Chapter 40: Unfathomable

Xia Mi practically exploded on the spot.

How was she an unemployed vagrant?

On what grounds was she an unemployed vagrant?

Hadn’t Liao Tianhua already submitted the application to the higher-ups? Hadn’t he said that even if he died, she would still get a Bianzhi? Why was she an unemployed vagrant? Even if she failed to rescue the Second Team members this time, she had saved so many people in Building 6. Was her previous merit just wiped out because of one failure?

Xia Mi refused to accept this!

She felt like the game was lying to her.

She was furious!

She really wanted to smash her phone, but then she suddenly remembered it was a second-hand Huawei she had bought on a used-goods platform. Even second-hand, it had cost over a thousand yuan. She couldn’t afford to smash it.

So, she calmed down instantly, gave the phone a soothing pat, took a deep breath, and composed herself to face the difficulties with a fresh, determined attitude.

The game wasn’t reality, it only showed her one possible reality. If she didn’t want that reality to happen, she had to think of a way to break the deadlock.

Remembering that a group of team members was watching her from behind, Xia Mi knew that as a leader, she couldn’t show despair even in the most difficult times. She had to remain positive and always give her subordinates hope.

Even though she wasn’t a leader yet, Xia Mi believed that opportunity favored the prepared. She needed to be ready at all times to seize the chance when it came.

Thus, Xia Mi turned around with a heavy yet composed air, looked back at the team members, and asked, “You’ve all finished watching the game. Does anyone have any thoughts they’d like to share?”

Duan Feng, with his two mantis arms, said, “If we try again, I can avoid the sunflower’s attacks. I shouldn’t die.”

Xiao Qiu also nodded and said, “Next time, I won’t rely on my thick skin to tank the Zhuo-contaminated monsters’ attacks. I’ll be more careful to dodge, preserving more of our strength so we can survive until the end.”

Xiao Fang stated he would try to practice movement techniques that consumed less energy.

Xiao Huo also said he would watch out for attacks from the left. In the game, he had died at the hands of a monster because his left arm was broken, leaving him unable to defend that side.

Everyone was summarizing their experiences.

Group Leader Mi, however, said, “Project Queen Bee?”

The hair on Xia Mi’s neck stood up, and a chill ran down her spine. She wondered if her hard-earned Bianzhi had flown away because the Second Team members had seen the words “Project Queen Bee.”

Group Leader Mi didn’t notice Xia Mi’s panic and continued, “I’ve seen this project mentioned in files before. It seems the entire Underground Laboratory was built around ‘Project Queen Bee.’ The ultimate goal of that organization called ‘Etornit’ seems to be the realization of ‘Project Queen Bee.'”

Xia Mi pricked up her ears to listen closely and realized that Mi Xiangyan didn’t seem to associate her with “Project Queen Bee” at all.

That made sense. The game only mentioned that Project Queen Bee had changed hosts, but it didn’t mention who the original host was. Since Group Leader Mi had seen the name in the files, she naturally assumed the host of Project Queen Bee was originally inside the laboratory. She didn’t suspect Xia Mi at all.

Xia Mi straightened her back.

Thinking about it carefully, even if Mi Xiangyan and the Second Team members suspected she was the host of Project Queen Bee, the game ended with everyone dying. They couldn’t have leaked the secret, so how could it affect her Bianzhi?

Xia Mi was still fixated on the words “unemployed vagrant” and desperately wanted to know the reason.

While Mi Xiangyan was still pondering Project Queen Bee, Xia Mi walked over to her side, gently tugged on her sleeve, and asked, “Group Leader Mi, under what circumstances do you think I would lose my Bianzhi?”

Mi Xiangyan replied, “If you didn’t resign of your own accord, then only a violation of the law would lead to your dismissal from public office. You…”

Mi Xiangyan looked at Xia Mi’s expectant gaze, remembered the “unemployed vagrant” mentioned in the game, and said, “You’re bothered by that ending, aren’t you? I think it might be because you killed me and two other team members. After the Domain is dispelled and others enter the Pharmaceutical Factory, they won’t know what happened. They can only judge based on the evidence at the scene, which shows you killed three people with your own hands.

“Because the situation would be unclear, and they wouldn’t know if you acted while in an abnormal state, they wouldn’t be able to hold you criminally liable. But at the same time, the fact that you killed three people remains. Therefore, they couldn’t give you a Bianzhi, because if you truly killed out of your own will, you wouldn’t pass the political screening¹.

“The final result would likely be as the game mentioned: neither convicted nor cleared of suspicion. Everything would be shelved. To the outside world, you would just be an innocent, idle member of society who got caught up and died in the Pharmaceutical Factory accident.”

An idle member of society. Every word felt like a blow to Xia Mi’s head.

After being struck six times in a row, her mind gradually cleared.

In the game, “Xiao Mi” had suddenly gone mad because she was controlled by the Eye in the Secret Room. To break that control, Shield needed to release her ability to protect her mind.

