Chapter 86: Preparations Before Departure

Chapter Eighty-Six

Dr. Bai finally emerged from the laboratory.

The elderly man with his hair as white as snow seemed indifferent at first upon seeing so many strangers. But when he realized everyone had come in response to his distress signal to rescue him, he was immediately moved.

“You’ve arrived just at the right time. Our experiment has just concluded, so you can take all the research data with you!”

“Dr. Bai, aren’t you planning to leave with us?” Ling Feng couldn’t help but ask when he caught the implication in Bai’s words.

“Leave? To where? If I leave here, how can I continue my experiments? No, I’m not leaving. I won’t go anywhere!” Dr. Bai shook his head resolutely, waving his hands in firm refusal.

“Dr. Bai, a lot of people outside have been infected with the zombie virus. Even animals and plants have begun to mutate, and planes can hardly get in here anymore. Besides, this place is no longer safe. For your own safety, we must insist you come with us,” Ling Feng said patiently.

“What? People outside have mutated too? I thought those who changed only did so after exposure to the new energy, which made them crave human flesh?” Dr. Bai was stunned by this news and asked in bewilderment.

“No, the zombie virus broke out worldwide more than four months ago. Eighty percent of humanity has turned into zombies, plunging the world into an apocalypse. A month later, animals started mutating, followed soon after by some plants. Many former human cities have been abandoned and are now occupied by zombies. Humanity can barely survive in scattered safe bases. Right now, what we need most are scientists like you, in the hope that you can develop new power sources and weapons to increase our chances of survival!” Ling Feng appealed to his sense of duty.

Dr. Bai fell silent after hearing this. He had never imagined that in just four or five months, the world outside had undergone such a cataclysmic transformation; he had thought the problem was limited to this research base alone.

The mutations in plants and animals were not unique to the laboratory—it was happening outside as well. That meant the cause was not, as he had believed, the new energy source. But if not the new energy, then what had triggered all these changes?

Bai Qing was lost in deep thought.

Ling Feng, believing he was still wavering, continued, “We can take the new energy with us; you can continue your research in a safer place. Moreover, zombies now have a kind of crystal in their bodies that contains all sorts of energies. Don’t you want to study it?”

As he spoke, Ling Feng placed one of the crystals before Bai Qing.

Bai Qing examined the tiny red crystal, no larger than a peanut. The moment he picked it up, he felt a warm current spread through his body.

“This came from a zombie’s body? Why haven’t any of the zombies here produced these?” Bai Qing asked with great interest, turning the crystal in his hand.

“Not all zombies have these crystals. Only mutated zombies develop them. A mutated zombie with a crystal will possess a special ability—like this!” Ling Feng adjusted his glasses, and an icicle instantly formed in his hand out of thin air.

Bai Qing’s eyes widened in astonishment at the icicle. After confirming it wasn’t a magic trick, a fire of scientific curiosity blazed in his gaze.

“These abilities are called ‘special powers’ outside. I’m an ice-type user; there are others with different abilities. Most of the people I brought here have powers of their own, each unique. If you’re interested, they can give you a demonstration,” Ling Feng said as he made the icicle vanish.

At his signal, many people began showing off their abilities, leaving Bai Qing and his four colleagues utterly astonished.

Realizing that there was so much outside he had never even imagined, Bai Qing suddenly felt that his research had found a new direction. He immediately resolved to leave and see the outside world for himself.

However, it wasn’t as simple as just leaving; there was much to pack and take along, especially his research findings and experimental records, many of which were on paper, not just stored in computers. When Bai Qing learned they had hiked in on foot from outside the mountains, he began to worry about the safety of his precious materials. But when he found out Mo Chen was a spatial ability user who could easily transport all their belongings, his eyes lit up as he looked at Mo Chen.

Unfortunately, Mo Chen had always harbored a certain aversion to researchers and showed Bai Qing no kindness whatsoever. But Bai Qing didn’t mind, and continuously bombarded Mo Chen with questions.

“Major Ling, are we returning the way we came?” Mei asked Ling Feng while the others, under the direction of Researcher He and a female researcher surnamed Li, were busy organizing their things.

“At the moment, it’s our only option,” Ling Feng replied, pushing up his glasses.

“Major Ling, you know as well as I do how dangerous that route is. Even if we disregard the mutated giant lizards, the freezing temperatures alone are enough to overwhelm these five ordinary people. Bringing all of them safely back to Dragon Ascend is nearly impossible,” Mei said bluntly.

