Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Probing the Underground Labyrinth

For some unknown reason, despite so many staff members below, the Mutant didn’t attack them. Instead, it scurried up to the top and went after the people there.

Xu Qingsui fell into deep thought after she finished speaking, not noticing the fervent gaze Shen Yan fixed on her.

Afraid of being noticed, Shen Yan looked away after a single glance.

Still, he contacted Chu Tian and told him to increase patrols around the plaza.

Shen Yan then asked the other staff members if they had found anything.

Unfortunately, no one else provided any valuable clues.

Several research groups were still fighting over who got the corpse. Shen Yan’s expression turned cold as he assigned them an order, which finally made them stop.

Shen Yan then took Xu Qingsui back to his office. Before long, Chu Tian arrived as well.

He also brought some bad news.

Although one Mutant corpse had been found, two more bodies, gnawed down to the bone, were discovered elsewhere.

Upon learning that more people had been killed, Shen Yan’s expression darkened.

"Lin Jia just said this type of Mutant is likely social. It looks like one has died, but who knows how many more are still out there hurting people."

"We can’t just sit back and wait. At this rate, if we don’t root them out completely, the number of resident casualties will skyrocket."

"We can barely keep the residents calm for now, but if a few more people die, we’ll lose control of the situation. It would have a massive impact on our safe zone."

Shen Yan’s expression was grave. He understood everything Chu Tian was saying, but the rampaging Mutants were elusive, and for now, he had no better solution.

Just as he was hesitating, Xu Qingsui, having learned that two more people had been killed, could no longer sit still.

’At this rate, if we don’t handle this soon, even more people will die.’

Even though a voice inside her kept telling her to lie low, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

"I still think the Mutants came from that giant hole. Given the situation, we can’t wait for them to come out and harm people anymore. We need to find a way to take out their nest."

"But the lab staff have already been searching down there for a long time, and they really didn’t find anything."

Before, when Shen Yan had told Chu Tian to keep an eye on the giant hole, Chu Tian had been skeptical. He just hadn’t dared to voice his objections because of Shen Yan’s authority.

Now that Xu Qingsui had brought up the issue again, he took the opportunity to voice his opinion.

Xu Qingsui frowned and was about to argue, but Shen Yan spoke first. "Just because the staff didn’t find anything doesn’t mean there’s no problem."

"I think Guide Xu has a point. We can no longer afford to sit back and wait. We have to go on the offensive."

"Captain Chu, assemble an elite squad. Have them gather in the plaza in half an hour. We’re going to thoroughly explore this giant hole."

Seeing that Shen Yan not only agreed with Xu Qingsui but also issued a direct order, Chu Tian was left speechless.

At a time like this, he really didn’t want to waste any more manpower and resources.

He braced himself to protest, but before he could open his mouth, Shen Yan shot him a cold glare, forcing him to swallow the words on the tip of his tongue.

Letting out a helpless sigh, Chu Tian went to make the preparations.

After Chu Tian left, Shen Yan stood up as well.

"This is a serious matter. I’m going to lead the team down personally. It will be dangerous, so you should head back to your dorm for now. I’ll find you when I get back and tell you what we found."

Shen Yan wanted Xu Qingsui to go with him, but to avoid revealing his true intentions, he put on a show of courtesy.

"I’ll go with you. If we run into Mutants and you need to fight, I’ll be there so you can do so without holding back."

This was exactly what Shen Yan had been waiting to hear from her, but he still deliberately put on a troubled expression.

"But it’s too dangerous down there. If we really run into Mutants, I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you. What will you do if you’re in danger?"

"Don’t worry. I can take care of myself. If you’re worried I’ll hold you back, I swear that if anything happens to me, you can leave me behind. I absolutely won’t blame you."

"That’s not what I meant... *Sigh*. Alright, fine. But once we’re down there, you have to stick close to me. Don’t leave my line of sight."

Shen Yan was secretly delighted but put on a masterful display of reluctance.

After coming to an agreement, Xu Qingsui followed Shen Yan back to the plaza. Chu Tian had already assembled the elite squad and was waiting for him.

Xu Qingsui scanned the group. It was a twenty-man team: eighteen were B level Sentinels, and the remaining two, including Chu Tian, were A level Sentinels.

Xu Qingsui guessed this was likely the full elite force of the 27th District’s Survival Team.

Shen Yan gave them a quick glance before saying to Chu Tian, "I’ll be going down with you this time, and Guide Xu will be accompanying us."

Chu Tian’s eyes widened when he heard Shen Yan was coming along. Upon learning that Xu Qingsui was also going, he began to protest again.

"Sir, all the elite members of the Survival Team are here. Even though this Mutant is proving difficult, I’m confident we can handle it with me leading the team. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself."

"Besides, if the Mutants’ nest really is down there, the mission will be perilous. We might have our hands full just looking after ourselves, let alone protecting Guide Xu. We shouldn’t put her in danger."

"No. This situation is too severe, I must lead the team myself. Rest assured, with Guide Xu present, she will be able to assist me, and I will protect her. You don’t need to worry about us."

Shen Yan was resolute. Xu Qingsui then stepped forward as well. "Captain Chu, please don’t worry. I’ll be responsible for my own safety. I won’t slow you down."

He couldn’t sway Shen Yan on his own, and with Xu Qingsui added to the mix, Chu Tian completely relented.

He said no more, handed command of the team over to Shen Yan, and rejoined the formation, awaiting orders.

After taking command, Shen Yan immediately led everyone down into the hole.

All staff had been evacuated once the decision was made to explore the hole’s interior.

Shen Yan took out a schematic drawn during the previous probe and circled the outer perimeter of the hole.

"The areas we’ve already explored have yielded no clues. However, preliminary surveys indicate this place is vast. The section we’ve covered is probably less than a tenth of the total area. You could call this place an underground city."

"Our next objective is all the unexplored sectors. The Mutants’ nest is likely hidden in one of them."

"This type of Mutant is extremely dangerous, so we won’t split into groups. We’ll concentrate our full strength and search sector by sector."

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