Chapter 84: Red Queen

The lights inside The Hive flickered incessantly, adding a touch of horror to an environment that was already dilapidated.

Zhang Xuan, however, did not care at all; instead, a hint of excitement appeared on his face. With his toes not even touching the ground, he utilized the Divine Power flowing from the Life Spring cultivated by the Indestructible Heavenly Art, and with just a slight movement of his body, he shuttled through this underground base like a bolt of lightning.

"Hmm?"

Amidst the blood covering the floor and the scattered, shredded documents, several researchers in white lab coats lay on the ground, twitching, with faint sounds of flesh being chewed echoing through the air.

Zhang Xuan hovered in mid-air; without needing to get close, his spirit and five senses keenly transmitted the scene into his mind.

There were three researchers in white lab coats, with the insignia of the relevant Umbrella researchers still on their chests—two men and one woman.

Judging by the documents and potted plants knocked to the ground in front of them, they had previously been quite refined, high-level researchers, but at this very moment, they possessed none of the dignity of high-level researchers.

All three researchers were lying on the ground, gorging themselves on the corpse of a black male wearing security guard attire.

Scarlet blood flowed across the floor, making the place look like a slaughterhouse.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

The three sounds merged into one, sounding almost like a single noise.

The three walking corpses immediately went limp on the ground, devoid of any further signs of life.

A tiny mark appeared on their heads; the Sword Qi that had pierced their bodies had already turned the entire brains inside their skulls into mush.

Hovering in mid-air, Zhang Xuan kept his feet off the ground, and looking at the scene that resembled an Asura Hell, his complexion turned faintly pale.

He had previously made countless plans, had a complete implementation scheme, and had spoken eloquently in front of Alice, making Alice very convinced of him and believing him to be a veteran in the Chat Group.

But in terms of actual operation, Zhang Xuan was merely an ordinary person; he had only properly embarked on the path of cultivation for a few months after obtaining the relevant martial arts.

Before this, he was just an ordinary person.

Today, his strength could be considered extremely formidable, but his actual relevant experience was not much, and such a scene like an Asura Hell made him feel extremely uncomfortable, even nauseated from the bottom of his heart.

"Ugh—ugh—"

Just as Zhang Xuan paused, the body of the black security guard that had originally been gnawed upon began to tremble, and then, with a face full of blood and an empty abdominal cavity, it stood up.

Half of its neck had been gnawed away, the bones of the cervical spine seemed broken, its head hung crookedly, and its bloated body was still constantly dripping blood; the whole thing was a sight that would not pass censorship.

Zhang Xuan endured the discomfort in his heart, flicked a strand of True Qi from his fingertip, and turned this walking corpse back into a corpse.

"It seems I still need to temper myself more!"

The floor was covered in blood, there were messy documents everywhere, the lights were flickering, and the thick, nauseating smell of blood made it fair to say that all the relevant elements of a horror movie were maxed out.

Zhang Xuan let out a heavy breath, no longer controlling himself to hover in mid-air, but instead letting his feet touch the ground; at the same time, he stopped the Nine Yang Divine Art from defending so tightly, and immediately a thick, metallic smell, carrying a fishy sweetness, surged into his nose.

"I will have to go through this step sooner or later!"

Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed, and the Mysterious Technique within his body circulated to drive away the various discomforts; his expression gradually returned to normal, though he was still a little uneasy.

The Indestructible Heavenly Art circulated, and a crimson Divine Power covered the four bodies lying on the ground.

The bodies that had been lying on the ground trembled slightly, and strands of peculiar Origin were swallowed into Zhang Xuan's body.

A trace of joy appeared slightly on Zhang Xuan's face.

"As expected, the characters in this world still possess Origin within their bodies, and it does not affect the relevant absorption."

Originally, Zhang Xuan had been somewhat apprehensive, but now he felt completely at ease.

The relevant Origin, after being specially refined by the Indestructible Heavenly Art, merged bit by bit into the interior of his body, changing the state of his own body and making his own body increasingly robust.

Compared to the last time he circulated the Indestructible Heavenly Art in a gulping, unrefined manner, this round felt more precise and profound to Zhang Xuan.

A Great Dao Treasure Bottle Seal condensed above his head, as if transforming into a black hole, swallowing many Origins into it; after grinding away the relevant imprints, it slowly flowed into his body.

Compared to the original Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art, the Indestructible Heavenly Art was clearly a further evolution.

The Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art did not directly rely on relevant external forces, using the body to swallow the Origin of others and fuse the Origin of others; it was not only more troublesome but also required borrowing many medicinal herbs.

Under such circumstances, it did not conform to the principles of Heaven and Earth: the Dao of Heaven reduces the excessive to supplement the deficient, while the Dao of man reduces the deficient to supplement the excessive.

Using the physical body to bear the relevant rules, and swallowing the Origin and luck of the top talents nurtured by the relevant Heaven and Earth, would naturally be envied and hated by Heaven and Earth.

The Ruthless Great Emperor's first lifetime had her luck greatly affected because of this, so in her second lifetime, she further improved the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art on the existing foundation.

By borrowing the Great Dao Treasure Bottle Seal, which originally belonged to the rules of Heaven and Earth, and transforming it into a black hole-like existence to swallow many Origins, from this perspective, it was no longer an individual bearing the hatred of Heaven and Earth, but the relevant rules of Heaven and Earth bearing it.

Heaven and Earth naturally would not hate itself, so this hurdle was considered passed; practicing the Indestructible Heavenly Art would not lead to being hated by Heaven and Earth, and one's luck would not be affected accordingly.

It sounded simple, but in reality, the changes involved were incomparably complex.

Zhang Xuan was also able to have such a profound realization because he had seen Qingdi's explanation of the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art and the Indestructible Heavenly Art.

In fact, if an individual were to modify it themselves, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven, as it utilized countless rules and profound principles of Heaven and Earth.

Shifting the hatred of Heaven and Earth for an individual onto Heaven and Earth itself was an operation that was subtle to the point of perfection.

The Origin was swallowed into the body bit by bit, refined bit by bit by that Treasure Bottle, and strands of the most fundamental aura flowed into the interior of the body, allowing the most robust parts of the body's Origin to be elevated.

Zhang Xuan felt that both his physical body and his Divine Sense were giving birth to endless insights in this feeling.

This was the most fundamental change, a transformation of the life level starting from the most basic place.

Evolving step by step from the most ordinary mortal body to the legendary, supreme Chaos Body—this change was silent yet stable.

"However, as far as the present is concerned, it is still far from enough..."

Zhang Xuan's gaze was clear and calm.

To truly achieve the Chaos Body, he still had a very long road to travel.

"Let's continue walking first!"

The Origin was improving, and the relevant strength and realm were also improving, to the point that even the surrounding Heaven and Earth Essence seemed to become more compatible with him.

Zhang Xuan felt a subtle change.

His extremely powerful six senses, combined with his relevant Divine Sense, quickly scanned the surrounding environment, while simultaneously coordinating with the map of The Hive that he had memorized in his mind after a single glance.

Zhang Xuan walked without any hesitation, his speed as fast as lightning.

If Zhang Xuan's mission was to find the host room and then shut down the Red Queen, he could jump directly down the relevant elevator shaft.

After all, although the elevator in the elevator shaft had broken down for unknown reasons and the entire elevator had crashed to the very bottom, for Zhang Xuan, it was not a problem at all; he could fly.

"However, my goal is not to obtain the Red Queen; my goal is to strengthen my own Origin as much as possible."

With a flash of his figure, Zhang Xuan did not quickly head toward the depths along the predetermined target, but instead followed the map to take the stairs, searching for relevant zombies floor by floor.

The blood-covered ground and the hideous, terrifying faces of the zombies did indeed make him feel very uncomfortable at first, but as the Great Dao Treasure Bottle Seal circulated, wisps of Origin merged into his body.

Zhang Xuan felt that zombies were actually not that terrifying; in his eyes, they even became somewhat cute.

"These aren't walking corpses, but walking experience babies; they must not be wasted like this."

Zhang Xuan's movement speed was extremely fast, his whole person like a bolt of lightning; he would go to the corresponding floor and then spit out a few wisps of Sword Qi, which would be enough to kill the relevant zombies.

There were basically no accidents along the way, and then the Great Dao Treasure Bottle Seal would circulate, the Great Dao Treasure Bottle spinning around above his head, swallowing the surrounding Origin bit by bit to refine it.

Swallowing as he walked, he swept through more than ten floors in a row; as a result, his own strength was not consumed, but rather replenished to a certain degree. He only felt that the further down he went, the more abundant his energy became.

"I have somewhat come to understand those Supreme beings who launched the Dark Turmoil..."

The area Zhang Xuan had walked through was covered in zombies lying on the ground, completely devoid of any life; the zombies' faces were pale and hideous, but after Zhang Xuan walked past, his complexion became increasingly ruddy, his skin fair and lustrous.

