Star Rank Hunter

Chapter 406: Some People Weren't Telling the Truth

While Wheeze was driving the test subjects into a frenzy, Gleyre received several communication requests on top of the usual reports. It was probably the project directors from that experimental zone coming to complain again. He didn’t even need to listen to know exactly what they were going to demand next.

‘Hmph!’

Gleyre didn’t care about the projects over there at all. As one of the very few who knew the truth behind this experimental base’s existence, he naturally understood what was really going on.

The Eighth Experimental Zone was nothing but a cover, just as Cillin had guessed. One only needed to see Gleyre’s casual actions and lack of reaction upon hearing of yet another failure there to know he couldn’t care less. Meanwhile, the apparent neglect of the Third Experimental Zone—which Gleyre oversaw—was merely a facade. On paper, Gleyre was the deputy head of the Third Experimental Zone and the chief director of the entire experimental base. While the other project leaders secretly looked down on him as a talentless parachute appointee, Gleyre never gave them the time of day either.

Gleyre took out several documents. Later, while listening to those tedious old men drone on about tedious topics, he would do something he actually found meaningful. He still had mounds of experimental data left to analyze; he had no time to sit around and listen to a bunch of useless trash boast!

What Gleyre didn’t know was that the moment he left the Third Experimental Zone, three people slipped right into this seemingly small, neglected sector.

Fenghai Chao was undeniably skilled. Several times he practically “floated” across the ceiling, passing directly above rushing researchers without being noticed. When it came to stealth, Ci Jincheng was the weakest link compared to Cillin and Fenghai Chao, but his technology made up for the gap. He always had one little gadget or another on hand to pull him through a tight spot.

This area had heavy access controls, but fortunately they came prepared. Since there were very few personnel stationed here on the surface, Cillin’s group rapidly advanced deeper into the Third Experimental Zone.

While machines often improved efficiency and offered absolute advantages in many respects, they were ultimately rigid constructs. Cillin and Ci Jincheng skillfully bypassed the verification measures on the security doors one after another.

“Thirty minutes,” Cillin whispered, flashing a hand signal to Ci Jincheng and Fenghai Chao.

Wheeze had estimated this based on the commotion outside, and the actual timeframe wouldn’t be far off. Barring any surprises, they had twenty solid minutes to investigate the Third Experimental Zone.

Gleyre never left this sector for long. According to their gathered intel, unless there was a high-level executive meeting for the entire base, he never spent more than an hour dealing with small meetings or unexpected incidents before hurrying back to the Third Experimental Zone.

This proved that the Third Experimental Zone was in the critical stages of some sort of experiment, and Gleyre couldn’t afford to be away for too long.

“How’s it looking?”

Cillin combined the scans he’d taken with the data Ci Jincheng had gathered. Fenghai Chao was keeping watch outside, ready to issue a warning if anyone approached.

“There’s something odd about this room.”

Ci Jincheng pointed to a spot on their stitched-together floor plan. It was Gleyre’s office.

“Let’s go take a look.”

Cillin could sense an abundance of abnormal machine language nearby—streams of data that ordinary people couldn’t perceive, visible only to the likes of Czedow and Wheeze. The spot Ci Jincheng pointed to, Gleyre’s office, was emitting far more out-of-place machine language frequencies than anywhere else.

There were no guards stationed outside Gleyre’s office. In fact, there were practically no soldiers anywhere in the base’s core experimental areas; they were all relegated to the perimeter and a few specific zones. Inside the labs, security relied entirely on mechanical sensors and scanners.

There was no overarching AI system here. Cillin didn’t know if Gleyre simply distrusted intelligent systems or if they couldn’t build one they found reliable. Regardless, this massive base lacked a central AI control hub; all authority remained directly in human hands. For Cillin, this was a good thing.

AI systems were much harder to deal with than standard security setups. Without a central hub in the way, it only took them half a minute to break into Gleyre’s office.

While cracking the office passcode in half a minute would be unimaginable to most people, they were on a strict time limit. That thirty seconds had just eaten a fortieth of their total window. Add in the time it took to get here, and they only had eighteen minutes and twenty-six seconds left.

Gleyre had secured this place thoroughly. Without his explicit personal consent, absolutely no one was allowed inside.

Once inside, Fenghai Chao and Ci Jincheng immediately began hunting for important data and sweeping the room for hidden secrets.

Ci Jincheng’s scanners couldn’t fully map the room or uncover the secrets hidden within. The office was wrapped in a highly complex security net. He could crack it, sure, but by the time he finished, Gleyre would likely be on his way back.

“Cillin, what should we do...”

Ci Jincheng turned to ask, only to find Cillin walking over to Gleyre’s chair.

After inspecting it, Cillin found a button on the armrest. He pressed it, and a holographic screen popped up.

“A passcode?”

Ci Jincheng was familiar with this. He had encountered his fair share of military tech and understood exactly how these models worked. He quickly deciphered the passcode.

