"Damn it!" Jin Sen shouted, "Right below me!"
He wasn't wrong. The next moment, An Zhe felt the ground beneath his feet tremble dully. The sensation was close and real, like a heavy hammer striking from the other side of the floor.
Just then, another loud crash came from the end of the corridor. The iron doors clanged noisily, accompanied by the panicked shouts of prisoners.
"There's something over there too." The poet's voice suddenly quickened, "Underground creatures, are they rodents? They live in colonies, just like in the Virginia base—"
Before he could finish, he quickly corrected himself, "No, rodents don't have that much strength, underground..."
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed as a group of black-clad soldiers quickly descended from the stairway. Flashlights flickered, and the loudspeaker's voice boomed in the corridor, deafening: "Do not panic. The city's defense foundation is very solid, reinforced with cement and special steel plates. We are investigating the cause. Do not panic."
—It might have been more believable if they weren't simultaneously shouting this while quickly opening the cell doors to let the prisoners out.
Meanwhile, a piercing siren wailed outside, the alarm undulating like waves.
"The evacuation signal is on!" Jin Sen pounded on the cell door, "Bro! Open it for me!"
The soldiers quickly unlocked three cells in the distance and then hurried over. Mr. Xiao stood outside, and after the soldiers found the matching key, they swiftly inserted it into the lock. With a click, the iron door opened, and Mr. Xiao almost lunged out. The soldiers quickly instructed, "Turn right, go upstairs, and find the exit!"
Mr. Xiao stumbled a few steps and then ran to the right. Dust fell from the ceiling, and a soldier wiped his face and stood in front of the poet's cell.
At this moment, Jin Sen shouted, "He's a felon! A dangerous one! Open mine first!"
The soldier hesitated for a moment as the ground shook more violently. He turned to unlock Jin Sen's cell.
Jin Sen clung to the iron door, his voice trembling violently, "Hurry, bro, hurry."
An Zhe saw the soldier's hands shaking too, taking several tries to get the key into the lock.
Jin Sen said, "You're my real bro—"
His voice abruptly stopped.
The floor creaked, and he was suddenly lifted. A huge black object burst through the fractured floor and debris, shooting upwards!
With a muffled "thud," Jin Sen's body was crushed between the creature and the ceiling, his eyes bulging out. Something sharp pierced his abdomen, blood and organs spilling down. A horrific scream echoed, An Zhe's pupils dilated, and he slowly turned his head. The soldier unlocking the door was impaled through the thigh and right chest by the deformed iron door, convulsing on the ground, coughing violently, blood foaming from his mouth—probably a punctured lung.
With a crash, the black object fell back down, creating a hole in the ground. Below was a void, and Jin Sen's body fell in, disappearing from sight.
From deep in the corridor came the shouts of other soldiers, "Retreat!"
But the next second, a massive cracking sound echoed from that direction, the iron doors clattering to the floor, the ceiling collapsing. Two terrified screams rang out and were abruptly cut off.
—An Zhe heard chewing sounds.
First, there was the sound of water, then a dull grinding noise, the sound of bodies being squeezed, and finally, the crunching and breaking of bones.
The sound came from the end of the corridor and the underground hollow opposite An Zhe.
As the soldier convulsed, his flashlight fell to the ground, rolling a few times, casting a pale beam of light towards the dark crevice.
A fungal tendril emerged from the gap in the iron door, followed by more tendrils, creeping forward. They curled around the scattered keys on the ground, slowly dragging them back inside the iron door. The keys scraped against the floor, making a grating noise. An Zhe saw the soldier's terrified gaze in his direction, but he couldn't care less. He knew the soldier couldn't care less either because he was dying.
He asked the neighboring cell, "What's my door number?"
The poet's voice trembled, "17. Are you okay?"
"Okay," An Zhe replied. He estimated that his iron door was level with the poet's, and the poet's view was limited, unable to see him retrieving the keys.
The tendrils retracted, and he quickly grabbed the keys, found number 17, and detached it.
The chewing sounds intensified.
The tendrils, holding the number 17 key, again emerged from the iron door. Some tendrils clung to the door, probing for the lock, while others inserted the key. The tendrils were fragile and weak, but as more gathered, the key finally turned with a click, and the lock released.
