Shen Ge activated his Spectral Eye again to look at Liang Yin, but after examining her up and down, back and forth for quite a while, he still couldn’t find anything unusual about her—not even the faintest trace of the lowest-level spectral energy.
For an ordinary person to directly see spectral energy, they would have to possess the power of the Aberrant. The only way to do that was to transplant Aberrant cells into their body and become a Mutant.
But once Aberrant cells were transplanted, spectral energy reactions would appear on the body, making it impossible to escape Shen Ge’s Spectral Eye.
Yet now, under the scrutiny of his Spectral Eye, Liang Yin appeared to be an ordinary person. To ensure accuracy, Shen Ge even ran a scan through the system, but the result matched what his Spectral Eye detected.
Liang Yin’s reaction didn’t seem like she was bluffing. Shen Ge thought for a moment, stepped out, and had Deng Yuqi bring him a few spectral-energy firearms along with regular ones, placing them alongside the Aberrant-Killing Revolver in front of Liang Yin.
“Among these guns, which are spectral-energy weapons and which are regular firearms? Can you tell which one has the strongest spectral energy?” Shen Ge asked.
Liang Yin was taken aback, then immediately realized this was Shen Ge testing her ability. She turned her gaze to the guns on the table and examined them one by one.
“Hmm… the one with the strongest spectral energy is this revolver. I can see its power far surpasses the others. These few are spectral-energy weapons, but their combined energy isn’t even one-tenth of this revolver’s,” Liang Yin said as she sorted the guns into separate groups. The one she identified as having the strongest energy was Shen Ge’s Aberrant-Killing Revolver.
She could really see it?
Though Shen Ge had already reached a conclusion in his mind, he was still astonished to see that Liang Yin could genuinely distinguish between regular weapons and spectral-energy weapons by observing spectral energy.
Neither the Spectral Eye nor the system could detect anything wrong with Liang Yin, which reminded Shen Ge of the novel-type Mutant he had encountered on the ghost plane during his trip to the Great Capital.
“Are there many people with abilities like yours?” Shen Ge asked.
Liang Yin shook her head. “Quite a few girls were taken to the experimental base, but I don’t know what abilities they gained after undergoing the experiments.”
“Where is the laboratory you mentioned?” Shen Ge pressed.
Liang Yin thought for a moment and said, “They always blindfolded me when they took me to the lab. However, I’m quite sensitive to changes in the route, and by judging the sounds… if I were blindfolded and walked the path again, I think I could find the place.”
Shen Ge pondered briefly and asked, “I heard you’re very interested in the Exploration Corps and have considered joining. Why didn’t you tell the Captain about this?”
Liang Yin bit her lip, seemingly torn about whether to be truthful with Shen Ge. After hesitating for a while, she said, “I, I heard them say that you, you just joined the Exploration Corps a few days ago and weren’t originally from the shelter. And I… I saw your abilities yesterday and how you dealt with Priest Jiang… so I figured you might be a sworn enemy of the Neo-Theist Church. That’s why I thought I could cooperate with you, so…”
It was clear Liang Yin was extremely nervous—her words were even losing logical coherence, as if she was struggling with whether to confess everything to Shen Ge.
But there was no need for her to say more. Shen Ge had already guessed the reason from her jumbled speech: “If I’m not mistaken, you saw that I’m not a ‘local,’ and that my strength is somewhat decent. You wanted to use me to deal with the Neo-Theist Church. But since both the Exploration Corps and the Neo-Theist Church are forces within the shelter, you were worried that if things went south, you’d be the one to suffer—or even be handed over to smooth things over?”
Liang Yin muttered, “Don’t put it so harshly, like I’m trying to set you up. We’re helping each other. If you can break into that secret lab, you could also get your hands on the potion that makes you stronger. Isn’t that a win-win? Don’t you think?”
Shen Ge nodded, then turned his gaze toward the entrance of the tent and asked aloud, “I think it’s doable. What do you think, Captain Deng?”
Liang Yin froze, then saw Deng Yuqi, Fang Mingyue, Qian Weiguo, and two squad leaders she had briefly met before walk into the tent.
“Captain Deng, I, I didn’t mean to, to hide this from you, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Liang Yin stammered nervously.
Deng Yuqi stepped forward and patted Liang Yin on the shoulder reassuringly. “We understand your concerns, and we understand the harm the Neo-Theist Church has caused you. Don’t worry. If we can find the secret laboratory you mentioned and prove that the Neo-Theist Church is conducting human experiments on young girls—even if they have the Parliament backing them—I will uproot them completely.”
“Thank you, thank you,” Liang Yin said, her eyes glistening with tears of gratitude.
