Chapter 1 In Transit

After receiving confirmation from Command, the security squad prepared to escort Feng Bujue back.

For Brother Jue, this development was clearly unfavorable, but being arrested was better than being shot on the spot. Anyway, there was no time limit to this script's main quest; as long as he was alive, he'd have a chance to turn things around.

Thinking this, he obediently accepted his arrest.

"Move it, and no funny business." This was the sentence Brother Jue heard the most on the way to Sublevel Nine.

Of course, even if they didn't say it, Brother Jue wouldn't try anything. He only possessed the physical abilities of an average person, and he was being escorted by a group of heavily armed security personnel with special forces training. With such a stark contrast in power, mere wit couldn't change the situation.

Besides… Feng Bujue was well aware that this world, filled with *** projects, held many heaven-defying resources he could exploit. Given his understanding of ***-related data, he was certain that he could gain immense benefits by spending more time in this script. Considering this, he was even less willing to take unnecessary risks.

"Maintain formation, watch the stairwell corners." After entering the stairwell, the eight members of the security squad spread out, surrounding Feng Bujue from all sides as they continued to descend.

One level, two levels, three levels…

The stairwell signs changed from B1, B2, B3… all the way to B5.

Just as they were moving from Sublevel Five to Sublevel Six, suddenly!

*Tzzzzz… tzzzzz…*

Accompanied by a bizarre noise, black, vine-like substances erupted from the ground below the staircase, corroding large patches of the floor and walls.

"Holy crap!" Feng Bujue's reaction was faster than any of the surrounding security personnel. He immediately recognized what it was. "Run!"

His shout startled the eight team members who were standing there gawking. But these men didn't realize what the black, corroded marks represented.

After all, they were just security personnel within this facility, not MTF (Mobile Task Forces); due to clearance issues, they were unaware of all the *** project information within the base, especially regarding Keter-class projects…

"Shut your mouth! Don't move!" The team leader snapped at Brother Jue, then told his men, "Don't panic, prepare to engage."

"Engage your ass!" Feng Bujue roared. "If you want to die, go die yourself! I'm not going down with you!"

"I said shut up… you listen— Ugh… Aah!" The security officer turned back, about to finish yelling at Brother Jue, but…

At that moment, a black figure suddenly "surfaced" from the ground behind him, grabbing his throat.

In the next second, the three security personnel in the front row instinctively raised their guns and opened fire in unison.

*Rat-tat-tat-tat*

The three were well-trained and good shots. Moreover, they were very close to the target; with precise bursts, they wouldn't hit their comrade.

However… the black figure's movements were completely unaffected.

"It's useless! Run!" Feng Bujue shouted again with a very serious tone.

But… the men ignored him and continued to fire…

"Tch… a bunch of idiots…" Brother Jue was anxious, but he was surrounded in the middle of the group and handcuffed. If he made any sudden movements, he might be shot on the spot.

He could only continue waiting, until these security personnel realized the severity of the situation themselves…

…………

【Project #: ***-106】

【Object Class: Keter】

【Special Containment Procedures: Containment of ***-106 is to be in a sealed, lead-lined steel room. The room is to be sealed behind forty (40) layers of identical material, each layer separated by no less than 36cm of empty space. Support struts between layers are to be randomly spaced. Room is to remain suspended no less than 60cm from any surface by means of eLo-iid electromagnetics support.

Secondary containment is to consist of sixteen (16) spherical “cells”, each filled with a variety of fluids and a random assembly of supporting structures. Secondary containment is to be fitted with light systems capable of flooding the area with no less than 80,000 lumens of light instantly without human involvement.

Both containment areas are to be under constant surveillance. Any corrosion observed on any containment surface, staff members, or other locations within two hundred (200) meters of 106’s room is to be reported to Site Security immediately.

Any and all losses of personnel or objects to 106 are to be considered irrecoverable, and no attempt is to be made to retrieve them.

No physical interaction with 106 is allowed at any time. All physical interaction must be approved by no less than a two-thirds vote from O5 council members. Any such interaction must be undertaken in AR-II maximum security sites, after a general non-essential staff evacuation. All staff (Research, Security, Class D, etc.) are to remain at least sixty (60) meters away from the containment cell at all times, except in the event of a containment breach event.】

【Description: ***-106 appears to be an elderly humanoid, with a general appearance of advanced decomposition. This appearance may vary, but the “rotting” quality is observed in all forms.

