Chapter 395 Black and Purple Vines
Seeing them coming up, Xiao Guo removed the grille of the ventilation duct and crawled in himself.
Not long after, the rest of the people followed into the pipeline.
The iron lid was half-open, and a faint light shone through.
The interior of the pipe was narrow and tortuous, and the air was filled with the dull smell of stale dust and an indescribable stench, like the silent protest of rotten matter that had not been cleaned up for a long time.
Everyone went in one after another, but Liu Chong seemed to have a particularly hard time.
He was a big man, and it must have been very uncomfortable for him to squeeze in and out of the narrow pipe.
"Huh~ What a crappy... method!" Liu Chong panted heavily and muttered to himself.
Sweat slid down his cheeks and mixed with the dust in the pipe, forming muddy trails. Every step forward was accompanied by the subtle sound of bones rubbing against the pipe wall and his heavy breathing.
Liu Chong tried his best to adjust his body. In order not to affect the overall speed of the team, he could only grit his teeth and crawl at the end.
While feeling uncomfortable, Liu Chong's thoughts flew away in an instant.
Damn it, if something happens and you prepare to escape, just turn around and I'll be at the front, and then you'll all be blocked by me!
Liu Chong smiled wickedly.
The higher they climbed, the faster their heartbeats became, and they took every step carefully.
The institute maintains a year-round power supply, is not affected by external wind and rain, and has a self-sufficient independent power supply system.
Even if the outside world loses power, the lights here are still bright.
The light penetrated every gap in the railing, and also exposed the figure hidden in the ventilation duct.
Inside the pipe, the air seemed to freeze. Lu Jiawei pressed himself against the cold metal wall of the pipe, looking through the narrow gap. The scene below made him terrified.
The lights in the hall of the institute were as bright as day, and thousands of staff members had completely lost their humanity and turned into zombies.
Some of those zombies were missing limbs, but they were still staggering forward. Their movements were clumsy, and they wandered around swaying their bodies.
Occasionally, when a zombie hits debris on the ground and makes a 'bang' sound, the rest of the zombies will also turn their eyes there.
When Lu Jiawei saw this scene, his legs involuntarily went limp. An unprecedented fear spread from the soles of his feet to his whole body like ice, making it almost impossible for him to support his arms.
The few psychics around him were not much better.
Although they all tried their best to remain calm, the fine beads of sweat oozing from their foreheads and their unconsciously quickened breathing due to nervousness betrayed their inner panic.
But don't get discovered!
If this were discovered, they would really be in a hurry to deliver the takeaway.
Lu Jiawei had already begun to regret it at this moment.
Isn't he just an ignorant pretty boy? Is it necessary for him to risk his life to run out here?
The old man is the same. He doesn't even think that I am his son anymore, but he doesn't even try to persuade me.
Lu Shibin: So? Why don’t you read what you are saying! I almost broke my mouth…
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In that dark, narrow metal pipe full of traces of time, a group of people moved forward silently.
In front of Xiao Jin was Wan Sha's slightly thin figure, and behind Xiao Jin, Cen Nian followed closely behind.
For some reason, the inexplicable premonition in Xiao Jin's heart became stronger and stronger.
From the moment I stepped into this research institute, a strange atmosphere followed me. In general, there must be something dangerous here.
It’s not those ordinary zombies below, it’s definitely a big one.
Xiao Jin's hands unconsciously tightened the 'Shadow Thorn' at her waist. The space in the pipe was limited, so she had to be alert.
Then, Xiao Jin turned back and made eye contact with Cen Nian. Cen Nian nodded slightly, indicating that he was ready at any time.
At the front, Xiao Guo was concentrating on distinguishing the intricate pipeline forks. His face was covered with fine beads of sweat, which flickered in the weak light of the flashlight.
Behind him, Pan Lizhi clung to the wall of the pipe, protecting Xiao Guo while climbing every step carefully.
And Lu Jiawei was naturally ranked between Pan Lizhi and An Xiang.
At this moment, Pan Lizhi was surprised to find that Xiao Guo in front of him suddenly stopped for some reason.
His heart skipped a beat and he asked hastily, "What happened?"
The sudden abnormality caused a moment of chaos among the people behind.
Xiao Guo's brows were knitted into the shape of a "川" character, and his voice was filled with a hint of panic and confusion that was difficult to conceal: "There are a bunch of... strange things... appearing in front!"
This sentence was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing ripples in the team.
When the people at the back heard this, they were stunned for a moment, and then a feeling of uneasiness began to spread quietly among the crowd.
Pan Lizhi couldn't help but frown at this moment.
What strange thing, not a zombie?
To be on the safe side, he almost instinctively took a step forward and pulled Xiao Guo back, his movements swift and decisive.
Xiao Guo fell down and sat down at the back. Pan Lizhi walked over him and slowly raised his head, looking forward with sharp eyes.
I saw that the originally spacious pipe in front was now tightly blocked by dense plant vines. Those vines appeared a strange black and purple color, like poisonous snakes in the dark night.
They were entangled together, forming an airtight wall, blocking the entire pipe opening tightly.
The dark purple surface was faintly flashing with an ominous luster, exuding a heart-pounding chill.
Compared with other psychics who were facing a formidable enemy, Xiao Jin discovered that the abnormal aura he felt did not come from these vines.
But Xiao Jin was not sure if there was no connection at all.
However, she already had a guess in her mind that the threat hidden in the dark might be some kind of advanced mutant plant.
After seeing the situation ahead, Pan Lizhi frowned even more tightly.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, then looked in the direction the vines grew, trying to find their source.
After some careful observation, he finally discovered that the vines came out of a room under the pipe.
They seemed to have life. They climbed upwards tenaciously along the cracks in the pipe until they completely occupied the entire exit.
The passage on the other side, however, still retains its original appearance, without any trace of vines.
This contrast made Pan Lizhi even more uneasy. There must be something strange in the room below.
After thinking about it, Pan Lizhi moved forward a few times, but was pulled backwards by the force behind him.
He turned around and saw An Xiang holding his arm nervously, his eyes full of worry.
"Hey, be careful!" There was a slight tremor in An Xiang's voice. Obviously, he also realized the seriousness of the situation.