Chapter 158: Escaping the Research Institute (Part 3)

Chapter 158: Escaping the Research Institute (Part 3)

For the player hiding behind the door, these few dozen seconds were undoubtedly the longest moments of his life.

He watched helplessly as the NPC approached and then left, only to suddenly stop just before passing by him.

His emotions felt like a roller coaster, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, and a suffocating sensation overwhelmed him.

"Hmph."

The NPC in the protective suit seemed to emit a short snort.

Then, under the player's horrified gaze, the NPC reached out and pulled the door open with a swoosh!

The person hiding behind the door was instantly exposed.

The player froze in place for an instant.

The NPC stood less than half a meter away from him, leaving no escape route forward or backward.

He felt like he was about to faint. At this moment, what he regretted most was not logging out of the instance when he had the chance just a few minutes ago.

And now, there was no way to run.

The NPC stared at the player for a while, but through the frosted protective mask, the player could not see the NPC's face clearly.

The slightly inflated protective suit made the NPC appear exceptionally large, making him look more like some strange alien creature than a human.

The safety door frame divided the world into two halves.

The factory side was brightly lit, while the stairwell was dark as hell.

The overhead light cast a huge shadow of the NPC, enveloping the player entirely.

The NPC took a few steps forward and extended a hand wearing pure white rubber gloves to grip the player's chin.

With a click, he lifted the player's chin, applying such force that it nearly broke the player's neck.

"Where did you come from?"

The muffled and odd voice came from within the protective suit. The NPC spoke as if he had a mouthful of water, making his words unclear.

Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Ah, I know, you escaped from the destruction room, right?"

As he spoke, he tugged at the player's clothes.

The fragile linen prison uniform ripped open, revealing the player's trembling body.

The player didn't run.

Perhaps it was due to fear, being scared stiff,

but more likely, he was controlled by the NPC and couldn't move.

Not far from the safety door, behind various pipes and glass containers, many other equally nervous players cautiously peered over.

But none of them attempted to rescue the unfortunate player or make any noise to divert the NPC's attention elsewhere.

Qin Fei hid beneath the glass bottle containing the giant brain. Below it, the pipes crisscrossed, creating many shadows, perfect for concealing oneself.

Several players were hidden here, including Lu Cheng.

They all crouched like insects in the corners, trying their best to hide their presence, fearing exposure, yet unable to resist glancing towards the safety door.

The NPC was getting closer to the player, almost face-to-face now.

The player, a short and thin man barely reaching one meter seventy, looked even smaller next to the massive NPC in the protective suit, like an ant that could be crushed with a single pinch.

The player breathed rapidly, his throat filled with the taste of blood due to panic. His eyes widened in terror as he watched the NPC lift his hand and remove the protective mask.

What appeared was a perfectly normal human face.

Pale-skinned, with deep-set features, the face looked somewhat European.

The player paused for a moment, then his expression relaxed.

Unexpectedly, there should be no ghosts in this instance; the biggest threat came from the monsters inside.

Since the NPC was human, the threat was much smaller compared to the monsters.

At least, if a conflict arose, his chances of escaping would be higher.

What the player didn't know was that, unbeknownst to him, the audience in the live chat was already singing a dirge for him.

"Wow, did I see that right? Did he just relax his expression?"

"Laughing, how naive~"

"Let's count down together, 5, 4, 3—"

Before the countdown finished, the NPC's smooth face began to twitch and distort under the player's astonished gaze.

From the philtrum below his nose to his chin, following the direction of his lips, a cross-shaped gash suddenly appeared.

The gash grew wider and wider, almost splitting the entire lower half of his face.

The NPC's eyeballs bulged out, pushing off his glasses, and quickly filled with red blood vessels.

The four flaps of skin split from his lips writhed in the air, and foul, sticky liquid dripped from the monster's mouth onto the player's head and face.

Like being corroded by sulfuric acid, the skin that came into contact with the slime made a sizzling sound and emitted a thin wisp of white smoke.

That small patch of skin quickly dissolved, revealing the bright red flesh and yellowish-white fatty tissue beneath.

"Aaah, aaah—"

Everything changed in an instant. This sudden scene directly stunned the player into a state of shock.

