234: Chapter 233 Hidden Dangers! Deep in the Clouds and Dense in the Forest, Murder Lurks; A Trace of Light Leads to a Perilous Journey (2)

"It's the Aurora Alliance! They are also moving toward the backup passage entrance, trying to find the underground laboratory first and seize the Repair Plan!" Mu Li's face darkened instantly, his tone heavy with gravity and his gaze sharpening. "Speed up! We can't let them find Old Zhou and the others first, and we certainly can't let them enter the underground laboratory. Otherwise, the consequences will be unthinkable, and all our previous efforts will be in vain!"

The three of them immediately quickened their pace, running toward the western annex. Their steps were light as they tried not to make any unnecessary noise, carefully avoiding obstacles for fear of alerting the enemies ahead. As they approached the annex, they heard intense gunfire and shouting from inside, along with the "sizzling" sound of Xuanguang Energy collisions. It was clear that Old Zhou and the others were in a fierce battle with the armed personnel, and the situation was deadlocked. "It's Old Zhou and the others!" Zhao Gang said in a low voice, his energy gun already aimed at the annex's main door, his eyes alert and ready for combat.

Mu Li didn't hesitate. He gently pushed open the ajar door and was the first to rush in. The inside of the annex was a mess—discarded tables and chairs were overturned, broken wooden planks were scattered everywhere, and the floor was covered with shell casings and dark red bloodstains. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood, making one's throat tighten. Old Zhou was leading two technical backbone members, using a discarded lab bench as cover while fighting fiercely with several armed personnel. Old Zhou's arm was injured, blood staining his combat uniform and dripping from his fingertips to form small puddles on the floor. Yet, he gritted his teeth and persisted, veins bulging on his forehead. The energy gun in his hand continuously spat out golden beams. His gaze was firm, without a hint of retreat; every shot was precise and ruthless, striking the enemies' vital points.

"We're here!" Mu Li shouted. The energy gun in his hand immediately joined the fray, its golden beam accurately hitting an armed man in the back. The man fell to the ground, dying instantly before he could even scream. With the support of Mu Li's trio, the situation reversed in an instant. The Aurora Alliance personnel were caught in a pincer attack and surrounded. With no way to advance or retreat, they were soon all eliminated; not a single one escaped. A few more corpses lay on the ground, and the smell of gunpowder grew even stronger.

"Old Zhou, how are you?" Mu Li walked quickly to Old Zhou's side, looking at the wound on his arm with concern. He reached out to check the injury, his eyes filled with worry. The wound was deep; a bullet had pierced through his arm, and blood was still gushing out. Old Zhou was pale and his lips were parched, clearly having lost a lot of blood. His body trembled slightly from blood loss and exhaustion, but he still held on, refusing to show weakness.

"It's fine, just a minor injury." Old Zhou waved his hand, his tone still tough. Enduring the pain, he pointed toward the depths of the annex, his voice slightly raspy. "The backup passage entrance is right inside. We've cleared out the enemies here, so don't worry about an ambush. You can go in safely."

Mu Li nodded and signaled the technical backbone nearby to give Old Zhou basic first aid. They tied a tourniquet tightly around his arm to temporarily stop the bleeding and prevent further blood loss. Then, Mu Li led the group into the depths of the annex. The backup passage entrance was hidden behind a storage room, obscured by a pile of discarded experimental equipment. After pushing aside the heavy gear, a narrow staircase appeared. The stairs were steep and dim, leading to the underground laboratory. The steps were covered in dust and moss, making them slippery and difficult to traverse; one wrong move could lead to a fall into the darkness below.

"Everyone, be careful. The situation in the underground laboratory is unknown. There may be remaining armed personnel and lethal Xuanguang Energy traps. You must follow my lead closely; do not act on your own. We cannot afford a single mistake," Mu Li warned in a low voice. He was the first to descend the stairs, turning on his Xuanguang Lighting Device. The golden light illuminated the narrow path ahead, dispelling the darkness and making the moss and debris on the steps clearly visible. Everyone carefully made their way down the steep, narrow stairs. Every step was a struggle, and they hardly dared to breathe. After descending about ten meters, they finally reached the entrance of the underground laboratory, where an even stronger smell of mold and experimental reagents hit them.

