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Chapter 271 The Decision to Split Up

The iron stairs at Yongming Road Station were badly rusted, and they creaked as Xiao Ran carried Lin Che up them.

Su Wanqing walked at the front, and the toes of her tactical boots had just touched the ground when a system notification burst out of her earpiece: "1.2 kilometers away from the fortress, 58 minutes remaining."

At 6:17, they kicked open the camouflaged door at the fortress entrance. Lu Zhao, his white coat stained with mud from the drainage system, leaned against the doorframe and shouted, "Medical area, prepare! Lin Che's temperature is 40.3 degrees Celsius, and his mutant factor activity is 51%!"

As the blue light in the medical pod illuminated, Dr. Zhang was placing tweezers into a sterilization tray.

She looked up and saw the blue scales curling up on the back of Lin Che's neck. The tweezers clattered onto the tray: "The physiological structure has changed by more than 50%, but the brainwave chart shows..." She pushed up her glasses. "The ratio of delta waves to alpha waves is normal, and human consciousness is still in control."

Lu Zhao placed the sample box he brought back from the water plant on the operating table.

Inside the transparent test tube, blue liquid is climbing up the tube wall, as if it were alive: "The pollutants are nanoscale biomechanical mixtures."

He pulled up the microscope image and said, “Each particle has a DNA strand and a microcircuit, specifically designed to rewrite human genes.”

Su Wanqing stood outside the medical pod, her fingertips pressed against the observation window. Lin Che's scales gleamed coldly in the blue light, and occasionally silver threads seeped from under his skin—the blood that Xiao Ling had just fed him.

“What’s more troublesome is the spread.” Lu Zhao turned the terminal to her. “Although the main source of pollution has been dealt with, there is still 1.7% residue in the circulating water system. Based on the city’s population…” He paused for a moment, “approximately 17 people have been exposed to it.”

The lights in the command center suddenly turned red at 5:30 p.m. Su Wanqing had just taken a bite of her cold compressed biscuit when dozens of red dots appeared on the surveillance screen—the Chengdong Building Materials Market, the Chengnan Vegetable Market, and the Beihuan Road bus stop were all flashing.

"The military has begun a forced evacuation." Lu Zhao pulled up the drone footage, "They have sealed off three high-infection blocks and cordoned off the observation area with caution tape."

He swiped the screen, "The scorched earth policy may be implemented within 48 hours."

A system notification sounded. Su Wanqing glanced at the energy monitoring screen; the data bar was jumping up at a visible speed: "Underground energy fluctuations?"

“It’s not a fortress.” Lu Zhao slammed the monitoring device on the table. “It’s the area below the old industrial zone, the abandoned mines and air-raid shelters.”

He pointed at the map with the tip of his pen, “Energy accumulation rate, reaching the critical point in 36 hours.”

Su Wanqing recalled the "sowing" that "Melody" had mentioned at the water plant. She pulled up the underground structure diagram, and the shadow of the mine spread across the screen: "Another node of the weaver."

The monitor in the medical area emitted a faint sound at 7:17 p.m.

Lin Che's fingers twitched, his blue eyes half-open, like gems immersed in ice water: "The Weaver and the Time Observer have signed an agreement."

Xiaoling was wiping his hands, the cotton swab hovering in mid-air. Lin Che's voice was like sandpaper rubbing against glass: "The Weavers manage biological transformations, the Time Observers manage time nodes. They want to open a door underground to the future, or the past."

He coughed, and Blue Scales trembled in response. "Water is the catalyst. Next comes time."

Before he could finish speaking, he closed his eyes again. Xiaoling put the cotton swab back on the tray; the silver liquid on her wrist was flowing from her veins to her fingertips.

She pulled over the lancet and pricked a hole in her fingertip: "Dr. Zhang, take my blood."

Dr. Zhang hesitated, holding up the syringe: "You've already had 200cc of fluid infused."

“Draw another 200.” Xiaoling stretched out her arm. “That should be enough to stabilize his mutation rate.”

Lu Zhao's laptop was lit up, and the screen displayed the genetic map of Xiao Ling's blood.

He typed twice on the keyboard: "We need to analyze the reaction of the sample and your blood to make a counteracting agent."

At 11 p.m., all the lights in the command center were on. Su Wanqing stood in front of the holographic projection, her shadow cast on Lin Che's brainwave diagram: "Split up and proceed."

Xiao Ran sat in the chair, his tactical boots resting against the table leg: "I'll go with you to the old industrial area."

