didn't I tell you to go back to the lab and stay put? You do nothing all day but cause us trouble."
The researcher, his face flushed with anger, said, "We're here to see our dean. The patient the messenger brought has a new condition. If something goes wrong, can you take responsibility?"
The man's gaze, hidden beneath his mask, moved up and down, scrutinizing them suspiciously. The one in charge was their direct superior; Yelü Qi had once been his superior, so he had no reason to obstruct them.
The captain gestured for him to come back and said coldly to the two researchers, "Don't wander around, if you don't want to die."
His words had no effect on the researchers, who continued to glare at him angrily, seemingly disgusted by his reckless and indiscriminate actions.
They put away their guns and continued forward, following their patrol route to circle the central hall once more.
The two researchers breathed a sigh of relief as they watched their figures gradually disappear into the darkness.
The researcher, who had just spoken in a very aggressive tone, said, "These people in the military region are really sick; they're always hoping something bad will happen to us."
Another researcher said coldly, "Never mind that, hurry up and deliver the things to the dean, or we'll get scolded again."
The most talkative researcher fell silent after a while before saying, "At a time like this... why does the director have to be in such a hurry to get the insulating crystal box?"
"Mind your own business." Another researcher gave him a threatening look: "Just do your own thing."
The two quieted down and continued walking in the same direction.
Before they had taken two steps, one of them reached out and touched his forehead, suddenly feeling a chill on his head.
He stopped and cautiously scanned his surroundings with the flashlight on his terminal.
The pristine white walls reflected light, and there was nothing around them.
But cold sweat had already begun to seep from his back—
Not only did he not see anyone else, but he also did not see the companion who had been walking alongside him.
His companion seemed to be swallowed by the darkness, disappearing silently right beside him.
However, the next second, he could no longer think about where his companions were.
The chill sent goosebumps up his spine and down to the back of his neck. A pale arm silently draped down from above his head and wrapped around his neck in an instant.
The angle formed between his arms was like a cold scythe, lifting his entire body upwards.
A snap.
The sound of bones rubbing together disappeared into the air.
Shu Ningmiao let go of her hand, and the upside-down position caused the hem of her short sleeve to be lifted up almost halfway, revealing a section of her slender waist. Because she was in mid-air and exerting force, the muscles in her waist and abdomen were taut and showed.
She kept her legs bent and hooked on the duct of the fresh air system, holding onto the central air conditioning cover to maintain a position pressed against the left side of the ceiling.
Unexpectedly, the central air conditioning cover was old and in disrepair, with loose screws. Unable to support her weight, the cover slipped from her grasp and fell right in front of these people.
Fortunately, the two researchers appeared in time and diverted attention.
She twisted her body, landed in mid-air, and rubbed the sore muscles in her shoulders and arms.
According to the news I just heard, someone has indeed invaded and vandalized Pandora's House.
Could it be that someone else joined the research center besides her?
The damaged part is the combat simulation system No. 02, the Crimson Palace Stone, which has been taken away.
After entering the School of Life Sciences, the direction of the fragments changed noticeably every few steps, indicating that the Crimson Palace Stone indicated by the fragments must be very close to her.
She knelt down in front of the fallen researchers, searched them one by one, and found their ID cards, terminals, and keys. One of them was also carrying a small black box.
Not knowing what use they were, Shu Ningmiao put them away and continued to follow the direction indicated by the fragments.
The researchers were all notified to return to the designated location. There was no one else in the corridor now, so Shu Ningmiao quickened her pace.
After many twists and turns, she finally saw a security door at the end of the debris's path, clearly different from the other rooms.
The decoration on this floor is much more exquisite than that on the other floors, and there are framed calligraphy hanging in the corridor, so it should not be an ordinary laboratory.
Unsure if anyone was inside, Shu Ningmiao walked around the corridor wall. She decided to use the same trick again, dismantling the fresh air system and climbing up the ceiling of the room through the passage.
After parting the exposed wires, there was barely enough room for her to pass through—thankfully, the power wasn't on yet, otherwise the complex wiring inside would have electrocuted her hundreds of times over.
Unlike the ventilation ducts, the integrated ceiling in the room didn't allow her to see much. Shu Ningmiao could only use the key she had scavenged to poke a small hole, through which a sliver of light shone.
She pressed her eye close to the peephole and saw what the room looked like. It was an office, and the light came from the terminals held by the people inside.
She had actually seen the person standing in the middle before.
Looking down from the ceiling, Shu Ningmiao could see the man's bald head even more clearly.
Shu Ningmiao had only a so-so impression of Ge Wende, the dean of the School of Life Sciences, the bald uncle who was determined to persuade Yelü Qi to donate his body.
No wonder there was no response from inside when she violently pried open the ventilation window.
Gawande frowned, his attention focused entirely on the terminal in his hand where he was making a call.
