The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 198 The Missing Lamb (6)

Boom!

The heavy metal door groaned under its own weight and trembled violently.

Only thanks to the armed robot's steel body holding the door shut, along with the jammed long pipe, was it barely prevented from being instantly blown open by this enormous force.

"Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!"

The sound, like the pounding of a heavy hammer, came continuously from outside the door. Each impact felt like a blow to the flying squirrel's heart, causing him to tremble violently and turn ashen-faced.

After an unknown amount of time, the terrible crashing sounds finally subsided, and the area outside the door returned to deathly silence, with only the heavy, bellows-like breathing of the three people echoing in the small space.

Having survived the ordeal, both the panda and the flying squirrel turned their gazes toward Yun Fei.

Now that they were confirmed to be within the range of the Mystic Spirit's attack, they could only place their hopes on experienced hunters.

The contaminated area is unpredictable; a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.

The Star Police had actually learned the rules for dealing with contaminated areas, but since they didn't have access to them regularly, they couldn't recall what measures to take.

"Professor Yun, what do we do now?"

Yunfei's special ability is not suitable for protecting people.
He had no choice but to temporarily impart the survival rules for the contaminated area: "Remember these three rules, these are the first ironclad laws for survival in the contaminated area:"

"First, when you encounter anything that is illogical, strange, or inexplicable, never be curious, never investigate, and never respond. This is the first rule for survival."

"Second, do everything you can to find an exit. When you think you've found one, don't rush out. Use the 'mental anchor' you're equipped with to confirm. If the anchor indicates safety, but you can't take that step no matter what, or your body feels a strong resistance, immediately abandon that exit and look for the next one. Remember, if you eventually 'successfully' return home or to some 'safe' place, immediately recall all your experiences after entering the contaminated zone. If you find anything illogical or contradictory, even just a tiny detail, then you're still in the illusion of the contaminated zone."

“Third point,” Yun Fei said, quickly taking out two small, antique-looking brass pointer devices from a hidden compartment in his tactical belt and placing them in the hands of Panda and Flying Squirrel respectively. “These are ‘Disintegration Pointers’ that I got from Master Su. Wear them, and when your minds are about to collapse and your reason is about to be corrupted and devoured, they will automatically activate, forming a brief ‘mental barrier’ for about five minutes, forcibly protecting your last bit of clear-headedness. But remember, it’s only for five minutes. During these five minutes, we still can’t get out, so we can only pray that Tong Zi and Doug can deal with that damned Mystic Spirit’s main body as soon as possible.”

The number of Disintegration Pointers is limited, and they are mainly reserved for Hunters. Star Police are not equipped with this high-end life-saving equipment specifically designed to combat mental pollution.

Without hesitation, Panda and Flying Squirrel took the gloves and immediately took them off as instructed by Yun Fei.

Press the cool pointer against the palm of your left hand, and the disintegrating pointer will automatically melt into your skin.

As soon as the pointer touched the skin, two red numbers appeared.

Panda 75, Flying Squirrel 64.

Their hearts sank. Although they weren't psychic, they knew that maintaining a stable sanity level was crucial in a contaminated area.

60 is the warning line; it could slip to the brink of collapse at any moment.

Yun Fei's collapse indicator was on the back of his hand, and it was 99, which meant that his mental state had hardly changed and was frighteningly stable.

The two Star Police officers saw this and couldn't help but admire them.

They have carried out countless dangerous interstellar missions, faced ruthless space pirates, fought in harsh alien environments, and even survived near-death experiences in armed conflicts.

Those scenes of gunfire and carnage, though dangerous, were at least visible and tangible, with clear enemies and tactics to deal with.

Standing in this invisible contaminated zone, facing a terrifying entity that distorts reality and manipulates minds, their pride in their equipment, tactics, and courage seems utterly pale and powerless.

The enemy not only has an invincible appearance, but also attacks the mind. They can't even find a way to escape, and the situation is so bizarre that it's suffocating.

After clearly explaining the three crucial survival rules, Yun Fei remembered there was another very important one and added: "Also remember, in the contaminated area, if you encounter anything that resembles a 'humanoid monster,' your first reaction must be to run away. Do not attempt to attack!"

"Oh, but... why is that?"

