Chapter 73

That sudden wave of dejection quickly vanished, and Jiang Baimian and the others quickly returned to normal.

Although Long Yuehong was still afraid and did not want to delve deeper into the "Urban Smart Network Control Center," she felt that for someone as good as an angel like Qiao Chu, it was worth taking a risk.

Qiao Chu had to wear a military exoskeleton, so he had already taken off his mechanical watch and put it in his pocket. However, this did not affect his knowledge of the exact time, as the visor, which also served as a display, showed the corresponding time.

He glanced at the lower right corner of the visor, calculated the time when the "Charm" would undergo a mutation, and hurriedly urged:

"Let's go to the underground machine room."

This time, Shang Jianyao and the others had no objections and followed this special envoy from the Eighth Research Institute, bypassing the pool and arriving in front of the building housing the "Urban Smart Network Control Center."

The door here was made of glass and had been open for some time, or perhaps it had never been closed since the destruction of the old world. In any case, the spacious and dark hall inside was now exposed.

Qiao Chu did not rush in but observed for ten to twenty seconds outside using the "Comprehensive Early Warning System."

Then, he bent slightly and dashed toward the elevator bank.

Jiang Baimian and the others closely followed, maintaining a tactical formation.

During this process, the only sounds in the hall were the clanging of metal frames against the ground and their not-so-heavy footsteps echoing, with no other movements, a deathly silence.

Soon, they reached the elevator bank.

There were three gray-black elevators on each side.

Of course, these could not be used because there was no power.

Qiao Chu's target was not the elevators but the safety door next to them.

This vermilion wooden door was slightly rotten and was now closed, though it was unclear whether it was locked.

Bai Chen was about to take a few steps forward to open the door for Qiao Chu when she suddenly had a strange feeling.

Behind that door, there was something incredibly precious that must be obtained!

This made her have an uncontrollable strong desire and impulse to open the door immediately, rush to the designated position, and pick up the item.

Not only her, but Qiao Chu, Long Yuehong, and the others also had similar feelings and were eager to approach the door.

Jiang Baimian's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she shouted loudly:

"Do you remember what Teammate Wu Shoushi described?"

She was referring to the "Advanced Unhearted" creating temptations and setting traps.

Because she remembered this, she was not completely blinded and could resist the inexplicable feeling to some extent.

Her feet were eager to move forward, and her body was in a charging posture, but she remained firmly rooted in place, not taking a step.

Her words awakened a bit of rationality in Qiao Chu and the others, causing them to struggle briefly and not open the door directly.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao, who was at the back, had run over but did not continue forward, stopping beside Jiang Baimian.

"I feel that there is a secret that can save all of humanity there," he said seriously. "However, such a secret is definitely well-protected, with many dangers around it."

For a moment, Jiang Baimian did not know whether to roll her eyes or praise him.

"We need to be careful and not act rashly," Shang Jianyao thought for two seconds.

Then, he jumped in front of an elevator, using the reflective metal surface and the moonlight and starlight shining through the windows to see his unclear reflection.

While looking at himself, Shang Jianyao said:

"Jiang Baimian has long legs, and I also have long legs.

"Jiang Baimian is very capable, and I am also very capable.

"So?"

His eyes had become deep at some point, and he opened his mouth, muttering softly:

"So, we are the same."

During this process, Qiao Chu had initially wanted to stop him, but on one hand, he had to resist the inexplicable, strong desire, which was distracting, and on the other hand, he felt that Shang Jianyao might bring about some changes and break the current situation, so he ultimately chose to prepare and watch coldly.

After "deceiving" himself, Shang Jianyao turned his head and looked at Jiang Baimian.

His eyes became even darker.

Jiang Baimian suddenly had a strong thought:

"Although I am eager for the item behind the door and want to obtain it, I absolutely cannot show such eagerness or say it directly; it would be very embarrassing!"

In a flash, Jiang Baimian half-turned her body and lightly stomped her foot:

"You go if you want to, I'm not going."

Shang Jianyao turned in the same direction and also lightly stomped his foot:

"You go if you want to, I'm not going."

Seeing this, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong felt both strange and surprised, and found it amusing.

For a moment, their strong desire was significantly diluted.

