novelhk Chapter 7 Laser Corridor
Chapter 7 Laser Corridor
The plan changed, and the team split into two.
Captain Matthew, along with several elite mercenaries including Ryan, were escorting Spence, a character from the storyline (whose identity was still that of a security guard at this point and had not yet been revealed).
Alice and Matt, along with others, quickly moved towards the alternative route—through Restaurant B and the experimental area.
His decision was decisive and pragmatic: since the main passage contained unknown high-energy defense devices and the risks were uncontrollable, he would choose the route with relatively "known" risks. Zombies were indeed terrifying, but at least they could be dealt with with guns.
Meanwhile, Wang Lin and the other new recruits, along with the injured mercenary (the one who got bitten), the technician Kaplan, the medic, and several mercenaries who stayed behind to establish a defensive line, remained in a more open area outside the main server room. Zhang Jie was also left there, ostensibly to "assist in protecting the survivors."
"Team A, keep communications open and report the situation every two minutes," Matthew ordered before leaving. "Kaplan, continue trying to remotely hack or disable that defense system. We need to secure our escape route. The rest of you, hold your ground."
"Yes, Captain!"
Matthew and his men disappeared around the dimly lit corner of the passage. Those left behind had varying feelings. The mercenaries, well-trained, spread out, taking up advantageous positions, their guns warily pointed at the various exits. Kaplan sat on the ground, rapidly typing on his laptop on his lap, attempting to breach the Red Queen's outer defenses.
The newlyweds huddled together, still shaken. Zheng Zha clung tightly to Luo Li, his face still pale. Zhan Lan looked thoughtfully at Wang Lin, then at Zhang Jie. Li Xiaoyi (the chubby guy) and Lingdian (the lean man) stood silently to one side. The other newlyweds, including a middle-aged woman, a white-collar worker, and a female student, all appeared apprehensive.
Zhang Jie lit another cigarette, leaned against the cold wall, and scanned the crowd before finally fixing his gaze on Wang Lin. He suddenly spoke, "You react quickly and have good observation skills. Have you received any training before?"
Wang Lin was wary inside, but remained calm on the surface: "No, I just like to read miscellaneous books and ponder things randomly. I was just flustered and said something random, but I didn't expect to guess right." He had to keep a low profile, especially when facing Zhang Jie, this deep-thinking "semi-guide".
"You guessed right?" Zhang Jie exhaled a puff of smoke, a half-smile on his face. "You're really lucky."
The atmosphere was tense. Just then, Kaplan suddenly exclaimed, "Damn it! Red Queen is actively reinforcing her defenses! The energy reading on that channel is rising rapidly! It's... it's preparing to activate!"
"What?!" The mercenary squad leader left behind (a black man named JD) immediately rushed to Kaplan's side. "Can you stop him?"
"I'm trying... but its firewall is very strong, I need time! And..." Kaplan's forehead was covered in cold sweat, "and the energy readings show that even if I crack the program lock, that channel might still... activate itself due to energy overload! Physically!"
"Physical activation?" JD's expression changed.
"Yes! Like an overload before a fuse blows! Its energy core seems to have been programmed with some kind of self-destruct or emergency defense protocol by Red Queen!" Kaplan spoke rapidly. "We must leave this area immediately! Once that portal is activated, it could cause a large-scale energy burst or... or directly release lasers to wipe out the entire connecting area! We're too close here!"
"Evacuate! Take the wounded and survivors!" JD ordered immediately. "Kaplan, take the equipment! Everyone else, cover!"
The scene instantly descended into chaos. The newlyweds panicked, while the mercenaries frantically began organizing an evacuation. The wounded mercenaries were helped to their feet, and Kaplan hurriedly packed up his computer.
Wang Lin's mind raced. In the original story, the laser tunnel was activated by the Red Queen to prevent intruders from closing it, killing the mercenaries who entered. Now, because they didn't enter, the Red Queen was actively expanding the defensive perimeter? Was this a plot device "correcting" itself? Or had his intervention triggered some worse chain reaction?
Don't panic! Wang Lin forced himself to stay calm. He quickly surveyed his surroundings. The area they were in was a relatively open "lobby" outside the main server room, connecting to the passage they had come from (leading towards Restaurant B) and two other forks in the road—one was the entrance to the backup route Captain Matthew had taken, and the other... seemed to lead to a deeper, unknown area.
"Which way?!" JD asked loudly.
"Alternative route! Catch up with the captain!" a mercenary shouted.