"Because the 'monster' you see is very likely your teammate whose senses have been distorted by the Mystic Spirit. Your attacks will not only harm your companions, but may also be... futile and ineffective."

The two subconsciously glanced at each other, both seeing strong resistance and unease in each other's eyes.

As a well-trained armed police officer, the instinct to fight back immediately when threatened is almost ingrained in his bones.

To force them to suppress this instinct, to give up resistance in such a terrifying environment, and to only know how to run away—this rule itself was like torture, tormenting their nerves and making them wish they could throw away their weapons right now.

Yun Fei didn't give them much time to process their emotions. After explaining the most important things, he said, "You can choose to follow me, but you must remember: keep at least two meters away from me and don't get too close. As for the armed robots..." He glanced at the two silent metal constructs, "They'll stay here."

These mechanical bodies, equipped with complex intelligent systems, can be twisted and controlled at any time, turning them into unstable bombs.

The risks of carrying it with you far outweigh the benefits.

As the flying squirrel looked at the two armed robots that had fought side by side, a deep sense of reluctance appeared in its eyes.

They have followed the police force through countless life-and-death situations and carried out numerous dangerous missions; they are already reliable comrades-in-arms.

The thought of possibly abandoning them here, and the subsequent writing of equipment loss reports, was enough to make his scalp tingle—a nightmare of tens of thousands of words.

The panda, on the other hand, appeared more decisive.

He suppressed his complex emotions and immediately gave the robots the following instructions: "Sentinel One and Two, move to the shadows behind the right-side filter tank and stand by. Execute the shutdown procedure."

The two robots silently carried out the command, retreating behind the massive, rusted equipment. The panda strode forward, skillfully opening the armor plates on their chests and retrieving the cores that gleamed faintly.

He walked up to Yun Fei and handed him the two warm metal cores: "Professor Yun, could you please keep these safe for me?"

Yun Fei nodded, took the two cores, and casually put them into his coat pocket.

“Let’s go,” he said briefly, turning his gaze to the metal door on the other side of the wastewater treatment room.

Since the retreat has been cut off, the only way to survive may lie ahead.

Without hesitation, the three of them pushed open the heavy door again.

The door hinges groaned shrilly, and behind them lay an even deeper, thicker darkness, silently awaiting their exploration.

……

The entire underground structure is intricate and complex, resembling a giant spider web.

It consists of multiple interconnected short corridors and numerous heavy metal doors, forming a dizzying maze.

Using the dim light emanating from the secret room, Su Ninglong surveyed the layout before her, a sense of familiarity welling up within her.

“It feels like the layout of a kindergarten distribution center,” she murmured. Just as she said, behind each heavy door seemed to be a separate, secret room.

The door was fitted with thick, large observation panes, through which one could glimpse the interior of the secret room. Her gaze pierced through the glass, locking onto a corner of the secret room.

There, a blurry yet familiar dark figure stood silently.

Its outline is extremely thin and elusive, like a wisp of smoke about to be blown away by the wind, appearing exceptionally weak.

The dark figure I had once seen at the kindergarten distribution center stood in the corner of the secret room; its form was faint and seemed to be about to dissipate.

“Shadow Spirit,” Su Ninglong said softly.

As soon as the words were spoken, the thin, dark shadow in the corner trembled very slightly, as if some invisible force was pulling it, causing it to tend to turn around.

"Put on the Disintegration Pointers." Without the slightest hesitation, Su Ninglong quickly pulled out three small holy artifacts from her pocket, which were the Disintegration Pointers.

She handed them to the fox, the wolf, and the fire lizard, respectively.

Knowing the necessity of this sacred artifact in the contaminated area, the three immediately took it and pressed it firmly against their exposed skin, such as the inside of their wrists or necks, without hesitation.

Seeing this, Tong Zi sighed jokingly, "Sigh, if I had known your mobile treasure trove was so complete, I should have traveled light and just borrowed your equipment."

Su Ninglong winked: "Our performance targets are still counting on your help, Rich Lady Tong."

"Yes, yes, I'll take care of it." Tong Zi shrugged helplessly, which was a way of accepting the title of "rich woman".

"There really is a Shadow Spirit here?" The fox repeated Su Ninglong's words, staring wide-eyed at the secret chamber, but saw nothing.