When he finally reacted, he opened his mouth to scream, but from the depths of the monster's mouth, there suddenly came two strange chuckles, "Heh, heh."

Immediately after, the four segments of the oral apparatus extended rapidly, instantly enveloping the player's entire head!

The player's hands flailed wildly in the air as his head was swallowed into the monster's mouth.

The outer skin of the oral apparatus tightly connected the two.

If you didn't look closely, they seemed like one person.

Drips of blood flowed from the edges of the monster's oral apparatus, falling to the ground and staining the player's gray linen shirt collar black and red.

In just half a minute, the player's arms hung limply.

The monster slowly moved the skin around its mouth, like a giant python swallowing its prey whole.

His head and throat were stretched to enormous proportions, but he seemed to feel no discomfort at all.

He continued swallowing.

Slowly, he swallowed the player entirely, making his already large body even more bloated.

From start to finish, the player stood rooted to the spot, not moving a step.

Not far away, the other players who witnessed this all turned pale.

Players participating in the exhibition match were at least D or C level.

Even if their skills were poor, they wouldn't be like newbies in the scenario, frozen in place when encountering a monster—players this timid would usually be eliminated in F-level experience worlds and never make it to higher levels.

Lu Cheng watched as the player behind the safety door disappeared bit by bit. The NPC's four-segmented oral apparatus danced in the air, and within the gaping maw, only a pair of feet remained.

Finally, even the feet were swallowed.

Lu Cheng was dumbfounded.

"… Damn," he whispered, his voice so low that only Qin Fei could hear him, "This monster doesn't even spit out the shoes."

What's the difference between this and eating sunflower seeds without spitting out the shells?

Qin Fei: "…"

What kind of weirdos does Cen San Ya bring along in Black Feather Band?

Qin Fei recalled the rule Lu Cheng had exchanged with him, "Don't trust humans."

The scene unfolding before them seemed to perfectly illustrate this rule.

Humans.

In this scenario, humans may not always be what they seem.

Monsters within the scenario can disguise themselves.

Just like this NPC eating the player, or the one knocked unconscious in the water prison earlier.

Perhaps, besides these researchers with human faces, there are others in the scenario who also cannot be trusted.

The young man's handsome face darkened slightly. He gestured silently for Lu Cheng to follow, stepping back slowly.

As Qin Fei gradually hid deeper into the shadows,

the NPC who had swallowed the player whole let out a long, satisfied sigh.

The split skin twisted and reattached itself to his face, and his bloated form gradually slimmed down, transforming back into the handsome young researcher.

The NPC adjusted his mask, fixed the hood of his protective suit, locked the safety door, and walked off in another direction.

Some players, like Qin Fei, realized the danger and hurriedly sought new hiding places.

But some players lacked a strong sense of danger and remained where they were.

They seemed not to grasp the current situation and were carefully observing the surrounding equipment and environment, trying to find clues or rules.

Soon, they paid the price for their carelessness.

About two or three minutes later, the previously calm and orderly research facility suddenly erupted with loud alarms.

The bright overhead lights flickered off and then, when they came back on, they were blood-red.

Red warning lights flashed continuously, blinding everyone.

"Warning, warning—there is an escaped experimental subject in the low-quality specimen disposal room. All departments, please be on high alert. Upon discovering any suspicious individuals, immediately report to the Police Force!"

"Warning, warning—an intruder has entered Zone One Research Center. All departments, please be on high alert. Repeating, upon discovering any suspicious individuals, immediately report to the Police Force!"

The two different alarm messages repeated three times before stopping.

When the lights above turned back to a clear yellow, the previously empty space suddenly filled with NPCs wearing black isolation suits.

These NPCs were clearly security guards, with their arms and legs bound by black elastic bands, and belts tied around their waists.

Each NPC held an electric baton that was over half a meter long.

The guard NPCs split into different squads, marching through the various experimental module groups in an efficient and orderly manner as they searched.

Soon, two players were found.

One of them tried to struggle but was struck hard on the back by a guard NPC, collapsing limply, unconscious or dead, and was carried away like a chicken by an eagle.

Seeing this, the other player immediately became compliant, not daring to move.

Qin Fei and Lu Cheng had already retreated behind the bottled brains.

After capturing these two individuals, the squad of guards proceeded deeper. If Qin Fei and Lu Cheng hadn't moved, they might have been caught then.

