Chapter 271: Turning Back

"Zhai Sheng, why are you standing there?"

Seeing him not follow onto the elevator, the group asked in confusion.

Chen Ling looked silently at the hospital bed on the elevator, his eyes growing colder. He looked back at the direction Han Meng had left, wondering what he was thinking.

"My stomach is upset, I'm going to the restroom... You guys go up first."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked toward the lower level without hesitation.

Zhao Yi had already been sentenced to death by the doctors. Chen Ling could accept him passing away peacefully under the care of the people of District 3. If he didn't want to implicate the people of District 3 and chose to leave alone, Chen Ling wouldn't mind seeing him off on his final journey... But he couldn't accept him dying in such a state.

Chen Ling still remembered the old man on Frost Street who had begged him to pave the way for his son. He had promised Uncle Zhao that he would take care of Zhao Yi, but now...

The image of the unrecognizable black rotten mud on the hospital bed reappeared in Chen Ling's eyes, and a fire of anger began to burn in his heart as well.

Chen Ling didn't care how many human experiments the Aurora base conducted or how many people they secretly dragged in, but he couldn't let it go that they had used Zhao Yi as a test subject and tortured him into that state.

Anyway, the mission was already complete, and he had personally sent Jian Changsheng back to the surface. Next, it was his private time.

The elevator carrying Zhao Yi and Jian Changsheng on the hospital bed rose slowly, and the pitch-black first floor fell into silence once again.

Chen Ling walked toward the depths of the base with one hand in his pocket, tore at his chin with his fingertips, and the white lab coat transformed back into the law enforcer's trench coat. His eyes were as cold as knives in the darkness.

……

Third floor.

"There's a problem with this test subject."

Hearing this, several law enforcers came to Jian Changsheng's original room and frowned upon seeing the scarlet bloodstains on the bed.

"Although the blood loss has reached a lethal amount for an ordinary person, no matter what, a corpse cannot just vanish into thin air... Even if it exploded, there would be residue left on the clothes."

"Also, all the restraints on this bed are broken. An ordinary person's strength wouldn't reach this level."

"Could it be that a mutation occurred after the serum injection?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out... But if that were the case, he should have already fallen into a state of madness and rampage, not vanished without a trace."

"Are you saying that someone disguised themselves as a test subject and infiltrated the base?"

"It's very likely."

"...Is he crazy? To disguise himself as a test subject, he would have to undergo fusion experiments. Isn't he afraid of being killed directly? Or turning into a monster? The risk is too high..."

"Now is not the time to discuss this. Search the entire third floor immediately! See if there are any blind spots we haven't searched!"

Numerous law enforcers immediately dispersed, searching everywhere for possible hiding spots for the test subject. A law enforcer carrying a kerosene lamp walked around the room, then slowly lowered his body, using the dim light to start checking under the hospital bed.

"There's someone here!" He caught a glimpse of the blood-stained bottom of the hospital bed and shouted immediately!

He dragged the person out from under the bed and found it was a knocked-out researcher. His face changed immediately.

"Did any researchers leave the base just now?"

"Yes! Three or four people, they came out of Laboratory 1. Dr. Yi was there too... They said the test subject died during the experiment and had to be incinerated immediately, otherwise it would cause the spread of bacteria... They should have already gotten on the elevator!"

"What??"

At this, the faces of all the law enforcers changed, especially Qiong Xuan, who had just come out of the fourth-floor checkpoint. Hearing this, he was furious.

"What are you standing there for?! Go after them!!"

Two sixth-rank law enforcers finally came to their senses and rushed toward the elevator with several subordinates. It had been less than a minute since the bloodstains were discovered, but that time was enough for those people to return to the surface and escape unscathed... They never expected that the enemy would infiltrate the base in such an unimaginable way and leave silently.

Now Qiong Xuan was so angry he could explode. He had only been at the Aurora base for a few hours, and a base infiltration—something that hadn't happened in years—had occurred. Most importantly, he had let the other party escape right under his nose...

Even now, they didn't even know what the other party's goal was or how they had cut off the base's power supply!

For Qiong Xuan, the security captain, this was undoubtedly an absolute disgrace!

Qiong Xuan grew angrier the more he thought about it. If he really let those people escape successfully, his position as security captain would definitely not last long, and he might even face punishment from Tan Xin... He was already not trusted by Tan Xin, and a deputy captain had even been parachuted in to keep him in check. With that person's scheming, they could ruin him completely by making a fuss about this incident.

"A bunch of trash!!" Qiong Xuan couldn't help but curse. "Forget it... I'll go after them myself!"

The terrifying pressure of a seventh-rank erupted from Qiong Xuan's body, and a massive wolf shadow flashed behind him. His figure turned into a bolt of lightning, crossing the entire floor in an instant and rushing toward the elevator!

Meanwhile,

The kerosene lamp swayed violently with heavy footsteps, illuminating a corner of the law enforcer's trench coat. Han Meng walked to the third floor of the base, his face as gloomy as water.

He felt the terrifying aura rushing toward him, and his expression changed immediately. After slightly turning to the side, the bolt of lightning flew past him, and at the same time, Qiong Xuan's voice rang out:

"I'm going after the escaping intruders! Deputy Captain Han Meng! Maintain order in the base, wait for me to return!"

Han Meng watched the figure that had vanished in an instant, his eyes narrowing slightly...

Chen Ling, who had just descended from the first floor to the second, also felt the terrifying aura that flashed by. The lightning didn't even wait for the elevator, breaking directly into the deep shaft leading to the surface, following the smooth vertical wall, and catching up in the blink of an eye!

Chen Ling's law enforcer coat was blown up by the strong wind. He looked back and saw this scene, his eyes flashing with astonishment.

So this is the strength of a seventh-rank [Heavenly Wolf]... At this speed, he might really catch up to Jian Changsheng.

When Chen Ling conceived this evacuation plan, he had thought that the law enforcers would react quickly, so he had Jian Changsheng leave so much blood to attract their attention as much as possible, thereby hiding the white coat hidden under the bed... But these law enforcers were truly experienced, and their reaction speed was faster than Chen Ling had anticipated.

Furthermore, he hadn't expected that Qiong Xuan, as a Tier 7 security captain, would personally take action to hunt down the "enemy"... It seems he was truly enraged.

Looking at it this way, his sudden decision to turn back was undoubtedly the right one. Everyone in the base now believes the intruder has already escaped via the elevator, and with several high-tier powerhouses having left one after another to hunt down Jian Changsheng, the base's defenses are at their weakest.

Danger doesn't disappear; it only shifts. And now... hmm... it seems the danger has all shifted to Jian Changsheng, who was thought to be safe?

Hope little Jian is alright (presses palms together).

Chen Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze landing on the explosives on the second floor that had just been finished and hadn't yet been sent back to the surface...