An Zhe tightly gripped the remaining keys, pushed the door open, and rushed to the adjacent cell. His hands trembled as he found the number 18 key, inserted it into the lock using the flashlight's dim light, and twisted it forcefully to the left. The chewing sounds suddenly stopped.
"Oh my god..." A young man stumbled out, and before An Zhe could see his face clearly, he grabbed him and dragged him past the soldier's body. Together, they ran down the only safe corridor to the right. The ground was still shaking, and there were more than two creatures below.
Just then, the emergency lights ahead flickered a few times and went out, plunging the corridor into complete darkness.
An Zhe heard the poet beside him panting rapidly, "Don't look back."
But An Zhe couldn't help turning his head.
A bug.
A black worm, as wide as more than half the corridor.
Its body resembled a snake but was divided into distinct segments. It was emerging from the massive crack in the ground, lifting its head towards An Zhe and the poet—or it couldn't be called a head. It had no eyes or any head-like features, just a round mouth filled with dense teeth.
Behind it, another identical worm was approaching. Two mouths filled with dense, interlocking teeth faced their direction, making a hissing sound as they moved closer, not slowly at all. Only about ten meters separated them, and An Zhe could smell their stench.
"Run!" the poet gritted out.
But the ground shook violently again, and An Zhe was thrown against the wall, his left arm throbbing in pain, seemingly having hit the deformed iron door. He tried to push himself up with his arm, and the poet helped him. In the pitch darkness, they resumed their frantic run towards the remembered direction of the exit. In the darkness, anything could happen; perhaps the next second, another worm would burst out in front of them, or they might crash into a wall because they couldn't see.
—He really did crash into a wall.
His head slammed into something metallic, causing a sharp pain. He was sprawled against something when, the next moment, something wrapped around his waist, trying to lift him to his feet.
The wall had grown hands.
"Are there any survivors back there?" a voice, extremely close, spoke quickly—Lu Feng's voice.
An Zhe's heart almost stopped. "No more."
"Prepare uranium rounds, maximum yield." As soon as Lu Feng finished speaking, a blinding white light shot down the corridor.
Before An Zhe could react, Lu Feng pressed him to the ground, rolling over him.
The next moment, a dull explosion echoed, a flash of white light disappearing in an instant, leaving a glaring afterimage on An Zhe's retinas. He closed his eyes, gripping Lu Feng's sleeve tightly, breathing heavily—he had run too fast just now.
The ground was still shaking violently. Just three seconds later, Lu Feng pulled him up from the ground again. There were others nearby, and the lights came back on, illuminating the area. Lu Feng said, "Move."
An Zhe followed them, turning and ascending the staircase. He was nearly out of strength, but miraculously, Lu Feng's supporting hand had some special technique; whenever he lagged, he was pulled forward.
He didn't know how long they blindly followed until the cold outside air finally filled his lungs. Almost leaning on Lu Feng, he kept panting.
"It's okay," Lu Feng said calmly.
"Disciple! Disciple!" A figure approached, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from Lu Feng. It was Mr. Xiao.
An Zhe finally felt a bit better, his vision clearing. He said, "The poet..."
"I'm here," a voice sounded behind him. An Zhe turned to see a young, handsome man leaning against the wall, arms crossed, also panting. When his breath finally steadied, the man said with a hint of sarcasm, "You're quite the bulldozer."
But before An Zhe could say anything, Lu Feng's voice interrupted.
"Director Howard," Lu Feng said, "You're late."
An Zhe looked ahead and saw a row of soldiers. Leading them was a tall man in a city defense uniform. His hair was iron-gray, and he had a dignified hooked nose. The insignia on his shoulder matched Lu Feng's—also a colonel. He seemed to be the director of the city's defense.
Howard's voice was as steady and cold as he was. "We were ready for indiscriminate bombing, but Colonel Lu overstepped his authority and entered, putting me in a difficult position."
"After all, my prisoners were still inside," Lu Feng replied coldly, "Would you dare to indiscriminately bomb An Ze felt himself being pressed down to the ground, rolling over with the person on top of him.
