Chapter 206 Secret Laboratory
This was Zhou Yiheng's first visit to the high-level administrative area of the White Shield Base.
Ever since Luo Jun inquired about Lin Xi's whereabouts, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he had caught wind of her movements—
The base is interested in Lin Xi and Lu Wei.
The new base was a new beginning for him. He put all his effort into spreading the news about the Dawn Base and received commendation from his superiors, which made him feel that he was being "respected".
So when he went to the administrative office, he was full of anticipation and didn't think he had done anything wrong.
In his eyes, Lin Xi was a graduate student who was inferior to him, but he had a high status in Dawn Base because of the support of the higher-ups.
He's in the same boat as Lin Xi now, except he's relying on the higher-ups at the White Shield base.
Yue Mingyuan's office was not as luxurious and extravagant as Zhou Yiheng had imagined, but it looked very dignified.
Fan Yuchao and several of his subordinates were also present and introduced him to them.
"Sir." Zhou Yiheng, unaware of his exact rank, greeted him cautiously.
Yue Mingyuan only glanced at him, but that single look was enough to make Zhou Yiheng feel the pressure.
Yue Mingyuan took a sip of tea, not paying much attention to him, and asked indifferently, "According to you, the director of your Dawn Base got his position through his relationship with Lu Wei."
Zhou Yiheng nodded, then flattered, "The White Shield Base has taken good care of us; wherever we conduct research, we are the team there."
Yue Mingyuan seemed to find it long-winded, but nodded when he heard the last sentence—it would be great if those other people had the same awareness.
He didn't speak, and no one else dared to interrupt.
Yue Mingyuan casually remarked, "However, why didn't you mention that Lin Xi is very good at kung fu?"
Although his tone was casual, it made Zhou Yiheng feel uneasy.
He spread a lot of information about Lin Xi at the Dawn Base, including her relationship with the higher-ups, her independent laboratory, and even minor details like changing her name once during that time.
He never felt he had done anything wrong, nor did he feel he was gossiping behind people's backs.
In his eyes, Lin Xi was just a pretty face who didn't deserve her position...
But when Yue Mingyuan mentioned "kung fu," Zhou Yiheng felt guilty.
He did deliberately avoid this point because when he was a troublemaker at the Dawn Research Institute and led the conflict with Lin Xi, he was the one who got beaten the worst.
How could I possibly reveal such a shameful thing to myself?
Zhou Yiheng broke out in a cold sweat: "In our research institute, force is not an important criterion for judging ability."
"Oh, you mean your achievements in scientific research are greater than hers?"
Zhou Yiheng swallowed hard, stammering, "That's right, my...our research direction is to break through the virus and research drugs to eliminate zombies..."
Another subordinate next to Fan Yuchao seemed to have received some news and stepped forward to report: "The lab has completed the project and is waiting for testing."
Zhou Yiheng wondered if the laboratory project referred to the initial success of Song Heng's team in developing a vaccine.
Unexpectedly, they beat me to it.
When Yue Mingyuan looked at him again, a hint of amusement played on his lips: "Have your projects yielded any results?"
Zhou Yiheng's voice weakened: "There are no obvious results yet... but I believe it will definitely happen..."
"Sigh." Yue Mingyuan sighed, finding the man rather long-winded, and couldn't help but interrupt, "I don't need your results."
Zhou Yiheng, however, did not understand.
What does it mean that we don't need his work?
Just as he was racking his brains for a conclusion, Fan Yuchao pushed him away and whispered, "Go back first."
The office door was closed silently.
Yue Mingyuan looked at the information on the screen with his hands folded over.
Fan Yuchao couldn't help but speak up: "Teacher, just because Lin Xi is good at kung fu doesn't mean anything, right? She used to kill ordinary zombies. When people face a survival crisis, they always have a strong will to survive. She hasn't had any combat achievements since the hardened zombies were introduced. Do you really believe that she and Lu Wei are spies?"
After vaguely sensing Yue Mingyuan's admiration and wariness towards Lu Wei, Fan Yuchao kept taking every opportunity to report dirt on the two of them, proving that they were just pleasure-seeking "lovers," a fact he himself firmly believed.
"Whether they're spies or not doesn't matter anymore. Nobody can leave the base." Yue Mingyuan sighed, speechless. He then ordered, "Go and find Lu Wei, but don't let a word out."
Fan Yuchao accepted the order and went off, looking eager to try.
-
Just as Lu Wei was about to find an opportunity to get closer to Yue Mingyuan, Fan Yuchao appeared just in time.
He had been to Yue Mingyuan's office a few times. Although Yue Mingyuan maintained the airs of an elder, he did not speak to him as he would to his subordinates. He was always very polite and would sometimes reminisce about the past and talk about their shared moments before the end of the world.
