Star Rank Hunter

Chapter 412: The Mysterious Base

Wheeze tilted his head, chewing with gusto. The others took one look and looked away; the sight sent a chill down their spines.

After glancing at the mummified bio-beastman, Knight shifted his gaze to the incubation nest, which was covered in a layer of “ice crystals.” He tapped it with his wristblade to test it before reaching out to touch it.

About ten centimeters beneath Knight’s finger, a bio-beastman that had just hatched and broken its membrane had its mouth wide open, looking ready to pounce at any second. However, that tension was frozen solid by the layer of “ice crystals.”

Reviewing the analysis transmitted through his protective suit, Knight was amazed. These “ice crystals” were essentially just water, yet they didn’t feel very cold. Furthermore, the analyzer showed that the eggs inside the nest had almost no life signals left. The few living ones were extremely weak and soon faded away completely.

Knight tested it with his dagger and sliced off a corner. Looking at the piece of the bio-beastman encased within it, he saw absolutely no life signal response this time.

A crunching sound rang out. Having finished his piece of “jerky,” Wheeze ran over, clung to the “ice”-sealed nest, and started biting into it.

Knight tapped the severed piece of “ice crystal” with his dagger. The feedback force traveling to his hand told him just how hard the material was, giving him a newfound admiration for Wheeze’s teeth and bite force.

Seeing Knight cut off a piece, the others grew curious. They popped out their blades to take a look, wondering what exactly the substance in front of them was.

Because the earlier phenomenon had forcibly drawn in the surrounding moisture, many of the bio-beastmen that had originally surged toward them were now staying far away. Those that hadn’t dodged in time had much of their body’s moisture drained, leaving them somewhat shriveled. However, the bio-beastmen closer to the exit remained largely unaffected; the pharmaceutical plant sat right next to a wide river, keeping the humidity there high.

But this grace period wouldn’t last long. Thanks to the local geography, combined with the plant’s explosion and the excavation by Cillin’s group breaking the seal on the underground laboratory, moisture would soon seep back in.

“Let’s check elsewhere,” Cillin said.

The guys, who had been having a good time slicing the ice, voiced their agreement and tossed the hard chunks aside. However, they each kept a few small pieces to study during their free time. They didn’t hide this from Cillin, nor did they intend to.

Having finished up on their side, the group walked over to Ci Jincheng and his team. That area used to house several experimental laboratories. Along the way, they saw many shriveled corpses—mummies formed after being killed by Ci Jincheng’s group and then forcibly drained of their moisture. They had seen this before, so Knight and the others were no longer surprised to encounter them.

“How is it? Did you find anything?” Cillin asked.

Ci Jincheng held up an instrument. “The recovered data is limited, but it wasn’t a wasted trip.”

Although they hadn’t found any news regarding the Dream Tapir, they had obtained quite a bit of information about the bio-beastmen. At this stage, the greatest threat was indeed the Dream Tapir. However, no one could say for sure whether disasters similar to this one would appear in more places after the Dream Tapir crisis. Miracle’s other bases likely still harbored many underground incubation nests like this one.

Thwack!

A metal shard flew out from beside Czedow, pinning a distant, lizard-like animal dead to the ground.

Ci Jincheng and the others weren’t surprised by this. Czedow had already killed several of these animals here. Although they weren’t bio-beastmen, they might have been test subjects from the former laboratory. Thus, they didn’t have much doubt about Czedow’s actions.

However, Cillin sensed that something was off. Even before landing on the planet, he had felt a strange signal wave. After arriving here, he experienced an inexplicable, familiar feeling. Furthermore, he felt as if someone was watching everything.

Those animals were peculiar. Only after Czedow killed them did Cillin’s feeling of being monitored decrease slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Lung asked.

“I just feel like someone is watching us,” Cillin replied.