As soon as the code was entered, a hole opened up in the floor, and the chair began to descend. Cillin, Ci Jincheng, and Fenghai Chao quickly hopped on, stacking themselves up one by one. Cillin sat in the chair, Ci Jincheng stood on Cillin’s shoulders, and Fenghai Chao balanced on Ci Jincheng’s shoulders. After all, space in the shaft was extremely tight.

Beneath the experimental base lay a hidden subterranean laboratory. This facility was highly classified, staffed by a mere twelve researchers. However, these twelve were the very best the Sixth Army had to offer in this field. They were deeply trusted—and anyone who wasn’t had been coerced through heavy-handed means. Two of the older researchers held as much influence in their specific field as Mo Heng did in mechanical engineering. It was clear just how much effort the Sixth Army had poured into this secret research.

This underground lab was practically hermetically sealed. The twelve researchers ate, slept, and lived entirely within its walls, barred from leaving until their research was complete. Of course, Cillin wasn’t optimistic about how the Sixth Army would treat them once they actually succeeded.

Although some were forced, most were willing participants. They were utterly fascinated by their work. When Gleyre and Kachira, the commander of the Sixth Army, first told them the news, they had thrown themselves into the research with fanatical zeal. None of them had expected that the entity rumored to have been purged twenty years ago still existed.

“It really is a Dream Tapir!”

Though he hadn’t seen the Dream Tapir sample itself, the data and analytical charts were enough for Ci Jincheng to confirm their subject of study. He had, after all, spent a long time analyzing very similar data.

“They’re trying to activate a Dream Tapir.”

Cillin could see what they were doing too. For a sample to be a candidate for activation, not only did it need to be perfectly preserved, but the Dream Tapir itself had to be in remarkably good health.

“Their activation process is already fifty-five percent complete! If we give them a little more time, they might just become the second group to successfully activate one,” Ci Jincheng said with a frown, looking at the data he had just siphoned.

After stepping off the descending chair, they had immediately found a corner to hide in and started stealing intel. The volume of data was massive. The research progress here was staggering, a feat heavily attributed to Gleyre. If he hadn’t managed to infiltrate the inner core of Miracle directly, they never would have obtained this data, let alone a completely intact and healthy Dream Tapir.

“But there’s some information I can’t hack from here. I’d need to get close to those machines to extract it.”

Ci Jincheng was deeply frustrated. Time was too tight, and he had no better way to get his hands on the remaining files. However, they couldn’t just walk over there. The core laboratory up ahead definitely housed the sample and the most critical data. Knowing it was right there but being unable to reach it was maddening.

Because that area was crawling with Sentinel Bugs!

Tiny insects clung to the walls of the corridor leading to the core laboratory. These bugs possessed incredibly sharp senses of smell, allowing them to detect the slightest shifts in environmental chemistry. These Sentinel Bugs were deployed specifically to deal with intruders. Even if someone managed to bypass the mechanical alarms, fooling these highly sensitive insects was nearly impossible. Scent signals traveled instantly to their brains, prompting them to transmit warning signals directly to the light panels they were attached to. If a stranger tried to pass and was detected, a laser grid would instantly slice the intruder into pieces.

“I’ll go,” Cillin said.

A layer of black Armor covered his body. Then, the Armor vanished, taking Cillin right along with it.

He had turned invisible—and it wasn’t standard camouflage either. At the very least, Ci Jincheng’s scanners right next to him couldn’t pick up a thing.

Cillin tailed a researcher who was heading back inside after a bathroom break. The security doors failed to detect Cillin, which made Ci Jincheng and Fenghai Chao breathe a sigh of relief. But their tension quickly returned. They had no idea where Cillin was now, or if he had already started down the corridor infested with Sentinel Bugs.

After entering the bustling section, Cillin made a beeline for the core laboratory, carefully observing his surroundings.

The subterranean floor was expansive. There were several large labs, each assigned a specific role, busily deciphering their respective parts of the project.

Aside from the intact sample undergoing activation, there were also several fragmented specimens, similar to the data Ci Jincheng had acquired. However, trying to conquer the individual pieces while having the whole picture as a reference was obviously much easier for these scientists.

Judging by the emotions visible in the eyes of the researchers wearing sterile suits, Cillin knew their progress was going rather smoothly.

Every large lab was a hive of activity, aided by mechanical assistants, but the core laboratory remained entirely devoid of personnel. Cillin figured only Gleyre was authorized to enter it.

As he set foot in the corridor leading to the core lab, Cillin slowed his pace. He watched the Sentinel Bugs’ reactions, taking every step with extreme caution. Although he trusted the Armor to seal him completely—preventing even a single dead skin cell from falling and locking his scent in tight—no one could guarantee there wouldn’t be an accident. Even if the odds of failure were one in a hundred thousand, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

As Cillin slowly inched his way down the hall, Ci Jincheng and Fenghai Chao waited with bated breath, ready to spring into action at the first sign of an emergency. But as the seconds ticked by, nothing went wrong. No alarms blared.

Cillin had to be in the corridor by now. The fact that the Sentinel Bugs hadn’t sounded the alarm proved that his method was working.

