Chapter 241 | The Apocalypse Landlady

The third basement level, the deepest corner.

A heavy alloy door stood at the end of the corridor.

This was the secret room where the Super Gene-Modified Organisms were kept.

The moment the door opened, a pungent smell of disinfectant rushed out, mixed with an indescribable, nauseatingly sweet scent of blood.

The secret room was large, covering about two hundred square meters.

The walls and ceiling were pure white, and the floor was made of a non-slip grey material. In each of the four corners, a shadowless lamp shone, illuminating the entire room as bright as day.

In the center of the room stood a massive transparent container.

Inside, a humanoid creature with a male physique was submerged.

He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, just over 1.6 meters tall, with a thin frame and skin so pale it was almost translucent.

His facial features were mostly complete; his eyes, nose, and mouth were all in their proper places.

However, those eyes had no pupils, only a murky, clouded white.

His body showed no obvious deformities or mutations, making him look like an ordinary, malnourished teenager.

Among the five Super Gene-Modified Organisms, he was the most human-like, and also the most terrifying.

This was because his gene chimerism rate was the highest among the five subjects.

It reached eighty-one percent.

Chen Shijie looked up at the boy suspended in the pale green liquid, the veins on his forehead bulging.

He hadn't wanted to expose his research results so early, but now...

“Since we’re doing an experiment, let’s use the most representative one.”

“If I can control him, all of you should shut your mouths, right?”

...

Su Wan was already standing on the streets of the Outer City.

The hood of her windbreaker hid her long hair, and the collar was pulled up high, covering half of her face.

She walked quickly, her steps light and steady. Her Level 4 Early Stage physical attributes allowed her to move through these chaotic streets like a fish in water.

Su Wan passed through several alleys, bypassed piles of trash that hadn't been cleared yet, and arrived at the side of the Outer City City Defense Force branch building.

When she had come last time, she had hidden under a ventilation window for a long time.

That row of discarded scrap iron cabinets was still there, rusted and abandoned in the corner.

Su Wan slipped behind the iron cabinets, her back against the wall, shrinking herself into the shadows.

Her mental power spread out like an invisible net, probing into every corner of the greyish-white five-story building.

In the first-floor lobby, a few soldiers on duty stood around listlessly.

The second and third floors were office areas.

On the fourth floor, in the office at the end of the corridor, the new commander, Feng Mu, was sitting behind his desk.

After Yan Pengcheng was dismissed and sent to a military court, the highest commander of the Outer City had been replaced by Feng Mu.

Su Wan stepped out from behind the iron cabinets, pushed open the fire door on the side of the building, and slipped inside noiselessly.

She activated Shadow Stealth, and no one noticed her presence.

Feng Mu’s office door was closed.

Su Wan didn't knock; she pushed the door open and walked right in.

Feng Mu was sitting behind his desk flipping through documents. He looked up when he heard the door, and his pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw Su Wan.

His reaction was undeniably fast; he immediately raised his hand, preparing to press the alarm on his desk.

However, just as his hand lifted, an invisible force like a mountain pressed down, pinning him firmly to his chair.

Su Wan closed the door, walked over to sit opposite him, took off her hood, and pulled down her collar, revealing a face that looked excessively young.

Feng Mu stared at her, his voice urgent and hoarse, filled with panic and dread. “You... who are you?!”

Su Wan didn't rush to speak; she just looked at him quietly.

She suppressed Feng Mu with her mental power, then leaned forward, her voice calm.

“I want you to contact Pei Su.”

Feng Mu’s pupils contracted again.

“Who exactly are you? What do you want to do?”

Su Wan gave him a cold look, ignoring his question.

“Contact Pei Su. Tell him you have important intelligence regarding the Terminal Station.”

Feng Mu’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

He couldn't refuse. The force pressing down on him was enough to make him realize that the woman in front of him could kill him at any moment.

He painstakingly raised his hand and picked up the communicator on the desk.

Su Wan didn't stop him; she just watched him dial.

Just as he was about to press the call button, the internal communicator in the office rang first.

The piercing ringtone echoed through the silent office.

