Chapter 35: Rescuing the Baby

Five minutes later.

“Still not open yet?” the adjutant asked.

“It’s stuck! We might need hardware support! Notify the people inside to assist us!” The Special Operations officer’s tone had grown noticeably weaker.

The adjutant clicked his tongue in irritation. “Troublesome! Just blast it open!”

“No, that could cause a collapse!” the commander stopped him.

“Then what now? We’re already here, we can’t just turn back!” the adjutant said helplessly.

“Alright, inform the agents inside the city to help unlock it! The army will wait in place!” The commander chose patience once more.

Just then, the Special Operations unlocking squad called out excitedly, “General, reporting success! The lock is open! In ten seconds, the underground city’s main gate will open! The coalition can prepare to move!”

My God, this was an unexpected windfall for the coalition.

Let’s rewind to five minutes earlier. News had already reached the underground city that the coalition army was at the gates, and the rebels inside were mobilizing for a coordinated assault. The core members of the Committee, unwilling to take risks, had begun preparations to evacuate. The underground city beneath Great Wilderness Mountain had long been slated for closure due to its exposure, but vested interests made execution difficult; now was the perfect opportunity—though it was a pity to leave so much behind for the authorities. Fortunately, they had time: once the data and key personnel were evacuated, they would activate the destruction device and raze the place to the ground.

“So, you plan to run?” Yan Ze had waited for this day for a long time! He sneaked into the control center of the underground city. Seeing the access system relentlessly under attack, he knew the coalition was coming. Without hesitation, he completely sabotaged the destruction device, then shut down and rebooted the access system, ensuring the program was overwritten before he left, satisfied.

The coalition entered the underground city smoothly, and the uprising forces erupted in elation—one more job and they would be free. Reunited with their comrades, the rebels gained a courage that turned one into ten, fighting fiercely with the underground city’s guards.

It wasn’t so easy at the research center. Ah Hao and Ah Yong, taking advantage of the chaos, rushed toward the research center, hoping to confront those who had experimented on them years before. But the research staff was unfazed; this was the fourth uprising, and they were all used to it, continuing their work as usual.

Spotting two test subjects approaching voluntarily, the researchers’ eyes narrowed with glee. The residential area had been quarantined for over a week and most test subjects were idle; their pool was dwindling. Ah Hao and Ah Yong were nearly captured—luckily, they ran into Nana and Ping’an and managed to escape by the skin of their teeth.

Nana told Ah Hao that the coalition would soon break through, and urged him to wait patiently—for once the underground city was liberated, the military would settle accounts. Right now, their most important task was to survive, protect as many as they could, and welcome the moment of victory together.

It was possible the Falcon Squad was trying to recruit more people for themselves, but after a moment’s thought, Ah Hao and Ah Yong realized Nana made sense. Even if they could find the one who’d experimented on them in this sea of people, what would revenge bring? Their broken bodies would never be whole again. The little lives in Nana’s care needed their protection now.

Strength was always meant to protect.

Guided by Zhao Nana’s memory, the group found the nursery. Fortunately, since the Black Organization also needed these children as reserves, no one dared harm them. Still, rescuing them would be difficult. The scientific madmen would never agree—especially regarding the genetically engineered designer babies, their precious research material. So the group lay low, waiting for their chance.

Everything at the research center appeared normal, as if none of this concerned them. And why should it? If the underground city won, they’d remain useful. If the coalition won, most of them had never taken lives and were innocent—especially the medical staff, who had never participated in persecution; only the minority conducting forbidden experiments would face judgment.

Not until news of the coalition’s arrival broke did the research center show any reaction. Then, allegiances were chosen—most sided with the coalition, having had enough of the Black Organization, which they privately called “Huang Shiren.” As for the lackeys of Huang Shiren, the true academics despised their lack of medical compassion, and, seizing the opportunity, promptly bound them—considering it a gift to the victors.

As for the test subjects imprisoned there, the researchers simply released them. After all, experimenting on living people was no different from the infamous Unit 731 condemned in history books. Most sympathized with the innocent—some of their own colleagues, lacking ability, had also been classified as test subjects under the so-called “last-place elimination system.”

In stark contrast to the research center’s calm, the combat zone was ablaze with fierce fighting. The underground city’s guards and the coalition’s rebel forces were locked in close-quarters battle—space was too tight for heavy weapons, so it was hand-to-hand combat. Luckily, they had just upgraded their personal combat systems; otherwise, they’d have been at a grave disadvantage against such bizarre weaponry.

What the guards, struggling to encircle the underground city, didn’t know was that they had already been abandoned. The very moment the coalition broke through, the Committee had initiated evacuation—taking only the core members and the carefully backed-up experimental data. The children, too, were to be taken as part of the experiments, to explain the loss of the Great Wilderness Mountain underground city to their superiors.

Indeed, the evacuation team was already heading toward the nursery. Seeing so many people approach, Zhao Nana and Ping’an sent out distress signals, knowing help would not arrive quickly. Their task was to delay—at the very least, those in rooms 302 and 309 could not be taken, a matter of personal sentiment.

The team sent to evacuate the infants brought little equipment—they hadn’t heard of any rebels here. Even so, Zhao Nana’s group had little advantage; they were outnumbered, as the saying went, “two fists can’t defeat four hands.” Still, they did their best, saving as many as they could.

The evacuators had no wish to waste time; under a tight deadline, they prioritized what was easiest—especially the unattended embryo samples, which could be transported in batches.

Ah Hao and Ah Yong were shocked to learn the underground city was running reproductive experiments. When they saw nearly half a floor filled with embryo samples, newborns, children at every stage of development, and even unprocessed infant corpses, they were utterly stunned.

“Damn them! These monsters even use children—they haven’t even had a chance to see the world!” Ah Hao’s eyes turned red with rage at the sight of children used for experiments.

“Nana said these children were cultivated by the Organization’s experiments—they might be used for research, or as heirs of the Black Organization!” Ah Yong quickly corrected him.

“Who cares! They’re all children—we can’t let them be raised by criminals. I’ll fight them!” Even the usually composed Ah Hao could not contain his fury, the infant corpses reminding him of his own days of torment.

The evacuation team ignored the “lunatics,” sending a few to hold them off while they carried out their own tasks—time was precious, and they never expected to finish everything anyway. What was troublesome, though, was that the group was blocking the passage between rooms 302 and 309—the very rooms the Elder had specifically ordered to be protected.

Should they really fight? Reinforcements seemed close. If it came to that, perhaps it was best to abandon the effort.

As the group hesitated, Da Min and his men, having received the distress call, arrived with a small squad—joined by reinforcements from the research center. Seeing more and more people arrive, the evacuation team retreated at once—there had been no hard orders from above, and survival came first.

“Are you all alright?” Da Min and Brother Long rushed to check on Zhao Nana.

“We’re fine, but they took more than half,” Zhao Nana replied with some regret.

“Are the important ones safe?” Lin Xiaofeng asked anxiously.

“They’re all here,” Ping’an replied.

“Which ones?” Ah Hao asked, puzzled.