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Chapter 94 Suspended Cooperation

Su Wanqing walked to the battle map and gently tapped the outline of the chemical plant with her fingertips.

A sense of unease hung in the air; she could feel the cracks within the team quietly widening.

"Pause." She said to Lin Che, Xiao Ran, and Professor Yang, who were standing around her, her voice calm but firm.

"Suspend all risky operations targeting the chemical plant immediately."

Xiao Ran reacted first, frowning. "Pause? Wan Qing, we've already located the target location. They might be conducting further experiments there. Retreating now isn't..."

“It’s nothing.” Su Wanqing interrupted him, her gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"It's not about sacrificing more people, nor is it about acting blindly. Our information isn't clear enough right now, and the risks of taking action are too great. More importantly, we need to re-examine what each of us is doing in this team, and where we're headed."

Professor Yang adjusted his glasses and said in a gentle voice, "Su Wanqing is right. Hasty action will only bring greater losses. Zhou Licheng's behavior has gone beyond common sense. There must be a deeper force behind him. We must be cautious."

Lin Che remained silent, simply standing there quietly, his purple hair standing out starkly in the dim light.

His gaze would occasionally fall on Su Wanqing, carrying an elusive emotion.

"Che, what are your thoughts?" Su Wanqing asked proactively.

Lin Che hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Ye... he said that the chemical plant is very dangerous, that it is home to a large number of infected people, and also other... abandoned things."

"Danger?" Xiao Ran sneered. "When have we ever been afraid of danger? Haven't we encountered enough danger along the way?"

“This is different.” Su Wanqing shook her head. “This is an unknown danger, and we need to be fully prepared. Che, I need you and Ye to tell me honestly that you know more than we do, don’t you?”

Lin Che's body trembled slightly, and a struggle flashed in his eyes as he looked at Su Wanqing.

The voice of the night echoed in his mind, carrying a chilling warning: "Don't tell her, don't expose our secret!"

"Night... what are you holding back?" Su Wanqing's voice became even more stern.

Lin Che took a deep breath and slowly said, "Ye... he doesn't want to reveal his identity, he's worried..."

"What are you worried about?" Su Wanqing pressed.

“He’s worried about being used.” Lin Che’s voice was very soft. “He was used by Zhou Licheng before, and he doesn’t want to be a pawn again.”

Su Wanqing narrowed her eyes, realizing that Ye's trust in her was far from sufficient.

"Night, listen to me," Su Wanqing said directly to Lin Che, as if she were talking to thin air.

“I know you’ve been through a lot, but I have to tell you that our goal is the same: to eliminate the virus and save humanity. If you continue to hide the truth, I will have to take some measures, such as… directly isolating your consciousness so that you can no longer influence Lin Che.”

Lin Che's body trembled violently. He clutched his head in pain and let out a low groan.

The voice of the night grew even more frantic in his mind: "Don't trust her, she wants to control us, she wants to take away our freedom!"

After a fierce internal struggle, Lin Che finally nodded, indicating his compromise.

“I…I will tell you everything, but…please don’t hurt Ye, and don’t weaken your protection of me.”

Su Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief. She knew this was only a temporary compromise, but at least it gave her hope.

“Very good,” Su Wanqing said. “Now, I need everyone’s cooperation to start analyzing Professor Yang’s temporary logs and resource clues. We need to piece together the complete deployment map of the central laboratory as soon as possible. Lu Zhao, you are most familiar with electronic equipment, so you will be in charge of this task.”

Lu Zhao nodded without saying anything.

Xiao Ran watched from the side and noticed that Lu Zhao's expression was somewhat strange.

He inadvertently saw the files Lu Zhao had left on the tablet, some records about remote communication and data encryption.

These records indicate that Lu Zhao had secretly devised another plan to track the target, but had not revealed it to his team.

“Lu Zhao.” Xiao Ran walked up to Lu Zhao and asked in a serious tone.

"Is there anything else you're hiding from us?"

Lu Zhao was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting Xiao Ran to notice his secret.

He hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "I'm just... making some preparations for emergencies. In case communications are interrupted, I need a backup plan."

