Chapter 61: Rescue Mission!

"Kid, the scanner is not omnipotent. It can only penetrate rock layers within ten meters, and the research center is much deeper than that," Buck said as he surveyed the surroundings. After a few seconds, he waved his hand and said, "Wild Boar and Great White Shark, search for an entrance. The rest of you, stay alert."

In the next moment, the eleven individuals dispersed and started their respective tasks. 

Zhou Yuan stood guard at a good defensive position. Behind him and on both sides were high slopes, and the only entrance for the bugs was the valley they came from. However, he couldn't shake off the ominous feeling rising in his heart.

This position was strategically advantageous, but if too many bugs came, they would be trapped and unable to escape. While a tactical nuclear bomb could be used as a last resort, the proximity to the valley entrance meant it could harm themselves and hinder their retreat. If possible, they wanted to avoid using it.

"Boss, we've got it!"

"The elevator shaft is blocked by bugs, but we can take the safe passage!"

After a brief moment of vigilance, Wild Boar's voice came through the earpiece.

"Good. Everyone, gather," Buck commanded.

Leading the group, Buck walked into the partially collapsed bunker. He carefully examined the staircase entrance, which was piled with numerous bug corpses, and raised his fist, saying, "Soft Egg and Falcon, stay here and keep watch. Report any findings immediately. The rest of you, follow me."

The staircase led downward, into the interior of the research center. Based on the scene within this secure passage, not all of the research center had been compromised. There were initially three hundred mobile infantry stationed here, and the number of soldier corpses they encountered didn't exceed one hundred.

Before the entrance was breached by the bugs, they had a chance to lead the scientists into the safe room.

...

As they entered the research center, Zhou Yuan, who served as a machine gunner, remained at the forefront. The situation on the first underground level was not great; there wasn't even a single intact floor tile, and there were dozens of corpses.

Deeper inside, occasional sounds could still be heard, indicating that some bug soldiers had not left yet.

"Butchery, relax a bit, don't go trigger-happy."

"I've scanned the area with the scanner, and this level is safe," Recovery Station lightly patted Zhou Yuan's shoulder and whispered.

"Don't listen to him." Compared to the relaxed Recovery Station, Storm was undoubtedly more cautious. He reminded, "Like the captain said earlier, the scanner is not infallible."

"It could malfunction or fail to detect new bugs. We can't let our guard down for a moment during the mission."

Hearing Storm's words, Recovery Station felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Buddy, I just wanted to ease the tension."

"Butchery is new here and hasn't experienced this kind of place before. I don't want him to feel too much pressure."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Zhou Yuan replied softly, raising his hand to signal the team to stop.

In the midst of their conversation, the three machine gunners who acted as vanguards had reached the end of the first underground level. The staircase leading to the second level was just ahead.

Faint sounds emanated from the stairwell, resembling the footsteps of bugs treading on steel flooring.

"The metal floor is too thick, making it difficult for the scanner to see clearly."

"However, from the blurry image, it seems like there are sand beetles down there, but they are not very big in size."

"Regardless, the things below are not large insects, otherwise they would have already charged up here."

The team inspected the area with a scanner.

"Okay, I'll lead the way!" Zhou Yuan nodded, switched to his handgun, and descended the stairs slowly.

The recycling station made a valid point.

The thermal sensing of the soldier bugs was strong, and even though the metal floor here was thick, it couldn't completely block their heat detection.

"It's indeed sand beetles!"

Arriving at the second underground level, Zhou Yuan furrowed his brow.

There were many sand beetles here, gathered together, cooperating in carrying human corpses. They must be planning to bring them back to their nest as food.

The exoskeleton of the Arachnis bug had energy-absorbing properties, allowing them to survive by absorbing various forms of energy.

But they had a digestive system and a body structure that supported feeding. When encountering organic matter, they would become voracious and eat everything clean.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

[Killed one sand beetle, obtained 1 soul point.]

[Killed one sand beetle, obtained...]

After checking the surrounding area and finding no soldier bugs, Zhou Yuan didn't hesitate and killed all the sand beetles in this group.

This was his first time killing sand beetles, and he didn't expect the price to be the same as soldier bugs, 1 soul point per beetle.

But thinking about it, sand beetles were so weak that even a fruit knife could kill them. Getting 1 soul point per beetle was already a conscience of the system.

"Hurry up, let's go!" 

Buck arrived on the second level, surveyed the surroundings, and urged the team to pick up the pace.

Sand beetles were only responsible for egg-laying and logistics. Their presence here indicated that this place had been completely overrun by the bugs.

So they needed to hurry.

They had to quickly understand the situation in the research center, rescue any survivors if there were any, and evacuate quickly. This was not a good place to be.

"I've been waiting for you to say that!"

Zhou Yuan switched back to his machine gun, took the lead, and rushed into the corridor, searching through various rooms.

He still had that ominous premonition, and now he just wanted to finish the mission as soon as possible and leave this cursed place.

After witnessing the power of a tactical nuclear bomb up close, his desire for soul points diminished, and his concern for his own safety increased significantly.

... ...

Five minutes later, the group arrived at the eighth underground level.

This research center had a total of ten levels, and they were approaching the deepest part.

Starting from the fifth level, they encountered soldier bugs along their way.

But the number of soldier bugs wasn't large, less than fifty in total. Each person could easily take care of them with a couple pulls of the trigger, and they proceeded without any surprises.

In addition to killing bugs, they also made progress on their mission.

They found many instruments and facilities for storing data, and they dismantled all the storage disks and took them away.

Even if they couldn't rescue a single survivor, these things would be enough for them to report back.

"Shh!"

Just as they were about to step onto the stairs leading to the ninth level, Zhou Yuan suddenly heard a faint noise.

It was the sound of soldier bugs, a sound he was all too familiar with.

"Captain, I hear the sound of soldier bugs and crashing!" 

Zhou Yuan immediately turned around and reported to Buck.

"Advance at a run, open fire at will!"

Without hesitation, Buck picked up his rifle and ran towards the stairs.

Although he hadn't heard any sounds himself, he believed that Zhou Yuan wouldn't lie at a time like this.

If the research center had already been overrun by the bugs, what were they crashing into?

The only possibility was that there were still survivors here, and the bugs were attacking the safe room.