Chapter 118: Locating the Secret Laboratory

By the time Ye Hai reached the outskirts of the Ironwood Forest black market, it was already noon on the second day. In the span of just twenty-four hours, the weather in the Ironwood Forest had taken a drastic turn for the worse. A powerful cold front had swept through, bringing with it hail the size of fists falling from the sky, accompanied by a blizzard that blotted out the sun.

Ye Hai knew that this unique meteorological phenomenon on the Zombie Star signaled the official arrival of a brutal winter. Within a single night, temperatures would plummet to around minus fifty degrees Celsius. The entire surface of the planet would turn into permafrost, making it nearly impossible for humans to survive. Before the virus outbreak, the technology on the Zombie Star had been capable of climate control, ensuring such devastating natural disasters never occurred on the surface. However, after the planet’s collapse, these extreme weather patterns had returned. This was one of the primary reasons why most survivors on the Zombie Star were accustomed to building their shelters inside mountains or deep underground. Organizations like the Corpse Hunters, which kept their facilities on the surface, were virtually unheard of.

However, because Donald had cracked anti-gravity shield technology, the Corpse Hunters' camp was equipped with such devices. Even though the strength of these energy shields—which could withstand minor meteorite impacts—had been somewhat diminished by the use of bio-energy, they were still more than capable of holding off snow and hail. Furthermore, during the initial construction of the camp, Ye Hai had incorporated extensive underfloor heating systems. Consequently, the temperature inside the protective dome remained comfortable. Still, venturing outside had now become extremely inconvenient.

For the survivors in the Ironwood Forest black market, the frigid underground caverns were their only sanctuary. Yet, even within these havens, many still perished each year from cold and starvation. Deep underground, the sea urchins and moray eels had become sluggish. This extreme cold would typically be lethal to such marine creatures, as the land lacked the ocean’s ability to regulate temperature independently. Fortunately, when Donald had converted these marine organisms into terrestrial ones, he had anticipated this, splicing in numerous cold-resistant gene fragments. Combined with the reactors inside their bodies that generated significant thermal energy, the two bio-fortresses were able to maintain their mobility.

However, because the ground became exceptionally hard in this weather, the speed at which the two bio-fortresses could travel underground was severely hampered. If the bio-fortresses carried only a few personnel, they could move quickly through the deep earth, but the moray eel now housed hundreds of people. Internal oxygen consumption was rapid, forcing the creature to surface periodically to replenish its air supply. These seasonal changes rendered the utility of the bio-fortresses quite limited.

Soon, Ye Hai located Javier and the others underground. After some discussion, Ye Hai decided to wait for the weather to improve before heading to the black market, hoping to avoid revealing the existence of the bio-fortresses.

For Kurs, this was his first time inside a bio-fortress, and he found everything within to be utterly astonishing. When the camp held the parasitism ceremony for Zela, Kurs had suspected that the Corpse Hunters were capable of controlling high-level mutants, but he had always assumed those mutants were merely combat weapons. It was only after seeing the internal modifications of the bio-fortress that he realized how wrong he had been. This war-grade bio-fortress was a devastating weapon, capable of transporting large numbers of soldiers to suddenly emerge from beneath the enemy for a surprise attack. That single capability alone was enough to inspire awe, not to mention that the soldiers under Ye Hai’s command had all been modified. Kurs knew what kind of miraculous substance resided within them; that "stuff" granted these soldiers near-immortality and the same shapeshifting abilities he possessed, making them a terrifying force. Moreover, having witnessed their military discipline, he knew it far exceeded any unit in the Shesha Sect, whose own crusaders were not trained like professional soldiers.

Now, Kurs was forced to obey Ye Hai’s commands, but he still dared not betray the Shesha Sect too thoroughly. Given the strength the Corpse Hunters had demonstrated, Kurs believed they might have the power to threaten a single Pope, but the Shesha Sect possessed four. Although they were not on good terms with one another, if an external enemy threatened the sect as a whole, these Popes would inevitably unite to face the outsider. However, Kurs did not realize that Ye Hai had no ambition to rule the Ironwood Forest, nor any need to make an enemy of the Shesha Sect. The Corpse Hunters had not come here to find a new base of operations.

If it were not absolutely necessary, Ye Hai did not want to waste the hard-won strength he had cultivated in a meaningless war against a group of tools and slaves belonging to ARMY-3. Yet, on the other hand, a remark from Javier suddenly made Ye Hai feel that a clash between the Corpse Hunters and the Shesha Sect might be inevitable.

"If my hypothesis is correct," Javier said, "this 'Miracle Site' of the Shesha Sect is very likely the target we have been searching for."

Ye Hai was slightly stunned. "You mean to say that the secret laboratory of the Kalan Bio-Genetic Corporation has become the lair of ARMY-3?"

Javier nodded. "According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, the secret laboratory of the Kalan Bio-Genetic Corporation is located very deep underground. It is divided into several sectors and covers a vast area with highly advanced security measures. Without access cards, ARMY-3 might not have been able to breach these defense systems. But having been stationed here for so long, they would have been able to occupy the entrance or break into the peripheral structures. It is very likely that the trial of this 'Miracle Site' is simply a way for these cannon fodder to breach the laboratory's defense systems. These humans' abilities very likely originate from the laboratory, and as for the virus Kurs carries that enhances humans, I don't believe a group of snakes could have developed it, even if they now possess remarkable intelligence. Therefore, I believe this hypothesis is highly probable."

Ye Hai fell into deep thought, forced to admit that Javier’s assessment was likely close to the truth. Because this region was shrouded in some form of powerful interference, space-based scanning devices could not probe the underground conditions for a hundred kilometers. This was likely caused by the interference emitted by the laboratory as it continued to operate autonomously. However, Ye Hai was hesitant to venture deep into the lair of ARMY-3 to find the laboratory. After witnessing the power of ART-2, Ye Hai believed that the current Corpse Hunters organization was still far from being a match for any intelligent mutant clan. A head-on conflict would undoubtedly be like throwing an egg against a rock.

But since the laboratory was deep underground, the bio-fortresses' ability to tunnel through the earth might prove useful.

"Once we enter the Miracle Site and confirm your theory," Ye Hai said, "if the laboratory really is there, we can attempt to use the bio-fortresses to find another entrance."