Jiang Baimian, still in a pretentious state, glared at Shang Jianyao:

"Why are you imitating me?"

"Why are you imitating me?" Shang Jianyao mimicked her perfectly, from his eyes to his words and micro-expressions.

At this point, Jiang Baimian's pretentious state faded.

Recalling the scenes just now, she couldn't help but laugh:

"Do you want to use making us laugh to resist that inexplicable desire and cognition?"

"Do you want to use making us laugh to resist that inexplicable desire and cognition?" Shang Jianyao laughed along.

Qiao Chu's lips twitched, and he instinctively wanted to warn them to be serious.

This was the center of the city's ruins, where danger lurked everywhere, and the silence was bone-chilling. How could they be joking and laughing?

Jiang Baimian thought for two seconds and, suppressing her laughter, said:

"My hair is long, and your hair is short."

"My hair is long..." Shang Jianyao repeated, but suddenly stopped.

His eyes returned to normal.

"Seize this opportunity," he said immediately.

Jiang Baimian suddenly realized and, taking advantage of the moment before the inexplicable desire could re-infect her, quickly approached the vermilion double wooden door.

"Move to the sides," she instructed Bai Chen, Long Yuehong, and the others while gripping the rusted metal handle.

After a few seconds, Jiang Baimian suddenly turned the handle and pushed open the door.

Without any delay, she dove and rolled to the side of the elevator.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Da! Da! Da!

Gunfire erupted from both below and above the stairs, creating a storm of bullets that enveloped the entrance to the safety passage.

If Long Yuehong and the others had acted rashly and opened the door, they would have been riddled with bullets.

Qiao Chu, controlled by the strong, strange desire, had completely forgotten to use the "Comprehensive Early Warning System" built into his exoskeleton.

Amidst the gunfire, Jiang Baimian took a tactical grenade from her utility belt, prepared to pull the pin, and throw it toward the safety door.

She had calculated the trajectory, intending to use the wall to bounce the grenade down the stairs.

At that moment, the gunfire stopped.

Jiang Baimian silently put the tactical grenade back, holding a grenade launcher in one hand and a "Union 202" in the other, focusing on sensing various signals in the safety passage.

"The 'Unhearted' above have retreated, and the signals below are interfered with, but there are at most two left..." Jiang Baimian quickly provided the information.

At this point, the inexplicable desire and cognition that something precious was hidden in the safety passage and must be obtained had disappeared, and Qiao Chu had fully returned to normal.

Relying on his exoskeleton and the "Comprehensive Early Warning System," he rolled into the safety passage.

Deep in the stairs leading to the underground machine room, a figure was looking up.

It was a woman, relatively young in appearance, with regular features, but her eyes were mostly white, very turbid, and full of bloodshot.

She was about 1.65 meters tall, wearing a deflated white down jacket, and was cleaner than other "Unhearted."

She stood quietly in the deeper darkness, like a ghost wandering at night, silently watching her target to kill.

Without the "Comprehensive Early Warning System," Qiao Chu would not have been able to see her clearly.

Before Qiao Chu could fire a grenade, this "Unhearted" pressed a button with one hand and leaped down, disappearing into the depths of the stairs.

"Is this the 'Advanced Unhearted' that Wu Shoushi and the others encountered?" Jiang Baimian approached the entrance and asked.

Qiao Chu nodded slightly:

"Yes."

"Phew, as expected," Jiang Baimian sighed.

At this moment, Long Yuehong, feeling like a survivor, remarked:

"Fortunately, the 'Unhearted' have no intelligence. If they had shot directly without waiting for us to open the door, at least half of us would have died."

The vermilion double wooden door could not stop bullets.

But in the eyes of the "Unhearted," who followed their instincts, obstacles were just obstacles that needed to be removed.

"Don't say such things now; it's not auspicious," Bai Chen glanced at Long Yuehong.

Hearing words like "luck," "misfortune," "inauspicious," and "fate," Long Yuehong always became particularly sensitive and tightly closed her mouth.

Qiao Chu glanced at the dark stairs ahead and said in a low voice:

"Let's go down."

He paused and then instructed:

"You go first."

It was time to play the role of bait.

PS: Both updates are here today. Please support with recommendations on Monday.