Chapter 74

"Alright." Shang Jianyao took the lead, holding the "Berserker" assault rifle, and walked past Qiao Chu towards the stairs leading to the underground machine room.

At this moment, an arm extended in front of him.

"I'll go first." Jiang Baimian said in a deep voice.

Of course, no matter how much she tried to lower her voice, it still wasn't quiet enough in the absence of a reference.

"I'm an Awakened." Shang Jianyao insisted, his expression serious and solemn.

"What? Saving all of humanity starts with us?" Jiang Baimian chuckled, "Can you sense the attackers in advance?"

Shang Jianyao nodded:

"Yes."

"..." Jiang Baimian hadn't expected such an answer, and her subsequent words got stuck in her throat.

After a few seconds, she managed to say:

"How far can you sense?"

"Ten meters." Shang Jianyao answered frankly.

Jiang Baimian secretly let out a breath:

"The range I can sense is larger than yours.

"In this environment, it's definitely better to detect the attackers as early as possible.

"So, I'll go first."

With that, she smiled:

"This isn't about not letting you take responsibility, but about specialization. Professional tasks should be handled by the most professional people.

"If one day our team encounters a more dangerous situation and your ability is the most suitable to resolve it, I will send you out without hesitation."

Shang Jianyao didn't say anything more, nodded, and took a step back, making room for her.

Jiang Baimian adjusted her gun strap, slung the grenade launcher, and then switched to holding "Ice Moss" in one hand, leaving the other free.

The stairs were a very narrow environment with limited space to dodge, so they absolutely couldn't make any mistakes.

Considering this, Jiang Baimian temporarily abandoned the "Union 202" pistol, which was prone to jamming, and the grenade launcher, which could easily affect herself.

Although her "Union 202" was frequently maintained and calibrated, and she was confident it wouldn't malfunction, in the current environment, it was better to be safe than sorry. If it jammed, there would be no place to dodge.

Of course, her grenade launcher was slung in the easiest position to access. If those "Heartless" dared to gather at the bottom of the stairs, she would select the trajectory and take them all out.

As for her side, she would give the command to lie down in advance.

The free hand was prepared to hold a flashlight.

Jiang Baimian could sense the electrical signals of the enemies but couldn't see the stairs in the dark.

There wasn't even a faint moonlight or starlight here.

Holding the flashlight, Jiang Baimian slightly bent her waist, looking at the yellowish light ahead, and slowly descended the stairs.

She didn't dare to walk too fast, fearing that an attack might come and she wouldn't have time to react.

When Shang Jianyao, Bai Chen, and Long Yuehong entered the elevator in sequence, she turned back and reminded them:

"Once I say to lie down, you immediately lie down."

She was worried that the "Heartless" might launch grenades or throw grenades from a distance.

Although Qiao Chu, with the help of the "Comprehensive Early Warning System" and "Precision Aiming System," had a good chance of destroying the grenades in advance, they still needed to guard against shrapnel.

If the grenades or hand grenades contained toxic gas, Jiang Baimian would have no other choice but to have everyone hold their breath and rush back to the first floor. At that time, except for Bai Chen, everyone could rely on the improved physique of gene-modified individuals to hold out until they could use the "Universal Bio-detoxifier" produced by the company. Qiao Chu's exoskeleton suit had a built-in "Toxic Gas Filtration System," so it wasn't a concern.

She couldn't be sure if this would be effective.

If that group of "Heartless" even had thermobaric bombs, Jiang Baimian could only admit that their luck was bad.

However, she wasn't too worried about the latter two scenarios because she believed the "Heartless" couldn't maintain their weapons and ammunition well, and since the old world's destruction, almost no one had entered here. Only a few batches of people had come, so there wasn't much equipment.

Thinking about the strange nature of the "Advanced Heartless" and their ability to use various weapons, Jiang Baimian felt a toothache.

Hearing Jiang Baimian's instructions, Long Yuehong subconsciously responded:

"Yes, Team Leader!"

This loud voice immediately echoed through the stairwell, layer by layer, humming down.

Long Yuehong then realized he had made another mistake.

"Good."

"Very good."

"Very spirited."

Jiang Baimian, Bai Chen, and Shang Jianyao almost simultaneously praised him.

Qiao Chu coldly watched, turned on the flashlight built into his exoskeleton suit, and used the light beam to signal the four in front not to waste time.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment, confirmed there was nothing else to remind or emphasize, and then, holding the flashlight and Ice Moss, stepped down the stairs one by one.

The wind here was a bit cold, the right wall was already peeling, the left handrail was black and chipped, and the metal railings were rusted.

Under the yellowish light, the stairs spiraled down into the dark underground, as if entering the mouth of a giant beast.

This made Long Yuehong's tension and fear deepen uncontrollably, his mind swirling with various thoughts, and he began to doubt the necessity of this mission.

