In the laboratory, Ding Junyi attentively zoomed in on the schematic of the 52nd floor on the screen, using guide lines to explain the route to Lin Xian and the others.
Zhao Yan and Xu Wen also looked deeply concerned, as their lives hinged on the current situation, causing everyone to tremble slightly with tension.
On the other side, inside the elevator, a huge screen displayed Ding Junyi detailing the route to the group.
KIKI and Lin Xian watched and quickly grasped the general direction of the path.
"This Underground City really is a massive factory; it’s a two-kilometer run from the freight elevator to another research area on the same floor," Lin Xian said, taking a deep breath.
"That’s considered small..." KIKI murmured, "After all, it’s a major project for hundreds of thousands of people. Each floor can house thousands or tens of thousands, and some are work and commercial areas. They even have roads and rapid transit here—everything that’s above ground is also down here."
Lin Xian nodded and positioned himself toward the elevator door.
"When we start moving, focus on making progress. Don’t get entangled in any trouble we come across. I’ll lead the way; Building covers the rear, and KIKI, you stay in the middle."
"Alright, Brother Xian."
Their goal was to first reach the research area where Ding Junyi and her team were, as it offered some protection and temporary safety. Lin Xian needed to gauge these people first, then assess the next steps with KIKI. If feasible, they would take the group back to Infinity and then reassign tasks for transporting supplies.
His mental timeline aimed to leave the Underground City by dusk tomorrow and head back to Yu Bei City through the southern line and the Jiangyu Line.
"JieYa Dental Care protects your oral health. This month, first-class citizens who become members can enjoy a 5% discount. For a trial visit, come to floor 31..."
"Are you physically impaired? Have you become disabled? Longteng Mechanical Prosthetics Center will help you gain a brand-new body experience. Run freely, embrace to your heart’s content. The latest ARX-2 industrial prosthesis lasts for 168 hours, helping you work continuously for a week without losing power—a great tool for increasing wealth and income!"
"Kangde Delicious Protein Blocks, made with newly selected species of giant American cockroach, choosing only the best ingredients, crafted with ancient artisanal skills, every bite is bursting with original flavor..."
The elevator’s screen played various advertisements from the old Underground City, evoking a feeling of a bustling life soon to unfold underground, a stark contrast to the silent, terror-filled wasteland of the current city.
"Ew, how is that delicious?" KIKI shivered in disgust upon seeing the advertisement.
Lin Xian spoke with a stern voice, "You say that now, but with the global food shortage, when we run out of food, you might actually start to like that kind of thing."
"Ptooey, I don’t want to eat cockroaches..."
Building looked at the advertisement with a weird expression, not saying anything and probably wondering what it might feel like to eat cockroaches.
[The elevator has arrived at: 52nd floor—New Dumela Research Layer. This floor is restricted to first-class citizens and special personnel, access level F3]
Lin Xian glanced at the notice and sneered. The elevator doors opened, and the light from inside the elevator slowly fell on the dark ground outside. The whole K2 Area was completely without power.
The three stood in the elevator, raising their guns and waiting. Apart from the various advertisement sounds from the elevator screen, the surroundings were dead silent.
Lin Xian decisively gave the order, and the three swiftly launched out.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the hollow space, and the flashlight beam revealed various cargo handling areas. After running along the main road for a distance, they found this floor to be filled with various scientific laboratories and offices, with no residential or commercial areas, indicating the interior construction was of a high standard.
Many laboratories had also received dust-proof treatment, and corridors were very spacious. The only problem was the lack of any reference passages, which could easily lead to getting lost in this kind of research-floor setting, surrounded by identical offices and rooms.
Moreover, most areas were still shrouded in darkness. Fortunately, Ding Junyi had provided directions beforehand. Otherwise, Lin Xian and his group would have spent quite a while just searching for the way.
The three hurried along, running from K2 to F1. When they reached the corridor with lights, the echo of their running footsteps resounded throughout.
Blood and gore could be seen through the windows of the passing laboratories. In many rooms, the howling of zombies started to emerge, rapidly increasing in volume and triggering a chain reaction of noise.
"Keep running, don’t look back."
Lin Xian struck down a zombie at a corner with his Wind Gun. To minimize the pressure of the zombie tide, he chose not to use his gun directly.
The trio rushed forward quickly but stopped in their tracks when they reached a turn.
In the corridor ahead, countless zombies in various forms and shapes stood densely packed, all wearing white lab coats. Alerted by the noise, they turned their heads, their facial tentacles opening slowly.
"Not these things again!"
Lin Xian frowned; he had intended to avoid gunshots, but seeing these creatures gave him a headache. Without a second word, he began firing.
The corridor lit up with gunfire as the tentacled zombies lunged towards the trio crazily. With their facial orifices open wide, it seemed as if a single bite could swallow one’s head whole!
Armed with previous experience, the trio dared not be careless, directing all their bullets at the monsters’ heads.
Soon the floor was covered with twitching, tentacled zombie corpses. As more zombies approached from behind, they continuously shot backward. Meanwhile, Lin Xian took out a knife, cutting through the still-twitching zombie monsters to avoid any surprises.
A glass door shattered. Lin Xian took down the zombies behind with several Wind Gun shots. The trio bolted through, only to be met by countless Black Insects, monstrous spiders, and zombie monsters in a circular elevator hall ahead, blocking their path!
KIKI’s eyes glittered as she waved her hand, sending out a massive shockwave that sent the monsters and zombies flying, clearing the path.
Without hesitating, they pressed on swiftly amidst the tide of corpses.
Elsewhere, in the laboratory, Zhao Yan, Xu Wen, and Han Qiming looked anxiously at several monitor screens, all holding their breath. The surging tide of zombies and monsters seemed poised to engulf Lin Xian and his group at any moment, their hearts in their throats.
If these individuals with superpowers and a plethora of heavy weaponry couldn’t fight their way through, then they, as scientists without any fighting ability, stood even less chance of survival.
By comparison, Ding Junyi was expressionless, not even glancing at the monitors but rather intensely working on a computer.
"Director Ding, what are you doing?" Zhao Yan asked, puzzled. "Shouldn’t we be alerting them about something?"
"I’ve already alerted them of what’s necessary. They haven’t taken a wrong turn yet. The best we can do is to open the doors as soon as they arrive. Other than that, we should not waste time and gather anything useful."
"We don’t have any supplies to gather here."
Ding Junyi didn’t even spare her a glance, continuing her busy work. "Research data, superpowers, Blood Plants, Underground City logs – they might all be useful later on. Teacher Zhao, I recommend taking the No. 1 Disaster Blood Plant samples along with the sample incubation chamber. If that’s not possible, then we should prepare to initiate the destruction program."