CHAPTER 353: CHAPTER 350 [WHO IS THAT?]

Chapter 350: Who is That?

Chen Nuo’s heart pounded wildly.

Images of these monsters wreaking havoc had already flooded his mind.

What was even more terrifying was that Corot was only describing the ’wild beast state’ of these monsters.

Once the Mother revived and bred offspring to infuse these ’shells,’ these ’beasts,’ with survival and adaptive abilities countless times stronger than humans, would suddenly become ’advanced life forms.’

In that case, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for human civilization!

Unable to help himself, Chen Nuo silently cursed in his heart.

Damn it... motherfuckin’ cookies!!

"Now, this thing..."

"Is only in the Underground of this base. Their numbers aren’t too great... For some particular reasons, they were originally meant to be contained, but they were unexpectedly hatched and began to proliferate. I can only use this method to keep them in this area so they don’t escape outside."

"So, the mutations occurring in our team members were also caused by these monsters?"

"They emit a type of ultra-low frequency sound wave. Human ears cannot hear it, but this sound wave can disturb the human mind. Those with weak spiritual power will be affected, then go mad, losing their reason and consciousness. Because this interference fills the brain, it causes the brain to issue all sorts of erratic commands to the body..."

"Like adrenaline being secreted uncontrollably, becoming incredibly strong, and feeling no pain?" Chen Nuo asked.

"Yes," Corot admitted. "Your arrival disrupted my plans. Your convoy stayed outside the base. However, the ultra-low frequency sound waves emitted by the monsters can travel very far. Consequently, your convoy outside has already been affected by this interference, with people mutating and going mad. I had no choice but to activate the ’low-temperature energy field’ to seal off this place."

"You should be able to control these monsters, right?" Chen Nuo said slowly.

"For now, I can," Corot said slowly. "I use the low-temperature energy field—what you called a barrier—to lower the temperature here, making it extremely cold. These monsters prefer this temperature, so they’ll stay. At the same time, the barrier also physically prevents them from attempting to spread outward."

"Can’t you destroy them?" Chen Nuo frowned.

"...I cannot," Corot replied, then added coldly, "Alright, I’ve explained the monster situation. You actually asked several additional questions during the process, but considering they all pertained to the monsters, I didn’t make an issue of it."

Chen Nuo knew he had asked a lot, so he nodded readily. "Okay. Your turn to ask."

"That curse you just used, ’motherfuckin’ cookies,’ who did you learn that from?"

"Huh?"

Vanel slowly opened his eyes.

The heating system in the ice vehicle and the high-calorie Energy Bar he had consumed allowed Vanel to finally feel a hint of strength returning to his body. The sensation of being frozen stiff gradually subsided.

He struggled to turn in his seat, retrieved a medical kit from the back, and carefully identified the label. He took out a syringe and injected a dose of medicine into his arm. Then, he took out a pill bottle, glanced at the label, and popped a few pills into his mouth.

The wound on his face had stopped bleeding, but the pain still made his entire head throb.

Taking a deep breath, the burly Russian slowly tossed aside the communicator, tightened his cold-proof gear, and stepped out of the vehicle once more.

The physique of an Ability User finally gave him some strength, at least enough to stand firmly on the ground after opening the door.

Looking at the base before him, Vanel quickly rummaged through the vehicle’s external storage compartment and pulled something out.

He quickly loaded a signal flare gun and fired it towards the sky in the direction of the base...

BANG!!

The red signal flare soared upwards, then slowly descended...

They can’t all be dead, can they...? Vanel muttered to himself.

At least Davarishi won’t die, he thought. That guy... even if everyone else perishes, he absolutely won’t.

Taking a deep breath, Vanel looked at the base before him and decided he had to go inside and see...

But suddenly, a strange thought entered his mind...

There’s something very strange about this base, Vanel thought. It feels like a place that devours people...

Vanel might look like a tough guy, but he wasn’t rash. Otherwise, he couldn’t have become the head of the action team within the Octopus Monster. With his wealth of experience, he was adept at handling various complex situations.

Furthermore, as an undercover agent for the Noah’s Ark Organization, he was certainly no fool.

Calm down, Vanel... Stay calm... Don’t be impulsive, he softly reminded himself.

Vanel continued to search the cargo hold, soon finding something and heaving it onto the ground.

It was a remote-controlled survey vehicle with a tracked chassis, designed for various exploration and rescue missions.

Remote in hand, Vanel began to maneuver the survey vehicle towards the base.

The survey vehicle reached the edge of the base and entered without any obstruction, even passing the sentry bunker on the base’s perimeter.

Eventually, it stopped on the uneven ground, right at the edge of a large pit.

Vanel frowned...

It seems... there’s nothing unusual?

Just as he was about to put down the remote control and drive into the base himself, another thought suddenly struck him.

Vanel pressed the remote control again, making the survey vehicle turn back!

As soon as it turned, disaster struck!