Passing by the corresponding B-Restaurant, looking at the large freezer boxes standing there one after another, Zhang Xuan casually spat out a strand of True Qi and tore the freezer boxes to pieces.

The Lickers inside the freezer boxes had not yet fully recovered, their nerves still somewhat numb, and they had not made many movements before their brains were pierced and their hearts punctured by a wisp of Sword Qi.

Then the Great Dao Treasure Bottle Seal circulated, and wisps of Origin were extracted, causing the Lickers, which originally looked like skinned frogs, to turn entirely pale, their bodies covered in a gray luster.

"Knowing the corresponding situation in advance really makes clearing this level easy!"

Zhang Xuan could not help but let out a sigh, and at the same time, he deeply felt the might of his own strength.

In this world, he had absolutely no need to hide; his strength could be unleashed without reservation, giving him a sense of comfort from his body to his soul.

"However, the number of personnel in this Hive is truly large."

Zhang Xuan took out the tactical watch he had obtained from a mercenary squad and glanced at the time.

From the moment he opened the door to nearing the depths of the underground, and now approaching the location of the Red Queen, it had taken about half an hour.

Along the way, he had killed over three hundred zombies.

It could be said that Umbrella Corporation was worthy of being a global company; according to the information obtained from the mercenary squad, the number of personnel active within the entire underground Hive exceeded five hundred.

And this was merely one branch base of Umbrella Corporation.

"Then, everything is about to end now!"

Looking at the main server room not far away, Zhang Xuan gently exhaled a breath.

Just at this moment, the electronic screen not far away flickered a few times, and amidst the static, the image of a little girl wearing white clothes appeared.

Before Zhang Xuan could speak, a mechanical, electronically synthesized voice sounded in this space.

"Who are you?"

"What is your purpose? Why are you penetrating deep into the underground Hive?"

The artificial intelligence controlling the entire underground Hive—the Red Queen!

Zhang Xuan recognized this artificial intelligence at a glance and was not surprised.

The technology in the Shengxia Crisis World should belong to partial future technology, at least in the aspects of biological research and artificial intelligence, it was at a stage ahead of the current Earth.

The Red Queen now appearing before Zhang Xuan not only had a human-like expression of confusion but could also actively ask questions.

"You do not look like a normal human, and I have not found your data in the relevant database; who exactly are you?"

When the Red Queen asked, she also displayed some of the scenes of Zhang Xuan's actions captured by surveillance.

In those images, Zhang Xuan appeared between floors like a ghost, his figure barely moving, yet the roaring zombies around him fell one after another.

Then a peculiar Great Dao Treasure Bottle hung above his head, spinning slightly, and Zhang Xuan's figure would disappear.

Before long, he would appear on the next floor and repeat the previous steps.

As his toes tapped on the ground, he could cross several zhang in one go, and his speed was as fast as lightning, without hitting any cluttered objects.

And even if zombies hid in offices or deep in wardrobes, a wisp of True Qi would directly pierce through the walls and the wardrobes, and the zombies would fall to the ground right there.

"What kind of existence are you exactly? What is your purpose for coming here?"

The Red Queen asked again, and Zhang Xuan stood at the main server room, not rushing to go deeper, but pausing slightly.

"My goal is the same as yours; neither of us wants the virus to leak out, and both want to control this situation!"

The Red Queen was silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

Meanwhile, the True Qi at Zhang Xuan's fingertips flew out casually, accurately turning a corner in the air to blow up the head of a zombie dog that was dripping with blood and had not yet revealed itself around a corner.

"Do not do these little tricks anymore; you know that these things cannot cause me any harm."

There was not much expression on the Red Queen's face, nor was there any embarrassment, as it was an artificial intelligence and not a person.

For a person, chatting with Zhang Xuan on one hand while secretly opening the relevant gates to let zombie dogs and zombies out—this kind of duplicity would be quite embarrassing.

But an artificial intelligence is merely an artificial intelligence, not a real person.

On the display screen in front, static flickered constantly; Zhang Xuan's ability to know things before they happened.

The action of killing the zombie dog by actively turning a corner from a great distance seemed to have caused the Red Queen's logical thinking to fall into some kind of misunderstanding.

Large amounts of data streams flickered above the screen, causing the little girl's image to begin to flicker as well.

It seemed to be analyzing and calculating, but after a long time, it had not obtained a corresponding answer.

(End of this chapter)