But Shield was inside the Secret Room. To rescue Shield, someone had to be controlled.

Furthermore, while Shield could protect everyone’s minds and awaken the consciousness of the Eye in the Secret Room, her energy was insufficient. She needed someone to replenish it for her.

That person was Liao Tianhua.

But Liao Tianhua was in the Grey Domain and couldn’t assist them at all.

The crux of the problem lay in how to connect the two Domains.

The game had mentioned a key item, and Xia Mi suspected this item could bridge the two Domains.

Xia Mi asked, “Group Leader Mi, do you already understand the situation with the Domains in the Pharmaceutical Factory?”

Mi Xiangyan pushed up her glasses and said, “More or less. There are two Domains inside the factory. One is the Black Domain constructed by the Eye, which traps our consciousness in the factory’s history. The other is the Grey Domain constructed by the factory’s experimental subject, Mirror, which creates false consciousnesses to control our bodies.

“But it’s not that simple. Normally, the Eye in the Black Domain should be like us: physically abnormal but mentally sane. However, the Eye’s mind is also being controlled.

“Besides the Eye, there was another person whose mind was controlled: me, when my eyes turned red. Based on these clues, I suspect there’s a hidden rule in the Black Domain: anyone whose eyes are Zhuo-contaminated will have their mind controlled by Mirror.

“I don’t understand how Etornit makes a mirror come alive. I can’t just stay here like I did in the game. I need to search through the entire Pharmaceutical Factory’s archives, decrypt all the data, and find the mirror’s weakness. That might be the key item the game mentioned.”

Her words gave Xia Mi a new perspective. Xia Mi asked, “If I don’t look at those eyes, is it possible to avoid being controlled?”

In the game, Xiao Mi had made eye contact with them. It was possible that her eyes had been corrupted during that process, leading her to fall into madness and kill all her teammates.

Group Leader Mi replied, “I can only say there’s a possibility, but a possibility that hasn’t been verified will always remain just a ‘possibility.’ You either test it, or wait for me to find relevant information.”

Xia Mi said, “We can do both at once. Once I save up 1,000 zhuo coins, I can start the game again and verify this theory.”

Xiao Qiu and the others chimed in, “We’ll go with you to get the zhuo coins.”

Xia Mi looked at them seriously. “But you must promise me you won’t die. It doesn’t matter if we don’t get the coins, your lives are what’s most important.

“No matter what, someone among us must survive until the Domain is dispelled. Only then can we pass on everything we’ve seen in the Pharmaceutical Factory and report Etornit’s conspiracy to the higher-ups to stop them from hurting more people.

“We aren’t afraid of death, but we won’t die for nothing!”

She could die, but someone had to tell the organization that Xia Mi had shed blood for them, so they would give her back her Bianzhi and her Second-Class Merit!

Qiu Hailan and the others, who had lost their fighting spirit due to the game’s hopeless ending, felt their hope rekindle under Xia Mi’s encouragement.

Xia Mi directed, “We’ll stick to the game’s groupings. Xiao Qiu, Xiao Huo, Xiao Duan, and Xiao Fang will come with me. Xiao Wang and Xiao Li will stay with Group Leader Mi to investigate the records. Group Leader Mi, you can leave this archive to check other rooms, but you must stay close to us and move to areas where there are no monsters.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Take this.” Mi Xiangyan printed out a map and handed it to Xia Mi.

Xia Mi took it and looked. It was a map of the Underground Laboratory. Mi Xiangyan had drawn it on the computer and mapped out the best route for Xia Mi’s team.

“You found a map in the archives?” Xia Mi asked.

Mi Xiangyan replied, “There were no maps in the archives. I drew this based on your game.”

With a map, everything became clear.

Xia Mi gave Mi Xiangyan a thumbs up and led her team out of the archive, heading toward their first destination: the Sunflower Greenhouse.

As they walked, Xia Mi shouted slogans: “Everyone remember, our goal is to stay alive, kill monsters, and save Shield without a scratch!”

“Stay alive, kill monsters, save Shield without a scratch!” the four shouted in unison.

Xia Mi: “zhuo coins are precious, but life is worth more!”

The four: “zhuo coins are precious, but life is worth more!”

The five of them marched off to conquer the Underground Laboratory, shouting their slogans at the top of their lungs.

Behind them, Mi Xiangyan couldn’t help but laugh. She murmured, “Where did Liao Tianhua find such a character? She’s so full of energy.”

Xiao Wang, one of the team members, reminded her, “Group Leader Mi, Sister Xia wasn’t brought in by Captain Liao. She’s a survivor from Building 6.”

Mi Xiangyan’s smile faded. “Right, she’s a survivor from Building 6. But she was already a Rong before the nest appeared there.”

Mi Xiangyan picked up the observation report for the Y-Series Zhuo. In the report, Zhang Xun clearly stated that releasing four Zhuo into Building 6 wasn’t meant to consume the residents at all, but to use the characteristics of the Y-Series Zhuo to cultivate a Queen Bee.