Lu Cheng closed his eyes tightly for a moment, rubbing his face with his hand. "Bro, thank goodness you reacted quickly!"

He had smoothly upgraded his address from "buddy" to "bro."

Qin Fei silently took a step back, lowering his eyelids, his expression inscrutable. "Don’t celebrate too soon."

Hearing this, Lu Cheng pulled at the corner of his mouth, looking pitiful.

In truth, he also realized that their current position was far from optimistic.

On both sides and behind them, there were squads of guards searching.

There were six squads of guard NPCs in total, and unfortunately, three of them were here.

Their escape routes were blocked, leaving luck as their only hope.

If they were lucky and the NPCs didn't come closer, they could avoid being caught.

Lu Cheng frantically bowed in his mind, praying to all the gods and deities.

Unfortunately, it seemed the gods were off duty today. Two squads of NPCs met face-to-face, their leaders exchanged greetings, and one squad continued forward while the other turned into the module group.

Damn!

Lu Cheng cursed wildly in his heart.

"Quick," he crouched down, trying to hide under the pipes.

Normal escape was out of the question; to avoid being caught by the NPCs, they could only perform a desperate maneuver.

If they did it well, they might escape by chance.

However, Qin Fei ignored Lu Cheng.

He moved further into the shadows. In front of tens of thousands of viewers in the live stream, Qin Fei did something shocking.

He took off his prisoner uniform.

The young man's pale and lean figure suddenly appeared on camera.

His slender neck, clearly defined collarbones, and well-toned yet not exaggerated muscles, with his V-lines gradually disappearing into his waistband.

The audience’s eyes widened.

What was going on?

Was the streamer giving his beloved fans a treat before his inevitable capture?

The spirits in the live stream were deeply moved by this selfless act and began flooding the screen with gold coins.

Two wealthy spirits even bought the most expensive "Splendid Fireworks" for Qin Fei.

These fireworks, also known as Royal Salutes, had been received by Qin Fei in a previous snowy mountain scenario.

As the highest-tier gift, they came with an animated sequence where players and viewers could watch the fireworks together.

In the cold, sci-fi atmosphere of the Research Center, the sudden appearance of fireworks seemed out of place, but it didn't detract from their beauty.

Golden lines fell like shooting stars onto the ground.

Against this magnificent backdrop, Qin Fei changed his clothes and pants.

— His shirt was loose and long, covering everything it should, frustrating the spirits watching.

Qin Fei changed quickly. Previously crouching behind a pipe, he stood up after changing and walked step by step toward the NPCs.

Not only did he walk himself, but he also grabbed Lu Cheng by the collar.

Lu Cheng, stunned by Qin Fei's unexpected change, stared blankly: "???"

Bro, are you planning to sacrifice me to the NPCs to save yourself?

Lu Cheng knew Qin Fei wasn't that foolish. This was someone who once fooled over 200 players in the entire scenario and was treated as a guest of honor by their vice president, who was like a god descending from heaven.

Watching the approaching NPCs, Lu Cheng felt his heart race but still obediently followed Qin Fei like a turtle hiding its head.

They soon reached the front of the guard NPCs.

"Who are you?!" The NPCs noticed their presence.

Perhaps because Qin Fei's bold demeanor was too audacious, the NPCs, who should have rushed forward to control them, stopped about half a meter away.

The leading NPC looked at them warily.

Lu Cheng felt a bit dizzy. They had encountered a team of NPCs, a team of eight.

From the scene when those players were caught earlier, Lu Cheng judged that it would be almost impossible to escape purely by force.

However, after the guards caught someone, they wouldn't eat them on the spot like the researchers at the security gate; instead, they would escort them to an unknown location.

Could this be what Xiao Qin had in mind?

Intentionally getting caught by the guards so they could use this opportunity to explore new areas they couldn't access before?

Lu Cheng felt bitter in his mouth, thinking this was a bad move.

However, Qin Fei's next move completely surprised him.

Qin Fei didn't speak but pointed to his chest.

Standing behind Qin Fei, Lu Cheng couldn't see where he was pointing and anxiously darted his eyes around.

The guard captain's gaze shifted from Qin Fei's face to his chest, then he paused, "Mr. Researcher 032?"

