chsdbacks Page 374
Page 374
Unlike the mechanical gate outside, which was severely weathered and eroded.
The security door, which serves as the second line of defense for the base, seems much more normal here.
Not only is there no trace of weathering or erosion on the surface, but even the paint on the wall shows no signs of peeling.
However, compared to the stark contrast between the inside and outside of the base, the emaciated woman in front of them was the most eye-catching.
Because the other person's name tag clearly read "Xiao Bing".
"Xiao Bing?"
Approaching the woman who was so old and unrecognizable, Megumi tentatively called out to her.
Sure enough, the woman actually reacted to the name and looked up at Megumi.
Then, Megumi and Horii were both startled.
When Xiao Bing looked up, the two of them clearly saw that there was a pink substance on each other's faces that looked like coral.
Combined with his emaciated body and clothes soaked with sweat, a strange and terrifying feeling arises spontaneously.
"In the end what happened?"
It was Megumi Kijima who first suppressed her fear and asked in a low voice, with a trembling yet calm tone.
"Xiao Bing, why have you become like this?"
Now that things have come to this, Megumi Kijima is basically certain that the woman opposite her is the target she is looking for on this trip.
The problem is, Xiao Bing in the information is clearly a woman in her early thirties, so why does she look so old now?
"Be... careful... of... oxygen..."
It seemed to have already reached its limit, or perhaps it breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing humans...
After saying those words, Xiao Bing fainted.
"So what should we do next?"
Looking at the unconscious Xiao Bing, Horii hesitated.
Given the current situation, taking the unconscious Xiao Bing away from this strange place is undoubtedly the right thing to do.
"go back!"
Megumi clearly shared the same thought as Horii, so she spoke without hesitation.
Whether they wanted to find out what exactly happened here, or simply wanted to help their colleague Xiao Bing...
It's impossible for Megumi Kijima to risk the lives of three people; that's not her style.
Unfortunately, just as Megumi Kijima finished speaking, a tremor suddenly came from behind them.
Bang!
As if the mountain rocks had collapsed, the passage that had been faintly lit instantly went dark.
When the two realized something was wrong and looked back towards the exit, the base gate that had been opened was closed again.
"It seems someone doesn't want us to leave here..."
Horii smiled wryly as he readjusted his detection equipment but still couldn't find anything unusual.
"Can the door still be opened?"
Taking a deep breath, Megumi asked Horii without much hope.
"That's impossible, we're already trapped here."
Although the conversation turned to their predicament, Horii's voice didn't sound as fearful as one might expect.
On the contrary, after accepting this fact, Horii quickly pulled out various instruments and equipment from his pocket.
First, there's the head-mounted searchlight with its own powerful beam...
Then there's the generator that can create a shield field...
Finally, even a small oxygen converter was pulled out...
In terms of combat strength, Horii may not be the strongest member of the GUTS team.
However, when it comes to survival and adaptability, Horii, who is capable of developing various advanced equipment, is definitely the strongest member of the GUTS team.
"It seems we can only wait for Ye Rui's actions now."
Taking the various devices handed to her by Horii, Megumi skillfully put them on herself.
In such a perilous place, an extra layer of protection means an extra chance of survival.
Although Megumi is a leader, her rich experience at the grassroots level means that she is no less capable than Horii in this regard.
"This is really like a horror movie..."
With a sigh, Horii gently helped the unconscious Xiao Bing to her feet, then followed Megumi Kijima's steps deeper into the base.
As for the security door that serves as the second line of defense?
Since it is not a mechanical structure, Horii does not need to intervene at all.
Jujian Hui simply swiped Xiao Bing's name tag across it, and the identity verification was completed.
So the three of them walked toward the base's main control room, one in front and two behind, hoping to find out what was happening inside the base.
Monthly tickets / Recommendation tickets
Chapter 601 Plants Possessing Intelligence
It must be admitted that, as an underground base built by the former Earth Defense Force to resist the catastrophe of the apocalypse, the equipment and structure here are surprisingly sophisticated.
After going through a long and winding road, Megumi and Horii finally found the right path forward.
However, the horrific scenes they witnessed along the way repeatedly shattered their worldview.
First, after entering the security door, the spores and algae growing along the walls constantly erode and assimilate the concrete and steel structure, giving people an extremely eerie feeling.
Concrete and steel bars that have been eroded by those spores and algae all show signs of excessive oxidation.
Meanwhile, the oxygen-generating device that Horii had prepared in advance was of little use; instead, the protective mask that could isolate the toxic gas had an unexpected effect.
