In front of Lu Yan, a corpse drifted slowly by.
It was a middle-aged woman with a "cleaner" name tag on her chest. Her face bore signs of pain and struggle, though she had lost consciousness. In her hand, she tightly clutched a photo of her child.
"[After so many years of development, the entire research institute is like a small underground city. There are twenty thousand permanent residents, including 103 researchers, with the rest being management, logistics, and security personnel.]"
"[Things happened suddenly, and very few ordinary people managed to escape.]"
Lu Yan remained silent for a moment, then closed her eyes.
He had seen many corpses, and theoretically, he should have become desensitized. However, his mood was unusually heavy.
"This was an unnecessary sacrifice," Lu Yan said, "I could have found a way to inform headquarters, but I didn't."
The system interjected, "[There is no absolute justice or fairness in the world. Every choice is destined to have someone on the opposite side.]"
"[This is the result of countless previous factors, with or without today, there would be tomorrow. Perhaps another pollutant exploded the research institute from the outside, or maybe the test subjects rebelled from within.]"
The system's mechanical voice, devoid of emotion, sounded excessively cold: "[Your choices might lead to different branches, but ultimately, they all flow into the same river.]"
The noise in Lu Yan's ears resembled water seeping in, causing a headache.
The system lowered its tone: "[Many times, people believe they can choose, can alter outcomes. Some even go to the extent of reversing time to reboot the world. In reality, they are just walking down predetermined paths.]"
"[Many can't comprehend this truth, but I hope you understand.]"
Unfortunately, not a single word reached Lu Yan's ears.
...
...
In the underground floor of the research institute, both the drainage and power systems were paralyzed. The visibility underwater was quite low.
Members of the team wore Bluetooth earphones.
Zhou Qiming glanced at the mission information on his phone and said, "Area b2 is the marine experimental zone. The main pollutants are algae and jellyfish."
"The research topics include the oxygen production of algae pollutants and the longevity genes in jellyfish," Zhou Qiming continued, squinting at the information, "Can't make heads or tails of it."
The use of pollutants in medicine had become widespread after decades of research. Even the monthly free special medicine distributed by headquarters contained pollutant components.
Underwater, thermal weapons were impractical. Even long-range archery was somewhat affected. In the end, everyone found solace in close-quarters combat weapons.
Chen Shier cracked his knuckles with excitement, saying, "The pollutant level here is at most 3700. I'm ready to tear apart those jellyfish."
Some people get nervous on the battlefield, while others thrive in such situations.
Zhou Qiming cautioned, "Don't take it lightly. There might be other things from different floors mixing in. Be careful."
After traversing water-filled corridors, Lu Yan's team finally reached their assigned cleanup area.
B2, the First Research Institute's biological experimental zone.
This area was still submerged, but it was better than the entrance, reaching only waist-high. Due to the power outage, and being underground, visibility was extremely low. On the walls, there were even remnants of blood.
Fresh, warm blood.
Resembling a scene from a horror movie.
"The information you received is inaccurate. But it's not intentional on the part of headquarters. For the sake of safety during experiments, there's a rule that pollutant levels, when used as test subjects, must not exceed 4500."
"To obtain more detailed data and surpass research at other similar institutes, much of the pollutant data within the First Research Institute has been tampered with."
"For example, what's behind that door... thing."
Lu Yan's gaze shifted to the door the system mentioned.
It looked like some kind of operating room, with the door securely locked. Water had seeped in through the cracks, submerging half of the window.
Lu Yan frowned, "How could they?"
The system said, "[They lost their sense of awe, thinking they could control everything, surpassing other living beings. It's a form of arrogance.]"
The pollutant level detector showed no reaction.
Many labs here used special alloy walls that could weaken pollutants and block signal detection.
Lu Yan withdrew his gaze, intending to return to deal with the final boss after cleaning up other areas.
So far, they had encountered only non-aggressive seaweed.
The detective suddenly stopped, tense, and said, "Boss, my talent is responding."
[Talent 346 - Clue Perception]
Function: Reacts to critical matters.
As for what exactly this critical matter was, it was somewhat dependent on luck.
Zhou Qiming gripped the long knife in his hand, "I see it too... Why does this door still have a health bar?"
As if hearing voices, knocking sounds echoed around the window edges.
The detective instinctively raised his flashlight.
A pale hand emerged from under the glass window, stained with blood, unable to distinguish whether it was their own or someone else's.
This hand swiftly wrote an English word.
"Run."
Lu Yan asked the system, "Is there someone inside?"
[Yes. When the institute exploded, they were performing surgery here—two test subjects, one a pollutant and the other a prophet. Due to the power outage, some erroneous operations occurred. The pollutant has lost control, having consumed other researchers. The remaining prophet dragged the pollutant into a small room, locking the door, intending to resolve it on their own.]
"This is a wrong decision. Although his spiritual power threshold isn't low, combat isn't solely reliant on spiritual power threshold..."
"Who is it?"
[03, codenamed Pope. Real name Qin Woyu. Spiritual power threshold 8800. His brother's Chinese name is Qin Huaijin, and his current codename is probably 'Gu Shi'?]
Unlock exclusive early access to 100s of Chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
As a cherished member of our Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For just $5, you'll receive:
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public. (You can find all the novels I'm translating HERE.)
- Your name will be prominently featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
If you decide to pledge $10, you'll get all the perks from the $5 tier, plus:
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
And if you're feeling generous with a $20 pledge, you'll unlock all the perks above:
- You get to recommend an abandoned Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