She was not about to risk the rest of the team for the sake of these five, nor did she believe Ling Feng was the type to act on blind heroics. He was rational, calm, and clearly understood how to maximize benefits at minimum cost.

Sure enough, after hearing Mei’s words, Ling Feng didn’t bother with pretense. “Do your best with the others, but Dr. Bai must be brought to Dragon Ascend, along with the research data and equipment.”

“Understood.”

Having clarified the mission’s priorities, Mei wasted no time in seeking out Mo Chen and the others to discuss how to ensure Dr. Bai’s safety on the return journey.

“That old man—his arms and legs are so frail he can barely walk. And in this freezing weather, how could he possibly make it?” Lin Shaojie lamented when he heard about the mission.

“We’ll see how things go. Ah Chen, when it’s time to evacuate, make sure you keep a close eye on the old man. If it comes to it, give him this and stash him in your space,” Mei said, producing a small bottle of dark green liquid.

Mo Chen took the crystal bottle and eyed the strange color with growing skepticism.

“What’s this stuff now?” Mo Chen asked.

The others also looked at Mei, awaiting her explanation.

“This is a feigned death potion. After drinking it, all vital signs disappear. Your space can’t hold living things, so only this way can you take someone inside. This bottle’s effects last about three days, which should be enough for us to cross the snowy mountains. But you must watch the timing—if the effect wears off and the person is still in your space, they’ll go from feigned death to real death,” Mei warned.

“Got it.” Mo Chen put away the potion.

With this potion, the difficulty of the mission was greatly reduced, and everyone felt more at ease.

Once all the data was packed—including all the computers—only some tables and chairs remained in the room. Ling Feng glanced around and then asked Bai Qing, “Dr. Bai, is there anything we’ve missed?”

“That should be just about everything. But—never mind. Are we leaving tonight or tomorrow?” Bai Qing hesitated for a moment.

“We’ll leave at dawn. Rest well tonight. The temperature outside is low, so please keep warm when we depart.”

“All right!”

“By the way, Dr. Bai, do you know anything about the disappearances among the base staff?” Ling Feng asked, recalling the people who had vanished without a trace. Since they would be staying the night, it was best to gather as much information as possible.

“Yes, I know. Quite a few have gone missing—such a pity!” Bai Qing paused, then replied with a look of regret.

“Have you noticed anything, or do you have any clues?”

“I really can’t say for sure, since I didn’t see it happen with my own eyes, so I can’t jump to conclusions. But for someone to evade all the surveillance equipment, they must be very familiar with this place!”

“Are you suggesting it was an inside job?” Ling Feng pressed, adjusting his glasses.

He had suspected as much after hearing from the guards—every disappearance had occurred just out of the cameras’ sight, which was far too coincidental. But apart from Dr. Bai, there were only four others here. Who could it be?

Hearing their exchange, the mercenaries turned their attention to the two guards and two researchers, their gazes wary and scrutinizing.

“It wasn’t me! I had nothing to do with it!” Researcher He, seeing everyone staring at them, waved his hands frantically in denial.

The female researcher, Li, shrank behind her colleague in terror, unable to utter a word under the hostile stares.

The two guards neither spoke nor flinched, meeting everyone’s gaze with calm composure, which seemed to clear them of suspicion.

Mei took in the expressions of all four before speaking up, “Let me interrupt—you might be looking at this the wrong way. The culprit may not have avoided the cameras at all. I’ve just scanned a month’s worth of surveillance footage and noticed that in some records, the image freezes for about a second before quickly resuming. Since the cameras sweep back and forth, a one-second pause is easy to miss or mistake for a glitch. In reality, the system was being interfered with, though I couldn’t determine what caused the disruption.”

Everyone, including Bai Qing and his four colleagues, was stunned by Mei’s words.

“Xiao Liu, did no one notice this?” Bai Qing turned to one of the guards.

“Yes, actually. I remember we reported it, but the reply was just that there was a camera malfunction, so we didn’t think much of it after that,” said the guard, Liu, who had spoken with Ling Feng earlier. His expression was a mix of helplessness and frustration.

As security, they knew little about the advanced equipment and had to rely on the researchers for problems—researchers who cared only about their own work and ignored everything else, making their concerns go unheard.

Bai Qing, being a scientist himself, was well aware of his colleagues’ single-mindedness and said nothing more.

Ling Feng’s face took on a thoughtful look after hearing Mei’s analysis.

If the disappearances weren’t the work of a person, then what could it be?

After thinking it over, he concluded that the most likely culprit was an unknown mutated animal.

He asked, “Have there been any cases of mutated animals here?”