Chapter 232: The Lake Research Institute

Beneath the night, the vast Shijiu Lake lay in an eerie stillness under the starlight, ruffled by a gentle breeze into tiny waves.

The Wuxian, just emerged from the strange tide that erupted at Hengshan Pass, rested silently on the tracks beside the lake; the night wind turned cold, the Yunjiang Plain began to cool, and mist began to seep from the junctions between the train cars.

Inside the cars, lights glowed softly, and people walked constantly along the corridors.

In Car 5 and the following defense cars, many were loading and unloading bullets; the PX-05 engineering robot in Car 12 was busily installing the ammunition chain for the 1130 weapon station.

Shu Qin and Da Lou led a team inspecting the condition of every car.

In Car 3, the Hell Black Chrysanthemum, having absorbed the smoke emitted by the black centipede, emitted a faint glow; within its petals, tiny specks of crimson began to appear.

"The Dark Mark has begun to manifest."

Ding Junyi carefully observed the changes in the Hell Black Chrysanthemum and said to Lin Xian behind her: "From the reactions of the survivors at the station, most don't accept or understand the idea that humans can be marked."

"It's not that they don't accept it—they don't accept me."

Lin Xian spoke: "Under the apocalypse, trust between people is already thin; that's why I wanted to use the Phoenix Society to spread this message."

Ding Junyi replied coldly: "The Mark cannot currently be quantified as a threat value, nor can it be concretely represented by other means. In short, we can assess the intensity of the next attack by the red glow of the disaster plants—but even if others know this, they still struggle to prepare."

Lin Xian nodded: "The most important thing is learning to judge the threat of Dark Beings and raising weapons to resist. Once people realize that fleeing alone guarantees failure, the spark of resistance will rise."

"In nicer terms, it's burning the boats; in harsher terms, even a cornered rabbit bites."

Ding Junyi looked up at Lin Xian: "Interestingly, this might give our eastward escape more options."

"You mean whether to fight or flee?"

"Yes."

Lin Xian remained noncommittal: "I worry that if the Dark Mark has quantifiable threat values, even if we escape from a powerful Strange Entity's pursuit, the next encounter won't necessarily be easier. Unfortunately, based on the Mark bait at the station, this seems likely."

Ding Junyi noticed Lin Xian seemed pessimistic and said: "Science shouldn't be rigid, but your thinking is even more rigid than a textbook. The Mark we received on the Ascension Passage led us to Jiazhou City, where we only faced mass attacks by Strange Entities—this shows that while Marks vary in strength, they're also tied to whether this jungle harbors powerful predators."

Lin Xian's eyes lit up: "Ah, you're right."

Ding Junyi adjusted her glasses: "You came to me just for this?"

Lin Xian cleared his throat: "No. Besides checking our Dark Mark, I also plan to investigate that research facility."

"Do you need me to accompany you?" Ding Junyi said directly.

Lin Xian nodded: "I'll first send robots in to scout. If the danger level is low..."

"If the danger level is low, don't call me." Ding Junyi said seriously: "You know I prefer..."

"Alright, I understand."

Lin Xian immediately got the point, turned, and hurried back to Car 1 to have Kiki operate the PX-05 robot to coordinate with the drones and first survey the interior of the SIID Foundation laboratory.

Whir~

Two drones now flew out from the roof; simultaneously, the diligent PX-05 robot launched from the entrance of Car 11 and, under Kiki's control, sped toward the broken ceiling of the test site.

"Huh, strange~"

In Car 2's information center, Kiki, watching the monitor screens while controlling the robot, frowned: "Why is there no one here?"

"You can't tell from outside—you have to enter the underground research facility," Lin Xian said.

"But it does look like a large-scale evacuation..." Chen Sixuan stared at the screen, puzzled.

"No way."

Kiki looked skeptical: "Such a huge facility—did they just pack up and run because we showed up?"

Lin Xian slapped her forehead: "Focus."

"Ow~"

Kiki shot Lin Xian a furious glance, then returned to her controls with clean focus. From above, the drones showed the Qingshui Town test site utterly silent; the PX-05 robot slowly entered through the passage Lin Xian had exited earlier—the once-busy labs, research rooms, and corridors were now completely empty.

Seeing this, Lin Xian's expression grew heavier: "Strange. Did your dumbass guess turn out right?"

An organization capable of capturing large Strange Entities for research suddenly abandoning its facility was bizarre—but Lin Xian didn't believe it was because of him.

Still, seeing the scene before him, Lin Xian began to think.

"Looks like we'll have to go in ourselves."

"Could there be an ambush?" Sha Sha spoke up suddenly.

"If there were an ambush, they'd have struck already. Besides, our goal is to find them—so it doesn't matter." Lin Xian's expression turned cold as he began assigning roles: "Da Lou, Huo Ge, Shu Qin, Xiao Niu, and Director Ding—come with me. Everyone else stays with the train."

At that moment, Lu Xingchen gave Lin Xian a glance. Lin Xian walked over, and Lu Xingchen leaned in, his expression odd, whispering:

"Lin Brother, could you assign me to guard the train tonight?"

Lin Xian frowned at him: "What, you don't want to go?"

Lu Xingchen's gaze drifted unconsciously toward the institute on Kiki's screen and said quietly: "I'm ashamed, but I have a slight aversion to enclosed underground spaces."

Lin Xian nodded: "Alright, you guard the train."

"Thank you, Lin Brother." Lu Xingchen replied. Lin Xian said nothing more—he knew Lu Xingchen wasn't a coward; his refusal likely had a reason, and he wouldn't pry. He then descended with Da Lou, Shu Qin, Kiki, and Ding Junyi.

