Chapter 85: The Mysterious Disappearance

Chapter Eighty-Five

The first basement level was deserted, and the warehouse contained not only laboratory equipment but also a variety of other supplies—food, clothing, daily necessities, and so on. Ling Feng carefully examined the usage of these items, especially the food supplies. The traces of recent use were clear; someone had definitely taken these things in the past two days. He felt an immediate sense of relief.

Someone is still alive!

After roughly inventorying the items and having Mo Chen collect everything, Ling Feng led the group further down.

Upon reaching the second basement level, they quickly encountered the first living person. The man’s initial reaction upon seeing so many people wasn’t one of joy at being rescued, but rather wary suspicion. He fixed them with a guarded look and asked, "Who are you? How did you get in here? Don’t you know this area is off-limits?"

"Are you Dr. Bai? We received a signal from Dr. Bai and were sent to provide assistance," Ling Feng stepped forward to inquire.

Upon hearing Ling Feng mention "Dr. Bai," the man visibly relaxed, lowering his guard. "So you’re here to support us. I’m not Dr. Bai—he’s still in the lab conducting experiments. I’m his assistant, my surname is He. You may call me Researcher He."

"Researcher He, besides you and Dr. Bai, how many people are here?" Ling Feng continued.

"There are three more—a woman and two men. The woman is also a researcher, surname Li, currently assisting Dr. Bai with his experiments. The other two are security guards; they’re patrolling the third level."

"And the others? Have they all turned into zombies?"

"Zombies? You mean those infected ones? Some are trapped in their rooms, some have been cleared out by the guards, and a few are missing."

Ling Feng was about to order his team to clear out the trapped zombies, but paused at the last statement.

"Missing? What do you mean by that?" Ling Feng asked seriously.

"Missing, as in not here anymore. What else could it mean?" Researcher He clearly didn’t understand the gravity of Ling Feng’s question, looking confused.

"I mean, where did they disappear? Did they leave, or were they attacked by something? Did you send anyone to look for them?" Seeing He’s incomprehension, Ling Feng had to explain further.

"Look for them? We barely have enough time for experiments as it is. Who has time to search for missing people?" Researcher He replied, completely indifferent.

It was as if nothing mattered to him except the experiments.

Realizing he wouldn’t get much more from He, Ling Feng changed the subject. "When will Dr. Bai’s experiment finish? I need to discuss evacuation with him."

"Evacuation? Who said anything about evacuation? Aren’t you here to help us with the experiments?" Researcher He evidently misunderstood their purpose, assuming they were reinforcements sent to assist in the lab. He stared at Ling Feng in confusion.

"We’re evacuating. The outside is no longer safe; zombies are everywhere. You need to move to a safer location for your research."

"Oh, I see. Well, you’ll have to wait. Dr. Bai needs another hour and twenty minutes before he’s done. Wait here, I’m busy. Don’t touch any of the documents!" As soon as the word "experiment" came up, He lost interest in everything else and hurried away.

"Is he brain-fried from too many experiments?" someone muttered, watching as He abandoned them without a second thought.

"You don’t know? People like him are single-minded, obsessed with their research and nothing else. Did you notice he didn’t even care about the missing people?" another whispered.

"Researchers are never normal. Did you see his first reaction to us? A normal person, trapped here for so long with colleagues either turned into zombies or missing, would be panicked, desperate to escape. Seeing living people, their first thought would be rescue. But him? Calm as can be, reminding us about unauthorized entry!"

"Exactly! You’re absolutely right!"

"That’s it!"

…

Others nodded in agreement, convinced that these researchers were a breed apart from ordinary people.

"Go clear out any remaining zombies on this floor and see what supplies can be salvaged. If anyone spots those two guards, bring them over," Ling Feng finally instructed after the group had vented their opinions.

The team dispersed to search for zombies or supplies. Not everyone was needed for these tasks, so Mei stayed behind and began to tinker with the computers on the desks.

All the computers were connected to the local network. Mei quickly hacked into the central control system and soon brought up surveillance feeds from this level and the third.

