Within the cramped, narrow ventilation ducts, the Spirit Magnetic Material continuously split into dozens of winding little mercury snakes, each finding and burrowing into an Exhaust Fan running at full power—or even beyond its limits.
The Exhaust Fans' originally rhythmic hum immediately turned halting and jarring, even shrill and piercing, as though internal components had fallen loose and were being driven by the high-speed propellers to scrape the fans' inner walls full of holes and scars.
Amid sprays of sparks and smoke, dozens of Exhaust Fans distributed throughout the ventilation ducts were crippled almost simultaneously.
Separated by only one wall, the Sewage Treatment Plant was burning and exploding. Its expanding flames and thick smoke immediately surged back into the Underground Laboratory, turning the areas around the corridors into a foul, black haze where one could not see one's own outstretched hand.
"Hiss! Hiss!"
The automated firefighting and sterilization systems installed above the corridors were all activated, spraying vast amounts of highly adhesive foam downward.
The Underground Laboratory's staff had already donned layer upon layer of protective suits. Looking through their Gas Masks, their fields of vision were narrow and visibility was extremely poor.
Now, their Gas Masks were splattered with foam that could not be wiped clean no matter how hard they tried. Between the glaring flames and the pitch-black Poisonous Fog, it naturally became even harder for them to notice an intruder.
Moreover, when the firefighting and sterilization systems activated automatically, a door silently opened in the corridor wall, which had appeared as smooth as a mirror. Inside was a small fire station stocked with various safety equipment, including Fire Foam Spray Cans, Negative Pressure Sealing Suits, Gas Masks, and First Aid Kits.
Originally, this equipment had been prepared for staff who were suddenly exposed to high temperatures and