Chapter 290

"Someone... is strengthening the electric grid..." After Xuanyuan Qing struggled to say this, her head tilted, and she fell into a coma again.

Lin Yu used his dagger to pry open the maintenance panel; inside, it wasn't complex wiring, but a pitch-black passage entrance!

An air duct! The escape route left by Xu Jianhua!

A few simple symbols were carved on the edge of the duct opening, with an arrow pointing into the depths of the duct, and a blurred number: "B3".

Lin Yu didn't hesitate, stuffing the unconscious Xuanyuan Qing into the duct first, then squeezing in right after her.

The air duct was even narrower than expected, barely able to accommodate an adult crawling forward.

The duct walls were covered with rust and thick dust; every movement stirred up a choking cloud of dust.

——

At the same time, the main control electric grid system suddenly activated an automatic defense program.

Inside the laboratory, the alarm lights on the console lit up red one after another, and a sharp alarm sound echoed throughout the space!

"The main system has detected interference," Xiao Ya's voice became tense, "Activating maximum energy output for the electric grid, locking onto life signs, tracking target!"

Xu Xiaochuan felt the world spinning; his consciousness was being pulled by the system's powerful force, almost tearing apart.

The burning pain from his hands had gone numb, but he still pressed hard against the sensor board.

"Lin Shu... have they gotten in?"

"Surveillance has lost the target," Xiao Ya's holographic image distorted violently, "Air duct! The path left by Uncle Xu! But..."

The hope that had just risen in Xu Xiaochuan's heart was dashed to the bottom by Xiao Ya's second half of the sentence.

"The ventilation system is also under the main system's control; it is closing all valves, preparing to pump in poisonous gas!"

——

Inside the air duct, Lin Yu carried Xuanyuan Qing, moving forward with difficulty.

The inner wall of the duct was indeed carved with some symbols and arrows, clearly visible under the light of his tactical flashlight.

These marks were severely weathered, but the intention to guide the way could still be identified.

"Old fox..." Lin Yu muttered to himself, his feelings mixed regarding Xu Jianhua's meticulous arrangements.

However, after crawling less than twenty meters, a pungent smell suddenly surged from the front of the duct!

Lin Yu stopped immediately, covering his mouth and nose.

It was the smell of some chemical reagent, making one feel dizzy.

At the same time, a "click-clack" mechanical sound began to come from the inner wall of the duct, as if some heavy valve was closing.

Both the path ahead and behind were cut off!

"Damn it!" Lin Yu scanned the air duct wall quickly and found a smaller branch opening on the side, but it looked too narrow for even one person to pass through.

Just then, he felt Xuanyuan Qing on his back suddenly twitch, her whole body tensing up.

Her one good arm grabbed his shoulder fiercely, with astonishing strength!

"Below... induction... very strong..." Her voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, but something in her tone could not be ignored.

Lin Yu understood something immediately.

Although the branch duct before him was narrow, it might lead directly to the B3 level life support zone—the place where the abnormal mark on Xu Xiaochuan's back had the strongest induction!

There was no time to hesitate.

The smell of poisonous gas was getting stronger, and the oxygen in the duct was being quickly exhausted.

Lin Yu pushed Xuanyuan Qing toward the branch duct and squeezed in right after her.

This branch path was even narrower than the main air duct, almost to the point of suffocation.

They had to crawl forward like insects, the cold metal duct walls rubbing against their skin, every inch of movement causing painful friction.

"Continue... forward..." Xuanyuan Qing's voice was getting weaker, but she still persisted, crawling forward with her remaining strength.

Suddenly, the duct ahead tilted downward sharply, almost becoming a vertical shaft!

Under the flashlight beam, one could see a faint blue light at the bottom of the shaft.

"It's the B3 level..." Lin Yu took a breath, but just as he finished saying this, the duct beneath him suddenly emitted an ominous "creak"—the metal connection point began to crack!

Thirty years of rust and weathering had severely damaged the duct structure, and with the weight of the two of them, the entire support system was collapsing!

"Hold on!" Lin Yu shouted, but it was too late.

The duct broke with a "boom," and the two of them instantly lost their balance, falling into the dark shaft, straight toward the depths of that eerie blue light!

In the electric grid passage, the air was thick like solidified ice.

Lin Yu pressed his back against the cold, rough wall, carrying the completely unconscious Xuanyuan Qing on his shoulder, sweat streaming down his temples, mixed with dust, leaving dirty marks.

Before him, wild blue electric arcs jumped frantically on the metal grid, the cracking and hissing sounds chaotic and without pattern.

Every second was hanging on the line of death.

"Damn it..." Lin Yu squeezed a low curse from his throat, staring fixedly at the electric light that could swallow everything at any moment.

The pattern was disrupted, and the danger had increased more than tenfold.

This damn interference, he didn't know if it was friend or foe, had turned this place into a living hell of electric torture.

Without warning, the blue light in the entire passage surged!

The electric arcs were terrifyingly thick, almost merging into an impenetrable wall of light.

The air was violently ionized, the hissing sound of sparks merged into one, and the strong burnt smell of ozone drilled into his nasal cavity, making his lungs twitch.

"Lin Shu..."

On his shoulder, Xuanyuan Qing's weak murmurs were almost completely drowned out by the explosion of the current, intermittent.

"Someone... is... strengthening... the electric grid..."

The voice was as light as the wind, but carried an unquestionable certainty.

The energy output was soaring wildly, the electric arcs dancing hideously.

The veins on Lin Yu's forehead throbbed, his arm muscles knotted, holding Xuanyuan Qing tightly.

She was much lighter, her body cold, her face a deathly blue-gray.

The electric light flashed frantically, illuminating the walls.

Lin Yu caught a glimpse of the right wall out of the corner of his eye; there seemed to be an area that wasn't quite right.

Xuanyuan Qing, almost by instinct, struggled to raise her uninjured hand, weakly pointing in that direction.

"There... there's something..."

Lin Yu looked in the direction she pointed.

Under the wild electric light, the metallic texture of that wall was indeed different from the surroundings, and a subtle seam could be vaguely seen on the edge.

"Xu Jianhua..." Xuanyuan Qing's voice was ethereal, almost inaudible, "Air duct... mark..."

Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat.

Xu Jianhua!

That old fox! He had indeed left a backdoor here too!

Arrangements made decades ago had now become the only way to survive.

He leaned his back against the wall, moving bit by bit toward the hidden depression, his whole body tense, alert to the electric arcs that could explode above his head and at his sides at any moment.

Just as his fingers were about to touch that suspicious panel—

The electric grid in the entire passage suddenly erupted with unprecedented light!

The dazzling blue-white electric arcs raged wildly, the hissing screech pierced his eardrums, and the burnt smell in the air was so strong it was suffocating; every breath felt like swallowing red-hot iron sand.

"Someone... is strengthening the electric grid..." Xuanyuan Qing murmured one last time, her head tilting completely to one side, sinking into darkness again.