Chapter 257: Aurora Base

It was the first time the group had truly approached the Aurora Base. Led by Qiong Xuan, they walked directly towards the elevator.

As Qiong Xuan pressed the elevator switch, a low hum emanated from deep within the wire-meshed tunnel, sounding like large machinery slowly turning. The group waited there for a full forty to fifty seconds before a metal platform finally rose from inside the tunnel.

To their surprise, several figures were already on the platform, uniformly dressed in white lab coats. They glanced indifferently at the many law enforcement officers outside, then pushed open the metal gate and walked out.

"Make way," Qiong Xuan's voice commanded.

The group paused, then realized Qiong Xuan was speaking to them. They immediately parted, clearing a wide path. The figures in white lab coats walked calmly past, without even glancing at the crowd on either side.

Watching the white figures disappear into the distance, deep confusion arose in everyone's minds.

In Aurora City, law enforcement officers held extremely high status. Having lived there for so many years, they were accustomed to people showing them deep respect. Yet here, simply encountering a few ordinary individuals in lab coats meant they had to proactively step aside, even a High-Tier Law Enforcement Officer like Qiong Xuan.

"Remember, in this base, you have only one function: security," Qiong Xuan's voice slowly began. "Don't ask what you shouldn't, don't be curious about what you shouldn't. Unless the base's security is threatened, do not get into conflicts with anyone. Understand?"

"Understood," the group nodded repeatedly.

Led by Qiong Xuan, the group stepped onto the elevator leading underground. Fortunately, the platform was large enough; not only could their twenty-odd people fit, but even twice that number could stand on it simultaneously.

As the steel gate slowly closed, the elevator began its gradual descent.

Chen Ling turned his head, his gaze passing through the gaps in the gate, towards the direction the white-coated figures had left, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The figures in white lab coats crossed the open ground and approached the second vehicle that had entered the base.

"Why are there so few test subjects lately?" one of the white-coated figures asked with a frown.

The car door opened, and a figure, also in a white lab coat, stepped out, saying helplessly, "What can be done about it? There are fewer voluntary donors, aren't there?"

"Time is running out. Insufficient test subjects will slow down progress."

"The way you say that, it's as if you'd make progress if I brought you a hundred people a day... A hundred isn't enough, how about five hundred?"

"I don't like joking about this."

"Alright, alright, two test subjects arrived today, both young. Sign for them quickly."

One person walked to the back of the vehicle and opened the cargo compartment door. Then, several figures together carried out two coffin-like rectangular boxes. The front of each box had a rectangular glass window, allowing visibility inside, where a young figure lay peacefully, as if in a deep slumber.

"Zhao Yi, nineteen years old, a survivor from District Three," a white-coated figure stated calmly, holding documents. "He was attacked by a calamity from the Forbidden Sea while escaping to Aurora City, sustaining fatal injuries, with less than a week left."

"Attacked by a calamity? He's a good fusion test subject."

"But his shelf life is too short. It's difficult to observe effective results in just one week, so his value is limited."

"Shorten the intervals between experiments, increase the number of trials, and increase the dosage for various experiments. That's the only way..."

The white-coated figure nodded and walked to the second box. "And this one?"

"Jian Wubing, nineteen years old, an ordinary Aurora City resident."

"That's it? Is that all the information?"

"That's all that was written when it was submitted."

"Then there must be a medical condition, right?"

"Severe depression, severe anxiety, schizophrenia, autism, paranoia..."

"Wait! Can one person have so many mental illnesses at once?"

"It's like this: he often hallucinates that he's a constantly splitting mushroom who likes to shrink into his grandmother's sewing box. But because he's constantly splitting, and each split mushroom has its own consciousness, all the mushrooms are anxious about whether they'll suffocate themselves in the sewing box... which led to his depression."

"In any case, at least he has mental illnesses, and his body is completely healthy, making him a rare, high-quality test subject."

"Alright, take the two of them down."

With the cooperation of several white-coated figures, the two boxes were carried deeper into the Aurora Base.

The elevator continued to descend into the deep cavern.

Red safety indicator lights appeared at regular intervals. In this endlessly descending cavern, they seemed to be the only means of gauging depth. The faces of the group flickered between light and shadow from the red glow, and as they looked down, their expressions grew solemn.

The base's location was even deeper than Chen Ling had imagined, hundreds of meters underground. At the current era's technological level, it would be impossible to construct such a massive base so deep underground. Unless proven otherwise, this base must have already existed during the Great Cataclysm over three hundred years ago.

Finally, as the elevator slowly decelerated, their descent stopped. The gate was casually pushed open by Qiong Xuan, revealing a straight, enclosed metal corridor outside.

"Tan Xin said security needed an upgrade, and I thought a lot of people would come, but it's just this few."

At the other end of the corridor, a man in a white lab coat, with hair as messy as seaweed, was leaning lazily against the wall.

"All this commotion, running around, it's useless... If I'd known this, it would have been more meaningful to just go to bed earlier and have some fun."

The moment he opened his mouth, a strong scent of alcohol wafted over, emanating the stench of a hangover, making Chen Ling and the others involuntarily frown.

"The Aurora Base has a limited capacity for long-term residents, so we were only allocated this many slots," Qiong Xuan said, his expression grim but his voice as calm as possible. "Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Yi."

Doctor Yi waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, stop talking nonsense. Follow me."

As he finished speaking, he heavily patted the metal door at the end of the corridor three times. Moments later, a palm-sized slit opened in the center of the metal door.

"Password," a cold voice came from behind the door.

Doctor Yi paused for three seconds. "Braised radish doesn't eat vegetables."

Hearing this inexplicable exchange, the group behind them fell into deep bewilderment. Only Chen Ling looked at the closing slit, deep in thought.