Chapter 205 We will leave here
Many of the laboratories at White Shield Research Institute have a transparent glass window, allowing passersby to see inside.
Lu Wei replied, "Xiang Xin and I have each followed the people you mentioned. After leaving the research institute, they did not stay anywhere else for an extended period of time except to rest at home."
Lin Xi's arms were already aching; she really couldn't hold on much longer...
Her voice trembled as she said, "We're all just working like cattle at the research institute; we really can't handle two jobs..."
Lin Xi was already a young staff member with a good physique due to regular exercise and martial arts training. After working overtime, she could only read books to catch up on her studies when she got home, or go to the commercial district with Lu Wei to eat, shop, gather information, and relax.
Imagine if Peng Xinghong and his colleagues went to a secret laboratory after get off work at the research institute, put on heavy lead suits, and worked for several hours—it would be almost impossible.
They will die from overwork sooner or later.
Lu Wei thought it made sense, and he nodded: "It is indeed hard work."
Lin Xi's whole body began to tremble slightly, and she gritted her teeth as she said, "Then, shouldn't you... give way to the hardworking clerks...?"
Surrender.
I was just exercising and meditating; I didn't intend to compete with you.
Lu Wei let out a nasal sound, as if he were chuckling softly.
He bent his elbow, his body getting closer and closer to the ground, until his gaze fell level on the bottle of sildenafil.
Lin Xi glanced out of the corner of her eye at Lu Wei, who seemed to be preparing to land and let her pass, but unexpectedly he did a push-up and got up again.
"I can't let you have your way."
"...?"
Lu Wei: "After all, I'm someone who has to take blue pills, 'I can't do it'."
"Pfft..." Lin Xi's willpower, which she had been holding on to, was shattered, and she collapsed to the ground.
She turned over to catch her breath, skipping the joke and continuing the previous topic:
“But Peng Xinghong is the most suitable person we have seen in the past few months to wear a lead apron for a long time.”
There's still no news about the secret laboratory.
No one, not even the informants sent by relevant departments to the White Shield base, had ever heard of the existence of the secret laboratory.
We couldn't find a lab, and we couldn't find anyone.
Once the antibody was proposed, vaccine research had already begun, and their time was becoming increasingly urgent.
Researching vaccines is one of Lin Xi's important tasks, and it's also a project that White Shield Base has its eye on. However, they don't need to participate in the subsequent process personally, as White Shield Base has a better team.
They've now penetrated deep into the White Shield base, but they know nothing about the main mission. They can't just poison Yue Mingyuan to solve the problem.
Lin Xi asked in distress, "Could it be that those 'researchers' are secretly trained and never appear in public?"
"..." Lu Wei didn't know either.
Lin Xi glanced at Lu Wei, who was still holding on, and asked, "If it were you, where would you build the secret laboratory?"
Lu Wei: "A classic trope: 'The most dangerous place is the safest place.'"
"Where is the most dangerous place for White Shield Base...?" Lin Xi didn't know.
The White Shield base is only seen as dangerous to them from their opposing side. In fact, its construction and management are very strict. In the eyes of the White Shield base, what are their weaknesses?
Lu Wei: "What are we here for?"
Lin Xi: "Find a laboratory."
"So, where is the safest place for White Shield Base to build its lab if they don't want anyone to discover it?"
Lin Xi recalled the tired figures of Peng Xinghong's team and the transparent windows on the laboratory wall.
She suddenly opened her eyes: "Build the 'laboratory' in the laboratory, and make it public."
But she quickly dismissed the idea: "It's too risky, and there's no radiation protection inside, plus there aren't many zombies."
The two fell into deep thought.
Lin Xi said irritably, "You're quite capable, get up now."
"..."
After thinking about it for a while, Lin Xi came up with an unlikely guess. She asked, "Have you seen the blueprints for the White Shield base? Do you know what areas are on each floor and how big they are?"
Lu Wei: "I've seen it, I know about it. But the secret laboratory won't be marked on it."
"I know."
Lin Xi suddenly sat up and gestured to Lu Wei, saying, "I have an idea! If Peng Xinghong is from the secret lab, and the secret lab is located directly in the research institute, then it would indeed be very difficult for spies to find it. Following this idea, to pinpoint the location of the secret lab, I have a preliminary idea—"
"We calculate the floor area by measuring the actual distance, and the important thing is to compare it with the area of our floor, which is where the research institute is located. If there is a significant missing area on this floor, it may be a secret laboratory."
Lu Wei looked at her intently, seemingly finding the method feasible.
Lin Xi: "Blatantly measuring distances is too obvious and will attract the attention of the White Shield base."
