Chapter 30: Experiment TCG-7436, Purpose of Experiment...

Room 404.

Julian sat before a storage rack, flipping through an experimental log with a bored expression. After entering the building, his group had finally escaped the attacks of the Dream Shadows. They had split up to locate the survivors marked by Polaris. Julian had been assigned to the fourth floor.

Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, the survivor had already been torn to shreds by the Zerg. The overwhelming swarm of Zerg had forced him into Room 404, the innermost room on the fourth floor. Room 404 was where experimental data and logs were stored; its door had been specially reinforced, making it a safe haven for Julian. However, he could not handle the swarm outside on his own. Julian contacted the other team members, but only Muka responded. Now, he simply had to wait for Muka to finish off the Zerg army on the sixth floor before joining him on the fourth.

Julian glanced at the computer screen, which displayed "Data Transfer Progress: 80%," and sighed. He hoped that by the time Muka arrived, all the experimental data would be saved. Julian set aside the document he had been holding and looked up, spotting a file box that stood out from the rest—it was the only red one, marked with a warning label.

"Experiment TCG-7436?" Julian furrowed his brows and reached out to pull the box down. He tore off the tightly wound packaging tape and opened it to find only a single thin sheet of paper. The bottom half of the paper had been charred, and the remainder was stained with blood, yet he could still barely make out some of the data.

"Experiment TCG-7436, experimental objective... something something exchange?" Julian squinted, hoping to decipher the words obscured by bloodstains. "Specimen 01... Psionic level... pending? What does that mean?"

Julian rubbed his sore eyes. He looked at the photograph attached to the paper; though blurred by blood, it was clear that the person in the photo was young—a child. He flipped the paper over a few times, but finding no other information, he placed it back and set the box aside.

"Julian, Lian Fei is heading your way," Polaris said.

Hearing the name Lian Fei, Julian looked toward the door in surprise. "She’s not dead??" Thrown out of the starship and facing a Mosquito unarmed, and she didn't die? When did such a formidable character appear in District 10?!

...

In the stairwell leading from the third to the fourth floor, the closer Lian Fei got, the more she could hear a "clucking" sound, similar to that of a toad. According to feedback from Polaris, there were nearly a hundred Bilurs in the fourth-floor corridor. These were Zerg that looked like turtles, with an average rank of C. They clung to the walls and floors, as if covering the surfaces in a layer of dark green steel plates.

Occasionally, one or two would shift, appearing extremely eerie. Among the Zerg, the Bilur was considered small, but in front of a human, its one-meter diameter made it quite a large creature. The Bilur’s "shell" encased its entire body, and even its six legs and head were covered in armor, making it incredibly tough and difficult to damage. The edges of its shell were razor-sharp, making it dangerous to get too close.

Lian Fei reached the corner; on the other side lay the corridor leading to 404. She peeked at the corridor, and seeing the dense cluster of bugs, she couldn't help but get goosebumps. She lowered her voice and asked, "Polaris, what is the weakness of a Bilur?"

Polaris quickly pulled up all information on the Bilur, as well as the methods compiled by the Federation for killing them. The Bilur’s entire body was indeed tough, but its neck was very tender; a single precise strike could sever it. The problem was that a Bilur would not easily expose its neck. Typically, when Federation troops encountered Bilurs, two or more would attack together: one would lure the creature to expose its neck, while the other seized the opportunity to strike.

"Easy enough to deal with," Lian Fei mused. "The Bilur's only method of attack is to slice with the edges of its body." No wonder they were only C-rank.

Lian Fei drew her twin blades and sprinted toward the corridor at high speed. Sensing someone's arrival, the Bilurs immediately went into a frenzy. The "clucking" sound became deafening. Lian Fei used the tip of her blade to flip a Bilur over. Just as she had guessed, when the creature tried to flip back, it extended its head, braced it against the ground, and used the leverage to right itself. Seizing the moment it extended its neck, Lian Fei promptly slashed it open.

In this manner, Lian Fei killed five or six in quick succession. The other Bilurs lunged at her, attempting to slice her with their sharp shell edges. Lian Fei moved with agility, dodging the lunging creatures with several side steps. As she dodged, she used her elbow to knock one over, and as it struggled to get up, she pulled out her pistol and shot it in the neck. With her agile movements, Lian Fei cleared the hundred or so Bilurs in less than five minutes.

Looking at the pile of dead Bilurs, Lian Fei discarded her twin blades, which had already become dulled. It was a good thing she had scavenged those corpses earlier; otherwise, she would have completely run out of melee weapons by now. Lian Fei wasn't very good with a gun—her accuracy was only eighty percent—and she was much more comfortable with cold steel.

"Open up," Lian Fei knocked on the door of 404.

The door opened the next second. Julian tucked the hard drive into his jacket and walked out. "I’ve copied the data; we can retreat now."

Lian Fei nodded and followed behind him. When they reached the lobby on the first floor, Julian didn't head for the exit, but instead turned toward the basement. Lian Fei was puzzled. "Aren't you going to retreat?"

Julian gave her a look as if she were an idiot. "We can't escape the Bug Sovereign outside without Lin Ying's psionic interference... Speaking of which, how did you get in? Didn't you run into that Bug Sovereign?"

Lian Fei replied, "I used grenades to create an explosion and distracted him."

Julian asked, "It’s that simple?"

Lian Fei paused. "It’s that simple." Simple enough, she thought—it only cost her two or three deaths.

Julian looked her up and down with a strange expression. "Are you from District 10?" he asked.

Lian Fei nodded and asked, "Is there a problem?"

Julian shrugged. "No, you just don't look like it."

Lian Fei: ...

Julian pressed the button for the elevator to the basement level. "Regardless, Lin Ying is important... I don't mean that I don't trust you, I just want to play it safe, you understand?"

Lian Fei shrugged to show she didn't care. Julian held the elevator door and handed the hard drive to Lian Fei. "If you want to leave, you can take the data and go now."

Lian Fei didn't take the drive; instead, she strode into the elevator. Julian raised an eyebrow and took the drive back. He notified Muka to meet them at the basement level.

Lian Fei nudged Polaris, asking if it had any data on the Queen bug. However, as the elevator began to descend, Polaris became unresponsive. Lian Fei tapped her helmet lightly. "Polaris?"

Julian said, "Don't bother tapping it. It seems the Queen bug below can interfere with transmissions... We’ll grab Lin Ying and get out of here, understand?"

Lian Fei lowered her eyes and remained silent. Julian looked at her, thinking she was still bothered by being thrown off the starship, so he added, "It's too dangerous here. Those Bug Sovereigns are definitely above S-rank, and there’s also the Queen... We need to work together to leave and get back safely... The recorder will capture everything, and when we return, the Chairman and others will review the logs to assess the situation on Whale Star."

As he spoke, he observed her expression. His implication was for Lian Fei not to act on impulse and seek revenge here. It wouldn't be too late to seek justice after they were out, and it would be more legitimate then.

Lian Fei glanced at him without a word. The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out first.

"Are you even listening?" Julian hurried after her, feeling a bit uneasy. He didn't know Lian Fei well and wasn't sure of her temperament. He only hoped she was a reasonable person and wouldn't act rashly.

"Did you see any strange documents in Room 404?" Lian Fei asked.

"Strange?" Julian was confused. "What kind of strange documents?"

Lian Fei scratched her cheek, unsure of how to explain. Julian was about to say more when Lian Fei covered his mouth.

"Shh, we're here," she said.