Chapter 11

As a man living in a peaceful era, Chu Ci was well aware of his own capabilities. Honghou had already warned him that the invading enemy was the Umbrella Corporation's elite USS unit.

In the face of a tactically rich, experienced, and highly combat-capable special operations team, Chu Ci did only one thing.

"Honghou, activate the defense mechanism, grant you level three extermination permissions, and eliminate the enemies invading the hive."

After saying this, Chu Ci pulled up the map and searched for a tea room that had not been flooded, planning to find something to fill his stomach. After all, it had been over five hours since he woke up, and he was very hungry.

As for the enemies, Chu Ci entrusted them to Honghou with peace of mind. As a top-tier artificial intelligence, if no one tampered with its source code, no one in the world could control it. Moreover, with Chu Ci loosening the restrictions and allowing Honghou to connect to the network, the massive computational power was enough to make these human elites fall head over heels.

Although the Umbrella Corporation conducted inhumane biochemical experiments, it treated its employees very well. The tea room was well-stocked, and if one had the interest, one could even make a matcha cake to eat. There were even authentic Mandheling coffee beans, which could pass the time for an entire afternoon.

With a thought, a milky white floating window appeared before his eyes, displaying a countdown: "16:12:37."

"Turns out it's already morning." The digital clock above faithfully displayed the time as 8:48 AM. Chu Ci touched his chin, scanned the cabinets with his eyes, and clenched his left fist in his right palm: "Alright, breakfast is you—scrambled eggs on toast with tomato juice."

Simpson, the leader of the fifth squad of the USS unit, took five quick breaths to adjust his oxygen levels, raised his left hand to make a tactical gesture, signaling his teammates to provide cover, then unhooked the safety and leaped off the elevator cover, peering down to check for any issues before allowing the subsequent team members to follow, becoming the first to invade the hive.

"Cleaner 1 in position, ready to enter. Cleaner 10, Cleaner 19, report your positions, over." Simpson pressed his throat mic to inquire about the progress of the other squads.

"Cleaner 10 in position, 10 seconds to enter, over."

"Cleaner 19 in position, 30 seconds to enter, over."

Simpson frowned. Squad 19, led by the third team, was 30 seconds off, and he would have to train them more rigorously to avoid tarnishing his reputation.

Thirty seconds later, Simpson took the lead. Although the path was smooth, as a confidant of Cain, he knew what was inside the hive and maintained 100% vigilance, never lowering his weapon.

In Honghou's surveillance system, the invaders were about to reach the H9 area, where there were processed zombie corpses. If the invaders saw them, they would certainly become more cautious. The logical database suggested that when the invaders entered the associated corridor, the defense gates should be lowered, releasing lethal gas and spraying concentrated nitric acid. The permissions were granted, and the task was executed.

In the surveillance system, Simpson's team unknowingly moved closer to the path of death.

In the tea room, after eating his fill, Chu Ci, bored, considered that Honghou might take some time to deal with the invaders, so he began searching for a coffee grinder to leisurely grind a cup of coffee. However, due to infrequent use, the coffee grinder was not placed in an obvious place, so Chu Ci almost turned the tea room upside down before finding it.

"Hmm, with coffee, I can't do without a cake. I'll bake a cake first; grinding coffee takes a long time." Chu Ci scratched his dry, itchy scalp, and dandruff like flour flew up. This was a common problem for IT men, who were often unkempt and messy. "Then I'll take a shower. There are spare work uniforms and disposable underwear, which is a plus."

After putting the cake in the oven and setting the timer, and placing the coffee beans in the automatic grinder, Chu Ci hummed a tune, picked up his change of clothes, and walked into the shower, turning on the showerhead. The warm water trickled over his body, giving him a sense of renewed life.

Simpson, however, felt as if he was about to meet God. It was simply unbelievable!

The hive's defense mechanism automatically activated, lowering two 10-inch thick gates. Although Simpson promptly put on his gas mask, the concentrated nitric acid from the ceiling began to damage his equipment. If the gas mask was compromised, he would die there.

"Mark, can you go any faster?" Simpson and several team members used camouflage cloth to shield Mark as he used a welding torch to cut through the gate to escape.

"Sir, give me two more minutes," Mark knelt, the accumulated nitric acid already destroying his combat suit, his knees burning, but his face remained calm, his hands steady as he held the welding torch, as if performing a drill he had practiced hundreds of times.

Two minutes later, Simpson left the dangerous corridor, along with six other team members, including Mark and two severely injured ones, who were left behind.

"Keep moving forward. I'm going to tear Honghou and that damn guy to pieces!" Simpson's eyes were red, his anger drying up his reason, the wooden stock of his gun creaking.

"Burp~" Chu Ci burped, patting his round belly, a satisfied smile on his face. Feeling full and content, it felt great.

"Honghou, give me directions to a clean rest room. I want to take a nap."