"A backup plan?" Xiao Ran sneered. "You kept it from us and made up a plan on your own. Is that what you call dealing with emergencies? That's betrayal!"

Su Wanqing immediately walked over and interrupted the two. "Shut up!"

She looked sternly at Lu Zhao. "Lu Zhao, as the team's technical lead, your responsibility is to provide technical support to the team, not to conduct independent operations in secret. You must understand that any solo action could threaten the team's safety. If you engage in similar behavior again, I will not hesitate to expel you from the team."

Lu Zhao lowered his head and remained silent. He knew that Su Wanqing's warning was serious.

Su Wanqing looked around at the group of people with complicated expressions, knowing that although these instructions were somewhat harsh, they were for the safety of the team.

“Now, let’s start again,” Su Wanqing announced. “Professor Yang, analyze the logs with all your might. Lu Zhao, submit your backup plan for the team’s review. Che, continue communicating with Ye and obtain as much information as possible. Xiao Ran, you are in charge of vigilance and ensuring the team’s safety.”

In the quiet room, everyone began to act according to Su Wanqing's instructions.

Although they were still filled with doubt and worry, they all understood that only by uniting could they get through this difficult end times.

Lin Che stood aside, sensing the struggle and resentment that Ye was experiencing in his mind. He knew that the road ahead was still long, and they would face even more challenges.

"Based on the analyzed distribution map, the laboratory's exact location was determined to be on the third underground level of the chemical plant, disguised as a maintenance area for abandoned ventilation ducts."

Professor Yang adjusted his glasses and pointed to a hidden entrance on the holographic projection.

"According to Zhou Licheng's log, they transferred key supplies, including virus sample mutation culture medium and some experimental data, there."

Su Wanqing walked to the projection and carefully observed the area marked in red.

"The task of transferring supplies has been identified as a priority and must be obtained as soon as possible. Those culture media may be key clues to cracking the virus."

"The main problem now is the laboratory's defenses," Lu Zhao said in a flat and calm voice.

“I analyzed the lab’s energy supply and monitoring system. Although it’s connected to the chemical plant’s main system, it has its own backup power and security protocols. Bypassing the security system is very difficult, and the automatic defense procedures there are quite sophisticated.” Xiao Ran crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, his tone slightly impatient.

"Difficult? When have we ever been afraid of difficulty? Just blow it up!"

Su Wanqing glanced at him sideways. "The commotion is too great. If it alerts other infected individuals or Zhou Licheng's people, our situation will become even more dangerous. Moreover, we need to obtain the data as completely as possible; sabotage will only cause us to lose more information."

Lin Che stood silently beside Su Wanqing, feeling the whispers of the night in his mind.

Night seemed to be very familiar with the interior of the laboratory, constantly providing subtle hints.

"Che, what are your thoughts?" Su Wanqing turned and asked.

Lin Che hesitated for a moment before saying, "Ye said... there's a hidden biometric scanner at the entrance to the supply depot, which requires specific permissions to pass through. But he's unsure of the source of those permissions."

"Where did the access come from?" Xiao Ran asked, puzzled. "Zhou Licheng and his people? Or people inside the lab?"

“It’s impossible to confirm at the moment.” Lin Che shook his head. “Ye only remembers some fragmented images. He said… in that laboratory, there was some… research on live animal modification.”

Su Wanqing's expression changed slightly. "Living body modification? What exactly does that mean?"

“He described some human specimens that were being modified… The techniques were cruel, and highly consistent with the experimental reports we reviewed earlier.” Lin Che’s voice was low, tinged with disgust.

Silence filled the room. Su Wanqing took a deep breath and said, "It seems Zhou Licheng and his men are even more insane than we imagined. Xiao Ran, you're in charge of the feint attack on the supply depot to draw the attention of the defenses inside the laboratory."

Xiao Ran grinned. "Alright, just what I wanted. Then let me experience the taste of 'madness'."

"Lu Zhao, you are in charge of hacking the lab's surveillance system and trying to bypass the biometric scanner."