"Distance can be measured using the watch and phone functions. Alternatively, the distance can be roughly estimated by measuring the distance of each step and walking speed, thereby calculating the area."
“I can’t go to any area outside the commercial area on each floor, so I can’t calculate the area of the entire floor. But you and Xiang Xin can do this while you’re on patrol! I’ll take care of the distance measurement and area calculation for the research institute!”
-
One week later.
"I patrolled the civilian areas on floors -2 to -6. Based on my watch's location tracking and my own step count, each floor's area is approximately 210 hectares, with minimal error on each floor," Xiang Xin explained, adjusting her breathing and trying to maintain her inverted position.
Lin Xi hung upside down beside her: "The entire research institute's dormitory area and warehouses, which connect to the surrounding research institutes, cover less than two hectares."
Lu Wei: "The commercial area on the -15th floor is about 160 hectares, and the area on the -16th floor, which is where we are now, is about 150 hectares."
Lin Xi concluded: "So, the small area error in my research institute doesn't prove anything. The lower the level, the smaller the publicly disclosed area."
Lu Wei, unable to nod while lying down, could only hum in agreement and continue his analysis: "The lower the level, the more important the area."
Xiang Xin was investigating the upper-level residential area, which was used by refugees. The lower-level area was the military. These floors were used as residential areas, with a large and diverse population, and almost no secret areas.
The lower the level, the more functional areas, commercial areas, and finally administrative areas.
Lu Wei: "The deeper you go, the more difficult it becomes to develop. The lower level of the Dawn Base is not as large as the upper level, but the area of each level gradually decreases, and there is no situation where it decreases by such a large amount all at once."
Lin Xi added, "There are secret areas on these two floors."
Xiang Xin stood to the side, sweat pouring down his back, thinking to himself: "Hearing your words is like hearing a lecture."
Why are these two people, who are so capable in her eyes, just sticking to conclusions they already knew? Doesn't measuring the area and going around in circles prove that there are secret areas in the administrative region?
This is quite normal; both the military and administrative areas of Dawn Base have areas that are not publicly disclosed.
But she didn't speak, trying to calm her breathing and maintain the handstand—
San San pulled her over to do a handstand together, saying she had something important to analyze, and that she had heard San San's handstand skills had declined, so she came specifically to have a competition.
After reaching this conclusion, the atmosphere fell silent for a while.
Xiang Xin finally couldn't help but ask, "So, you've been going to the commercial district so often to shop and eat. Have you noticed anything suspicious?"
Don't tell her it was just a casual date and that you didn't ask her for any important information. That doesn't fit your persona.
Lu Wei answered her question: "Yes, we have discovered a secret area on the -15th floor."
"Where?"
"...Red-light district."
"...Why would you go to a place like that?"
Lu Wei said, "It was found at the hot spring resort."
Although they frequently visited the hot spring resort and did not find the person with calluses on his shoulders that Lin Xi had mentioned, they unexpectedly discovered a hidden world behind the hot spring resort while following Peng Xinghong.
Xiang Xin: "How come you guys..."
Lin Xi interrupted the conversation directly: "That was a very important discovery. According to the instrument's location, the red-light district lobby corresponds to the edge of the research institute, and going any further in is beyond the research institute's boundary."
However, the research institute on the -16th floor is already on the edge of that floor in the floor plan.
In other words, there may be large, non-public areas next to research institutes.
That day, Lin Xi casually asked Lu Wei, "If it were you, where would you hide the research institute?" Lu Wei replied, "The most dangerous place is the safest place."
If the secret laboratory is right under the nose of Lin Xi, then it's truly a case of being in the dark where the light is shining.
However, if Lin Xi continued to investigate along this line of thought, he would find that people with "lead apron gait" and obvious hunchback and forward head posture often appeared in the research institute.
Lin Xi often went out for a stroll, quietly observing the several transparent laboratories, where there were fewer people than when they first started working and clocked in.
Generally speaking, staff members who join research institutes don't leave the laboratory easily. Lin Xi didn't come out during mealtimes, so there's no reason for those people to disappear.
She used to be so engrossed in her own projects that she didn't pay much attention to what was happening outside and thus overlooked this point.
Since everyone was wearing masks and not many people had disappeared, Lin Xi initially concluded that the missing people were indeed suspects.
Peng Xinghong, the most suspicious person, also disappeared.
Lin Xi tried to probe by knocking on the door under the pretext of borrowing something or some materials, but the staff only said that Professor Peng had gone to a meeting.
Lin Xi glanced quickly at the projects and materials in the laboratory. At first glance, it seemed to be just research on vaccines, nothing special.
Lin Xi couldn't see the hidden door for the time being.
