Chapter 194: Doing the Task
Rong Yu: "...If this were a straight track, the person in last place cannot be overtaken because they are already the last one, so how could anyone possibly overtake them? If you really see something overtake them, then that last-place person really ought to go burn some incense at a temple."
"Luckily, the premise of the question changed. Now it's a group of people on a circular track. So, the person who can overtake the last-place one must be someone who has already run a full lap. Then, since the question asks for the person who overtakes the last-place person 'first,' that must be the fastest runner, the one in first place!"
Rong Yu said: "So, the numbers from the four brain teasers connected together are: 21916."
After Rong Yu finished speaking, Hua Yun was about to press the numbers when Rong Yu added: "Wait, I picked up an envelope earlier. Let's take advantage of the light from this electronic keypad to look at it."
As he spoke, Rong Yu took out the letter with a pink shell. On the front of the letter were written the four big characters: "Lucky Card."
Rong Yu quickly opened the envelope and took out a piece of white paper from inside.
At the same time, Rong Yu also saw a string of red words on that white cardstock—To activate this lucky skill, you must first complete the following task:
Run toward any other player with your feet pointed inward. Then jump up, wrap both arms around the other person's neck, clamp your legs around their waist, bury your head in the crook of their neck, and say in the most coquettish voice: "I'm so scared!"
Note: When you pick up this card, it is automatically accepted that you have taken on the task. If you do not complete the task within the allotted time, you will be punished.
After reading the task content, Rong Yu: "..."
Rong Yu silently handed the card to Hua Yun: "Brother Hua, take a look. Is there anything strange about this card?"
Hua Yun, not thinking much of it, took it over, but when his eyes landed on the task content written on the card, his entire body stiffened.
But obviously, it was already too late. He fully met the precondition of "picking up this card," meaning that if he did not complete the task within the stipulated twenty minutes, he would be punished.
Yang Ji happened to ask curiously at that moment: "What's written on the Lucky Card?"
Without a word, Hua Yun handed the card to Yang Ji.
Yang Ji naturally took it.
After seeing the task requirements on the card, Yang Ji: "..."
Well, now all three of us have to complete this bizarre task.
Yang Ji sighed with genuine feeling: "Is this the legendary 'sharing hardships together'?"
Hua Yun thought for a moment and shook his head: "To tell the truth, this is the psychology of not being satisfied with just one person getting into trouble, but having to drag others down too to feel satisfied."
Rong Yu had already swiftly entered the five numbers on the electronic door. A green light flashed on the electronic door, indicating "Correct Password."
Rong Yu pushed open this door and saw flickering lights not far away, bright then dim, but enough to be a glimmer of dawn in this pitch-black corridor.
Yang Ji immediately shouted loudly: "Lao Liu! Is that you guys?"
The voice traveled far over. The light over there obviously paused for a moment, then began shining towards them, accompanied by a voice: "Lao Yang! Where are you?"
Yang Ji: "Here, here! You have flashlights! Come over quickly!"
Soon, the flashlight light drew closer and closer. The nine people, having gone through countless hardships, finally met up in this narrow place.
"This episode is really too dark. The darkness ruined my ability to think. I feel like my head is buzzing now, I can't even remember what I'm supposed to be doing anymore." Yang Ji complained to Liu Qingling.
Yin Chengjue's gaze first swept over Rong Yu several times, confirming that Rong Yu was fine, before he spoke: "Based on the clues we've collected along the way, we can roughly piece together a story background like this."
Yin Chengjue: "Dr. Fu sent letters of commission to the detective agency and the treasure-hunting team respectively, leading these two groups to send three people each. However, after entering, they were attacked."
Yin Chengjue: "And here, there are another three people who did not receive Dr. Fu's letter of commission or invitation. They actively visited this place and then accidentally got locked in. So, they wanted to escape but found the doors and windows they came in through were sealed shut. To escape successfully, they obviously needed to go through some trouble. So, now we have nine people in total: three from the detective route, three from the treasure-hunting route, and three from the escape route."
"Besides that, we also found Dr. Fu's laboratory. In their lab, we saw the research direction of this underground laboratory." As Liu Qingling spoke, he took out that experimental report, his tone carrying a hint of mystery: "What I'm about to say next will definitely shock you all, so listen carefully!"
