Chapter 67

Lin Chen stared at the "No. 127" on the signal transmitter, his confusion growing heavier.

He touched his pocket irritably,

only then remembering that cigarettes had long since disappeared in the apocalypse,

so he simply said to the system in his mind: "Give me a pack of cigarettes, one that I can smoke."

【Detected host demand, issuing "Conquer the World" cigarettes ×1 pack (Apocalypse special edition, no radiation residue).】 As soon as the system prompt fell,

a pack of perfectly packaged cigarettes appeared in Lin Chen's hand. He tore open the pack,

pulled one out, and lit it.

The spicy smoke inhaled into his lungs slightly eased the agitation in his heart.

When he was smoking the third one, the villa's wireless signal transmitter suddenly rang with a phone call,

and "Unknown Number" appeared on the screen. Lin Chen frowned and answered the phone,

his tone impatient: "If you have something to say, say it quickly."

A cold female voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying a hint of probing: "Lin Chen?

I know you've obtained the Sky Dome Villa, and I know you're investigating the secret of 'No. 127.'

I have something you need—the hacking technology to crack the No. 127 laboratory code."

Lin Chen's heart jolted,

and the cigarette in his hand almost fell to the ground: "What's the trade?" He knew clearly that the other party would never give away such key technology for free.

"I want 7 days of residency in the Sky Dome Villa." The female voice was very direct. "Don't worry, I know the villa has the Purple Lightning Net,

automatic turrets, and the Zero-Degree Cage as triple insurance; the Shadow Organization can't find this place. In exchange,

I will crack the code on-site and map the backend port of the No. 127 laboratory directly onto your retina,

so you can check the contents inside yourself."

Lin Chen hesitated—letting a stranger live in the safe house carried significant risks,

but the secret of "No. 127 Laboratory" was too important to him; the system's repeated flashes of prompts,

and the black shadow watching him from behind, were all related to this laboratory. He was silent for a few seconds,

then gritted his teeth and agreed: "Fine, but you must accept my security check,

and you cannot leave my line of sight within 7 days."

"No problem." The female voice chuckled. "My surname is He, and my full name is He Ximan.

You can call me Ms. He. When is the trade?"

"Tonight." Lin Chen thought for a moment. "I'll send you the location, let's meet at a large hotel,

and talk while we eat. I need to confirm if your technology is real, and I also need to ensure you haven't brought anyone else."

He Ximan agreed readily: "Good, see you tonight." After the phone hung up,

Lin Chen immediately said to the system: "Temporarily seal all Shadow Organization members and

zombies in the current area, don't let them interfere with tonight's trade. Also,

generate a temporary high-end hotel for me, and equip it with a few virtual bodyguards,

to ensure the safety of the scene, and use virtual people for the hotel staff as well."

【Command received: ① "Temporary Ice Seal" has been applied to Shadow Organization members and zombies within a 10km radius, lasting 12 hours; ② Temporary high-end hotel "Starry Brilliance Hotel" has been generated, located 2km south of the research institute; ③ 5 virtual bodyguards (combat type) are in position, and all hotel staff are virtual people, controllable only by the host.】

The system prompt popped up, and Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief—with the system backing him up, he could at least avoid being ambushed.

He walked to the living room and saw A Kai studying the operation panel of the steel armored vehicle,

while Xia Nuan was organizing medicines. Lin Chen briefly explained the trade with He Ximan,

and A Kai immediately frowned: "Can a stranger be trusted? What if she's an undercover agent for the Shadow Organization?"

"I'll keep an eye out." Lin Chen patted A Kai's shoulder. "But the secret of No. 127 Laboratory is too important,

so even if there's a risk, I have to go. You guys stay in the villa and keep watch here;

I'll just take the virtual bodyguards." Xia Nuan nodded and handed him a Purple Lightning Purification Gun: "Be careful,

and contact us if anything happens."

Lin Chen put the gun into his infinite space and said to the system: "Have the virtual bodyguards drive to the villa gate to pick me up, destination Starry Brilliance Hotel." 【Virtual bodyguards have been ordered to drive the steel armored vehicle to the villa, expected to arrive in 5 minutes.】

5 minutes later, a black steel armored vehicle stopped at the villa gate, and the window rolled down,

revealing the expressionless face of a virtual bodyguard: "Mr. Lin, get in." Lin Chen sat in the passenger seat, looking at the frozen zombies and Shadow Organization members outside the window,

his determination to find the truth firmer than ever. No matter what was hidden in No. 127 Laboratory,

and no matter who was manipulating things from behind the scenes, he had to find out, for himself, for Xia Nuan and the others,

and to seek justice for those who died unjustly in his past life.

The steel armored vehicle drove toward the Starry Brilliance Hotel; the road was quiet, with only the sound of tires pressing over the snow. Lin Chen touched the cigarette in his pocket and thought of He Ximan's voice again,

always feeling that this woman was not simple; tonight's trade, he feared, would not be as smooth as it appeared on the surface.

He subconsciously mobilized his Absolute Zero ability, and a chill rose from his fingertips—if He Ximan played any tricks, he could act at any time.

Meanwhile, in a top-floor private room of the Starry Brilliance Hotel, virtual waiters had already set out exquisite dishes and red wine,

and 5 virtual bodyguards were scattered in every corner of the hotel, monitoring the surrounding movements.

What Lin Chen didn't know was that on the rooftop of the building opposite the hotel, a black shadow was holding binoculars and staring at this place,

and a low voice came through the communicator: "Target has departed, proceed according to plan."