"Let’s listen first." Lin Xian raised his hand to signal, then continued to press the response machine and replied, "I can hear you."
"I am Ding Junyi, the Deputy Director of the Biological Research Department at Underground City No. 9. A large number of zombies and nocturnal entities have broken out inside the Underground City. Currently, I and several colleagues are trapped on the negative 52nd research floor. Can you initiate aid for us? If you are willing to help, we can offer something in exchange."
The voice from the response machine sounded somewhat urgent, while the faces of the people aboard the ’Infinity’ changed slightly.
"Are you saying that in such a huge Underground City, there are only a few of you?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xian’s first reaction was skepticism. He had encountered many traps before, and he was not so easily convinced by this.
"It is still uncertain whether there are survivors in other areas. Two weeks ago, the construction segment under the city encountered some unknown underground creature causing the project to halt. The core No.1 melted down, causing the internal personnel to mutate and become infected, resulting in at least 376,000 civilian deaths, more than 95% of the total population. The Underground City Federation Management Committee was forced to initiate an evacuation plan, using 8 intercontinental trains and 3 eternal-level trains along with a large number of airships, helicopters, and flying devices to evacuate core citizens. However, nearly all air transport devices went missing after entering the Daluo Mountain Range, suspected to have encountered large nocturnal entities in the air."
"The mutation caused largescale chaos in the Underground City. The main structure of the city was damaged, with zombies and a multitude of nocturnal entities bursting forth. My three colleagues and I didn’t manage to escape in time and were forced into a biological lab. There are likely not many survivors left in Underground City No.9, our lab has high-level system access to the city. Through monitoring from the GF2 train station platform, we saw your arrival and thus reached out to you for help."
Despite it seeming like a plea for help, the woman’s voice and demeanor were very calm.
Just as her words ended, KIKI immediately looked out the window and indeed saw a few cameras pointed towards their cockpit.
"Ah, so not only are there people in the Underground City, but there is also electricity..."
Lin Xian nodded, glanced at the others, aware that the nocturnal entities mentioned by the other party might be what they know as Abnormal Bodies. He then spoke to the response machine,
"What do you think should be done to initiate a rescue for you?"
They were completely unaware of the situation inside the Underground City. From the information just relayed, there were unknown creatures underground, and the whole city was occupied by zombies and nocturnal entities. Moreover, the other party was on the 52nd level below ground, a scenario in which even if Lin Xian wanted to help, he didn’t know where to start, so he wasn’t eager to consider options but rather let the other party suggest a plan first to discern the truth and risks.
Upon hearing Lin Xian’s words, the woman on the other end directly responded,
"Currently, elevators No.1, 2, and 5 in Underground City are all damaged. Elevators No.7 and 8 can only reach down to level 80, the rest are in the overtaken levels and freight area. Only elevator No.3 is currently online and is also nearest to us. However, elevator No.3 is a freight elevator, intended for moving equipment, directly connecting to the terminal platform of the underground five-level freight rail on level 95. Due to structural damage, it can now only go down to level 89. I can open the GF2 rail access to the underground rail’s protective gate. As right now we only have one spare power source for electrical supply whose wattage is insufficient to support the use of railcars and lifting elevators, hence your train can directly pass through the through tunnel down to the terminal platform of the underground four-level freight rail on level 65, then via elevator No.3 come up to level 52. Although there are quite a few zombies outside, with your well-equipped weapons and a Telekinesis Superpower User, the threat to you should not be significant."
Lin Xian listened with a slightly furrowed brow. From the other party’s expression, this Deputy Director of the Biological Research Department named Ding Junyi likely had a genuine identity. Ordinary citizens of the underground city, even some influential figures, might not have such clear understanding and detailed logistics of the city, as logically coherent and clearly planned as that of a research personnel.
"You speak so simply. Why don’t you seek help from the Federation Government?"
KIKI came forward and asked sharply.
Hearing KIKI’s question, another slightly younger female voice on the other end of the answering machine responded urgently, "Because the satellite communication facilities of the Underground City have already been moved, and conventional communication equipment is unable to transmit due to the influence of the night’s magnetic waves. You should be aware of this, so currently, the only control we have is over some subsystems of the Underground City. We’re using the platform response system to send you a distress signal."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xian frowned. "Didn’t anyone come to rescue you during the evacuation?"
There was a moment of silence from the answering machine, then Director Ding took over again.
"When the upper levels were evacuating, they did receive our distress message. However, the situation suggested that... we probably fall under abandoned assets."
Inside the 9th Underground City, in a certain research area, the isolation doors were tightly locked, and the surrounding corridors were completely engulfed in darkness, filled with wandering zombies. In the room, four men and women wearing research uniforms looked anxious; they had been trapped here for over a week now. Although the research area had strong protective systems and life-support systems, there was not much food or supplies left. If they couldn’t get out soon, they would likely starve to death inside.
The leader, around thirty-years-old Deputy Director of the Biological Research Department, Ding Junyi, with her glasses and icy gaze, was trapped here along with her former collegue Zhao Yan, Xu Wen, and microbiology expert Han Qiming.
Zhao Yan, the eldest among them, seemed to be in the worst physical condition. They had already started using some experimental green plant materials as food to sustain their energy. Fortunately, the lighting and air circulation were still maintained in the laboratory area, preventing them from suffocating.
After the mass evacuation, the entire Underground City had become a hell-like scene, desolate everywhere. As roads got blocked and polar night arrived, their hopes for rescue slimmed.
Almost all useful supplies had been taken away. This apocalyptic project, whose completion was less than 1/5, had already become a ruin of despair.
"Director Ding, they seem not to believe us..."
Xu Wen, the most timid, had been the first to speak up. Seeing no response from the answering machine, she became anxious. "What should we do?"
"Don’t panic," Han Qiming, with his messy hair, already skinny, had grown even thinner over the two weeks of hardship. "They must have some purpose to come here by train, and since they could open the protective doors and possess high-level superpower traits, I suspect they want to enter the Underground City. If that’s the case, maybe we can find a point of mutual interest."
"Right." Zhao Yan, the oldest, looked at Ding Junyi. "Director Ding, why don’t we just ask?"
Meanwhile, Ding Junyi was calmly reviewing the surveillance footage. Among the four, she was the most composed. While everyone else was anxiously waiting for a response from the answering machine, she was watching the scene of Lin Xian and others entering the interior platform from outside, making notes on a mobile screen.
"At present, there are a total of five people shown in the footage. It’s not certain if there are others on the train. The leader seems to be the male who spoke with us, aged between 25-30, with a clear purpose in communication, strong logic, and highly educated. It was he who opened the gate of Station GF2; I checked the system records, he didn’t have authorization, so he must possess some kind of superpower talent, forcibly opening it."