"No! There might be danger there too!" another retorted.
Zhang Jie suddenly spoke up, pointing to the unknown fork in the road: "Over there, I remember there's a maintenance tunnel on the map that can take you back to the upper level and maybe avoid the area affected by the energy burst."
Wang Lin frowned. Was Zhang Jie guiding him? Or... setting him up? Repairing the passage? Was it mentioned in the original story? He wasn't sure. But right now, following Captain Matthew seemed to be the safest option, after all, the main characters were there.
"Take the backup route!" Wang Lin shouted. He had to influence the decision-making process. "Catch up with the captain and the others! They have firepower, and it's safer for them to stay together! Staying here or running around will only lead to them being picked off one by one!"
His voice stood out clearly and forcefully amidst the chaos. JD glanced at him, then looked at Kaplan: "How much longer until the energy burst?"
"Three minutes at most! Maybe even less!" Kaplan's voice trembled.
"Take the alternate route! Quick!" JD made the decision.
Everyone immediately rushed towards the passage Matthew had taken. But just then, something unexpected happened!
"roar--!"
Deep growls came from the passageway they had come from (leading to Restaurant B), and there was more than one! Immediately afterward, a flurry of heavy footsteps rapidly approached!
"Zombies! Lots!" the mercenary guarding the entrance to the passage exclaimed, and then gunfire erupted!
More zombies surged in from that direction, far exceeding the previous number! They seemed to be drawn by the gunshots and the presence of living people, and gathered there!
"Damn it! We're blocked!" JD's face turned ashen. A laser tunnel threatened from the front, and a horde of zombies blocked their path from behind!
"Use the maintenance access!" Zhang Jie shouted again, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Hurry!"
This time, even JD was wavering. The zombie horde was closing in, their firepower might not be enough to suppress it, and the laser tunnels could explode at any moment…
"Trust me!" Zhang Jie said, and was the first to run towards the unknown maintenance passage. "Follow me if you don't want to die!"
Some of the newcomers, including frightened female students and white-collar men, instinctively followed Zhang Jie. Zheng Zha hesitated for a moment and looked at Wang Lin.
Wang Lin's mind raced. Zhang Jie's enthusiasm...something's wrong! But staying behind to face the horde of zombies and the potential laser burst would also mean certain death!
"Kaplan! Is there any other way to shut down or weaken the energy of that channel?!" Wang Lin asked urgently.
Kaplan roared as he fired at the approaching zombies, "There is! If... if we can physically destroy its external power interface! It's on the side wall of the passage, there's a maintenance panel! But someone needs to go and operate it manually! Going there now is just suicide!"
Physically damaging the energy interface? Wang Lin's sharp gaze swept towards the laser channel. The entrance gate was half-open due to the previous hacking attempt, revealing smooth metal walls inside. On the side wall, there did indeed appear to be an inconspicuous gray panel bearing the Umbrella Corporation logo.
The distance is about twenty meters. There is an open area in between.
The roars of the zombies grew closer, bullets whistled through the narrow passage, and zombies fell one after another, but more surged forward. The mercenaries who remained were under immense pressure.
"I'll go!" a voice suddenly rang out—it was Zheng Zha! His eyes were filled with determination. "I'm fast! I'll destroy it!"
"Are you crazy?!" Zhan Lan grabbed him.
"Otherwise, we'll all die!" Zheng Zha broke free and looked at Wang Lin. "Wang Lin, tell me what to do!"
Wang Lin looked at Zheng Zha, then at the approaching horde of zombies, and at the entrance to the passage in the distance, flashing an ominous red light. Time was running out.
"No time! Everyone, follow me!" Zhang Jie shouted at the entrance of the maintenance passage, having already led a group of people inside.
"Zheng Zha, don't be impulsive!" Wang Lin grabbed Zheng Zha's shoulder and said quickly, "Destroying the interface doesn't necessarily require entering the passage! Kaplan, does that panel have external connections? Or, can we shoot it?"
Kaplan was taken aback: "The connection... there is! There are pipes extending from below the panel to the floor! But the floor is reinforced! A gun... maybe, but it would require armor-piercing rounds or a sufficiently large caliber, and it must hit the energy node! The panel itself is very sturdy!"
Armor-piercing rounds? Where would they get them? Wang Lin's heart sank.
Just then, the bitten mercenary suddenly began to convulse violently, his eyes began to glaze over, and he made hoarse noises.
"He's infected!" the medic exclaimed.
