Haiyang and Xu Jing left the small laboratory, joining several assembled researchers walking quickly toward a wall.
Just as Haiyang wondered why they were approaching a wall, the metal surface suddenly moved, slowly rising upward. He instinctively stepped back.
After several seconds, a massive elevator chamber appeared before them.
Haiyang, Xu Jing, and the others quickly entered the elevator.
The heavy doors closed slowly. A researcher kept inputting numbers into the control panel, presumably a security code. After retinal scans from three people, including Xu Jing, a voice announced: "Descent initiating." The elevator began moving downward.
Haiyang looked around the elevator interior. It was remarkably spacious, with polished stainless steel surfaces so bright he could see Xu Jing's reflection watching him, her eyes warning him to stay still.
The descent was smooth—Haiyang barely felt the movement, though he doubted this large, heavy elevator could move very fast anyway.
Minutes later, the voice announced: "Underground Level 15 reached."
"Level 15?" Haiyang couldn't help exclaiming.
"Yes, Dr. Wang. This is the deepest part of the entire research complex," said a refined-looking young man.
"This is Dr. Lin Qi, our molecular biology and genetic engineering expert. You'll be working together frequently," Xu Jing quickly introduced.
"Hello, Dr. Lin. Fifteen levels is quite deep," Haiyang remarked, surprised.
"Yes, it ensures safety in case of emergencies," Lin Qi replied.
The elevator doors opened to reveal armed personnel lining the corridor. A senior security officer approached Xu Jing: "Dr. Xu, experts, you're finally here. The test subject inside has mutated and lost control."
Everyone hurried inside. Haiyang found himself in a vast underground hall that seemed like another world. The ceiling soared dizzyingly high, with rows of powerful LED lights embedded in the surrounding walls, illuminating the space as bright as day. The floor was made of smooth synthetic material that gleamed under the lights. Opposite the elevator, wide corridors sprawled like a spider's web, each leading to different areas marked as experimental zones, material storage, special research labs, and more.
They entered a larger corridor flanked by glass walls. Through one side, Haiyang spotted an underground rail track with an elegant small train, clearly for transporting supplies and personnel. Beside the train was a loading area where robotic arms busily moved boxes of special materials, with vehicles delivering them deep into designated corridors. Every door along the corridors was sealed with complex password systems and biometric scanners, ensuring only authorized access.
The air hummed with cooling systems and equipment, creating an isolated, deep-sea atmosphere. Armed security personnel stood guard everywhere, watching all passersby with hawk-like vigilance. Scientists in white coats mingled with engineers and operators in dark uniforms.
They entered a large experimental hall where a massive electronic screen displayed real-time facility status—temperature, pressure, security levels, and other parameters. The facility ran with military precision under palpable tension. Haiyang saw multiple humanoid forms lying in transparent sealed chambers, continuously sprayed with massive amounts of white mist.
Xu Jing and others immediately checked the parameters while researchers frantically input commands at control stations, trying to stabilize the test subject's condition.
The subject trembled slightly in the chamber, limbs rigid, with an strange blue light pulsing beneath the skin as if something moved within. On the display, nanobot parameters showed violent fluctuations, while vital signs revealed chaotic heart rate and blood pressure patterns.
"The body is entering early-stage metabolic failure syndrome," a medical expert said anxiously as values changed rapidly. The subject's immune system was violently rejecting the nanobots, triggering inflammatory factors and causing abnormal cell growth and death in an uncontrollable pathological cascade.
Xu Jing rushed to a console, inputting commands to control the nanobots and halt the deterioration. "The nanobots are attempting to repair the neural network, but severe immune response interference is drastically reducing their effectiveness," she said urgently.
"Look at this data," another researcher pointed to the nanobot activity display. "They're being over-activated by localized neural signals but can't coordinate their actions—like a neural short circuit." On screen, nanobots wandered through the subject's body, unable to form cohesive repair patterns, their disruption and loss of control causing further neural system damage.
"Check the immunosuppressant effects! We need to control the immune response!" Xu Jing shouted. An assistant quickly adjusted the drug concentrations flowing into the subject, trying to quiet the immune system. But conditions worsened. The subject's muscles suddenly convulsed violently, face turning ashen as if oxygen was being drawn from the blood.
"This is typical deep neural degeneration. The nanobots have lost control and are actually accelerating bodily deterioration," Xu Jing said helplessly. "If we can't stabilize the neural signals soon, the subject will completely lose control. We'll have another zombie."
As they desperately tried to control the situation, a sharp mechanical sound came from the sealed chamber. Haiyang heard what seemed like glass cracking. The next second, the chamber's glass walls exploded, sharp fragments flying everywhere as the subject broke free of the restraints and stood up.
The subject's eyes were hollow, its ashen face terrifying. Its limbs moved with unnatural twists rather than previous rigidity. The nanobots seemed completely out of control, blue light pulsing beneath the skin. Though mechanical, its movements suggested immense strength. It stared at the observers, emitting a deep growl.
"It's loose! Everyone be careful!" Xu Jing warned. Armed personnel immediately drew stun guns, rushing to surround the subject.
Electric shocks rained down but seemed ineffective, only enraging it further. Breaking free, it violently pushed aside the armed personnel and crashed into experimental equipment.
"Sedatives! Use sedatives!" a researcher shouted.