On the other hand, Fenghai Chao couldn’t help but wonder: how did Cillin get his hands on such high-end gear? Even the military didn’t necessarily have technology like that, yet Cillin did? He was just a Hunter. Weren’t Hunters’ gadgets just bought off the open market with money?

Cillin didn’t care what the others were thinking. He was already approaching the densest cluster of Sentinel Bugs. The bugs’ optimal detection range was right at the entrance he’d come from, but even after walking through that kill zone for so long, his nerves still pulled taut as he came within breathing distance of the swarm.

One step. Two steps...

Cillin slowly closed the distance from three meters away to two meters, then to one, until he was only centimeters away from the insects...

Even at point-blank range, the Sentinel Bugs showed no reaction. Cillin breathed a sigh of relief, but as he stared at the insects, a strange feeling washed over him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but he felt like... something wasn’t right.

After passing through the bug-infested zone, Cillin reached the door of the core laboratory. He sent a quick signal to Ci Jincheng, and when absolutely no one was looking his way, he slipped inside.

Inside the lab, the most eye-catching thing was a two-meter-tall cylindrical nutrient tank filled with liquid. Inside the tank floated an incredibly tiny creature, so small it was practically invisible without a careful look. However, radiating outward from where this tiny entity was stationed were various tubes connecting it to external machinery, along with a retracted activator. Every now and then, a few bubbles would form and float to the top.

That microscopic thing was a Dream Tapir. Over a hundred lethal viruses had been grafted onto this tiny organism, and it was entirely possible that even more would be added once it was fully activated. This miniscule creature was like a terrifying plague source, capable of carrying these highly dangerous viruses into a target location and releasing them all at once.

And this was just one—an incompletely activated Dream Tapir with relatively low immediate lethality. But rumor had it that Miracle had already successfully activated a progenitor, prompting it to divide into countless offspring, which would then continue to divide...

A single fully activated Dream Tapir was horrifying enough on its own. If all those offspring were deployed and unleashed their viruses simultaneously across every star sector in the GAL... it was unimaginable what kind of apocalypse that would look like.

Something more terrifying than a virus. To think there was a creature in this world capable of withstanding so many lethal viruses simultaneously without being affected. No wonder Chamonidine had asserted the importance of parasites back in the day. Perhaps he had already discovered similar parasites then, only they weren’t as terrifying as the Dream Tapir...

‘Hm?’

‘No, that’s not right!’

The Dream Tapir of the past was also modified. It was only through modification and targeted breeding that today’s Dream Tapir came to be. So, what kind of parasite did Chamonidine see back then? Could it have been the original prototype of the Dream Tapir? Or perhaps some close relative?

Cillin had a very good memory. He could clearly remember the information files he had read, but among those files, he didn’t recall seeing any such account. There were no similar records in Chamonidine’s notes or related documents.

Cillin narrowed his eyes. It seemed some people hadn’t been telling the truth—they hadn’t fully revealed Chamonidine’s work!

The device in his hand signaled that he had successfully copied all the information from the instruments here.

Fourteen minutes had passed so far.

He had to regroup and get out of here as quickly as possible.

Cillin erased some of his traces, ensuring that the arriving Gleyre wouldn’t discover him, before beginning to fall back. During the retreat, Cillin remained on high alert. He wouldn’t relax just because he had evaded those guard bugs the first time around. It was always better to be cautious.

Having finally returned to Ci Jincheng and Fenghai Chao’s hiding spot, Cillin handed the device with the copied information to Ci Jincheng. This action raised Fenghai Chao’s trust in Cillin a bit more, because Cillin showed absolutely no intention of keeping it for himself, decisively handing the item over to Ci Jincheng.

What Fenghai Chao didn’t know was that Cillin had already reviewed all the copied data. He just hadn’t read it from this device, but directly from the instruments inside the laboratory.

Having obtained the information they came for, the trio quickly retreated. They were very careful not to leave any traces or scents behind on the chairs. Even the indentations on the seats were restored to their original condition.

Exactly twenty minutes had passed by the time they left the Third Experimental Zone.

Their objective complete, Cillin called Wheeze back.

During its retreat, Wheeze even made sure Gleyre suffered a little. It had tampered with a mechanical sample dispenser, and when Gleyre walked past it, one of the dispenser’s support arms suddenly popped out horizontally, catching him completely off guard. The unprepared Gleyre took a vicious blow to the abdomen, feeling as if his internal organs had split open. Fortunately, the instrument was positioned somewhat high; if it had been just a bit lower, it would have smashed right into his family jewels, which really would have left him with aching balls.

Grinning at the result of its handiwork, Wheeze began its retreat. On Cillin’s end, they were already preparing to leave the base.

Clutching his stomach with a cold expression, Gleyre returned to the Third Experimental Zone and slumped into a chair. He used a medical scanner to treat the trauma from that sudden strike, while also habitually checking over a few things.

Suddenly, Gleyre froze. After double-checking to be sure, a bizarre smile crept onto his face.