"Bang!" JD didn't hesitate and shot him dead, but a trace of pain flashed across his face.
The zombie horde is almost upon us! The line of fire is about to collapse!
"Take the maintenance access road! Hurry up!" JD finally gave the order to abandon the operation and prepared to evacuate with his men.
"Wait!" A thought flashed through Wang Lin's mind! He looked sharply at the maintenance passage where Zhang Jie had disappeared, then at the laser passage, and then at the horde of zombies surging in!
A risky, almost insane idea emerged.
"JD! Listen to me! We need to lure the zombies to the laser tunnel!" Wang Lin spoke rapidly, almost shouting. "The tunnel's defense system is automatic! It attacks any living thing (or moving target) that enters its range! If we can get the zombie horde to trigger it, we might deplete its energy or make it attack the wrong target, creating an opportunity for us!"
"What? How do I lure it?" JD shouted as he fired his gun.
"Use sound! Use light! Or... use blood!" Wang Lin looked at the mutated mercenary corpse on the ground, which had just been killed. His eyes hardened. "Throw the corpse over there! Fresh flesh and blood and noise will definitely attract the zombies! Kaplan, can you temporarily disable the barrier at the entrance of the passage or interfere with its friend-or-foe identification? Even for a second!"
Kaplan's fingers flew across the keyboard: "I'll give it a try! I can try to interfere with its initial scanning protocol with a piece of virus code! But it will only last a short time, and it might fail!"
"That's enough! JD, I need covering fire to dump the body near the tunnel entrance!"
JD, watching the approaching horde of zombies and glancing at the death tunnel flashing red, gritted his teeth and shouted, "Let's do it! You few, follow me! The rest of you, cover! Kaplan, get ready!"
Two mercenaries braved a hail of bullets, quickly dragging away the still slightly twitching corpse (the virus was taking effect). JD and Wang Linchong led the way, fighting their way back towards the laser tunnel. Seeing this, Zheng Zha picked up a fire axe dropped by a zombie and followed.
"Hurry! The zombies are coming!" Zhan Lan screamed from not far away.
The zombie horde had broken through the first line of fire, swatting down the last slow-reacting newcomer (the white-collar worker), and the screams abruptly ceased. More zombies surged forward, stepping over the corpses of their comrades!
"Throw!" JD and Wang Lin threw the body toward the entrance of the laser tunnel with all their might! The body flew in an arc and landed less than five meters from the entrance gate, its blood splattering on the clean floor.
"Kaplan!" Wang Lin shouted.
"Interference program activated! Now!" Kaplan pressed Enter.
The red warning light at the entrance to the laser tunnel flashed wildly for a moment, and the gate seemed to emit a slight "humming" sound.
Immediately afterwards, the first few zombies, drawn by the fresh flesh and commotion, roared and pounced on the corpses on the ground, crossing some invisible boundary—
hum!
A pale blue grid, almost invisible to the naked eye, flashed instantly less than a meter in front of the passage entrance! It precisely swept across the waists of the zombies!
laugh--!
A soft cutting sound rang out. The upper and lower bodies of those zombies separated instantly, the cuts as smooth as a mirror, blood and entrails splattered all over the ground! But their lower bodies continued to lunge forward a few steps before collapsing, while their upper bodies' claws still scratched unconsciously in the air.
It works! The laser defense's range is larger than inside the tunnel! And it's been triggered!
"Back off! Everyone back off!" JD yelled.
Stimulated by the deaths of their companions and the stench of blood, more zombies surged forward, triggering the laser grid relentlessly! Pale blue lines of death flashed and crisscrossed before the entrance to the passage, slicing zombies into pieces! The scene was bloody and eerie, as if an invisible meat grinder was working madly.
The energy readings within the channel spiked wildly on Kaplan's computer before beginning to fluctuate wildly.
"Energy overload! The defense system is operating beyond its capacity!" Kaplan shouted. "It's killing too many targets, exceeding its design load for a single cycle!"
"How long can we hold out?" Wang Lin stared intently at the battlefield.
"I don't know! But the temperature of the energy core is rising rapidly! It might be about to—"
Before the words were even finished, a piercing shriek suddenly erupted from inside the laser tunnel! Immediately afterward, dazzling blue-white sparks burst forth from the entrance gate!
boom--!!!
A muffled explosion resounded from within the tunnel, shaking the entire ground! The gate at the tunnel entrance was twisted and deformed by the blast, filling the air with thick smoke and the smell of burning. The flickering laser grid vanished instantly in the explosion!
