Chapter 7: Underground Whispers and the Blood‑Stained Laboratory

The deep mouth of the cave was like a great beast's throat, exhaling the smell of aged dust and faint mildew, and the faint energy ripple mixed within made Chen Mo's nerves snap taut.

Outside the police outpost, the frantic crashing of corrupted creeping masses was endless, and the heavy blast door moaned, reminding them of the pressing time.

"What could be down there…?" Wang Hu looked at the pitch‑black opening, his voice trembling, the fear of having just brushed with death still lingering.

"I don't know, but staying up there, once the door breaks it's a dead end." Chen Mo's voice was calm to the point of cruelty. He took the old high‑beam flashlight Li Siwen had fished out from the clutter, switched it on, and the beam pierced the darkness, illuminating the concrete steps descending below, covered in a thick layer of dust, with faint, scattered footprints visible.

"I'll go ahead, Han Qing will cover the rear. Su Yu stay close to me, the others take the middle, stay alert, watch the steps and surroundings." Chen Mo issued the orders swiftly, without hesitation, and was the first to step into the opening.

The steps were steep and narrow, allowing only one person at a time. The air was damp and cold, starkly contrasting the hot, bloody heat on the ground. The flashlight's beam wavered in the darkness, lighting the mottled, moss‑covered walls. Apart from the group's heavy breathing and footfalls, only a dripping water sound echoed from deep below, adding to the eeriness.

Chen Mo's Keen Smell ran at full capacity, filtering the information in the air. Dust, mildew, faint blood… and that increasingly clear, unnatural energy ripple, carrying a cold sensation like a mix of metal and disinfectant.

The steps descended roughly two stories before reaching the bottom. Ahead lay a man‑made passage, a bit wider than the steps, just enough for two people to walk side by side. The passage walls were rough concrete, the ceiling lined with old cable trays and occasional dangling, long‑dead wires.

"This place… doesn't seem like a temporary shelter." Su Yu whispered, her voice unusually clear in the cramped space. She stared at some faint, numbered metal plaques on the wall, her brows slightly furrowed.

Chen Mo nodded. The structure here resembled more an entrance to some underground facility.

After pressing on about fifty meters, the passage reached a corner. Just after the turn, Chen Mo, who was at the front, abruptly stopped and raised his fist as a signal.

Under the flashlight's beam, two twisted corpses lay on the passage floor ahead!

They wore identical white lab‑coat‑like uniforms, now torn to raggedness, the solid dark‑red blood soaking the fabric and forming a large stain on the floor. Beside the bodies lay shattered glassware and sheets of paper.

More importantly, what killed them was neither the demonic dogs on the ground nor the corrupted creeping masses. The wounds were bizarre, as if sliced and pierced in an instant by something ultra‑thin and ultra‑sharp, the edges turning an unnatural charred black.

"These are fresh wounds; the time of death is no more than twenty‑four hours." Han Qing crouched, examined closely, and said in a grave whisper. He pointed to the chaotic, slime‑coated claw marks on the ground beside the bodies, "But they weren't made by the monsters outside. Something else ghostly is in here."

A chill rose up each of their spines.

Chen Mo crouched and picked up a scattered sheet of paper. Most of it was complex, indecipherable chemical formulas and data charts, but a few terms stood out unusually:

【… 'Primordial Blood' sample stability… seventh fusion experiment failed… host exhibited irreversible mental degeneration…】

Primordial Blood?

Chen Mo's pupils contracted. He had never heard that term in his previous life! It seemed to point to research that existed before the Apocalypse Game arrived!

He quickly flipped through other pages and saw some fragmented phrases:

【… energy reaction highly matches the 'Purple Corrosion' phenomenon…】

【… the 'Key' project must be accelerated… time is running out…】

【… observed abnormal fluctuations in a 'Marked' entity, coordinates…】

'Purple Corrosion'? 'Key' project? 'Marked' entity?

