Chapter 426: then translation of chapter title

In the crowd, sobs faintly appeared—not loud wailing, but quiet sniffles.

Even though they knew they now had hope of survival, they still clearly realized they remained in danger.

Someone began moving toward the doorway, steps very slow, as if they hadn't walked in a long time and their legs had forgotten how to move.

They leaned on the wall to stand up, knees still trembling, but their eyes were bright.

Hua Jian Lei stood in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by a few people who had just risen.

A young girl grabbed his sleeve, "Can we really get out?"

Her voice trembled; Hua Jian Lei nodded, his face offering reassurance—at least he could still calm people's hearts.

Lao Bao stood at the doorway, casually lending a hand to steady a person rising from the wall corner; that person then gripped Lao Bao's arm tightly with the backhand, like a last straw.

He was a boy about ten or so, thin as a bamboo pole, the white uniform hanging loosely on him.

The game's sole conscience lies in that it only brings adults from reality into this world, but due to the differences between the two worlds, the body here might actually end up not being adult.

"Big brother," he gritted his teeth, "can you go rescue my brother?"

"He was taken away by people in white clothes, and he hasn't been able to return for a long time."

Actually he himself knows this request might put the man in danger; these days others have also been comforting him, and he himself also knows his brother is very likely already……

Lao Bao's hand clenched on his knee, recalling what the two white coats had said during the handover——

no.

If that whatever department head really deliberately had them bring these people away, then those not gathered here could only be……

no.

Xiren Sheng didn't look back, simply immersing himself wholly in his art.

Taking advantage of the fact that especially (someone) hasn't done it yet, he deliberately smeared some places with his hand, watching it become more and more like a murder scene.

Xiren Sheng doesn't understand why Lao Bao, someone who constantly hangs out in that kind of place, often has an overflow of sympathy.

But perhaps it's precisely this unnecessary conscience that leads him to pick up Xiren Sheng, this big brother, so he can have a group of brothers willing to entrust their lives to him in that area.

Xiren Sheng has no interest in playing their conscience-testing little game, but this is the fact.

The boy's hand still clutched Lao Bao's shirt hem; he actually knows this possibility is greater, but he harbors a hopeful wish.

He truly has no right to let others risk danger for his hopeful wish.

His lips moved a few times, no sound came out, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

Lao Bao didn't say much more; in the eyes of the others he seemed overly sympathetic, but to him such scenes were already commonplace.

He certainly doesn't mind lending a hand if he can help, but if it requires putting themselves in danger……

no.

"I'm still the first time seeing rescued people dare to make demands," his tone still that carefree, devil-may-care attitude, "once I get you out, we'll still have plenty to do."

The boy lifted his head, the light in his eyes brightening a bit.

If entropy increase continues to cause trouble here, if his brother is still alive, if those people haven't turned his brother into a "failed product," then there is still hope.

Those three "ifs" stacked together are like three wobbling stones about to fall, yet he still refuses to give up.

Hua Jian Lei glanced toward the doorway; the Ying Guang Lu–colored stray hairs were deliberately pressed under his cap by Ying Duo, only a few strands showing, faintly gleaming in the light.

His position was only a few steps from the crowd, yet no one noticed him.

Hua Jian Lei mentally ran through the plan; the combination of Xiren Sheng and Ying Duo is key to this operation—without either, those playing cards and the data stream couldn't be set in motion.

But we four can't all stay behind; someone must lead these people out.

And if that department head is indeed silently permitting all this to happen, then whether Ying Duo is with or without their evacuation squad becomes unimportant.

"Then let's first get the people out." Hua Jian Lei glanced at Xiren Sheng, "Xiren Sheng, you and the strategy team stay behind to keep exploring the situation."

Xiren Sheng sprang from the wall, his mask wobbling on his face; he reached up to straighten it, and the little bells jingled.

"It should have been decided long ago," his voice bursting with uncontainable excitement, "I was just about to burst from holding it in."

In the crowd someone began whispering; a middle-aged woman grabbed the arm of the person beside her, her voice trembling:

"Just two people to escort us out? What if we run into the Dome's troops……"

She didn't finish, but everyone knew what she left unsaid.

That boy was the first to loosen his grip on Lao Bao's shirt hem, stepped back, and took a deep breath.

no.

Lao Bao glanced at him, nodded, and said nothing.

Hua Jian Lei walked to the doorway, turned sideways to clear a path.

The crowd began moving outward, steps still slow, but a bit quicker than before.

Some leaned on the wall, some supported each other, some tightened their white uniforms, heads down, not daring to look at the labs on either side of the corridor.

The footsteps in the hallway faded away; Xiren Sheng tossed the empty spray can aside, turned, and gazed at the empty room.

He walked to the doorway, leaned against the doorframe, tilted his head to look at Ying Duo.

"Partner," he called out, "their people are all gone—what do we do next?"

"Blow up the Dome Headquarters? Punch a hole in their base? Or do something else?"

Ying Duo threw out three questions in a row, but none of the options involving the Dome would end well.

In any case, heading first to the Field Operations Department's turf is definitely the right move.

Yang Yixie still wants to confirm a few things first, such as……

Have the Field Operations Department people really united to that extent, relying only on a group of rank‑less ordinary folk to wield rune weapons and intimidate other forces?

The Field Operations Department certainly has high‑level individuals; he just hasn't seen them.

Since Fang Zhiyan has already been secretly doing many things behind the Dome's other departments, and is using the pretext that the Field Operations Department finds capturing Aberrant Species difficult to block his source of experience in killing Aberrant Species.

Then he can only point the gun at other colleagues, right?

After all, they're increasing entropy while being enemies of the entire Dome—killing a few Field Operations Department agents is hardly unusual, right?

However, there's a problem: the Dome Headquarters is simply too large, making it hard to precisely find opponents worth killing—unless they develop killing intent toward themselves and get marked on the mini‑map......

Yang Yixie had an idea.