"Mission..."
Looking blankly at the person in front of him, Xiao Yang's eyes were filled with confusion and fear, and he could not help but move back.
Seeing her reaction, Ye Shi put away the short knife covered with blood and scratched his helmet.
"Don't think I'm a little scary, I'm actually a good person... Well, okay, I know that this is not convincing."
If it were him, if a murderer suddenly broke into the community one day and grabbed his arm and asked him to go with him, he would probably be scared to death.
She didn't cry out of fear, so this little girl has a good psychological quality.
But the problem is that he really doesn't know how to explain the current situation, and he himself is also in a state of confusion.
According to the original plan, he should take a carriage to the servants' quarters not far away, get off the carriage, and go to the annex, and take the person away without anyone noticing.
However, things deviated from the original plan from the beginning.
The carriage suddenly stopped halfway, and then the coachman rushed into the carriage and pounced on him like crazy.
At first, Ye Shi planned to subdue the man, but later found that it was useless. The man didn't listen at all and even reached out to snatch his weapon.
Unable to communicate at all, Ye Shi could only twist his neck, then jumped off the carriage and ran straight to the annex in the corner of the manor.
However, after arriving at the annex, he found that things were not as simple as he imagined. Everyone in the annex became the same as the coachman.
Almost at the moment he stepped into the annex, those guys sensed his presence and pounced on him like zombies.
If it weren't for Lao Bai helping to deliver the exoskeleton to the vicinity of the settlement before the operation began, and the officer who intended to rebel helping them deliver the exoskeleton here, it would not be an easy task to kill out of the siege of the group of "zombies".
To be honest, he was still confused and had no idea what had happened.
The only thing that was certain was that something terrible had happened in this manor - and even in the entire settlement.
Perhaps before entering the settlement, they should have conducted a more careful investigation.
It was obvious that someone had set their sights on them and had taken advantage of their plan to trick them.
Just as Ye Shi was thinking about how to explain, the girl who was lying in the lamb's arms moved her eyelashes. As if she was awakened by the movement around her, she uttered a slow murmur.
"Hungry..."
The strange sound that suddenly came made the two people in the basement feel a chill deep into their bones, as if they had fallen into an ice cave at minus fifty degrees.
Yin Yin opened her mouth exaggeratedly, even her gums turned out, like a beast that had been hungry for a week, biting the lamb's neck fiercely.
The lamb was completely stunned and stood there motionless.
Seeing that bloody mouth was about to bite, a gun barrel suddenly rudely stuffed into the mouth, pushing Yinyin who was lying on her back.
"Ah!"
Yinyin let out a manic roar, her veiny hands kept stretching forward, and the bloodthirsty Tong Kong was just about to tear her apart.
"Are you crazy...?! Get away from her!" Looking at the frightened little girl, Ye Shi was also scared and broke out in a cold sweat, and couldn't help but roared.
Good guy.
He didn't even dodge when he bit, and he closed his eyes.
If he had come two minutes later, he would have been lying here with a disfigured corpse!
Looking at Yinyin struggling with a hideous face and the gun barrel in her mouth, Xiaoyang suddenly woke up as if he had come back to his soul, rushed over and hugged his calf, shouting with a hint of crying.
"Don't... don't shoot!"
Looking at the lamb begging desperately, Ye Shi gritted his teeth, but finally didn't make up his mind. He turned off the safety, reached out to grab the girl who had turned into a zombie, dragged her to the side and tied her hands and feet with plastic rope.
Yin Yin, whose hands and feet were tied, struggled on the ground, with dust on her eyelashes and her pretty face twisted into a ball. At this moment, she was like a mad beast, baring her teeth and hissing and growling.
"She has turned into a zombie... just like those people outside, like a gnawer. Damn, these dogs, do they grow anything else besides Naguo?"
Ye Shi stood up and glanced at the struggling little girl, then turned around and looked at the lamb kneeling on the ground.
"There's no time to explain. I'll make it short. Believe it or not. Your father spent a lot of money to ask us to come and take you out of here. Now all you have to do is follow me closely and I will take you away from here! Of course, if you don't obey me, I can only tie you up like her and take you away. Understand?"
If possible, he really didn't want to do this. It was troublesome enough to deal with those guys like gnawers outside, and his ammunition was not unlimited.
He had reason to suspect that it was not just the people in the manor who turned into that ghost look, but the entire settlement was probably in trouble. Who knows what will happen later.
Fortunately, although the little girl didn't look very smart, she was calm enough. Even if she was scared, she didn't lose her ability to communicate and could still communicate normally.