Under Vanel’s grim gaze, the survey vehicle, which had entered the base, turned around. After driving just seven or eight meters, as it was about to exit the base’s edge...

Suddenly, an invisible force crushed the remote-controlled vehicle!

The mechanical body was instantly flattened like a soda can, and its various small parts shattered. In an instant, after a puff of black smoke, it became a pile of fragments on the ground!

Vanel took a deep breath.

"Sukabule!"

Refusing to accept it, he took out more signal flares and fired a few shots toward the base.

Direct fire!

The red signal flares shot straight into the base’s interior, seemingly unhindered.

So... you can get in, but you can’t get out? Vanel’s eyes widened.

To confirm, Vanel made another attempt.

He found the vehicle’s safety rope, then lifted a corpse from the ground, tying one end of the rope around its ankle.

Struggling, Vanel walked to the edge of the base, stopping at a safe distance. Gripping the rope with one hand, he violently threw the corpse into the base!

Exerting his physical strength and muscle power despite his injuries made Vanel spit blood from the corner of his mouth. He unceremoniously wiped it away, his gaze fixed on the body he had thrown into the base.

Then, he began to pull the rope!

SNAP!

The sturdy, durable nylon safety rope broke instantly!!

Just as I thought. You can get in, but not out? Damn it, what is this thing?!

Afterward, Vanel returned to the vehicle. After taking a few breaths of the warm air inside, he clasped his head with both hands, thinking desperately...

Think of something, Vanel! Think!

As he spoke, he struck his own head hard.

"Is that damn bastard still alive? I mean, that bastard who calls himself the Son of the Sun."

"Alive..." Chen Nuo blinked.

"That’s truly unfortunate," Corot muttered.

But Chen Nuo sensed something else in those words.

Although Corot said ’truly unfortunate,’ his tone clearly carried a hint of amusement.

It was like... the affection between bantering friends?

Is this Corot a friend of that old bastard, the Son of the Sun??? I am too! I’ve fought alongside the Son of the Sun! We fought the Seeds together and took a beating from the Seeds together! We’ve even shared drinks! He even had his arms around two girls at the time!! When he was cozying up with those girls in the middle of the night... I even had a mental link with him! Figuratively speaking, it’s almost like we went whoring together... Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!! Whatever! If he’s a friend of the Son of the Sun, then he’s one of us!!

Chen Nuo took a deep breath; this time, the words he spoke were much more polite.

"Uh... Senior, may I ask, have you heard of Noah’s Ark?"

"..."

Chen Nuo swallowed.

What the heck, I’ll take a gamble! he thought.

"I once heard the Son of the Sun tell a story about an old friend of his. This friend was with him in that secret society. Once, his friend was ordered to inspect Antarctica. He went... but after he left, he supposedly defected from the organization..."

"Defected?!" Corot’s voice suddenly boomed. "That bastard!!!"

Chen Nuo quietly sensed the furious ripple filling his Consciousness Space and then carefully asked, "Are you familiar with this incident?"

"..."

Silence.

After more than ten seconds of silence, just when Chen Nuo thought this Corot fellow was too angry to bother with him...

Finally, he received a response.

"I know the first part of the story you told, but not the second part."

"What do you mean?"

"I am the friend you’re talking about! The person in the first part—that was me! But the second part... that wasn’t me!"

Chen Nuo was stunned. He stared blankly for a moment, then blurted out, Wait! Are you saying you’re... you’re that old bastard’s friend?! You were the one who came to Antarctica for an inspection, and then... HOLY CRAP!! Then who was the person who returned?!

Corot’s voice held a trace of coldness and helplessness. "...What do you think?"

...Holy... CRAP!

Chen Nuo was truly astounded.

「Iceland.」

On the outskirts of a small town.

Far from the town and the highway stood an isolated small manor.

In the quiet Underground basement, an old-fashioned radio played a soothing old song.

Bai Jing, wrapped in a blanket, sat in a chair beside the control panel. She gently held a phone, seemingly talking to someone.

"Darling, are you coming back tomorrow? ...Okay, I miss you too... I’ll have someone prepare your favorite codfish...

"Don’t worry, I’m in good health... You know how doctors always like to fuss...

"Alright then, see you tomorrow."

After finishing, Bai Jing put down the phone.

She lifted her head, looking at the man submerged in liquid inside the huge glass container.

With a melancholy tone, the old lady spoke.

"He’ll be back tomorrow... Unfortunately, he didn’t say if he found that thing or not...

"But it doesn’t matter. I’ll find a way to sort this out."

As she spoke, Bai Jing stood up and walked over to the glass tank, her hands gently touching the cold glass.

"I will bring you back to life, my dear..."

After speaking, the old lady turned and left the basement.

In the tranquil basement, the lights extinguished, leaving only the faint glow from the glass tank and the blinking lights of the nearby monitor.

Everything... was so quiet...