Yue Mingyuan explained that Lu Wei is now a major general, with the same rank as him, so he cannot be treated as an ordinary student or subordinate.
Just like now, Lu failed to sit down opposite Yue Mingyuan.
"There's a mission to leave the city after the New Year. I wonder if Xiao Lu would be interested in carrying it out?" Yue Mingyuan said gently.
The group from Dawn Base had been at White Shield Base for so long, yet they had never had the opportunity to come into contact with the city gate defenses.
Lu Wei didn't realize this was a test, so he replied, "Lin Xi has been very busy lately, and if I leave the city, there will be no one to take care of her."
"..." Although he had prepared himself, Yue Mingyuan rarely heard his subordinates say such things. He suppressed the twitching corners of his mouth before laughing and said, "Hehe, I never realized that Xiao Lu was such a love-struck person before."
Lu remained unmoved.
Yue Mingyuan glanced at him discreetly, then pushed a screen to the screen displaying a report: "Don't you and Xiao Lin often talk about work? Their lab project has just been completed, so they shouldn't have to work overtime so much anymore."
Looking at the notification from the lab, Lu Wei, sensing Yue Mingyuan's probing, remained calm and gently shook his head: "We can talk about anything. Teacher, you don't know, after the initial success of the vaccine, there are many clinical tests, and the workload is no less than during the research and development phase."
Yue Mingyuan said "Oh," and added, "That's something I don't know."
"Is there anything else you wanted to see me about besides the mission?"
Yue Mingyuan: "I wanted to have a chat with you. It's about what happened last time. The vaccine is almost ready. What are your plans, young people? Last time I asked you to stay at the White Shield base, and you didn't seem too keen on it."
Recalling the previous topic of urging marriage and children, Lu Wei couldn't help but feel speechless. Hearing him bring up Lin Xi again as an excuse, he said, "She doesn't want to, and there's nothing I can do about it."
"..." Yue Mingyuan felt a toothache as he listened.
Looking at the serious-looking Lu Wei, he couldn't help but think that this guy was quite impressive.
But he didn't have time to waste with Lu Wei and said directly, "To be honest, I have really doubted your relationship and your original intention for coming to the White Shield Base."
The excuse of spending time with his girlfriend sounds both obligatory and somewhat far-fetched.
Lu Wei heard Yue Mingyuan's straightforward conclusion, and although his heart sank, he did not show it on his face.
Yue Mingyuan seemed to have received a message. He made a few gestures on the screen and smiled at Lu Wei.
“At the time, I was observing this ordinary clerk. Now it seems that a walking, living antibody really does need special protection.”
Lu Wei's face darkened.
He saw all of Lin Xi's personal information on the screen, as well as photos of Lin Jie's zombie.
Lin Jie cannot appear at the same time as Lin Xi in order to protect the secret that Lin Xi has antibodies. However, once the White Shield Base sees this photo, they can easily investigate and find out Lin Xi's identity.
Yue Mingyuan noticed a slight movement in the other person's eyes, and with a light touch of his finger on the screen, he added, "At the same time, she's also an excellent special agent."
The screen turned back to Lu Wei, displaying a 16-grid surveillance video. The location shown appeared to be a laboratory, and he saw Lin Xi carefully leading a staff member through a doorway.
-
The entrance to the secret laboratory was inside a very ordinary laboratory. Lin Xi had observed and figured out Peng Xinghong's approximate working hours and shift handover patterns.
Once discovered, action must be taken, otherwise the White Shield base will eventually notice something amiss.
The vaccine project is also nearing initial completion.
The research institute was under constant surveillance, and the secret laboratory had strict facial recognition. Given that his own equipment and instruments were not advanced, Lin Xi had no way of sneaking into the enemy's laboratory. The only way was to take someone who could enter the laboratory hostage when no one was looking.
The pills I've been grinding for months are finally coming in handy today.
They secretly administered anesthesia, rendering all the staff members incapacitated.
This medicine was formulated by Song Heng. Lin Xi had personally experienced it. After taking it, he would feel weak and sore all over, but his facial features could still move, so it did not affect his ability to recognize people.
However, since the person was unable to move after being knocked down, Lin Xi could only support Peng Xinghong as they moved forward.
Even after ensuring that everyone was incapacitated after being drugged, Lin Xi still threatened them: "The antidote is with me. Whether I give it to you or not is entirely up to me. Don't even think about secretly tipping them off."
The staff members initially thought their symptoms were due to anesthesia, but upon hearing this, they became skeptical.
After all, even unbelievable things like zombies have appeared, so what's so strange about the kind of poison Lin Xi mentioned?
Moreover, even if someone wanted to sound the alarm, their body couldn't support it.
