Chapter 17: Underground Research Facility

"The third floor of the Doomsday Apartment is Bloodstain's territory. It has marked bloodstains outside every shelter door, waiting for those poor ignorant survivors to step outside."

"Today's lucky contestant is Mr. Lin from Room 304 of the Doomsday Apartment. His lucky moment will begin at 9:56:41 today. Perhaps he can do something special then."

"The sewer worms are starving and thirsty, just waiting for shelters to lose their 'absolute safety' effect before crawling through every drain crack to devour the pitiful survivors inside..."

"That concludes today's City Broadcast. Thank you for listening. Let's continue sharing life's beautiful moments in our next broadcast."

The broadcast lasted only ten minutes. Mr. X shared much information about the city, and Lin Ye forwarded irrelevant details to the group chat.

Lin Ye: "This is intel obtained through my special ability. Accuracy unconfirmed. Use at your own discretion."

"Holy shit! The boss is already flexing his skills this early?"

"Damn, we're still trapped indoors while the boss is making moves across the city."

"Fuck that's terrifying! The monsters outside are already targeting us? If we don't upgrade our shelters in 7 days, we're dead!"

"Abandon all wishful thinking. Follow the system prompts if you want to live."

"But I still haven't gotten any mutation organs! Only 5 days left!"

"Not going to Red Maze is suicide. No one can help you except yourself."

Lin Ye didn't elaborate. He hoped more people in this area would survive, but there was little he could do.

Checking the system time, he still had an hour before his 'lucky moment' to use his ability. For now, he decided to study the murals further.

Buzz buzz...

Lin Ye opened his eyes inside the familiar prison transport. This time he simulated a muscular white male around 30, radiating physical strength.

Besides the driver, the vehicle carried three other D-Class teammates and four overseers. The truck traveled along a deserted suburban road with no buildings or pedestrians in sight.

Ten minutes later, it stopped outside a factory. They disembarked under the watchful guns of overseers.

The Captain smiled brightly as he addressed them:

"Last night, one of our underground research facilities suddenly went dark. Your mission is to investigate. As D-Class personnel who've survived at least one mission, I trust you won't disappoint."

"Of course, I'm no monster. The organization will provide basic weaponry. Hope to see you all return alive again."

"Any questions?"

D-Class #1 Hans spoke first:

"What does this facility research?"

"Excellent question. Mutation Creatures," the Captain answered cheerfully.

"What weapons can we bring?" D-Class #2 Neil asked when the Captain's expression remained unchanged.

"Reasonable question. Pistols with ample ammunition."

At his signal, overseers brought a weapon case filled with K1 Pistols and loaded magazines.

"You joking? Fight mutation monsters with pistols?" D-Class #3 protested angrily.

BANG!

Lin Ye blinked as headless corpse #3 collapsed beside him. He never saw the Captain draw his weapon.

Like magic, several frames of time seemed missing.

"More questions?" the Captain smiled.

Lin Ye raised his hand.

"Speak."

"May I have a bladed melee weapon? Preferably high quality."

The Captain gave Lin Ye a strange look, apparently surprised by the request.

"You want close combat with Mutation Creatures? Splendid! The organization needs men like you. Give him that experimental blade - we'll test the new weapon too."

"Thank you," Lin Ye said politely.

The facility lay beneath the factory, accessible via an elevator descending fifty meters underground. The three men boarded with their gear.

Lin Ye carried two pistols with ten spare magazines plus the experimental longblade. Not that he wanted fewer mags - the case only held thirty total.

At least one died, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten ten.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Knocking came from the elevator door... while they were still descending.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Soon, knocking surrounded them from all directions.

"What do we do?!" Hans gripped his pistol nervously. He'd only survived previous anomalies through sheer luck, and remembering them made him tremble.

"Uh, I'm more the brains than brawn," Neil said, disliking firearms despite decent skill.

"Relax. Just some Mutation Creatures. Shoot their abnormal body parts - those are weak points. Though some have multiple abnormalities... takes experience."

Lin Ye remained calmest. With ten simulations left, familiar foes, and ten mags, this was simpler than previous runs.

Truly his lucky moment.

He'd never fought with such advantage.

"You've faced Mutation Creatures before?" Neil asked curiously.

"That was long ago," Lin Ye answered vaguely, unsure about Terris's history.

But he wouldn't hide his knowledge - soon they'd fight, and feigned ignorance would seem suspicious.

Drawing the experimental blade, Lin Ye tested its weight. Similar to Red Blade but heavier - full-power swings would tire him quickly.

The knocking stopped as the elevator halted. Doors opened automatically onto a narrow metal corridor.

'Please don't have laser traps,' Lin Ye mentally groaned.

Bloodstains covered the corridor without a single corpse or flesh fragment remaining.

Lin Ye stepped out first, checking the elevator-door gap - empty.

Eerie silence filled the hallway beyond their footsteps.

Nothing attacked as they reached the corridor's end. Using the overseers' highest clearance keycard, Lin Ye opened the door to reveal a laboratory lobby.