The central control base was the most heavily fortified area in the entire city, and it was also the last line of defense. To ensure survival under the siege of zombie hordes or beast swarms, this final stronghold was essentially a city within a city. Hospitals, warehouses, armories, research centers, and other important institutions were almost all established within this base.
The size of this base was far from what Chu Xun and the others had seen from the outside. The central base building was just a small part of it; the main structures of the base were actually located deep underground. It could be said that it was a vast underground city.
"The control center of the Seventh Dead City was designed using the most popular and practical beehive-like layout at the time," Yang Ling said after a brief rest. He pressed a button on his wristwatch, projecting a 3D architectural design before Chu Xun and the others. His expression became serious as he continued, "However, since the Seventh Dead City fell so suddenly, not a single person survived. I could only manage to get my hands on an initial design schematic from that time. I have no idea about the actual layout within the base."
"That's huge…" Chu Xun couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the massive underground city that extended hundreds of meters below the surface and spanned nearly a hundred square kilometers.
But soon, Chu Xun regained his composure and turned to look at Yang Ling with a serious expression. "Yang Ling, this base is so large. Without an exact location, how long will it take us to find what we're looking for?"
"The underground space of the base is vast, but the layout hasn't changed. Also, the material warehouses need to meet three conditions: ventilation, large area, and ease of transportation. So, if we analyze it carefully, it won't be hard to pinpoint the location of the material warehouses." Yang Ling smiled slightly, then pressed a few more buttons on his wristwatch. The 3D map lit up with three highlighted spots.
"There are only three places in the entire underground base that meet these three conditions. So I'm certain that one of them is the material warehouse." Yang Ling looked at his wristwatch again and said with a somewhat grave expression, "Originally, the safest plan was for us to move together and inspect these three places one by one. But as always, plans never survive contact with reality. It seems that we have no choice but to split up and search separately."
"Split up?" Hearing Yang Ling's words, Vincent furrowed his brow and said in a low voice, "Although the base should be safe, splitting up doesn't seem like a good idea. The main door is locked, and the Tyrant can't get in. We don't need to rush like this, do we?"
"If we don't hurry, we might not be able to get out at all." Yang Ling chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. "It's probably due to the explosion that occurred years ago, but the nuclear facilities in this base have been damaged and are leaking. The remaining energy is running low. If we don't leave before the energy runs out, we might be trapped here forever."
"Nuclear leak?" At Yang Ling's words, the expressions of everyone in the room immediately turned grim.
Although nuclear energy had gradually been phased out over the years, no one could deny its power or the horrors of nuclear leaks.
When the great disaster began, humanity had attempted to use nuclear weapons to turn the tide, but unfortunately, the use of nuclear weapons was proven to be incredibly foolish. Not only did they fail to eradicate the zombies, but some of the zombies even mutated, becoming even more terrifying.
And besides the zombies, mutated creatures were also subject to secondary mutations due to nuclear radiation, which made them even more dangerous. So, when Chu Xun and the others heard the words "nuclear leak," a chill ran through their hearts.
"Don't worry. This is a small-scale leak. It shouldn't cause any biological mutations, and it won't have much effect on us ability users. As long as we avoid getting too close to the leak source, we shouldn't be in any danger." Seeing the concerned looks on Vincent and the others, Yang Ling shook his head and sighed. "Unfortunately, the nuclear radiation has caused severe damage to the base's electronic equipment. Not only can I not hack into the central controller, but even the detection equipment I made is unusable. Otherwise, we wouldn't have to take such risks."
"Fortune favors the bold. At this point, do we really have any reason to hesitate?" After hearing Yang Ling's words, Chu Hang, who had regained some strength, stretched and said, "I don't want to return empty-handed. Let's follow Yang Ling's plan and split up."
"I don't mind!" Chu Xun shrugged. With the Alien by his side and his own strength, he wasn't worried.