She lay face down on the ceiling. The person on the phone didn't speak; it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The voice from the other end of the terminal did not sound faint in such a space.
"This time, if you take the Crimson Palace Stone number 02, Weston won't be there to take the blame for you," the man said calmly, his words revealing little emotion.
The light flickered through the peephole, Gawande's hands trembling: "Today is the best opportunity. Someone has infiltrated the research center, and we can pin it all on that person."
Shu Ningmiao lay on the ceiling, trying to pin the blame on Prometheus, but unexpectedly became someone else's scapegoat.
The person on the other end didn't speak.
Gawande became agitated: "I had no choice. I took the Crimson Palace Stone No. 03 before, intending to study it for a few months before putting it back. Who knew it would disappear so mysteriously? My research was just one stage away from completion. If I could borrow it for a little longer... I'll put it back after I'm done. What Weston can do, I can do too..."
"Do you really think you can return it without anyone noticing?" The person on the other end of the line became increasingly stern: "The Pandora energy in the Crimson Palace Stone is so concentrated that it keeps leaking out. They're only keeping you around because the intruders don't have time to deal with you right now. If you keep it in your hands, it will be discovered sooner or later."
Gawande eagerly pulled a slightly shiny white stone from his pocket and clutched it tightly.
"As long as it is stored properly in an insulated crystal box, it will not be detected."
The white stone is oblong in shape.
Shu Ningmiao breathed a sigh of relief. She had seen it in Weston's notes; this was the No. 02 Crimson Palace Stone embedded in the combat simulation system.
He argued, "I still have a special agent with a unique disease process at my disposal. If I can use it to develop a way to stop the pollution, no one in the world will blame me for it!"
“That would be best.” The person opposite him did not believe his words: “I should have given up on you the first time you lost the No. 03 Crimson Palace Stone—your glib tongue is far better than your talent. If this research is still fruitless, I will never say a word for you in the council.”
Finally, the man sighed, "I should have known that Weston was more useful than you."
“You…” Ge Wende was so angry that he couldn’t speak. His entire face was trembling. Shu Ningmiao felt that his emotions seemed to have gone too far, like a balloon about to burst.
The call interface displayed on the terminal suddenly disappeared, and the other end simply hung up.
Gawande's eyes were bloodshot from the dim light of the screen, and his neck was also tense and uncomfortably red.
His lips trembled slightly, and he suddenly flew into a rage, slamming the terminal to the ground.
An unsettling rustling sound came from the ceiling.
The man suddenly looked up.
——
One thousand one hundred and twenty-nine seconds.
The moment darkness fell overhead, Weston silently counted down the seconds in his mind.
Twenty minutes is only 1,200 seconds. After deducting the time for travel, Shu Ningmiao only has a few hundred seconds left to act.
The more he pondered the possibilities of those few hundred seconds, the more foolish he felt for agreeing to Shu Ningmiao's impulsive suggestion.
Finding Jiang Gongshi within twenty minutes of entering and exiting the National Research Center is impossible for anyone; the National Research Center is not a shopping mall.
He dares to gamble because he doesn't care about winning or losing.
How bad could it get? He climbed up from places like Yingjian.
Shu Ningmiao is different; she may be expelled from school, accused of endangering national security, and sent to a central court for trial.
Even if her brother is the one who carried out the operation, he might not be able to guarantee her safety in the face of such a major event as the invasion of the National Research Center.
Endangering national security is one of Pinheis's most serious crimes.
The surrounding noise was irritating, and everything was equally obstructive—Weston did not interpret this strange feeling in his heart as worry.
He was simply annoyed because Shu Ningmiao might implicate him.
One thousand one hundred and ninety-nine seconds.
1200 seconds.
Twenty minutes have passed.
Weston slowly closed his eyes, his face still expressionless, revealing no emotion, except for his furrowed brows.
The appointed time had arrived, but he showed no signs of relief or relaxation.
The alarm still sounded somewhat unreal through the passageway.
A new announcement rang out in the ability detection center.
Police officers have arrived at the scene and are taking over the site of the supernatural ability testing center, and are currently reassuring the citizens inside.
The system wasn't fully repaired yet, but the surrounding lights started turning back on one by one.
Shu Ningmiao has not returned yet.
Weston took a deep breath and saw the familiar figure of his junior in the newly brightened ability testing center.
Yu Lu was somewhat surprised to see Weston here.
—More than surprised, it was as if the sun had risen in the west. Out of politeness, he took the initiative to come over.
Weston's last enemy right now is him.
Yu Lu bowed to him respectfully: "Senior, who did you come here with...?"
Weston has had his powers awakened for a long time and has worked at the National Research Center for many years, so it's impossible that he came here to test his powers on his own.
Weston lowered his gaze, pondering how to handle the situation.
Yu Lu suddenly turned his head slightly and said to the person behind him, "What kind of outfit is that?"
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