"The energy node overloaded and burned out!" Kaplan exclaimed incredulously, staring at the disconnected signal and plummeting energy readings on the screen. "The defense system... is down!"
The laser channel was "exchanged" by Wang Lin in an unexpected way using the sea of zombies!
Ahead, only a few scattered zombies remained that had crossed the death line and were lucky enough to escape the laser, but they were easily picked off by the mercenaries who were on high alert.
Threat eliminated!
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, overwhelmed by the exhaustion of surviving a close call. Zhan Lan collapsed to the ground, while Luo Li sobbed in Zheng Zha's arms. The other newcomers were also pale-faced, gagging as they looked at the mountain of zombie fragments in the distance.
Zhang Jie emerged from the maintenance passageway again at some point. Looking at the destroyed laser tunnel and the mess on the ground, he glanced at Wang Lin with a complicated expression, said nothing, and just silently smoked.
JD walked over and patted Wang Lin on the shoulder forcefully. Admiration shone in the tough guy's eyes: "Well done, kid. You saved us all."
Wang Lin forced a smile, his heart still pounding. That maneuver had been like dancing on a knife's edge. But it was a success. Not only had he avoided the laser portal's massacre of the mercenaries, but he'd also managed to whittle down a large number of zombies.
"I wonder how things are going with the captain and the others." Wang Lin looked towards the alternate route. "We need to meet up with them as soon as possible."
"Okay." JD nodded and began to count the number of people and reorganize the team.
Zheng Zha walked to Wang Lin's side, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and whispered, "You... saved me again. No, you saved everyone."
Wang Lin looked at him, knowing that the time for the contract had come. Having survived a life-or-death crisis, Zheng Zha's trust and gratitude towards him had reached a peak, and he had just acted impulsively again (although he had been guided in the right direction).
"Zheng Zha," Wang Lin looked at him seriously, "we need to talk. About how to survive as a team in this place. You are courageous and kind, which are strengths. But in a place like this, uncontrolled courage and kindness can kill you and your teammates."
Zheng Zha's face darkened, and he nodded: "I know... I almost... again..."
"So, I have a suggestion." Wang Lin took out the ivory-yellow contract paper and pen from his pocket. "Let's sign a simple agreement. It's not to bind you, but to allow us to entrust our backs to each other with more confidence, and also to protect teammates like Lori and Zhan Lan."
"An agreement?" Zheng Zha looked at the seemingly ordinary piece of paper with a puzzled expression.
"Yes. The terms are simple: First, during missions, no one may attack or frame a teammate; second, when faced with critical decisions that could lead to the team's annihilation, thorough discussion is required, and impulsive actions are prohibited; third, mutual assistance and cooperation should be undertaken to the best of our ability, without jeopardizing our own survival." Wang Lin quickly wrote down the terms, his handwriting neat. "After signing, we'll be true teammates. Those who break the agreement... will pay the price."
He spoke the last sentence very softly, but very seriously.
Zheng Zha looked at the terms and conditions; they were indeed very reasonable, and could even be said to be exactly the kind of team he hoped for. He thought of Lori, the danger he had just faced, and how Wang Lin had calmly defused the crisis twice.
"Okay! I'll sign!" Zheng Zha took the pen almost without hesitation and signed his name in the "Party B" section—Zheng Zha.
The moment he signed his real name, a barely perceptible glimmer of light flashed across the contract paper before disappearing. An invisible, subtle sense of constraint was established between the two.
Wang Lin also signed his name. The contract was valid.
"Well then, teammate," Wang Lin put away the contract paper, stretched out his hand, "now, let's get out of this hellhole alive."
Zheng Zha gripped his hand tightly: "Mmm!"
Just then, from the depths of the alternate route passage where Captain Matthew had left, the faint sounds of intense gunfire and explosions could be heard!
Matthew and his friends are in trouble!
Wang Lin and Zheng Zha exchanged a glance.
"Ready to depart! Support the captain!" JD heard the commotion and immediately gave the order.
The team regrouped, carrying the wounded and shaken newcomers, and quickly advanced towards the direction from which the gunfire had occurred.
The crisis in the Laser Corridor has passed, but the terror of the Hive is far from over. Wang Lin knows that the real test—facing Zhang Jie's covert schemes and the potential appearance of Lickers—may have only just begun.
But at least for now, he has a teammate with great potential who is bound by a "contract".
This journey through the biohazard crisis seems to be beginning to offer a glimmer of hope.