Yang Ji couldn't help but punch Liu Qingling's shoulder: "Don't keep us in suspense! Hurry up and tell us!"
Liu Qingling rubbed his shoulder and said: "This underground research institute, abandoned for ten years, was actually researching how to modify human genes. They wanted to make human genes more superior."
However, while the starting point was certainly good, the experimental process went awry, causing the lab mice injected with the modified cells to show signs of mania.
This was undoubtedly a failed experiment. Logically, those things should have been destroyed, but due to a caretaker's negligence, one of the white mice injected with the modified cells accidentally escaped!
The maniacal white mouse ran extremely fast, its teeth sharper, biting anyone it saw.
Soon, those bitten by it began showing symptoms similar to its own. The entire underground laboratory instantly fell into chaos.
This was undoubtedly a very rapid viral infection event.
To prevent the infection from spreading further, Dr. Fu activated the underground laboratory's high-level security system, quickly sealing and isolating the entire laboratory.
Doing this indeed cut off the source of danger, isolating it from the outside world, but at the same time, it also completely sealed this place into a living hell.
The infected people seemed to attack those who were not infected with purpose, only stopping when the other party also became infected with the virus.
Those infected with this virus could recover quickly even if injured, their strength also obviously exceeding normal human levels, and other various physical indicators significantly increased as well.
Of course, their intelligence level notably declined, like mindless beasts.
Noticing this, Dr. Fu gathered some uninfected members of the lab's research teams to conduct research on this situation.
They believed this would be a breakthrough because once they overcame the negative effects caused by these modified cells, focusing solely on modifying the human body, then this body with an extremely strong self-healing speed would clearly be something many people dreamt of.
And so, Dr. Fu had people lock up those infected in one place, preparing to use them as lab mice.
However, because of this viral infection incident, higher-ups, worried it might cause a greater impact, ordered the closure of this laboratory and instructed Dr. Fu to immediately halt all current research.
But how could Dr. Fu be willing? In Dr. Fu's view, he had worked so hard for so long, and now seeing some breakthrough, as long as he overcame a few problems, he could succeed.
So, he completely ignored the higher-ups' demands, only closing the laboratory on the surface while secretly continuing his research in the background.
"In short, this doctor is the classic 'mad scientist' type." Liu Qingling summarized. "This laboratory was never abandoned for ten years. Dr. Fu is still secretly conducting research in this laboratory, researching those infected with the virus whose bodies have mutated. He keeps them here, raising them, and even considers them his own children."
"Oh, right!" Wei Shu added from the side: "Right now, we are looking for Dr. Fu's ultimate experimental subject."
Yang Ji didn't understand: "Ultimate experimental subject?"
Wei Shu: "Yeah, we saw records in Dr. Fu's laboratory. He has now cultivated three ultimate genetically modified cells. He needs to inject these three ultimate genetically modified cells into his most satisfactory experimental subject, wanting to create an ultimate experimental subject. In his expectations, that subject should be able to retain human consciousness, not lose their mind like the others, reduced to animals that only howl."
Hearing this, a strange light flashed in Rong Yu's eyes, but he concealed it well. "Then how should we find it? To be honest, the three of us were actually fleeing all the way here. There are a lot of mutants over there. We were chased by them the whole way."
Wei Shu exclaimed in surprise: "Wow! That's too tragic. We only encountered one on the road, and then never saw any more. There are many rooms along the corridor, we were busy searching for clues."
Yang Ji looked like he was about to cry: "Your work is so simple and unadorned. Why did it have to be me chosen to experience all that? With my old arms and legs, I still had to run like crazy with that group of people."
Liu Qingling asked curiously: "Couldn't you not run?"
Yang Ji: "When a group of people are chasing you from behind, howling, isn't the normal reaction to run fast? Looking at their ferocious faces, they didn't seem like they wanted my autograph either."
Yin Chengjue's gaze fell on Hua Yun: "Brother Hua, we've shared our experiences along the way. What about you guys? Besides seeing many mutants and being chased by them, did you encounter anyone else?"
Hua Yun: "Like who?"
"Like..." Yin Chengjue narrowed his eyes slightly: "Did you three encounter Dr. Fu? Did Dr. Fu say anything to you, or... do anything?"
No comments:
Post a Comment