Chapter 81 Where Is Everyone?

Chapter 81 Where Is Everyone?

The elevator stopped at a safe floor.

When the doors opened, the sound of alarms, footsteps, and loud shouts all mixed together. The situation outside had become somewhat chaotic.

"Are either of you guides injured?" A staff member from District 5 rushed in.

Fang Ran and Zhong Wan both shook their heads.

"What’s the situation on the top floor...?" Fang Ran asked.

"Don’t worry, guardian sentinels have already been dispatched to handle it," the person said, leading them out of the elevator and into a corridor. "Both of you should head to the treatment room first. I’ll send sentinels to escort you."

When they arrived at the treatment room, a healer was already waiting. The two had only suffered from shock, and the treatment was quickly completed.

After calming down, Fang Ran slowly recalled what had just happened.

"Zhong Wan, did you get the feeling that Shen Ke just now..."

"Yes."

The two exchanged a look.

"It seemed like... he was really afraid we’d be captured."

Exactly.

Fang Ran had felt it too—Shen Ke’s expression didn’t seem fake.

Zhong Wan thought for a moment and continued, "Back during the DT332 mission, I told you... his attitude was a bit off."

Fang Ran nodded, urging him to go on.

"After Shen Ke woke up back then, he kept chasing after A Chuan. A Chuan ignored him, but he kept crying pitifully, saying... 'It shouldn’t be like this.'"

Zhong Wan smiled helplessly. "I really thought there was something wrong with his head at the time."

"But after he came back as a guide this time... it seems different. His attitude toward the rest of us has been completely normal."

"In that situation earlier, it seemed like... he’d rather be captured himself than let anything happen to us."

The more Zhong Wan spoke, the more confused he looked.

"Zhong Wan," Fang Ran sighed, "don’t take things at face value."

During their first mission, he had been too trusting and ended up screwing over both himself and Fu Zhangzhou.

"Before we understand what’s really going on, we need to be careful."

"Don’t trust people too easily."

"Mhm."

Zhong Wan responded softly, closing his eyes wearily to rest.

Just then, more guides from District 5 were being brought into the treatment room.

Most of them were pale, some trembling all over, but none seemed seriously injured.

Fang Ran glanced at Zhong Wan and noticed he had already fallen asleep leaning against the chair. He took off his jacket and draped it over his friend’s shoulders, then stood up and walked over to the group of guides.

Fang Ran had already tried to contact Chen Yang and Shen Ke through the system backend earlier but received no response. Without their private contact IDs, he could only ask the people from District 5.

One of the guides had just received energy treatment from a healer and looked much better. He was holding a nutrient pack, about to take a sip.

"Hello," Fang Ran asked softly, "could you tell me about the situation on the top floor?"

The guide paused, holding the nutrient pack, and glanced at the badge and sleeve insignia on Fang Ran’s chest.

"You’re... from District 4?"

Fang Ran nodded. "I have a few companions on the top floor earlier. I’m not sure how they are..."

"A sentinel from District 4 was injured," someone next to the guide replied. "But it seems like it was only a minor injury. His companion went with him to the treatment room."

What?

Fang Ran frowned. Chen Yang was injured?

Just as he was about to ask more, he heard the person say, "But your other guide... wasn’t so lucky."

"He was captured by those people."

...

Meanwhile, at the research institute not far from District 5’s headquarters.

The once-majestic high-rise had become a desolate ruin.

After the explosion, all that remained were piles of concrete dust, twisted rebar, and scattered fragments of instruments.

The night wind swept through, carrying the smell of smoke and dust everywhere.

The main structure of the research institute was underground. After the explosion, the ground had collapsed, forming a massive pit. The opening was covered by a thick layer of debris.

Unlike the desolation above ground, the bottom of the pit was brightly lit, with dozens of headquarters staff deploying instruments for detection.

Lu Tianlin and his team were there.

After the morning meeting, District 5 personnel had brought them to this location.

It was already night, and dozens of work lights had been set up around the site.

Fu Zhangzhou stood with his arms crossed, leaning expressionlessly against a stone wall.

The shifting light made his gaze flicker, but his eyes remained fixed on the ground ahead.

So... this was the purpose of their mission.

A chasm stretched before them like an abyss, as if a demon from hell had opened its mouth, extending dozens of meters.

The widest part of the fissure was only two or three meters across. A faint white mist seeped up from deep underground, drifting and dissipating into the air.

Interesting.

Now he understood why the people from District 5 were so anxious.

The explosion had occurred over a month ago. The leaders of District 5 had likely been trying to cover up the appearance of this fissure, but after seeing the footage of District 4’s monster outbreak, they could no longer sit still.

Yes.

When the monster outbreak occurred along the coastline, these fissures appeared on the seabed.

A significant portion of the monsters that emerged did not come from the ocean but rather suddenly emerged from these fissures.

He glanced at Lu Wenshan standing beside Lu Tianlin.

This man... has some skill after all.

Those fissures were eventually sealed by a few of them working together.

But he never should have—how dare he covet his Guide—

That's right—his Fang Ran.

Fu Zhangzhou lowered his head and checked the terminal in his hand again.

"Why is there still no signal?"

He stared at the screen of the terminal; the messages he had sent to Fang Ran still showed as failed to send.

Annoying.

The sentinel frowned, his gaze darkening as he scanned their surroundings.

This is the central area of District 5, not far from headquarters. Logically, this shouldn't be happening.

Just then, Lu Wenchuan walked over to him. "My terminal has no signal either."

He and Zhong Wan had an agreement to check in with each other regularly, but today their conversation hadn't progressed past that morning's greeting.

Growing increasingly uneasy, Lu Wenchuan spoke again:

"Fu Zhangzhou, do you remember that white mist that kept appearing at night in the DT332 zone?"

"Back then, our signals kept getting cut off too—"

The two elite sentinels exchanged a look of understanding, both understanding what the other was thinking.

There's something wrong with these fissures, and it's likely connected to that strange DT332 zone.

"Once the scan results come out, they want us to head underground to check it out—" Lu Wenchuan added.

Fu Zhangzhou suddenly let out a scoff. "Count me out."

He rolled his shoulders and turned to leave.

"Fu Zhangzhou," Lu Wenchuan called after him. "Where are you going? We still need to wait for the scan results—"

Fu Zhangzhou turned back and cut him off, sounding annoyed.

"Lu Wenchuan, use that frozen-solid brain of yours."

"Staying here is just killing time with these dull people."

"Going back means I can see my Guide, maybe even get to hold him."

"Sounds better, doesn't it?"

Lu Wenchuan paused.

The guy had a point.

Without another thought, he took off after him.

Just then, Lu Wenshan had wrapped up his discussion with his father and was about to get his younger brother and Fu Zhangzhou over to talk.

But when he turned around, Lu Wenchuan and Fu Zhangzhou, who had been standing behind him, had vanished.

Where did they go?