Inside the cave, Nathan Lockwood and the others, who were just trying to figure out how to get in, suddenly noticed the cavern fill with a clamor of anxious voices.
Droves of robots, clutching stacks of docunts and various materials, ca pouring frantically out of the cave.
The main door, which normally required a scan to open, now stood wide open. A constant stream of people in disheveled lab coats ran out.
"A Xenobeast Tide? It’s starting here? Are you kidding ?"
"Didn’t you see Engineer Jarvis tell everyone to evacuate? What’s so impossible about it?"
"Hurry, we’ve got all the docunts. Engineer Jarvis said to just grab the data and leave the rest to the robots. Let’s get to the assembly point."
The two of them hurried outside, and behind them were many more pairs just like them.
One of them stumbled and almost fell, but the person next to him grabbed his arm. "Old Man Chambers, I’ve got you. Let’s run."
The Beta panted heavily, looking back as he ran. "The chas... weren’t they just called away? What are we going to do?"
"They’ve all been called back."
One was an unmanned zone, the other a critical research facility. The priority was obvious at a glance.
Nathan Lockwood and his team heard the broadcast echoing through the cave as well.
"Warning! Warning!"
"A Xenobeast Tide is expected to erupt within twenty minutes. All researchers, science teams, and experint volunteers are to imdiately cease all experints and retreat to the secure level! Retreat to the secure level!"
"Warning! Warning!"
"Please cease all experints imdiately! Please cease all experints imdiately!"
"All personnel, retreat to the secure level and assemble imdiately."
"The research center will cut power to all areas except the secure level in five minutes. Only the secure level’s power facilities will remain online. All personnel, please assemble at the secure level imdiately."
A robotic female voice repeated similar ssages, and within monts, the once-crowded research lab was completely empty.
Julian Chambers’s gaze unconsciously drifted to Nathan Lockwood and Chase Shaw. ’Are they still going to continue, even now? Or will they leave, just like this crowd of Betas?’
’Clearly, the safety rating here isn’t high enough. If we’re facing Xenobeasts, it could very well collapse.’
Chase Shaw noticed his glance. "You’re an Alpha, not a Beta."
’Has Julian gotten a little too into his role? Who among us hasn’t killed Xenobeasts? Every one of us has killed at least a thousand. We’re completely different from these Beta researchers.’
’A Xenobeast Tide that would make Beta researchers evacuate might be a hassle for us, but it’s far from being a serious threat.’
But Nathan Lockwood spoke up. "This structural level can withstand a small-scale Xenobeast Tide. We don’t need to retreat to the secure level."
The construction of the secure level was complex and enormously expensive, built to withstand an Advanced Xenobeast Tide. Once activated, it burned through money every second.
Chase Shaw also glanced at the research lab, which was now deserted and beginning to darken as the power cut out. "In any case, this is our chance."
The entire research lab was now like a ghost town, free for them to co and go as they pleased.
He was the first to step inside. Nathan Lockwood followed close behind. Julian Chambers, seeing the other two leaving him behind, gritted his teeth and followed as well.
’It’s just like Chase Shaw said. I’m an Alpha, not a Beta. During my days on assignnt, I walked among Xenobeasts every single day. Killing them is as natural to as breathing.’
The lights in the research lab went out completely, leaving only a few green indicator lights glowing in the corners.
The light from an Intelligent Brain flared to life. Nathan Lockwood was already flipping through the docunts that had been left behind.
Most of the data was stored on the cloud, and the majority of the printed content was fragnted, making it extrely difficult to discern anything useful.
"Take photos. Photograph everything you can," was Nathan Lockwood’s only order to Chase Shaw and Julian Chambers.
They didn’t have ti to study anything closely here. They had to use this short window to get everything out and investigate what this place was researching after they left.
The three n split up, each taking a section of the room and quickly saving everything to their Intelligent Brains.
In just a few minutes, the three of them had scanned hundreds of pages of docunts.
Nathan Lockwood glanced through it. Chase Shaw would probably be more familiar with most of it—it was all about cha design, various models, and different designs for the use of Energy Mines.
"That’s enough. Let’s go to the next one." It was unrealistic to scan everything in the entire lab. Nathan Lockwood glanced at another corridor leading to who-knows-where and spoke to Chase Shaw and Julian.
He was a little concerned about this Xenobeast Tide, and thinking of Zoe Pierce and the others who were still outside, he sent them a ssage.
Chase Shaw was the first to reach the next laboratory through the corridor.
This lab was now filled with nothing but cold, massive machines—far too large to be moved in the short span of twenty minutes.
The lab was lined with seven or eight experintal beds, each two ters long and one ter wide.
Each of the beds was connected to an instrunt of unknown purpose. At this mont, all the instrunt lights were off. Of the seven or eight beds, only one was occupied by a human figure.
It was a Beta male, naked from the waist up, wearing only a pair of shorts. He was lying on his back on the narrow experintal bed, not breathing, his expression serene.
He looked as if he were rely sleeping, but it was a sleep from which he would never awaken.
Julian Chambers arrived right after and froze at the sight.
Nathan Lockwood walked over with a frown. He had already determined through his Perception that the Beta in front of him had no pulse, but he still touched his fingers to the man’s neck to be sure.
He shook his head at Julian Chambers and Chase Shaw. "He’s dead."
Julian Chambers’s hand touched the man’s skin; he could still feel the residual warmth through his own.
This was soone who had just died. His body temperature hadn’t even had ti to equalize with the air in the room.
Two electrode patches were still stuck to his temples, not yet removed.
With no power, they could only rely on their general knowledge to guess what kind of machine it was.
"The temples are the thinnest, most fragile part of the skull. The pterion is a junction point for all sorts of nerves."
That area is generally only used when probing the cranial nerves."
"Cranial nerves," Nathan Lockwood repeated in a low mumble, his eyes sweeping over the room full of similar beds.
The indicator light on an Intelligent Brain suddenly flashed, and both Nathan Lockwood and Chase Shaw looked down at it.
It was a ssage from Zoe Pierce in the group chat.
Even though Nathan Lockwood had been prepared for the worst, his expression still changed when he saw the assessnt she and the others had made.
"Advanced Xenobeast Tide," Chase Shaw read aloud in a low voice, his eyes darkening. "Looks like we really do have to prepare for the worst."
During an Advanced Xenobeast Tide, once it starts, the Wormhole wouldn’t close for at least 168 hours. Throughout that period, S-Class Xenobeasts would appear in massive numbers, and even A-level Xenobeasts would pour out endlessly. Within those 168 hours, the entire Planet B36 would beco a living hell.
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