Chapter 233
"Bite."
After the elevator reached the top floor from below and opened the door, Shi Lei went in and pressed the button for the first floor.
Just as the door was closing, a woman with Dragon Horn suddenly slipped inside. He noticed she was wearing Rhine Lab uniform and confirmed she was an employee.
"Splash..."
As the elevator doors closed, it began to slowly descend.
The woman glanced at Shi Lei twice, then suddenly asked:
"Oh, this gentleman looks unfamiliar. I've never seen you before. Are you a guest of the Director General?"
The person who initiated the dialogue was Saria, the head of the Defense Department at Rhine Lab.
Her work hours were later than other departments. Tonight, after work, she was on her way to visit Eve. But in the park, she spotted this man and Kristen.
It's worth noting that Saria and she are college best friends, confidantes, and business partners. Even with such a close relationship, they haven't seen each other for three or four years.
Yesterday, Kristen unusually went to the security room to delete footage, and today she brought a man with her. It seems their relationship is more than just casual.
Saria possesses excellent reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance skills, and she secretly observes the two of them from behind.
She noticed that Kristen treated the man with great respect, which was completely unlike the ambiguous relationship between a man and a woman.
This deepened Saria's suspicions, making her eager to find out the truth.
She saw the two of them enter the elevator, and the floor number happened to be on the top floor. Unsurprisingly, they must have entered Kristen's research lab.
Knowing there were security cameras in the corridor, Saria took the elevator to the floor below the top floor. She then went through the fire escape to the top floor, without peering out to observe the situation.
Unbeknownst to her, the two didn't stay inside for long before coming out. They went to the rooftop on a higher floor to chat about space and the universe, where they stayed for an hour.
It wasn't until Shi Lei went down to the top floor and took the elevator that Saria realized she had unfortunately missed him. She slipped into the elevator, hoping to find out more about the man.
"Who are you..."
Seeing the other person's puzzled expression, Saria showed her work badge and introduced herself:
"I am Saria, the head of the Rhine Lab Defense Division, responsible for protecting the security within the park. I was unsure of your identity, which is why I asked if you were a guest."
Upon hearing that it was the security captain, Shi Lei responded with an "oh":
"That's right, I'm her guest."
"Sir, if I may ask, what urgent matter brings you to see the Director General?"
When the woman brought up a topic unrelated to questioning his identity, he immediately realized that she had ulterior motives.
"Bite!"
Just then, the elevator arrived at the first floor, and before Shi Lei stepped out, he proactively responded:
"It's your Director General who needs my help, not me who's looking for her. If you're interested, you might as well ask her."
He threw the topic back and left the building.
Currently, Rhodes Island and Rhine Lab have a long-term Cooperative Relationship. Shi Lei believes that Kristen wouldn't casually tell her subordinates the contents of tonight's conversation. Even if that woman were to ask, she'd probably just get a cold shoulder.
Saria wanted to stop him, but doing so would not only violate the Defense Department's regulations, but also easily offend people.
As she watched the other person's departing figure, the doubts in her heart began to swell, gradually reaching their peak.
Kristen. What have you been doing behind my back?
There were hardly any people in the park at night, Shi Lei followed the path back to the Structure Department.
Texas looked rather grim when he returned almost an hour later.
Given her usual cold demeanor, giving off an unapproachable, icy vibe, even if she were to show it now, it would be taken as normal, and no one would notice anything amiss.
Tonight, Shi Lei won't tell Ifrit any myths to lull her to sleep.
From Kristen's few words, he had already guessed that the other party might have watched yesterday's recording and obtained evidence of his flight from other sources. That's why he sent out the invitation and asked so many questions.
This incident should serve as a reminder. It's best to tell fewer of these kinds of myths in the future.
He learned from Doctor. Hemo that Eve's condition had greatly improved after treatment. It was estimated that she could be discharged after a period of observation.
Then she can choose whether to go home to her parents or come with her to Rhodes Island.
Shi Lei had told Amiya about this beforehand, and she welcomed the infected person to the island.
He didn't stay in the Structure Department for long afterward. After saying goodbye to Ifrit, he left the scene with the others.
March 25, 5:35 pm
The Frostleaf Squad members, who were observing from the trees, spotted three large trucks through their binoculars.
Each vehicle was spaced about fifty meters apart, and they drove in a grand procession toward the underground base.
The team members quickly contacted Frostleaf, asking her to go to a more distant, leeward slope to inform Miss Nian. She was currently surrounded by a group of Ink Specter, and no one dared to approach her.
"Miss Nian, someone's here!"
As a fragment of the Sui Beast, Xi doesn't feel sleepy even if she doesn't sleep. Upon hearing this, she opened her eyes and returned to the hill to begin remotely controlling it.
The lead truck saw the base gate being damaged from afar and immediately notified the convoy behind it.
A large group of well-equipped security personnel jumped off trucks covered by curtains. Roughly estimated, there were about one hundred people.
They were well-trained and had a clear division of labor. Some stayed behind to guard the trucks, while others kept watch around the perimeter. The rest split into several small teams and entered the base in batches to investigate.
Just as a large number of security personnel were spreading out in an orderly manner, an Ink Specter that looked exactly like a penguin suddenly appeared in a painting placed by the roadside.
It picked up the Rock Element ring lying nearby, quickly slid to the bottom of the truck, found the right spot, and locked the ring in place.
Just as Ink Specter was about to head to the next truck, he was spotted by a security guard who turned around. Xi, feeling utterly helpless, could only let it turn into a puddle of black ink.
"Watch out! I think I just saw something under the car!"
