I'm Here to Take Him
"Roger! No problem. I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
"The test subjects have gone berserk?!" Lu Chen's eyebrows knitted together. Damn it, plans really couldn't keep up with changes!
Old Zhou went pale with fright, his voice trembling. "It's... it's the genetics lab! Who knows what those lunatics did? They let those monsters loose!"
Boom! Another deafening crash shook the entire base.
Lu Chen seized Old Zhou by the collar, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Tell me exactly what happened! Where's my dad?"
Old Zhou was so frightened he nearly wet himself and hurriedly spilled everything. "Your dad... your dad's still in the medical area! It's heavily guarded, and... and Professor Zhao's people are there too!"
The medical area?
Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. That was the heart of the entire base; its defenses had to be impenetrable.
Add an ambitious Professor Zhao to the mix... Tsk, things were getting interesting.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
This was no time to panic. He had to make a plan and rescue his dad as quickly as possible.
"Li Gou'er!" Lu Chen called into the crowd.
Li Gou'er jumped and came trotting over. "Brother Lu, what do you need?"
"Bring a few men and come with me!" Lu Chen's gaze turned cold, and a dangerous smile curled his lips. "Let's go give Professor Zhao a big present!"
Lu Chen quickly left the camp with Li Gou'er and the others.
Under cover of darkness, they raced through the night, making their way toward the center of the base.
Standing atop the ruins of a shopping mall, Lu Chen activated his SSS-rank [Full-Area Scan].
In an instant, the entire base appeared clearly in his mind, as though he were there in person.
The zombies, the mutants, the guards... nothing could hide from him.
Soon, he located the medical area, as well as... his dad, lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
"Found him!" Lu Chen's
A large number of soldiers were stationed around the medical area, along with a well-equipped private force that was probably Professor Zhao's personal army.
Trying to force their way in would be nothing more than a pipe dream.
"Li Gou'er, listen!" Lu Chen lowered his voice and whispered a few words to him.
Li Gou'er's eyes widened. "Brother Lu, isn't... isn't that a little too risky?"
"Risky?" Lu Chen sneered. "Fortune favors the bold! If we want to rescue him, we'll have to do something exciting!"
"Got it!" Li Gou'er nodded emphatically, a wild light flashing in his eyes.
"Go! Remember, the bigger the commotion, the better!" Lu Chen patted him on the shoulder, an alluring, wicked smile curling his lips.
Li Gou'er took a few newly recruited awakened and quietly slipped toward the base's supply storage area.
They were all remnants of the Black Wolf Gang, and this kind of sneaky business was second nature to them.
Soon, a series of violent explosions erupted from the storage area.
Boom!
Flames shot into the sky and thick smoke billowed, throwing the entire base into chaos.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Terrorist attack! It's a terrorist attack!"
"Quick! Send reinforcements!"
As expected, the Zhao family's private soldiers took the bait. Their main force was swiftly dispatched to the site of the explosions, leaving the medical area considerably less guarded.
"Perfect opportunity!" Lu Chen's
"Xiao Lu, stay close!" he said to Xiao Lu beside him.
Xiao Lu nodded and followed closely behind him.
Under cover of darkness, the two slipped silently toward the medical area.
Several soldiers were patrolling back and forth at the entrance.
They looked tense, as though ready to pull their triggers at any moment.
Lu Chen knew forcing their way in was out of the question.
He stopped and carefully studied their surroundings.
Suddenly, he spotted a doctor hurrying toward the medical area.
"Here's my chance!" A smile curled Lu Chen's lips.
He silently approached the doctor and grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Wh-what are you doing?" The doctor jumped and asked in terror.
Without a word, Lu Chen activated his SSSSSS-rank [Infinite Replication].
"Replication successful! Obtained C-rank talent [Toxin Decomposition]!"
C-rank [Toxin Decomposition]?
Its rank wasn't high, but it could be extremely useful right now.
With a thought, Lu Chen elevated [Toxin Decomposition] to SSS rank.
In an instant, a powerful force surged into his body. He felt as though he had become an omnipotent purifier, capable of decomposing any toxic substance.
"[SSS-rank · Absolute Purification]!"
Lu Chen gave a low shout, and an invisible energy spread from his body, instantly enveloping the entire medical area.
The viral spores permeating the air were completely decomposed the moment they came into contact with the energy, turning into nothing.
That way, they wouldn't have to worry about triggering the medical area's automatic alarm system.
"Let's go!" Lu Chen said to Xiao Lu, leading her openly toward the medical area.
Inside the medical area, the corridors were deserted and eerily quiet.
Old Zhou's voice suddenly rang in Lu Chen's ear.
"Lu Chen, be careful! Captain Lin is right outside your father's room!"
Captain Lin? Lu Chen frowned.
Captain Lin was the base's highest military commander, and his strength was unfathomable.
He was personally guarding the door to his dad's room. It seemed Professor Zhao placed far more importance on his dad than Lu Chen had imagined.
Forcing his way in would be unwise.
Lu Chen activated [Full-Area Scan] again, carefully examining the layout around the room.
Suddenly, he discovered a ventilation duct above it.
"Got it!" A smile curled Lu Chen's lips.
He activated [Infinite Replication] again, copying a soldier's E-rank [Thermal Energy Shielding] talent and elevating it to SSS rank.
With [SSS-rank · Absolute Thermal Energy Shielding], they could bypass infrared scans and pass safely through the ventilation duct.
"Xiao Lu, let's go!" Lu Chen said, leading her silently up into the ventilation duct.
It was pitch-black inside the duct; they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces.
Lu Chen activated his night vision and crawled carefully through the duct.
Soon, they arrived above his dad's room.
Lu Chen gently opened the ventilation cover and peered down.
His dad lay motionless on the hospital bed, his face pale and his breathing faint.
Captain Lin stood at the door with several soldiers, watching everything around them warily.
"Now!" Lu Chen shouted under his breath and leaped out of the ventilation duct.
He landed steadily beside his dad's bed and scooped him up.
"Let's go!" he said to Xiao Lu, preparing to take his dad out of the room.
But just then, an icy voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.
"I know who you are..."
Lu Chen looked up sharply. Captain Lin stood in the doorway, gripping a gun tightly, its dark muzzle aimed straight at him... Captain Lin tightened his grip on the gun, his gaze as sharp as a drawn blade. His voice was low, carrying a barely perceptible hint of regret. "I know who you are... Lu Chen. But this time, I won't let you take anyone away."
Holding his dad, Lu Chen didn't even frown. Instead, a mocking smile curved his lips. "Want to try? With just a few guns?" His tone was flippant, as though he were facing a few street thugs rather than heavily armed soldiers.
Captain Lin took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing some emotion.
He slowly raised the gun in his hand. It wasn't an ordinary standard-issue weapon, but an electromagnetic pulse gun, black all over and gleaming with a metallic sheen!
"Don't blame me, Lu Chen. I'm only following orders." Captain Lin's voice remained low, but it carried an unquestionable resolve.
A suffocating sense of pressure filled the air.
Lu Chen could clearly feel the threat posed by the electromagnetic pulse gun.
His SSS-rank [Full-Area Scan] worked furiously, scanning every inch of space for a possible opening.
Bang!
With a muffled report, an electromagnetic pulse round tore through the air with a piercing shriek, precisely cutting off all of Lu Chen's escape routes.
Lu Chen's pupils contracted sharply, and his body jolted as he held his dad...
A confident sneer curled Captain Lin's lips. "Now, where can you possibly..."