chsdbacks Chapter 83 Emergency Evacuation
Chapter 83 Emergency Evacuation
The shaking of the Hive base intensified, with debris constantly falling from the ceiling. Chen Haotian and Tony struggled forward through the swaying corridor, clutching a sealed box containing crucial samples and data storage devices.
"Turn left!" Tony shouted, his armor visor displaying Jarvis's calculated optimal escape route. "The emergency exit to the surface is ahead!"
The two turned the corner, only to be met by a tightly closed alloy door. A red warning light on the door flashed continuously, displaying the words "System Locked."
"Did Red Queen dry it?" Chen Haotian asked, while placing his palm on the identification panel next to the door.
Tony shook his head, rapidly manipulating the controls on his wrist: "No, it's a system malfunction caused by energy overload. Jarvis, can you crack it?"
"It takes 37 seconds, but the base structure's stability can only be maintained for less than 30 seconds," the AI calmly responded.
Chen Haotian's eyes sharpened, and he concentrated his inner strength in his palm: "Get out of the way!" He slammed his palm against the alloy door, and pale golden energy ripples spread across the surface. Accompanied by a piercing metallic creak, the heavy alloy door was actually forced open with a crack.
"Always so violent." Tony raised an eyebrow, but squeezed through the gap without hesitation.
A series of explosions echoed from behind the passage, and scorching shockwaves swept in. Chen Haotian followed closely behind, passing through the gap, and with a backhand strike, sealed the twisted alloy door again, temporarily halting the spreading flames.
"This way!" Tony pointed to the passage on the right. "According to the map, the sample storage area is just ahead. Dr. William's G-virus stock solution is still inside!"
Chen Haotian frowned: "There's not enough time."
"We need enough!" Tony rushed towards the storage area. "That sample is worth far more than you can imagine!"
Inside the storage area, several sealed refrigerated cabinets were emitting urgent alarms. Tony quickly located the cabinet marked "Birkin-G" and used a laser cutter to cut open the lock. Inside, three pale blue virus samples were neatly arranged.
"Take them all." Chen Haotian handed over the sealed box, then turned to face the entrance to the passage. Faint flames could already be seen there; an explosion was approaching.
Tony carefully placed the sample into the specially designed holder inside the box, then suddenly noticed a data interface at the bottom of the refrigerator: "Wait... this connects to the Red Queen's backup database."
He immediately plugged the data cable into his device: "Jarvis, try downloading all the research data on the G-virus!"
"Downloading... Data stream anomaly detected." The AI suddenly warned, "A third party is attempting to remotely erase data."
Chen Haotian glanced back and said, "Hydra?"
"Or perhaps it's their own protection." Tony rapidly operated the equipment. "They're trying to destroy evidence. Jarvis, prioritize downloading documents related to the Mutants and the Tracker Project!"
The alloy door at the entrance of the passage suddenly made a loud bang, clearly caused by the impact of the explosion behind it. Chen Haotian formed hand seals, setting up an internal energy barrier in front of the door: "Hurry! This door won't hold for long!"
"15 more seconds!" Tony stared at the progress bar. "This data is crucial for our understanding of the virus's mutation mechanism!"
12 seconds... 10 seconds... 8 second...
The cracks on the passageway door were multiplying, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Chen Haotian's forehead. Maintaining this level of internal energy barrier was extremely taxing on him.
5 seconds... 3 seconds... 1 second...
"Done!" Tony unplugged the data cable. "Let's go!"
Just as the two turned and rushed towards the evacuation tunnel, the alloy door behind them finally succumbed to the pressure and exploded. A scorching shockwave, mixed with metal fragments, assaulted them.
Chen Haotian whirled around, thrusting out with both palms. A shield of pale golden internal energy formed, blocking most of the fragments. However, a few pieces still tore at his arm and Tony's armor.
"You're injured." Tony noticed the blood seeping from Chen Haotian's arm.
"A minor injury," Chen Haotian said dismissively. "Let's get out of here first!"
They rushed into the emergency exit and ran up the steep stairs. The explosions behind them grew more frequent, and the entire exit shook violently.
"There's light up there!" Tony pointed to a faint glimmer of light at the end of the stairs.
Just as they were about to reach the exit, the most violent explosion in the entire base occurred. A powerful shockwave struck from below, hurling the two men violently into the air.
Chen Haotian adjusted his posture in mid-air, channeling his inner energy to its maximum, and landed lightly on the open ground outside the exit. Tony activated the thrusters of his armor and landed smoothly.
Turning around, the entrance to the hive was completely engulfed in thick smoke and flames. Continuous explosions came from underground, clearly indicating that the base's self-destruct program had been fully activated.
"Did you bring all the documents out?" Chen Haotian asked, examining the sealed box in his hand.
Tony nodded. "All the important samples and research data are there. However..." He glanced at the still-exploding base, "Red Queen's main server is definitely destroyed."
"It's alright, we've already backed up the core data." Chen Haotian looked at the wound on his arm and frowned slightly. The skin around the wound had an abnormal bluish-gray hue.
Tony noticed something was wrong too: "What's going on?"
"It might be a lingering effect of conflicting rules." Chen Haotian circulated his inner energy, the bluish-gray color gradually fading. "The mutual repulsion between power systems from different worlds is more dangerous than we imagined."
The sound of sirens drifted from afar, clearly indicating that Raccoon City's emergency services had noticed the unusual situation. The two exchanged a glance, realizing it was time to leave.
Chen Haotian took out the Transcending Rune, and energy flowed within it. But just as he was about to activate the rune, he suddenly sensed an unusual energy fluctuation.
"Wait," he gestured, "something followed us out."
Tony immediately went into combat mode, activating all of his armor's weapon systems: "What is it?"
Chen Haotian closed his eyes to sense for a moment, then slowly opened them: "It's residual energy from a conflict of rules... It seems to possess some kind of... activity."
He took out the container from which he had collected energy samples and found that the energy particles inside were emitting a faint light, flowing within the container as if they were alive.
"This is bad," Tony said seriously. "If this energy has the property of self-replication..."
"That means rule conflicts could spread spontaneously," Chen Haotian continued. "We need to go back and study this phenomenon as soon as possible."
The sirens grew closer, and several police cars appeared at the street corner. Chen Haotian no longer hesitated and activated the teleportation rune. A pale blue light enveloped the two of them, and the next second, they vanished from the streets of Raccoon City without a trace.
All that remained was the still-exploding Hive base and the police officers who had just arrived, only to find nothing. Meanwhile, on an unseen energy level, a peculiar energy fluctuation was quietly spreading, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.