The six players replicated the method and completely cleared all the aberrations blocking the way in front of the elevator shaft.

The corpses of the monsters lay strewn about in disarray.

Unmercifully, the Flesh Fungi Blanket stretched out its tubes and devoured the aberrations' flesh.

The players had no time to collect the remains of the monsters on the ground; instead, they saw Black Holy Son leading the way, suddenly leaping to the forefront of the elevator shaft, his Thin Sword slashing in a chain at the half-closed elevator doors.

[Skill Name: Snatch Cut]

[Type: Fighting]

[Special Effect: Leap into mid-air and use a sword-type weapon to release a crescent-shaped air blade attack within a forward arc. Duration of the release is determined by agility and Physical Attributes. During the release, the player will remain suspended in the air.]

[Stamina Point Cost: 10% of total]

[Cooldown: 5 minutes]

[Note: Staying still in mid-air is the best way to become a target.]

This skill was quite powerful, with the air blade being a ranged attack, but the side effect of having to remain suspended in the air was too deadly, practically casting a several-seconds-long control skill on oneself.

However, in the perilous environment swarming with low-intelligence monsters, it couldn't be more suitable.

Numerous cyan crescent-shaped air blades were released from Black Holy Son's Thin Sword, delaying briefly in the air before rapidly flying toward the elevator shaft doors below.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—

Dense and deep cutting marks spread across the metal door, carving out a gap that was neither too big nor too small.

As Black Holy Son ended his suspended state, his body plummeted diagonally downward.

Just as his feet were about to touch the ground, his arms eerily extended significantly, just enough to grab onto the gap in the elevator door, preventing his body from touching the Flesh Fungi Blanket on the ground.

"Phew..."

Black Holy Son quietly exhaled, tipping his toes on the elevator door and using the reaction force to flip his body into the gap.

By this time, the other five players had also rushed over, using the remains and broken limbs of the monsters as stepping points to bounce into the opening.

Inside the elevator shaft, it was dark and enclosed, the air stale and still.

Li Ang, with one hand, groped for the cracks in the wall lining the elevator shaft, while with his other hand, he pulled out a miner's lamp, stretched the elastic band, and clipped the lamp onto his head.

The others also took out their lamps and illuminated the elevator shaft.

The elevator was not at the floor where Li Ang and the rest were; shining their lights downward revealed an abyss of darkness that was terrifyingly deep.

"The elevator must have stopped at the very bottom."

Black Holy Son said softly, "Let's climb down."

"Right, climb, climb, climb, let's climb together."

Li Ang nodded and changed his position within the elevator shaft, turning upside down with bent knees, his toes hooked into the wall crevice, and his hands outstretched to support his weight, sticking to the walls of the elevator shaft like a gecko.

This bizarre posture, reminiscent of performance art, surprised the other players for a moment. Some didn't quite understand, thinking Li Ang had activated some special ability.

After some time, Li Ang did not climb significantly faster than they did, and indeed, he seemed to be slightly lagging behind.

Wanli Fengdao hesitated for a moment before he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Li, what is this unique posture of yours?"

"You don't understand, do you?"

Upside down, Li Ang crawled leisurely as he said in a deep voice, "This move is called 'Gecko Climbing the Wall' or 'Scorpion Climbing Backwards.' Have you read the justice novels 'Da Bayi,' 'Xiao Bayi,' and the modern 'Ghost Blowing Lamp'? This is authentic Chinese Kung Fu."

With a sideways glance, Wanli Fengdao retorted, "But you don't seem to be climbing any faster than us, do you?"

"That's because I haven't put in my full effort."

Li Ang chuckled coldly and suddenly picked up speed, effortlessly overtaking all the players.

After climbing for over ten meters, he suddenly stopped, slowly shifting his posture back to the normal head-up, feet-down position.

Everyone cast puzzled looks his way.

Li Ang flashed a hearty smile and gave a thumbs up. "Just now, I got a bit too into striking a pose and almost had a rush of blood to the head.

"Indeed, this kung fu does seem to have some unique tricks I don't know about."

....

Wanli Fengdao suppressed the urge to ask, Young man, what exactly are you showing off? Are you some kind of performance artist? and awkwardly chuckled a few times before continuing on the way.

The six players didn't know how long they had been climbing in the dark and silent elevator shaft, but they finally saw the elevator at the bottom.

Zhuang Pengpai leaped down, flipped open the maintenance door above the elevator, and shone the flashlight into the interior.

Nothing unusual; the elevator was empty.

"Wait here for a moment."

Zhuang Pengpai jumped down expressionlessly, his fingertips caught the cracks of the elevator doors, and with brute force, he pried them apart.

After a grating sound of metal twisting and breaking, the elevator doors were distorted and cracked open.

Zhuang Pengpai, holding a flashlight, stepped out of the elevator and into a dark, sealed corridor.

He looked around but didn't spot anything unusual, and his Geiger counter also showed no abnormal radiation.

Zhuang Pengpai returned to the elevator and gestured to the others; all the players descended into the corridor.

Not far from the elevator, on the wall, hung a metal map of the entire area.

Li Ang went over and saw that the underground area of the research center had three levels. The top two levels were the main laboratories for BSL-4, ABSL-4 (the highest security level biology and animal laboratories), the drug testing laboratories, and auxiliary rooms for the labs, while the third level was the office area. Con%t-e*n.t- so-ur+c*ed- fr.om M&V4$LEMP&Y^R& – My V+irt#u+al L+i&b$rary. E#m^p%ir@e.&

"We are now on the first level,"

Li Ang shifted his gaze from the map to the other players. "The third objective of the mission requires us to destroy the biotech laboratory.

If we consider the entire underground structure as the lab, we would need an enormous amount of explosives to destroy it.

Did you bring enough?"

Everyone shook their heads.

It was a bit unreasonable for players not to carry some explosives, but the underground laboratory was extensive, and its structure was quite solid. A small amount of explosives wouldn't be sufficient for controlled demolition; not to mention, trying to use the rock strata's own strength to "collapse" the lab was inconceivable.

It's not like players were expected to pick up shovels and dig at the walls, attempting to collapse the research center, right?

"The System wouldn't issue a mission that is absolutely impossible to complete. If players lack the ability to destroy the research center, then such a possibility must be hidden within the research center itself... for instance, a button that, once pressed, initiates the self-destruct mechanism."

Li Ang casually remarked, "According to my guesses about the System's 'nature,' whether it's Mission 1 to eliminate the president of Libra Company or Mission 2 to eliminate the Aberration Primogenitor, there's a high probability they're both located in the same place as that possible self-destruct button, like perhaps the office area on the third underground level."

Black Holy Son asked, frowning, "Why?"

Li Ang chuckled and pointed upwards. "The sort of grotesque scene above that rivals 'Song of Saya' couldn't possibly be caused by radiation, right?

Whatever the Aberration Primogenitor is, it's definitely related to this Libra Company laboratory.

If the Libra Company did indeed conduct clandestine research on life engineering, biological weapons, biochemical viruses, and such, then it's understandable that they, with guilty consciences, would install a self-destruct device within the research center.

And that Alphonse Anderson, who has survived, would definitely be hiding in the safest and most secure location, one that could withstand a nuclear blast.

Alphonse Anderson, having maintained a 'System-recognized human form' after living underground for twenty or thirty years, must have stocked a substantial amount of food resources in his safe room and, for some reason, ended up trapped there."