Chapter 257: Aurora Base

This was everyone's first time truly getting close to the Aurora Base. Under Qiong Xuan's leadership, they walked straight toward the elevator.

As Qiong Xuan pressed the elevator switch, a low humming sound came from inside the deep tunnel wrapped in wire mesh, like some large machinery slowly rotating. Everyone waited there for a full forty or fifty seconds before a metal platform rose from inside the tunnel.

To everyone's surprise, there were already a few figures on the elevator. They were wearing uniform white coats. Seeing the many Enforcers outside, they glanced at them lightly before pushing open the metal gate and walking out.

"Make way." Qiong Xuan's voice sounded.

Everyone was stunned for a moment before realizing that Qiong Xuan was talking to them. They immediately separated to clear a wide path. Several figures in white coats walked past calmly, without even looking at the crowd on either side.

Looking at the white figures disappearing into the distance, deep confusion rose in everyone's hearts...

In Aurora City, Enforcers held extremely high status. Having lived there for so many years, they had always been treated with respect by others. But here, they had just encountered a few ordinary people in white coats, and they had to take the initiative to make way, even for a Seven-Stripe Enforcer like Qiong Xuan.

"Remember, in this base, you have only one function... and that is security." Qiong Xuan's voice sounded slowly. "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't be curious about what you shouldn't be curious about. Unless the base's security is threatened, do not have any conflicts with anyone. Understand?"

"Understood." Everyone nodded repeatedly.

Under Qiong Xuan's leadership, everyone stepped onto the elevator leading underground. Fortunately, the elevator was large enough; let alone just the twenty-something of them, even if there were twice as many, they could all stand on it at the same time.

As the steel gate gradually closed, the elevator began to sink gradually.

Chen Ling turned his head and looked through the gaps in the gate in the direction where the few white coats had left, his eyes narrowing slightly...

……

Several figures in white coats walked across the open space and arrived in front of the second vehicle that had entered the base.

"Why are there so few experimental subjects recently?" A white coat frowned and asked.

The door was opened, and a figure also wearing a white coat stepped down, saying helplessly, "What can we do... There are fewer people donating themselves, right?"

"There isn't much time left. If there aren't enough experimental subjects, the progress will be dragged down."

"You say that as if I could pull a hundred people for you in a day and you'd have progress... A hundred isn't enough, how about five hundred?"

"...I don't like joking about this."

"Alright, alright. Two experimental subjects arrived at once today, and both are young. Hurry up and sign for them."

One person walked to the back of the vehicle and opened the door. Then, several figures worked together to carry out two rectangular boxes that looked like coffins. There was a rectangular glass window on the front of the boxes, through which one could see the situation inside. At this moment, a young figure was lying peacefully inside, as if in a deep sleep.

"Zhao Yi, nineteen years old, survivor from the Third District. Attacked by a disaster from the Forbidden Sea during his escape to Aurora City, leaving a fatal wound. He has less than a week left." A white coat held a file and spoke calmly.

"Attacked by a disaster? A good fusion experimental subject."

"But the shelf life is too short. It's hard to observe effective results in a week. Not much value."

"Shorten the interval between experiments, increase the number of experimental sessions, and increase the dosage for each experiment. That's the only way..."

The white coat nodded and walked to the second box.

"What about this one?"

"Jian Wubing, nineteen years old, ordinary Aurora City resident."

"...That's it? The information is just this little?"

"That's all that was written when it was submitted..."

"Well, there must be symptoms, right?"

"Severe depression, severe anxiety, schizophrenia, autism, delusions..."

"Wait! Can someone have so many mental illnesses at the same time??"

"That's right. He often fantasizes that he is a mushroom that constantly divides, likes to hide in his grandmother's sewing box, but because he is constantly dividing, every divided mushroom has its own consciousness, and all the mushrooms are anxious about whether they will be crushed to death by themselves in the sewing box... So he became depressed."

“……”

"Regardless, at least he has mental illnesses, and his body is completely healthy. He's a rare, high-quality experimental subject."

"...Fine, take them both down."

With the cooperation of several white coats, the two boxes were carried toward the depths of the Aurora Base...

……

The elevator continued to sink into the deep void.

Red safety indicator lights appeared at regular intervals. In this endlessly descending void, they seemed to be the only tools for measuring "depth." The faces of the group were illuminated by the red glow, flickering in and out of sight. As they looked down at their feet, their expressions were heavy.

The location of this base was deeper than Chen Ling had imagined—hundreds of meters underground, perhaps. With the technological level of this era, it would have been impossible to construct such a massive base at this depth... If nothing else, this base must have already existed during the Great Catastrophe over three hundred years ago.

Finally, as the elevator slowly decelerated, they came to a stop. Qiong Xuan pushed open the gate, revealing a straight, enclosed metal corridor outside.

"Tan Xin said security needed an upgrade. I thought we were getting a whole army, but it turns out it’s just this many."

At the other end of the corridor, a man in a white lab coat with messy, seaweed-like hair was leaning lazily against the wall.

"Making such a big fuss, running around busy as bees, and for what? Absolutely useless... If I’d known, I would’ve been better off sleeping or getting laid."

As he spoke, a thick stench of alcohol hit them—the foul odor of a hangover that made Chen Ling and the others frown involuntarily.

"The Aurora Base has a limited capacity for long-term residents; this is all the quota we were given." Qiong Xuan’s expression was equally grim, though his voice remained as calm as possible. "Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Yi."

Dr. Yi waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, enough talk. Follow me."

With that, he slapped the metal door at the end of the corridor three times. A moment later, a palm-sized slit opened in the center of the door.

"Password," a cold voice came from behind the door.

"5368873." Dr. Yi paused for three seconds. "Braised radishes don't eat vegetables."

Hearing this nonsensical exchange, the group behind him fell into deep confusion... Only Chen Ling, watching the closing slit, looked thoughtful.

After a brief pause, the heavy metal door emitted a dull sound and slowly opened from the inside...