The view suddenly opened up!
What greeted her eyes was not the anticipated metal corridor or a depressing laboratory, but a vast, brightly lit and bustling space.
Its scale and layout were surprisingly like a modern shopping mall.
This was a huge hollow structure, seemingly six stories high.
The spacious atrium extended from their ground floor all the way up to the towering dome, a transparent reinforced glass dome, simulating a false "starry sky," with soft artificial light pouring down.
Completely different from other areas that seemed to symbolize absolute rationality, this place even exuded a unique romance.
Surrounding the atrium were layers of spiraling corridors, each floor lined with dazzling shop windows.
Inside the belly of this steel behemoth, there was actually such a human-filled place?
Serie's gaze was drawn to the ubiquitous screens in the hall.
They were embedded in pillars, hung beneath corridors, and even integrated into shop windows.
Light and shadow flickered on the screens, with diverse content, displaying goods Serie had never heard of—incense that could neutralize cognitive pollution, promotional material for a new generation of implantable mental stability chips, and even vacation package advertisements for "customized dream experiences."
That was provided by a tapir-shaped anomaly with a danger level of only F.
The visuals were beautiful, yet permeated with an indescribable eeriness.
News flashes were also broadcast from time to time, information streams quickly passing by, mixed with Control Bureau internal announcements and snippets from the surface world.
Serie was initially not very interested in these news, until—
A female synthetic voice, devoid of any emotion, suddenly overlaid other sounds, echoing through the hall and instantly quieting the surrounding clamor:
"—Special bulletin interruption, urgent incident announcement—"
Everyone's footsteps seemed to imperceptibly pause, and conversations sharply decreased.
Many employees subconsciously looked up, gazing at the nearest large main screen.
"Control Bureau Task Force Fire Hydrant-02 and Fire Hydrant-03, after executing mission 'Prometheus' on the Russian border, have been out of contact for over 12 hours past their scheduled communication time…"
"Wait… why does that sound familiar?" Serie's pupils contracted.
The screen switched, displaying the standard insignia of the two task forces—a red fire hydrant outline.
The atmosphere grew even heavier.
"The Saint Bernard Task Force has departed for search and rescue, and the area has been temporarily designated as an A-level potential anomaly active zone."
After a brief pause, the screen image switched again.
This time, what appeared was not a map or insignia, but a highly impactful high-definition photo, accompanied by the synthetic voice's cold narration:
"Associated High-Risk Containment Target Announcement:"
The photo occupied the entire screen—it was Wildfire Witch, Zhuoya!
The image captured the moment Wildfire Witch, Zhuoya raged through the forest.
Flames entwined her body, coiling like living things into a wild, dancing skirt.
Wherever she passed, the air twisted, scorched earth spread, and around her were charred ground and twisted human remains.
Her eyes burned with inhuman golden-red light, her long hair flew like flames in the heat, and what was most chilling was the almost joyful smile on her lips—not a madman's sneer, but the composure of a large feline playing with its prey, with a hint of cruel amusement.
Even though Serie knew it was herself, under the influence of the image, she felt a few traces of fear.
Was she that scary?
Serie did not know, but the Soldiers who had faced her did.
Unfortunately, they would never have the chance to tell Serie the answer.
At the end of the announcement, a front-facing wanted photo of Wildfire Witch appeared on the screen.
Zoya's face completely filled the entire screen—
Her smoky makeup blurred into eerie butterfly wings, like two dried blood tears, her overly long bangs were roughly pushed aside, revealing her predatory, amber eyes, pupils contracted into thin slits, staring directly into the viewer's eyes, perhaps due to bright light or something else.
Even as a static photo, that gaze carried a burning aggressiveness.
As if in the next second, she would reach out from the screen and grasp the viewer's throat.
Even Serie felt her heart pound from being stared at, let alone others.
More than half of the mall fell into dead silence.
Someone gasped, their fingers unconsciously clutching the work badge on their chest.
Someone stared fixedly at the screen, their Adam's apple bobbing, as if their breath was choked by those beast-like eyes.
Another girl suddenly turned her face away, her shoulders trembling slightly, tears streaming down—this was a newcomer to the logistics team who had transferred last month; several of her During the same period had remained forever on that scorched earth.
"Damn it!" A suppressed roar exploded in the hall outside the elevator.
A man in a tactical vest punched the wall, his knuckles white, veins bulging: "This monster… should just be—"
His words stopped abruptly.
Because he, like the other employees, suddenly caught sight of Serie who had just stepped out of the elevator.
Her dazzling white hospital gown instantly froze the air.
Feeling the hateful gazes, Serie froze in place, crying out inwardly, "Not good."
Her timing for entry was a bit delicate…
"Why is there an anomaly here?!" The vest-wearing man suddenly took two steps forward, the bloodshot in his eyes clearly visible.
Serie was startled by this sudden hostility and took half a step back, almost stumbling and falling.
She subconsciously grabbed Lynette's sleeve beside her, her fingertips trembling slightly.
She didn't dare to look up at Lynette's expression, only hearing an almost inaudible sigh from above her—
Then her world was suddenly filled with warmth.
No questions, no surprise.
Lynette's hand naturally covered Serie's cold, slightly trembling hand, then gently closed, enveloping her cold fingers in her palm.
An indescribable sense of security, like warm spring water, instantly surged from their clasped hands to her limbs, dispelling panic and fear.
It was then that these employees finally saw Lynette, who was dressed beside Serie, and the vest-wearing man's expression instantly froze: "Doc- Doctor?!"
The others quickly averted their gaze, some even reflexively straightened their backs: "Doctor Lynette!"
"Everyone, disperse," Lynette said faintly, using her free hand to push up her black-rimmed glasses.
Although her voice still sounded gentle to Serie, the employees dared not breathe a word.
Cold sweat beaded on the vest-wearing man's forehead as he stiffly stepped back two paces to clear the path.
As Lynette led Serie past, everyone retreated to the sides, and one girl with round-rimmed glasses even fearfully buried her face in a folder.
However, Serie had no mind to pay attention to them; her eyes were now only on Lynette.
Serie looked up, slightly lost in thought by the nearly perfect lines of Lynette's profile.
A delicate sensation came from their touching palms.
Lynette's hand was even softer than Serie had imagined, like a sheltered young lady who never did manual labor, yet it carried a reassuring warmth.
Serie could clearly feel the texture of the other's fingertips, each slight friction like a tiny electric current passing through her.
Thump, thump.
Her heart pounded terrifyingly in her chest, as if a frantic butterfly was crashing around inside.
Although Serie knew this emotion shouldn't exist, her cheeks were so hot they almost smoked, even the tips of her ears burned.
Just as Lynette seemed to feel her gaze and was about to turn to look, Serie hurriedly lowered her head, only to unexpectedly see their two shadows intimately overlapping on the ground, and this unintentional discovery completely threw her heartbeat into disarray.
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