“Now that you mention it, it does feel a bit like that. But the target of their attention definitely isn’t me.” Lung hugged his arms and rubbed them as if smoothing goosebumps. If someone were staring at him from the shadows, he would certainly have noticed. Right now, that feeling of being observed wasn’t strong, meaning the focus wasn’t on him. He could be certain of that.

“There’s someone else?” the others exclaimed in surprise, looking around alertly.

Through the life signal scanner on his protective visor, Ci Jincheng didn’t see any other humans; there were only scattered life signals from bio-beastmen and some small animals. But there had to be a reason Cillin and Lung said that. Someone was definitely watching them from the shadows. Miracle’s people? Or someone else?

After looking around, Cillin said, “Let’s ignore that for now. Once we finish gathering information here, we’ll go check the other locations to see if there are similar underground incubation nests. If there are, we’ll destroy them immediately.”

“Yeah, this is indeed a top priority.” Ci Jincheng looked at the information Kang Man had sent back. A spacecraft had crashed on this planet in the last two days. It might have come from the transit planet, but there was no viral spread. It was possible the people who arrived hadn’t been infected, or perhaps they had been dealt with. In short, no signs of viral transmission had been found yet, though battles were indeed taking place in other areas.

“Let’s get out and blow this place up. The other two large pharmaceutical plants definitely hold some secrets as well.” Ci Jincheng put away his instrument and headed back the way they came.

When they saw the “ice-sealed” incubation nest, Ci Jincheng and the others were momentarily stunned. Combining the scene before them with what they had seen earlier, it was impossible not to be shocked. Meanwhile, Wheeze was still clinging to it, gnawing away enthusiastically. However, in the interest of time, no one lingered. Cillin plucked Wheeze off the “frozen” nest. Once Knight finished planting the explosives, the group quickly evacuated.

Without the continued hatching of bio-beastmen, a new generation wouldn’t breed so quickly. Every current bio-beastman they killed was one less to deal with, and there wouldn’t be any new additions for the time being. This certainly relieved a lot of pressure.

Retreating from the underground laboratory, they saw that Kang Man had already flown the spacecraft over after receiving their notice. It descended above the pharmaceutical plant.

The group split into two teams again: one team provided cover while the other jumped onto the lowered landing ramp.

Some bio-beastmen in the vicinity noticed the commotion and swarmed toward them.

However, the moment Cillin and the others hopped onto the ramp, the spacecraft began to pull up.

Knight held up his fingers and began the countdown.

“Five... four... three... two... one... Detonate!”

Boom!

A massive explosion tore through the air. The blast started from the underground laboratory, ripping up and shattering the surface rocks of the crust. As the shockwave spread, the rushing bio-beastmen didn’t even have time to flee before they were swallowed up and blasted into ash. The entire pharmaceutical plant had now truly been uprooted—torn out from its very foundations. The “frozen” incubation nest was also reduced to dust in the blast.

The people hiding in the residential areas watched the scene, and hope rose within them once more. They knew the bio-beastmen had poured out from that place, but they had been unable to get anywhere near it. Even those who risked death to approach had never found the monsters’ nest. Now, this explosion swept away much of the gloom in their hearts.

“To the next plant.”

Inside the spacecraft, the group looked at the other two large pharmaceutical plants displayed on the screen and the reports sent back by the probes. There weren’t massive numbers of bio-beastmen there, only a few bio-beasts, along with turf wars between local factions.

“No incubation nest signals have been detected. There might be signal interference, but where should we go next? These two plants are quite far apart,” Kang Man said.

The three largest pharmaceutical plants were distributed across three different regions of the planet, forming a three-way standoff. It was still unknown whether all three were backed by Miracle, but it was an undeniable fact that these three plants had once ruled this planet.

“This one,” Cillin said, pointing to one of the plants. “Let’s go to this one first. I think we’ll find something there.”

Kang Man looked at Ci Jincheng, who nodded and said, “If no one else has any objections, we’ll hit this plant first.”