Unlike the underground laboratory of Xuanguang No. 1 Experimental Base, the entrance to the one at Xuanguang No. 2 Experimental Base had an electronic door. The display screen on the door still glowed with a faint blue light, indicating that the power system here was not completely damaged and was still functioning normally, guarding the secrets within. The surface of the electronic door was covered in dust, yet the precision of its design from years ago was still evident. The keypad was clearly visible, flickering with a faint light as if waiting for the correct command to open this door to secrets.

"We need to crack the electronic door's password to get in. This door is encrypted with Xuanguang Technology, so it won't be easy," a technical backbone member said as he walked to the door. He crouched down and carefully wiped the dust off the keypad, his tone solemn as he began attempting to crack the code. The door's security system was highly complex with tedious code. The staff member's fingers tapped rapidly on the keypad while lines of code flashed across the screen. He was focused and serious, with fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead and rolling down his cheeks onto the keyboard. He was completely oblivious to it, focused entirely on cracking the password as quickly as possible to enter the lab.

Time passed second by second, each feeling exceptionally long. Everyone was tense, hardly daring to breathe, their eyes fixed on the electronic door's display screen, filled with both anticipation and worry. No one knew if there were still Aurora Alliance personnel inside, if the second part of the Repair Plan was still there, or if lethal traps were hidden within. Every unknown factor brought unease. Mu Li leaned against the wall, his gaze alertly scanning the surroundings. His energy gun remained ready at all times, prepared for any sudden situation, not daring to relax for a moment.

"Crack successful!" the technical backbone member suddenly shouted excitedly, his tone full of joy. A look of relief appeared on his face as his tense nerves finally relaxed. The electronic door emitted a soft "beep," the blue light flashed a few times, and it slowly slid open to both sides. A damp, stale air rushed out, mixed with the faint scent of experimental reagents—even stronger than outside, making it somewhat uncomfortable.

Mu Li signaled everyone to prepare for combat. Gripping his energy gun, his gaze alert, he was the first to step into the underground laboratory, moving cautiously and observing the surroundings. The interior of the lab was tidier than expected; it had clearly been organized carefully during the evacuation years ago. It wasn't as messy as Xuanguang No. 1 Experimental Base—there was no discarded equipment or scattered documents. It was as if the researchers had only left temporarily and might return at any moment. Rows of lab benches were neatly arranged, holding intact experimental equipment and documents. The glassware was wiped clean without a speck of dust. On the walls hung several experimental flowcharts labeled "Xihe Project Phase 2." The handwriting was clear, and the experimental data and steps were still legible, recording every detail of the research from back then.

"It seems this is where Professor Chen conducted the second phase of the 'xihe' project. Everything here is well-preserved; it must have been intentionally organized during the evacuation," Mu Li said as he walked to a lab bench. He picked up an experimental logbook, gently brushed off the dust, and began to flip through it carefully. His fingertips brushed the yellowed pages as if he were in a dialogue with Professor Chen from years ago. The logbook detailed the experimental data, progress, and problems encountered during the second phase of the 'xihe' project. The handwriting was neat—Professor Chen's own hand—and his rigor and focus were evident in every line. However, it didn't mention the specific location of the Repair Plan, which added to Mu Li's confusion and urgency.

"Everyone, spread out and search! Look for encrypted safes or sealed metal boxes. The Repair Plan is likely hidden in such places. Be thorough and don't miss any details—not even the smallest corner!" Mu Li put away the logbook and ordered loudly, his tone firm and his eyes urgent. He knew the Repair Plan was somewhere here. They had to find it quickly to honor Old Zhou's injury and everyone's perseverance.