Looking at the man covered in blood, the lamb nodded palely.
"I understand... I will go with you, please, please save Yinyin..."
Glancing at the little girl who was tied up like a dumpling against the wall, Ye Shi showed an embarrassment on his face.
"Save... how the hell do we save her?"
To put it bluntly, he didn't even know what happened to these people.
Seal their mouths with tape and take them back?
Not impossible.
But he was alone, and it was troublesome enough to bring a burden, and even he didn't have much confidence to bring another one who was a hindrance.
Xiaoyang swallowed his saliva, tried to stay calm, and said in a trembling voice.
"I... may know why everyone has become like this."
"Hmm?" Ye Shi glanced at her.
Seeing that the person was willing to listen to him, Xiaoyang continued patiently.
"This villa... is a very important place in the manor. It was the main building of the manor a long time ago. Later, a new large house was built, and the master used it to imprison some important guests."
Ye Shi couldn't help but raise a trace of surprise in his eyes.
This doesn't sound like what a six-year-old child would say.
By the way, can she understand the concept of hostages at her age?
"Then what?"
Xiao Yang continued.
"Because this place is very important... there are many people guarding here. Although some servants are wearing servants' clothes, they are not servants, but the master's confidants. It is no exaggeration to say that this place is even safer than the main building. It is precisely because of this that the master is very confident here. If I go somewhere else, many people will be anxious to find me, but here, even if I disappear for a while, no one will care..."
"In other words, if there is a secret that needs to be concealed, your master will most likely put it here?" Ye Shi touched his chin and said thoughtfully.
Whether for protection or surveillance, this is indeed the safest choice, and the hostages living in the villa can also act as a smokescreen.
If someone is sent to another area, it will be more conspicuous.
Xiaoyang nodded nervously.
"Well... don't you think it's strange? Such an important place, such a large basement was built, but it is only used to store some sundries. And in fact, people don't really pile up daily necessities in it, and there is a thick layer of dust on the boxes."
Ye Shi raised the flashlight and glanced around, trying to see some clues from the surroundings, but no matter how you look at it, this is just a very ordinary basement.
But as she said, it is indeed a bit suspicious to keep such an unknown space in such an important place.
Even if it was dug before and is no longer needed, you have to find a way to bury it or seal it completely, right?
However, the owner of this manor did not do so.
"Then...Yinyin told me that there was an iron door in the basement of the annex. If we hid there, no one would find it. Then she sneaked in with me."
"Actually...I don't think this is a good idea. If I accidentally see something I shouldn't see, something terrible might happen. But I couldn't persuade her, so I had to follow her down."
"After we came down, she said she heard a sound, and then she took me forward...We really found the door."
Ye Shi swallowed his saliva.
"What's behind that door...?"
Xiao Yang shook his head, his face full of regret.
"I don't know...Yinyin wanted to open the door, but she fainted soon after she held the door handle. She slept for a long time, and she became like this when she woke up. I guess it has something to do with the sound behind the door...but I can't hear the sound she said at all."
Ye Shi frowned and said.
"I didn't hear it either."
It shouldn't be like this.
His perception is very high. Even the slightest sound will be infinitely magnified by his keen sixth sense and analyzed instinctively.
If there is really any sound there, it must not escape his intuition.
However, suspiciously, he did not perceive it at all.
"... I believe Yinyin is not joking. She really heard something and found the door by following the sound. If she can go in and turn off the thing that makes the sound, she should be back to normal."
After saying that, Xiaoyang grabbed Ye Shi's arm and looked up at him with pleading eyes.
"Please, please... save her."
To be honest, Ye Shi didn't really want to cause trouble.
Especially since the plan had deviated from the track from the beginning, and Fang Chang didn't know what was going on.
There were so many variables from the beginning. Maybe the main goal of "controlling the farmer" had failed. In this case, it might be the safest choice to withdraw immediately with the secondary goal to stop the loss.
It's not a good idea to stay in the basement for too long. The only way out can easily be blocked by the pursuers.
What if there is nothing behind the door?
After all, if it is so important, why is there no guard, and even no lock, so that the two children can find it easily and almost open the door.
However, looking at the NPC's pleading eyes, he finally gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and knocked on the helmet with his right fist.
"... Fang Chang, what's the situation over there?"
There was no movement in the communication channel, only the rustling sound of electricity.
This is not simply no signal, but more like being interfered by something.
Ye Shi cursed inwardly, tapped the helmet with his index finger, turned off the communication channel, and then looked at the girl with pleading eyes.
"Think it through. You only have one life... I'm not kidding. I hope I won't hear any nonsense like 'Why is this happening' or 'Maybe I heard it wrong' later."
