“The thirteenth biological laboratory in the 24th district.”
A soft whisper sounded in Dr. Sang’s ear. He looked sideways and saw the youth’s dark eyes staring at him.
The once clear eyes were now as dark as ink, deep and mysterious.
The man froze for a moment. Amidst the sound of the roaring sound of the armored vehicle, he asked in a low voice that only the two of them could hear, “What’s wrong?”
Bai Lixin replied, “I want to go to this place.”
The voice of the escape system echoed in his head. [Master Bai Lixin, I found it.]
[The 13th biological laboratory in District 24 is located in this island city, very close to here.]
Bai Lixin responded, [Give me a brief introduction of this laboratory.]
The escape system complied, [Okay, according to the data, country R and its allies have conducted secret genetic modification experiments.]
[They have secretly built many laboratories around the world, and this one is hidden in the depths of the ocean.]
Bai Lixin instructed, [Send me the location.]
The escape system confirmed, [Okay, it will be transmitted to you now.]
As soon as the system’s voice ended, a faint blue translucent three-dimensional map appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind. There was a round red dot in the middle of the map, indicating the location of laboratory 13 that he wanted to reach.
A triangular green arrow continuously moved on the map, representing Bai Lixin’s current location.
Using the map in his mind, Bai Lixin quickly closed his eyes and compared it with the information he gathered during last night’s investigation. He suddenly realized that the location of the red dot coincided with the huge crystal nucleus he discovered during his own investigation.
Was it a coincidence, or did it hold some secret?
His sixth sense told him that there must be important information hidden there.
He had to go there.
Suddenly, a broad hand covered his eyes, momentarily startling Bai Lixin. He pushed aside the man’s cool palm and looked at him suspiciously.
“There were flies just now,” the man said, his eyes flickering. He quickly withdrew his hand and calmly asked, “Which laboratory do you want to go to?”
Bai Lixin’s eyes lit up. “You know about it?”
The man responded, “I probably know where it is, but are you sure? It’s not like the urban area yesterday, and it’s not as safe as the Ark. It could be very dangerous.”
The young man nodded solemnly, affirming his determination.
“Alright, the zombies you need might be the zombies inside,” the man cleared his throat and looked up at the bearded man in front. “Captain, take me to a place, there are very important experimental materials that I need to obtain.”
The bearded man turned his head to Dr. Sang and asked, “Where is it?”
The man replied, “It’s a biological laboratory. I found its location in the Ark’s notes.”
He hesitated for a moment, and the young man lowered his head, grabbing his hand and writing a few words on his palm.
A smile flashed in the man’s eyes. “It’s at the harbor area at three o’clock.”
The bearded man pondered for two seconds. “Okay, if Dr. Sang said that information is important, it must be very important. Since we are already here, let’s take a break. Third Brother, let’s go!”
“Screech!”
The sound of rubber tires heavily rubbing against the ground resonated as the armored vehicle swiftly drifted. It made a more than 90-degree turn and accelerated towards the harbor.
All that remained where the armored vehicle had been were dark tire marks.
During the journey, Bai Lixin kept himself busy. He attempted to release some red threads without closing his eyes. Although he could mentally visualize real buildings in a dark space with accurate proportions when his eyes were closed, he still lacked a clear perception of moving creatures.
When he was in the laboratory, he was observed by Dr. Sang. However, even when being observed, the man did not close his eyes. If Dr. Sang could do it, could he do it too?
With this thought in mind, he focused his eyes on a point ahead of him. His ability was activated, and a few red threads that emitted a faint glow gradually appeared before his eyes.
As the red threads extended outward, his mental image was no longer shrouded in darkness.
He truly gained a god’s perspective, with his vision akin to that of an eagle soaring in the sky. He could effortlessly survey the city from his vantage point.
The red dots in his mind that represented zombies finally merged with the white dots, forming a single unified image.
Things became instantly clear.
Bai Lixin let out a silent sigh of relief. He leaned his body against the backrest behind him and retracted the red threads.
The process of entering the zombie player’s memory had drained a significant amount of his powers. He took a sip of the nutrient solution he got from his backpack and patiently waited for his powers to gradually recover.
He retrieved the worn-out prop card from his pocket, caressing the diagonal lines of the card between his thumb and index finger. Bai Lixin casually fiddled with it, causing the card to spin like a rattle.
The pitch-black card emitted a faint metallic luster, and as sunlight bathed it, occasional flashes of bronzing light danced across its surface.