"The two guards are currently in Sector 4. Should I call them back?" Mei asked Ling Feng, watching the monitors where two men in security uniforms appeared.

"Call them back. We need to ask them about the situation," Ling Feng replied.

Mei tapped a few keys, picked up a microphone, connected it to the computer, and signaled Ling Feng to speak.

"Attention, personnel in Sector 4: we are military rescue operatives. Please report to the second floor immediately to rendezvous with us," Ling Feng announced twice. Watching the screens, he confirmed the guards had received the message and were on their way. Satisfied, he put down the mic and glanced at Mei, who was now working on another computer.

Text scrolled rapidly across the screen. Ling Feng couldn’t help but ask, "What are you looking for?"

"Nothing much—just checking their research logs. Apparently, their work on converting special energy into practical power has made significant progress. They should have results in a few days," Mei replied simply.

Of course, she had found much more. She had breached their database and uncovered several research projects: applying new energy to weaponry, converting it into kinetic force, and so forth.

This piqued her curiosity about the so-called new energy—what exactly was it?

Mei searched the database for all information on the new energy, browsing rapidly. The more she read, the more it resembled the Source of Darkness.

It contained immense energy, emitted radiation that could cause mutation in plants and animals, possessed characteristics of devouring, attachment, corrosion, and stealth—all matching the Source of Darkness.

Could there be a fragment of the Source of Darkness here?

Excited by the thought, Mei wanted to find out where the new energy was stored, but with Ling Feng nearby, she restrained herself, proceeding covertly.

Just then, the two security guards returned, drawing Ling Feng’s attention.

"Hello, I’m Ling Feng, leader of this rescue operation. I’d like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind," Ling Feng saluted them.

The two, clearly former soldiers, immediately straightened and returned the salute. "Major, please ask whatever you need."

"How many people were here originally? How many turned into zombies? How many have gone missing?"

"There were seventeen researchers and thirty guards. Four months ago, after the first case of infection, thirteen people were ultimately infected. When we discovered the disease was contagious, we isolated them immediately. That left thirty-four uninfected. Over four months, people kept disappearing, and now, including the two of us, only five remain," one guard answered.

"Where did they disappear? Any commonalities?" Ling Feng’s expression grew grave upon hearing how many had vanished.

"No commonalities. Some disappeared alone, some in pairs or trios. Except for Dr. Bai’s lab, disappearances happened everywhere. The timing was inconsistent—sometimes several went missing in a few days, sometimes half a month passed with no incident. It’s all very strange. If you’d arrived a few days later, the place would be empty," the man concluded, relieved.

"No clues at all? Did the surveillance catch anything?" Ling Feng frowned.

"At first, people disappeared from their own rooms, which had no cameras. Later, I tried to gather everyone together, but the researchers only cared about their experiments—my warnings went unheeded. I assigned people to follow them, but anyone out of camera range vanished. We’ve found nothing," the guard shook his head.

Ling Feng glanced at the returning mercenaries and immediately ordered a headcount.

Eight were missing. Soon, six more trickled in. Ling Feng adjusted his glasses and asked, "Check among yourselves—who’s missing?"

"My sister and Si Tu Qing haven’t returned. I don’t know where they are," Xiao Kefeng stepped forward, visibly anxious.

"Who were they with last? Did anyone see where they went?" Ling Feng asked the others.

"They were with us searching the dorms. I saw them at first, then lost track," a member of the Si Tu family answered.

"Send someone to look for them immediately! The dorms are a hotspot for disappearances; hopefully they haven’t gone missing," the guard who’d been speaking to Ling Feng suggested.

Xiao Kefeng, alarmed at the word "missing," rushed toward the dormitory. The Si Tu family members were anxious as well, and Si Tu Huang followed closely, heading to Si Tu Qing’s last known location.

But soon, both returned with dark expressions. Walking behind them were Xiao Ke Ren and Si Tu Qing. Their faces were freshly washed, hair still dripping wet—it was clear what they’d been up to.