The group immediately dispersed and began searching the lab's interior. Some checked the drawers and cabinets of the lab benches, some flipped through documents and logbooks on the tables, and others inspected the storage cabinets in the corners. Everyone was focused, not daring to be negligent for fear of missing any clues related to the Repair Plan. Mu Li walked to the main console of the lab and tried to start the main computer, holding onto a glimmer of hope. Fortunately, the main computer actually turned on. The screen slowly lit up, displaying internal surveillance footage and a vast amount of experimental data. Although some data was corrupted and unreadable, most of it could still be viewed normally, providing a sliver of hope in their search for clues.

Mu Li quickly browsed through the surveillance footage, his gaze focused, hoping to find clues related to the Repair Plan. Most of the footage showed experimental scenes from years ago, with Professor Chen and the researchers moving through the frames, focused and conducting experiments in an orderly fashion. Every action was meticulous. Suddenly, a ten-year-old recording caught his attention. The time was one week before Professor Chen's disappearance. In the footage, Professor Chen was holding a sealed metal box, carefully walking into the innermost room of the laboratory. His expression was grave and his pace slow, as if he were guarding something precious, fearing the slightest mistake. The door to that room was encrypted; the situation inside couldn't be seen from the footage. One could only see that after Professor Chen entered, the door closed automatically and never opened again. It was as if that room held the core secret of the entire "xihe" project.

"Found it! The Repair Plan might be in that innermost encrypted room!" Mu Li shouted excitedly, his voice full of emotion. A light flashed in his eyes as he quickly signaled the others to come over. Pointing at the room on the surveillance screen, he said urgently, "Look, a week before Professor Chen disappeared, he took a metal box into that encrypted room. That box likely contains the second part of the Repair Plan we're looking for!"

Hearing his shout, everyone immediately gathered around Mu Li and looked toward the innermost room of the lab. The door was tightly shut, featuring a complex Fingerprint-Password Lock that looked extremely precise. Although covered in dust, the rigor of its design from back then was still apparent. It had clearly been set by Professor Chen himself to guard something important and prevent intruders.

"Try to crack the fingerprint lock using information related to Professor Chen! Enter his birthday, the project's start date, the 'xihe' code name, and all other relevant data into the cracking system to try and match the fingerprint information!" Mu Li said urgently, his eyes full of anticipation, hoping to open the door and find the Repair Plan quickly. The technical backbone member immediately began operating, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard as he entered Professor Chen's information into the cracking system one by one, trying to match it over and over. He was focused and tense. However, after many attempts, none were successful. The fingerprint lock consistently displayed "Verification Failed." The cold prompt caused the group's anticipation to fade, replaced by frustration.

"Engineer Mu, it's not working! This fingerprint lock has a very high security level. It uses live fingerprint recognition technology and can only recognize specific fingerprints. It can't be cracked with other information. We simply can't open the door; no matter how many times we try, it's a verification failure," the technical backbone member said helplessly, his face full of dejection. His fingers trembled slightly from the long hours of typing, and his tone carried a hint of powerlessness.

Mu Li frowned and fell into deep thought, his fingers lightly tapping the main console as his mind raced. Before leaving, Professor Zhang had told him that by following the "light," he would find the answer. Last time at Xuanguang No. 1 Experimental Base, the "light's" guidance was the emergency light engraved with the "xihe" logo. It was that light that led them to find the first part of the Repair Plan. What would the "light" be this time? His gaze swept across the room's door and then around the laboratory, carefully observing every corner and not missing a single detail, hoping to find a clue—the so-called guidance of the "light."

Suddenly, he noticed a small circular device on the ceiling above the main console. The surface of the device was engraved with a "xihe" logo. It was identical to the logo on the emergency light at Xuanguang No. 1 Experimental Base—small and exquisite, hidden in a corner of the ceiling and covered in dust. If one didn't look closely, it would be impossible to find. "Zhao Gang, help me take that device down!" Mu Li pointed at the circular device on the ceiling, a light flashing in his eyes. He had a faint feeling that this was the guidance of the "light," a clue left by Professor Chen, and the key to opening the encrypted room.