It was then that Shen Ge noticed Fang Mingyue was also among the group, looking like he hadn’t slept a wink—sporting a pair of dark circles that screamed he’d been searching non-stop for over a dozen hours since Shen Ge went missing.
But right now, everyone’s attention was fixed on the secret laboratory Liang Yin had revealed. The two exchanged a brief word before Deng Yuqi called them over to look at the map.
Deng Yuqi had someone bring out a map of the Great Capital and marked the shelter’s location along with their current position with a pen. “According to Liang Yin, after the Saintess candidates are taken out of the shelter by the Neo-Theist Church followers, they pass through this temporary base for resupply, then are transferred eastward.”
“Ten kilometers east lies the area between Defense Line 4 and Defense Line 5. I recall that when the Neo-Theist Church proposed building an outpost to the Parliament, they chose this very region. Combined with the route Liang Yin described, I believe the Neo-Theist Church’s secret laboratory is likely somewhere near that outpost.”
“I’ve decided to form a reconnaissance team to first escort Liang Yin to the outpost and scope out the situation. Once we confirm the lab’s exact location, we’ll assemble a strike force for a surprise assault and capture the lab in one go—no time for the Neo-Theist Church to react. As long as we secure evidence of their human experimentation, I can guarantee I’ll persuade the Aberrant-Hunting Corps and the City Defense Forces to join us in taking down the Neo-Theist Church, and even…”
Deng Yuqi didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone present could guess what she meant.
Although this operation was primarily about bringing down the Neo-Theist Church, they all knew the true enemy was the Parliament, which had already been infiltrated by the Church.
By leveraging the Church’s “crimes” to unite the Aberrant-Hunting Corps and the City Defense Forces, Deng Yuqi would essentially consolidate the shelter’s military power. At that point, whether to abolish the Parliament would be as simple as saying the word.
The moment Deng Yuqi finished speaking, the squad leaders present eagerly volunteered for the mission, including Fang Mingyue, who hadn’t rested for over twelve hours.
“Captain Fang worked hard on yesterday’s operation—you should stay at camp and rest today. For this mission, I’ll have Captain Chen and…” Deng Yuqi was still weighing the best candidates for the task when Fang Mingyue insisted she wasn’t tired and could still participate.
But then Shen Ge spoke up: “Since it’s a reconnaissance mission, the fewer people, the better. I think it’d be best if I handle the investigation. What do you say?”
You?
That was the first thought that crossed everyone’s mind when they heard Shen Ge’s proposal. But the next second, as they recalled his achievements over the past two days, the doubts died in their throats.
Deng Yuqi frowned. “But you’re in pretty much the same boat as Captain Fang—you’ve been running around for over a dozen hours without a break. I think you should stay at camp and rest too, just like Captain Fang, and let another squad leader take charge of this mission. I’m sure—”
“No need. Just look at my energy level, then take a look at Captain Fang’s… People’s constitutions aren’t all the same. Besides, I managed to bring Liang Yin out of the clutches of a high-level Aberrant and Priest Jiang. I can bring the other victims back from that secret lab just as safely,” Shen Ge said with confidence.
Even though his words sounded like they had a hint of bragging, Shen Ge’s confidence was backed by solid results, and no one present dared to question him.
After some discussion, it was decided that one squad leader and three scouts would accompany Shen Ge to the outpost, with Shen Ge in command of the entire operation.
Shen Ge knew Deng Yuqi was just worried about him, so he agreed to her arrangement.
Deng Yuqi assigned Shen Ge a light modified combat vehicle primarily used for reconnaissance missions and, following her planned route, avoided several Aberrant hotspots on the way to their destination.
As night fell, the reconnaissance team entered the area of Defense Line 4, which was less than two kilometers from their goal. Even the light combat vehicle made some noise, which could not only attract lurking Aberrants nearby but also alert the Neo-Theist Church followers guarding the secret lab. So Shen Ge and Captain Chen decided to conceal the vehicle in a ruined building and proceed on foot.
When they were less than a kilometer from the outpost, the team had already noticed something was off. According to the Exploration Corps’ known intel, Defense Line 4 and the outpost had been abandoned for a long time, with the shelter shifting its focus to Defense Line 3. This entire area was supposed to be in a state of disuse.
But the defensive fencing near Defense Line 4 had not only been reinforced with several extra layers but also had traps dug on both sides, filled with spikes.
On top of that, the fence was hung with Aberrant skins and corpses to ward off low-level Parasitized and Aberrants, serving as a defensive measure.
This supposedly abandoned area wasn’t deserted at all—there were no Aberrants or Parasitized in sight, and everything was managed in an orderly fashion. Something was clearly wrong.
