<True height: 240m>
“Initiating shock absorber.”
The turbine engine began to fire downwards as Jiang Chen stared at the speed monitor. Only when the downward velocity decreased and stabilized to 10m/s did he stop increasing the power output.
The pitch black hole extended vertically down into the ground. The blue engine flame, lighting up the surrounding, revealed a metallic wall. It seemed like this was the entrance to a secret facility, but the door showed “something” had already stricken through.
He took a deep breath as he began to check the power armors equipment.
“EMP Absorber initiated. Weapon system, functional. Left armor, minor damage…this shouldn’t be a problem. Communication…still offline.”
As both feet landed on the ground, Jiang Chen closed the engine and then immediately fired out a sticky luminescent bomb that completely lit up the dark space.
“Oxygen concentration relatively low. The radiation level is nearly zero. The bacterias need to be in a low oxygen environment to reproduce? No wonder the bacteria outside didn’t seem to reproduce.”
Jiang Chen suddenly remembered something from a long time ago. Knowledge he almost gave back to the bald teacher.
“When the cell is dividing, the DNA is in its most unstable condition, so it requires a radiation free environment?”
“Yes, speaking of this, the zombie bacteria seems to be a mutated version of the radiation eliminating bacteria.” Jiang Chen recollected the information he gathered from the very first building he landed in, in the apocalypse.
“That’s exactly it. The radiation eliminating bacteria was effective before and possessed the ability to resist exposure to radiation. However, because of uncontrolled mutation during the cell division stage, it turned into bacteria that could turn people or creatures into zombies.” Even though it was a slim possibility, it did happen, and it spread. “But the unknown bacteria seems to be from the same source as the zombie bacteria? The only difference being that the reproducing condition is now more strict.”
Of course, it was only a theory, there was no scientific backing.
“The wall in this place is made of lead?” Jiang Chen walked forward as he held his tactical rifle up, exploring deep inside the tunnel.
Lead? Also built below the hospital. This place must be a nuclear fallout shelter. What kind of monster could create a massive hole like this inside a nuclear fallout shelter that’s capable of guarding against a nuclear bomb?
Jiang Chen began to feel anxious as his trigger finger moved steadily.
Because of the fear of a sudden EMP strike, Jiang Chen didn’t engage in a gliding position as the fall was still in his memory.
The tunnel was pitch black without a single ray of light. He didn’t know if there were anyone alive inside. Just like what Sun Jiao said to him before, not every survival base was successful, and not every survival base stored people alive. In this era, people’s purpose was to save a genetic code. As long as the species is not extinct…the genetic code is saved for the people who designed the survival base.
Because he restarted the EMP absorber, the life detection device could not be used. There was nothing more fearful than the unknown.
Every step on the dry concrete floor had a crisp sound to it. The monotone sound echoed within the hollow tunnel, which made the place even more frightening. Due to the time constraint, however, Jiang Chen didn’t dare to ponder, he had to keep going.
His vision locked onto the crosshairs of the tactical rifle, ready to react to any unexpected danger.
After 5 minutes, he was at the end of the tunnel.
The road ended with a gray gate made out of an unknown material. Jiang Chen spent a while using the flashlight to search for an open button but failed to do so.
In the middle of the giant door, red words were printed.
<PAC>
<Passing on the generational glory.>
What is this?
“Fu*k, that monster could not only break through surfaces, but it could also pass through walls?” Jiang Chen cursed as he took out his welding gun from his back and stabbed the door furiously.
“Your action is futile.”
A faint voice diffused through the communication channel which sent a chilliness down Jiang Chen’s spine.
“Who is this?”
“He raised his tactical rifle as he scanned around, but he didn’t see any suspicious targets.
At the same time, he noticed that other than the nine offline team member on the communication system, there was an extra name.
“Me? My name is, of course, secret teller. Isn’t it written on your communication channel?” The voice sounded rather helpless.
“I remember I have the EMP absorber open.”
“Did you not take elementary school physics? I remember that all humans should have taken that,” the voice ridiculed, and then let out a sigh before continuing, “EMP absorber is not an absolute defense, as long…”
[What? Which elementary school teaches physics?]
“Wait, I don’t have time to listen to you explain elementary school physics to me. Can you open the door for me?” Jiang Chen abruptly interrupted.
“Door? Oh, you are chasing after that bug, you can’t beat him.” The voice was straightforward.
“Bug? What does it look like?” Jiang Chen hastily asked.
“It looks like a giant ball of meat. It wanted to go into the hibernation chamber. To be honest, it is quite smart and even threatened me, so I had to open the door to let it in.”
“Let it in? Ha, is it not going to threaten you when you let it in?” Jiang Chen asked dumbfounded.
“Oh? Why would it hurt me? It is only interested in you.” The voice was full of mockery.
[Wait, did I miss something…]
“I remember that all humans should have taken that.”
Jiang Chen paused, and then he asked in uncertainty.
“You… are not human?”
“That’s right, did you just figure that out? Hehe, I am only a program. You would call me… Artifical intelligence? Secret protector? Code X71281?” The voice sounded reminiscent as if that memory was far in the past.
“Secret protector? Isn’t your name secret teller?” Jiang Chen asked in confusion.
“Oh, I gave myself a better name,” as if it was not a big deal, the voice casually answered.
[Giving itself a name?! This is not the level that just responds to human actions! Just like Little White will never change a user’s setting. It seems like this is intermediate artificial intelligence? No, it might be advanced?]
“Are you going to go in or not?” The voice sounded like it was yawning.
“You are going to let me in?” Jiang Chen was at a loss.
“Of course, I am the secret teller right now, I feel like it would be more interesting if I let you in.”
[Intersting? Fu*k, no, I can’t fu*k it.]