It doesn't matter if he dies.
He only has one life in three days.
He may feel sorry for Brother Luo Yu for not bringing him back safely, but I believe he won't blame himself too much after such a thing happened.
Xiaoyang nodded seriously.
"Well... I've thought it through."
Ye Shi nodded and took a deep breath.
"Then I'll believe what you said."
"Thank you..."
Looking at the little girl who thanked him sincerely, Ye Shi urged.
"It's too early to say this now. Take me there."
"Yes!"
Xiaoyang nodded nervously and took the initiative to run ahead.
Ye Shi followed her. The two walked a distance in the dark basement and soon saw the iron door hidden behind the wooden box in a remote compartment.
The mottled rust has penetrated from the handle to the crack of the door, making people wonder how long it has been since anyone has visited here.
"It's here..." Looking at the rusty iron door, the lamb timidly retreated behind him.
Ye Shi walked forward, stretched out his hand to hold the rusty door handle, pulled it and found it was quite heavy, so he drove the power of the exoskeleton to pull it back hard.
The heavy door panel was too heavy for a six or seven-year-old girl, but it was as light as a piece of paper for him wearing an exoskeleton.
Accompanied by a tooth-grinding squeak, the rusty iron door was quickly pulled open by him easily, revealing the passage hidden behind it.
"Good guy... It's really not locked?"
The passage behind the door was clean and tidy, with a metal floor on the ground and cement gray paint on the wall. Compared with the basement outside the door and the rusty iron door, the corridor behind the door is simply two completely different worlds.
Looking at the corridor that led to nowhere, Ye Shi's face suddenly showed an expression of surprise. His eyes gradually became excited and he turned around to look at the lamb.
"Wait for me here... If someone comes in, run to the door immediately."
The lamb nodded vigorously and replied seriously.
"Yes!"
After receiving a positive answer, Ye Shi did not delay any longer. He raised his gun and stepped into the door carefully, and continued to explore along this clean and tidy corridor.
This place looks like a clinic, but also like a laboratory. Through the glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see a wide variety of equipment and a display screen with a sci-fi color.
All signs indicate that this place has been abandoned, and it should have happened recently.
I don't know if they left in a hurry and didn't have time to clean up, or if there was no need to clean up at all. The display screens are still on, and some experimental equipment is still working, making meaningless buzzing sounds.
Ye Shi's face became more and more surprised.
It's hard to imagine that this research facility will appear in an unremarkable plantation.
By the way, can the expenses of this facility really be afforded by a mere farmer?
This is much more expensive than building a beautiful house.
Walked into one of the laboratories.
Ye Shi looked at the screen closest to him and saw that there was nothing on the blank operation interface. It seemed that the content inside had been deleted.
After leaving this laboratory, Ye Shi continued to explore along the corridor and soon came to the room at the deepest part of the corridor.
When he walked in, he was shocked by the situation here.
I saw a huge metal round tube sitting in the center of the room, connecting the ground and the ceiling. Data cables as thick as forearms extended outward from its roots, connecting it to the wall and another device in the room.
This thing looks familiar.
After seeing it clearly, Ye Shi's eyes widened and a surprised expression appeared on his face.
"...Mind interference device?!"
This thing is exactly the same as the one he had seen in the eastern suburbs of Qingquan City before! Even the main structure has not changed, only the connected peripherals have been improved!
"Could it be that this thing is driving those people outside crazy...hiss, that's not right, isn't this thing useless to humans with higher mental levels?"
It can't be said to be completely useless, but the impact is very limited, so limited that it can only affect people's subjective judgment on some insignificant little things. For example, when people are hesitating whether to buy or not, they can make people choose to buy or not.
And in some major decisions related to life, society and even the future of civilization, this device has almost no impact.
Otherwise, when this technology was first developed, it would not be used only for advertising, and the entire human union might be subverted by this advanced technology.
Suddenly, Ye Shi remembered a key thing.
"Nago...?"
Under normal circumstances, the mind interference device is useless for humans. At most, it can only be used to drive away some alien species with low mental levels in a wide area.
But if you eat Nago and enter a fugue state...
"Oh my god...it turns out that the so-called 'good news' is actually this thing?!"
Other settlements may also hide similar things!
Thinking of this, Ye Shi's scalp tingled.
But now is not the time to think about these things.
Walking to the terminal device connected to the metal tube, Ye Shi pulled out a data cable from the VM, and after searching for a long time, he finally found a suitable interface and poked it in.