***-106 is not exceptionally agile, and will remain motionless for days at a time, waiting for prey.

***-106 is capable of causing a “corrosion” effect on all solid matter it touches, causing physical breakdown of materials several seconds after contact. Materials are observed to rust, rot, and crack, and organic tissues are observed to decompose. The corrosion is observed to continue for six (6) hours after contact, after which the effect seems to “burn out”.

***-106 is able to pass through solid matter, leaving behind a corrosive slime in its wake. 106 is able to “vanish” into solid matter, entering what is presumed to be a form of “pocket dimension”. 106 is then able to exit this dimension from any point connected to the initial entry point (examples: entering the inner wall of a room, and exiting the outer wall. Entering a wall, and exiting from the ceiling).

Observation and probing of this “pocket dimension” has revealed it to be comprised mostly of rooms and hallways, with [DATA EXPUNGED] entries. This activity can continue for “days”, with some subjects being released for the express purpose of hunting, recapture, or [DATA EXPUNGED].】

…………

***-106 (The Old Man), the Terror Elder. One of the most deadly and difficult Keter-class projects to contain.

Physical restraint was impossible, and direct physical harm… at least at this stage, seemed to have no effect.

Due to its extremely difficult-to-contain nature, the Foundation had to re-evaluate it every three months, or after each containment breach.

Although the organization was constantly seeking more effective, proactive, and forward-looking special containment procedures to contain 106, this problem had yet to be solved.

So all they could do was maintain continuous monitoring and establish rapid response mechanisms.

Unfortunately… what was happening at this very moment seemed to prove that this method wasn't very effective.

"Ah—ah!"

Finally, after about thirty seconds, the security team leader, the one responsible for giving orders, let out two last moans and went still…

Black, rotting matter spread from his throat, destroying most of the tissues in his upper body; the weapon in his hand had long fallen to the ground, and his limbs hung limply.

By now, the other security personnel had basically stopped shooting. They had finally noticed… that the black old monster was not afraid of bullets at all.

"What the hell are you still standing there for! Get moving!" Feng Bujue shouted again, turning to run back up the stairs.

As he shouted, 106 slowly dragged the corroded fellow into the ground…

The other security personnel hesitated for a few seconds, until one of them said, "Let's go! Up!" Only then did they start to move.

These guys had finally decided to run, which relieved Feng Bujue. He knew… that as long as they kept jogging and paid attention to whether there was any dark matter around, there was still a high chance of evading 106.

"Hey, Dan, uncuff him." Not far after they started running, the same team member who had told everyone to retreat spoke to one of the men near Brother Jue.

Dan hesitated for a few seconds after hearing this. "Are you sure, Gore?"

"Don't be so long-winded at a time like this." The man called Gore replied. "The captain's already done for. I'm in charge here now."

With the words said to this extent, Dan didn't have any room to object, so he immediately took out the handcuff key and unlocked Brother Jue's cuffs as they ran.

"Oh?" The corners of Feng Bujue's mouth curved slightly. "Looks like… there are still one or two sensible people around…"

"Save the chatter." Gore replied. "I just don't want to see anyone else get killed by that monster." He paused for half a second. "Quickly, tell me everything you know."

"Sure…" Brother Jue first gave the other party a hollow promise, then changed the subject. "But before that… do you guys have clearance to enter B3?"

"Huh?" Gore was slightly taken aback. "What do you want to do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Feng Bujue said. "Of course I want to go in." Without batting an eye, he fabricated a lie. "If we want to deal with that monster from earlier, we have to use something in B3."

As they were talking, they had just arrived at the entrance to B3.

"Everyone, follow me in!" Gore weighed his options for less than two seconds before making a decision. He took out a clearance card from his pocket and opened the electronic door to B3.

Then, the eight of them filed in one after another, entering the corridor of B3.

The lights here were different from the other places. Even though it had switched to emergency power, the light on this floor was still white, as if it hadn't been affected by the outside world.

"Looks like… this floor has its own independent power generation device." Feng Bujue said as soon as he entered the corridor.

"Alright, we've arrived at B3." At this time, the team member next to Brother Jue named "Dan" turned his head and said to him, "Can you tell us now… what that monster is?"

"Let's talk as we walk." Feng Bujue said. "That guy can walk through walls. If we stop here, he might catch up to us."

There was no doubt about the credibility of this sentence. The security team members had all seen how the captain had died, and they didn't want to be suddenly dragged into a wall or ceiling.

