Deep into the Poison Nest

That bright biological heat source stood still in the green display of the night-vision goggles.

Lin Xiao held his breath and pressed a hand against Miller's arm, signaling everyone to stop moving. Hansen was half a meter to his left, his breathing heavy and muffled inside his gas mask. Miller's muzzle dipped slightly, but his finger remained outside the trigger guard, ready to raise the weapon at any moment.

The translucent creature—Lin Xiao could now make out its outline—slowly turned in the mist. It had no eyes, at least not visual organs in the conventional sense, but the motion of turning toward them carried a primitive sense of "watching." Its limbs extended from the fog. They were not arms, but something more like a fusion of tentacles and bones. Pale blue fluid dripped from their ends, corroding tiny pits into the floor.

Three seconds.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

The creature suddenly turned in another direction and extended a limb to touch the blue liquid flowing across the ground. Its movements were so gentle they seemed eerie, as if it were caressing the liquid—or collecting it. Hansen whispered in his ear, "Is it... collecting the fluid?"

Lin Xiao did not answer. His gaze passed over the creature and fixed on the control panel area thirty meters away. Between two shattered incubation chamber bases, a pool of liquid reflected the red warning lights. The pipe array on the left could provide cover, but they would have to bypass three slowly moving specimen creatures.

Time.

He glanced down at the tactical watch on his wrist. They had been inside the laboratory for seven minutes. There were still three hours and fifty-three minutes until the final purification procedure set by the Watcher began.

"Follow me," Lin Xiao said in the lowest possible voice, muffled by his mask. "Keep your distance. Don't touch anything."

He moved left first. His boots made a faint squeak against the slick floor. Hansen and Miller followed close behind, the three of them advancing slowly through the fog in a triangular formation.

The first obstacle was a shattered incubation chamber base. Glass fragments littered the floor, soaked in blue liquid. As Lin Xiao moved around it, he caught sight of the inside—the specimen that should have been there was gone, leaving only half-melted tissue residue, like a lump of flesh dissolved by strong acid, its surface covered in tiny bubbles.

The pungent smell in the air grew stronger.

It was not merely a chemical odor. It was mixed with rot, corroded metal, and a cloying sweetness so sickening it made his stomach turn. Lin Xiao's gas mask filtered most of it out, but that sweet scent still slipped through the gaps in the filter and stabbed at his olfactory nerves.

"Captain," Miller suddenly whispered, her voice taut. "The ceiling."

Lin Xiao looked up.

In the night-vision display, a smaller, blurrier heat source was slowly crawling out of a ventilation shaft. It had no distinct shape, like a lump of melted gelatin sliding down the outside of a pipe. When it dripped onto the floor, it made a soft plop. The liquid instantly corroded a hole the size of a fist.

"Leave it," Lin Xiao said. "Keep moving."

They bypassed the first base and entered the shadowed area beneath the pipe array. The fog was thinner here, and visibility increased to around five meters. Lin Xiao could see the second base ahead—and it was worse. The incubation chamber had shattered completely. The specimen inside had already "awakened" and was slowly crawling out through the glass fragments.

The thing's shape was difficult to describe.

It had a human outline, but its proportions were completely wrong—arms too long, legs too short, its torso twisted into an unnatural curve. Its skin was translucent, revealing pale blue fluid flowing through vein-like channels. Its head had no features, only a smooth oval protrusion covered in tiny holes that expanded and contracted with every breath.

"My God..." Hansen's voice trembled.

The specimen creature did not seem to notice them. It was using its overly long arms to rake across the ground, picking up shards of glass one by one and stuffing them into the holes in its head. Every time it swallowed a shard, the holes contracted and made a faint gurgling sound.

"Is it... feeding?" Miller whispered.

Lin Xiao shook his head. He did not know. There was no record of this behavioral pattern in his memories. The Doctor had only described their dangerous traits, not what they would do.

"Go around it," he ordered.

The three of them moved along the pipe wall, staying as far as possible from the creature that was "feeding." Lin Xiao could feel sweat sliding down his back, soaking the clothes beneath his protective gear. His gas mask limited his vision and made breathing difficult. Every breath required effort.

When they passed the second creature, they came within two meters of it.

Lin Xiao could clearly see the liquid flowing beneath its "skin," the minute wrinkles formed when its holes contracted, and the movements of its limbs as it picked up glass shards—slow, precise, almost ritualistic.

Then the creature suddenly stopped moving.

It turned toward them.

Hansen stopped breathing. Miller's fingers tightened around her weapon. Lin Xiao raised a hand in a stop signal, his entire body frozen in place.

The specimen creature "watched" them for three seconds.

Then it lowered its head and continued picking up glass shards.

"Move," Lin Xiao whispered, a tremor in his voice that even he had not noticed.

They continued forward.

The third obstacle was a pool of liquid. Pale blue fluid had gathered into a small puddle roughly three meters across, its depth unknown. Half-melted plastic debris and metal fragments floated on the surface. Occasionally, bubbles rose from the bottom and burst, releasing thicker fog.

