Every base had a safe room, but if you were not an insider you might not know that. All the more so for late arrivals like Lan Jin and the others.
Captain Zhang gave everyone a quick primer on what the safe room was for and how it worked. After that, there were no more questions.
Since the safe room was so important, they could not rush over blindly.
First they had to learn what had happened here. Second, they had to learn whether the place was safe now. Third, those insects had flown this way, so did this area carry the virus. If there were survivors in the J City base, had any of them been infected. All of this had to be confirmed.
If the safe room held survivors, then going there and asking would be the most direct way to understand everything.
After a short talk on the spot, Captain Zhang proposed, "Lao Shi takes a team to the safe room. Ask what happened and check whether anyone is hurt. But remember, until we have checked base safety, do not let anyone out. Also, do not remove your protective suits. The suits are a new material developed by the professors. Hard to tear, resistant to fire, water, and poison. They protect your lives, so do not take them off. Remember."
With that very serious warning, he split the teams and sent them out.
First team was Lao Shi, leading more than twenty from his own base to the safe room. Its location was hidden and counted as a J City base secret. Outsiders should not go. Lao Shi leading was best.
Second team was Dr. Wang from the R City base. He led more than thirty from his base to check the dormitories first.
Third team was Brother Li. He led about forty from the H City base to check the office buildings.
Last was Captain Zhang. He took his thirty three special training members to the labs where the professors usually worked. There were countless mutant creatures and experiment products there. Only the strongest should go.
Of course, the total number deployed was higher. Nearly half the people stayed with the ships. Ships had to be protected too.
…
Mentioning the professors' experiment products made the H City people remember the mountain quake, the split rock faces, and the lab stock that had been wiped out. Thankfully those things had fallen into the cracks. If they had all gotten loose.
Ordinary people in the base would not have stood a chance.
Thinking of that made safety a top priority again.
When they reached the labs with all their guard up, they found the rooms already stripped bare.
The dried blood everywhere told them the rest. There had been a brutal fight.
Captain Zhang rubbed his temples. "Great. Just great."
It would have been better if it had been like the H City base where a quake buried everything. If these things were loose, the whole area would not see peace. Before they could even start on that headache, Brother Li's voice burst over the radio calling for help.
Captain Zhang snatched his radio from his belt. "Brother Li, Brother Li, what is your situation. Brother Li."
The signal was breaking. He could not make out the words. Since the lab was empty there was no reason to linger. "Move. Help them."
They had just left the lab when Dr. Wang's team also called for help over the radio. To be honest, neither of those teams was made only of the very strongest, but they were not weak. To call for help so soon after splitting up meant something serious was happening.
Time pressed. Captain Zhang did not stop to think. He split his group in a run and sent two halves toward both calls. Right then, not far away, Lao Shi came out of the safe room and brought a whole crowd with him.
Captain Zhang was speechless for a heartbeat, then shouted, "I said do not let people out. We do not know what is outside. If."
He did not finish the if. The radios were full of layered calls for help. Captain Zhang strode up to the newcomers and scolded, "The base is dangerous. Did you not hear the calls for help. We have trouble everywhere. You brought people out. Am I supposed to guard them, or run to the rescues."
There was no choice to make anymore. The dangerous creatures were already drawing near.
Captain Zhang's tone set off a young girl beside Lao Shi. She snapped, "How can you talk like that. Brother Shi saved us. Is that wrong."
"Don't speak," Lao Shi said quietly. He turned back to Captain Zhang. "I had no choice. Some inside were hurt. Some were already showing signs of mutating. If I left them, everyone inside would be done for."
"So what hurt them."
Captain Zhang had barely asked when the girl blurted, "Why should we tell you. You were so fierce."
Lao Shi gave her a look and answered Captain Zhang. "Insects. All insects."
Insects again. Captain Zhang's ability was mental power, but after all this time it had not grown much. He knew danger was near, yet his sensing range was limited. For now he could not tell exactly what the teams were facing.
He did not have to wait long. As the danger drew closer, Captain Zhang felt it clearly. "It is bad. My ability can feel it. Insects are flying this way."
If Captain Zhang could already sense them, they were very close. For ordinary people without suits, this was not something they could resist. A single injury could be fatal. If infection turned people against them, the danger would double.
As for Lao Shi's choice, if you said he was wrong, he was not. He was trying to keep the last survivors of the J City base safe. If you said he was right, luck had stacked the worst things on top of each other.
Captain Zhang seemed to make a heavy decision. He let out a breath. "Everyone, protect these civilians and get them to the ships outside. Move."