Feng Mu’s finger froze over the button. He looked up at Su Wan.

Su Wan’s expression didn't change. She stood up, grabbed Feng Mu by the collar, and dragged him to the internal communicator.

Then, she tilted her chin slightly at Feng Mu, signaling for him to answer.

Cold sweat broke out on Feng Mu’s forehead. He didn't dare resist or make any unnecessary moves; he just tremblingly pressed the answer button.

“This is Wang Gang.” A hoarse, low voice came from the other end of the communicator, carrying a habitual condescension.

Wang Gang was the liaison next to Zhuang Heng, responsible for conveying Zhuang Heng’s orders.

“What are Commander Zhuang’s instructions?” Feng Mu’s voice was tight.

“There is something your side needs to coordinate with,” Wang Gang’s voice was slow and deliberate.

“The ‘Iron Blade’ unit dispatched by the City Defense Force Headquarters has already met with Chen Shijie, the Chief Researcher of the Deep Blue Research Institute. The group is carrying the institute’s secret weapon and is preparing to head to the Ruin Zone.”

Wang Gang paused, seemingly flipping through some documents. “Their mission is to capture the owner of the Terminal Station, a woman named Su Wan, a Level 3 Late Stage Ability User.”

“The Commander has ordered: bring her in alive if possible, or her corpse if not.”

Feng Mu’s breath almost stopped at that moment.

His gaze subconsciously drifted to Su Wan standing next to him. This excessively young woman was currently looking at him expressionlessly.

“Based on the marching speed, they will exit the city gates and enter the Outer City in ten minutes,” Wang Gang continued.

“Make preparations on your end to receive them. If they need support, allocate manpower immediately.”

The sound of paper flipping came from the other end of the communicator.

“Additionally, I’ve sent the detailed files for this operation to your terminal.”

“This includes the target’s portrait, the coordinates of the Terminal Station, topographical maps of the surrounding area, and all previous reconnaissance records from the City Defense Force.”

“Familiarize yourself with them. If something goes wrong, you need to know what's going on.”

“Yes. Please tell Commander Zhuang that I will ensure the mission is completed.” Feng Mu’s voice was so hoarse it was barely audible.

“One more thing.” Wang Gang’s voice suddenly turned cold. “Commander Pei is also placing extreme importance on this matter. According to reliable intelligence, there may be a Level 4 Ability User inside the Terminal Station.”

“If you discover any abnormalities on your end, report them immediately. Do not hide anything.”

The call disconnected.

Feng Mu slowly lowered the communicator and looked up at Su Wan.

Su Wan didn't speak; she simply pointed to the terminal at the corner of his desk.

His body stiff, Feng Mu opened the terminal with trembling hands, and an encrypted file popped up.

He clicked the attachment. The first page was a portrait.

A young woman with long hair draped over her shoulders, delicate features, and eyes that were calm yet deep.

She looked exactly like the woman standing before him.

Feng Mu’s fingers trembled slightly, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

This woman... this woman...

...was actually the owner of the Terminal Station!

The owner of the Terminal Station, who had repeatedly caused the City Defense Force to suffer losses, was standing right in front of him!

He looked up at Su Wan, his lips quivering as he tried to speak, but no words came out.

The commander of the Outer City City Defense Force might not be very strong, but he still had some value.

With a flick of her wrist, a black collar appeared in Su Wan’s hand.

Seeing the black collar, Feng Mu’s face filled with terror.

“W-what is this? What are you going to do?”

“No! Don’t! Ahh...”

Two minutes later, Feng Mu respectfully escorted Su Wan out of his office.

“Continue with your duties as usual unless I give you an order.”

“Yes, Master!” Feng Mu bowed, watching Su Wan depart.

The cold wind whipped fine ice crystals against her face. Su Wan pulled up her hood and headed toward the city gates.

...

Chen Shijie had changed into a dark grey combat suit.

This was a specialized outfit provided by the research institute for field operations, made of high-strength fibers that were bulletproof, stab-resistant, and offered some protection against radiation and contamination.

He stood at the entrance of the research institute, with Subject 5 standing behind him.