Su Wanqing continued, "Che, you and Ye work together to find a breakthrough from the side. I will personally lead a team into the supply depot and bring back the key supplies."

"Captain, I suggest destroying those modified devices," Xiao Ran suddenly said.

"The very existence of those things is a trampling of human morality. Rather than letting them continue to function, it is better to destroy them completely."

Su Wanqing shook her head. "This isn't a moral issue. Our primary goal is to obtain crucial information about the virus, not to cause damage. If we destroy the equipment, we might lose the opportunity to rescue those victims. Besides, Zhou Licheng and his group likely have backups; destroying one lab won't stop them from conducting similar experiments. Taking the supplies first is the only way to deal with a bigger threat."

"Understood," Xiao Ran replied, though his tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

Lin Che suddenly spoke, his voice clearer than usual. "Ye said...deep inside the specimen room, there is an additional storage device containing some unpublished experimental data."

Su Wanqing's heart skipped a beat. "An additional storage device? Does Ye know its exact location?"

“He only knows the general direction; we need to search the site carefully,” Lin Che replied.

"Alright, Lu Zhao, mission changed. While attempting to hack the biometric scanner, keep an eye on the specimen room area. Notify me immediately if you find any suspicious locations," Su Wanqing issued the new instructions.

Lu Zhao nodded, his fingers flying across the tablet.

"Action!" Su Wanqing gave the order, and the team sprang into action.

Instead of entering the chemical plant through the main gate, they went around to the sewage pipes at the back and used the small drilling equipment that Lu Zhao brought to open an entrance to the third underground level.

The laboratory was dark and damp, filled with a pungent smell of disinfectant and decay.

Although Lu Zhao tried his best to bypass the laboratory's monitoring system, he still triggered the isolation procedure for the high-voltage area.

"Alarm! Alarm! High-pressure area isolation procedure activated!" A piercing alarm sounded inside the laboratory, and red warning lights began to flash.

"Oh no, Lu Zhao, we've been discovered!" Xiao Ran whispered.

"I'm trying to disable the quarantine process, but the system firewall is too powerful."

While operating the tablet, Lu Zhao said, "Captain, we must change our evacuation route and detour through the ventilation ducts."

Su Wanqing frowned, but nodded nonetheless. "I'll listen to you. Che, you guys go search the specimen room first, Xiao Ran and I will cover you."

Lin Che responded and, guided by the night, quickly moved towards the specimen room.

Su Wanqing and Xiao Ran created some chaos inside the laboratory, attracting the attention of the laboratory security personnel.

When they arrived at the supply depot, they found the gate locked and equipped with a biometric scanner.

"Lu Zhao, how's it going?" Su Wanqing asked through the communicator.

“Cracking the scanner is very difficult. I have tried all possible algorithms, but I cannot bypass them.”

Lu Zhao's voice was somewhat anxious. "I suspect that this scanner is directly linked to the command system of the base's central hub, which means that we cannot completely crack it independently."

"The base's central hub?" Su Wanqing's heart skipped a beat. It seemed this laboratory was far more important than she had imagined.

Just then, Ye's voice suddenly rang in Lin Che's mind: "Left wall, fifth brick, can be opened."

Without hesitation, Lin Che immediately walked to the left wall and, following Ye's instructions, pressed down hard on the fifth brick.

With a "click," a hidden entrance appeared in the wall.

Su Wanqing and Xiao Ran rushed over and saw that Lin Che had opened a passage leading to a small storage room.

"Is this the extra storage device Ye mentioned?" Su Wanqing asked.

Lin Che nodded and said, "Night Talk contains some unpublished experimental data, as well as some... important things."

They cautiously entered the storage room and found it filled with countless hard drives and data cards.

"This...this is simply a treasure trove of data." Lu Zhao looked at the hard drives, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

"If we can bring this data back, we can completely unlock the secrets of the virus."

Just then, the alarm inside the laboratory sounded even louder, and more security personnel rushed over.

"Time is running out, we must evacuate as soon as possible!" Su Wanqing said.

Lu Zhao quickly packed the hard drive and data card into his backpack, while Su Wanqing and Xiao Ran covered their retreat.