"Yes, it's dim, as if it has lost a lot of power." In the blink of an eye, the faint black shadow in the corner had completely disappeared.

Su Ninglong: "It's gone."

Fox: "Gone?"

"It seems we've returned to subspace, where no one can see us."

“Let’s go, don’t delay any longer,” Doug reminded him.

Guided by Su Ninglong's spiritual perception, the six-person team cautiously made their way through the spiderweb-like building toward the source of the most ominous aura.

The doors to the corridor were tightly shut, and Doug walked ahead, clearing the way.

His method was simple, brutal, yet efficient: he raised his hand, and a black hole that seemed capable of swallowing light instantly appeared at the door lock.

The lock cylinder disappeared without a sound.

He pushed open the door, and after the group had passed through, he manipulated the tiny black hole to "stuff" the malfunctioning lock-like material back into the groove of the door frame.

Although the lock is broken and can no longer be locked, at least the door itself remains intact, without leaving any obvious gaps.

The deeper you go, the more oppressive the environment becomes.

More and more power transmission cables were hanging from the ceiling above, tangled together in a chaotic mess, like an upside-down black forest.

Many of the cables had exposed breaks, clearly indicating they had been hastily torn or cut.

Tong Zi walked in the middle of the group, carefully using her black cane named "Star Eclipse" to gently part the dangerous wires hanging in front of her.

"Try not to touch these cables," Tong Zi reminded Xing Shi, noting the strange sensation in the tactile feedback. "I feel... something's not right with these things."

Upon hearing this, the three Star Police officers immediately tensed up, instinctively lowering their center of gravity and almost crouching as they carefully navigated the maze of dangling cables, trying their best to avoid any unnecessary contact.

“Of course it’s strange. These aren’t cables at all. They’re tree roots invading the building. The entire ceiling is covered in them…” Su Ninglong pointed to the dark cables.

The battle-hardened Doug instantly grasped the key information. He turned his head sharply, his gaze sweeping over the other team members with piercing intensity: "Tell me, what exactly is that thing you saw on the ceiling?"

"Energy transmission line." Tong Zi and the three Star Police officers answered almost in unison, with absolute certainty.

“What I saw were tree roots.” Doug’s expression was unusually grave.

The worst has happened; the contaminated area has begun to distort their collective perception, visually separating the team.

Some people, including himself, may see a distorted truth.

For others, their vision is subtly clouded by the power of the mystical spirits.

Subconsciously, Tong Zi thought she wouldn't be fooled so quickly, so she immediately raised her wrist to check the miniature panel of the disintegration pointer: 95.

At a very safe value.

The three Star Police officers quickly reported their readings:
Fox: 87
Hungry Wolf: 90
Salamander: 80
Seeing his score drop to 80, the fire lizard felt a dryness in his throat. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "I admit, I was incredibly nervous."

His words and actions seemed normal enough, but the rapidly declining numbers ruthlessly revealed the fear in his heart that far exceeded what was on the surface.

Doug also revealed his score: "99".

All eyes were focused on Su Ninglong, who had not yet reported her number.

She simply stood there with her hands behind her back, looking completely at ease.

Thanks to her increasingly enhanced spiritual awareness and her experience of venturing into dangerous situations multiple times, she had already built up multiple defense mechanisms on a mental level.

The contamination from the low-star mystic had a negligible effect on her.

More importantly, she cleverly used the fragmented souls attached to the two armed robotic puppets as mental anchors to build an effective cognitive firewall, greatly resisting external erosion.

The disintegration pointer was not as acute and direct to her as her own perception.

Not content with silence, Doug demanded, "Can I see your SAN value?"

"It's not impossible, but please don't be too surprised, okay?"

Without a word, Doug grabbed her arm and forcibly checked her SAN value, which was a maximum of 100.

Everyone: "..."

The fox couldn't help but ask a strange question: "You're at full value? What's there to hide?"

“No, something’s not right.” Doug’s sharp gaze scrutinized Su Ninglong. “You’ve been in the contaminated zone for a while now, and the environment is constantly putting mental pressure on you. Everyone’s values ​​will fluctuate to some extent and be affected a little. Why can you maintain a full value? This doesn’t make sense.”