The boy was bare-chested, his pale, almost translucent skin shimmering with an eerie luster under the grey sky.

His eyes were slightly open, his clouded white pupils staring blankly ahead.

A silver-grey metal collar was fastened around his neck, with tiny indicator lights flashing a steady green on its surface.

A matte black military armored vehicle was parked at the entrance. It had a thick chassis, bulletproof windows, and solid explosion-proof tires.

The expert sent by the City Defense Force was already in the driver's seat—a cold-faced middle-aged man with sharp eyes, a Level 3 Late Stage Ability User wearing a deep blue City Defense Force combat suit.

He didn't get out, simply nodding to Chen Shijie through the window.

Chen Shijie pulled open the door and saw two more City Defense Force experts sitting on either side of the back seat.

These two were responsible for his protection.

Chen Shijie sat in the back, and Subject 5 followed him into the vehicle, sitting beside him.

His movements were stiff and mechanical, like a puppet controlled by a program.

The armored vehicle started up and slowly drove out of the Inner City.

The streets of the Outer City were empty, with the cold wind whistling through the alleys, carrying fine ice crystals.

The final calm before the cold wave arrived felt like the suffocating tension before a storm.

Crowds swarmed the entrances of several public shelters. City Defense Force soldiers were maintaining order, roughly pushing back the commoners trying to force their way inside.

Su Wan leaned against a partially collapsed wall.

According to her calculations, the vehicles dispatched by the research institute and the City Defense Force should have reached the Outer City by now.

She closed her eyes, and her mental power spread toward the Outer City like an invisible net.

Soon, her mental power locked onto a target.

A matte black military armored vehicle was approaching from the direction of the Inner City gate.

It moved at a steady pace, navigating the potholed road smoothly.

Su Wan’s mental power probed inside the vehicle—

A Level 3 Late Stage driver, and in the back sat a thin middle-aged man in a dark grey combat suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses with high cheekbones.

His energy fluctuations were very weak, not even reaching Level 1; he was just an ordinary human.

Beside him sat a humanoid creature.

Pale grey skin, almost translucent, and eyes without pupils, just a murky white.

Su Wan’s pupils contracted slightly.

Her mental power couldn't clearly perceive this person's energy fluctuations.

It wasn't because he lacked energy, but because his fluctuations were too chaotic, like countless rivers of different frequencies merging, crashing into and interfering with each other, making them impossible to sense through conventional means.

Was this the secret weapon Chen Shijie had brought—the ace of the Deep Blue Research Institute?

In the back seat, the white-eyed youth had been sitting quietly, leaning forward slightly with his hands resting at his sides. His wrists were shackled with matte black metal rings, and his ankles were bound by the same material.

But the moment Su Wan’s mental power touched him—

His head snapped up.

Those pupil-less, murky white eyes stared straight toward the direction where Su Wan’s mental power was probing from.

His body tensed like a startled beast, and a low, suppressed hiss escaped from deep in his throat.

The sound wasn't human; it was more like a caged beast instinctively issuing a warning upon sensing a threat.

Chen Shijie was startled.

He whipped his head around to look at Subject 5, his finger already on the palm-sized silver remote at his waist.

“What’s going on?” he whispered, his eyes fixed on the agitated youth.

The boy’s body trembled slightly, his white eyes fixed on a specific spot on the vehicle wall, as if he could see through the thick armor plating to whatever was outside.

His hands struggled, the matte black metal rings clashing together with a low thud.

Chen Shijie quickly pulled out the remote and pressed a red button with his thumb.

Buzz—

A faint humming sound of electricity came from the metal collar around the youth’s neck.

The boy’s body stiffened instantly. The agitation was forcibly suppressed by the electric shock. His body swayed, his head slowly lowered, and the hissing in his throat gradually subsided.

But his body continued to tremble slightly, and those white eyes remained fixed on that direction, never wavering.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Chen Shijie’s forehead. He stared at the boy for a few seconds.

“Dr. Chen, what happened?”

From the driver's seat, the Level 3 Late Stage middle-aged man glanced at the back through the rearview mirror, his brow furrowing as he asked in a low voice.