Experts understand the details; others simply enjoy the spectacle. A martial artist explained, "Do you really think you can always use long-range attacks at such a short distance? Think every shot is deadly? If mutants were this easy to kill, we wouldn't be holed up in the base. I don’t know their methods, but there must be some trick when they shoot mutants."

Zhou You shook his numb hand. Due to the close distance, he had to infuse his crossbow bolts with internal energy to increase damage. A hit in the eye would damage the brain, either killing or seriously injuring the mutant.

He collected his bolts, cleaned the blood in a basin, and stowed them away. His actions, though seemingly casual to live stream viewers, exhibited incredible confidence and skill, moving smoothly among the mutant corpses.

"Let’s go." Shao Qi, holding a notebook, said to Zhou You, "These mutants have been modified. A micro-controller has been implanted in their central nervous system. Combined with a nerve-stimulating drug, it makes them more aggressive. Their initial intent was probably to control mutants as weapons, but this is clearly a failed attempt."

As the lab doors opened, Li Hang peeked out, his face turning ashen, "Are... are they all dead?"

"Yes, they’re dead. Let’s go." Zhou You approached Lin Shuqing, unblocking his acupoints, and remarked with a smile, "You seem well-informed about this place, having such a lab. Show us what's inside."

Lin Shuqing paled, taken aback by the pair's prowess. Being mostly confined to the lab, he was unaware of the happenings outside. If he had known about Zhou You's feat of killing hundreds of mutants alone, perhaps he wouldn’t have initiated this scheme.

Chapter 098: Breaking Through The Ice.

The scene shifted; Zhou You and his companions walking in the corridor vanished, replaced by three individuals in military uniforms.

"What's going on? Why did the channel switch?"

"Look closely. This setting is eerily similar to the previous one. No wonder the videos we pieced together seemed disjointed—it's two distinct scenes but likely within the same vicinity."

"I can't believe we have such twisted labs in our base. I thought it was just staged before. Thinking back, it's truly horrifying."

"A close friend of mine went missing. Do you think they might have taken him for their experiments?"

"My cousin from my uncle's side disappeared too. He was just twelve and has been missing for three years."

Many began recounting missing persons from their lives. Previously, they were clueless about their whereabouts. Now, with the knowledge of a human experimentation lab, their minds inevitably wander there, even without concrete evidence.

"Born of the same root, why are we in such a rush to destroy each other? Why do some heartless individuals disregard human life, all under the guise of progress for humanity, ruthlessly harming their own kind? Why don't they dissect themselves?"

"Even in peaceful times, there were traffickers dealing in organs. Now, in these end times, at least there's some regulation. These labs are now forced to operate in the shadows, much less rampant. Compared to the early days of the apocalypse, the number of disappearances has significantly reduced, but it was a terrifying number back then."

"Look, a female warrior! I bet it's Officer Miao and her comrades." Miao Miao and her team were well-known figures in the base. Everyone knew she was the bodyguard of Chairman Shao.

"It must be them. Strange, there haven't been any major incidents in the base recently. Where are they?"

"Ask the streamer. He's live broadcasting, so he must know where they are."

In a hurry, Chen Zihao took his tablet and rushed to his father, Chen Jingzhou, who was in a meeting discussing post-spring crop planning. During the cold winter, the entire Jiangnan Base halted work. Fortunately, the rice had been harvested in the fall, which didn’t interrupt farming; otherwise, feeding millions would be a massive problem.

Pushing open the meeting room door, Chen Zihao exclaimed anxiously, "Dad... I need to speak with you urgently."

Chen Jingzhou shot him a stern glance and apologized, "Please continue, I'll be right back." He stood and left the room, then scolded Chen Zihao by tugging on his ear, "Haven't I told you not to interrupt? Those are leaders from every department. You'll need their support in the future."

Chen Zihao, feeling both amused and anxious, handed over the tablet which was streaming Ran Shao's live feed, "Dad, this is urgent. Do you recognize this place?"

On the screen, Miao Miao used her whip to fend off a guard. Qin Lifeng and Zhuo Hao eliminated guards lurking around the corner. Qin Lifeng, with a slight bullet wound on his arm, bandaged it quickly, and the three advanced steadily, leaving fallen guards in their wake.

Chen Jingzhou recognized the place instantly. He had been there when it was constructed, even signing off on the funding. This place was jointly established by him and Ren Zhiyuan. However, they never directly managed it, giving what was requested, expecting satisfactory results within a promised three-year period.

His face tightened with anger, "How did they find that place? Who are these three?"

"They're from Zhou You's group, Shao Gong's bodyguards. They even gave martial arts lessons at the square. Dad, did they target this lab from the start?" Chen Zihao was genuinely scared; after all, when such labs were exposed in the news, base leaders were held primarily responsible.

Chen Jingzhou felt the same way. The origins of Shao Qi and Zhou You were mysterious. Except for central undercover agents, who else would need such secrecy?