"The third floor of Doomsday Apartment is Bloodstain's territory. It has placed bloodstains outside every shelter, waiting for those poor, unsuspecting survivors to step out of their rooms."
"Today's lucky listener is Mr. Lin, who lives in Doomsday Apartment Room 304. His lucky moment will begin today at 9:56:41. Perhaps he can do something then."
"The filarial worms in the sewers are ravenous. Once the shelters lose their 'absolute safety' effect, they will enter through every crack connected to the sewers and eat the poor survivors inside."
"That concludes today's Voice of the City broadcast. Thank you for your company. Let us continue sharing the little joys of life in our next broadcast."
The broadcast lasted only ten minutes. Mr. X shared a great deal of information about the city, and Lin Ye posted the information unrelated to him in the group chat.
Lin Ye: I got this information using my talent ability. I'm not sure how accurate it is, so decide for yourselves whether to use it as a reference.
"Holy shit, the big shot's already working his magic this early?"
"Awesome. We're still trapped in our rooms, and he's already making headway in the city."
"An urban legend: the big shot's talent ability."
"Holy shit, that sounds terrifying. The monsters outside already have their eyes on us? So if we don't upgrade our shelters after seven days, we're dead?"
"Stop hoping you'll get lucky. If you don't want to die, follow the system's instructions."
"But I still haven't gotten a Mutation Organ! There are only five days left!"
"If you don't go to the Red Maze, you're just waiting to die. Nobody can help you except yourself."
Lin Ye said no more. He hoped more people in this area could survive, but there was little he could do.
He checked the system time. There was still an hour until his "lucky moment," so he decided to wait until then to use his talent ability.
For now, he could study the mural a little longer.
[Simulating Class-D Personnel: Tris] [Remaining simulations: 10]
Buzzzz...
Lin Ye opened his eyes in the familiar prison transport van. This time, he was simulating a white man around thirty years old, with a solid build and a powerful physique.
Besides the driver, the van held his three Class-D teammates and four Supervisory Personnel. The van was traveling down a road on the outskirts, with no buildings or pedestrians around.
Ten minutes later, the van stopped outside a factory. They got out one by one while the Supervisory Personnel stood nearby with their guns.
The captain stood before them with a broad smile and said:
"Last night, the organization suddenly lost contact with a research institute on the outskirts. Now I need you to go inside and investigate. You're all elite Class-D Personnel who have survived at least one mission. I trust you won't disappoint me."
"Of course, I'm no devil. The organization will provide you with basic weapons support. I hope you make it back alive again."
"Any questions?"
Class-D Personnel No. 1, Hans, was the first to ask:
"Can I ask what this institute researches?"
"Good question. Mutated Creatures."
The captain answered with a smile.
"What weapons can we take inside?"
Seeing no change in the captain's expression, Class-D Personnel No. 2, Neil, asked a question as well.
"A reasonable question. Pistols and plenty of ammunition."
The captain gestured, and a nearby Supervisory Personnel member brought over a weapons case filled with K1 Pistols and loaded magazines.
"Are you kidding? You want us to fight mutated monsters with pistols?"
Class-D Personnel No. 3 said angrily.
Bang!
Lin Ye blinked. Beside him, No. 3's headless body fell to the ground. He had not seen how the captain drew his pistol at all.
It was like a magic trick, as though a few frames had been cut out of time.
"Any more questions?"
The captain asked with a smile.
Lin Ye raised his hand.
"Speak."
"Could I have a bladed melee weapon? Preferably a good-quality one."
The captain gave Lin Ye a strange look, seemingly not expecting such a request.
"You want to fight Mutated Creatures up close? Excellent. The organization needs talent like you. Give him that prototype, and we can test the new weapon while we're at it."
"Thank you."
Lin Ye said politely.
The research institute was beneath the factory, requiring an elevator ride fifty meters underground. The three of them gathered their equipment and entered the elevator.
Lin Ye took two pistols and ten spare magazines, along with a prototype long blade.
It was not that he did not want more magazines, but there were only thirty pistol magazines in the ammunition case altogether.
Good thing one of them had died, or he would not even have gotten ten magazines.
Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump!
Suddenly, knocking came from outside the elevator doors. The problem was that the elevator was still descending.
Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump!
Soon, the knocking was no longer just outside the doors. It came from every side of the elevator.
"What do we do?!"
Hans gripped his pistol nervously. He had survived the previous Anomalous Event purely through luck, and even now, thinking about it made him tremble a little.
"Uh, I'm the brains. I generally don't handle the fighting."
Neil did not like using pistols at all, though he was fairly good with one.
"Relax. They're just Mutated Creatures. Shoot the parts that look abnormal. Those are their weak points. Of course, some Mutated Creatures have more than one abnormal part. That takes a little experience."
Lin Ye was the most relaxed of them. He still had ten simulations left, he was facing familiar Mutated Creatures, and he had ten magazines on hand. This was far easier than his previous two simulations.
It really was his lucky moment.
He had never gone into a fight with such ample supplies.
"You've seen Mutated Creatures before?"
Neil asked curiously.
"That was all in the past."
Lin Ye did not know whether Tris had ever seen Mutated Creatures, so he could only give a vague answer.
But he did not intend to hide his knowledge of Mutated Creatures. After all, they would be fighting soon, and deliberately hiding it would only arouse suspicion.
Lin Ye drew the experimental long blade and tested its weight. Its shape was somewhat similar to Red Blade, but it was heavier, and full-force slashes would tire him out easily.
Only when the elevator stopped did the knocking cease. The doors opened automatically, revealing a long, narrow metal corridor.
This corridor isn't going to fire lasers, is it?
Lin Ye could not help making the quip inwardly.
Bloodstains covered the corridor, yet not a single corpse remained, not even a scrap of flesh or a severed limb.
Lin Ye stepped out of the elevator first. He glanced into the gap between the elevator and the corridor. There was nothing inside.
The corridor was unnaturally quiet, without the slightest sound besides their footsteps.
Lin Ye led the way. Even when he reached the end of the corridor, nothing strange had come rushing out.
He opened the doors with the highest-clearance keycard the Supervisory Personnel had given him. Beyond them was the laboratory's main hall.
Before you continue