He brought Ding Junyi along mainly to see what kind of research the institute normally conducted and whether any useful scientific instruments could be taken aboard.

Hss~

The cockpit door opened; Lin Xian and several key members stepped down, preparing to investigate the Foundation's research lab.

As soon as they stepped out, a damp, chilly lake wind hit their faces.

Ding Junyi followed behind; though it was night and they were about to explore a dangerous facility, she kept her hands in her pockets, her expression calm—as if preparing to attend a scientific symposium.

Lin Xian, uneasy, signaled to Shu Qin to keep an eye on this scientist.

Though a tiny, nearly invisible green sprout on Ding Junyi's head suggested she might already possess an ability, for now, Director Ding was still a zero-combat-capability person in Lin Xian's eyes.

Five of them boarded a vehicle; since there was no platform, Kiki used her ability to move it down directly, then Lin Xian drove them toward the collapsed forest.

Along the way, Lin Xian noticed numerous vehicle and aircraft parking marks, plus countless empty equipment crates and discarded documents scattered everywhere.

"Their evacuation was extremely hasty," Shu Qin, skilled at observing details, said: "Though chaotic, it doesn't look like they were attacked by Strange Entities—no signs of firefights or corpses."

Ding Junyi sat by the window, gazing at the wreckage outside: "Abandoning such a large facility must have required great resolve. Perhaps they sensed some danger ahead—like a monstrous lake creature emerging in this lake at night, swallowing the entire institute."

!

At these words, Lin Xian nearly flung the steering wheel away.

"Hey, Auntie Ding, don't scare us!" Kiki stared at Ding Junyi in shock: "If that's true, aren't we all doomed?"

"Not necessarily," Ding Junyi said seriously: "With your group's abilities, at least one or two of you might survive."

Lin Xian:...

Driving through the broken curtain wall, the SUV stopped in what resembled an indoor parking lot. The underground facility still had power; many corridors remained lit.

The five descended warily; a sense of desolation washed over them.

Whoosh~

The wide corridor was littered with debris; wind continuously blew from below. Ding Junyi, walking behind them, said: "Likely, lake water has flooded in, creating air currents pushing outward—we must watch for flooding."

"Mm." Lin Xian knew the facility was built beside the lake, with an underground Black Water Test Site connected to Shijiu Lake.

If water had flooded in, the underground structure must be damaged.

"Of course." Kiki walked to an information screen on the corridor wall, still displaying evacuation notices: "System alert: Levels 11 and 12 are submerged. It seems they evacuated for this reason."

As they advanced, they found no one left inside the Foundation's lab. Since the power system still functioned, Kiki picked up a mobile terminal and began accessing the facility's internal system.

"Internal system has been self-destroyed and deauthorized—only basic systems remain to maintain operations. Huh, Qingshui Town Test Site..."

Kiki's eyes widened as she scanned the terminal; she sprinted two steps and handed it to Lin Xian: "Lin Xian, look—many containment door controls for the test areas have failed. The isolation systems between the test zones and internal offices are malfunctioning."

Lin Xian frowned: "So the monsters they held captive might have escaped?"

"Definitely!" Kiki shrank back, glancing warily at the vast research areas: "That means whatever we encountered in the Qingshui Town Test Site might already be inside here."

Thud!

At that moment, an updraft from below slammed shut a lab door with a loud bang, echoing through the empty facility—chilling.

Zzzt~ The corridor lights flickered simultaneously due to unstable voltage, deepening the gloom.

Da Lou, sensing the chill, tightened his grip on the Roarer K23 electric rotary machine gun, eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Lin Captain, what did you encounter here?" Shu Qin asked.

"Things that weren't human, weren't Strange Entities, weren't zombies," Lin Xian said grimly: "I suspect they were the Foundation's creations—certainly included Strange Entities. I saw a huge one in a giant pool before."

Ding Junyi frowned slightly: "Can their biological research level even perform genetic modification?"

"I'm only speculating—I'm not certain," Lin Xian said.

By then, they had reached the underground elevator. The elevator still operated normally. Lin Xian said to Kiki: "I remember we saw the large psychic research hall on the 9th floor, right?"

Kiki nodded, swiping her terminal: "Correct. If you're looking for medical pods, they should be in..."

Ding Junyi glanced at her screen and said directly: "7th floor, Clinical Experiment Level. That's where they'd be. Whether for human experiments or otherwise, full-spectrum surgical medical pods like these are highly efficient for bone and trauma repair, and can use Tawa pulse signals to actively repair cells by scanning DNA sequences. Common illnesses are treated in under five minutes. The only problem: they're extremely expensive and require Tawa rare-earth refined Tawa Stone, which has extreme radioactivity."

Shu Qin looked at her with deep meaning: "Only the rich have heard of this on TV—they say leukemia treatment takes thirty minutes but costs three million."

"Yes," Ding Junyi said: "The train's Twin Star nuclear power system can support this equipment. If we install this medical system, we won't need dedicated medical staff. But these devices are extremely delicate and easily damaged—we must protect them carefully."

Lin Xian's head throbbed—he hadn't realized medical pods were this complex, involving radiation.

"Let's go see first. These are later concerns. As Director Ding said, such expensive equipment might already have been moved."

Ding~

Lin Xian pressed the elevator button. The doors opened—and everyone's faces changed.

A thick, foul stench surged out. Inside the elevator, limbs and flesh chunks were piled high; blood had sprayed the walls crimson. Most corpses still looked freshly dead.

"Are these the researchers below?" Kiki stepped back several paces, frowning: "What happened down there?!" She recognized Foundation researcher uniforms: "What the hell happened down there?!"

Lin Xian glanced once: "Looks like their own test subjects ate their caretakers."

(End of Chapter)