The road continued northward, leading directly to Stonemason Mountain, located just north of Jerusalem. This area was an industrial park, akin to those high-tech industrial zones.
Along the road, members of the Meteor Rock Guild pushed themselves to the limit as they hurried along. Among the team, there were individuals like Qimu Xi and Will who hadn't undergone physical enhancements, but there were others who compensated for it. Qimu Xi's Lun Tai were carrying him forward, while Xia Xiaolei willingly hoisted Will. The pace of the group was not slow at all.
Running at full speed on the highway, it took them only seven or eight minutes to spot the industrial park by the roadside. It featured a large expanse of flat, industrial-looking factories.
"We're almost there!" Lun Tai encouraged their comrades loudly, glancing at Roddy in the process. While Roddy was running, he still maintained some distance from everyone else. Although his speed while running showed no sign of abnormality, the keen Lun Tai noticed something different about Roddy.
They sensed that Roddy's breathing was becoming heavy and rapid!
Due to the effects of the genetic enhancement drug and the heightened physical attributes of the team members, their bodies were far superior to those of ordinary people. After running at full speed for seven or eight minutes, Lun Tai, Qiao Qiao, and the others only had beads of sweat on their foreheads, while their breathing remained long and steady. However, Roddy's breath clearly began to lose its rhythm.
Lun Tai deduced that Roddy seemed to be struggling to conceal this fact; he was pushing himself to the limit, all to avoid distracting his comrades.
In the darkness of the night, the factory building stood in silence, dimly lit by faint and scattered lights, making the entire industrial park appear eerily quiet.
While this scene might have been unsettling, considering that the system likely had cleared ordinary people from this area within the instance zone, it was akin to the situation in the Jerusalem city center.
The group reached the edge of the park, where the road was now blocked by a wire fence. It was evident that the security level of these factory buildings was high, with surveillance cameras mounted on the fence and warning signs against entry.
Lun Tai swiftly produced tools and cut through the wire fence, allowing everyone to enter freely.
Upon entering the nearest factory building, they found it surprisingly empty and devoid of any machinery, unlike their expectations.
"It seems like an abandoned factory," Lun Tai observed, looking for the power switch. However, when he tried to flip it, there was no response, suggesting that the power in this building had been cut off.
Lun Tai furrowed his brow and glanced at Qiao Qiao and Roddy. Roddy remained silent, leaning against the wall, hands on his knees, catching his breath.
Qiao Qiao whispered, "I'll check the surroundings to see if we can find a vehicle."
"Don't go alone," Lun Tai cautioned. "Xiaolei, go with him! From now on, no solo missions. Stay together!" Lun Tai nodded at Xiaolei, who understood the directive. "I got it. Stay safe, keep your positions, and if there's any danger, signal immediately."
Qiao Qiao walked over and glanced at Roddy, his voice filled with determination. "You hold on!"
Roddy raised his head, managing a faint smile. "Don't worry, I wasn't planning on kicking the bucket so soon. Don't forget, I'm supposed to be the godfather to your and Xiaolei's first child."
Qiao Qiao's eyes welled up with tears, and he immediately turned away to search for a vehicle. Xiaolei followed closely behind him, holding a gun.
"Qimu Xi, stay vigilant and watch the main entrance!" Lun Tai assigned tasks to Qimu Xi and had Xiuxiu keep an eye on Will. The advantage of this empty factory was that it had only two entrances and no windows, just ventilation openings, making it efficient for defense.
Lun Tai then approached Roddy, taking a couple of steps closer, but Roddy shook his head. "Don't get too close."
"How are you feeling?" Lun Tai inquired.
Roddy forced a bitter smile. "Not great." He pointed to his chest. "Can't catch my breath. Feeling suffocated, like I just finished running a marathon in one go."
Lun Tai considered for a moment and then retrieved a medical kit from his storage wristwatch.
"I'll handle it myself," Roddy said, pushing Lun Tai away. He took out a thermometer from the medical kit and checked his temperature, as well as his blood pressure and regular blood test strips.
"My temperature is forty-one degrees, heart rate... forty-five beats per minute," Roddy said with a bitter smile. "No wonder I feel weak, dizzy, and short of breath. With such a slow heart rate, there's insufficient blood supply. My blood pressure is low too. But strangely, I have a high fever."
Lun Tai thought for a moment and then handed Roddy a spicy snack. Roddy considered for a moment and took a hearty bite.
Then, he lifted his arm, which had a wristwatch similar to an iWatch. He activated the recording function and checked the time before rapidly stating, "Unknown virus infection, 19 minutes elapsed. Elevated body temperature, lowered blood pressure, reduced heart rate, and undetermined blood index. Self-perceived symptoms include decreased stamina, difficulty breathing, and temporarily clear consciousness."
"What are you doing?" Lun Tai asked.
"Making a record," Roddy whispered. "If I die, at least there will be a record. It might be useful if anyone encounters this same virus in the future."
"You..."
Roddy sighed and looked into Lun Tai' eyes. He whispered, "Qiao Qiao was here earlier, so I didn't say much, but Lun Tai, you should be well aware that the situation is dire. I've been poisoned for 20 minutes now, with 70 minutes left, which is one hour and ten minutes. Yet, we have no clues or leads at all."
He paused and continued softly, "Don't forget, those poisoned zombies earlier, they were all Awakened! None of them were ordinary people. An entire squad of Awakened individuals got wiped out."
Lun Tai felt at a loss for words but managed to say, "Don't speak like that."
