Chapter 1 The Artificial Plague

"Yes, and it's also likely to be an artificially created plague. This young man is very likely one of the victims. It's not that they didn't want to come out back then, but that they couldn't." Ding Chongyi nodded. "If the company's think tank's speculation is correct, then as long as you truly descend into the parking lot, truly understand its architectural structure, you will be able to find a way for certain special personnel to leave."

Li Cheng颐 understood what she meant.

Special personnel... Since people like the white-robed youth couldn't leave, then what kind of people could leave freely?

Without a doubt, it was the mastermind behind this tragedy.

"Then the entry plan..." Li Cheng颐 paused, about to ask.

Suddenly, a faint commotion drifted over from not far away.

The two turned their heads and looked over there. Several men in blue security uniforms were holding short batons and arguing face-to-face with the construction site workers.

They seemed to want to come in, but were stopped by the little yellow hats, so they started shouting loudly.

"I'll go take a look." Song Ran said to Li Cheng颐 and the other, and took the initiative to walk over there.

"These people aren't the first to come looking for trouble. The supervisor said they came twice before you arrived." The little yellow hat girl who was following beside them explained in a low voice.

"Where are these people from?" Li Cheng颐 asked.

"They're from a local company called Aixi Real Estate, they say that they leased this area, and the lease hasn't expired yet, so outsiders aren't allowed to dig around." The little yellow hat girl replied.

"Aixi again?" Li Cheng颐 watched from afar.

After Song Ran went over, with just a few words, the blue-uniformed security guards, who were obviously much shorter than him, gave in and retreated.

*Ka-cha.*

Suddenly, not far behind them, a crisp sound came, followed by a piercing snapping sound.

Everyone's hearts jumped, and they hurriedly turned their heads to look behind them.

They saw that the engine of a yellow excavator responsible for digging the hole was emitting thick black smoke.

A sneaky figure was running away from behind the excavator, heading into the distance.

"Catch him!"

The little yellow hats shouted and chased after him.

"The machine is broken! An excavator is broken!" A little yellow hat engineer stepped forward to check and immediately shouted. "The engine was blown up by something! And several parts were stolen!"

Excavators in this era were not simple vehicles with shovels, but had a precise drilling structure, capable of not only digging earth but also drilling holes, making them extremely powerful.

The required engine horsepower was naturally also extremely strong, but now that one had been secretly sabotaged, leaving only one, the task ahead would be heavier, and the progress would be slowed down a lot.

Li Cheng颐 frowned as he looked at the scene before him. This person... it felt like they were deliberately delaying their digging progress?

He was just guessing in his heart. Now that he had only passed through one dead angle, and there was still time, he wasn't in a hurry. With the company's people here, he believed they could handle it.

The excavator's shutdown directly affected the progress.

Without saying much, Li Cheng颐 and Song Ran both rested in the temporary hut by the construction site, waiting for the machine to be repaired.

These temporary huts were prefabricated houses quickly built with simple sheet metal, each a cube, no more than five meters long and wide, with a window.

They were cheap, structurally sound, windproof, rainproof, and sunproof, and were generally used by the workers themselves.

Neither of them were people who cared about enjoyment, and their focus was on the construction site.

Meals were just instant food that was shipped over by the company and heated up.

For the next three days, they waited for the new parts to be delivered.

Taking advantage of the time, Li Cheng颐 also went to Tia Moge and tried a speculation about absorbing evil thoughts.

That is, actively provoking others, and then beating them up until they submitted, and then absorbing their evil thoughts.

The effectiveness of this method, after the selfless dedication of two small-time gangsters, was concluded.

It was effective, but very weak.

Evil thoughts increased from 45 to 49. And it took him a whole afternoon to get those four points.

This test, completed with Song Ran's assistance, was weak in effect.

But it allowed Li Cheng颐 to deduce that the value of evil thoughts was likely related to the intensity of the malice directed at him.

The weaker a person's will, the sooner even if they generate malice towards him, it will dissipate and turn into other emotions, such as fear or horror.

'Perhaps, I can learn from *Saw* in the future and design a game that can completely stimulate the potential of evildoers... Simple beatings generate too weak of evil thoughts.'

Returning to the construction site, on the fourth day, Li Cheng颐 had just gotten up in the morning, opened the door of the small hut, and was about to fetch water to wash up.

He saw three white vans parked by the construction site, with the words "Land and Resources Bureau" printed on the sides in blue and black.

A dozen or so government workers in shirts and trousers were talking to Song Ran and the leader of the little yellow hats, Huang Zhisheng.

Before long, Song Ran frowned and walked over here, saying to Li Cheng颐 in a low voice.

"The people from the nearby Land and Resources Bureau insist that we go over to register. They suspect that we are illegally mining mineral resources. As the highest-ranking person representing the company, I have to go over and make a record for review."

"How long will it take?" Li Cheng颐 frowned.

"I don't know, but it shouldn't take too long," Song Ran guessed.

"Okay," Li Cheng颐 nodded.

"You and Expert Ding wait here, I'll be back soon." Song Ran could be said to be the safety expert in charge of this trip. With him gone, the construction site was left with only a few workers, with basically no combat power.

But Li Cheng颐 couldn't do anything about it. This was Yi Country, and if the official departments came over and asked for registration, they couldn't refuse.

Song Ran and Huang Zhisheng both drove together and went to the city dozens of kilometers away with the people from the Land and Resources Bureau.