Lu Zhao pushed the newly made sonic jammer over: "The situation underground is unclear; there might be..."

"We don't have time to wait." Su Wanqing interrupted him. "The energy source will reach its critical point in 36 hours. Should we wait for Lin Che to recover?"

She pointed towards the medical area, "He can barely even open his eyes now."

Xiaoling suddenly stood up. The silver liquid on her wrist gleamed in the fluorescent light: "Here, take this."

She handed over a small glass tube. "My blood might be useful."

Lu Zhao stuffed the jammer into Su Wanqing's backpack: "Improved version, can cover 10 meters."

He touched the inner compartment of the backpack, "There's also a portable medical kit, with Xiaoling's blood sample inside."

Su Wanqing checked the equipment. The metal handle of the tactical knife was cool against her thigh.

She looked toward the medical area, where Lin Che's monitor was still beeping regularly: "The fortress will automatically activate its highest level of defense in 36 hours."

She looked up, "Whether we come back or not."

Xiao Ran fastened the last button on his bulletproof vest: "Let's go."

The doors to the command center closed at 12:17 AM. Xiao Ling stood by the window, watching Su Wanqing and Xiao Ran's figures disappear at the end of the corridor.

The sound of Lu Zhao's keyboard rang out behind him, mixed with the ticking of the monitors in the medical area.

Lin Che's brainwave pattern suddenly jerked violently. Lu Zhao leaned closer to the screen, his pupils contracting: "Theta wave anomaly, he's receiving information streams."

Xiaoling leaned closer. The curves on the brainwave chart looked like lines tangled in the wind, occasionally piecing together a few words—"East City Checkpoint" and "Entrance to Mine No. 3".

“Just like in my dream,” Xiaoling said softly. “I can see things that haven’t happened, but they’re not fake.”

Lu Zhao saved the data into an encrypted folder: "The mutation may have allowed him to connect to the Weaver's network."

He activated the signal jammer, thinking, "We need to protect him first."

Su Wanqing's footsteps echoed in the corridor. She touched the jade bracelet on her wrist; its temperature was normal.

After turning the last corner, the lights in the underground parking garage came on, and Xiao Ran was checking the fuel tank of the SUV.

“It’s full of oil,” he said.

Su Wanqing tossed the jammer into the passenger seat: "Let's go."

The clock in the command center pointed to one in the morning. Su Wanqing brought up a holographic projection of the water plant's 3D model; the blue light made the corners of her eyes appear bluish.

Lu Zhao adjusted his glasses and drew a circle around the "processing center" location with a laser pointer: "The pipes are most densely packed here, so the source of pollution is most likely in the main water tank." "The number of night shift workers doesn't match up." Xiao Ran twirled his tactical knife halfway in his palm, then tapped the handle on the conference table. "The system reported 11 people, but the thermal imaging detected 23 heat sources."

Su Wanqing pulled up the heat source distribution map, and the red dots looked like moldy spots crawling all over the water plant: "Lin Che said that the extra 12 might have been controlled."

She tapped her knuckles against the table. “These people are not enemies, they are victims, but we cannot be soft-hearted when we take action—their attack patterns can be very extreme.”

Lu Zhao pushed the water glass aside, and a flashing triangle appeared in the hologram: "The data in the control room is more critical."

He tapped the terminal. "Water quality change curves and pollutant composition are the foundation for developing an antidote."

Xiao Ran sheathed the knife, the metallic scraping sound echoing loudly in the conference room: "What about the division of labor?"

"Three groups." Su Wanqing swiped the hologram. "Lu Zhao and Xiao Ling go to the control room; I'll take Lin Che and Xiao Ran to the processing center; leave the drone at the water source monitoring station."

She paused, then added, "Lin Che's perception is key; he must be in our group."

The lights in the weapons and equipment room were all on. Lu Zhao took a black box out of the safe, the metal clasp snapping open with a "click": "Improved sonic jammer."

He turned a knob on the side, “It can cover 5 meters, specifically targeting the communication frequency of weavers.”

Xiao Ran picked up a pair of black gloves and ran his fingertips over the circuit patterns on the surface: "This can knock people unconscious?"

“Up to 3 volts.” Lu Zhao slung the jammer over his shoulder. “It’s a numbness to ordinary people, but to them…” He didn’t finish his sentence, then looked down to adjust the equipment.

Xiaoling stood in front of the equipment rack, her fingertips tracing the zipper of her waterproof suit.

