Chapter 032 Chu Mufan

　　“Captain Qin… do you think he’s already dead?” a middle-aged team member asked.

　　“Still breathing, but still dying. Doesn’t matter—we open it anyway. You know our captain’s obsessed with stuff like this!” Qin Yong spoke calmly.

　　“Heh, yeah. Captain Star loves weird high-tech shit.” The man nodded and began searching the area.

　　Qin Yong stared again at the glowing panel. That was where the transparent window had activated earlier. But now, no matter how hard he pressed, it only flickered red and did nothing else. After a few useless tries, he muttered to himself:

　　“Maybe it’s fingerprint lock.” Then he picked up his radio, and called, “Ruicai, do you copy?”

　　“This is Ruicai. Captain Qin, what’s wrong? Something happened?” Zhang Ruicai’s voice came through the radio immediately.

　　“Nothing serious. We found a sealed capsule… and there might be a living person inside.”

　　“Alive? No way. I checked the system logs—this lab’s been shut down for over two years. How could anyone still be alive? What would he eat?” The idea sounded impossible to Zhang Ruicai, and he cut Qin Yong off, worried they were walking into a trap.

　　“Just focus. Can you open it from your end?” Qin Yong continued.

　　“Alright, I’ll try. Did you find it inside that first door?”

　　“Yeah. Only one path from there.”

　　“Okay, hold on. I’m checking the program.”

　　A short pause…

　　“It’s a fingerprint-locked capsule. Without the print, I can’t open it normally. And the backup power’s dying… unless…” Zhang Ruicai’s voice trailed off hesitantly.

　　“Unless what?!” Qin Yong pressed urgently.

　　“Unless I crash the whole system and cut the backup power. But that’ll lock all the outer doors automatically.”

　　“Then you cut the power, we open the capsule, and you turn it back on. Simple.”

　　“In theory, yes. But powers have almost gone. If we restart it, there’s no guarantee it’ll hold long enough for you to get out.”

　　Qin Yong lowered his head, thinking for a moment.

　　Then he turned to his team, “All of you, head out. I’m gonna open this capsule and carry him out with me!”

　　“What? No way! If the power dies, you’ll be trapped down here! Just leave him—we don’t even know whether he’s dead or alive!”

　　The others had heard the radio conversation.

　　They immediately protested, shocked that Qin Yong would risk himself for a stranger.

　　“It’s fine. We’ve survived way worse than this, remember? Besides, if the doors lock, I can blast a way out with high-explosive charges. Do you forget my old job?”

　　The team knew Qin Yong had been a special forces demolition expert before the apocalypse.

　　His precision with explosives was unmatched.

　　Seeing they were wavering, Qin Yong continued:

　　“Lao Zhao, how much high-explosive and detonators you got left? Hand ’em all over!”

　　Lao Zhao was the middle-aged man who’d spoken earlier, with a small backpack on his shoulders. “I’ve got plenty in my pack, plus some extra explosive tubes on me. I’ll give ’em all to you—just in case.” He took off his camouflage vest. The vest was stitched with many small round pockets, each holding a homemade explosive tube. He handed it to Qin Yong.

　　“Captain Qin… you must come back. We’ll be waiting for you outside! I’ve got sweet osmanthus wine almost ready. I’ve been saving it. When you get back, we’ll drink with Lao Zhang till we’re drunk!” Lao Zhao said so just because he knew Qin Yong loved alcohol.

　　“Haha, deal! I’m not dying on you—I’ve been craving that sweet osmanthus wine forever! Lao Zhang and all of us will drink till we all drop when I’m out! Haha! Alright, quit acting like it’s the last goodbye. I’m fast. I might even beat you out.” Qin Yong clapped Lao Zhao on the shoulder to calm them. He put on the vest and ordered, “Everyone, move out now! Rally outside!”

　　Hearing that, the team hesitated, and then jogged out. Qin Yong spoke into the radio, “All teams, prepare to evacuate!”

　　……

　　A few minutes later, reports came in over the radio from the other teams—they were almost all evacuated. Only Qin Yong remained inside.

　　Qin Yong spoke into the radio, “Zhang Ruicai, move in! Cut the power!”

　　……

　　Whoosh...

　　The world plunged into total darkness...

　　It was so quiet, a pin dropping would have sounded deafening. All equipment shut down completely...

　　Zhang Ruicai’s voice came over the radio, “Captain Qin, I’m using my laptop to crash the system. Once it’s done, I’ll restart the power. As soon as you open the capsule—run immediately. The power won’t last for long!”

　　“Understood. Get out of there too.”

　　“Got it. Take care!”

　　“You too.”

　　Qin Yong turned off the radio and clipped it to his tactical belt...

　　A moment later…

　　Beep. Power restored in an instant. The lab blazed bright again.

　　The wall of the capsule hissed and slowly slid open...

　　In seconds!

　　The full capsule was revealed. It was much larger than it had looked from the outside—made of thick, reinforced glass or some kind of crystal, extremely heavy. Qin Yong tapped it; a deep, solid sound echoed out.

　　The back layer he’d seen was actually a second, smaller container made of the same material. A tiny amount of unknown liquid remained at the bottom. He glanced quickly, then hurriedly opened the capsule lid. With a light flick of his finger, it popped open.