It was here

Hans and Neil did not fire. Instead, they helped Lin Ye change magazines while he simply kept taking the pistols and shooting.

Large numbers of Blood Corpses slammed into the cell bars. The pistols had a limited rate of fire, and Lin Ye needed time to aim, so the bars soon began to buckle.

Fortunately, the organization was reliable, and the bars were well made. The Mutated Creatures would not be breaking in anytime soon.

Although they were in no danger for the moment, the more Lin Ye killed, the more uneasy he became. Ever since entering the institute, he had felt that something was wrong with this place.

Bloodstains covered the first floor, yet not a single body could be found.

The access control system was intact, yet the laboratory was a wreck.

Dr. Caroline was the only survivor, but she hardly looked like someone who could survive the chaos.

The moment the doctor finished speaking with the Captain, communications cut out.

Large numbers of Mutated Creatures that had been screened were attacking them, and no one knew where they had come from.

Problems were everywhere, but there were far too many holes for this to be a trap.

It was as if someone wanted to achieve something, but there was something wrong with his head.

"Boss! We're almost out of magazines!"

Hans shouted.

Lin Ye suddenly stopped shooting. He tucked the pistol back into his waistband, drew his long blade, and stabbed the Blood Corpses battering the cell to death one by one.

"That's too slow. Once the cell gives out, we're dead."

Neil did not understand why Lin Ye had stopped. Although there were few magazines left outside, by his calculations, Lin Ye still had at least six on him. If he kept going a little longer, it was entirely possible to kill all the Mutated Creatures.

"It's fine. The cell won't be destroyed. The Mutated Creatures are almost gone. I'm saving some bullets. We'll probably need them soon."

Lin Ye calmly killed Blood Corpses through the bars, practicing his Knife Techniques and Cutting Techniques as he cut them apart.

Before coming here, the blade Lin Ye had used most was a kitchen knife. But cutting dead things felt completely different from cutting things that moved. Fortunately, one of the Class-D Personnel he had simulated knew a little about melee weapons, so he was not starting entirely from scratch.

But compared with his pistol skills, his proficiency with a blade was still far too low.

And hacking at people with a blade was physically exhausting. Especially when he struck bone, the recoil pressed into the web of his hand, leaving half his palm numb.

After he cut down another dozen or so Blood Corpses, fewer and fewer came charging from outside. Just as Lin Ye had thought, once they stopped shooting, the tide of Blood Corpses was almost over.

"You two take the last few. I'm going to rest."

Tossing the long blade to Neil, Lin Ye loaded fresh magazines into both pistols, then took all the remaining magazines with him.

Once that was done, Lin Ye found a corner and sat down to rest. If his guess was right, something would come looking for them before long.

"Shouldn't we take this chance to get out?"

Dr. Caroline was only a researcher, after all. Although she vaguely felt that the earlier events had been strange, she had not thought deeply about them. All she could think about now was how to leave this place.

Hans and Neil were different. Both were survivors of Anomalous Events, and even without Lin Ye saying much, they had begun making connections.

"We can't get out. Dr. Caroline, I remember you saying earlier that it would hear us. What did you mean by 'it'?"

Lin Ye did not think they could get Caroline out of here. Even putting everything else aside, the elevator with its fifty-meter descent was a major problem.

The elevator had not been left intact because their opponent could not destroy it, but because it needed them to get down safely and leave them a way back.

The Underground Research Institute had fallen. As its only connection to the surface, how could the elevator possibly not be under their opponent's control?

The earlier knocking had been the clearest hint. It must have been some kind of warning, using them to warn the Captain not to come down.

The Captain was probably very strong, but no matter how strong he was, if the elevator was destroyed, he would be buried in a tomb fifty meters underground.

Their opponent had not killed Dr. Caroline before they arrived, did not want to destroy the elevator, did not want the Captain to come down, and was not killing them either, merely wearing down their ammunition.

Lin Ye could have guessed what it wanted to do without using his brain.

"...It's this institute's most closely guarded secret, and one of the organization's important projects. Are you sure you want to know?"

Caroline was not stupid. On the contrary, becoming a researcher on an important project for the organization in her twenties showed how gifted she was.

So after Lin Ye's reminder, she had come up with guesses of her own.

"Yes. This determines whether we can get out of here alive."

I'm already Class-D Personnel. How much worse can it get? Surely they can't make me the organization's only Class-E Personnel?

"The institute primarily studies biological mutation. It's the institute's main research result-the individual with the highest compatibility with the Human Evolution Map, and the only one that hasn't lost control. Of course, judging by the outcome, it probably lost control long ago."

Caroline felt somewhat dejected. If the experiment had succeeded, perhaps humanity would have gained a power that could stand against this empty, unknown, insane world. Unfortunately, the experiment had still failed. Mutation was ultimately uncontrollable.

"How do we deal with it?"

Lin Ye did not care about research results. He only wanted to know how to complete the mission alive.

"Although it's still very weak right now, that's only relative. It devoured every living creature in the entire institute and has already completed its initial mutation. Never mind us-even the Special Task Force Captain outside might not be a match for it. You should run. I'm probably its target."

Although this member of the Class-D Personnel was unusually dependable, Caroline still did not believe they had any means of fighting it.

"Leaving you would be suicide. It hasn't made a move against you yet, and that's the only reason we're alive. We know so much now. You don't seriously think it'll let us walk out alive, do you?"

Forget getting out alive. Lin Ye felt that if they left Caroline, they would be overwhelmed by Mutated Creatures within five minutes.

Boom!

A violent tremor suddenly came from beneath their feet, as though there had been an earthquake.

Lin Ye sprang to his feet, took the long blade, slung Caroline over his shoulder, and ran for the exit.

He had been waiting for this chance all along.

The Captain had probably started fighting the damn thing below. Although Lin Ye did not know how long the Captain could hold out, this was their only chance to escape.

But Lin Ye stopped after just two steps, because a red-haired Caroline was staring at them from outside the laboratory.

More precisely, she was staring at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye did not stand on ceremony. He drew a pistol and fired three shots at the laboratory window.

Bang, bang, bang!

An invisible force froze the bullets in midair, suspending them between Lin Ye and the red-haired Caroline.

For a moment, Lin Ye did not know what to do. Caroline had been right. A power that could freeze bullets in midair was not something they could fight.

At least, it was not something his half-baked Knife Techniques could handle.

Should I Restart? But this damn thing is so strong that even if I Restart, I still won't be able to deal with it...