"Alright, you still walk in the middle." Gore said after hearing this, then turned to look at Dan and said, "Dan, report the current situation to Director Kozmo." After giving these two orders, the deputy captain walked to the front of the team and led everyone forward.

"Then…" Feng Bujue began to narrate as he jogged along with them. "You guys might have heard of this thing's code name, it's ***-106…"

In the next five minutes, Brother Jue explained the 106 file to these people in great detail. At the same time, he didn't forget to observe the environment on both sides of the corridor. He didn't miss a single one of the signs marking the intersections in the corridor.

"You brat… you're not making this up, are you?" After hearing the long description, Gore suddenly turned his head to look at Brother Jue and said, "If you're constantly 'monitoring' it, then why have I never seen any monitoring footage of this project in the monitoring room?"

"Hmph…" Faced with this level of questioning, Feng Bujue didn't panic at all and replied smoothly, "What's the point of asking me this question? I'm just a D-class personnel, you know better than I do how your organization operates."

When Gore heard this, he immediately felt that the other party was right. A Keter-class project like this must have a dedicated monitoring team in charge of observing it, they didn't need to worry about it.

"Alright… let's assume what you said is true." Gore said again, "Do you know how to deal with that 106?"

"Run." Feng Bujue replied with an obviously casual tone.

"What?" Gore was clearly enraged. "What do you mean?"

"I mean there's no way." Feng Bujue shrugged and smiled. "There's currently no feasible way to eliminate this project, and its weaknesses are also very limited… probably only 'being disturbed when facing complex randomly arranged architectural structures', 'avoiding pocket dimensions due to aversion when facing suddenly appearing strong light', 'disliking lead', and 'being confused by liquids'. But these four points can't cause any substantial physical damage to him, they're just containment measures…"

Before Brother Jue could finish speaking, Gore turned around and rushed over, grabbing him by the collar. "Then why did you say earlier that there was something in B3 that could deal with him?"

Although Gore was wearing a helmet, Feng Bujue had no doubt that Gore was currently wearing an incomparably hideous and angry face.

"Calm down, buddy." Brother Jue smiled and replied calmly, "Actually, what I really meant was… there's something here that can help us escape."

"You bastard…" Gore pushed him to the ground and pointed the muzzle of his assault rifle at Brother Jue's forehead. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old?" he said viciously. "According to you, 106 isn't agile, so wouldn't it be fine to run anywhere?"

"Hmph… how foolish." Feng Bujue snorted coldly. Faced with this situation, his attitude was even more arrogant. "Don't you understand? This base is done for." He knew that if he wanted to convince others, he had to have absolute confidence first, even if he was talking nonsense, he had to say it more convincingly than the truth. "Do you think this is the only Keter-class project that escaped?"

As soon as these words came out, all the security team members felt a tremor in their hearts.

"You cannon fodder, you really don't know your place…" Feng Bujue's brainwashing began again. "You've also heard the document description of ***-106. When this kind of Keter-class project goes out of control, even if agent-level personnel are captured, they won't be rescued. So what are you guys? Compared to D-class personnel like us, you're just a group of more advanced sacrifices. Compared to that director who's hiding far away controlling you, aren't I the one in the same boat as you? At least my current situation is the same as yours. If we die, we'll all die together."

Without realizing it, he had pulled this group of people who had come to arrest him to the same position as him. However, these Foundation security team members had been rigorously screened, how could they be so easily turned?

"Hmph… you sure dare to talk…" Gore snorted coldly. The gun in his hand was still pointed at Brother Jue's head, but his tone was slightly calmer. In the next second, he turned to Dan and said, "Dan, how's the communication with Command?"

"I can't get through." Dan shook his head. "I've been calling since we entered this floor, but there's no response."

Hearing this, Feng Bujue was overjoyed. He seized the opportunity to put on an expression that said, "I knew it all along," and said, "I don't need to explain any further, right… you're just a bunch of discarded pawns, a bunch of consumables that can be replaced at any time." He spread out his hands. "Instead of serving that director who abandoned you, why don't you think about how to save your lives?"

The security team members looked at each other… and fell into silence.

Feng Bujue knew that they were hooked. "If you don't mind, I'll continue with the topic of 'why did we come to B3'…" He paused for a moment. "Actually, there's no difference whether we escape to B1, B2, B3, or some kind of emergency shelter. As long as we stay in this base, we'll all die sooner or later. If we want to live… the only way is to use 'space-time leap' to go somewhere else."