Chapter 32

By the time Lin Tu finished rummaging through the car, Zhang Jie's wound had been mostly tended to.

Whether it was because he had lost an arm or because he had lost the means to clear the disaster, Zhang Jie seemed rather dispirited.

When Lin Tu tossed the work record at him and asked where the research institute was, he didn't get angry. Instead, he apologized humbly and immediately offered to take her there.

"Just tell me where it is," Lin Tu said, crossing her arms and looking down at him.

At this moment, Zhang Jie felt no humiliation from wounded pride—he only worried that Lin Tu wasn't standing high enough, or that his own position wasn't low enough.

"Why don't you take us with you? I can hand over the items to you," Zhang Jie said ingratiatingly. "They gave me three items—all E-rank, but they work wonders against plants and metal. I'll keep just one for myself and give you the rest..."

Lin Tu said nothing, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Zhang-ge..." Yi Ying supported his shoulder, somewhat indignant on his behalf.

"I'll give you all the items! And the supplies too!" Zhang Jie cursed inwardly, calling her an old fox, then hurriedly fumbled with his only right arm to pull out three coupons and a Single-Use Backpack from his pocket. "Anyway, I only have one arm left now, so it's inconvenient to carry things. I'd feel safer with you holding onto them."

He grew somber as he spoke. Losing an arm was undoubtedly losing half his survival ability. Even if he managed to leave this disaster world alive, he probably wouldn't be given any important work by the Black Factory again.

But no matter what, getting out alive was the most important thing. Zhang Jie's gaze swept darkly over his lackeys and Yi Ying. Who knew if these people realized that and might harbor thoughts of betraying him?

"Deal." Lin Tu took the coupons but didn't take the Single-Use Backpack. She only wanted to earn some benefits, not manage these people's food and clothing.

As Zhang Jie had said, these coupons were effective against plants and metal. [Diamond Coating]: apply the diamond liquid in the bottle to a sharp object to create a coating that can cut through any metal. As an E-rank item, it can only be applied and used once. [Emergency Ambulance]: allows the user and anyone touching the user to charge forward three meters, ignoring obstacles. [Herbicide Spray]: causes sprayed plants to wither and die (mutant plants only slow down), usable three times.

"Now can you tell me where the research institute is?"

"Of course."

Two cars drove one after the other to an underground parking lot two blocks away. After passing the parking lot, a plain-looking building appeared at the back—this was the research institute.

Cai Dui's mission record only mentioned that there was a shelter here, not where it was. So after entering the building, the first thing everyone did was look for a floor plan.

Zhang Jie, who had survived multiple disaster worlds, was experienced in this. He immediately noticed that the special symbol marked "Second Basement" was unusual.

Since the city's power supply had long since collapsed, to reach the second basement, everyone had to hold flashlights and carefully enter the stairwell.

Strangely, the stairwell indicated they were on the fourth floor above ground. Peering out the small window of the stairwell, they quickly figured it out. The research institute was on a hillside. They had entered at the top of the slope, and the building extended four floors down to the foot of the hill, where the basement began.

The problem was that the first floor was in a remote location with high walls. They guessed that for some security reasons, the Biosafety Prevention and Control Command hadn't cleared this place. Worse, this was a plant research institute, with test fields in the yard growing various things, and through the small window they could vaguely see the shapes of plants.

Everyone could only pray that the plant research institute had been watering them regularly as they cautiously descended.

Fourth floor... third floor... second floor...

Just as they were about to reach the first floor, Yi Ying let out a startled cry.

Through the wide-open door of the testing institute, sunlight spilled in, revealing dense, snake-like thick vines coiled everywhere. One vine had already spotted them and was slithering up the corroded handrail.

Lin Tu also saw the arm-thick vine coming straight at her. She had no intention of retreating. She quickly pulled out the herbicide spray, ready to test who was faster—her or the vine.

Lin Tu sprayed the herbicide as fast as she could, and the vine lunged at her face. Unfortunately, although the vine was hit, its built-in momentum carried it forward at lightning speed toward Lin Tu.

Alarms blared in Lin Tu's mind. She tilted her head back to dodge, but she was a fraction of a second too slow—her face might get scratched, but at least she had stocked plenty of medicine—Lin Tu thought wryly.

At that moment, she felt her wrist being pulled. She followed the force and dodged backward, landing in a somewhat warm embrace.

Lin Tu looked up with her tilted head and saw lowered eyelashes, a pair of somewhat familiar eyes.

"Careful." Those eyes were a little moist, whether from birth or not, she couldn't tell.

Why was he here?

"Thanks." For a moment, Lin Tu felt an instinctive flicker of joy, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. She quickly pulled away from the warm embrace.

She drew the big knife from her back and, taking advantage of the vine's slowed movement, swung at it with all her might. A metallic clang rang out as the vine was severed cleanly in two, the wounded vine retreating rapidly.

"The entrance is over there!" Yi Ying pointed excitedly in the direction the vine had retreated.

But her smile quickly froze, because the entire entrance, including the card swipe area, was blocked by vines. These vines, of unknown plant origin, grew messily across the floor, and just the visible ones numbered over a dozen.

Everyone's mood sank with panic and dismay.

"Luo Yongzhi!" Yi Ying heard Lin Tu call out. The two exchanged a glance, moving in perfect sync—one cut down the vines that came to harass them, the other activated the "Shatter" effect, chasing after the retreating vine, and with a "boom," shattered it at the roots, eliminating it completely.

Then they pressed forward to the next vine nearby, charging bravely ahead, like one man holding the pass against ten thousand.

Yi Ying felt inspired and fired up. She quickly pulled Zhang Jie: "Zhang-ge, don't you have a [Super Rescue Personnel] coupon? Let's go help too! We'll get to the shelter in no time!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jie glared at her fiercely. "Mind your own business! When did it become your turn to speak!"

Times had changed. He might have helped before, but now that he was missing an arm, what did he have to brag about? If he didn't keep the items, would he wait until he was about to die to regret it?

Yi Ying got scolded for no reason and shrank back, not daring to speak.

"Hey!" Lin Tu shouted from the front. "Don't you have any items or weapons? Come help! Don't just stand there being useless!"

The two lackeys exchanged glances and moved to stand behind Zhang Jie: "Zhang-ge, we'll stay here to protect you."

They could have all helped... Yi Ying felt a pang of distress. She watched Lin Tu and Luo Yongzhi, drenched in sweat, battling the vines, and even the youth who had appeared out of nowhere was helping with an iron rod, getting whipped a few times by the vines. Yi Ying reached into her backpack for a long time—her mind was at war for at least a minute—

"I'll go help." Yi Ying took out a coupon and said to Zhang Jie.