Chapter 31: Reaching the First Floor

Go!

Han Ya didn't give them time to be shocked; she turned and followed them in, then slammed the fire door shut with her backhand.

None of them dared to linger, and they continued downward.

When they had sprinted all the way up to the fifteenth floor, a stench so strong it made one want to vomit welled up from below, almost making them faint.

What smell…… urgh……

Xiao Hui couldn't help but retch.

Han Ya's brows also knit tightly; she signaled the two to stop.

She carefully walked down a few steps and peered out.

At a single glance, her blood seemed to freeze.

From the fourteenth to the twelfth floor, the entire three-story stairwell was completely blocked by a huge nest made of white silk-like substance and countless human skeletons! The nest pulsed slightly, as if it were a breathing living creature.

Through the sticky webs, one could even see inside, wrapped in translucent eggs the size of a human head.

Damn…… what the hell is this……

A Qiang's face turned ashen as paper.

We…… can't get past……

Xiao Hui's voice was full of despair.

Change route.

In Han Ya's dictionary, there is no such thing as giving up.

She pushed open the fifteenth-floor fire door again.

This floor had been converted into a laboratory.

Shattered glassware lay everywhere, and culture tanks emitted a pungent odor.

Careful, the floor is slippery.

Han Ya warned.

They had taken only a few steps when a rustling sound came from the ventilation ducts in the ceiling.

Immediately, palm-sized, entirely emerald-green lizard-like monsters rained down from the vents!

As soon as they landed, they opened their mouths and spat streams of dark-green liquid at them!

Sizzle——!

The liquid splashed onto the floor and walls, instantly corroding small holes that smoked with green fumes!

It's acid! Dodge!

Han Ya shouted loudly, rolled awkwardly while carrying her brother, and took cover under a lab bench.

A Qiang and Xiao Hui also screamed and scattered to dodge.

Ah!

A Qiang cried out in pain as a drop of acid splashed onto his arm; his clothes burned through instantly, his flesh sizzled, and in an instant it turned blackened.

A Qiang!

Xiao Hui exclaimed.

Don't worry about me! Run!

A Qiang endured the pain, swung his steel pipe, and smashed the several acid-liquid lizards that lunged at him into pulp.

The scene instantly descended into chaos.

Though these monsters were small, their numbers were overwhelming and they were fast, making them impossible to defend against.

Han Ya, burdened with her brother, had her movement greatly restricted; she could only keep using the lab bench as cover and dispatch nearby monsters with her short blade.

If this continued, they would eventually be worn down and die here!

No way!

Han Ya's gaze swept the lab and she spotted a huge metal tank marked 'high-pressure gas cylinder' in the corner.

Instantly, she thought of a plan.

A Qiang! Xiao Hui! Come over here!

She shouted while blocking.

Hearing her, they desperately moved toward her.

When they finally regrouped under the lab bench, Han Ya pointed at the high-pressure gas cylinder,

Do you see that valve? A Qiang, use your steel pipe to smash it open!

Smash it? Han Sis, if we're not careful the high-pressure gas cylinder will explode and we'll get hurt too!

A Qiang exclaimed in shock.

I want it to explode!

Han Ya certainly knew this was dangerous, but now there was no other way,

Listen to me, hurry!

A Qiang hesitated no more; he shielded Xiao Hui behind him, gathered all his strength, and slammed his steel pipe hard against the fragile valve!

Clang!

With a crisp sound! The valve snapped!

Hiss——!!!

The high-pressure gas burst out instantly!

Hurry up and go!

Han Ya, carrying her brother, pulled the two up and sprinted headlong toward the safety passage on the other side without looking back!

They had just rushed into the stairwell when, behind them, the entire fifteenth floor was completely swallowed by a dazzling fireball.

Boom——!!!!

The violent explosion made the whole building shudder!

The shockwave, mixed with flames and debris, surged out from the gap in the fire door behind them, scorching their backs painfully.

But they survived.

Leaning against the cold wall, the three panted heavily, their hearts racing nonstop.

"Crazy…… Han Ya, you're really a maniac…"

A Qiang muttered to himself, yet his face bore the smile of having survived a disaster.

"Let's go."

Han Ya didn't rest; she glanced at her brother, unconscious from the violent jolt, then stepped forward again.

The last few floors were filled with sewage that rose past the knees and gave off a foul stench.

They trudged through the icy, bone‑chilling sewage, each step excruciatingly difficult.

But unexpectedly, they were not attacked by any Mutant Beasts on these floors.

After who knows how long, they finally escaped.

"Hah… hah…"

A Qiang and Xiao Hui collapsed onto the icy tiles of the first‑floor lobby, I felt as if all my strength had been drained, gasping for breath.

The euphoria of having survived and the extreme fatigue made them not want to move a single finger.

They succeeded.

They actually managed to escape alive from the top floor.

"We… we did it…"

Xiao Hui leaned against A Qiang's arms and wept with joy.

"Yeah…"

A Qiang held her tightly, but his gaze fell on the still‑upright back, his eyes full of awe and gratitude.

Han Ya did not rest.

She carefully set her brother down, letting him lean against a relatively clean stone pillar.

The boy's breathing remained rapid, his cheeks flushed with an abnormal red from the fever.

【87 fever.

"Xiao Yu, hold on a little longer…"

Han Ya wiped the cold sweat from her brother's forehead with the back of her hand, her voice betraying exhaustion and heartache.

Her stamina was also nearing its limit.

Having fought her way down from the fortieth floor, it seemed easy, but the intense mental strain and the enormous drain of carrying her brother had already pushed her body to the brink of collapse.

At this moment, she only felt waves of darkness before her eyes, her legs as heavy as if filled with lead.

But she knew she could not stop now.

The first‑floor lobby is spacious but offers little cover; if a Mutant Beast attacked, they would surely die, so this place is definitely not somewhere to linger.

"This is not a place to linger."

She walked up to A Qiang and Xiao Hui,

"Let's go, we're heading to the underground parking garage."

"Still… still have to go?"

Xiao Hui's face was full of resistance,

"Han Ya, let us rest a bit; I really… can't walk any further…"

"If you want to die here, just keep resting."

Han Ya's eyes were as cold as ice,

"Don't forget why we came out. Besides, Xiao Yu can't wait."

Xiao Hui was startled into a shudder, dared not speak again, and, with A Qiang's support, struggled to her feet.

Han Ya hoisted her brother back onto her back, identified the direction, and headed toward the fire escape leading to the underground parking garage.

The garage entrance was blocked by a half‑collapsed rolling shutter door, leaving only a gap half a person's height.

A stench of mixed machine oil, mold, and rotting flesh drifted from the dark opening, making one feel nauseous.