The silver liquid on her wrist suddenly moved, climbing up the back of her hand along the veins and weaving a spider web under her skin.

"Xiaoling." Lu Zhao handed over a silver bracelet. "This can enhance the properties of your blood."

He pressed the buckle, "Theoretically, it can resist biological infection, however..."

"I can try." Xiaoling stretched out her arm, and the silver liquid flowed faster under the bracelet.

Su Wanqing brought over five sets of waterproof suits, the black fabric gleaming coldly under the light: "These were changed by the system, for biohazard protection."

She tossed a set to Xiao Ran, saying, "Don't move too violently; there's a breathing valve inside."

Lin Che stood in front of the hologram, his palm hovering above the virtual water plant.

Blue lines crawled from his wrist to the back of his hand, like electrical wires swaying in the wind.

His eyes were closed, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead and onto his tactical uniform.

“The main treatment tank on the north side,” he said, his voice tightening, “is having something injected into the water.”

Suddenly opening his eyes, his pupils were a deep blue, as if they were soaked in ice. "It's not pollution, it's transformation—turning people into hosts."

Before he could finish speaking, he staggered and grabbed the table for support, his tactical uniform stretched taut across his chest.

Xiao Ran quickly went over to help him. Lin Che lifted the corner of his clothes, revealing blue scales that spread from his collarbone to his heart, with pale purple edges.

"The mutation is happening too fast." Lu Zhao took out a detector and pressed it against his chest; the readings were jumping rapidly. "Should we let Dr. Zhang take a look?"

Lin Che shook his head and pulled down the corner of his clothes: "This thing is beckoning me."

He pointed to the hologram, "If I don't go, who can locate the source of the pollution?"

Su Wanqing stood at the door, clutching the communicator in her hand: "Are you sure?"

"You guys brought stun guns." Lin Che forced a smile, his lips twitching so hard they turned pale. "If things really get out of control, Xiao Ran can just use his stun gun on me."

The equipment room door creaked open. Xiaoling stood in the doorway, clutching a silver bracelet, the silver liquid flowing down her wrist to her fingertips.

She glanced at Xiao Ran, who was checking his gloves, then at Lu Zhao, who was adjusting the jammer, and walked over to touch Lu Zhao's arm: "I want to change my mission."

Lu Zhao looked up, and the screwdriver had fallen onto the table: "What?"

“I’m not following you to get data.” Xiaoling held up the silver bracelet, the silver liquid swirling inside. “My blood can fight infection, I should go to the contaminated area to try it out.”

Xiao Ran threw the gloves he had just checked onto the table: "Too dangerous."

“The system didn’t choose me as a pretty face.” Xiao Ling stared at Xiao Ran, silver liquid dripping from her fingertips onto the ground. “You all always say you’ll protect me, but I…” She looked down at her wrist, “I can fight too.”

After distributing the waterproof suits, Su Wanqing looked up at Xiaoling. The girl's chin was taut like a string, and the liquid under her skin was flowing twice as fast as usual.

She walked over and handed the last set of waterproof clothing to Xiaoling: "You'll be in Lu Zhao's group, but you'll need to have your blood drawn before entering the control room."

Xiaoling took the clothes, and the silver liquid suddenly shrank back into her blood vessels, as if it had been pulled by something.

She adjusted her cuffs, and when she looked up, her eyes lit up: "Okay."

The clock in the command center pointed to 2:17. Su Wanqing stood in the doorway, the hilt of her tactical knife pressed against her thigh.

Lin Che leaned against the wall, blue patterns creeping out from his collar and weaving a net around his neck.

Xiao Ran inspected the stun gloves, repeatedly pressing the switch with his thumb.

"Operation codename 'Clear Spring'." Su Wanqing tucked the communicator behind her ear. "Lu Zhao, Xiao Ling, control room; me, Lin Che, Xiao Ran, processing center."

She looked at Lu Zhao and said, "The data is transmitted in real time. If there is any abnormality, we will immediately withdraw."

Lu Zhao patted the silver briefcase: "The neutralizing agent can remove surface contamination, but we need samples from the source."

Xiaoling fastened the silver bracelet, the silver liquid shimmering beneath it: "I'm drawing a blood sample."

Lin Che walked to the window, and moonlight shone on his face through the bulletproof glass.

The city was pitch black, with only a few streetlights on. He touched the scales on his chest, turned around and said, "The pollution will cover the entire city in eight hours. The source must be cut off before dawn."

Su Wanqing pulled her tactical cap down further: "Let's go."