Lin Xi "clutched" Peng Xinghong through the facial recognition lock.
"Where are the lead aprons? What laboratories are inside?"
Peng Xinghong remained silent with a stiff face.
Lin Xi knew he was under anesthesia and wouldn't feel her punches or kicks, so she couldn't threaten him with force. She could only resort to the primitive method of holding an eyebrow razor to his carotid artery and threatening him: "You're exposed to radiation every day, so you should know what happens after exposure. If you don't tell me, I'll have to drag you down with me."
Peng Xinghong: "Speak, speak... I... slow..."
Although his facial features were still functional, his speech was affected by the drug, and he said haltingly, "There are... several... experimental projects... radiation projects... that have... been completed... without lead aprons..."
Lin Xi didn't believe it, but she didn't see any heavy lead aprons in the changing room at the entrance, only ordinary radiation protection suits.
After passing through the changing room and disinfection room, Lin Xi cautiously peeked through the window at the scene inside—
It was a space that looked no smaller than any of the publicly accessible laboratories. It was divided into several laboratories, with a large workbench in the middle, and several zombies were locked in a cylindrical transparent tank in the center.
The staff members operating around them were indeed only wearing white protective suits, not lead aprons.
The people inside haven't had a chance to access Lin Xi's medicine yet, so they can still move around freely.
Lin Xi took out a protective suit from the changing room and put it on, along with a mask. This way, as long as no one looked closely at her eyes, no one could tell that she was an outsider.
Lin Xi had already spotted the various surveillance locations. The White Shield Base, which valued the biochemical project, must have had someone monitoring it, and they would soon discover the unusual activity here. She didn't have much time; she only hoped that Lu Wei and Xiang Xin outside would proceed smoothly and complete their mission.
Lin Xi threw Peng Xinghong on the ground, stuffed a wad of paper into his mouth to silence him, and then sneaked into the laboratory.
She pretended to have just handed over her shift and checked the work log. She found the names of various alien zombies. In addition to the hardened zombies and known radiation zombies, there were also projects to improve the hardened zombies' eye weaknesses, and even projects to create super zombies that retain consciousness and can control the body by fusing vaccines and zombie viruses.
This is an inhumane laboratory where they artificially evolve zombies to be used as their bioweapons.
Every staff member here is a participant.
Lin Xi carried out the eliminations without any burden. The knife moved quickly and silently, and the staff members fell to the ground one by one without causing any panic.
Lin Xi inspected each laboratory one by one, and even saw the experimental samples inside.
Just as Lin Xi finished dealing with the living people and was about to deal with the mutant zombies, he heard footsteps.
Could it be that White Shield Base's reinforcements arrived so quickly?
Lu Wei failed?
Lin Xi frowned and looked over, only to find it was Song Heng.
"?" She looked slightly puzzled.
She didn't know who would take the drugs, so she indiscriminately administered them to everyone.
Song Heng: "I made that medicine. I could tell just by smelling it!"
"...So you were faking it?" Lin Xi asked.
Song Heng nodded, then looked around and asked, "Where is this place?"
Lin Xi was speechless. It turned out that Song Heng also had a cunning side. Seeing that others were falling down and things were not going well, he pretended to fall down first.
Lin Xisu said in a solemn voice, "Don't stay here. There are many strange species here, and it's too dangerous."
Song Heng was a research fanatic, and he looked around with great curiosity. No matter how Lin Xi tried to persuade him or even threatened him with his fist, he wouldn't leave.
Lin Xi couldn't worry about him anymore; time was of the essence, so she had to quickly eliminate all sorts of strange zombies.
But the most important and dangerous thing... the hardened zombies that have been in contact with radiation are nowhere to be found. Even if Lin Xi knew where they were, he couldn't get close enough to attack them without a lead suit.
Just then, a countdown began in the lab: "Laboratory 2 is ready to open. Please check your protective suits."
The alarm was sounded again.
Looking at the tightly closed door of Laboratory No. 2, Lin Xi guessed that the radiation zombie might be inside that sealed laboratory.
Her eyes widened: "There's radiation! Quick, find protective clothing! Get out of the research institute!"
The doors to the secret laboratories and research institutes could block radiation, but there wasn't enough time to escape.
Lin Xi ran back while searching for possible protective clothing. Song Heng followed suit, but unfortunately only Lin Xi found one. It could protect against radiation, but it was very thin and not as effective as a heavy lead apron, so it could not be used for a long time.
And there's only one.
"12, 11, 10..."
The countdown is almost over.
Song Heng caught up and snatched the protective suit.
Lin Xi was stunned for a moment. Song Heng quickly opened the protective suit he had snatched and put it on Lin Xi: "You are the important antibody, you wear it first!"
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