Chapter Sixty-One: The Underground Laboratory

A mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole lurking behind. Until the final outcome is revealed, no one can truly know who is the mantis, who is the cicada, and who is ultimately the oriole.

You slay your rival for a piece of flesh whose decay is unfathomable, believing you will claim meat that rarely appears in years, convinced you are the oriole. Yet you are mistaken, collapsing in the final moment of triumph, becoming the cicada instead.

The shadow in the darkness thinks itself hidden, having escaped disaster, but does not realize it too is only a cicada. The mantis and oriole follow closely behind, each waiting to devour and squeeze out the last drop of value.

Cicada, mantis, oriole—these three roles endlessly shift; all aspire to be the oriole, yet someone must play the cicada and mantis.

At the border of District D, near the entrance of District C, a black figure darted through abandoned buildings. In the steel forest, he moved with the agility of an ape. His black, eagle-like feet, though human-shaped, left five terrifying gouges in the concrete with every step.

Occasionally, a few low-level aberrations blocked his path. With a flick of the bone knife in his right hand, he severed their heads from their necks; or with a swing of the massive black hammer in his left, he smashed their skulls. None could delay him by even a second.

In the dim environment, the black figure moved like a walker in darkness, weaving through open ruins. This place, before the Age of Darkness, was unmistakably a bustling city center.

Yet he did not linger, running deeper into the luxurious area. Past the high-rises, the terrain changed to a district of villas. Here, unlike elsewhere, the streets were unnaturally clean—no cars blocked the cement roads, no aimless low-level aberrations scavenging for food.

The black figure swung ahead, weaving between buildings and roads. A hundred meters behind him, a gray shadow, even more ghostly, followed.

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Where aberrations of all sizes vie for rotting flesh, Ye Bai glanced at the watch on his wrist—Mu'er, his intelligent brain, had transformed into it. A blue light flashed constantly, moving in a certain direction.

"Ye Bai, do you think Monk will be alright? We're already near District C, and when we first entered, we encountered so many aberrations. The fear still lingers—I worry Monk might run into trouble."

Yao Ling's delicate face was clouded with worry, her fingers continually pinching at each other.

Ye Bai pointed to the watch, where the blue light kept flashing forward. Though its pace varied, it never stopped.

"See, this blue dot marks Monk's location." Ye Bai gestured at a nearby red dot, "This is us. As long as Monk's blue dot keeps moving, it means—at the very least—he still has the ability to act."

Ye Bai discarded the wrapper of a concentrated chocolate bar and went on, "You've seen Monk's uncanny movement skills—so many sand scorpions in the ruins, yet not one could harm him. You must trust Monk."

Yao Ling lowered her head. "I know, but I can't help worrying."

Ye Bai patted her shoulder, offering encouragement. Yet this anxiety must be overcome by oneself; others can only help so much.

"Hurry and pack up. Let’s head to Monk's location."

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While the two spoke, the blue dot remained still. Ye Bai reckoned Monk had reached his destination.

He tapped a button on the watch; both the red and blue dots flashed three times. Instantly, a yellow route appeared between them, tracing Monk's recent path.

"It's here. Let's go." Ye Bai led the way, Yao Ling followed, walking along the yellow route.

Meanwhile, at Monk Cao's side—

Having followed the black figure through the dense city blocks, Monk Cao arrived at this ‘clean’ villa district.

It was eerily quiet, stranger than District D even in daylight. Not a sound could be heard. On the streets outside, nothing remained except unswept bloodstains.

Monk Cao pressed himself against a wall, hiding in its shadow. He had seen the black figure enter the underground garage and not come out again.

He dared not enter; the place was even more unsettling than outside. All he could hear was his own heartbeat. He decided to wait for Ye Bai and Yao Ling to arrive before discussing their next move. Acting rashly could cost him his life, or worse, drag Ye Bai and Yao Ling into peril. This was not a simulated world—death here meant everything was lost. Caution, as Ye Bai had repeatedly reminded him, was paramount.

Three minutes passed. Five minutes. Nearly ten minutes later, Ye Bai and Yao Ling finally arrived.

"Monk, what happened?" Ye Bai crept over and asked.

Upon entering the area, Ye Bai felt a jolt—the difference between this place and the outside was stark. If there were no aberrations here by day, it would make sense: the creatures avoid sunlight to keep from losing the last moisture in their bodies.

But now it was night, and after passing through the city blocks and encountering aberrations, it was already the latter half of the night—supposedly the most active hours for aberrations. Yet not a single creature was present.

Something was amiss. Ye Bai believed following the black figure was a wise move; by accident, they had stumbled upon somewhere extraordinary. Hastily, he found Monk Cao to learn more.

Monk Cao, nerves taut, was startled by Ye Bai’s voice—almost ready to strike instinctively. He took a deep breath and said, "I don't know either. I followed him here but didn't dare go any further; I'm afraid there might be an ambush inside."

He pointed toward the underground garage.

"That black aberration entered there. I’ve kept watch—he never came out."

Ye Bai nodded. Monk Cao had done the right thing. In unknown, uncanny territory, better to wait and consult as a group.

"What do you think?" Ye Bai turned to Monk Cao and Yao Ling.

Monk Cao answered without hesitation—they should go in. Yao Ling hesitated, but finally agreed, though she was naturally wary of darkness.

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Ye Bai also agreed; this could be a big catch, possibly the source of the D District unrest. Yet a single misstep could mean total annihilation. There was no other choice—it was a gamble, as every decision always was.

"Let's go in. But before we do, check your gear. Yao Ling, your pulse gun probably doesn't have much ammo left." Ye Bai handed her his pulse gun, preferring his blade.

Yao Ling met Ye Bai’s eyes, wanting to say something but refrained, then inserted the ammunition into her belt. She had nearly exhausted the bullets Monk Cao gave her.

"Remember, activate the night mode on your smart brain. Inside, you won't see as clearly as outside," Ye Bai warned.

All three pressed their wristwatches; a pair of glasses appeared before their eyes, enabling vision in darkness and analysis of the surrounding air, humidity, and various energy waves.

Once activated, Ye Bai could see the highest concentration of uranium in the energy waves, followed closely by gamma radiation.

"Final check," Ye Bai reminded them.

Monk Cao and Yao Ling nodded.

"Alright, let's go."

Ye Bai led, Yao Ling in the middle with the pulse gun, Monk Cao behind also armed.

Slowly, the trio entered the underground garage. As expected, it was pitch dark inside—without their smart brains, nothing would be visible.

There were no cars inside. Occasionally, chemical-like substances could be seen in the corners.

Ye Bai glanced at Yao Ling, Yao Ling looked at Monk Cao; a word flashed through their minds: ‘laboratory.’

This was not a garage—it was an underground laboratory. The discovery surprised them. Ye Bai knew that aberrations, upon evolving to entry-level, gained some intelligence, but it was only enough to seek benefit and avoid harm, not to conduct research.

So what was happening now? High-level aberrations here? Impossible—such creatures would have been hunted by senior students long ago, and wouldn’t survive, let alone establish a laboratory in District D.

The bow was drawn, there was no turning back. They could only press on.

Ye Bai led, Yao Ling followed, Monk Cao brought up the rear. Step by step, they ventured deeper into the underground garage.