"We can't get around it," Hansen whispered. "Creatures are moving on both sides."

Lin Xiao looked to the left—a specimen creature was slowly crawling along the wall, its limbs leaving corroded marks on the metal surface. On the right, two smaller creatures wandered at the edge of the puddle as if testing it.

"We go straight through," Lin Xiao said. "Light steps, quick pace. Don't stop."

He stepped into the puddle first.

The instant the liquid submerged his boots, the outer layer of the chemical-resistant footwear emitted a faint hiss. Corrosion. Lin Xiao could feel a slight vibration through the soles as the material was slowly dissolved. He quickened his pace, lifting each foot as high as possible to minimize contact time.

Hansen and Miller followed close behind.

The three of them waded through the puddle, stirring ripples through the blue liquid. Sediment rose from below, and Lin Xiao saw half-melted scraps of tissue floating upward, twisted in shape like limbs forcibly torn away.

Then he stepped on something.

Soft and springy.

He looked down—a human hand. It had already half melted, its skin gone and its bones exposed. Even the bones were covered in corroded pits. The fingers remained curled in a grasping position, as if it had still been trying to seize something in its final moment.

Lin Xiao forced himself to look away.

Keep moving.

Five steps.

Ten steps.

Fifteen steps.

They crossed the puddle and stepped onto relatively dry ground. Lin Xiao looked down to inspect his boots—the outer layer was covered in tiny pockmarks, but it had not been penetrated. Hansen's boots were in slightly better condition. Miller's left boot bore a clear corrosion mark along the outer side, but it was not damaged either.

"The control panel is ahead," Lin Xiao said, pointing into the fog.

There was a relatively open area there, with a massive console embedded in the wall. Its screens were shattered, but the physical buttons and valves remained intact. Three specimen creatures were moving slowly in front of it—one was ramming the wall, one was circling on the ground, and one stood completely still, as if "dormant."

"Hansen, go to the main console. Try to restore partial power and activate the isolation doors," Lin Xiao quickly assigned. "Miller, find the physical activation valve for the backup purification system. It should be on the wall to the right of the console, with a red manual wheel. I'll deal with the worst leak."

"Understood," they answered at the same time.

"Remember, don't fire unless you have no choice," Lin Xiao added. "Our goal is to start the system, not eliminate them."

The three split up.

Lin Xiao rushed toward the depths of the laboratory, where the leak originated. Several large incubation chambers had shattered completely, and deep blue liquid poured from ruptured pipes like a waterfall, gathering into a small river across the floor. The liquid hissed continuously as it touched metal supports and plastic equipment, sending white smoke rising into the fog.

The pungent odor in the air reached its peak here.

Lin Xiao felt his eyes begin to sting. Even through the goggles of his gas mask, that irritating gas seemed able to seep through. He narrowed his eyes and searched the fog for the manual shutoff valve.

Memories rapidly turned over in his mind.

The Doctor had once described the design of this kind of laboratory—to prevent automated systems from failing, all critical pipes had physical manual valves, usually located behind maintenance panels near the pipe connections.

Lin Xiao scanned the area.

To the left, a ruptured pipe was spewing liquid. The valve should be—

He rushed over.

The floor was slick, and he nearly fell. He caught himself against the wall. The metal beneath his palm was scorching hot—the result of an exothermic reaction caused by corrosion. Lin Xiao jerked his hand back and saw tiny dissolved marks already appearing on the surface of his glove.

There was no time to worry about that.

He crouched down and felt around the base of the pipe. Sure enough, there was a square maintenance panel secured by four bolts. The bolts were rusted solid and could not be turned by hand.

"Damn it," Lin Xiao cursed under his breath.

He drew the dagger from his waist, wedged the tip into a bolt's groove, and twisted hard. Metal scraped with a harsh creak, especially distinct in the gaps between alarm tones.

A specimen creature was drawn by the sound and slowly turned around.

Lin Xiao moved faster.

The first bolt loosened.

The second.

The third.

The fourth—

The panel came off, revealing the manual valve inside. It was a red wheel roughly twenty centimeters in diameter, its surface covered in rust. Lin Xiao seized it and twisted with all his strength.

The wheel did not move.

It was rusted shut.

He gritted his teeth and put his entire body into it, the muscles in his arms tensing to their limit. The wheel made a grinding metallic sound and slowly turned half a rotation.

The surge of liquid weakened somewhat.

But it was not enough.

Lin Xiao kept turning it. One rotation, two, three—

Crack.

The wheel suddenly jammed and would not turn any farther. He looked down and found that something seemed to be clogging the valve core—perhaps debris from corrosion, perhaps congealed specimen fluid.

The leak had been reduced by around sixty percent, but liquid was still seeping out continuously.

He needed a temporary seal.

Lin Xiao looked around for usable materials. Not far away, he spotted a damaged fireproof cabinet with its door hanging half open. Inside were several fire blankets and rolls of sealing tape.

He rushed over and grabbed a bundle of fire blankets and two rolls of high-temperature sealing tape. The blankets were made of specialized silicate fiber, theoretically capable of resisting heat and corrosion for a short time.

