The Trembling World
chapter-178

TL: xDh20, LifeisaJourney

ED: Oz

It's that time of year again! Happy Lunar New Year! Gotta enjoy that 15 day celebration :)

The scientists that were imprisoned behind in the cells were all zombies. As these zombies saw people enter, they all got up and charged toward the metal gates. Perhaps due to the thin density of oxygen, these zombies stood up and reacted very slowly.

Zhang ShengLi and Wang DeCheng didn't wait for the zombies to get up before killing them. These minute tasks didn’t require Liu Gan to personally make a move anymore.

They saw that at the end of the eleventh underground floor was another set of stairs from afar. The temperature also dropped, which seemed to come from the eerie feeling they could feel suffusing the area in front of the stairs. It became difficult to breathe, as the pungent smell mixed with the air. This caused many of them to feel uncomfortable as they walked beside the prison cells. The prison cells didn't have many zombies locked up, so most of the cells were empty.

The floor started to have residual puddles of water. This could've been from condensation building up, or it could've been from the nearby walls cracking and leaking water.

It was hard to locate the exact location responsible for the leakage. Every ten seconds or so, the sound of a droplet of water would echo in the halls. The underground world in this laboratory was very quiet, so every droplet that echoed in the hall as it hit the ground was spine-chilling.

Even though Zhang ShengLi and Wang DeCheng were level 5, under these conditions, they still felt a sense of dread. They inched closer to Liu Gan and Yin He’s side. In case some strange turn of events occur, they could at least receive support from Liu Gan and Yin He.

“Will there be a second Variant Zombie that can use the hallucinogenic ability? Will it conjure a white-clothed female ghost to scare us, perhaps? Especially you three so you can join their ranks of being ghosts,” Zhang ShengLi quipped as he shined the light around the distant corners.

The other three people only gave him a look of disapproval as they didn't find it amusing at all. The silence reigned as no one spoke up.

This prison-styled floor had a particularly long hallway, and they had to walk around two dozen meters before they reached the end of it. However, they didn't immediately proceed down the flight of stairs. Something caught their attention in one of the cells, closer to the end of the hallway. It was a scientist wearing a white long coat!

The important thing was that he wasn't a zombie!

From the looks of the cell on the outside, this cell was vastly different from the others. The surface area for this cell was larger compared to the other cells. It also had a standalone washroom and also had a large collection of canned goods, packaged goods, and containers for drinking water alongside the walls in stacks. But, it seems like it had all been emptied out.

When the white-coat scientist saw the approaching people arriving outside his cell, he was terrified because he wasn't sure if he was hallucinating.

“There is someone who actually survived!” Wang DeCheng exclaimed as he shined his light into the cell.

Liu Gan and Zhang ShengLi were both surprised, as this was out of their expectations. Seeing a locked up white-coat scientist heightened Zhang ShengLi’s senses, as it reminded him of the moment of how Zhang ShengNan and HuRong had died.

Being locked up, he was definitely not a good person.

“Who are you? And why are you locked up here?” Zhang ShengLi walked over to the prison cell and shined his light in as he shouted out loud.

“You tell me who you are first! Has the outside world returned to normal?” The white-coat scientist asked as he replied to Zhang ShengLi.

“We are investigation members; we have been sent here to investigate the situation.” Zhang ShengLi immediately contrived a lie.

“You are lying! The world outside has become dystopian, so there is no investigation squad! You look too young, so there is no way you are investigation members.” The white-coat scientist said as he avoided the light from the flashlight. He backed up into the corner furthest away when he saw Liu Gan walking closer.

“Okay, we are a bunch of survivors that have seemed to have found this location miraculously. Don't you want us to let you out? So why won't you talk to us?” Wang DeCheng glanced at Zhang ShengLi as they tried to perpetuate the lie.

“What's the point in letting me out? Especially when the world has ended!” The scientist exclaimed as he shook his head.

“Why would you say that?” Wang DeCheng continued probingly.

The white-coat scientist still refused to respond.

“You must answer my question! Who are you and what were you researching here? And why are you trapped in there?” Zhang ShengLi walked up to the white-coat scientist while shouting.

“What can you do if I don't answer? Will you kill me?” The white-coat scientist replied rhetorically in return to Zhang ShengLi.

“I will. I would not hesitate to kill you! Perhaps I’ll slowly torture you if you don't answer my question, considering you don't have any value to us!” Zhang ShengLi stated as he slammed the head of his fire axe onto the bars of the cell. The axe struck terrifying sounds through the bars.

Liu Gan had some question himself, but Zhang ShengLi and Wang DeCheng had both covered all the topics he was curious about. He only watched the response of the white-robed scientist. On this whole underground adventure, Yin He only found ten tubes of electrical plasma for some measure of a reward, but Liu Gan had yet to reap any substantial reward for himself.

It was hard to tell if this white-coat scientist would spill his secret — if not secrets.

“Okay, I could answer your questions, but could you give me something to eat and drink in return?” The white-coat scientist said after thinking for awhile.

“We could give you a small quantity of biscuits and water, But, only if you give us an honest and detailed answer. I will give you more biscuits and water if your answer is satisfactory.” Wang DeCheng said in a friendly tone. It seems that he was working with Zhang ShengLi, with himself playing good cop and the other playing the bad cop.

“If I answer your questions well, can you give me cigarettes too?” The white-coat scientist replied.

“That we can consider, but if you don't answer properly, then you won't get anything.” Wang DeCheng glanced at Liu Gan as he replied.

“Okay, I accept your conditions.” The scientist nodded.

“Elder Liu, you ask then.” Zhang ShengLi and Wang DeCheng looked at Liu Gan. With this type of interrogation, it was up to Elder Liu to handle.

“First question, what were you investigating in the laboratory?” Liu Gan asked.

Wang DeCheng pulled out a bag of biscuits and opened it. With a piece of biscuit in one hand and half a bottle of water in the other.

“We are a secret division located in the suburban district of San Xing Corporation’s Biochemical Intelligence Research Center. We are designated to research medicine and nanobots for androids. I am in the department that is responsible for researching a new type of medicine.” The white-coat scientist explained as he swallowed slowly while answering.

“What type of medicine are you researching?” Liu Gan continued to ask.

The white-coat scientist didn't respond. He only stared at Wang DeCheng for more food. Seems like he wanted to eat and drink before continuing to speak.