Chapter 474: Underground Space
"This place actually looks quite peaceful, it's just a bit windy."
Lin Ye sat at the top of the building, his feet dangling in the air, looking down at the entire city.
"Don't we need to look for anything abnormal?"
Logan stood to the side and slightly behind Lin Ye, his face deathly pale.
"I'm looking right now."
Lin Ye observed and memorized the city's structure. In his view, there was some kind of connection between all things. Since this city was judged as an extreme environment by the Nameless Armor Wreckage, there must be some clues to be found within the city's layout.
"...Are you okay like that?"
Due to the mental shock, Logan was feeling a bit dizzy right now. He was afraid Lin Ye, wearing that armor that looked incredibly heavy, would fall from the highest point of this city.
This place was over a hundred meters from the ground. Under normal circumstances, of course it wouldn't be a problem, but without using extraordinary powers, falling would mean certain death.
"It's fine. I used to think I was afraid of heights too, but actually, if you stand at a high place and look for a while, you get used to it." Lin Ye stood up and walked along the edge of the rooftop. This was just a very ordinary high-rise building, but at this moment, it gave him the illusion of walking on the edge of the Abyss.
"Found anything?"
Logan hadn't noticed anything. What he feared wasn't the height, nor the consequences of falling, but the act of falling itself.
"Yeah, this city is very abnormal."
Lin Ye leaned the upper half of his body out beyond the edge of the floor. A certain strange sensation confirmed his suspicion.
"Where is it abnormal? I can't see anything wrong at all?"
Logan asked, puzzled.
"Everywhere is abnormal. All these things that look normal are completely abnormal. You think they are normal, yet you are suppressed to the point where you can't even use extraordinary powers. There's only one reason that can explain this: compared to them, you are the mundane one.
As long as they are in a 'normal' state, you can only remain normal."
Lin Ye looked up at the sky. The location of the treasure was right above them, but in this city where extraordinary powers couldn't be used, trying to get up there was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
This was truly as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
"Uh, is there something up there?"
Logan also looked up at that azure blue sky, as if he hadn't heard what Lin Ye said. There wasn't a single cloud up there, and the source of the light couldn't be seen either.
"If we can't get out from the surroundings, then the exit should be above."
Lin Ye took Logan back to the clinic. The others had mostly returned, only the Captain and his teammate hadn't come back yet.
"The outside is a wasteland. I wanted to go out and take a look, but as soon as I stepped outside the city limits, I was teleported back into the city. The area outside the city seems somewhat similar to that wilderness from before.
I don't recommend continuing to explore outside the city, because I was teleported above a building. If I wasn't quite agile, I might have been killed by the fall."
One of the researchers sent to check the situation outside spoke up.
The others' situations were similar. Apart from that, no one had found anything abnormal, and no one had found a way to leave.
"I think the exit should be in the sky. Does anyone here know how to build an aircraft?"
Lin Ye shared his speculation. He had never worked on anything related to flight before, so he had almost no knowledge in this area.
"It's very difficult. I have indeed studied this kind of knowledge, but many of the necessary equipment isn't available here, and materials are the biggest problem... We could make a hot air balloon, but the altitude might be insufficient, and the flexibility would be very poor."
Dr. Wells was quite reliable, but sometimes, being reliable alone wasn't enough.
At that moment, the Captain also returned to the clinic. His expression was excited, clearly having discovered some useful information.
"I found the members of the previous squad. They are locked up in an asylum. Their condition is somewhat off. To prevent any accidents, I didn't act rashly."
The Captain said somewhat excitedly.
"Did you find the item? Are those two people there as well?"
Dr. Wells immediately asked.
"Those two people and the item are not there, but I found some traces they left behind."
The Captain was already quite satisfied with this level of harvest.
Coming to an abnormal area like this to find people was always a matter heavily dependent on luck.
"Then let's go. I hope they found a way to leave this place... otherwise, we'll have to start building an aircraft from scratch."
Dr. Wells really didn't want the situation to develop in that direction, because he simply wouldn't live that long.
Everyone drove to the asylum located in the western suburbs of the city. The asylum only had orderlies, doctors, and the Director, totaling less than ten people, so they quickly gained control of the entire asylum.
Everyone arrived at the corridor where the wards were located. The members of the previous exploration squad were locked up inside these wards.
"...They look like genuine lunatics."
"Is this the result of staying here for a long time? Then I'd rather commit suicide while still lucid."
"I've seen that person before. He was a genius far more outstanding than me, but now he's become an idiot who only knows how to giggle foolishly."
...
Looking at those patients, the surrounding researchers uttered somewhat despairing voices, because this might very well be their future selves.
At that moment, an elderly patient suddenly began shouting loudly and pounding forcefully on the door of his room.
"He's having another episode. He has an episode precisely at this time every day, as if he's faking it. Can I give him a sedative injection?"
The doctor who was being restrained nearby spoke up.
"Wait! Let him out!"
"Hold on!"
Dr. Wells and Lin Ye spoke simultaneously.
The two exchanged a glance. The Captain stepped forward, opened the ward door, and removed the restraints on the old man.
The old man stumbled out of the ward, then began sprinting wildly down the corridor. His body was no different from a normal old man's, yet now he was running at a young man's speed. This was a state that surpassed biological instinct.
Lin Ye and the others followed behind the old man. The old man ran into the asylum's courtyard and came to a stop in the garden.
He thrust his hands into the soil, digging forcefully at the ground.
A researcher pulled the old man aside. The Captain picked up a shovel leaning against the wall and began digging forcefully at the ground. His efficiency was high, quickly digging through the soil to reveal a metal plate hidden beneath.
This was an entrance leading underground.
Lin Ye lifted the metal plate and was the first to enter the several-meter-high, slanted downward underground passageway. He was wearing the Nameless Armor Wreckage; ordinary attacks couldn't hurt him at all.
The underground passageway wasn't long, less than twenty meters. At the end of the passageway was a metal door. Lin Ye pushed the door open. Inside was a very spacious underground space.
"This seems to be some kind of air defense facility."
The Captain followed Lin Ye into the underground space. He looked around in surprise; this underground space was completely out of place with this city.