Returning to the leak, Lin Xiao quickly unfolded the fire blankets and wrapped them around the ruptured pipe opening, then wound layer after layer of sealing tape around them. The tape hissed when it touched the liquid, its surface rapidly blackening, but it did not dissolve immediately.

After more than a dozen wraps, the leak was basically stopped.

Only a small amount of liquid seeped through the gaps, dripping onto the floor and corroding tiny pits into it.

Lin Xiao let out a breath and stood up.

Then something caught the corner of his eye.

In the depths of the laboratory, within a shadow.

It should have been an equipment storage room. The door stood half open, and there was no light inside. But in the green display of his night-vision goggles, Lin Xiao saw a heat source—a human-shaped heat source wearing a complete advanced protective suit, its outline clear and its movements swift.

That person was stuffing a metal container the size of a briefcase into a ventilation duct.

The movements were practiced and without hesitation.

After pushing the container fully into the duct, the person turned and quickly left through another exit, vanishing into the fog.

The entire process took less than ten seconds.

Lin Xiao froze in place.

That was not one of Blood Axe's men—Blood Axe's subordinates all wore simple protective gear, not that kind of advanced suit. Nor was it one of Fletcher's men—Fletcher's people were all outside.

Who was that?

What was inside the container?

Why would someone risk being attacked by specimen creatures to sneak into the depths of the laboratory at a time like this and stuff something into a ventilation duct?

Countless questions flashed through Lin Xiao's mind.

But he had no time to investigate.

"Captain!" Hansen called from the console, excitement in his voice. "I restored partial power! The isolation doors are activating!"

Lin Xiao turned to look.

The lights in the console area flickered several times before stabilizing. The isolation doors in the walls gave off a heavy mechanical rumble as they slowly closed, sealing off the depths of the laboratory from the outer areas.

At the same time, Miller shouted, "I found the activation valve! Opening it now!"

Lin Xiao could see Miller forcefully turning a red manual wheel. As it turned, the purification system vents in the ceiling began operating. A powerful sucking sound rose as the fog inside the laboratory was rapidly drawn away and fresh air was pumped in through another channel.

Visibility slowly improved.

The specimen creatures seemed to notice the change in their environment. They began to stir, moving faster and releasing low hisses. The initial translucent creature turned toward the purification system vent and extended its limbs, seemingly trying to stop the airflow.

"Miller, get back!" Lin Xiao shouted.

But it was too late.

The translucent creature suddenly accelerated and charged at Miller. Its limbs lashed through the air, spraying blue liquid. Miller instinctively raised her gun—

"Don't shoot!" Lin Xiao roared.

Miller's finger froze on the trigger.

The creature stopped suddenly one meter in front of Miller. It "watched" her, the holes in its head rapidly contracting as they emitted urgent gurgling sounds. Then it turned toward the purification system's activation valve, extended a limb, and grabbed the wheel.

It was... closing the valve?

Lin Xiao rushed over.

He approached from the side. Rather than directly attacking the creature, he grabbed the other side of the wheel and twisted it hard in the opposite direction. The creature sensed the resistance and tightened its limbs. The wheel gave a creak of bending metal.

Hansen rushed over as well and grabbed the wheel. Three humans and one creature began a bizarre tug-of-war.

The wheel shifted slightly under the opposing forces, sometimes left, sometimes right. The purification system's suction became unstable, strong one moment and weak the next.

Lin Xiao could feel the creature's strength—far beyond human, but not impossible to resist. Whenever it exerted force, the pale blue liquid beneath its translucent skin flowed faster, like some kind of energy transmission system.

"Hold on!" Lin Xiao gritted out.

Sweat slid down from his forehead and into his eyes, bringing a sharp sting. Inside his gas mask, his breathing grew ragged, every inhalation burning hot.

Time passed second by second.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Thirty seconds—

The creature suddenly released the wheel.

It stepped back. The contractions of the holes in its head slowed, and it made a low sound, almost like a sigh. Then it turned and slowly walked toward the depths of the laboratory, disappearing into the thinning fog.

The other specimen creatures also stopped agitating and began following it, like a flock led by a shepherd.

The purification system's suction returned to normal.

The fog was drawn away at a visible pace.

Visibility quickly increased to ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters—

Lin Xiao released the wheel and leaned against the wall, gasping for air. Hansen and Miller also collapsed onto the floor, heavy breathing sounding from inside their gas masks.

The alarm gradually fell silent.

The red warning lights went out.

The laboratory lights fully returned, illuminating this hellish scene.

Shattered incubation chambers.

Flowing blue liquid.

Corroded floors and walls.

And the departing specimen creatures—they formed a line behind the translucent creature and disappeared into an emergency exit passage deep within the laboratory.

"...They left?" Miller asked in disbelief.

Lin Xiao did not answer.

His gaze shifted to the equipment storage room in the shadows, to the ventilation duct opening.

It was empty now.

Only a fresh scrape remained along the edge of the opening, the metal surface scratched bright.

The container had already been sent away.

By that mysterious person.

Into the ventilation system.

Where had it been sent?