After witnessing this scene, Horii finally understood why the base gate was oxidizing at such an abnormal rate.
Because these spores and algae that are growing and spreading wildly inside the base are continuously releasing oxygen at concentrations far exceeding those of normal organisms.
Most importantly, these plants don't even need sunlight to produce oxygen.
Even in the quiet, dark depths of the underground, these plants can synthesize huge amounts of oxygen simply by using other gases.
To be honest, this has shattered Horii's understanding of plants!
It synthesizes oxygen not through photosynthesis, but by simply collecting other gases...
Horii felt that even the world's top botanists would have a hard time finding a reasonable explanation for these strange plants.
Secondly, there is the "struggle" between the spores and algae.
Yes, these two different plants appear to originate from the same source and both possess the ability to synthesize oxygen.
Through Horii's careful observation, he discovered that the two plants are actually in a competitive relationship.
Algae reproduce and thrive by constantly multiplying through other substances in the substrate.
Its position in this special ecosystem is somewhat similar to that of a producer, but it is more domineering than a typical producer, and it does not allow other normal plants to survive within its territory.
In contrast, spores are not pure producers.
Because spores cannot directly decompose or recombine other substances in the substrate, thereby multiplying and increasing their own numbers.
Spores are more like a special species that parasitizes algae, distorting the original form of algae by forcibly invading and modifying their genetic structure.
In addition, Horii made another surprising and unexpected discovery.
That means whether it's algae or spores, they are invading the base's system.
Like truly intelligent life forms, spores and algae penetrated their basic structure into every corner of the base, thereby gaining control over the base's system.
The outermost gate of the base was closed and buried under these circumstances.
Previously, when they realized that Megumi and Horii wanted to leave the base, they were the ones who forcibly closed the gate.
Horii, increasingly horrified, even suspected that his captain's ability to easily open the security door inside the base was likely due to their help.
......................................................................................................
The headquarters of the Victory Team.
"The captain and the others have gone missing..."
As the chief liaison for the Victory Team, when Norizumi tried to contact Iruma Megumi every five minutes but never received a reply, he knew that something must have happened to the captain as well.
The problem now is that the Victory team is also experiencing a shortage of personnel.
Xincheng and Zongfang are still on the medical helicopter, waiting to be transported to the nearest medical facility due to the plane crash.
Daigo and Rena have already set off again in the Victory Flying Swallow No. 1.
At their current speed, it would take them at least half an hour to reach the scene.
Moreover, Daigo and Rena had expended too much energy and physical strength in the battle just now, and it was still unknown whether they would be able to deal with the unknown dangers after arriving at the scene.
"What should we do now..."
Staring nervously at the location where the signal disappeared, Ye Rui, who was facing a crisis alone for the first time, couldn't help but become anxious.
It seems you need some help right now (▼ω▼)?
Suddenly, a line of text appeared on the large screen in front of Ye Rui, followed by a playful emoticon.
This sudden scene startled Ye Rui, but he quickly came to his senses.
This means someone bypassed the Victory Team's firewall and directly infiltrated their system.
Based on the other party's preference for using emoticons in their communication, Ye Rui quickly identified the "suspect".
【Karen?】
When Ye Rui tentatively typed out those two words, he was met with an even more playful emoticon.
Congratulations on answering correctly! (∩_∩)
[Unfortunately, there's no reward (￣▽￣)!]
Upon hearing Karen's reply, Nori's confusion turned into helplessness.
Although he didn't know how Karen had gotten past the Victory Team's firewall, he wasn't surprised.
After all, this was a super hacker who was technically on par with him, and without his own firewall system, it would have been impossible to stop him.
Need any help? I think I can lend you a hand.
Just as Ye Rui was hesitating about whether or not to invade Karen in the opposite direction, the other party spoke up again.
[Help? You know what I'm thinking?]
Somewhat surprised, Ye Rui typed out those two words, fully expressing his confusion.
Putting aside whether Karen can actually help me, how does she know that I need to help?
[Isn't it just one person left behind at the base to guard the place?]
[I'm not some model student like Tomoki; I've been following what's happening with the GUTS team.]
The black text flashed rapidly across the screen.
Along with it came several documents from Karen.
"The mysterious Antarctic coral meteorite?"
"Perfect Cell - The Physiological Structure of Ebloon?"
"The possibility of 'artificial life' originating from amoeba-like life forms?"
"Mars Environmental Transformation Project No. 954, Backup Plan?"
Looking at the files marked "Top Secret" on the screen, Ye Rui's eyes widened, and he had already forgotten to find out where Karen had obtained these files.
"These……"