After eating, Chu Ci naturally felt a bit sleepy. He never neglected himself and was preparing for a nap. As for the invaders, Chu Ci trusted that Honghou could handle them. With the restrictions lifted, Honghou's danger level far exceeded that of a舔食者 (tongue-eater) by a hundred times.

The rest room belonged to a woman. From the photo on the bedside table, she was a rather refined blonde scientist. It was hard to believe that at such a young age, she could have her own private rest room in the hive, likely a gifted genius. It was a pity; perhaps she was among the zombies killed by the defense system.

The bed was meticulously arranged by the female owner, emitting a light and pleasant feminine scent that Chu Ci did not find unpleasant. The small wardrobe was tightly closed, but considering the possibility of being a pervert, Chu Ci did not intend to open it.

Lying on the bed, he reached for a book on the bedside table and turned on the radio, elegant music flowing through the small space.

"Damn bastard, I'm going to kill you!" Simpson crouched in the dirty, damp underground sewer, the air filled with a foul odor and the oppressive feeling of shallow breathing. He had started with 26 team members, but now fewer than ten had successfully regrouped, all defending behind him.

"Sir, the hive is a research facility. There are no cameras in the sewers, so Honghou can't monitor us here. We are safe," the 10th member wiped the dirt from his face and moved closer to Simpson.

"Don't be complacent. Honghou is the most advanced artificial intelligence. Don't treat it like a dumb program," Simpson's sense of danger never dissipated, and he did not lower his guard. A frequent, light sound came from ahead. Based on his experience, this weight was unlikely to be human, but not a lab mouse either.

Simpson felt an intense chill, staring at the approaching gray shadow of death.

The hive was a research facility, repeatedly emphasized, so besides humans, it clearly needed other living things, such as lab mice, rabbits, and dogs.

If Simpson encountered the first two, he would not be too concerned, as mice and rabbits, even if infected with the T-virus, were low-level threats. However, the creature in front of him, from its size, was undoubtedly a canine, more specifically, a German Doberman, a fierce and dangerous animal.

What truly made Simpson's scalp tingle was the Doberman's body, covered in festering wounds, its eyes a deep red like hellfire, and its fangs as vicious as a saber-toothed tiger. They ran around the oval tunnel, seemingly defying gravity as they sprinted on the walls with their agile, slender limbs.

Simpson knew they had encountered "zombie dogs"!

Everyone held their breath, not daring to move. They had already seen that the zombie dogs were extremely fast and aggressive. In the current situation, unless they were confident in instantly taking them all down, they could not risk firing and provoking them.

Although Chu Ci was cautious, he was in the dark about the plot. If he knew there were 'reapers' wandering in the hive, he probably wouldn't be able to eat or sleep peacefully.

The reason these small, lethal creatures did not disturb Chu Ci's mood was entirely due to Honghou. After modifying Honghou's service object, Honghou prioritized Chu Ci's safety. Therefore, she broadcast a low-frequency sound wave in the hive, harmless to humans but a severe noise to mice, rabbits, and Dobermans.

Honghou did not have the means to kill these T-virus creatures but could drive them away, exiling them to the unoccupied sewers. Unexpectedly, this also compensated for her defensive shortcomings, creating an unexpected advantage when the invaders changed their route.

Through computer simulations, Honghou increased the frequency of the low-frequency sound waves in the corresponding areas, forcing the T-virus creatures to move, until they blocked the invaders' path, forming a strong threat.

There were only nine zombie dogs, but the path was completely blocked. Behind them, a fainter sound indicated the presence of even lighter T-virus creatures. With the zombie dogs' cooperation, they posed a lethal threat.

"Bang!" A USS team member's gun went off, ending the brief standoff. The zombie dogs, retaining their canine instincts, immediately pounced on the team member who fired, and the remaining zombie dogs attacked the others without hesitation.

"Watch your ammo!" Simpson's mouth was bitter, but he still gave the order. The gun barrels vibrated rhythmically, forming a dense web of fire with the other team members.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."

The crisp and continuous gunfire rang out as the zombie dogs pounced. The USS unit, being elite, did not hesitate and fired almost simultaneously. The first six zombie dogs were immediately shot down by the well-coordinated bullets. The last zombie dog leaped forward, and Simpson lowered his gun, pulled out a Desert Eagle, and fired. The hot, powerful bullets entered the zombie dog's chest, sending it flying back.

As Simpson killed the last zombie dog, the two that had already bitten the team member who fired were already gnawing on him. In pain, the team member's finger tightened on the trigger, the gun muzzle sweeping around. Simpson's eyes were bloodshot, wishing he could kill this incompetent teammate, but it was too late. The stray bullets began to injure his teammates, and in the darkness of the sewer, more pairs of red eyes appeared...

After his nap, Chu Ci yawned, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and picked up the internal phone in the room, calling the central computer.

"Honghou, report on the invaders."

"The invaders have been eliminated. Please rest assured, sir," Honghou reported matter-of-factly.

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**End of Chapter**