Those four Zhuo clearly weren’t the Queen Bee. So, who was?

Xiao Wang asked, “Group Leader Mi, did you think of something important? Your expression looks terrifying.”

Mi Xiangyan shook her head. “I’m just a little worried about Xia Mi.”

In just this short time, she had grown to like Xia Mi’s personality. Xia Mi was proactive and optimistic, she possessed a fighting spirit that infected everyone around her, making people instinctively trust, cooperate with, and rely on her.

Mi Xiangyan naturally noticed Xia Mi’s tendency to want to lead wherever she went. She didn’t mind it, in fact, she felt it was as it should be. It would be a waste for someone like Xia Mi not to be a leader.

If Xia Mi were an ordinary person, she would surely have passed the civil service exam and worked her way up to a leadership position. But her current status…

It wasn’t that she couldn’t become a leader, but Xia Mi’s path would be much harder than that of the other team members.

“It’s fine. We’ll solve problems as they come.” Mi Xiangyan rolled up her sleeves and focused entirely on reading the data on the computer.

Since Xia Mi’s identity was questionable, Mi Xiangyan would decrypt all the data related to Project Queen Bee and submit an investigation report to the higher-ups stating that Xia Mi’s mental state was stable and she was fit for important responsibilities.

Information was her weapon!

There were tens of thousands of files on this computer, mostly observation reports. The sheer volume was immense, and she had to filter out many erroneous experimental results. Normally, it would take three days and nights to finish reading everything on this machine.

Mi Xiangyan’s intelligence was already higher than average. With full concentration, she could probably finish in a day.

But now, she felt as if an AI had been installed in her eyes. With a single glance, she could automatically categorize data. Her reading and calculation speeds were nearly on par with a computer.

Mi Xiangyan summarized as she read, her fingers flying across the keyboard. In just half an hour, she had organized and printed all the data from the computer. Her efficiency was incredible.

After finishing, Mi Xiangyan stood up. “Xiao Wang, Xiao Li, bring this printer. We’re moving to the next archive.”

As she spoke, Mi Xiangyan felt a sudden heat in her nose. She reached up to touch it and found she was having a nosebleed.

At the same time, her head spun with a wave of dizziness. She nearly collapsed, but Xiao Wang noticed her distress and caught her.

“Group Leader Mi, what’s wrong?” Xiao Wang asked with concern.

Mi Xiangyan shook her head. “It’s nothing, just physical exhaustion. No wonder Shield bled from her facial orifices and died in the game. This ability drains far too much life force.”

Their bodies were in the Grey Domain, and their supplies were all there as well, they had no food on them.

Only Xia Mi’s Silkworm could absorb from living beings. Other Rong could only absorb inanimate Zhuo parts, meaning Mi Xiangyan and the others had no way to obtain energy from the Zhuo monsters.

Mi Xiangyan could only sit in place and rest for a while. Once her nosebleed finally stopped, she stood up to head toward the next records room.

By the time they followed the route to the Sunflower Greenhouse, Xia Mi and her group had already finished clearing it. Xia Mi was currently violently kicking a five-meter-high sunflower head, muttering, “That’s for biting my helmet! A single Protective Suit costs over a hundred thousand!”

Once she had kicked it enough, Xia Mi finally absorbed the Zhuo energy from this last sunflower.

She did a quick mental calculation and said to Mi Xiangyan, “I have about 900 zhuo coins now. After I absorb a few more monsters, I’ll be able to start the game again.”

Mi Xiangyan paused in her tracks and looked at Xia Mi. “It costs 1,000 zhuo coins every time you reach a game ending?”

“Yeah,” Xia Mi said. “It’s a total rip-off.”

Mi Xiangyan asked further, “And the game gives you two free chances to reach an ending?”

“That’s right,” Xia Mi replied.

Mi Xiangyan looked at Xia Mi as if she were a monster.

She had just used her own Zhuo ability, and using even that tiny amount had nearly caused her to faint. The game was Xia Mi’s ability, so it had to be fueled by Xia Mi’s own energy.

The game wasn’t giving her two free chances to experience an ending, it was that Xia Mi’s own natural energy reserves were enough to play the game twice.

At 1,000 zhuo coins per game, Xia Mi had at least 2,000 zhuo coins worth of energy inside her, which was equivalent to the energy of 4,000 ordinary Zhuo-infected humans.

No, it was more than that.

The fact that Xia Mi could play the game twice without it affecting her normal movements at all meant that those 2,000 zhuo coins weren’t energy she had gained by overdrawing her life force. It was a bottomless power hidden deep within her body.

Just what kind of monster was Xia Mi?!

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Translator’s Notes

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1. political screening: A mandatory background check (zheng-shen) for individuals entering government, military, or sensitive positions in China. It evaluates the candidate’s and their family’s political reliability, criminal record, and social conduct. ↩