But she was pretty sure in her heart that the secret laboratory was probably inside the research institute.
Xiang Xin couldn't hold on any longer and pulled her legs back to the ground.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Lin Xi also landed, letting out a sigh of relief: "Alright, it's someone else's treat today."
Xiang Xin had just lain down when she heard this and suddenly looked up at Lin Xi in surprise: "?? You called me here just for this?"
Lu Wei landed and said to Lin Xi, "Finally, someone's at the bottom."
Xiang Xin's eyes widened even more: "??"
She even wanted to yell: "You called me here just so I'd be the last one to treat you two to dinner? You two bastards!"
Lu Wei gave her a meaningful look:
When he fractured his bone, Xiang Xin also tried to get him to be the last one standing. What goes around comes around.
Lin Xi initially felt sorry for Xiang Xin, but seeing the surprised look in Xiang Xin's eyes, she found it amusing.
Xiang Xin looked at Lin Xi in disbelief and asked, "Didn't you say you couldn't do handstands lately?"
Lu Wei added insult to injury to their already fractured sisterhood: "You're not as good as me. But with me sparring with you every day, you're actually better than before."
"..."
That's the truth.
Lin Xi is indeed skilled in kung fu, but in this aspect, he is no match for Lu Wei in terms of strength and technique.
At Dawn Base, she could use resources to find places to spar and compete. At White Shield Base, she didn't want to reveal her excellent kung fu skills, nor could she freely enter the military training grounds. To maintain her muscle condition and kung fu, she could only train at home.
Besides this kind of endurance training, Lu Wei would occasionally spar with her, but the room was limited in space and there were no professional protective pads, so it wasn't very satisfying.
After her initial surprise, Xiang Xin lay back down, speechless and annoyed.
They enjoyed a cozy hot pot meal.
Lin Xi and Xiang Xin didn't have much time together at the White Shield Base, so their reunion before the storm was always especially precious.
Their mission at White Shield Base was actually quite challenging—
Develop a vaccine and take away vaccine samples, investigate the movements of the White Shield base, carry out a decapitation operation if necessary, uncover the truth about the secret laboratory, and, if possible, stop the laboratory's harmful projects.
Given their numerical disadvantage and lack of weaponry, these tasks were extremely difficult.
Before leaving, Lin Xi had considered the possibility of death, but when Liang Hui was absent from the dining table, and she looked at the familiar Xiang Xin and Lu Wei, a bad premonition suddenly arose within her—
The road ahead is fraught with danger; they cannot always act together, in case something happens...
The realization of death was particularly evident at this moment.
Lin Xi gradually lost her appetite, while Xiang Xin and Lu Wei were very relaxed and even exchanged a few playful insults.
As Xiang Xin left, Lin Xi suddenly felt a pang of reluctance—
It felt like wanting to have a late-night chat with your best friend before she goes on a long trip.
That night, Lin Xi didn't stay up late to study. She had already finished grinding the pills. She and Lu Wei each occupied one side of the big bed, wrapped in their own blankets, and closed their eyes to think.
"Can't sleep?" Lu Wei's voice suddenly came from the dark night.
Lin Xi paused, realizing that she had already rolled several times.
She took a deep breath and said softly, "You used to be a lawyer, so you should have a good memory."
I memorized the answers to both sets of college entrance exams so well back then.
"Um."
Lin Xi, with her back to him, recited a string of technical terms, then said, "I've told you about the antibody process before. These are adjuvants that we're researching for adding to vaccines."
Although a vaccine has not yet been truly developed, or even tested, this is already the biggest progress.
Starting tomorrow, she will truly begin to approach the secret laboratory. What will be inside?
She didn't know.
She would die if she were exposed to radiation, even for a short time.
Lu Wei and Xiang Xin may face bullets even faster than radiation.
In this life, she forged ahead relentlessly, overcoming all obstacles. As she drew near to the truth of the world, she suddenly began to fear death.
What's there to be afraid of? She's already died ten times over.
If the mission unfortunately fails and she is captured or exposed to radiation, she has also kept a highly poisonous pill for herself so that she won't suffer for too long.
But suddenly she was terrified that if she had to start over, she would be alone again.
At that time, Lu Wei, Xiang Xin, and Liang Hui did not know her.
"I've got it." Lu Wei sighed from behind and then replied.
"Um."
Lin Xi suddenly began to regret not having written a proper will before leaving.
The quiet atmosphere of the dark night amplifies one's emotions to an infinite degree.
Lin Xi has never been good at controlling her emotions, but she didn't want to make any more noise.
But Lu Wei, who was next to him, began to toss and turn intermittently.
Emotions are contagious. Lin Xi thought.
But Lu Wei said, "We will leave here."
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