Chapter 115 - 105: The Dagger is Revealed
Once the contracts were signed, Lin Ye and the middle-aged man named Zhao Defa were led directly to the underground parking garage and into an all-black special service vehicle.
The cabin had no windows.
The moment the doors closed, it felt as if they were cut off from the rest of the world.
The engine’s startup was nearly inaudible. Only a slight vibration proved they were moving.
Zhao Defa had been silent since they got in. After the vehicle had been driving slowly for over ten minutes, he fumbled in his pocket for a crumpled pack of cigarettes, lit one, and then offered another to Lin Ye.
"Hey kid, want one?"
Lin Ye shook his head.
"Thanks, but I don’t smoke."
Zhao Defa didn’t seem to mind and just nodded.
"You’re still in school, aren’t you, kid? Why are you out here looking for a job like this?"
"My father’s sick. I need money for his treatment."
Hearing this, Zhao Defa gave Lin Ye a complicated look, nodded, and didn’t press the matter.
He sighed to himself.
"Life’s tough for all of us..."
With that, the cabin fell into a deathly silence once more.
Lin Ye didn’t speak again.
He could sense a suffocating exhaustion and despair from Zhao Defa, as if the man were being crushed by the weight of life.
’At his age, he’s not even as strong as I am.’
’These low-level "pseudo-Martial Artists," scraping by at the bottom of society, would do anything for money.’
’Dawn Creatures probably loves hiring people just like him.’
The eerie silence lasted for another ten-plus minutes.
The vehicle gave a sudden jolt, then began to slow.
Zhao Defa, who had his eyes closed, perked up and instinctively sat straighter, thinking they had arrived.
However, the vehicle didn’t stop.
The ride just became incredibly bumpy.
It felt less like they were driving on a smooth city road and more like they were speeding down an abandoned highway littered with gravel and potholes.
Lin Ye glanced impassively at his watch.
Half an hour had passed since they’d gotten in the vehicle.
At their current speed, that was enough time to have left the main urban area of Dongjiang City.
’We must have entered the abandoned city by now.’
Another half hour passed.
The vehicle finally smoothed out and came to a slow stop.
HISS—
The doors slid open.
Outside was a massive underground garage, several times larger than the parking structure at the Science and Technology Innovation Building, but with a completely different style.
There were no bright signs or clean floors here, only cold concrete walls and exposed metal pipes. The air was thick with the mixed smell of engine oil and dust.
Wu Weiping was already waiting for them outside.
He led Lin Ye and Zhao Defa to a changing area and motioned to a nearby staff member.
The man quickly brought over two new protective suits and two silver-white metal wristwatches.
"You may be exposed to trace amounts of radiation in the work area. To prevent contamination, and for your own safety, you must wear the full set of protective gear."
"The base has signal jammers, so all external communication is blocked. The watches you’re holding are internal communicators. They have most basic functions, and they also serve as your access keys for the different sectors."
Wu Weiping then called over another person, also dressed in a full protective suit, with only their eyes visible.
"Zhang Qi, show the two new recruits around. Get them familiar with the work environment and the regulations."
The man called Zhang Qi nodded.
Wu Weiping stepped forward and whispered something in his ear.
"The young one—Mr. Hu specifically mentioned him. The doctor might take an interest too. Keep a close eye on him."
Zhang Qi’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
When he looked at Lin Ye again, a flicker of emotion flashed through the eyes hidden behind his goggles.
It was pity.
As if he were looking at a lamb about to enter the slaughterhouse.
The emotion lasted only for an instant—so fleeting that Lin Ye would have missed it if his Spiritual Power hadn’t been on high alert.
Lin Ye and Zhao Defa quickly changed into the protective suits.
The special suits were incredibly heavy, feeling like a layer of lead casing that severely restricted their movement.
Zhang Qi led the two of them toward a large metal door in the back of the garage.
His level indicator appeared clearly in Lin Ye’s vision.
[LV.14]
’Just an ordinary Martial Artist, not even at the Vein Opening Realm.’
"Our security department is divided into many posts. Since you two are new, you’re temporarily assigned to the experimental zone on level B3."
"Your duty is to clean the individual units in the experimental zone. The units house the test subjects used in animal experiments."
As they passed through one heavy containment door after another, heading deeper underground, the smell in the air began to grow more complex.
The rank, gamy odor of wild animals mixed with the stench of excrement and the sharp, pungent smell of disinfectant. Lin Ye could smell it all, even through the suit’s filtration system.
"Remember, all test subjects are valuable company assets. They have dedicated handlers and researchers to look after them. Our job is only to clean and, when ordered, to handle their transport."
"Some test subjects may become manic during their experimental cycle and can be highly aggressive."
"If you get scratched or bitten, don’t hide it. You must report it immediately and go to the medical bay for a vaccine. If you get infected with some unknown virus, the consequences are your own. The company will not be held responsible."
MEOW—!!!
A bloodcurdling shriek, so sharp it barely sounded feline, suddenly erupted from a nearby unit.