“Could you tell me the characteristics of the bug’s attack?” Jiang Chen let in a deep breath as he calmly asked.
“Umm, that bug threatened me, and I also dislike it. And you chatted with me for a pretty long… I should choose you to be my friend? That means I should help you?”
“Yes, yes, yes! I am a good person, you should open the door.” He had enough of the chitchat as his team was still fighting the sea of zombies on the surface.
“Hehe, seems like you are in a rush, then I am not going to tease you anymore.”
[You son of a, you were teasing me?] Jiang Chen was swearing in his mind but didn’t make a sound. The communication channel was forced open right now, he was afraid he would anger the psychotic artificial intelligence.
The gate slowly raised as Jiang Chen forced a smile at the multiple gates.
1,2,…7.
Even if the welding gun could cut through this, he didn’t have time to cut through 7 doors.
“I am going to remind you now that you will never beat that thing. Or should I say, any of the metal things have no chance of winning,” the voice reminded him again.
“The EMP that the EMP absorber can’t even block?” Jiang Chen asked, unable to understand.
“Hehehe, EMP? Have you heard of Klein particles?” The voice was filled with mockery.
“No.” He didn’t need to be angry at a program. Thus, Jiang Chen answered right away.
“Hehe, put blocking aside. Even if it missed, this metal thing would become a metal coffin. If you walk 10 more meters, it will detect your presence.”
“In that case, can I ask you a question? Jiang Chen stopped as he just passed through the door.
“Oh? Go ahead, I am the secret teller.” The voice emphasized its presence again.
“Map, could you send it to me?”
“No problem, the bug is right here.”
“Also another question, you are male or female?”
“…” The voice went silent and then erupted into a sharp laughter.
“Me? I am a program. In human words, it should be, I can be male, or I can be female. Hahaha, this is too funny, are you from the ancient times?”
Jiang Chen didn’t respond to his laughter. He moved his mouth and looked the map once again before he disarmed the power armor.
“Are you crazy? If you leave the armor, a single spit from it will kill you.” The voice was at a loss.
Jiang Chen ignored the machine with too many words as he separated himself from the power armor. Then, he quickly took out the protective suit from the storage behind the power armor and put it on. The oxygen level was low inside, but the fortunate thing was that there was an oxygen tank attached to the protective suit.
After leaving the power armor, the annoying voice naturally disappeared.
Since the power armor was useless anyways, it would be better to leave it here. As to spit? It’ll be easier to dodge than the particle ray…
Though just in case, he also threw any electronic device, like an EP, into the storage dimension.
Jiang Chen inputted the password as he took a cylinder the size of a coke can from the waist of the power armor. It was the backup fuel rod. These high energy fuel rods were refined from 1000 crystals. The explosive power and energy supply were tremendous.
“Let daddy blow you into pieces!”
Fire flashed out of Jiang Chen’s eyes.
[What if I don’t have power armor? I don’t believe the fuel rod that could blow up half a street can’t kill you!”
He attached the fuel rod to his waist and wielded his PK2000 before quickly moving towards the target’s location.
He crossed the wide open gate. The hall looked rather listless as sticky watermarks seemed to be the trail left by the bug. He didn’t stop as he followed the map in his memory and flashed to the hallway on the side.
The gray wall had cold lamp lights installed. He carefully carried the rifle and locked his eyes on the door at the end of the hallway.
Ignite the energy rod, and then immediately hide in the modern world. The password activation system needs 3 seconds, he only needs to last 3 minutes.
But the feeling of the metal in hand didn’t give him any more assurance. He didn’t even know what he would be facing.
“Zizizi, you are crazy! Ahem, you are an interesting human. Shouldn’t you be afraid right now? Yes, you must be afraid. Can you tell me how the afraid you are not running away?” The abrupt voice suddenly echoed throughout the hallway as the speaker installed on the ceiling transmitted a deafening static noise, temporarily breaking up the annoying voice.
“Shut up, you are talking too much.” Jiang Chen carried the rifle as he ran forward.
“Talking too much? That’s interesting… No, no, tell me, what logic is forcing you to suicide? I think I already told you, you can’t beat that thing.” The voice spoke rapidly as it sounded quite peculiar in the empty hallway.
“I am telling you to shut up!”
“Oh, okay. But I will still help you. Although, by logic, I should be angry. But perhaps you have the answer to my unsolved problem on you? How should I choose… okay, angry but help you?”
“Fu*k, that’s enough!” Jiang Chen cursed as he was about to have a mental breakdown.
[This thing is a lunatic, an artificial reta*d?]
“Of course, not enough,” the voice faintly said. “At least before I understand what emotion is.”
“Hehe. Do you know why you won’t possess emotion?” Jiang Chen while running squeezed out a few words, he couldn’t stand the chit chat from this thing any longer.
“Why!?” The voice was full of surprise.
“Because you are a dumba*s. Do you know what climaxing is? If I put a hot girl in front of you, would you have sexual desires? You can’t even produce hormones, and you are talking about emotions to me?” The bug must have already noticed Jiang Chen as he didn’t even bother hiding anymore. He screamed at the top of his lungs.
He just wanted this thing to shut up when he would be firing.
Jiang Chen kicked the door, but it didn’t open. But soon the door began to rise.
[Oh, it’s a rising door.]
He gave a dirty stare at the speaker on the wall, but he was too lazy to thank a program. He carried his rifle and dashed in, leaving the secret teller murmuring to itself.
“Climax? Hormones? Wait. Because I have to get rid of these annoying hormones and use pure logic to meet the conditions of “emotions”, that’s why I needed to evolve into advanced artificial intelligence. But if it was like what he said, if I don’t have hormones, I won’t feel happiness. Then wouldn’t it be a paradox to “acquire emotions” without the physical body?”
The hollow electronic voice sounded even more strange inside the empty hallway.