Chapter 588: Protection Mechanism
However, just as Zhu Jin and his men were about to make their move, a sudden ’clang’ sound came from the ground. Everyone turned their heads and saw a cylindrical fire extinguisher rolling. The spray nozzle had been opened, and white gas burst out, filling the entire corridor.
Seeing this, Ling Chen felt a sense of relief and immediately ran forward with Nanrong Wanqing through the lingering smoke.
Under the cover of the smoke, Zhu Jin and the others could only hear the sound of footsteps but could not see Ling Chen’s figure.
"Stop him, don’t let him get away!" Zhu Jin shouted loudly.
However, by the time he shouted, Ling Chen had already escaped far away under the cover of the smoke.
"Mr. Ling."
After passing through the corridor, Ling Chen immediately heard a familiar voice. He turned and saw Liu Dongsheng emerging from a corner.
"Thanks!" Ling Chen said gratefully.
"Don’t mention it. Mr. Hu saw through the surveillance that you were in danger, so he asked me to come and lend a hand."
Ling Chen nodded and said, "Let’s hurry; it would be troublesome if they catch up with us."
As they moved, Ling Chen looked at Liu Dongsheng and asked, "Did you find Jiang Yunkai and the others?"
Hearing this, Liu Dongsheng’s face turned somewhat gloomy. "We found them, but we can’t rescue them."
"What happened?"
"You’ll see in a moment."
While talking, the three hurried to the meeting room.
At this moment, Kaelina and Hu Fei were in the room. Liu Dongsheng closed and locked the door, then brought Ling Chen to Hu Fei’s side.
"Is Miss Nanrong alright?"
"She’s fine." Ling Chen placed Nanrong Wanqing on a chair nearby and asked, "Fatty, how are Jiang Yunkai and Bai Huanjun doing?"
Hu Fei pointed to the computer screen and said, "You should see for yourself."
Ling Chen immediately went to the computer and stared at the surveillance footage.
"There! I just found this," Hu Fei said, pointing to one of the screens.
In that image, Jiang Yunkai and Bai Huanjun were each lying on a bed, their hands and feet bound by straps. From their looks, they seemed to have been injected with anesthetic and were in a deep sleep.
Next to the beds, several men in white coats were using various instruments on Jiang Yunkai and Bai Huanjun, occasionally injecting them with some type of drug.
Seeing this, Ling Chen knew something was wrong. It was clear that those in white coats were preparing to use them for experimentation.
"Do you know their location?" Ling Chen asked.
Hu Fei replied, "Miss Kaelina and Elder Liu found their location, but there are two layers of ten-centimeter-thick blast doors outside the laboratory. Even a bomb would do no good. The only way is to take over the main control room of the base; otherwise, there’s no other way."
"Where’s the main control room?"
Without another word, Hu Fei pulled up a building plan from the computer and marked the location of the main control.
"This is the main control room, right in the center of the base. But that’s not the biggest problem. I just reviewed the base configuration; this place has a protective device installed."
Ling Chen, puzzled, asked, "What protective device?"
"There’s a safety protection system inside the base. Once the base is under attack, it will trigger the defensive mechanism, sealing all passageways and isolating the core area. By then, no one will be able to get in or out. Moreover, I understand that this layer of protection can withstand a nuclear explosion."
"A nuclear explosion?" Everyone was taken aback.
Hu Fei nodded and said, "It may be an exaggeration to say a nuclear explosion, but there’s no doubt about its solidity. If you guys enter the area of the main control room, you’ll likely be trapped inside."
Ling Chen frowned and said, "Is there no way to prevent it?"
"No, that protective system uses an independent control system, and it’s not connected to any network; I can’t hack into it from here. If I’m not wrong, the control system for that protective device must be in the main control room."
Liu Dongsheng chimed in, "That means if we can take over the main control room, we can lift the base’s protective mechanism."
"That’s true, but the key question is, can you do it?"
Hearing this, Ling Chen fell into thought.
He had broken into numerous God Organization bases, but none had ever been equipped with this protective device. It was clear that this base was of great importance to the God Organization. Perhaps this was their main base.
However, as Hu Fei said, whether they could take over the main control room was the key.
With Zhu Jin and others in the base, aside from them, who could guarantee there were no other experts here? Among their group, only he was powerful enough to contend with Zhu Jin. Kaelina and Liu Dongsheng, although capable, were not martial artists.
Thinking this, Ling Chen struggled to make a decision.
If they abandoned Jiang Yunkai and Bai Huanjun, not caring about their lives or deaths, they would have a hundred percent certainty of leaving. However, abandoning friends was not something Ling Chen could do. Besides, they were captured while trying to help him. If he were to leave them behind, it might dishearten the others.
His thoughts raced, and Ling Chen immediately made a decision.
"Fatty, you guys take Wanqing and leave first."
"And you?"
"I’m going to save Kai and the others."
Hu Fei was stunned, his face full of surprise. "You alone? No! You must be crazy; it’s pure suicide."
"It’s settled; don’t worry about me. I know what to do. Kaelina, Boss Liu, ensure their safety; we’ll meet outside." Having said that, Ling Chen left the room without waiting for Hu Fei to speak again.
"This guy... always trying to act tough." Watching Ling Chen’s retreating figure, Hu Fei shook his head helplessly.
"Elder Liu, let’s get moving."
As he spoke, Hu Fei’s fingers flew over the keyboard rapidly.
Seeing his actions, Kaelina asked, "What are you doing?"
"What else could I be doing? Of course, I’m giving that guy one last hand. I’ll shut down all the surveillance systems of the base in a moment, and then plant a Trojan in the system. It will take them at least a few minutes to reboot the surveillance. Although it’s not much time, Ling Chen should be able to reach the main control room with his ability."
Leaving the room, Ling Chen recalled the building plan and took another passage toward the core area of the base.
Along the way, Ling Chen encountered almost no obstacles; it was surprisingly smooth.
Before long, Ling Chen arrived in front of a blast door. According to the layout of the building plan, the main control room was just behind this door.
Taking a deep breath, Ling Chen looked up and began to search for a way to enter.