After stocking up at the maximum level, all the handsome men in the apocalypse are looking for suppo

Chapter 209 The Threat of the Third Layer
The monitoring signals on the main control console were flashing heat source warnings. Lu Zhao lowered his voice and said, "The third core is in the underground energy research area. The map shows it in the deepest part."

Su Wanqing made a muffled sound, slowly took off her sweaty gloves, and zoomed in on the map to the corner. "The elevator has completely stopped, all the main lines have been cut off, leaving only a maintenance passage."

"Try it at the stairwell." Lu Zhao tucked the backup chip into his inner pocket, checked his backup power supply and pistol again, and stood up.

Su Wanqing tightened the waterproof straps of her protective suit, looked up and said, "Only use the emergency staircase. It will probably take twenty minutes to go down. Don't stop."

They pushed open the iron gate behind the sign and entered a spiral staircase that could only accommodate two people side by side.

The ground was covered in thick dust, with deep shoe prints every two steps, mixed with a dry, fishy smell.

Lu Zhao raised his flashlight, and the light shone on the wall, revealing a jumble of scratches.

The marks were a jumbled mess, some resembling the effort left by a broken fingernail.

"They can disguise themselves."

Su Wanqing lowered her head and, by the light of her flashlight, saw more crooked writing below: "Ignore anyone who is speaking."

A cold draft swept in from the stairwell. Su Wanqing took a breath and continued downstairs.

As they rounded the bend, the two stepped on a broken piece of a badge with the "Ministry of Energy" logo still visible on it. Lu Zhao kicked it away with the tip of his shoe.

"The third floor seems to have been completely sealed off before. It's covered in blood, most of which must have dried a long time ago."

"There's not a sound around here, something's really wrong," Lu Zhao said in a low voice.

"Half of the main corridor light strip is broken, so we can only rely on the corridor lighting."

"If this continues, we'll only have the jade bracelet and the emergency kit to rely on." Su Wanqing looked at the jade bracelet, confirming that it remained silent and showed no unusual fluctuations.

The two quickly reached the second and third platforms, where only a broken gas helmet and a rusty transport vehicle remained.

Just as we were about to continue, a red warning light suddenly lit up.

The security light boxes at the four corners of the platform flashed repeatedly, several laser lines fell in a crisscross pattern, and the temperature in the stairwell suddenly rose.

The ceiling slider was pushed open, revealing two automatic defense turrets, whose barrels slid towards the two people under the action of the mechanical arm.

The alarm system broadcast repeatedly: "Biocontamination alarm: Unauthorized gene pattern detected. Cleanup procedure initiated."

Lu Zhao pursed his lips, then lunged behind the nearest stairwell corner cover, shouting, "There should be a lockout process in sixty seconds; we have to get through."

Su Wanqing turned around, hid behind a fallen metal plate, and looked down at the jade bracelet. It was still completely silent, with no energy indication whatsoever.

The only thing to rely on is the brief countdown on the big screen and the gaps between laser scans.

“You count my movements, I’ll go first.” Lu Zhao pulled out a signal jammer from his sleeve and tried to briefly block the laser path. “I’ll try to block two of the beams. You walk to the left along the wall.”

The moment he pressed the start button, the two laser beams were severed, and Su Wanqing swiftly moved to the next platform entrance.

The defensive turret reacted extremely quickly, with three red lines sweeping towards her feet, instantly leaving scorch marks all over the metal floor.

Su Wanqing held her breath, seized a blind spot in the flamethrower, and waited for Lu Zhao to move to her side during a gap in her defense.

The two were a step apart, and every few feet they darted forward, the laser beams behind them grazed their clothes, sending up plumes of smoke.

Just before the countdown reached zero, the last security zone briefly malfunctioned. The two desperately squeezed into the thick third-level hatch, the defense system behind them making a mechanical locking sound.

After entering the third-level passage, all the external lights gradually went out, leaving only an occasional emergency light flashing overhead.

The fresh air smelled thin, and there was no wind deep in the corridor. The puddles on the ground reflected distorted lines.

Lu Zhao slowly removed the dusty mask, let it breathe, and then pressed his hand against the wound, saying, "Look there."

Su Wanqing followed his hand and saw a figure standing a few meters away against the wall, wearing a researcher's white coat, leaning stiffly against the door frame with the light behind him.

