Chapter 199: Chapter 199: The Extra

Based on what they knew, there was a total of thirty-seven creatures below. When Lu Jingyu organized the operation, he had prepared for the absolute worst, operating under the assumption that all thirty-seven creatures were infected and had become Mutants. Therefore, when the team realized a mysterious entity was lurking, most assumed it was simply one of those thirty-seven.

But now, the thirty-seven Mutants were all perfectly accounted for. This meant the hidden entity was an entirely different existence, adding another thick layer of mystery to the unknown threat. Since something outside their known parameters had appeared, they couldn’t rule out the possibility of even more unseen dangers.

Every member of the Survival Team walked the razor’s edge between life and death. Their past experiences served as a constant warning.

"Captain, is Shen Yan hiding something?" Meng Donghua voiced his suspicions with a dark expression. "Could this be part of his experiment too? Is he treating us all as test subjects? Or maybe he realized we found out about yesterday’s incident and wants to silence us?"

In the Apocalypse, one could only survive by treating everyone as a potential enemy. As Meng Donghua spoke, his grip on his weapon tightened, his bulging veins a testament to his burning resolve to kill Shen Yan in revenge. He was merely the first to say it out loud. Although the rest of the team hadn’t explicitly stated it, they shared his sentiments and immediately chimed in to agree.

Hearing his words, Lu Jingyu’s brows knotted tightly, but his gaze subconsciously shifted toward Xu Qingsui. Upon hearing this theory, she was visibly shocked and also looked at Lu Jingyu, hoping to hear his take on the matter. As their eyes met, she assumed he wanted to hear her thoughts as well.

Before she could speak, however, Lu Jingyu addressed the team directly. "You aren’t wrong to stay vigilant, but this incident shouldn’t be Boss Shen’s conspiracy."

His gaze lingered on Xu Qingsui for a moment longer.

"The current situation in the 27th District leaves no room for reckless behavior. If a Mutant were to run rampant right now, the 27th District would cease to exist. This place is Boss Shen’s life’s work; he wouldn’t gamble with it."

In reality, Lu Jingyu believed that because Shen Yan was currently competing with him for Xu Qingsui, and because she was physically present here, Shen Yan would absolutely never orchestrate anything malicious. However, he couldn’t voice his true thoughts—at least not in front of Xu Qingsui. Otherwise, wouldn’t he just be doing Shen Yan a huge favor by revealing the man’s affections? He hadn’t even confessed his own feelings yet; he certainly wasn’t about to act as Shen Yan’s wingman.

"Moreover, before we came down, Boss Shen and I reached an agreement. From now on, our Heiyu Alliance will serve as the defensive force for the 27th District," Lu Jingyu continued. "Right now, the laboratory urgently needs to be rebuilt, and he has far too many things to deal with. We are his best option."

The team still trusted Lu Jingyu. After hearing his explanation, their indignant expressions finally faded. But that still left the immediate problem at hand.

What exactly was that mysterious entity? Since they had technically completed their mission, could they finally withdraw? Leaving the doubts in their hearts unanswered and merely guarding these piles of bones indefinitely would only amplify their panic. It was completely meaningless.

A moment later, Meng Donghua spoke up again as their representative. "Captain, no matter what, our mission is pretty much complete. Before that mysterious entity launches an attack on us, we should head back up! We can explain the situation down here to Boss Shen; maybe he’ll remember some useful information."

Since Lu Jingyu was equally out of ideas, he nodded at Meng Donghua’s proposal.

The group began to make their way back toward the main hall. However, everyone was still deeply preoccupied with the mysterious entity. With a tacit understanding, they all kept a hyper-vigilant watch on their surroundings to prevent anyone in the ranks from suddenly turning into a pile of white bones.

Xu Qingsui followed silently by Lu Jingyu’s side. She continuously extended her perception into their surroundings, yet that haunting sensation of being shadowed never once faded. At this moment, she had a terrifying premonition: the thing was following them to the hall. The moment the people outside received their signal and opened the heavy door, the creature would take the opportunity to slip out alongside them.

Images of those scattered piles of bones flashed through her mind, and Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but shudder. She didn’t dare to imagine what would happen to the outside world if that thing escaped.

Lu Jingyu was already on high alert, paying strict attention to the perimeter, but he had reserved a fraction of his focus for Xu Qingsui. He noticed her reaction immediately.

Moving closer to her side, he asked in a low voice, "What’s wrong? Did you sense something again?"

Xu Qingsui glanced at him and gently shook her head. "No, I just have a very bad feeling."

Out of his deep trust in Xu Qingsui, Lu Jingyu always took her intuition seriously. "What are you worried about?"

Xu Qingsui took a deep breath and slowly voiced her fears. When she mentioned that the entity was still trailing them and wanted to hitch a ride out of the third underground level, Lu Jingyu’s heart skipped a beat.

He could already picture the catastrophic aftermath. The 27th District would be entirely devoid of human life, leaving behind nothing but desolation and a floor littered with bones. Furthermore, his gut told him that what Xu Qingsui described was, nine times out of ten, exactly what would happen.

During their final few steps, he made a firm decision.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Open the door!"

Back in the hall, Meng Donghua pounded on the heavy metal door according to their previous arrangement and shouted for the people outside to let them in. However, just as sounds of movement came from the other side, Lu Jingyu suddenly yanked Meng Donghua aside and blocked the door with his own body.

"Wait a moment! Shen Yan, are you out there?" Lu Jingyu shouted. "I have something to tell you. Is there a way we can communicate properly?"

"There is!" Shen Yan’s voice echoed from outside, though his tone sounded somewhat displeased. "There’s a room on the left side of the corridor ahead. It has a video communication device. We can talk face-to-face."

At that moment, Shen Yan was staring coldly at the heavy door. He felt that Lu Jingyu was trying to threaten him and make demands again. He had originally thought Lu Jingyu was a real man for not using Xu Qingsui as a bargaining chip, but he hadn’t expected him to pull a stunt like this right at the exit. Annoyed, he was unwilling to let Lu Jingyu get his way. Yet, when he thought of the 27th District he had so painstakingly built, he felt somewhat helpless to refuse.

"Alright! We’ll head over there to talk now!" Lu Jingyu yelled back. "Tell your men that until we finish talking and I explicitly tell you the door can be opened, no one is allowed to open it without authorization! Otherwise, you’ll suffer the consequences!"

Shen Yan’s face darkened. Displeased as he was, he could only instruct his subordinates exactly as Lu Jingyu had demanded. He immediately returned to the second underground level and entered the corresponding room he had just mentioned.

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