Chapter 314: Sudden Change, Aberrant Change

Near the mining area.

Elena, who had just finished checking the power situation, took advantage of the break to rest and relax and came to the public restroom.

She pushed open each stall one by one to inspect.

After confirming no one was there, she went into the innermost stall, locked the door, took out her dedicated phone, and using an in-ear mini earpiece, contacted Lin, saying:

"Commander, have you found anything?"

The communication first had a silence, but soon came Lin's brief reply: "There are some clues; next we prepare to infiltrate the mining area."

Upon hearing that, Elena lowered her voice in surprise: "Infiltrate the mining area now?"

"No." Lin denied: "This time period is not suitable for infiltration, and I still need your help; let's wait until later to launch the operation."

"Hmm, I got it, Commander..." Elena reported her findings: "This morning, many miners followed the security's instructions and went to the deepest part of Ashisi's 09 Mine Area; it's somewhat strange. If we want to infiltrate the mining area to investigate, the 09 Mine Area is the best choice."

"Alright, continue your daily work for now; we'll discuss the detailed steps after work ends. Don't raise suspicion; ensuring your identity isn't exposed is your top priority." Lin instructed.

"Okay, Commander, please rest assured."

Ended the communication.

Elena then put away her phone, pressed the flush button, walked out of the stall, and before leaving didn't forget to wash her hands.

Leaving the public restroom, Elena prepared to, according to the next shift's requirements, inspect the power distribution room outside the next mining area.

However, she hadn't gone far when the corridor lights quickly went out, and the dark red emergency lights immediately came on, providing some light for her and for the many clueless people.

Afterwards.

The broadcast issued an emergency alert: "The mining area has experienced a loss of pressure; all personnel must evacuate the mining area immediately! All personnel must evacuate the mining area immediately!"

"Loss of pressure??" Upon hearing the alert, Elena showed confusion, but she still prepared to evacuate the mining area with the people.

Meanwhile, in the sleeping cabin area...

"Beep! Beep!"

Also echoing was a piercing alarm; the passage and corridor lights dimmed, only the emergency lights emitting red light came on.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know; even the network and communications are down."

"Could it be caused by the Hengxin storm?"

The bewildered employee family members left the sleeping cabins, discussing what had happened to Ashisi; among them were Jia Li holding Ni Er and the short-haired woman.

Just then.

All the sleeping cabin doors opened automatically, and moreover more than ten fully armed security personnel equipped with mechanical exoskeletons, holding loaded civilian pulse firearms, ran toward this area.

Upon arriving, the security quickly dispersed, storming into each sleeping cabin one by one, and one security guard rushed straight toward Jia Li, the short-haired woman, and others.

!! Seeing this situation...

Run! Although they didn't understand why the security had gone crazy, human fear instinct drove them to turn and run; Jia Li even grabbed Ni Er and hurriedly fled.

But no matter how fast their legs ran, they couldn't outrun the security bolstered by mechanical exoskeletons, especially since the security also had guns; all that could be heard was...

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The crisp single shots of the pulse firearms echoed throughout the area.

"Thud! Thud!"

"Mom!"

"No! Don't!"

"Help!!"

Amidst the gunfire were the sounds of human bodies being shattered and torn by shellless pulse ammo, and people's extreme desperate screams and cries for help.

At this moment, inside Elena's sleeping cabin.

Even Lin, who had just changed into casual clothes and had handled many events, hadn't expected the situation to suddenly change.

But he didn't panic; instead he immediately took out his combat belt from the equipment box, fastened it, and quickly stuffed various tools, grenades, and battery magazines into different pockets and tactical pouches, then put on a pair of holographic glasses.

Finally he grabbed the compact laser micro-charge, adjusted his breathing, and aimed the muzzle at the open cabin door.

Soon, the security guard who had ruthlessly killed women and children appeared in his field of view.

Lin made a split-second decision and pulled the trigger.

"Tap! Tap!"

The laser micro-charge likewise emitted a crisp gunshot, and two orange-hued "high-energy beams," one after another, instantly struck and melted through that security guard's helmet and left chest armor.

These two beams inflicted lethal damage on the security guard, and without losing force, they shot into the corridor wall before finally coming to a stop.

However, the security guard who suffered the attack...

"Roar... howl!!"

