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Chapter 214 The Secret Deep Within the Labyrinth

Following the last two lingering signs in the dim light, Su Wanqing and Lu Zhao took a shortcut, one step at a time.

The surrounding noise grew more distant, and the stickers and numbers on the walls became increasingly sparse.

Su Wanqing felt a sudden change in the temperature of the skin beneath the jade bracelet, and a slight stinging sensation on the inside of her wrist.

She lowered her head, and the jade bracelet emitted a faint blue light, with a subtle pulsation at its center.

Suddenly, a line of text popped up on the screen: Please move forward 17 meters. The false wall on the left has been unlocked.

Lu Zhao noticed her pause and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The jade bracelet has instructions." Su Wanqing gritted her teeth and pulled him to continue.

They walked down a narrower slope, and at the thirteenth step, a flat cement slab appeared at the corner, with unnatural marks on the edges.

"Scan it with the jade bracelet." Lu Zhao squinted, leaning against the wall and panting.

Su Wanqing did as instructed, and the sensors embedded in the fake wall lit up the next instant.

With a click, a metal door appeared behind the concrete slab, and the access control screen displayed a message: "Welcome back, Dr. Su Mu'an."

Su Wanqing froze, instinctively taking a step back. She closed her eyes, her throat dry.

Su Mu'an? She thought about it carefully and realized she had never used this name before, yet a strange discomfort and a tightness in her scalp welled up inside her.

Lu Zhao stared at the row of welcome messages, his movements pausing for a moment: "Your identity isn't 'Su Wanqing'?"

"I don't know." Su Wanqing gripped the suitcase tightly; the door had automatically unlocked.

She hesitated before pushing the door open. The temperature inside the room suddenly rose, and a faint smell of age and disinfection wafted towards her.

This research room was completely different from the cold steel structure outside. There was light wood flooring by the door, a compact sofa and a simple small table were casually arranged, a few metal-framed photos were nailed to the wall, and the bookshelves were crammed with a dozen stacks of labeled documents.

A humidifier and a smart speaker stand on the other side of the sofa.

Lu Zhao staggered into the room and leaned closer to examine the photos. He pulled out a slightly worn group photo, the edges of the paper yellowed.

The photo shows Nicholas Wayne standing in the center, wearing a white lab coat, next to a female researcher with long, flowing hair.

Upon closer inspection, Su Wanqing suddenly stopped. The female researcher's facial features were extremely similar to hers.

Moreover, the plaque below the photo reads: "N&S Best Partner, 2041-2047".

Su Wanqing stared at the photo, her face turning pale. There were three more photos on the table, the images blurry, but she could make out a few features of the woman's profile and front view, the outline of which was indistinguishable from her own.

She gently brushed the back of her hand across the edge of the table, forcing herself not to think about the deeper meaning.

"Who exactly are you?" Lu Zhao asked, his lips parting slightly. After speaking, he simply sat down and placed his hands on his knees.

He avoided the photos and changed the subject, "We need to find the terminal and see what else we can find here."

Su Wanqing turned her attention back to the main area. Several portable power banks were tucked at the bottom of the bookshelf, and a terminal in the corner was connected to an independent network, its power light still dimly lit.

Lu Zhao plopped down, pulled out the terminal disk and old-fashioned input keys, and plugged them in.

He tapped a few times, the interface lit up, and a data stream popped up automatically.

He pointed to Su Wanqing's: "Wien's private notes. And the encrypted folder."

The first page of the interface contains a short text:
"The seven cores can work together in the main timeline through quantum entanglement."

Each time the 'loom' is activated, the core is randomly distributed across different nodes in the world.

The controller must be paired with a human neural sequence to activate permissions. The time reset test has been conducted 12 times. After each reset, the damage to the world line structure deepens, and some cracks breed aberrant individuals.

Operator S-7, a neural anchor test subject, experienced loss of memory and emotional connection after resetting, with increased side effects.

Continuous resets cannot achieve a stable system reversal, and may no longer be able to prevent a true catastrophe.

Lu Zhao read each word aloud, his voice growing lower and hoarse as he read on.

He opened the next folder and found it filled with curves comparing the neural data and emotional index loss of the experimental subjects, each note specifically targeting "S-7". Su Wanqing flipped through the pages, cold sweat soaking her back. She frowned, forcing herself to read, her fingers lightly touching the data of the neural anchor points, when she suddenly saw the last column—the operator's vital signs map highly overlapped with her own.