Chen Mo's gaze snapped to Su Yu, meeting her equally shocked and bewildered stare. The glaring '???' in her status bar now stood out starkly.

Could Su Yu be the so‑called 'Marked' entity?

"This place isn't safe; keep moving, but double‑check." Chen Mo shoved the relatively intact document fragments he could find into his pack and stood up. The mysteries multiplied, and the danger clearly wasn't only from above.

They skirted the corpses, proceeding more cautiously. The passage began to branch, and Chen Mo, guided by his perception of the energy ripple, chose the direction with the strongest surge.

After several junctions and an upward gentle slope, a heavy metal airtight door with an electronic lock appeared ahead. The door was ajar, its hinge bearing clear pry marks as if violently forced.

From within the door came a low, beast‑like breathing sound, interlaced with a faint, teeth‑aching metallic scraping.

Chen Mo signaled the group to halt, then slipped silently toward the doorway gap, carefully peering inside.

Beyond the door lay a spacious area, like an underground lobby or foyer. The hall was in disarray: tables and chairs overturned, instruments shattered. Several bodies in white or security uniforms lay on the floor in twisted positions.

In the center of the hall, three unfamiliar monsters prowled.

They were about the size of wolf‑dogs, their forms a forced amalgam of dark‑silver metal and pallid bone fashioned into a spider, eight red‑glowing compound eyes set on a snarling head, a mouthpiece of a high‑speed rotating, serrated metal drill that emitted an irritating hum. Their limbs ended in razor‑sharp metal blade‑feet, leaving deep gouges in the cement as they moved.

One of the mechanical spiders was scraping its blade‑feet intermittently against a fallen metal statue in the hall's center, producing a harsh screech.

At the opposite end of the hall stood an even heavier alloy door marked 'Core Research Area – Authorized Entry.' The cold energy ripple was emanating from behind that door!

We must get through this hall!

Chen Mo fell back and, in a very low voice, quickly briefed the situation and the monsters' traits: "…they're fast, their attacks have physical penetration; watch their drill mouths and blade‑feet. Han Qing, you and I take the two on the left; Zhang Yang, Li Siwen, Wang Hu, you three handle the one on the right—no need to kill, just entangle! Su Yu, Zhao Lei, Liu Qian, look for a chance to rush forward, check the core‑area door, see if you can open it!"

The simple tactical assignments finished, the group inhaled deeply, suppressing their fear.

Chen Mo thrust the ajar airtight door open!

"Attack!"

He lunged like a cheetah, targeting the bone‑gnawing mechanical spider nearest the doorway! The fire‑axe swung with a fierce wind, while the glow of his Bone Armor Technique flashed across his body.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew! The fire‑axe struck the mechanical spider's hard metal backplate, leaving only a white scar. What a strong defense!

The spider winced, emitting a sharp electronic screech; its eight compound eyes instantly locked onto Chen Mo, and the drill mouth revved wildly, thrusting at him like a poisonous sting!

Chen Mo sidestepped deftly, the gust from the drill stinging his cheek. He then swung his axe horizontally at the spider's relatively vulnerable joint, knocking it off balance.

On the other side, Han Qing faced a mechanical spider as well; his solid steel pipe struck with little effect, forcing him to rely on agile footwork, the situation perilous.

The Zhang Yang trio fared even worse; together they attacked a mechanical spider with knives and hammers, yet could not breach its defense. The spider's swift blade‑feet forced them backward repeatedly, and Wang Hu's arm was slashed open, a deep wound exposing bone, blood gushing.

"Liu Qian!" Zhang Yang shouted urgently.

Liu Qian rushed over, fumbling to activate Weak Healing; a white glow flickered, the bleeding eased slightly, but far from full recovery.

Su Yu and Zhao Lei seized the chance, crouching low and sprinting along the hall's edge toward the alloy core‑area door.

"No! This door is locked! It needs a code or an access card!" Zhao Lei fumbled at the door anxiously, finding no mechanism to open it.

