Chapter 212 – Self-Destruction
Diao Hongzhi remained calm and composed. “I was the one who suggested this study trip to Songwu Research Base for the students, so it’s only natural that I take responsibility for their safety. The Deputy Minister of the Executive Department entrusted me with this task. If you have a problem with that, take it up with him.”
“Dead fish eyes! You’re just using your position for personal revenge!” Xiao Di fumed. He hadn’t forgotten that on their first day in Pandalin District, Diao Hongzhi had threatened them, telling them to wait for their retribution. It had been quiet for so long that they’d almost forgotten about him, but now this was clearly his move.
Hearing himself called “dead fish eyes,” Diao Hongzhi’s face turned green. “What did you just call me?”
“He called you dead fish eyes,” Pang Xi chimed in loudly, arms crossed, standing among the students.
The students, watching the drama unfold, couldn’t hold back their laughter.
Diao Hongzhi shot a furious glare at the student who spoke, but when he saw it was Pang Xi, his expression instantly shifted from anger to one of ingratiating politeness.
Pang Xi was the younger sister of Deputy Minister Pang Xinting of the Executive Department—someone he definitely couldn’t afford to offend.
“Miss Pang is right,” Diao Hongzhi said, his sycophantic grin making Xiao Di sick to his stomach.
Xiao Di moved closer to the base door, peering through a small glass panel to see what was happening inside. Tu Ran was still being carried wildly through the air by the alien species, while Shen Yunhe and Min Tao were anxiously trying to figure out what to do from below.
Xiao Di’s eyes reddened with frustration. “Diao Hongzhi, don’t forget the new federal law. If anything happens to them in there, I’ll make sure you’re taken to court.”
Diao Hongzhi remained indifferent, waving off the threat. “Aren’t they pioneers? How could they possibly fail to handle a single alien species? If something does happen, it’s their own lack of skill, nothing to do with me. I’m keeping you out to ensure the safety of these students. What if you open the door and that alien escapes and hurts one of these precious children?”
He turned toward the students, addressing them. “Am I right, young masters and misses? Your families will be sending someone to pick you up soon. If that alien gets out before then, you might never see your parents again.”
“You’re right, we shouldn’t open the door until we’re safely out,” the children echoed in unison.
Xiao Di clenched his fists in frustration. These kids were the product of a selfish and profit-driven upper class, embodying every detestable trait of the elite. He didn’t expect them to understand that the people trapped inside the base had stayed behind to buy them time.
Closing his eyes, he turned away and searched his communicator for Deng Changtai. Maybe Deng Changtai could come to help them.
Inside the base, after enduring several minutes of cutting and slashing, Tu Ran finally managed to carve a five-centimeter-deep gash into the alien species’ neck.
She pulled out her handgun from her back and shoved it into the wound, pulling the trigger.
Two bullets lodged into its brain, and instantly, the alien’s strength drained away. Its wings stopped flapping, and it plummeted from a height of seven to eight meters.
Tu Ran had deliberately chosen a lower altitude before making her final move, fearing that a greater fall would be fatal for both her and the alien. Even at this height, with the alien cushioning her fall, she still felt dizzy and disoriented. Its muscles were so firm and uneven that crashing into it was no different than hitting the ground directly.
Shen Yunhe and Min Tao rushed over, each grabbing one of her arms to help her to her feet.
“Are you alright?” Shen Yunhe asked with concern.
“I’m fine.” Tu Ran rubbed her head and shook it. “Let’s get out of here quickly.”
She had a bad feeling.
Ever since they’d lost communication with Zero, she couldn’t shake the sense that something was wrong.
But there wasn’t a clear image in her mind, so she wasn’t sure if her “future sense” was kicking in.
As the three made their way to the base entrance, Min Tao went ahead to push the door, but it didn’t budge.
“What’s going on?” he frowned, trying to push it harder. He then tried pulling it, but still, there was no movement.
Min Tao pressed his face against the small palm-sized glass on the door, peering outside. He saw the guards from the Executive Department and Xiao Di, who was being blocked by them.
“What’s going on?” Min Tao asked over the communicator.
Xiao Di’s voice came back filled with frustration. “It’s that dead fish eyes guy. He won’t let us in, afraid the alien might escape.”
“We’ve already dealt with the alien. Can you open the door now?” Min Tao replied.
There was no immediate response from Xiao Di, suggesting he was busy arguing with Diao Hongzhi.
While waiting for Xiao Di’s reply, Tu Ran glanced back, and her heart skipped a beat.
The anesthetic gas in all the glass tanks had stopped flowing.
The various alien species inside were beginning to stir.
Shen Yunhe, following Tu Ran’s gaze, noticed it too, and a chill ran down his spine.
“Open the door now!” Tu Ran shouted, no longer needing Shen Yunhe’s support, and banged on the metal door with all her might.
There was finally some movement outside, but it wasn’t the sound of the door unlocking.
Through the narrow glass panel, Tu Ran saw Diao Hongzhi’s arrogant, cold, “dead fish eyes” staring back at her.
His voice came through Xiao Di’s communicator, reaching them inside.
“Weren’t you all so confident? So cocky? I’m sure handling a few more aliens won’t be a problem for you, right?”
Tu Ran glared at him, stepping back a few paces to distance herself from his smug, despicable face.
“It’s not that I don’t want to open the door. It’s that no one can open it now. The Songwu Research Base has activated its self-destruct sequence. The door’s been locked. Don’t believe me? See for yourselves.” He made a show of tugging at the door handle a few times, pretending to struggle, but of course, it didn’t budge.
“People are still inside! Why would it self-destruct?” Tu Ran urgently tried to call Zero, the super AI responsible for managing the upper part of Songwu Research Base.
The base still had people inside—Zero wouldn’t trigger a self-destruct under these circumstances.
Seeing Tu Ran’s anxious expression, Diao Hongzhi’s mood improved significantly, and he couldn’t help but explain a bit more. “Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. Due to routine maintenance, Zero is in sleep mode today. It won’t be back online for another seven hours. In the meantime, all emergency defense measures in the base will follow the previously established protocols.”
Seeing their confusion, he continued with mock patience. “Let me spell it out for you. Normally, if a situation like this—aliens escaping from their containers—occurs, Zero runs a series of risk assessments. If the risk is greater than the reward and the damage becomes irreparable, Zero triggers the self-destruct sequence.”
“But since Zero is in sleep mode, the base’s systems are running on autopilot, mimicking Zero’s past decisions. The base has entered self-destruct mode based on these automated protocols, which, unlike Zero, don’t check if there are still people alive inside.”
“Unless, of course, you can kill all those aliens before the countdown finishes… but,” Diao Hongzhi tilted his head, gazing at the aliens already pounding on their glass enclosures, “I doubt you have enough time. You’re all as good as dead… haha…”
Tu Ran burned his face into her memory. She had many abilities; she wasn’t going to die here. If she made it out, he’d be the first person she’d deal with.
“Senior, what do we do?” Shen Yunhe asked, staring nervously at the aliens smashing their glass enclosures, gripping his weapon tightly.
For some reason, he believed that Tu Ran had a plan—that they wouldn’t die here.
