Leaving Room 102, Cold Wind and Iron Bone stood at the entrance of the Terminal Station.
Zhao Laoliu, Shi Hu, Lao Dao, A-Kun, and Liu Dazhuang stood behind Cold Wind with their packs, their faces filled with excitement and nervousness.
Leaving Panshi City to see the world outside was something they hadn't dared to dream of before.
But now, with Cold Wind leading the team and the supplies and equipment provided by the Master, they felt much more at ease.
“Do you have everything?” Cold Wind looked back at them.
“Everything!” the five responded in unison.
Cold Wind nodded and turned his gaze to Iron Bone.
Iron Bone had also changed his attire.
He wore the Alloy Battle Armor as an inner layer, with a tattered cotton-padded jacket over it. His face was smeared with dirt and his hair was a mess, making him look no different from a commoner in the Outer City.
“Take care,” Cold Wind said.
Iron Bone grinned. “You too.”
The two looked at each other, saying no more.
Years of mutual understanding meant many words were unnecessary.
The team set off.
Cold Wind led the five toward the city exit. Their target was the nearest city—Qingshi City, located about two hundred li from Panshi City.
Iron Bone headed toward the Outer City alone.
Su Wan stood by the window on the third floor, watching the two groups gradually disappear into the greyish sky.
She wasn't worried about Cold Wind.
With Level 3 Mid Stage strength, combined with the Ice Soul Crystal and Frost Armor, he had more than enough power to protect himself as long as he didn't encounter an enemy above Level 4.
She was even less worried about Iron Bone.
Though Iron Bone had a rugged face and looked like a brute, he was actually meticulous and acted with great discretion.
He had spent eight years in the City Defense Force, rising from a Level 1 soldier to a Level 3 Mid Stage position; he relied on more than just strength—he had brains.
Sending him to the Outer City served two purposes: he could help the Night Owl team hold down the fort and also act as a contact for Lei Lie and Scarface in the Inner City.
Su Wan withdrew her gaze and sat back down on the bed.
In her consciousness, she brought up the progress panel for the Main Quest.
【Main Quest: Rise of the Shelter - Final Chapter】
【Objective: Successfully recruit and accept 10,000 Official Tenants (excluding existing tenants).】
【Current Progress: 375/10,000.】
【Remaining Time: 87 days, 13 hours.】
She was still a long way from ten thousand.
Su Wan closed her eyes and began to cultivate.
Her Level 4 Early Stage realm still needed to be consolidated, and she needed to familiarize herself with the Consciousness Memory Reading function.
...
Inner City, Deep Blue Research Institute.
Lei Lie had been lying in the ventilation duct for three whole hours.
The duct was narrow and cramped. His shoulders were pressed against the cold metal walls, and he didn't even dare to breathe too loudly for fear the sound would carry through the pipes.
Scarface was stationed at a contact point on the outskirts of the institute, responsible for backup.
According to the plan, Lei Lie only needed to infiltrate the institute's outer perimeter, map out the building layout and patrol patterns, find the location of the supply warehouse, and then withdraw.
The first two steps had gone smoothly.
The institute's layout was much more complex than he had imagined.
There were only four floors above ground, but at least three floors below, each with its own independent security system.
He had also figured out the patrol patterns: a security team of five every fifteen minutes, equipped with light weapons and communication devices.
He had found the supply warehouse on the first basement floor. Two guards stood at the entrance, and the warehouse door was made of alloy, requiring both a password and iris verification to open.
Just as Lei Lie was preparing to withdraw, something unexpected happened.
As he passed a laboratory, he inadvertently glanced down through a gap in the vent.
The laboratory was large, at least a hundred square meters. Several large pieces of equipment he couldn't name stood in the center, surrounded by various instruments and consoles.
But none of that was the focus.
The focus was that in the corner of the laboratory, people were being held.
Seven or eight people—men, women, old, and young—were confined in several massive transparent containers.
The containers were cylindrical, about two meters high, and filled with a pale green liquid.
The people were submerged in the liquid, covered in various tubes and electrodes, with breathing masks over their mouths and noses.
Most of them had their eyes closed and expressions calm, as if in a deep sleep.
But one young man was awake.
He looked to be in his early twenties, thin, with unnaturally pale skin.
His eyes were wide with terror and despair, and his mouth opened and closed inside the breathing mask as if he were screaming something, but the liquid muffled all sound.
Lei Lie's breathing nearly stopped at that moment.
These... were the test subjects?
Those people were test subjects.
He thought of the rumors in the Outer City—those people who vanished for no reason were all snatched up to be test subjects at the Deep Blue Research Institute!
So, it really was true...
Lei Lie's hands trembled slightly.
He suppressed his emotions and prepared to retreat through the ventilation duct—
The metal wall of the duct suddenly vibrated.
It was a very slight vibration; if he hadn't been in a state of high tension, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
Then, he heard a voice.
“Abnormal vibration detected in Sector E7 of the ventilation ducts.”
It was a broadcast from the monitoring room. The volume wasn't high, but in the silent institute, it was terrifyingly clear.
“Sector E7? Isn't that the outer perimeter?”
“Retrieving surveillance footage...”
“There's something there!”
“What is it?”
“Can't tell, it's too dark, but thermal imaging shows... it's a person!”
“An intruder?”
“Notify security, seal all exits in Sector E7!”
Oh no, he'd been discovered!
Lei Lie didn't hesitate.
He leapt down from the ventilation duct. The moment he landed, he activated his ability to its full extent, his perception spreading outward like an invisible net.
Security was rushing in from both ends of the corridor.
Three on the left, four on the right, all fully armed.
Lei Lie charged toward the right.
He was incredibly fast. The physical attributes of a Level 3 hunter exploded to their limit in this moment, his figure like a streak of grey lightning flashing through the corridor.
The four security guards on the right had just turned the corner when they saw a figure charging toward them.
“Halt—”
Before the words could even leave his mouth, Lei Lie's fist slammed into the chest of the man in front.
“Thump!”
The man didn't even have time to scream before he was sent flying back, crashing into his companions. All four of them tumbled into a heap.
Lei Lie didn't linger. He stepped over them and sprinted deeper into the corridor.
But the institute's security was much tighter than he had anticipated.
He had only run a few dozen meters when the corridor ahead suddenly lit up with a blinding red light, accompanied by a piercing alarm.
“Alert! Alert! Intrusion detected in Sector E7!”
“All security personnel proceed to Sector E7 immediately!”
“Seal all exits!”
Lei Lie didn't stop, continuing to charge forward.
He turned a corner and saw a fork in the path. He chose a direction at random and kept running.
But the institute's interior was like a labyrinth, with corridors branching out in all directions and fork after fork. He couldn't tell which way was which.
The footsteps behind him grew closer and more numerous.
Lei Lie gritted his teeth and pushed his speed even further.
He ran down a long corridor, and a door appeared ahead.
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