The battle stalled, even beginning to tilt toward the unfavorable side.

Chen Mo's gaze hardened; they could not linger any longer! He leapt backward, creating distance from the spider, and, with a thought, activated the newly acquired skill—Life Drain!

The target he chose were the uniformed corpses on the ground!

An invisible energy link formed instantly; the corpses withered and turned gray at a visible speed, while a pure life energy surged across space into Chen Mo's body!

【HP: 100/100】

【Energy: 50/50】

The status recovered instantly! Even the energy consumed by continuous skill use was fully replenished!

Feeling the power surging within his body, Chen Mo let out a low roar and charged again! This time, he did not attack the hard carapace again, but locked his target on the fragile parts where the mechanical spider's eight compound eyes and the mouthpart drill connect to its head!

The firefighter's axe was like a venomous snake, precise and ruthless!

「Pfft! Pfft! 」

Two soft sounds rang out, accompanied by the mechanical spider's shrill electronic screech; its two compound eyes were pierced by the axe blade, bursting out tiny electric sparks! Its movement stalled instantly!

Opportunity!

Chen Mo stepped forward, channeling his whole body's strength into his arms; the firefighter's axe swung from low to high, a fierce uppercut, fiercely chopping into the seam where the rotating drill connects to the head!

「Crack! 」

A grating metal breaking sound rang out, and the entire drill bit, together with part of the mouthpart structure, was cleaved cleanly!

【Successfully killed LV. 4 Bone-corroding Mechanical Spider, gained 60 experience points!】

【Death Echo triggered! Successfully copied skill: Metal Hardening (LV. 1 passive)!】

【Metal Hardening (LV. 1): Passive skill. Slightly increases resistance to physical attacks and grants some resistance to corrosion, rust, etc.】

A solid surge of energy flowed into his limbs and bones, and his skin seemed to gain an extremely faint metallic sheen!

Chen Mo wasted no time, turning to lunge at the mechanical spider that was besieging Han Qing. After obtaining the Metal Hardening passive, his apprehension toward the spider's blade-foot attacks lessened somewhat, his fighting style became more ferocious, and together with Han Qing he quickly dispatched it.

The last mechanical spider, after being entangled by Zhang Yang and his two companions and after Chen Mo and Han Qing joined the battle, was also swiftly hacked to pieces by chaotic blades.

The battle ended, the hall temporarily fell silent, leaving only the heavy breathing of the crowd.

Chen Mo walked up to the sealed alloy door of the core area, his brow furrowed. Password? Access card? Where to find them?

Just then, Su Yu, as if drawn by something, slowly walked to an inconspicuous emergency light panel on the wall beside the door. She reached out, hesitated a moment, and lightly pressed an unmarked spot on the panel.

A miracle occurred!

That panel unexpectedly glowed with a faint blue light, and a hidden card slot slowly slid out! The slot's outline perfectly matched the inconspicuous, water-drop-shaped silver pendant that Su Yu happened to be wearing around her neck.

Su Yu herself was stunned, she instinctively took off the pendant, glanced at Chen Mo, then at the card slot.

"I... I don't know what this is..." Her voice was filled with bewilderment and a hint of fear.

Chen Mo looked at her, at that pendant, his heart surging with waves. The secret Su Yu carried was far deeper than imagined.

"Give it a try." He said in a low voice.

Su Yu bit her lower lip, then gently placed the waterdrop pendant into the card slot.

"Beep—verification passed. Welcome back, 'Zero Observer'."

A cold electronic tone sounded, and the heavy alloy door, accompanied by a hiss of released air pressure, slowly slid open to either side.

Beyond the door, a denser wave of energy surged forth, and at the same time came a low, throbbing hum like a heartbeat.

Light streamed out from the door crack, illuminating Su Yu's pale, at-a-loss face, and also illuminating Chen Mo's deep eyes.

The core of the underground research facility opened its doors to them. And the title "Zero Observer" struck like a heavy hammer in everyone's hearts.