Li Xichen's tone carried a hint of anger.
"The humans outside have all turned into zombies because of this thing, and you're actually still researching it?"
"Will you only be happy when everyone alive is dead?"
Commander Gu glanced at him and said,
"Young man, don't get so worked up."
"You should know that through this serum, some people will become ability users, right?"
Chu Liuyue suddenly thought of the Kyoto survivor base, where the number of ability users was obviously much larger than anywhere else.
They were all artificially mass-produced.
"The zombie apocalypse has already broken out, and you're still using people for experiments?"
Commander Gu shook his head with a helpless look and sighed,
"You can't say that. We didn't want to see the zombie outbreak happen either."
"But it has already happened, and we must contain the situation. The physical strength of the ordinary guards simply can't withstand it, nor can they fight off so many zombies."
"We must have ability users to help us salvage this mess."
Zhou Yu'an felt a chill run through his body upon hearing this.
He said in disbelief,
"So, under the guise of controlling the zombies and in order to evolve more ability users, you've turned more ordinary people into fertilizer."
"No wonder. No wonder you needed everyone to flee to the Kyoto survivor base. You needed a large batch of materials."
"So that's why there are far more zombies wandering the edges of Kyoto than in other cities. They aren't just the ones bitten while escaping, but also the failed evolutions from the research institute that were thrown out?"
No matter the era.
Are ordinary people nothing but expendables?
Chu Liuyue tightened her grip on Commander Gu's neck.
Even though the white-haired old man in front of her looked genial and gentle, never getting angry and doing everything at a slow pace.
He was just like Gu Man.
The blood of those in power flowed through his veins.
Just as cold.
Just as dismissive of human life, treating it like dirt.
Arrogant.
And conceited.
"Then why didn't you inject yourself with the second-generation serum?"
"Wouldn't it be better if you could become an ability user? Or is it that you're afraid you'd turn from a normal person into a mindless zombie and lose your power?"
Chu Liuyue mocked, hitting the nail on the head.
Commander Gu, who had been smiling gently just a moment ago, fell silent.
The surrounding researchers saw this and surged forward.
Surrounding them completely.
Among them were quite a few ability users.
"Commander Gu."
"Commander Gu, are you alright?" They cast worried glances at him, while looking at Chu Liuyue and the others with wariness and hostility.
Li Xichen couldn't help but curse.
"This is insane!"
"A bunch of lunatics! Can't you tell who is good and who is bad?!"
Yan Qingdu even saw his senior brother and sister among the group of researchers.
They also saw Yan Qingdu.
A trace of pity flashed in their eyes.
It was unknown what they were pitying.
At this moment, the heavy smell of disinfectant they had smelled at the beginning grew stronger and stronger.
Suddenly, a staff member in white clothes ran hurriedly out of the elevator area, looking anxious, and said:
"This is bad! It woke up early, and it's time for it to feed again."
Catching sight of the hostage Commander Gu, he paused slightly, then glanced at Chu Liuyue and the others.
He asked with slight hesitation:
"Commander Gu, are they the food for this batch?"
What?
Food?
Using people as food?
Spore plants.
Carnivorous.
Suddenly, a few words from the archivist's diary jumped out at her again.
The Kyoto Research Institute had always been safe and sound because, after receiving that thing, they had been feeding it all along?
Keeping it from going berserk while continuing their research?
Commander Gu glanced at the few people in front of him.
"Didn't you want to see that thing?"
"What, are you scared now?"
Yan Qingdu twitched the corners of his lips.
A flash of anger crossed his eyes.
"We want to eliminate it, not become its food."
"And what's even more unimaginable is that you've been artificially feeding it all this time. What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Commander Gu smiled and said nothing.
Chu Liuyue, however, suddenly seemed to understand something.
"Break the order."
"Rebuild the order."
"Supreme power."
"Is this what the Gu family has always been after? And so, this is also the source of Gu Man's absolute confidence?"
Judging by the attitude of those researchers just now.
It was obvious.
Commander Gu was the true controller and wielder of power in this research institute.
He clearly understood the creation of the serum and the habits of that thing.
Since the zombie virus had broken out and was uncontrollable, it was a crisis for many, but for the Gu family, it was an opportunity.
An opportunity to rebuild the order and stand at its pinnacle!
As for how many ordinary people would be sacrificed.
They didn't care.
Commander Gu smiled.
He didn't refute it.
Which was as good as a tacit admission.
He suddenly stomped his foot.
As if he had stepped on a specific floor tile.
In an instant, the world spun, and the floor they were standing on suddenly dropped beneath them.
It was a trapdoor.
The moment they fell, Li Xichen moved quickly to steady Chu Liuyue, while Zhou Yu'an and Yan Qingdu stood back-to-back, looking vigilantly into the pitch-black underground.
As for Commander Gu, in the brief moment of chaos, he had vanished into thin air, running off in some unknown direction.
They landed in a pitch-black underground labyrinth.
The light above their heads gradually closed up.
And soon disappeared completely.
Fortunately, Yan Qingdu's abilities had returned to normal. He took a few flashlights out of his spatial storage and handed them to everyone.
As the lights clicked on, they could clearly see that they had landed in the center of what looked like an air-raid shelter, surrounded by countless small, narrow passageways.
Li Xichen muttered, "The old man sure runs fast."
Zhou Yu'an added, "He must have been prepared all along, knowing he could escape safely from here. But why did he trap us down here?"
Yan Qingdu took a deep breath.
And said,
"We are food."
The heavy smell of disinfectant permeated the air once again.
"So, which path do we take?"
The group looked at the intersecting tunnels and exchanged glances.
Ultimately, they turned to Chu Liuyue.
She, however, smiled with a very relaxed demeanor and pointed to one of the paths.
"Here. This is the way he escaped."
"How do you know?"
"I planted a trace of mental energy on him."
Coming from a cultivation world to an apocalyptic world was practically a dimensional strike.
Although she couldn't absorb spiritual energy to cultivate, after experiencing several worlds, her mental energy was far stronger than anyone else's.
They chose one of the tunnels and walked forward for a bit.
Chu Liuyue suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Wait!"
The others also stopped in their tracks.
The ground beneath their feet was sticky.
Li Xichen frowned and said, "This looks like slug slime. Tsk, a bit disgusting."
Chu Liuyue shook her head.
"No, we've already fallen into that thing's mouth."
