Chapter 105: Return (4th Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets!!)

Ding Junyi fell silent, then continued in a low voice

“Yes, according to the theory of dark infection, all zombies can be called humanity’s degeneration, while some with anomalous abilities are termed evolution; whether evolution or degeneration, unpredictable biological mutations occur—this is not unfamiliar in basic biological evolution and virology, but the cause of these mutations and evolutions—the Dark Tide—we currently know nothing about.”

Tap-tap-tap!!

Fire erupted as Lin Xian and Kiki swiftly led the team through an open area; along the way were the zombies they’d killed on their way in, confirming their return route was correct.

“I understand what you’re saying, but that’s not what we’re asking.”

Lin Xian’s expression turned serious as he moved forward quickly: “What I want to know is why there are so many of these… human anomalies down here.”

Outside the underground city, there were countless zombies, but only after entering did these strange zombies begin appearing frequently—in Lin Xian’s view, this was a dangerous signal.

“I don’t know.”

The intense running left Ding Junyi gasping for breath; she forced herself to stay calm and said, “Since the construction team encountered these unknown underground lifeforms, strange incidents have constantly occurred within the underground city. If these were ordinary zombies, the Federation’s armed forces here could never have been overwhelmed so quickly—it was precisely because of these human anomalies appearing that the upper command abandoned the entire underground city and ordered a full-scale evacuation.”

“So whatever’s down there is, in some ways, even more terrifying than the Dark Infection, right?”

“You could say that.”

Ding Junyi’s words made Lin Xian’s expression darken; the danger here exceeded his expectations. The threat posed by these human anomalies was unpredictable—if we accept the theory of anomalous ability evolution, doesn’t that mean these human anomalies might also possess powerful abilities?

Lin Xian thought of Tang Hai—perhaps that guy had already become a human anomaly, just at an evolved stage, making him even more dangerous.

But now Kiki’s ability had evolved, and Lin Xian’s own strength had also improved significantly; if they encountered them again, they wouldn’t be as helpless as last time.

“Wait… wait for me…”

Han Qiming, walking behind, was now trembling with exhaustion, barely able to stand; he clutched his briefcase tightly, collapsed onto the ground, and gasped out, “Can we slow down? I can’t go on anymore.”

Lin Xian glanced back while running—not just Han Qiming, but Zhao Yan and Xu Wen were also pale-faced, eyes filled with terror; Ding Junyi wasn’t much better either. Though she’d forced composure throughout, she was a woman who spent years seated in a lab—how much stamina could she possibly have? And all five had been starving for a week, surviving only on experimental plants from the lab; if not for the drinking water still available, they’d have died of thirst long ago.

“Professor Han, don’t fall behind!” Zhao Yan turned back, seeing Han Qiming slowing the group, and cried urgently.

“I’ll go help him,” Xu Wen, the youngest among them, was also exhausted, but still better off than Han Qiming.

As she spoke, she turned—only for the building behind her to suddenly grab her.

“Watch out!”

Before the warning ended, a piercing shriek rang out; a red shadow flashed past the corridor they’d just passed, and simultaneously, several black insects crawled rapidly out of the darkness.

Han Qiming felt a chill at the back of his neck; before he could even rise, a claw pierced his throat, and immediately countless black insects swarmed over him, beginning to gnaw.

“Ahh!!”

Seeing this, Zhao Yan and Xu Wen screamed in terror and stumbled backward.

Bang-bang-bang!!

Da Lou’s light machine gun fired instantly, shattering several black insects.

“Kiki, grab her!”

Lin Xian hadn’t expected this thing to come back to life—it had been blown apart by his headshot and crushed into pulp by Kiki, yet now it reappeared out of nowhere.

Kiki, who had been ahead, spun around instantly; the female corpse moved with terrifying speed, nearly leaping onto Da Lou—but Kiki seized her with telekinesis, the scene dangerously close, making Kiki break into cold sweat.

“Da Lou!”

Click!

Da Lou stepped back two paces, eyes heavy with concentration as he stared at the female corpse suspended in midair by Kiki; his face changed, and he instantly drew the steel-slicing greatsword from his back, raising it straight overhead and bringing it down in a vertical slash.

Crunch! The female corpse split cleanly in two—but that wasn’t enough; Lin Xian stepped forward, raised his hand, and fired two wind spears, reducing both halves of her head to pulp; only then did the corpse finally fall still.

“Professor Han!!” Xu Wen cried out.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!

Countless black insects surged forward; Da Lou raised his machine gun and sprayed bullets.

Kiki raised a hand again, unleashing a shockwave that blasted the insects back—but when the flashlight beam swept over Han Qiming, they saw he’d been torn into four or five bloody pieces, his blood splattered across the corridor walls, a horrific sight.

“Ahh!!” Zhao Yan, seeing this terrifying scene, burst into tears.

Lin Xian shouted urgently: “If you want to live, run faster!!”

Thud-thud-thud!

Their hearts tightened; they sprinted wildly toward their escape route.

Zhao Yan and Xu Wen trembled violently, minds blank with terror, too terrified to scream; they held their breath, wishing for two extra legs, clinging desperately behind Lin Xian and Kiki.

Finally, the group reached the elevator at K2 Zone, Level 3; the elevator doors opened, and the light within glowed like heaven descending upon them.

“Get in quickly.”

Lin Xian urged.

!

Tap-tap-tap, bang-bang-bang!

In the corridor, endless zombies surged from the darkness—mostly dressed in lab uniforms, clearly former researchers from this facility.

After the elevator doors closed, Lin Xian exhaled, pulled out his radio, and adjusted the signal repeatedly.

“Oh my god, Professor Han is dead…” Xu Wen was completely shattered, trembling violently, gripping Zhao Yan’s shoulders with hollow eyes.

Lin Xian glanced back at the two: “Can you still run?”

Hearing Lin Xian’s question, Zhao Yan and Xu Wen nodded frantically, their expressions as if terrified he’d abandon them.

Lin Xian sighed faintly—he could see these people were truly starved, and being ordinary lab workers, the fact they could still run was nothing short of miraculous.

His mind was calm now; he’d done all he could. Though the three of them were anomalous ability users, they weren’t gods—had it not been for Kiki, or had he reacted a second slower, he himself might have been clawed.

It was fortunate that Sha Sha and Chen Sixuan had stayed in the vehicle; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

“Thankfully, this research level originally had few people—if it had been the residential level, who knows how many more there’d be.”

Inside the elevator, Kiki removed the gas mask, fanning herself with her hand due to the heat: “And those black insects were terrifying—they devoured a person in seconds.”

Ding Junyi’s eyes held traces of shock, her chest heaving as she struggled to regain composure; the scene she’d just witnessed was impossible to forget—she gasped, “Level 52 normally housed no more than 2,000 personnel, including researchers and administrative staff—the lowest population level besides the high-end living and energy zones.”

【Elevator arrived: Level 65, Track Loading and Unloading Zone】

Whoosh~ The elevator doors opened; Lin Xian and the other two raised their weapons, fully alert toward the dark platform—but no zombie horde surged forth as expected.

Lin Xian checked his radio—the indicator light had turned green.

He pressed the transmit button.

“Chen Laoshi, we’re getting off the elevator. Are you safe?”

After a moment, Chen Sixuan’s voice came through the radio.

“Safe, safe, everything’s secure on the vehicle.”

New book, please vote for monthly tickets, brothers—get on board and charge forward!

(End of Chapter)