Not only did it not die instantly as expected, but it emitted a beast-like howl, struggling in pain.

Listening closely to this howl, it sounded like a blend of different species, and one could faintly hear human screams.

While emitting the howl.

The security guard's body likewise underwent an uncontrollable mutation, with numerous thin, blood-colored tentacles bursting outward from within, tearing through the uniform and armor.

Its head also, from the opening melted by the beams, split left and right, "spurting" out more reciprocating tentacles, while the edges of the crack grew jagged bone tissue.

Witnessing such mutation, Lin had no time to be surprised or think.

"Rat-tat-tat!"

He flicked his right thumb upward to switch firing mode, his index finger firmly on the trigger, and fired dense beams at the quasi-human security guard.

In an instant.

The high-energy beams ignited his clothing; the flames engulfed him, finally halting the security guard's further mutation and struggle, as he collapsed backward with a "thud" onto the corridor floor, motionless.

Having dealt with the immediate threat.

Lin hurried forward, reached the left side of the door, and leaned his back against the wall.

Then he switched to holding the gun in his left hand, took a flash grenade from his armed belt with his right hand, hooked the pull ring with his thumb, released the safety with his index finger, and silently counted three seconds in his mind.

When the three seconds passed, he hurled it forcefully toward the outside of the door, and immediately…

Boom—!

The flash grenade detonated successfully, bursting into a blinding white light, and caused Lin to experience a slight ringing in his ears.

Clack clack clack!

It was precisely the flash grenade's explosion that affected the security guards gathered in the corridor, causing them to fire blindly.

Of course, this also exposed "them" prematurely.

Thus Lin continued following the same procedure, sequentially throwing another flash grenade and a strong acid grenade that contained concentrated alien blood and a diluent.

Outside the door after the second flash grenade detonated.

The security guards, covering each other and forming a formation, opened fire again, and the intense flash and deafening blast from the explosion distracted them from noticing the strong acid grenade…

Bang—! a muffled sound.

The explosion of the strong acid grenade made little noise.

However, after Lin released the safety, the concentrated blood and diluent began reacting, and at the moment of explosion, they sprayed a pale green dense mist outward rapidly.

"Sizzle… sizzle…" later, the strong acid mist indiscriminately corroded everything it enveloped—the perforated metal floor, the extinguished lights, the side walls, and also those security guards who had been infected by something unknown or "replaced."

Roar… howl…!

Those subjected to the acid corrosion instantly lost their ability to attack or move, and their bodies began to twist and deform uncontrollably.

One guard's head even detached from its body, sprouting arthropod‑like legs on both sides, resembling a "human‑head spider" trying to flee the acid mist.

But the "human‑head spider" could not escape its corrosive fate; it didn't get far before it stuck to the metal floor.

Taking advantage of this moment, Lin, who had left the cabin, felt nauseated despite his experience upon witnessing this endurance‑testing scene.

After only a brief pause, he relied on the building blueprint supplied by his holographic glasses and turned to run away.

He passed by, then circled around the plaza covered with green foliage, and arrived at the main external corridor.

In the corridor, Lin witnessed an even more gory, nauseating sight.

Not only the "infected" and "replaced" guards, but also countless expressionless miners and maintenance workers were jointly rounding up bewildered, panicked people trying to flee.

The people already captured and gathered in one spot were guarded by several security guards, and then a boy no older than eight performed the "contact"…

The boy, whose left palm bore blood‑colored tentacles, used them to pierce each person's body, completing a certain "infection" contact method.

If anyone showed any tendency to resist or flee, the guards would not hesitate, offering no warning, but shooting the leg directly, rendering the person completely immobile.

"…" Lin observed covertly, his mood rather complicated.

He felt both the impulse to fight to the death against those "things" and rescue normal humans, and the rationality that prevented reckless action.

When the lights went out and the alarm sounded, Axi Si was cut off from the outside by a "man‑made" jamming signal.

Although this jamming is ineffective against quantum communication base stations and warships equipped with quantum communication relays, the intelligence officer's dedicated mobile phone…

No matter how advanced, it cannot accommodate a quantum communication relay that is twenty meters long, ten meters high, and ten meters wide.

However, once the phone is jammed, the nanobots inside his body are likewise cut off, and the intelligence department's Command Center will know immediately.