The others didn’t mind; they didn’t know the difference between the two plants anyway. However, the battles in the areas surrounding both plants were quite intense. Even though they were just local internal conflicts, they were fighting fiercely, completely unaffected by the bio-beastmen over here. But if the new bio-beastmen in the underground nests hatched and spread over there, it would be too late for them to resist.

The plant Cillin pointed to looked far more thoroughly destroyed than the other two, but he could feel a bizarre signal transmitting from it. He wanted to investigate. He had a feeling they would definitely score a major haul this time.

Even though the plant was thoroughly ruined, the fighting there was incredibly fierce, in no way inferior to the other two locations.

“What are they fighting over?” Pride asked.

That pharmaceutical plant area was already destroyed to such a degree, yet several local factions were still warring over the territory. They could glean the situation over there from the intercepted communications.

Three factions were at war, fighting over a plant that had been reduced to rubble. The question was, what was worth fighting for in a pile of ruins?

“There has to be some secret beneath it.”

“From those people’s communications, we only know that there’s also a base underneath it. They believe there are aircraft down there, which is why they’re fighting so desperately for it,” Ci Jincheng explained to the group. “Since the plant’s management already took all the spacecraft capable of leaving the planet, the locals who want to evacuate have no flight tools. They can only target that Underground Base.”

“Are there really aircraft down there?” the others asked, puzzled.

Ci Jincheng shook his head. “I don’t know. There’s a shielding field around the plant, so we won’t know until we get there. But one thing is for sure: there’s absolutely a secret down there, we just don’t know what it is.”

“All those people fighting back and forth haven’t found the secret there either?” Cillin asked in surprise.

“Before they can fight it out to see who comes out on top, they’ve laid down a rule that no one is allowed to step foot inside the plant. However, their communications mention ‘that thing.’ I’m not sure what that term actually refers to,” Ci Jincheng said, looking at the data in his hand.

Cillin thought for a moment. “Then let’s grab a few people and ask. After all, intercepting comms won’t give us much substantial information. We’d be better off catching a few key members and interrogating them.”

“Makes sense. I agree.” Knight preferred using such direct methods.

“Grab who?” Pride asked.

“If we’re going to grab someone, of course we grab a boss.”

The spacecraft flew toward the plant Cillin had pointed out. Over there, the battle was still raging. The vicious struggle among the three factions hadn’t ceased for a moment.

On a certain mountain bordering the city cluster where the plant was located stood a building that was considered rather luxurious for the area.

Inside an office, a young man spoke indignantly, “Boss, those people sneaked toward the plant again today. If we hadn’t spotted them early, they probably would have succeeded!”

In front of the young man, a middle-aged man sat behind a square table. As he listened to his subordinate’s report, he rested his hands together, rubbing the ring on his thumb.

The middle-aged man remained silent for a long moment. He waved his hand and said in a deep voice, “If they sneak over next time, disregarding the rules, don’t make a move right away. Let them go. Just follow behind them.”

“You mean...”

“If they’re so anxious, let them go deal with that monster first. They all want to reap the spoils without doing the work, but none of them have the patience for it. We might as well wait and let them go in first.”

The young man had a sharp mind. Hearing the middle-aged man’s words, he understood immediately.

“I understand. I’ll go give the orders right away.” Seeing that the middle-aged man had nothing more to add, he excused himself and closed the door behind him.

After the young man left, the middle-aged man sitting in the armchair frowned in thought for a while. He then let out a long sigh, stood up, and walked over to the nearby wall. He pressed his palm against a specific spot. Light flashed across the surface, and the wall slid upward to open.

The wall opened up to a warehouse. Inside sat a small spacecraft. However, the craft was too small to hold many people, and its configuration was crude. Attempting a long-distance voyage in it would carry a certain degree of danger.