The sign reads "Energy Experiment Zone Control," but the lights couldn't illuminate the details.

Lu Zhao tentatively asked, "Are you the maintenance worker here?"

The figure remained motionless. Su Wanqing thought for a moment, then raised her voice, "The building has been evacuated, why haven't you left yet? Do you need help?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the figure turned around abruptly and strangely. His face was painted a ghastly white with cracks, and below the tip of his nose was a network of black blood vessels. His eyes were fixed on Su Wanqing and Lu Zhao.

In that instant, there was a sense of oppressive danger in the air. Su Wanqing froze, but the jade bracelet showed no energy fluctuations.

Lu Zhao whispered, "It can shield the energy field; the bracelet isn't reacting."

The "person" in front of them suddenly raised his hand, mimicking the researchers in the base perfectly, but the movement was stiff and distorted inappropriately.

Su Wanqing took a step back, but Lu Zhao pulled her along, "Let's go!"

The mutant suddenly accelerated, its steps twisting as it lunged forward, its arms outstretched.

Lu Zhao pressed the pistol against the other man's chest, but the man slapped it away.

The gun flew to the corner of the wall, and the monster took the opportunity to raise its hand and grab his shoulder.

Lu Zhao gritted his teeth and hooked his elbow around the monster's wrist. The monster was too strong and dragged him backward.

Su Wanqing rushed forward and struck the monster's wrist with her jade bracelet, but there was no energy response.

The monster was able to smoothly mimic human actions of blocking, grabbing, and parrying with their hands, and it never let out a strange roar.

"It can use tools!" Lu Zhao shouted, grabbing an experimental iron rod lying on the ground and swinging it at the monster's leg.

The monster suddenly stopped moving and actually began to pick up the stick in the same way as Lu Zhao, copying his movements exactly, and pressed closer step by step.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Wanqing stepped on the monster's hand, used the force to pull out her hidden knife, and slashed the monster's arm hard.

Black blood flowed out, but the monster ignored it and continued to drag Lu Zhao into the shadows.

Lu Zhao's shoulder was torn open, and blood quickly soaked his sleeve.

He yelled, "The bracelet!"

Su Wanqing stared intently at the jade bracelet, and as her breathing rose and fell, the jade bracelet suddenly became intensely hot.

Then, a blinding blue energy barrier exploded, blasting the monster two meters away.

The air reeked of burnt flesh. The monster twitched a few times after falling to the ground, then rolled over and began to mimic Lu Zhao's crawling posture, fleeing into the depths of darkness.

Su Wanqing quickly squatted down to check Lu Zhao's wound. Seeing that he was still able to support himself, she handed him a piece of antiseptic cloth.

"It's unlike any zombie I've encountered before. It's too smart. It knows how to escape and can even imitate others."

"The bracelet's energy reaction is stronger than before, but it only activated for a moment. I wonder how much energy is left." Su Wanqing wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

Lu Zhao rubbed his arm: "They can shield the energy waves of the virus, and most detection equipment may have been fooled by them."

Su Wanqing stared at the jade bracelet, only to see a dark surge of blue light on its surface, uncontrollably casting a faint blue beam of light.

The light shone directly at a closed laboratory at the end of the corridor.

The entire passage was pitch black, except for that soft blue line that hovered in the air without trembling at all.

Lu Zhao leaned against the wall to stand up. "Is it leading the way?"

Su Wanqing wasn't sure, and said in a low voice, "We can only follow it. Staying in one place will only lead to encountering those things again."

The two walked forward, following the blue light of the jade bracelet, and slowly made their way into the long corridor.

After rounding a bend, another unmarked laboratory door came into view. The blue line bent and focused here, illuminating the faint bluish light emanating from the edge of the door.

As the door was pushed open, the jade bracelet suddenly lit up with a blurry image. In the center of the void, a female researcher wearing a white coat appeared, looking extremely flustered.

She pressed herself against the wall, recording a message like a selfie: "If you can see this, it means the reset has begun... The third core is the lock, which is also the key... You absolutely cannot let them collect all seven..."

Before the video ended, a faint metallic scraping and dragging noise came from behind the door.

The blue light suddenly stopped, and the image collapsed and disappeared.