She leaned against the table and said, "Wayne knew this would happen, but he still continued?"

Lu Zhao couldn't see her expression, only humming in response. He slowly moved to the side and pulled out a video encryption device.

The terminal displayed a prompt requiring authentication of the jade bracelet. "Try your bracelet."

Su Wanqing aligned the jade bracelet with the interface, the recognition screen flashed for two seconds, and a new video popped up on the screen.

In the scene, "Night" looks tense, and there are sounds of chaotic instruments in the background.

“Su Wanqing, through encrypted network tracking—I've confirmed you've found this place. Listen, the truth is more complicated than you imagine.” Ye paused for a few seconds, seemingly weighing her options.

"You are not the first 'Su Wanqing,' nor will you be the last. The time machine has been activated more than twelve times, and each reset creates a new world line and a new 'you.'"

The jade bracelet is the control device, Lin Che is the protector, and I…” At this moment, the screen suddenly froze, and the signal became intermittent.

"...Once the cores are gathered, bring them to the signal tower, and I will explain everything."

Beware of those who claim to be your comrades; not everyone remembers the original timeline…

Su Wanqing bit her lower lip tightly, remaining silent. The screen automatically turned off, leaving only a bunch of cold, silent terminal code.

Lu Zhao lowered his head to sort out the threads. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt dizzy and his body swayed.

Su Wanqing noticed his condition was worse and quickly supported him. Lu Zhao held his breath, his lips were turning blue, and his Adam's apple bobbed a few times before he spoke: "There's a first-aid kit in the lab report. Check its contents."

When Su Wanqing was going through the documents, she indeed saw the research records containing the formula for the "antiviral reagent prototype," with the note: "Specifically for infection of N-series experimental subjects."

She happened to have the preparation equipment on hand, so she immediately put on gloves and operated the equipment, quickly synthesizing a dose.

She injected the medicine into Lu Zhao's shoulder. Lu Zhao clenched his fists, took a few heavy breaths, and the heat on his skin finally subsided a lot, as if his body had suddenly become cool.

His voice was hoarse: "Much better."

Su Wanqing tightened his shoulder straps again and rummaged through the cabinet for emergency escape information.

An electronic lock was embedded in the cabinet door. After she confirmed it with her jade bracelet, the door slowly opened.

The escape pod has a sign that reads: "The exit leads directly to the southern section of the underground railway. In an emergency, all data and external access can be blocked at once."

A confirmation screen pops up on the hatch control panel: Warning: This passage will result in the permanent sealing of the Orion facility, and all remaining data will be automatically destroyed. Confirm?

Lu Zhao slumped back in his chair, raised his hand to press his left arm, and said weakly, "Choose this one. We can't expose this information."

Su Wanqing lowered her head and, without hesitation, clicked "confirm" on the screen.

The cabin alarm went off, red lights flashed incessantly on the exterior walls, and an announcement was made over the loudspeaker: "Self-destruct program initiated, ten minutes countdown."

The air in the lab had become somewhat dry. Su Wanqing dared not turn back, grabbed Lu Zhao's arm, and helped him into the escape pod.

She glanced one last time at the photos on the sofa. The woman in the photos always had her head down, a faint smile on her face, her silence unchanged.

Lu Zhao slowly crawled into the escape pod, still clutching Wayne's handwritten notes in his hands.

Su Wanqing carefully held the energy core, and the jade bracelet now emitted a new layer of blue and purple light.

She stuffed the medicine box, backup data, and terminal motherboard into the storage compartment, making sure she had all the important items.

With only eight minutes left on the countdown, Su Wanqing activated the escape pod procedure, and the soundproof door closed automatically.

The warehouse walls are completely isolated from the outside.

Su Wanqing sat beside Lu Zhao, her head throbbing, while the jade bracelet continued to flash data.

The amethyst petal inside the container pulsated slowly, vibrating rhythmically. Amidst the surrounding mechanical noises, the escape pod's gravity shifted abruptly, and it roared backward along the inclined tracks like a train.

Su Wanqing looked ahead, but she didn't say anything. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the core box lid.

With only six minutes left on the countdown, they were pushed deep into the dark passage.