There were five Super Gene-Modified Organisms in total, and four of them still remained inside.
Chen Shijie stood before the door and pulled a palm-sized silver remote from his coat.
He took a deep breath and pressed the large red button on the remote.
“Click—”
The electronic lock on the alloy door emitted a soft chime, and the indicator light turned from red to green.
The door slid open slowly, and a pungent smell of disinfectant rushed out, mixed with a sickly sweet scent of blood that was difficult to describe.
The secret chamber was massive, covering at least two hundred square meters.
The walls and ceiling were pure white, while the floor was made of a non-slip grey material.
In the center of the room, five enormous transparent containers were lined up in a row.
The last container was empty, but the other four each held a humanoid creature submerged in fluid.
Chen Shijie’s gaze swept across the four containers, and his finger pressed another button on the remote.
“Click—”
The drainage valves of the four containers opened simultaneously, and a pale green liquid began to flow out slowly.
As the fluid level dropped, the submerged Gene-Modified Organisms were revealed...
Chen Shijie didn't spare them a second glance; he turned and bolted.
Behind him came the sound of shattering glass, followed by low, suppressed growls.
By the time he reached the stairwell at the end of the corridor, Chen Shijie could hear chaotic movements below.
The footsteps were heavy and disorganized; there were at least several dozen people.
It was the armed security forces!
It seemed that all three armed squads in the basement had been deployed.
They wore heavy bulletproof combat suits and held standard-issue firearms, the electric batons and alloy handcuffs at their waists clinking crisply as they moved.
Chen Shijie stood at the stairwell, watching the men surge from the far end of the corridor.
He didn't panic, because he knew those men would soon have no energy left to capture him.
An earth-shattering roar erupted from the third basement level, making the entire building tremble.
The massive silhouette of Subject 1 charged out of the stairwell, pale green liquid still dripping from its dark grey scales. Its cloudy, greyish-white eyes swept across the corridor, locking onto the fully armed soldiers.
It opened its maw and let out a deafening roar.
The soldiers froze in shock.
“Fire!” someone screamed.
Gunfire erupted in the narrow corridor, bullets striking the scales and sending up showers of sparks.
Subject 1’s body swayed slightly, but it didn't fall.
The bullets, powerful enough to pierce steel plates, only left shallow white marks on its body.
It lunged forward.
Its two massive palms, like heavy doors, slammed into the soldiers at the front.
The sounds of screams, shattering bones, and splashing blood merged into a single horrific noise.
Chen Shijie stood at the stairwell watching this scene, his lips twitching slightly.
He didn't linger, turning to continue his flight upward.
Behind him, more roars surged from the basement.
Subject 2, Subject 3, and Subject 4 broke through their barriers one after another.
In the corridors, the stairwells, and the laboratories, their roars and the screams of humans echoed everywhere.
The entire research institute had completely fallen.
By the time Chen Shijie reached the first-floor lobby, no one was chasing him anymore.
He kicked open the back door and stepped outside.
The cold wind, laden with fine ice crystals, whipped against his face, and his glasses were instantly covered in fog.
He didn't have time to wipe them; he just ran forward with all his might.
But after only a few steps, a figure flashed out from the side, blocking his path.
The man was tall and wore a black combat suit, with a standard-issue pistol at his waist and an expressionless face.
“Dr. Chen!” the man’s voice was low and calm. “Halt!”
Chen Shijie stopped and took a step back.
It was Shi Yong, the Security Captain of the Deep Blue Research Institute and a retired veteran of the City Defense Force’s special forces. He was a Level 3 Late Stage Ability User who had worked at the institute for five years, and his hands were stained with untold amounts of blood.
“Shi Yong...” Chen Shijie’s voice was tight.
“Dr. Chen, do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Shi Yong’s lip curled slightly, unable to fathom what madness had gripped Chen Shijie.
He took a step forward, and Chen Shijie took another step back.
“Shi Yong, listen to me—”
“Dr. Chen! You don’t need to say anything,” Shi Yong interrupted him. “Director Zhou’s orders are to take you into custody! I am simply executing my orders.”
He reached out, his hand lunging toward Chen Shijie’s collar.
That hand was thick and powerful, the knuckles protruding, with a grip strength sufficient to crush rock.
Chen Shijie closed his eyes, thinking it was all over.
But just as Shi Yong’s hand was about to touch him—
A figure flashed from the side, moving so fast that not even an afterimage could be seen.
A slender hand gripped Shi Yong’s wrist.
The five fingers were like iron pincers; no matter how Shi Yong struggled, they wouldn't budge an inch.
Shi Yong’s pupils shrank abruptly. He looked up and saw Su Wan’s face.
That young face was as calm as a pool of stagnant water, and her eyes looked at him as if he were nothing more than a stone.
Su Wan gave her wrist a light twist, and Shi Yong’s wrist emitted a sharp crack.
“Agh—!” Shi Yong let out a scream as he was hurled away by a massive force. He slammed heavily into a wall and then slid to the ground, unconscious.
Chen Shijie opened his eyes to see Su Wan standing before him.
He froze for a moment, then was overcome with shock and joy.
“You... you really came! You came to save me!”
Su Wan didn't respond, instead grabbing him by the collar.
“Let’s go!”
Wasting no words, she pulled Chen Shijie and began to run.
Chen Shijie was dragged along, his feet nearly leaving the ground, his glasses askew on the bridge of his nose. The cold wind rushed into his mouth, making it impossible to say a word.
The research institute behind them had now turned into a living hell.
The sound of shattering glass, collapsing walls, human screams, and the roars of the Gene-Modified Organisms—
It all merged into a symphony of death, echoing under the grey sky.
As Su Wan dragged him across the street, Chen Shijie struggled to turn his head, wanting one last look at the place where he had spent over twenty years.
But he could see nothing; his glasses had long since been knocked crooked by the wind, and the scene before him was a blurred mess.
“Don’t look.” Su Wan’s voice came from ahead, calm and devoid of emotion.
Chen Shijie withdrew his gaze and stopped struggling.
Su Wan was right; the most important thing right now was to escape with his life!
Given what he had done today, if he were caught, he would certainly face a fate worse than death!
Inside the research institute, everything was in ruins.
The corridors were covered in claw marks, and chunks of concrete were scattered everywhere.
The corpses of several security personnel lay scattered in pools of blood, their combat suits torn to shreds, their bodies barely recognizable.
Zhou Peian looked at the devastation of the institute, his face as pale as paper.
His lips were quivering, and even his hands were shaking uncontrollably.
He had been at this institute for over a decade and had seen countless experimental accidents, but never one like today.
Four Super Gene-Modified Organisms, all losing control at the same time!
What was he supposed to do?
What could he possibly do?
Rate on N.U.