Confused, Lu Cheng watched as Qin Fei nodded coldly.

From the moment they appeared in front of the NPCs, Qin Fei's demeanor seemed to have changed entirely, exuding a distant and icy aura.

Qin Fei raised his arm and casually adjusted his collar.

Lu Cheng noticed that the previously bare wrist now had a watch... Wasn't that the watch he had taken off the NPC?!!!

Lu Cheng found it surreal.

He hadn't put the watch into his personal space but had simply stuffed it into the pocket of his prison uniform.

But when did the watch end up in Xiao Qin's hands??

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

The chat exploded with comments.

"I'm dying of laughter! When did the streamer take it? As a loyal viewer, I didn't even notice!"

"HAHAHA, my wife has perfected her thieving skills across different scenarios."

"You bet! Who do you think we are? A mouse's son can dig tunnels, and our sheep mom is one of the best psychic thieves. It's no big deal for Feifei to inherit some family skills~"

"Pfft, sheep: pots falling from the sky."

Lu Cheng subtly moved to the side, finally seeing what Qin Fei was pointing at on his chest.

It was an ID badge.

Lu Cheng vaguely remembered that the NPCs who entered the water prison and the researcher who ate people all wore such ID badges outside their protective suits.

Without a doubt, Qin Fei must have taken this badge from the knocked-out NPC in the water prison.

The ID badge and the watch.

Two items that could prove an NPC researcher's identity were now on Qin Fei.

The guard's gaze behind the protective mask grew serious. "Mr. Researcher 032, why aren't you wearing your protective suit? Please explain."

Qin Fei remained expressionless.

"The experimental subjects escaped from the disposal room," he calmly narrated, his steady voice lending credibility to his words. "I had a conflict with them at the disposal room entrance, my protective suit was damaged, and I discarded it."

The guard didn't speak or move, still looking skeptical.

Qin Fei grabbed a handful of Lu Cheng's hair at the back of his head.

He pulled Lu Cheng forward and then pushed him.

Lu Cheng lost his balance, his upper body lunging forward, bowing nearly 180 degrees to the guard, almost hitting the floor.

He stumbled forward a few steps, barely maintaining his balance.

Qin Fei didn't even glance at Lu Cheng, his expression cold.

He lifted his chin slightly arrogantly and said to the guard NPC, "There's something wrong with this experimental subject. I need to take him for another check-up."

The guard hesitated for a moment, turned, and whispered to the NPCs behind him.

Then, he finally relented, leading his team to step aside.

The guards bowed to Qin Fei together. "Sorry, Mr. Researcher 032, for wasting your time. You may leave now."

"But," the guard captain couldn't help reminding him, "you should go to the Materials Management Office to get a new protective suit soon. Don't forget, one of the three rules of the Research Institute is that you must wear a protective suit at all times when underground."

"Not even taking it off while sleeping," the NPC emphasized. "After getting your new protective suit, please come to the Police Force within 12 hours for a full-body radiation scan."

Qin Fei slightly lowered his eyes. "I understand, thank you for your concern."

Without saying anything more, he led Lu Cheng forward steadily.

Qin Fei walked openly down the main path.

Many NPCs looked at him along the way.

As the guard had reminded him, not wearing a protective suit was a highly unusual and out-of-place behavior in this research institute.

But Qin Fei walked with his head held high and strides wide.

In this Research Institute where everyone is shrouded in protective suits, people are so unfamiliar with each other's true faces that it's almost completely unknown, hence not a single NPC can expose this earth-shattering lie.

The young man, like an arrogant and supreme lion, carried his freshly caught prey, striding through the dim and enigmatic gazes of his peers.

As for Lu Cheng...

Lu Cheng was held in Qin Fei's hands.

In fact, he was slightly taller than Qin Fei. To match the other person, he had to stoop and hunch his back, bending his knees while still touching the ground with his toes, pretending to be very weak and pitiful in a humble appearance.

At this very moment, Lu Cheng felt as if his mind was filled with mush.

For the scenes that unfolded just a few minutes ago, the poor child was utterly unable to comprehend.

All the reasoning about the copy, all the rules, were all thrown to the back of his mind.

Now, Lu Cheng's mind was filled with only one thought: No, how could this still be happening?