The Trembling World
chapter-81

There was nothing he could do about it because Jiang JinYuan was a simple researcher. He was also what you would commonly refer to as bookworm. He only knew how to do his best at work, so he wouldn’t know how to play the psychological game. How could someone like him possibly beat the scheming and foresighted Liu Gan in mind games?

After going up to the parking lot on basement level 1, Yin He noticed that the zombies she encountered didn’t actually take the initiative to attack her. Thus, she could very freely walk around. Moreover, she was able to move around and search in the dark very easily with her infrared vision. The electric generator room was somewhere in the parking lot on basement level 1, and it didn’t take long before Yin He found its location. She then successfully opened all the backup power sources.

The backup power sources used oil to drive them. Judging from the amount of oil reserves, the power system in the building could keep going for around an hour.

The following matters were simpler. Liu Gan commanded Yin He to walk down the stairs and return to the ground floor before walking up a few floors and entering some laboratory. There, she wirelessly connected herself to the building’s main system terminal.

After gaining access to the building’s main system, Jiang JinYuan manipulated it so that he was able to download various materials from the main system onto his PDA. He also granted himself authorization to the building’s communication system on the same PDA. This allowed Jiang JinYuan to directly use the communication system while hiding in the underground room.

“This is the San Xing Corporation’s Ninjing City Division calling the main city laboratory. I am the investigator dispatched by San Xing Corporation, Jiang JinYuan. I have some important information to bring to you. My employee number is L6A8R7, and my mission number is X6T9K4W7V3. Please dispatch some support to Sang Xing Corporation’s Ninjing City Division to pick me up after verifying my identity.” Jiang JinYuan used the building’s communication system to send out an SOS signal.

“What does the employee number and mission number mean?” Liu Gan asked Jiang JinYuan.

“They’re the only codes that the main city laboratory uses to check my identity. If they don’t check the importance of my identity and mission, then they won’t possibly send people to save us.” Jiang JinYuan replied to Liu Gan.

“You can use a code you received in the real world in here as well?” Liu Gan kept feeling something strange in the air behind all of this.

“I don’t know. In any case, the company appointed employee and mission numbers to me when I came in. After meeting the main city laboratory’s personnel, they also provided these two numbers to them to help confirm my identity.” Jiang JinYuan answered Liu Gan.

“It looks like the San Xing Corporation in the real world has an inescapable relationship with [The Trembling World]…” Liu Gan coldy snorted.

“Perhaps.” Jing JinYuan once again sent out the recording of his call earlier.

“If you call out like this, won’t other people be able to record and take your identity upon receiving your broadcast?” Liu Gan asked Jiang JinYuan another question.

“This is the encrypted channel provided by the corporation. When I send out any voice message, it will also be encrypted. Even if anyone intercepts it, it won’t be of any use unless they decode it. Moreover…if they don’t know the circumstances of my mission, what can they gain from pretending to be me?” Jiang JinYuan shook his head.

“That’s true.” Liu Gan nodded.

Jiang JinYuan sent out the call a dozen more times in succession, but he didn’t receive any response. It seemed as if this entire world had already died.

“This can’t be, right? Has the main city laboratory also fallen into the enemy’s hands? When we came over, the corporation said that it was under strict guard. It couldn’t possibly have fallen so early.” Jiang JinYuan’s expression was turning somewhat ugly.

“Then is your mission impossible to complete?” Liu Gan looked at Jiang JinYuan in sympathy.

“I’ll try changing frequencies. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll use the public broadcast. Maybe after the calamity, they changed their communications frequency.” Jiang JinYuan manipulated the controls to switch frequencies and continue sending the call. This time, he didn’t report his employee and mission numbers.

The backup power sources could only supply electrical power to the building for an hour. Jiang JinYuan had to make the best use of this time to contact the main city laboratory. After this time passed, he and Liu Gan could only try to come up with other ways to go to the main city.

Alternatives…considering the great distance, ubiquitous zombies, colossal zombies, other possible advanced zombies, as well as having to cross the ocean, they were about to give up. Even with Liu Gan and Yin He as double bodyguards, Jiang JinYuan wasn’t confident that he’d survive until they arrived at the main city laboratory.

Jiang JinYuan continued to broadcast the sentences he’d recorded of himself over various frequencies, and he even sent it through the public channel. After the building’s electricity had been restored, the communication system could link to satellites in orbit. Therefore, a broadcast to this extent could be received normally by any person with communication equipment.

However, half an hour passed, and Jiang JinYuan still hadn’t received any response. This world seemed to be incomparably cold and desolate, as if it was currently headed towards complete apocalypse.

“Why? Why? Were all my efforts in vain?” Jiang JinYuan seemed to instantly age by a lot, and his expression turned to one of matchless despair.

He had been hiding the matter of him suffering from cancer from his wife and daughter and the rest of his family this whole time. He’d even given up his last chance to meet them and applied to become a volunteer here. He’d wanted to complete the mission in exchange for the corporation giving his family a large compensation. So after he left his wife and daughter, they’d still be able to live a carefree life with clothes to wear and food to eat.

But now, it looked like completing this mission had basically become an impossible task.

“Perhaps the situation still isn’t that bad? Don’t give up so early.” Liu Gan comforted Jiang JinYuan.

“It’s useless. The main city laboratory has definitely already fallen into enemy hands. My mission cannot be completed no matter what…” Jiang JinYuan continuously shook his head.

In the half hour he’d spent using his PDA to communicate, Jiang JinYuan hadn’t given his surroundings a probing sweep. Perhaps he’d subconsciously assumed that this underground room was safe. Moreover, he had Liu Gan by his side as protection, so he relaxed his guard and simply put all his effort into trying to connect with the main city laboratory.

In the darkness, one couldn’t sense any sign of approaching danger. Just when Liu Gan finally sensed that there was something wrong about this place, a tentacle with a sharp thorn on its front end pierced outwards towards his body.

The tentacle was incomparably sharp and extremely swift. It pierced the ‘Mist Armor’ on the outside of Liu Gan’s body, igniting sparks of fire like a strike against an iron panel. After Liu Gan reacted, the fire axe in his hand suddenly whirled towards that tentacle, immediately slicing off the sharp thorn at its tip. But at the same time, he heard Jiang JinYuan give a blood-curdling screech from beside him.

The tentacle from the unknown creature had clearly attacked Jiang JinYuan while it was attacking Liu Gan.

[xDh20: YAY TaffyGirl13 Saves the day.]