novelGlobal Chapter 678: Three Nodes
Chapter 678: Three Nodes
Evans walked out of the laboratory. He compared notes with Caroline, who had been waiting outside the lab, through messages left on the wall. After he had gone through that scene, the lights in the laboratory had returned to normal."In other words, whatever turned this place into what it is should be hidden inside one of the labs, and we need to find and destroy that thing?"
After reading Evans' description, Caroline came up with a very reasonable inference.
"I'm not sure if there's really something here that can be destroyed, but if we want to solve this place's problem, we have no choice but to enter these labs. You wait outside, and I'll go in to look for clues."
Evans felt that his memories should also be stored inside one of the laboratories.
"If you don't come out for a while, what should I do?"
Caroline wrote a message on the wall.
"I suggest you just run for it."
Evans left his mark on the wall. He found a particularly brightly lit laboratory, opened the large door, and entered.
The laboratory door closed automatically. Evans looked around. He was standing beneath a giant glowing sphere, wearing a set of black combat gear, holding a rifle fully loaded with bullets. He looked like a member of some combat squad.
In front of him were several piles of matter somewhere between solid and liquid, resembling what seemed to be melted humans.
At that moment, the glowing sphere was slowly ascending, like a sun gradually rising.
A patch of light expanded outward beneath the sphere, encompassing all those melted humans within its reach.
He once again felt a similar fear, but this time, he could understand the reason behind the original person's terror. His teammates had already been melted by the sphere, and he was about to turn into a pile of rotten flesh. Anyone normal would be scared.
Evans watched the slowly rising sphere. The light began to shift. In just a little while, the light patch would reach his feet. He didn't flee; instead, he thought about how the owner of this memory would react.
'This person didn't die, or else they wouldn't appear in this facility. That means there's a way to survive this scene. But I know nothing about the memory's owner, making it hard to guess what they'd do.'
Evans didn't act blindly, but the light had already reached his feet. He could only take a step back.
His body instantly melted, turning into a pile of something between solid and liquid.
........................................................
[Remaining Simulation Attempts: 7]
Evans closed his eyes and took a moment to recover before regaining control of his body. Even back inside the prison cell, even with his eyes shut, the afterimage of that glowing sphere still lingered before his eyes, blocking out everything else.
'Was that person a member of the organization's combat squad? What kind of hellish stuff do these people deal with on a daily basis? And this organization can still recruit members?'
'So it's no retreat, huh... No wonder they'd join such an organization.'
Evans had originally thought that the brighter laboratory would be safer. It seemed he had been wrong.
None of these laboratories were safe. It all depended on whose information was stored inside.
There were still many labs left. If he needed to test each one one by one, the remaining simulation attempts wouldn't be nearly enough.
Once the afterimage of the sphere faded, Evans left the prison cell. He repeated the same procedure as the previous simulation, bringing Caroline safely to the experimental center.
This time, he obtained two more laboratory maps. Through these maps, he discovered that the brightness of the laboratories changed over time.
By studying the brightness fluctuations of the labs, Evans gradually identified some patterns.
The six maps could be categorized from two perspectives: the individual and time.
The individual factor was him and Caroline. The difference between them lay in the information they had collected.
Because he had absorbed the blood of that monster, the information he gathered was slightly more than Caroline's.
Additionally, as time passed, the brightness of the laboratories also shifted.
Through these two angles, Evans found that as time went on, some laboratories grew dimmer while others grew brighter.
The same applied to information collection. The terrain structures of the six maps were all different, and some terrains were noticeably more complex. These complex areas moved with time.
By analyzing the dynamic changes of the six maps, Evans identified three moving points. The brightness of the labs and the complexity of the terrain varied according to the coverage of these three points.
'Three makes it much easier.'
Evans quickly located the first point. It was a brightly lit laboratory.
Given the experience from the previous lab, Evans didn't believe this one would be easy to pass.
He had Caroline wait outside the lab while he entered alone.
When he came to his senses, Evans found himself being held at gunpoint by a prisoner wearing an orange prison uniform.
Behind the prisoner stood two other inmates, and not far away was a young girl with fiery red hair.
He was shorter, his body terribly weak. If the other party pulled the trigger, he couldn't dodge it.
Seeing this scene, anyone could guess what was happening. On one side, vicious criminals; on the other, a kidnapped researcher.
Just as Evans was about to do something, the prisoner fired.
The bullet stopped in midair before him, clattering to the ground. The scene felt strangely familiar.
"I'm so sick of this. Having to watch myself get killed by you all over again."
Another red-haired young girl appeared behind Evans. She leaned on his shoulder and sighed.
The people around them acted as if they couldn't see the girl at all, continuing to fight.
"You can talk. I'll make them ignore your actions. And don't think about resisting. In this scene, all you have to do is nothing, and it'll pass. If you do anything, it'll just be a hassle."
The red-haired girl wore a slightly sarcastic smile. She actually wanted to see him get himself killed, but now wasn't the time for games.
"Do you know me?"
Evans tested the waters first. After confirming that those people wouldn't pay him any attention, he spoke.
"I really wish I didn't. But in this situation, it's actually reassuring that you showed up."
The red-haired girl toyed with Evans' somewhat long hair, speaking in a cheerful tone.
"...So, I often deal with situations like this using different identities? That prisoner who was chasing you and hacking away was also me?"
Evans quickly grasped some key information.
"Exactly. I don't know what the hell you are, but this is already our third meeting."
The red-haired girl remarked with emotion.
"You should have some understanding of this place. I've now found three nodes. Is it just a matter of dealing with these three to solve the problem here? What are we up against?"
Evans still couldn't be sure of the red-haired girl's intentions, but at least she hadn't made a move yet.