If one player became an experimental subject, does it mean that there might be a second or third player who has also became an experimental subject?
This player had been in a delirious state for a long time and was unaware that he had come from decades ago.
Was it possible for Song Yuantian to know this player?
It was a pity that zombies couldn’t enter the ark, and Song Yuantian couldn’t come here. Otherwise, Bai Lixin wished Song Yuantian could identify it.
The armored vehicle raced through seaside city at breakneck speed, resembling a fighter jet, with the surrounding buildings whizzing by. However, when it turned a corner, Bai Lixin’s attention was abruptly drawn to a tall gray building.
He had appeared on the roof of that building for two nights when in the spiritual realm. Did that mean Dr. Sang had also been there?
Although the rules governing the randomly appearing scenes in the man’s spiritual realm were unclear, but judging from the initial corpse mountain and the subsequent birthplace, it seemed that those scenes either held significance to the man or the man had stayed in the place for a long time.
So, Dr. Sang stayed here for a long time?
As the familiar building gradually faded from view, the man noticed Bai Lixin’s gaze fixated on it. Concerned that the young man might suspect something, he discreetly blocked the window and asked, “Why do you keep staring over there? Have you seen it before?” The young man furrowed his brow and replied, “I haven’t seen it before, but it feels strangely familiar, like I’ve encountered it in a dream.”
The man pursed his lips and feigned ignorance, saying, “Sometimes when you see or do something, you might feel as though you’ve dreamt about it before. Many people experience this phenomenon, but it is actually a memory error. The cerebral cortex misinterprets information during storage, leading to the illusion of precognitive dreaming. Don’t dwell on it. You didn’t sleep well last night. Just close your eyes and rest for a while.”
Stop looking, just in case you remember something.
A contradictory desire emerged within him—wanting the young man to remember something, yet simultaneously fearing the realization that the dream was more than just a dream.
Was this the anguish of unrequited love?
Bai Lixin shrugged at the words, nonchalantly averted his gaze, and closed his eyes to rest.
After dozens of minutes, the armored vehicle finally decelerated.
The bearded man turned to Dr. Sang and inquired, “Dr. Sang, where is the laboratory you mentioned? We are surrounded by old containers, and there doesn’t seem to be an entrance.”
On the map in Bai Lixin’s mind, the red dot indicating the location was within reach, but not on the surface—it was buried tens of meters underground.
There should be an access point leading underground, hidden among the containers. They had to search for it.
Bai Lixin scribbled a few words in Dr. Sang’s palm, and Dr. Sang spoke with seriousness, “Park the car in a safe spot. I remember the entrance is nearby. Also, remove the zombie from the trunk. If my guess is correct, it originated from this laboratory.”
The bearded man had no objections. They drove the vehicle to a suitable location, and the bald man retrieved the zombie from the trunk.
Under the morning sun, the already feeble zombie grew weaker, but the ability users felt no sympathy. The strong man effortlessly lifted the hemp rope binding the zombie’s body, hoisting the zombie from the ground as if it were cargo.
The bearded man pointed toward a distant area, saying, “That location is close to where the nuclear leak occurred.”
All eyes turned, and they saw several towering metal pillars on the other side of the port.
The passage of time had caused white paint to peel, revealing rusted metal beneath.
From a distance, the juxtaposition of white and black was rather unsightly.
“After the nuclear leak years ago, Country R swiftly evacuated the population from this area,” continued the bearded man. “For several years afterward, it remained an empty no-man’s land.”
“Some overly curious individuals ventured into this forbidden zone and encountered two-headed snakes and giant mice with eight legs. Gradually, people stopped approaching the area out of fear.”
“From that perspective, this place serves as a perfect experimental zone. No one is can interfere and you can do whatever you want… well, maybe the heavy radiation is a problem.”
Once they entered the port, the zombie’s expression became peculiar. The originally terrified eyes shrank heavily, and the original black pupil in the middle became a small dot.
The zombie writhed and contorted, clearly exhibiting a strong aversion to the area.
The bald man became irritated, and forcefully slapped the zombie’s head with impatience, “Enough! Stop squirming!”
But the zombie didn’t stop; instead, its struggles intensified.
Dr. Sang glanced at the zombie and calmly remarked, “The entrance should be around here. Let’s search for a hidden door or something similar.”
