Beep.
After a brief chime, the elevator doors opened automatically.
The screen beside the elevator buttons displayed one number in stark relief: 404.
Through the open doors, part of the scene on Level 404 came into view.
Everything looked clean and bright. The corridor walls were decorated in a sleek, futuristic palette of blue, white, and silver.
A staff member whose thoughts had been distorted stood at the elevator entrance, looking dazed, as if wondering how he had ended up there.
Lu Bai stepped out first. Despite the extensive network of cameras providing comprehensive surveillance, none of them could detect him while he was invisible.
There was no chance of getting lost.
That was because there was only one route on this level.
At the end of it lay the entrance to the elevator that led to the surface.
He had not gone far before an unfamiliar silver alloy door blocked his way.
"After leaving the elevator, you'll encounter three security doors on the way to the entrance. Each one requires an access card, a password, and successful biometric identification before it can open. If anything goes wrong at any stage, the alarm will sound immediately and the power to this level will be cut off. So even if you force your way in, you won't be able to use the escape elevator..."
Recalling what Vice President Zheng had told him, Lu Bai continued walking without slowing down and stopped in front of the security door.
"How long does it take to cut the power after a failed verification?" he had asked.
"Once the alarm signal comes in, the main control room's AI will first confirm what's happening on Level 404. It'll cut the power immediately after determining that someone broke in illegally. The whole process takes no more than