Game: Civilization Paradise

"Metal decomposition fluid."

Luoxue calmly reached out, pulling a very thick, top-secret file folder and a silver bio-storage container from the safe.

She opened the folder and glanced inside. It was filled with thick blueprints.

These were the design schematics for a climate control device. Of course, no one knew if the designs would actually work, as it had never been successfully built.

Luoxue then opened the bio-storage container, glanced at its contents, and placed both items into her backpack.

"Let’s go. We’ll check the other passage."

"Okay!"

Long Ming nodded in agreement.

The two of them then turned and left.

「A few moments later.」

Long Ming and Luoxue arrived at the second passage. They walked all the way to the end, where they found a sealed metal door.

A warning sign hung next to the sealed door.

"Core Area. Unauthorized Personnel Prohibited."

"Try and see if you can open it."

Luoxue said to Long Ming.

"Okay!"

Long Ming took out the red card and swiped it.

CLICK!

The sealed door immediately opened, and a wave of heat washed over them.

Long Ming and Luoxue were taken aback for a moment before cautiously stepping inside.

They were greeted by the sight of machinery covered in danger signs.

Cables snaked out from the equipment, stretching deeper into the facility.

"Whoa, what is this place?"

It was the first time Long Ming had ever seen something so staggering.

"This is the base’s power core."

Luoxue gazed at the machinery, a flicker of emotion passing through her eyes, before immediately heading deeper inside.

When they reached the very back, they came face-to-face with a gigantic, block-shaped nuclear power reactor forged from a special silver metal.

The entire surface of the reactor resembled a honeycomb, dotted with ten hexagonal sockets. An XT-01 nuclear fuel rod was embedded in each one. Next to them was a long, rectangular indicator light displaying the remaining percentage of each fuel rod.

Luoxue quickly scanned the indicator lights and found that nine of the XT-01 nuclear fuel rods were completely depleted. Only one rod’s indicator showed nine bars lit up.

She then circled the reactor, inspecting it once more.

"Quick! Find the cutoff switch."

Luoxue said to Long Ming without hesitation.

’She’s going to pull out the nuclear fuel rod?’ Long Ming was shocked, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he quickly scanned the entire nuclear device.

He soon spotted an emergency cutoff switch.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he rushed forward and pulled it.

CLICK!

The power to the entire shelter was instantly cut.

All the lights went out, and all equipment stopped running.

"What’s going on? Did the power go out?"

...

Zhihan and the others froze, their faces filled with panic.

「Sub-level 13.」

Rows of hibernation pods suddenly shut down.

Countless blue eyes suddenly snapped open in the darkness.

...

「Central Control Room.」

The console screens didn’t go dark. Instead, red warning boxes popped up one after another.

"Warning: ASC Emergency Cutoff engaged. Power disconnected!"

"Warning: Backup power failed to activate. Attempting secondary activation!"

"Notice: Backup power successfully activated."

"Notice: Error Code XS-421. Partial equipment restart failed."

"Notice: Backup power reserves will be depleted in 59 minutes and 59 seconds."

...

SHH!

The lighting system, which had been off for only a moment, flickered back on.

"What’s happening?"

Long Ming stared, stunned, at the reactivated lights. ’But I hit the cutoff switch.’

"Backup power."

Luoxue wasted no words. She rushed straight to the side of the nuclear reactor, grabbed the protruding handle of the XT-01 fuel rod, and yanked it outward with all her might.

CLANK!

The XT-01 fuel rod only came out about a fifth of the way before the safety lock engaged.

Luoxue’s expression darkened. She kept pulling with all her strength, but it wouldn’t budge.

Long Ming immediately ran over, peering into the socket to see if there were any buttons, but he couldn’t see anything.

"Don’t bother looking, I already checked. There’s nothing. Get over here and help me pull!"

Luoxue shouted to Long Ming.

"Okay!"

Long Ming immediately reached out to help her pull.

But even with both of them pulling with all their might, they only managed to move it a few more centimeters.

At that moment, the air temperature began to drop rapidly. Long Ming, keenly aware of the change, immediately said to Luoxue,

"Luoxue, do you feel that? Something’s wrong."

"What is it?"

"It’s getting cold. Even with the reactor shut down, the temperature shouldn’t be dropping this fast, right?"

Long Ming said warily.

Hearing Long Ming’s words, Luoxue also became alert.

In the very back of the room, the metal wall that had been faintly red and radiating heat began to frost over.

"Not good!"

The instant Long Ming saw it, his heart lurched, and he shouted a warning.

BOOM!

The entire metal wall instantly shattered. A terrifying, white, frosty mist burst out, and the ground began to freeze over.

Long Ming, stunned by the sight, immediately stopped pulling on the fuel rod. He raised his Black Shadow automatic rifle and aimed it at the spreading white mist.

THUD...

Heavy footsteps echoed from within the mist, and a towering figure began to emerge.

Long Ming didn’t fire recklessly, but his nerves were stretched to the breaking point.

Soon, the figure stepped out of the mist. He was a handsome young man, three meters tall, with ice-blue pupils and wearing a white lab coat. The muscles on his upper body bulged, covered in dense blue markings. Faintly visible through his chest was a beating blue heart, and he radiated a terrifying aura.

When Long Ming saw the figure, he was completely stunned.

’Isn’t that Ailo, City Lord Akovi’s son? His appearance has changed a lot, but the beauty mark under the corner of his eye is still there.’

BUZZ!

A notification popped up on both Luoxue’s and Long Ming’s wristbands.

Ailo

Note: Type I Evolved.

Seeing the notification on their wristbands, Long Ming and Luoxue’s hearts sank.

...

「Entrance to Sub-level 1.」

Akaban led Bito and the others, cautiously sneaking into the passage.

Just then, they heard the continuous sound of conversation from below.

"Boss, those guys are down there!"

Akaban glanced around and noticed the shelter had only one large staircase. A ferocious smile spread across his face.

"Let’s go, we’ll block them off at the stairs and push down!"

"Right!"

Bito and the others replied in unison.

They immediately started down the staircase.

When they reached Sub-level 3, they ran right into a member of the Rat Group who was coming up.

The Rat Group member’s smiling face instantly twisted into one of terror, and he screamed,

"Ambush!"

BANG! BANG!

Bito immediately opened fire and killed him.

"Fuck, Boss, we’ve been spotted."

"Hmph. Push down!"

Akaban decided to drop the act.

「Sub-level 10 Area.」

Zhihan heard the gunshots and had a bad feeling. She turned to Jing Chuan and said,

"This is bad. It sounds like something happened upstairs."

"Dammit. Let’s go check it out!"

Jing Chuan immediately led Zhihan and the others up.

Before long, they ran into Tang Yue and her group fleeing downwards, their faces etched with terror.

"What happened?"

Jing Chuan asked immediately.