"Alright, maybe a miracle will happen," Roddy sighed. "Who the hell would have thought something like this would happen in a [B] class instance?"
Lun Tai clenched his fist, burdened with deep self-blame...
...
Qiao Qiao was running at full speed, darting between the factory buildings. When she encountered closed doors, she kicked them open.
After searching three factories, she hadn't found any vehicles, which made her feel both anxious and frustrated!
Among the team members, Roddy was someone Qiao Qiao had known the longest, even before Chen Xiaolian! They were originally good friends, and seeing Roddy in this poisoned crisis made her incredibly worried.
Finding a vehicle quickly might lead them to Tel Aviv, where the instance mission could change, possibly providing a clue to the antidote. This was Qiao Qiao's conjecture.
Xia Xiaolei closely followed behind Qiao Qiao, and he could certainly sense her anxiety. In fact, his own emotions mirrored hers.
"Qiao Qiao, look ahead!" Xia Xiaolei suddenly shook his flashlight and pointed northeast.
Qiao Qiao looked in the direction Xia Xiaolei pointed and saw that behind one of the factory buildings, there was a space of approximately fifty meters. It was a three-story building, occupying a sizable area, though not very tall in terms of the number of floors.
Their current path was leading them directly to the back of the building.
"That place must be the office area for senior employees, and there might be a parking lot!" Qiao Qiao's eyes lit up as she quickly exclaimed.
She led the way, sprinting towards the building, with Xia Xiaolei closely following.
Qiao Qiao was running at an extremely fast pace, and Xia Xiaolei struggled to keep up. After covering a distance of about twenty meters, Xia Xiaolei suddenly felt a chill pass by on his left, as if there was a cool breeze behind him. He abruptly turned around, but what he saw was vague, like a shadow passing over the factory building.
It was very unclear and not entirely certain, and even Xia Xiaolei himself couldn't be sure.
He stared for a moment but found nothing there.
"Xiaolei! What are you dawdling for? Hurry up!" Qiao Qiao noticed Xia Xiaolei slowing down and immediately shouted. Xia Xiaolei shook his head and caught up with her.
There were no unusual readings on their personal system's radar either.
"Maybe I just saw it wrong? Or it could have been some stray cat or something," Xia Xiaolei thought to himself.
After all, Xia Xiaolei was a child who had come from the mountains, and he hadn't been out of there for very long. He didn't have the same urban experiences as others.
In a high-tech industrial park like this one, with strong security forces, it was unlikely that stray animals like cats or dogs would be present under normal circumstances.
As Qiao Qiao and Xia Xiaolei reached the back of the building, Qiao Qiao couldn't wait to go around to the front. She smashed through the large glass door, entering the building with a crash, and Xia Xiaolei followed closely behind.
Meanwhile, dozens of meters away, on the roof of another factory building, a figure crouched, clinging tightly to the rooftop. In the darkness, a pair of eerie eyes stared at the disappearing figures of Qiao Qiao and Xia Xiaolei.
These eyes were mismatched, one green and the other unmistakably red!
...
Inside the building, Qiao Qiao and Xia Xiaolei raced through the corridor. When they reached the front of the building, Qiao Qiao felt a bit disappointed. While they had found the entrance, the exterior space was still occupied by factory buildings, and there was no parking lot as they had hoped.
"Let's check underground! Maybe there's an underground parking lot!" Qiao Qiao shook her head, looking at the signs in the building's lobby. After a few seconds, a glimmer of joy appeared in her eyes. "This is a pharmaceutical company's production base, and this building houses the research laboratories. People working here must be high-income individuals. We'll definitely find cars! Hurry, let's go down and look for the garage!"
...
Lun Tai anxiously checked the time, waiting for Qiao Qiao's call in the team system.
"Lun Tai! We've found vehicles, but... they're somewhat damaged, and neither I nor Xiaolei can repair them. You need to come over immediately with Roddy! His mechanical skills might help get these vehicles running! We're at the location you're in, just head northwest from where you are. You'll see a three-story building. We're waiting for you in the lobby. Hurry!"
Lun Tai received the message and replied with a "Roger" before taking a deep breath to calm himself.
Roddy also looked up at Lun Tai. "I saw it. Let's go."
Lun Tai called over Qimu Xi, brought Xiuxiu and Will along, and left the factory building.
Will was visibly frightened, but with Lun Tai by his side, his anxiety slightly eased. His face, however, remained extremely pale.
"Don't be afraid; we'll protect you," Lun Tai reassured him, patting his head gently.
Lun Tai quickly led everyone to the small building Qiao Qiao had mentioned. When they entered the lobby, they found Qiao Qiao and Xia Xiaolei waiting there.
"Let's go! Downstairs, I found the basement, and there's transportation down there," Qiao Qiao said.
As Qiao Qiao spoke, she led everyone into the corridor, heading towards the end where a security door awaited them.
As they were about to head toward the security door, suddenly, in the middle of the group, young Will, who was by Lun Tai's side, let out a piercing scream!
The young boy's high-pitched voice emitted a terrified scream, and his body trembled as he immediately huddled behind Lun Tai, shivering with fear.
"What's wrong?" Lun Tai furrowed his brow.
Will pointed at the security door ahead, stammering, "Th-there, there, right there!!"
Lun Tai looked ahead, puzzled, at the empty security door. There was nothing there.
However, Qiao Qiao, who was nearby, suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
She recalled something... Will had the ability to see some... "invisible things"!