Waiting Fifteen Minutes

The alien creatures inside the glass enclosures were desperately trying to break free.

A python-like creature, as thick as a meter, reared up, pushing against the glass lid with all its might; the lid's lower edge was already beginning to loosen.

A frog-like creature, standing as tall as a grown man, crouched on the ground, its green skin bubbling with thick, dark mucus as if it were boiling.

The glass around it was slowly deforming and melting. Its body radiated intense heat, and the green liquid in the nearest tank began to steam and evaporate rapidly.

Inside that green liquid were several He Luo creatures—Tu Ran's old acquaintances. They were aquatic beings, always kept in a nutrient solution that sustained basic life functions. The solution contained anesthetics, so they normally wouldn't wake.

But now the frog creature was heating their nutrient solution, scalding them nearly to death, which had roused them. All their tentacles pushed with full force, clinging to the smooth glass walls as they tried to climb out.

Every surviving alien creature was finding its own way to escape its enclosure.

If they all got out, Tu Ran could easily imagine what would happen without even thinking.

She had the "Landslide" ability—the base's gates couldn't stop her.

If she escaped, the creatures would follow through the cracks she made.

It wasn't that she worried about these creatures getting out and eating people—she didn't care how many of those guards and students died.

What she worried about was exposing her ability. And if she led the creatures out to harm ordinary people, the Federation would have ample reason to put a bounty on her head.

Xi Chunzhi was still lying in the hospital, her core still missing. Tu Ran didn't want to be hunted by the entire Federation this soon.

Besides herself, who was the person who least wanted her to get into trouble?

Tu Ran thought of Xie Xu.

If she were wanted by the Federation, all the effort Xie Xu had put into forming an alliance with her would be wasted.

Tu Ran quickly found Xie Xu's contact and composed a message.

"Songwu Experimental Base. Find a way to get me out, or I'll blast my way through. If the Federation puts a bounty on me, our cooperation is over."

There was a long silence on Xie Xu's end. Just as Tu Ran thought he hadn't seen it, a message came back.

"Give me fifteen minutes. I'll come up with something."

Tu Ran put away her communicator, satisfied.

Then she'd wait fifteen minutes.

"Let's find a place to hide first," Tu Ran said.

The creatures hadn't broken out yet, so they hadn't noticed the three humans.

Tu Ran found a large robotic arm console, usually controlled by Zero to transport creatures to the underground lab.

She pulled Shen Yunhe and Min Tao into the gap between two robotic arm consoles—less than a meter wide, just enough for three people.

Now they just had to wait for Xie Xu's message.

Hidden there, they couldn't see what was happening outside, but the sound of glass shattering from all directions told them the creatures were free.

At the same time, the built-in guns hidden in the base's interior walls extended out, rotated to aim at the genetic monsters, and opened fire.

The nozzles along the base's walls also activated, spraying a mixture of anesthetic and toxic gas that quickly filled the entire facility.

Tu Ran and her companions wore combat helmets produced by the Pioneer Team's logistics division. Designed to help pioneers survive toxic environments in the Threshold, these helmets had some gas protection, so they didn't need to worry about being poisoned.

"How long do we have to hide here? Until all those creatures are dead?" Shen Yunhe, sitting in the middle, couldn't sit still.

He'd barely left the training base when he got caught up in this chaos—anxiety was inevitable.

Outside, bullets flew, creatures roared, and the base's self-destruct system was no joke. If they stayed hidden, they might avoid the poison, but the bombs would get them. Right now, there were no creatures nearby, so the guns weren't aimed at them. But if a creature escaped to this area... the consequences would be disastrous.

"Fifteen minutes," Tu Ran said, keeping her eyes on her communicator. Two minutes had passed.

In thirteen more minutes, if Xie Xu hadn't responded, she'd have no choice but to punch a hole in the base. When those creatures came flooding out, it was easy to imagine the damage they'd do to the Federation.

Shen Yunhe didn't understand why it was fifteen minutes, but Tu Ran didn't offer an explanation, so he didn't press. He just tried to calm himself down.

Min Tao, on the other side, was as steady as an old dog.

He was just as uncertain, but he'd fought alongside Tu Ran several times now, and he had full confidence in her judgment and abilities.

"Three more minutes," Tu Ran counted down.

The roars outside were deafening—impossible to tell which species they came from. The sound of gunfire and explosions never let up.

It was like setting off cannons at the New Year beast, with it running around in panic.

"One minute," Tu Ran said softly.

Still no word from the communicator.

In the final minute, Tu Ran relaxed her body, leaning her head back against the machine. The cold from the metal seeped into her back, but her mind stayed sharp.

Ten, nine, eight... five, four, three, two, one!

No message from Xie Xu.

No more waiting.

Tu Ran stood up decisively. Min Tao and Shen Yunhe, not knowing what was happening, stood up with her.

She peeked out first to assess the situation. It was as chaotic as she'd expected—flesh and blood flying, bullet casings and debris everywhere, thick toxic gas filling the air.

Crouching low to minimize her profile, she ran toward the wall about a dozen meters away.

That stretch was filled with robotic arm consoles, not glass enclosures, so there were no creatures there, and the base's guns wouldn't target it.

The three reached the wall with no trouble.

The metal wall was pitch black, material unidentifiable. Touching it felt like touching an ice wall—cold air seeped straight into the body.

Tu Ran shivered, then pressed her palm against it.

She was about to prepare for a life on the run.

"Land—"

"Ding-ding—"

It was the same notification sound as always, but Tu Ran thought she detected a hint of urgency in it.

Her ability was interrupted. Instead of continuing, she looked at her communicator. It was a message from Xie Xu.

Almost a minute late.

But just in time.

Tu Ran opened it.

"In the direction opposite the entrance, there's a flat mirror. Behind it is a passage leading to the underground research lab."

She looked toward where he indicated. It was too far, with the toxic mist obscuring her view, but she could vaguely make out a reflective wall.

"Let's go over there. There's an exit."

Exit? Shen Yunhe's eyes lit up.