Containers were stacked in layers on the pier. Bai Lixin’s mind stirred, and he suggested tentatively, “Considering it’s an entrance, wouldn’t it make sense to check if any of these containers open up?”
Everyone looked at Bai Lixin in astonishment. While they couldn’t confirm the accuracy of his words, his idea seemed plausible.
The port was abundant with containers, and it seemed unlikely for a hidden entrance to leave no trace. Perhaps it was disguised as a shipping container!
The bearded man raised his hand, ready to pat the young man’s shoulder approvingly. “You make a valid point, young man. I didn’t expect you to be so clever.” However, just as his arm was about to descend, another hand swiftly intercepted his wrist.
The bearded man froze in surprise. Dr. Sang calmly withdrew his hand and suggested, “Let’s hurry while it’s still daylight. If the entrance is a container, it should differ from the others. Let’s split up and search.”
Although the bearded man was momentarily puzzled by the interruption, he swiftly refocused on the task at hand.
He nodded and said, “Alright, let’s split up.”
Dr. Sang silently followed Bai Lixin, carefully inspecting the containers in their vicinity, while the protector Naia trailed not too far behind.
After a few minutes of walking, Bai Lixin wrinkled his nose and looked at the two people beside him. “Do you smell something strange?”
Naia raised his head and began sniffing intently. “I don’t detect any strange odors. I can smell a salty, rotten scent, probably from the sea water. Zombies, on the other hand, carry a putrid stench. Is there something unusual?”
Bai Lixin shook his head. “There’s also a faint chemical odor, like phosphorus.”
“It’s too weak.”
Naia sniffed again. “Strange, I don’t smell anything. But at the end of the day, everyone’s sense of smell isn’t particularly reliable. Plus, the air is saturated with the smell of decaying zombies, much like the odor that clings to us after battling them all day. It takes days for that scent to dissipate from our bodies.”
Bai Lixin could distinguish a faint smell of burning phosphorus amid the overpowering stench. He followed the scent to a locked container and stopped.
The container appeared deformed, as if it had been forcefully squeezed from the inside.
Seeing this, Naia used his telekinetic abilities, causing the iron bump to instantly crumble into a pile of powder like a brick.
The previously battered container mouth opened, revealing a thin crack.
Something seemed to be rushing out from within.
Dr. Sang reacted quickly, grabbing Bai Lixin and pulling him back several steps in an instant, surprising even Naia, who possessed superhuman abilities.
The container door was pushed open, and in the next moment, a multitude of bones poured out.
Some of the bones emitted a faint glow, as if still burning, which was the odor Bai Lixin had detected earlier.
The piles of white bones were entangled in a chaotic mess. Some teeth were attached to other bones, while some hands tightly gripped the ankles of others.
The bones still wore partially weathered clothing, and the container walls showed signs of deformation from within.
Naia’s expression changed slightly. “Were they alive when they were locked in? Were they zombies or people?” he questioned.
“It’a a dense pile of them. There must have been be thousands of people. It’s horrifying. They have their mouths open as if they were screaming. Were they locked in and left to starve?”
Bai Lixin leaned closer to examine the bones. At first glance, they appeared normal, but upon closer observation, he noticed various mutations among the human bones.
Some skulls had transformed into pointed cones, while others had arms twice the normal length. There were even instances of two heads on a single body.
Based on the extent of weathering, it had been nearly fifty years since these bones were left here.
Considering the fact that some people have seen mutated animals before, it was likely that these individuals were among the first humans to experience genetic mutations.
But what was the cause of these mutations? Was it due to the so-called nuclear leak, or was there another reason?
“I’ve found the entrance!” A voice suddenly echoed in the empty port. Naia immediately sprang up, excitement evident on his face. Ge turned towards the source of the sound and exclaimed, “It’s the boss! They found the entrance! Let’s go quickly.”
Bai Lixin glanced at the pile of silently wailing bones and nodded solemnly. “Okay, let’s go.”
The entrance the bearded man discovered was not far from their location. It appeared almost identical to the surrounding containers and the bearded man commented with surprise, “I never expected the hiding place to be so deep.”
While other containers contained large interior spaces, this particular one served as a massive elevator, spacious enough for even armored vehicles to easily enter.
As the elevator door opened, the zombie seemed to be frozen in fright, ceasing its screams and attempts to escape. It simply stared blankly, its eyes lifeless like a corpse.
The elevator button was pressed down, and miraculously, fifty years later, the elevator still functioned.