According to standard procedure, if the Command Center cannot reestablish contact with the intelligence officer, an emergency team will rush to the officer's last known location before contact was lost.

This procedure applies precisely to the current situation.

Lin estimates that from the moment Supervisor Mi Le notices the anomaly, coordinates and dispatches ships, and sends an emergency team to Axi Si, it will take about 25 to 30 minutes.

But…

Did those "things" erupt in a riot merely to speed up infection and fully assimilate all of Axi Si for a shallow purpose?

It feels off.

They definitely have another agenda.

Realizing this, Lin stopped observing covertly and instead changed his route to penetrate deeper inside.

———————

…

Not long ago.

Outside the mining area.

Yi Lianna and a group of people who obeyed the emergency notice gathered in the hall, which was guarded on all sides by armed security guards.

It was clearly to prevent anyone from leaving.

Seeing this, Yi Lianna's expression grew solemn; she slipped her right hand into the inner pocket of her work suit, waiting for the optimal moment.

In contrast, the others were still in a lingering state of "pressure loss," completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

Suddenly!

Including Tuode, the short‑haired woman's husband, all miners responsible for the 09 Mine Area, and even many miners from other mines suddenly mutated, attacking their fellow normal‑human coworkers.

Someone asked the guards for help, but only received cold indifference, or had a leg shot off by a Shellless Pulse Ammo.

!

Even though she was prepared, Yi Lianna did not expect it to be so fierce.

Fortunately, as an intelligence officer, mental toughness is basic, so she immediately drew her laser pistol and ran toward the nearest corridor entrance.

Along the way there were many normal humans sharing her goal.

Seeing Yi Lianna's group attempt to "charge," the two guards manning the entrance lifted their pulse weapons to fire a burst.

Tap! Tap!

However, Yi Lianna, who had prepared in advance, pulled the trigger first.

Two high‑energy beams burst forth, instantly melting through the heads of the two guards.

Immediately afterward, Yilianna faced the scene that Lin had encountered...

The burns caused the two guards to bellow like beasts, and their heads were also undergoing mutation, but Yilianna didn't have time to be surprised, continuing to aim and fire.

Finally, Yilianna succeeded in breaking through the "checkpoint" with everyone, leaving the hall that had already become a slaughterhouse.

But outside the hall, the same scene was being enacted, sometimes even making it impossible to tell friend from foe.

They know how to use memories, and using identities such as "friend" and "relative" to deceive those hiding in corners into trusting them; once successful, they reveal their nature and attack without any hesitation.

Yilianna chose to run toward her sleeping quarters.

During this time, the number of people around her dwindled until only a few remained; counting herself, there were only six in total.

The reason the other five chose to follow Yilianna was also simple: she had a gun, and possessed military skills far beyond ordinary people, and her actions against those "things" showed that she was most likely human.

Therefore, escaping together with Yilianna was the best choice.

But just escaping—where could they flee to?

Just as Yilianna's group reached the entertainment area resembling a small commercial street…

"Tap-tap-tap!"

They heard the continuous firing sound unique to laser guns, and ahead at the corner, a steady orange light flickered.

!

This made Yilianna instantly perk up, she pointed with her left hand to the nearby empty bar and whispered to the five beside her:

"Hide inside first."

After saying that, Yilianna firmly gripped her pistol and quickly went to the corner to scout.

Only seeing that on the right side of the corner was the food plaza area, and Lin, who had just dealt with the two mutated "things", was replacing the battery magazine of his laser submachine gun.

After changing the magazine, Lin pointed his gun at the corner; it seemed that at the moment Yilianna made her scouting move, Lin noticed.

!! "Commander! It's me! Cherside! Don't shoot!" Yilianna hurriedly identified herself.

"Understood." Lin replied, lowering his gun slightly, appearing no longer overly on guard.

"Hah..." Yilianna exhaled in relief.

She left the corner and hurried toward Lin, showing the excitement of having found her mainstay, and as she walked she said: "Great! Commander, you haven't turned into those monsters."

"Cherside..." but Lin showed no joy, instead wearing a regretful expression as he said: "Work as an intelligence officer isn't suited for you; if reincarnation really exists, spend the second half of your life as an ordinary person."

"Commander?" Yilianna was puzzled.

Then...

"Bang!" a gunshot rang out, echoing around.

(End of chapter)