Chapter 26 (1/2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“What’s wrong?” Angelina couldn’t help but ask when she saw Zhang Heng standing at the entrance of the elevator in a dazed manner.

“No, we can’t take the lift!” Zhang Heng was frowning hard.

“Why is that? Are you saying that you’d rather take the stairs to get down there instead?” Angelina asked in return.

“No, not the stairs, either.” Zhang Heng shook his head and continued, “There’s too little space to maneuver in both of those places. If we were to run into that octopus-like necromorph, we’d be done for.”

“But, how are we supposed to get to the bottom of the base if we can’t use the elevator or stairs?”

“I remember the layout of this particular base and, if I’m not mistaken, there should be a huge chasm about one kilometer in diameter at the center of the base, no?”

“Well, you’re right. That’s where the simulation of space combat takes place. The entire base was designed to be ring-shaped just to wrap around that training ground.”

“Well then, why don’t we just drop to the bottommost part straight through that training ground then? How about that, eh?” Zhang Heng asked.

Angelina couldn’t argue any further with Zhang Heng about that and simply decided to just take him to the training ground instead. It was worth noting that the base was so huge that the place felt like a small city in itself, with its design incredibly complex. One would only find one huge steel gate after another when walking through the base and everywhere they walked seemed to look near-identical, making it feel as if they had found themselves in some deep, inescapable labyrinth.

Furthermore, the pathways were often caked with dried bloodstains. The place looked like a typical scene from a horror film, with the bloodstains everywhere, combined with the very dim lights.

Zhang Heng kept his guard up throughout the whole trip, fearing that a necromorph would emerge out of nowhere all of a sudden. Worse still, he had to split a part of his attention to be on guard against Angelina, and that mental tension made him look very worried.

About three or four hours passed and Angelina’s breathing gradually became increasingly labored. She wasn’t the only one in such a state, as even Zhang Heng was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. The trip wasn’t like his usual casual walks, as he had to keep himself tense and on edge all the time in that place where dangers lurked everywhere. If he didn’t, some necromorph might charge out of any dank corner and snap their necks without warning.

However, things still looked weird, as he noted that they hadn’t encountered even a single necromorph over the course of several hours, as if they had all disappeared without a trace in a single moment.

“Should we take a break?” Angelina sighed and asked at that moment. “One of the most important factors to survival is to maintain your strength. If we keep going like this, we’ll all be dead tired before we even reach the training ground, and you’re not telling me that you’re gonna fight necromorphs when you can hardly even move, right?”

“Agreed.” Zhang Heng nodded and pulled open a door by his side. There was a sign on the door saying ‘barracks’, but it was all dark inside.

Zhang Heng put his night vision to work without making a fuss about it. He could confirm that it was safe inside at the very instant he pulled the door opened. There was no necromorph to be found in there, only splatters of dried, blackened blood on the ground.

That room was indeed a barrack for the troops of the base.

He figured that there were hardly any humans who came in after the troops were corrupted by the Marker. The cots in the barracks smelled moldy and wet, and there were some cots that weren’t tidied up, looking very messy. All of that seemed to tell them that the calamity that came all of a sudden, over a year ago, did really happen after all.

Zhang Heng looked around the place after stepping inside, inspecting every nook and cranny, from under the cots to even the drawers. He found no danger lurking within, and no leads of any kind as well.

Zhang Heng was very, very exhausted by then, both in body as well as mind. Keeping oneself tense and on edge for prolonged periods of time would tire one out quickly. While his body had been modified by the T-Virus, he was still just a human after all.

“Zhang Heng, you look like a mess. Get some good rest. We’ll be the ones to do guard duty instead,” Angelina said with a grin, after she and the others got into the room.

“Alright. I’d just hand the place to you guys then.” A hint of wariness appeared in his eyes as he walked up to a cot near the very center of the room, before lying down and shutting his eyes.

He had no intention of falling asleep just like that. While Angelina was also a human, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t just cut his throat open when he had fallen asleep. While he was unable to think of any reason why she would do so, he wasn’t about to assume that she was helping him out of the goodness of her heart. The way she just decided to follow him without making any requests or demands alone was more than enough to put him on edge.

Zhang Heng extended all of his other senses as soon as he closed his eyes. If someone were to get near him at that moment, he would be able to tell even with his eyes closed.

That was an ability he acquired after he injected himself with the T-Virus. The virus’s purpose was to develop the perfect creature, which naturally made it imperative to include enhancing said creature’s detection and perception abilities.

But… why couldn’t I shake off this feeling of unease still? What the hell is it that I’ve overlooked?