Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 411 - 38 Bloodstained Shelter

Chapter 411: 38 Bloodstained Shelter

"Red Square Shelter!" Lu Fan read out the Russian written on the gate. He shined into the crack with his tactical flashlight. Apart from thick dust and messy footprints, there was nothing.

The deep, dark passageway was akin to an enormous mouth ready to devour, yet Old Pavel’s group of adventurers were thrilled. If this was a shelter where government officials hid, surely the supplies and weapons here were comprehensive.

"We’re gonna be rich." A wastelander swallowed, "There must have been a problem, resulting in the shelter not activating its emergency start. Ha, we’re the lucky ones now... or rather, Group Leader Tang Zheng is."

Tang Zheng didn’t bother interacting with them and tried to push the gate. It was heavy, impossible to move by human strength alone.

"Is this door opening or closing?" Dantai Zongqi was conducting the same test. In this sort of environment, he had little faith in others’ judgement.

"Not sure, at least it’s not something a ghoul could open." Tang Zheng disregarded Dantai’s unnecessary actions and turned towards the second team of youthful soldiers, having them continue at the frontline.

"It’s too dark and hinders our movements. Even if there’s danger, we wouldn’t detect it in time." Han Mei wanted to make her presence known, but was rebuked as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Shut up." Tang Zheng glared at the woman, then reassured the young soldiers, "Without power, you don’t have to worry about the shelter’s defense system."

"Your words remind me of the Hive in the first Resident Evil movie. I don’t want to get sliced up by a laser trap in the passage." Lu Fan was the first to cross the gate, "Come in, the cameras are all covered in dust."

"Ghouls wouldn’t use such things, right? But without a map, we can’t just run around blindly, right?" Gao Yu remained cautious, standing outside until all the young soldiers entered. Then, he squeezed through the thirty-centimeter-wide gap in the gate.

"Can you ask fewer questions? You’re getting on my nerves." Tan Hui complained, and with her connection to Dantai, she wasn’t afraid of Tang Zheng.

The passageway was a 3 x 3 meters square, at most allowing three people to move side by side. However, the oppressive feeling of this narrow space still made people uncomfortable. No one liked being in such dark, enclosed spaces, where even every breath seemed to bounce off the wall and echo back. Everyone’s sense of hearing was practically useless, the sound of nervous breathing filling their ears. These people were simply unable to maintain their composure.

Tang Zheng noticed that the walls were all made from white metal blocks. He knocked on them a few times, producing a dull metallic sound. After walking for ten minutes, the vanguard reported that they discovered another semi-open gate with a red circle and the Arabic number ’2’ on it.

"You guys go ahead for two minutes." His wristwatch displayed a green glow. Tang Zheng glanced at the time, instructed the vanguard to move ahead. As expected, gunshots came from the front moments later–they’d entered combat.

"Without my command, nobody fires." Tang Zheng warned the group as he heaved a sigh of relief. On one hand, the presence of ghouls was a confirmation of safety for this passageway; on the other, it was a pity they couldn’t communicate with these creatures, otherwise, it might be useful to capture one as a guide.

This time, no one was killed, but the young soldiers had run out of bullets. Tang Zheng distributed five extra ammo clips per person. The wastelanders were curious about the weapons Tang Zheng and Qin Yan carried but didn’t dare to ask. However, Gao Yu was visibly envious, having seen them on the Trojan List and wanting one for self-defense.

"We should be about ten meters underground now, right?" Lu Fan sniffed the air, sensing the sluggish flow. It had a strong musty scent, saturated with the smell of dust.

The passageway was on a downward slope, not steep. Everyone could sense it but no one could give an exact measurement. Additionally, no one was concerned about these details, as the first intersection had appeared.

Again, there were two steel gates, but Tang Zheng had no choice. Only gate number ’3’ was open, while the other was closed.

"No other options then." Gao Yu urged the young soldiers to move forward while Tang Zheng and Dantai crouched to examine gate number ’4’.

"The door has been opened before." The dust in front of the door showed unidirectional footprints going forward, with scraping marks from the door being opened. While not apparent, it can be inferred.

"What good does observing it do if we can’t even enter?" Tan Hui complained and pulled Dantai, urging him to move quickly.

This time, the passage became a zigzag. Every two hundred meters, there was a noticeable, unpredictable turn. Even Tang Zheng and Dantai, both with excellent sense of direction, were unable to determine their bearings.

"If this place had power and was activated, it probably would be a constantly changing maze that traps and kills people." Dantai Zongqi shone a light on the wall, "See that? Those holes... they’re for the laser cutter probes."

His words sent chills down everyone’s spine. Only Tang Zheng frowned. It was clear that Dantai was a special agent.

Half an hour later, Tang Zheng arrived at the end of the passageway: a massive, empty lobby. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, seats and security equipment lined up the left side, and the front desk sat opposite. However, no uniformed girls were on duty. On the right side were five elevators, two of which were broken, their doors thrown open revealing steel cables. Inside a third elevator were rotten skeletons.

Five other passageways led to the lobby, their shattered glass doors showing that each one terminated here.

"Check the lobby." After ordering the young soldiers, Tang Zheng walked towards the front desk. The computers there were still intact, but without power, Tang Zheng couldn’t start them. Meanwhile, Dantai scanned through the names in the registry.