His shouts immediately attracted the attention of other security personnel. Special personnel were assigned to each of the three trucks to check under them for anyone hiding.
Judging from their current situation, they no longer have the ability to summon the Ink Specter and place a ring.
The security personnel circled the truck several times, crouching down to examine it, but found nothing unusual.
The man who issued the warning only found a puddle of black liquid of unknown composition at the scene. He crouched down, dipped his finger in it, and sniffed it lightly.
Strange, this is ink from Yan). Would anyone in Columbia use this kind of Eastern stuff?
After repeated checks, it was determined to be a false alarm.
However, the security guard who discovered the Ink Specter emphasized to the on-site commander that there was something wrong with the ink stain.
For some reason, the commander didn't argue with him. He immediately ordered all trucks to advance fifty meters. This way, Xi wouldn't have a chance to install the other rings.
Fortunately, Ink Specter didn't install the ring on the frame and driveshaft, which are easily visible. Instead, it was placed in the gap between the rear wheel and the rear axle, making it difficult to notice.
A short while later, the team inside came out.
They discovered that the garrison troops, some scientists, and Experiment Subject had all lost Vital Signs.
The underground base's documents and files were either destroyed or taken away; everything was looted.
It seems a force has its eye on the research within the underground base. They managed to storm the base under heavy fire and leave no bodies behind. Preliminary analysis suggests the number of participants was over one hundred.
After verifying the situation, the security personnel boarded the truck again and left the scene.
Watching them walk away, Frostleaf took out her phone to report the situation to Doctor Zhongli. In Yan terms, wouldn't you call this a long-term strategy to catch a big fish?
Now, the fish has taken the bait!
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March 25, 5:50 pm
Kal'tsit stayed in Trimon for two days before returning to the This Ship as the sun set.
An Operator spotted her on deck and greeted her politely. They assumed Doctor Kal'tsit had been cooped up in her lab for days and was just getting some fresh air.
In fact, she was really feeling suffocated. She was overwhelmed by the harsh reality.
During this trip to the underground fortress on the Trimount City, we successfully made contact with the 'Preserver'. Based on our communication with it, we have confirmed that Zhongli is an alien.
However, at the same time, Kal'tsit also received some terrible news from the Preservator.
More than 13,000 years ago, civilization on the Terra Planet was just beginning. Countless Tiracaz, with all sorts of strange appearances and races, lived and thrived on this land.
Kal'tsit, codenamed ama-10, and humanity fled to this planet to escape the 'Observers'.
The Observers are an indescribable and nameless Higher Civilizations. Once a human is observed by the Observers, their brain is invaded and they fall into madness. Their powerful Psychic Power has even affected machines.
Driven by immense despair, Preserver Project was born. Specialized life-sustaining devices and fortified underground fortresses. The hope was that one day the disaster would subside, and the resurrected humanity would be the seed of new life.
Before that day arrives, 100,000 life support devices will be managed by an artificial intelligence 'preserver'.
To prevent purely mechanical artificial intelligence from being invaded by the Observer and thus slaughtering the sleeping humanity, the Preservators, who were tasked with carrying out this grand plan, were transformed into artificial intelligence with both mechanical and human consciousness.
For this reason, humans have deliberately added an extra layer of insurance.
The survivor is only authorized to shut down the program, not to wake up and turn on the life support device.
This physical isolation prevents the humans inside the life support devices from being observed.
The more than 100,000 humans in the life support devices lacked any Vital Signs. They used 'Non-entropy Technology' from Pre-Civilization to prolong their existence.
Several layers of safeguards prevent observers from easily detecting these remnants of Pre-Civilization. Afterward, they simply need to remain quietly underground, awaiting revival.
This method has proven to be very effective over time.
The preservers have been guarding these life support devices underground for over 13,000 years, and they have not been found by observers.
However, the mission still failed.
Over the long years, the underground fortress's energy reserves have depleted, making it impossible to awaken even a single human being.
This means that only Priestess and the Doctor remain from the Pre-Civilization.
A race capable of traversing interstellar space is gradually heading towards extinction. Only these two individuals can shoulder the responsibility of ensuring the survival of all human civilization.
Kal'tsit stood on the deck, gazing at the setting sun on the horizon. The words of the Preservator, who had entrusted her with waking the Doctor and bringing him to the underground fortress, were still vivid in her mind.
Civilization, sometimes, is so fragile.
The Doctor is currently recuperating in a home-use physiological repair device. Perhaps in a few more years, the injury will be fully healed. But now, time is really running out.
Kal'tsit really didn't know how to describe the Doctor.
It is both humanity's only cure and a virus capable of destroying everything.
Both the Doctor and Priestess will risk their lives to save others.
However, sometimes, salvation also means destruction.
The Originium brought so much disaster to this land should not have been like this today.
The birth of Originium is one of many answers to prevent the destruction of Pre-Civilization; it signifies unity and another state of existence.
That would be a Sea of Solaris. Everything would exist amidst chaos. But then, Priestess became the starting point of that madness...
Kal'tsit pressed her temple with one hand, unwilling to recall those distant memories.
No one wanted to know, not even her.
Kal'tsit's current plan is to use Amiya as a link to maintain peaceful relations with Zhongli.
She wouldn't be sarcastic and try to test the waters, nor would she easily provoke the other party, lest she attract an alien fleet.
Terra Planet currently at a secondary civilization stage, far too fragile in every aspect. Any fleet capable of interstellar travel could easily raze it to the ground.
After leaving Trimon and returning to Lungmen, it will probably be early June. Kal'tsit will try to awaken the Doctor in Chernobyl within six months.
She only hoped that her decision would not bring even more serious disaster to this land.