Chapter 33: Madness in the Base (Please Vote for Recommendation)_1

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On the way to the base, Jiang Yu asked Baluo why they decided to build the base in such a remote, impoverished inland country?

Baluo answered, "Firstly, it's hard to be discovered here, and secondly, it's what you Chinese call 'darkness under the lamp.'

"Building under the eyes of two great powers achieves the effect of catching them by surprise," Baluo continued.

Jiang Yu thought to himself, that's typical Adventist thinking: "Haven't the two key technologies already started being applied? Why not hurry and dissolve the base?"

Having both technologies in one base, and even the existence of the research base, would be a huge target.

No wonder Ye Wenjie was so concerned; the base contained all the technological achievements of the Adventists, which anyone would covet.

Baluo wasn't suspicious, after all, Kong Xiang wasn't in charge of the actual technical aspects, so it was normal for him not to know the details.

He cautiously said, "Because there are many by-products still in development."

Jiang Yu followed up with, "Like the 'self-destruct' by-product?"

Baluo hadn't expected Jiang Yu to know so much, and his guard dropped a notch: "Right, mainly it's the by-products of biology and brain science; they are deeply interrelated, so it's suitable to research them together.

"There are also many precious test subjects in there, not suitable to be moved out of the base."

Jiang Yu didn't ask further, but he was very interested in the "precious test subjects" Baluo had mentioned.

The two cars stopped in front of a small thermal power plant, and under the lights, Jiang Yu vaguely saw piles of coal on the ground, along with the huge chimneys and tall boilers.

The lead car had been honking for a while, but the gatekeeper didn't respond, so the man who could speak Mongolian, called Wei Si, got out to check.

The gatekeeper was missing!

Jiang Yu saw the security cameras outside the guardhouse were still working, which meant the power plant's defenses were still active.

After a quick discussion, everyone decided to go in together to check.

Given the unclear situation, Baluo didn't feel comfortable leaving Jiang Yu outside alone and took him into the base with them.

Jiang Yu hadn't expected to enter the base so smoothly; it was good to scout ahead in case the Adventists decided to mount a last stand inside the base.

The secret door to the base was near the chimney, cleverly concealed using 3D projection technology.

If you weren't in the know, you'd never find the secret door without searching inch by inch.

The main structure of the base was underground, and inside the secret door, there was an elevator for movement up and down.

The lights in front of the elevator were also on normally, but there was no one there when there should have been guards inside the door.

With trepidation and caution, the group entered the elevator.

Suddenly, Jiang Yu said, "I just remembered the plot of the first 'Resident Evil' movie; the Umbrella Corporation was also underground, and the zombie virus started spreading from down below."

A few young people who had seen 'Resident Evil' looked tense, but Lisha shook her head and smiled, "As far as I know, there's no virus in the world that can turn people into zombies.

"Even if a virus mutates, it's impossible; at most, it would just make people die faster and more painfully."

As they were talking, they reached the first basement level, the elevator doors opened, and the corridor was eerily empty, the white light making it seem even more spacious.

Suddenly, a door on the left side of the corridor opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a hat came out. He was startled to see Baluo and the others: "Lisha, Baluo! Where have you been these past few days?"

Finally relieved, Baluo said, "Hanfos, old buddy, it's so good to see you again."

Hanfos sidestepped Baluo's embrace, "What is that smell on you?"

Only then did Baluo begin to explain their recent ordeal, and Hanfos revealed that the personnel in the base were evacuating, and not many were left.

"""

Hanfos first took them to change clothes and have a meal. The two couldn't help but gnash their teeth when they talked about the ruthlessness of the Redemptionists.

Lisha and several others seemed to relax, discussing what to eat later with smiles and laughter.

Only Jiang Yu felt that there was something strange about this Hanfos; he hadn't even asked about Jiang Yu's background!

Barlo and the others were all typical Westerners, with only Jiang Yu as an Asian and a newcomer to the base. He should've been interrogated.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Jiang Yu smelled a faint scent of blood.

This smell was exactly the same as the one after Chu Xu's murder yesterday. Jiang Yu guessed he would never forget it.

Barlo and the others had been "cultured" in the sheep pen for a few days and probably had a weakened sense of smell, so they hadn't detected the blood.

The leading Barlo was talking to Hanfos when the elevator at the end of the corridor suddenly opened, releasing about a dozen people.

They were all dressed like Hanfos in white lab coats, wearing the same style of cap, staring intently at Barlo and his group.

Just as Barlo was about to ask, he suddenly felt his collar grabbed and yanked backward, causing him to fall back.

Almost at the same time, the previously kind-looking Hanfos suddenly turned vicious and stabbed a dagger at Barlo. If not for that pull, the dagger would have certainly hit him.

Barlo looked back to see that it was Jiang Yu who had pulled him.

Lisha and the others were so shocked by this sudden change that they froze in place, not knowing what to do.

Hanfos tackled a young man nearby, shouting, "Death to you traitors!"

With his knife wildly stabbing, the young man soon lost his breath.

Bang!

Jiang Yu shot Hanfos in the head, and his hand shook uncontrollably for a moment after firing.

Hanfos fell to the ground, convulsing, a sight that sent chills through Jiang Yu.

The gunshot seemed to be a signal for attack, as the dozen people at the end of the corridor charged forward, yelling.

Barlo and the others ran back, but the other direction was already filled with people.

They were surrounded!

Despite the shock, the seasoned Barlo quickly regained composure. He used his own fingerprint to open a laboratory door and locked it from the inside.

The laboratory doors were very sturdy. Once locked from the inside, they're hard to open from the outside, giving them a moment to breathe.

The severe exertion from before left the group dizzy and blurry-eyed from hunger. Barlo had his two students mix some glucose in water with the lab's supplies to replenish their energy.

Then, he turned to Jiang Yu and said solemnly, "Bringing you here was the right decision. I'm very grateful you saved me just now!"

Jiang Yu responded irritably, "I've saved you three times now, and only now you say thank you?"

He then asked, "Tell me, are you secretly researching some virus or weapon that's driven everyone here mad?"

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from the laboratory's loudspeaker, "Resistance is futile, and you cannot turn the tide. Surrender now, and I won't kill you..."

Barlo's expression changed slightly, "That's the voice of 'Athena,' the base's central computer!"

Wei Si looked surprised, "The AI has rebelled?"

Jiang Yu pointed outside, "How do you explain them trying to kill us like crazed beings? Are they robots being commanded by the AI?"