Shen Ge had Captain Chen take the three scouts to find a high vantage point nearby, observe the situation within the defense line, and report back to Deng Yuqi.
Captain Chen, being the Exploration Corps’ most experienced reconnaissance squad leader, quickly found an excellent spot for observation.
Through his spectral-energy binoculars, Shen Ge spotted a hidden “sentry post” behind the ruins of a large building. The post wasn’t big, but its tower held over a dozen people, all dressed in Neo-Theist Church attire.
During the observation, Shen Ge noticed that people occasionally climbed down from the tower, but no one left the ruins. He guessed that the so-called laboratory was likely underneath the ruins, or that an underground parking garage or similar space had been converted into a temporary base.
After a while, Captain Chen approached Shen Ge and said, “Captain Shen, I’ve already sent the situation here to Captain Deng via communicator. But we’re a bit far from the temporary base, and with the spectral-energy black fog interfering along the way, I can’t confirm if they received it. I think the safest move is to have one of our team members head back to report.”
“Alright, do that,” Shen Ge nodded.
As a professional scout, Captain Chen had far more experience than Shen Ge.
“But for now, we can only confirm that the Neo-Theist Church has indeed stationed people here. We don’t know if the laboratory Liang Yin mentioned is really down there. If… I’m saying if—Liang Yin turns out to be a spy sent by the Neo-Theist Church, using us to stir up trouble against them, we could end up getting played and blamed for it.”
“Without concrete evidence proving the Church’s wrongdoing, convincing the Aberrant-Hunting Corps and the City Defense Forces to cooperate might not be so easy. Captain Shen, I think… why not let me try to sneak in and confirm whether the secret lab actually exists, and then find a way to report back to the corps?”
In the apocalypse, strength ruled above all. Although Shen Ge had only been part of the Exploration Corps for three days, his two-day track record had already earned the admiration of all the squad leaders. So Captain Chen didn’t look down on Shen Ge because of his newcomer status or polite demeanor—instead, he spoke with the deference of a subordinate reporting to a superior.
Shen Ge thought for a moment and said, “I think I should go. Captain Chen, you’re a veteran of the Exploration Corps—there’s a good chance the Neo-Theist Church followers have heard of you. But I’ve only been here a couple of days; these people probably don’t know who I am, so it’ll be easier for me to blend in.”
Though Shen Ge’s words had a touch of flattery, Captain Chen, as a long-serving squad leader, had indeed crossed paths with many Neo-Theist priests and followers. Whether it came to infiltration or dealing with the fallout of exposure, Shen Ge would have an easier time handling things than he would.
“Then… I’ll leave it to you,” Captain Chen said.
Shen Ge nodded and slipped down from the ruined building. Before he even left the structure, he activated his trait “Incorporeal” and made his way toward the outpost.
Although Captain Chen didn’t see Shen Ge exit the building, he figured that with Shen Ge’s impressive abilities, he might be even more skilled at reconnaissance than himself. He probably chose a different route. Not dwelling on it, Captain Chen continued to observe the outpost’s surroundings from his hiding spot.
Shen Ge reached the outpost’s entrance and walked in “boldly” and “openly.” Approaching the ruined building beneath the sentry tower, he faintly heard crying and moaning coming from inside.
He climbed over an old wall, dropped onto a balcony, and saw a group of naked people callously abusing a number of young boys and girls.
There were nearly ten men and four women in the group, and the scene was utterly chaotic and disgusting. To make it worse, a bonfire was burning not far away.
Shen Ge’s gaze darkened. Though he didn’t consider himself a saint, he would never stoop to such bestial acts.
The ruined building echoed with screams and moans, mingled with the revolting laughter of the abusers—a stark demonstration of the saying, “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.”
It was true in every era: the cruellest enemies of humanity were always their own kind. This held especially true in the apocalypse, where moral and legal constraints had completely broken down.
Those young boys and girls were tied to bamboo poles, suspended in the air, or carried around, mercilessly violated.
They screamed, wailed, and begged for mercy, but it was useless. The demons surrounded them, venting their carnal desires without restraint.
But the next second, with a series of gunshots, even louder screams erupted throughout the ruined building. The demons didn’t die—instead, bullets appeared out of nowhere, blowing off their genitals, shattering their limbs, then gouging out their eyes and cutting out their tongues. In the darkness, their fear was magnified infinitely.
Some of the bound youths noticed the change first. They realized the ropes binding their hands and feet had been cut, and in the next moment, the knives and guns on the ground flew to their feet.
Then, in those eyes, the fear and worry transformed—into the blazing flames of vengeance!