Watching Song Ran and the others leave, Li Cheng颐 inexplicably felt that something was not right.

"Looks like someone doesn't want us to continue digging..." Ding Chongyi walked out of another small hut on the side, approached this side, and said in a deep voice.

"Are these small tricks meaningful? What else can they do besides delay a little time?" Li Cheng颐 asked.

"Isn't delaying time enough?" Ding Chongyi smiled.

"..." Li Cheng颐 did not reply.

Yes, it was enough for him, he was already a little impatient.

He had been here for several days, and the construction site progress was still extremely slow.

Although Ding Chongyi had also given a specific excavation route, all sorts of things kept happening. The excavator had just been repaired, and Song Ran and the supervisor Huang Zhisheng were taken away.

His time was precious, and instead of wasting it here, it was better to go back to Suiyang to continue training, and finding people to absorb evil thoughts to complete the complete evolution of the Flower Scale Garment was even more important.

No matter which he did, it would be better than wasting time here in vain.

"Without Song Ran and the supervisor, does that mean we can't dig?" Ding Chongyi suddenly said from the side.

"What do you mean?" Li Cheng颐 looked at her in surprise.

"Keep digging!" Ding Chongyi smiled, "Since someone doesn't want us to dig, then we have to dig!"

That's what she said, and that's what she did.

That afternoon, she began to organize all the little yellow hats to continue using the repaired excavators and suction dredgers to carry out underground operations.

The construction site started working vigorously again.

Li Cheng颐 was also slightly relieved. The last time, the human-face monster had become extremely strong, both in strength and speed.

If the Flower Scale Garment had not completed its first evolution, he would have absolutely no confidence in dealing with the human face's pounce the next time he entered. www.

It should be known that after wearing the Flower Scale Garment, it would consume essence, qi, and spirit every moment, so it was impossible to wear it at all times in daily life.

Once he reacted a little slower, he might be ambushed and killed by the human-face monster.

Even if he reacted in time, the next time he entered Grieus Parking Lot, no one would give him the death escape. He could only rely on himself to resist all the way.

Once he couldn't find a way to leave completely....

Thinking of this, a trace of haze flashed in Li Cheng颐's eyes, and a deep sense of crisis welled up in his heart.

He had to hurry!

The excavation work continued for several days.

Finally.

"It's through, it's through!" A little yellow hat quickly knocked on Li Cheng颐's door.

"It's through!?" Li Cheng颐 was in the room, quickly put away the pistol he was inspecting on the table, stood up, and opened the door.

"Can we go in?" he asked eagerly.

It had been seven days since he came here.

For a full seven days, he had stayed here, and aside from exercising his body every day, doing some basic training, and going fishing in the city, he couldn't do anything else.

The Flower Scale Garment was also stuck at 55 evil thoughts absorbed, and couldn't get past it.

Fortunately, now, there was finally a breakthrough.

"It's through, we are carrying out ventilation and support point reinforcement. People will be able to go down soon." The little yellow hat who delivered the message said simply.

"What about Expert Ding?" Li Cheng颐 breathed a sigh of relief. If he couldn't go down again, he would have wanted to give up immediately and look for evil thoughts to absorb everywhere.

"She's already gone ahead," the little yellow hat replied.

Li Cheng颐 quickly walked out of the sheet metal hut.

Outside, it was already afternoon, and the sky was gradually getting dark.

In the distance, the sound of the sea waves could be heard, and the setting sun dyed half the sky red.

Gusts of humid, hot wind blew, causing the clothes of everyone present to flutter.

At the construction site, the machines had stopped, and two ventilation pipes were constantly pumping air out.

"The engineering machines have already gone down to reinforce the tunnel, and we will be able to go down later." Standing by the hole in the ground, Ding Chongyi explained simply when she saw Li Cheng颐 coming over.

"How do I go down later?" Li Cheng颐 asked.

"That, see that?" Ding Chongyi pointed to a roll of rope on the ground, a set of thick clothes with a helmet, and a portable oxygen cylinder.

"Tie it to your body, put on the protective suit, and wear an oxygen mask to go down."

Li Cheng颐 nodded, no longer speaking, just standing aside, waiting with some anticipation.

While waiting, suddenly in the distance on the open space, a military green jeep slowly drove out from the palm grove.

The car did not have a license plate, and its exterior was brand new, as if it had just been picked up.

Seeing that the car was about to approach the excavation site.

A little yellow hat at the construction site went forward to stop it and shout at the other party.

*Weng.*

Suddenly, the jeep's engine accelerated, and in a roar, it rushed towards the direction of the hole.

The front of the car knocked the little yellow hat away, sending him flying, and the ground was covered in blood. After hitting the person, the jeep still did not stop, but accelerated straight towards the hole.

"Get out of the way!!" Seeing that things were not good, Li Cheng颐 quickly pulled Ding Chongyi and dodged to the side.

The two quickly climbed out of the big pit surrounding the hole and looked back.

There was actually no one in the jeep!

"Driverless!?" Li Cheng颐 reacted, but before he could come back to his senses.

*Peng!*

The jeep had already rushed down the dirt pit and driven to the edge of the hole. A silver robot arm extended from the depths of the car body and threw something into the hole with a *gululu* sound.

*Hong!!*

Before long, a violent tremor spread from underground.

A deafening explosion, accompanied by the orange flames that shot out, spewed out of the hole.