Chapter 53: An Entrance

Ju Ling initially found nothing, so she implemented a simple method: she had the Red Alert Soldiers form a line and search meticulously.

The area with the black dots was relatively small, covering a maximum of about five square miles. With a hundred people searching inch by inch, they would quickly cover the entire area.

It was through this method that the Red Alert Soldiers eventually made a discovery.

"Vice Commander, there's something unusual about this grass," a soldier pointed to a blade of grass and reported.

"What's unusual about it?" Ju Ling walked over and inspected it, but at first glance, she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

On a closer look, however, Ju Ling also noticed it. Being a super unit stronger than ordinary soldiers, her perception was much keener.

Once she detected something, she could quickly identify it.

In her perception, this blade of grass was not just ordinary grass—it possessed vitality and contradictions.

If it weren't for the meticulous search conducted by the Red Alert Soldiers, Ju Ling would not have noticed this blade of grass.

Not only did they find this blade of grass, but the Red Alert Soldiers also discovered dozens of similar ones in the vicinity. Ju Ling even pulled out one of the grasses and examined it closely, eventually discovering something unusual.

There were traces of human activity within this blade of grass!

"There's definitely something going on here. Search the area!" Ju Ling commanded.

While the Red Alert Soldiers continued their search, Ju Ling reported the situation to Su Chen. At that moment, Su Chen couldn't see what was happening on-site and could only rely on Ju Ling's updates.

When he heard about Ju Ling pulling out a blade of grass, he fell silent for a moment and issued an order to pull out all the similar grasses.

Su Chen noticed that when Ju Ling plucked a blade of grass, the dark curtain on his interface seemed to dim slightly.

Indeed, subsequent actions confirmed his observation. As each blade of grass was removed, the black curtain grew lighter and lighter, until it vanished completely!

These grasses had the astonishing effect of blocking the radar. It was truly unbelievable!

"Ju Ling, keep these grasses secure and have the engineers study them when we return. Maybe we can uncover something significant."

The engineers at the base had always played a supportive role and were unable to join the battlefield. Their tasks were limited to logistical work.

Finally, they had something to delve into. The fact that certain grasses could generate effects such effect was a first for Su Chen.

If the technology within the grass could be researched and incorporated into the generator, its future potential could be even greater.

The System had informed him that any construction unit had the potential to become stronger, but it required research, and the primary researchers were these engineers.

Unfortunately, he couldn't establish a combat laboratory at the moment; otherwise, the research process would be much shorter.

"Yes, Commander." Ju Ling stored all the grasses in her backpack. Only she had the necessary qualifications to safeguard such important items.

Soon, a soldier rushed over. "Vice Commander, we've found an entrance!"

Ju Ling's expression changed slightly, and she hurried over.

She discovered a discreet small door concealed within a tree trunk. The disguise was flawless, and if it weren't for the Red Alert Soldiers, it would likely have gone unnoticed by others.

"Ten people will enter and investigate the situation inside. Be cautious," Ju Ling ordered.

Ten fully armed Red Alert Soldiers entered through the small door. Although the door appeared small, it led to an underground passage.

The radar was powerful, but it couldn't penetrate the ground. Su Chen could only observe the scene of the Red Alert Soldiers entering the small door but couldn't see what lay beyond.

He felt a deep sense of curiosity. The black dots possessed grass that could obstruct the radar and now a mysterious entrance. What lay beneath this entrance?

Approximately ten minutes later, a Red Alert Soldier returned. "Vice Commander, the underground space is extensive and appears to be an underground facility. We haven't encountered any immediate threats."

"Very well, leave thirty people here to stand guard. The rest of us will proceed." Ju Ling, being a decisive person, wasted no time and ventured in.

Entering through the small door, they found themselves in a narrow passage resembling a pipeline that allowed only one person to enter or exit at a time.

After descending around one hundred meters, Ju Ling finally reached the ground and had a chance to observe her surroundings.

She discovered herself in a hall roughly two hundred meters wide, with walls constructed from various metals and devoid of anyone except Red Alert Soldiers.

"Deputy Commander, we have six passages branching out from this hall. Which one should we take?" a soldier inquired.

Ju Ling surveyed the area and noticed six passages, each blocked by a metal door. She approached one of the doors and found some writing on it.

"They're all dead, they're all dead! Those bastards, I clearly instructed them not to... damn research, damn it..."

"Hehe, can humans truly survive? They're all monsters from... What are we fighting against?"

"Hahaha! Humans will prevail, humans will prevail. Kill those monsters, they're all..."

Most of the writing remained legible, but some crucial sections appeared to have been crossed out, rendering them unreadable even to Ju Ling.

"What is this place? Why are there these writings? Did someone conduct research here? Is it a hidden research facility?" Ju Ling furrowed her brows.

She then had a soldier fire at the walls around them, but the bullets left no mark!

Red Alert Soldiers were enhanced to Third-order Peak, and their weapons could pierce the defenses of Third-order Mutant Beasts. However, they had no effect on these walls, which possessed an incredibly strong defense.

Ju Ling conducted another test by firing her own weapon, which merely left a small hole in the wall without penetrating it completely.

This astonished Ju Ling since her weapon could even stop Sixth Order Mutant Beasts. Yet, these walls halted her bullets, which was inconceivable.

"Groups of ten, enter one passage each, leaving ten people behind. Let's proceed," Ju Ling commanded.

She entered the passage where she had seen the writing earlier. The metal doors appeared to be locked, but with a barrage of gunfire from the soldiers, the doors gave way.

Fortunately, the metal doors were not constructed from the same material as the walls; otherwise, their weapons would have proven futile.

Inside the passage, darkness enveloped them, but they were prepared and retrieved night vision goggles from their backpacks, enabling clear vision.

As they ventured further, an unpleasant odor assailed their senses—a stench akin to fermented stinky tofu soaked in rancid socks for several days. It was simply unbearable.