According to the information he had received, a threat had already begun to spread across this planet, and beyond it, other planets were suffering from a viral disaster. No one knew what would happen to this world in the next moment. Everyone wanted to find a spacecraft to escape and seek a new sanctuary. However, this place was his home—the territory his family had worked for generations to secure. It would be a shame to abandon all this wealth and manpower.

The middle-aged man stroked the spacecraft. If the situation truly grew dire, he would have no choice but to leave everything here behind and depart.

Just as he was thinking this, the middle-aged man suddenly saw a shadow flash across the hull of the spacecraft.

“Who’s there?” the middle-aged man demanded, quickly pulling out his gun.

He looked around vigilantly, but after a quick sweep, he found nothing unusual. However, when he turned back to the aircraft, he found a cat crouching on it—a plump gray cat.

Wheeze showed no reaction to the weapon. Instead, he just watched him quietly with wide, round eyes. Because the lighting was dim, his pupils appeared unusually large. Furthermore, a feline’s pupils naturally dilated whenever they were curious, excited, or locked onto prey. These factors combined to make those eyes look exceptionally eerie to the middle-aged man, entirely stripping away the composed demeanor he normally displayed in front of his subordinates.

He didn’t fire immediately. He couldn’t figure out the cat’s origins, but he knew there were certain animals you just couldn’t afford to provoke; anger them, and your life was forfeit. Thus, true to his usually cautious nature, the man simply kept his gun trained on Wheeze without pulling the trigger. While aiming at the cat, he slowly backed away. When he retreated to the wall, he slapped the surface with his other hand, his gaze never straying from the creature.

The middle-aged man could find the wall switch with his eyes closed, so he didn’t doubt he had hit the right spot. However, after smacking it several times, the wall yielded no reaction whatsoever.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

“Just... what exactly are you?”

Wheeze ignored him.

Seeing the cat give no response, the middle-aged man searched for exit switches in several other spots. He even tried the switch that controlled the aircraft launch port, which hadn’t been used for years, but there was absolutely no response.

All the exit switches had failed; he was trapped here. Most importantly, this place was completely soundproof. The people inside couldn’t hear the noises outside, and the people outside wouldn’t hear any gunfights that happened inside.

Wheeze watched with great interest as the middle-aged man scrambled everywhere for an escape route, sweating profusely in a panic. The cat remained securely squatted there, finding the spectacle highly amusing.

“Stop wasting time,” a voice rang out.

It wasn’t loud, but in such a secluded, quiet place, it was exceptionally clear.

This made the already anxious and highly tense middle-aged man even more nervous. He looked around but found no one else. There were no blaring alarms, nor any signs of intrusion on the scanners.

“Who’s there? Just who exactly is it?!” the middle-aged man yelled.

Right as he shouted, he realized the cat that had been crouching on the aircraft was gone!

Then, a shadow flashed by. The middle-aged man didn’t even have time to fire his gun, nor did he catch a clear look at it.

Thud!

After a muffled sound, the middle-aged man collapsed.

Wheeze tilted his head and looked at the man collapsed on the ground.

Turning toward a certain direction with an innocent expression, he said, “I really didn’t mean to. I didn’t expect this guy to be so fragile. Will he get a concussion? Will he lose his memory? Will he turn into an idiot?”

In the direction Wheeze was facing, Czedow gradually materialized.

After glancing at the person on the ground, he calmly replied, “It’s fine. Let’s hurry up and leave.”

Czedow was the one who had urged Wheeze to hurry just a moment ago.

This time, their goal was to capture the leaders of the three major factions for interrogation. As the reigning powers in this region, their defensive facilities were reasonably advanced—at least ranking near the top on this planet. But to Cillin and his group, these defenses were sorely lacking, especially in the eyes of Wheeze and Czedow, who were well-versed in such systems.

Czedow walked over and hoisted the unconscious man off the ground as easily as a baby chick, then left. Meanwhile, inside this very building, no one had any idea that their boss had just been knocked out and abducted.