As they descended floor by floor, the stairwell was incredibly quiet, as if the entire world had died.

If it weren't for the slight sound of their footsteps, Long Yuehong felt he might have already been driven to mental collapse by the environment and atmosphere.

Even so, he felt time was passing abnormally slowly.

After an unknown amount of time, Qiao Chu, who was trailing behind, suddenly said:

"Here it is."

"Phew..." Long Yuehong immediately let out a breath.

It was great that they weren't attacked while walking the stairs!

Once they left this narrow, enclosed environment, at least they would have space to run, roll, and jump, allowing them to effectively dodge.

"They didn't take this opportunity to attack us..." Bai Chen muttered to herself.

Jiang Baimian subconsciously responded:

"The 'Heartless' probably aren't trying to stop us from entering the underground machine room. They lack the motivation and intelligence for that, unless this is their nest.

"As hunters, when they discover their prey is too powerful to handle, the best choice is to observe from the shadows, wait for an opportunity, and call for help from their companions.

"These are 'Heartless' of many generations, and they won't lack such instincts or wisdom in hunting."

Long Yuehong, hearing the most concerning content, looked around with great worry:

"Does that mean they are hiding in the surrounding darkness?"

"Exactly, exactly." Shang Jianyao laughed, "Once someone shows signs of tension, weakness, or lack of vigilance, they will target that person."

Long Yuehong was startled.

Isn't that referring to me?

He instantly overcame his fear, his mind highly tense, not letting himself show any weakness.

"Alright, there are no electrical signals in the area behind the door." Jiang Baimian stopped here, not just to speak, "But we still need to follow the procedure and be careful."

They then provided cover and prepared for fire suppression, not letting their guard down.

Next, Jiang Baimian controlled the force and suddenly rammed the door to the underground machine room, directly breaking it open.

Using the rebound, she turned and hid to the side.

After confirming no one attacked, they reformed their battle formation and rushed out of the stairwell, entering a lower level.

The flashlight beams revealed the layout:

Their current position was at a crossroads, with corridors leading forward, right, and left, and rooms distributed on both sides of the corridors.

"Where is the underground machine room?" Jiang Baimian asked Qiao Chu.

Qiao Chu looked around and said:

"I'm not sure."

He then added:

"Go straight first, explore the path.

"If you find it, tell me directly. If not, come back and try another direction."

He seemed to have made this decision long ago.

Jiang Baimian and the others didn't find any issues with this and followed the previous formation, entering the vertical corridor.

At this moment, Qiao Chu took two steps forward and emphasized:

"Once you reach the end, don't rush to turn elsewhere. Report back first."

"No problem." Shang Jianyao seemed to be answering for Jiang Baimian.

He even waved his hand with a smile.

"Alright." Jiang Baimian refocused her attention on the front.

The four of them, illuminated by the flashlights, continued deeper into the floor.

On both sides, some rooms were open, some closed, with doors made of wood or gray-blue metal, and occasionally tables, long tables, chairs, and various machines could be seen inside.

But none of them looked like a power room in terms of size and appearance.

As they walked, Jiang Baimian suddenly raised her hand and fired a shot into a room on the side.

With a bang, a figure staggered and darted through another door into the opposite corridor.

As the flashlight beams swept over, Shang Jianyao and the others saw a back in a white shirt.

The back, near the right shoulder, was rapidly stained with fresh red, clearly hit by a bullet.

However, his speed didn't slow down at all, and before Jiang Baimian and the others could fire a second shot, he darted out of their sight.

"His injury seems a bit off." Bai Chen retracted her gaze and said.

"What's off about it?" Long Yuehong asked anxiously.

Bai Chen glanced at Jiang Baimian:

"The power of 'Ice Moss' may not match 'Union 202,' but it's not insignificant. It shouldn't cause such a minor injury when hitting a person."

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly:

"Could it be that after many generations, the 'Heartless' have evolved their muscles to the point where they can effectively reduce the tumbling or tearing of bullets?"

"Uncertain if that's the reason, but we need to be cautious and not misjudge their injuries." Bai Chen warned with a serious expression.

"Hope their heads are hard enough too." Shang Jianyao replied with a smile.

Long Yuehong silently noted this point.

The "Old Adjustment Team" continued forward, encountering no more "Heartless" along the way.

Soon, they reached the end of the corridor.

Jiang Baimian shone her flashlight into a room on the right, trying to see what was inside.

The first thing that caught their eyes was a person!

An old woman, hunched over, wearing a dark cap, a black woolen dress, and with a face full of wrinkles.

The old woman's hair, visible outside the cap, was already completely white, and she held a red and blue cloth-wrapped bundle in her hands.

She lifted her head, looked at Jiang Baimian and the others with her cloudy eyes, and said, word by word:

"You... disturbed... Xiao Chong..."

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