Chapter 279: Chapter 267: Laboratory
"Everyone, as the vanguard, we accept the risk of death. But this Captain Lawson... his sniper is a complete amateur! At a critical moment, he actually held us back by opening fire on one of our own. I was nearly killed by a bullet from one of your team members, Captain Lawson!"
Herbert was one of Zane Locke’s men. The original Middle-Level plant-type superpower user on Zane Locke’s team had died on their first day at the base. Therefore, as the person with the highest plant-type Superpower Level on Zane Locke’s team now, Herbert’s standing was incomparable to what it once was.
Zane Locke frowned and stepped forward. "I believe Captain Lawson owes us an explanation, don’t you?"
"Exactly! The monster is right inside. If we can’t confirm its location, how are we supposed to deploy our people to hunt it down?"
"That’s right, Captain Lawson, your man needs to apologize! It’s a good thing he missed Herbert. If that bullet had hit, a life would have been lost!"
"Apologize! Apologize to Herbert right now!"
Quinn mentally calculated the time. Just as he did, a whistle echoed from a distant high-rise. A mocking smile spread across his face, so deep it seemed to bore into everyone’s eyes.
"Apologize? Heh. Call me a coward, but I’m rather fond of living, and my team members are only human. The monster in there is exceptionally fierce. We’ll be sitting this one out."
Quinn raised a hand and gestured to the squad he’d brought with him. Amos Rooney, seeing the signal from the ranks, bellowed, "The boss says we’re pulling out! Let’s head back!"
The squad Quinn had brought with him quickly vanished from sight.
Zane Locke and Herbert stared in utter shock at Quinn’s actions. ’He just took his team and left? Just like that?’
Seth Warren, however, looked completely unconcerned and recalled his own men. "Since Captain Lawson has left, I wonder what Captain Sepherdine and Captain Locke think. Should this operation continue?"
Standing beside Seth Warren, Azure Leroy frowned and whispered in his ear, "Captain, this operation is a good chance for our team to establish its prestige at the base. We shouldn’t give it up so easily."
A quiet "Stand down" from Seth Warren silenced her.
Zane Locke was caught in an awkward position, unsure of what to say. If he pushed to continue, he would have to send his own men to fill the gap Quinn had left. But if he backed down, he would have no standing to criticize Quinn’s actions.
He was in a bind.
Sepherdine, on the other hand, watched Quinn’s group depart with a curious look on his face. He glanced up at the rooftop of the high-rise from which the whistle had come, then turned back to the gaping hole in the dilapidated building, where dust obscured the situation inside.
’Interesting. This Quinn is certainly no pushover.’
"Since Captain Lawson has left, we can’t very well force the issue. And Captain Locke," Sepherdine said, turning to Zane, "one of your men was injured this time, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to insist on continuing the hunt. How about this? After we dismiss, come and see me. I’ll give you some Crystal Cores as compensation. I hope you and your subordinates won’t find the offer lacking."
Having said his piece, Sepherdine gathered his team and strode off.
Seth Warren said nothing. After a quick assessment of the situation, he too led Azure Leroy and the others away. Soon, only Zane Locke’s squad was left before the ruined building, standing in disarray amidst the wind and dust.
’What the fuck was that? The vanguard’s scouting mission was halted because my team member was almost hurt by Quinn’s man. How did it suddenly turn into the entire monster hunt being called off because my guy got injured?’
’This isn’t right! That bastard Sepherdine dug a pit for me, and I had no choice but to jump in. If I didn’t know for a fact that Sepherdine and Quinn weren’t acquainted, I’d almost suspect they conspired to set me up today.’
Seething with anger and frustration, Zane Locke stared reluctantly at the dilapidated building for a long moment. In the end, he was unwilling to risk the lives of his men, and he too led his team away.
Meanwhile, Flora Bloom and Jack Locke, with the Rose vine securely wrapped around their waists, exited steadily and swiftly from the rear of the ruined building. They soared on the wind, heading away from the base’s original main gate.
Nourished by Flora Bloom’s Space Spirit Water over the past few days, the Rose vine’s root system had grown increasingly thick and complex. It seemed poised to overtake the entire underground root network of all the other plants.
At Flora Bloom’s command, it wrapped its soft tendrils around their waists and carried them at high speed toward Villa Area No. 3.
Soon, the two of them came to a stop beneath the wisteria-covered pavilion in Villa Area No. 3.
Jack Locke stared incredulously at Flora Bloom and the vine that had delivered him. "You... that vine... is it some kind of plant-type pet under your control?"
Flora Bloom nodded. "You could say that."
"How is that possible? They’re still researching serums to control animals and zombies, but you can already control plants."
Flora Bloom’s brow furrowed deeply. "Who are ’they’?"
Jack Locke was a mess, covered in wounds, yet he showed no sign of weakness. A dangerous red light even flickered faintly in his serpentine eyes.
"They’re a pack of devils! Demons more terrifying than any zombie! I was trying to escape the people in the base who pointed and stared, treating me like a monster, so I decided to go to a basement outside the walls where my sister and I used to hide."
"The day I went, the basement was occupied. My condition suddenly flared up, and my body became covered in snake scales. They used an anesthetic to knock me out and brought me to some kind of laboratory."
Jack Locke struggled to recall the events.
"Was there... was there a man in there called Dr. Wallace?" Flora Bloom asked, watching Jack Locke nervously, her eyes filled with desperation.
"How did you know?" As he spoke, a wary glint appeared in Jack Locke’s serpentine eyes. "Are you one of them?"
Flora Bloom shook her head, a cold sneer on her lips. "How could I be in league with that scum? Tell me where they are. I’m going to save Annelise."
Flora Bloom didn’t just want to save Annelise Locke. ’I need to find that doctor,’ she thought, ’and tear him limb from limb. I’ll make sure he can never harm another innocent person with his experiments ever again!’
"After those people dragged me to the lab, they tied me down and injected me with all sorts of drugs. Every day, different people would take cold scalpels and carve away my flesh and scales. I don’t know why I turned into this... When I finally came to, my legs were gone. In their place was this hideous snake tail!"
"But I was anesthetized the whole time I was brought there. I honestly have no idea where the laboratory is!"
Flora Bloom listened with a grave expression. Jack Locke’s snake tail was different from Annelise’s. Annelise Locke’s was the result of her natural evolution to the Middle Level, fully integrated with her own genetic makeup.
But Jack Locke’s tail had most of its scales gouged out and was raw and bloody. And based on the energy within his body, Flora Bloom could tell he hadn’t reached the rank of a Middle-Level superpower user through natural progression.
"Do you know roughly how many of them there were? How many were superpower users? Did you ever overhear anyone in the lab mention anything about the location? Like descriptions of the surroundings, or what might be nearby? Or did anyone say anything... strange?"
"No. I was kept sedated every day; I could barely even open my eyes. All I could ever hear were the roars of zombified beasts, the strange cries of animals, and people screaming for help! It was all a chaotic mess of sounds. I couldn’t make anything out!"