The Alliance's scientific expedition team provides hacking programs to players with professional levels above LV3, including some basic functions such as breaking through firewalls, obtaining access control, and grabbing data.
This hacking program is mainly designed for civilian security systems in the pre-war era.
Although this kind of general small program is not reliable most of the time, especially the hardware conditions of the VM cannot support the huge amount of computing, it is still worth a try considering the security measures here that don't even bother to install door locks.
The entire settlement is covered by this mind interference device.
If his inference is correct, theoretically every "believer" here is the eye of the bishop hidden in the sanctuary. Even the farmer himself has unknowingly become a puppet of the Torch Church.
All the cover-ups are for outsiders. For the people living here, there is no need for them to hide or protect themselves.
The mind interference device itself is the best defense.
If someone accidentally enters here, they only need to "turn off" the consciousness of the unlucky guy and make her faint, just like today.
Ye Shi stared at the VM screen nervously, silently calculating the time in his heart.
He needs to take away as much data as possible, but he also has to consider the pressure his teammates are under at the moment.
If there is no result in 2 minutes, he will directly stick the C4 on the metal tube, set the time to detonate, and directly destroy the research facility physically.
Perhaps he heard the call from the bottom of his heart. In the last ten seconds of the countdown, a line of pale blue pop-up windows popped up in the center of the VM screen.
[Read-only permission has been obtained successfully. ]
[Operation permission is being obtained...]
Seeing this line of words, Ye Shi, who was almost about to give up, was so surprised that he almost cheered out loud.
"Fuck!? You can do it!"
Brother Yin Fang is awesome!
Of course, maybe Xiao Qi is awesome!
A simple operation interface appeared on the terminal screen in front of him. Although he couldn't understand any of the dense characters, the plug-in installed on the VM automatically translated them into a language that was easy for players to understand.
The copy program was being executed automatically.
Although most of the data had been deleted, some residual data was still mined and sorted out.
Waiting for the small program on the VM to obtain the operating authority to shut down the device, Ye Shi opened one of the sorted files, and a line of titles quickly caught his eyes.
"... Plan No. 03?"
What the hell?
You can't tell anything from the title alone.
With a hint of curiosity, Ye Shi stretched out his index finger and moved it on the screen, looking at the summary part of the file, and read it out in a low voice.
"...If the plan is judged to have a risk of leakage, the relevant research units must immediately terminate the ongoing research, destroy the experimental data, and start Plan 03."
"Experimental content: Test and record the clinical response and practical value of the subjects under the stimulation of the 03 band signal... Damn, are these guys still human?"
Ye Shi's Adam's apple moved, and he swallowed hard.
What practical value does this thing have...
Isn't it just a group of gnawers? !
And maybe they are not as good as gnawers, at least the latter do not need supplies and can live for a long time without eating anything.
Of course, this is not the point.
The point is that just to verify this boring thing, they sacrificed this settlement with 50,000 people without hesitation... Even if this settlement had surrendered to them long ago.
These guys...
What do they think humans are! ?
Wait——
Ye Shi suddenly noticed a detail.
Although the personnel in this research facility have been evacuated, since Plan 03 is also part of the experiment, someone must stay to record and collect the experimental results, right?
Otherwise, wouldn't the experiment be in vain?
Almost at this moment, a chill that penetrated deep into his bones climbed up his spine.
Without time to carefully identify where the chill came from, Ye Shi almost reflexively raised the muzzle of the gun and pointed it at the door, and pulled the trigger without thinking.
Even if there was nothing there!
"Bang, bang, bang--!"
Orange-yellow flames spurted out of the muzzle and rushed towards the empty door.
However, a strange scene happened. The rain of bullets seemed to hit a wall of air, and sparks burst while knocking open circles of transparent ripples.
The outline of the exoskeleton appeared in the air.
The man who was hit by a round of bullets staggered back and almost lost his balance.
This guy obviously didn't expect that even though he was equipped with an optical camouflage that was almost flawless and had lowered his footsteps, he was still discovered.
The man who barely stood firm raised his gun and was about to fight back, but as soon as he pulled the trigger and fired two shots, a strong wind blew towards his face.
It was a bloody dagger.
He almost subconsciously raised his arm to protect his head. Although this action saved his life, it also meant that his arm was stabbed hard.
"Ah——!"
The blade chopped off the exoskeleton's protective gear, cut through the flesh and cut open the man's radius, causing him to howl in pain, and blood and sweat poured out.
After pressing the man to the ground, Ye Shi pulled out the dagger with a click, pointed the rifle at the man's head, and grinned.
"Good fellow... I was just looking to catch him alive, but you showed up at my doorstep."