In the next moment, a muffled explosion sounded, and a flash of white light quickly vanished, leaving an afterimage of Lu Feng on An Ze's retina. He closed his eyes, gripping Lu Feng's sleeve tightly with his right hand, gasping for breath—he had been running hard just no
The ground was still shaking violently. Just three seconds later, Lu Feng pulled him up again. There were other people around, and the lights came on, illuminating the area. Lu Feng said, "Let's go
An Ze followed them, turning to ascend the stairs. He had little strength left, but miraculously, Lu Feng's supporting hand seemed to have some special technique; whenever An Ze lagged behind, he was always pulled alon
They blindly followed the path for what seemed like an eternity until the cold air from outside finally filled An Ze's lungs. He was almost leaning on Lu Feng, breathing heavil
Lu Feng said calmly, "It's over now
"Disciple! Disciple!" A figure came over, grabbing his arm and taking him from Lu Feng's grasp—it was Boss Xia
An Ze finally felt a bit better, and his vision cleared. He asked, "The poet..
"I'm here." A voice sounded behind him. An Ze turned and saw a young, handsome man leaning against the wall, catching his breath. When he finally steadied his breathing, he said quietly, "You're very good at bumping into people
However, before An Ze could say anything, Lu Feng's voice rang ou
"Director Howard," Lu Feng said, "You're late
An Ze looked forward and saw a row of soldiers standing, led by a tall man in a city defense uniform. He had iron-gray hair and a dignified hooked nose, with the same rank insignia as Lu Feng—a colonel. He appeared to be the director of the city defense offic
Howard's voice was as steady and stern as his appearance: "We were preparing for indiscriminate bombing. Colonel Lu overstepped his authority by entering, putting me in a difficult position
"After all, my prisoner was still inside," Lu Feng said coldly. "Do you dare to conduct indiscriminate bombing where the ultrasonic dispersal device is located
"The city defense's equipment does not require the trial court's concern," Howard replied. "You should check if the people coming out of the underground are infected
Lu Feng said, "The trial court's work doesn't require your concern either
Howard's gaze fell heavily on An Ze. An Ze briefly met his eyes and realized he was looking at his left arm, which was bleeding from an injury sustained in the underground tunne
Lu Feng's right hand gripped An Ze's shoulder: "I will take him away for monitoring during the buffer period
Howard said, "Thank you
Then he turned to the city defense soldiers: "Prepare for bombing
And so, An Ze was taken away by Lu Feng, under Boss Xiao's reluctant gaz
Lu Feng's office in the city defense building was in an auxiliary building, a room without any decorations. As soon as An Ze entered, Lu Feng locked the doo
An Ze thought this might be a precautionary measure. If he really turned into a monster due to infection, at least he wouldn't be able to escape the roo
Lu Feng walked to the gray desk, opened a drawer, and took out a roll of white bandage, tossing it to An Ze. An Ze instinctively caught it. It was a roll of bandages, and the judge probably meant for him to bandage his wound. He sat down at a nearby desk and chair by the window and began to fumble with the bandage. He thought, even though the judge arbitrarily condemned people, he might still be a good perso
His left arm was injured—a small wound, just a cut from an iron plate. It didn't hurt much, but it was bleeding. An Ze tore off about half a meter of bandage and began trying to wrap it around his left arm with his right hand—but he couldn't manage i
After much difficulty, he managed to wrap the bandage loosely around his arm, but he couldn't tie it off. Human fingers weren't as dexterous as fungal filaments, especially when only one hand was usable. Moreover, he wasn't very familiar with human limbs. But An Ze felt it would be embarrassing for a supposed human not to be able to bandage himself, so he frowned and continued trying to tie the kno
He felt a gaze on him—Lu Feng was watching hi
He kept trying to tie the knot. However, the more he thought about the judge watching his every move, the worse he got at it. After three minutes of effort, not only did he fail to tie the knot, but his hand slipped, and the bandage he had wrapped around his arm came undone. At that moment, An Ze was so frustrated that he almost wanted to extend his fungal filament
A light laugh came from across hi
It wasn't really a laugh, just a short puff of air, but An Ze heard it clearly—it was a scoff, a mocking laug
An Ze: "..
The judge was mocking him..