"Alright then!" Seeing that neither Chu Hang nor Chu Xun objected, Vincent nodded and said in a deep voice, "In that case, let's do it. Chu Xun, you and your pet will go together. Chu Hang, your ability is strong and you're good at stealth, so you'll go alone."
Then, Vincent turned to Yang Ling and said, "As for you, Yang Ling, you'll come with me. My defensive ability is strong, and since your powers are weakened by the environment, you'll be safer with me."
"No problem!" Hearing Vincent's words, everyone exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's move out!" Yang Ling said seriously. "Remember, we must all meet back here in 45 minutes, regardless of whether we find the material warehouse or not."
"Understood!" Hearing Yang Ling's words, everyone's expressions grew serious. Without further delay, they turned and dashed toward their assigned locations.
"Damn, being a Ruins Hunter isn't easy!" As he rushed forward with the Alien, Chu Xun couldn't help but reflect in his mind.
Being a Ruins Hunter meant huge rewards, but also immense risks. Like this time, whether it was the Tyrant elite body or the upcoming explosion of the city, there was a constant shadow of death hanging over them, forcing them to stay alert at all times.
The control base was massive, with winding roads and countless rooms, like a small city in itself. Chu Xun was assigned to explore a large building located to the west of the base.
This building occupied a large area and was located on the main road to the west, with convenient access and good ventilation. It certainly seemed like one of the best places to house the material warehouse.
As Chu Xun advanced, he encountered no enemies at all, not even a single zombie corpse. Occasionally, he noticed dried blood stains on the ground. The surroundings were eerily silent, with not a sound in the air, as if there was no danger at all.
But the more it felt like this, the more Chu Xun grew uneasy.
The dried blood stains on the ground weren't lying; a battle had clearly taken place here, and many must have died. But where were the bodies? Zombies wouldn't leave corpses this clean. Did the survivors who fled into the control base clean them up?
If so, why did none of the survivors manage to escape? Where did they go?
One puzzle after another filled Chu Xun's mind, making him uneasy, as if something dangerous was lurking in the shadows, watching him.
At the same time, the Alien seemed to sense something wrong and started growling softly. But even the Alien, with its heightened danger sense, couldn't detect any enemies, so Chu Xun could only continue moving forward.
Hopefully, this was just him overreacting.
Chu Xun reassured himself as he carefully proceeded. Since no enemies had appeared, it took him less than ten minutes to reach his destination.
However, when he saw the building's exterior and the red cross symbol painted on the main doors, a sense of disappointment hit him.
This wasn't a material warehouse—it was a hospital!
"Should I go back and regroup with them, or should I go in and take a look?" Looking at the slightly ajar steel doors of the hospital, Chu Xun hesitated.
As a gathering place, this hospital would definitely have many supplies he could use. There was even a possibility of finding high-value items like gene enhancement serums or genetic modification drugs. These items were extremely valuable. The former could enhance a user's physical abilities, while the latter could modify the user's genes, granting them special powers—just like his own insect-like abilities.
If he could get his hands on these items, Chu Xun could make a huge profit!
"Well, we have plenty of time. It wouldn't hurt to check it out," Chu Xun decided after a brief hesitation.
In his mind, hospitals were typically safe places. Even if he encountered enemies, he was confident in his ability to escape.
After all, wasn't the purpose of this trip to sharpen himself? Why hesitate?
However, the moment Chu Xun opened the hospital doors and stepped inside, he suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
After coming to this world, he had always been cautious in his actions, but why was he now so unusually curious, even reckless enough to enter a place he would normally avoid? Was it just because of the potential reward?
Something didn't feel right…
*Creeeak!*
Suddenly, the sound of the heavy steel doors shutting behind him made Chu Xun's heart sink.
Then, the sound of crackling electricity echoed from the closed doors.
Looking back at the now-locked doors, which faintly glowed with electric sparks, Chu Xun's face turned dark.
The crackling sound and the sparks could only mean one thing—the door