The deafening roars, like a tidal wave, surged from all directions, instantly shattering the brief silence of the underground parking garage. Judging by the sheer volume of the sound, it was evident that all the undead in the entire Research Institute had been alerted by the preceding battle and the final, unwilling shriek of the plaid-shirt zombie!
"Damn it! They're all coming!" Jorah's already pale face turned as white as a sheet. He panicked for a second, then, as if grasping a lifeline, desperately clung to Zephyr's strong arm, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Cassian's expression instantly darkened. His sharp eyes scanned the various corridor entrances from which undead figures were continually emerging. Without further hesitation, he unleashed the full force of his water abilities!
With a downward press of his hands, the water that had been shallowly flowing on the ground was now drawn up as if by an invisible giant pump. It rapidly converged and swelled, forming a circular wall of water around them in an instant! The water wall spun and churned, radiating an icy chill, securely protecting them within its center.
Zephyr, his face cold, unceremoniously shook off Jorah's desperate grip. This was no time for weakness. His powerful arm shot up, and the air pressure around him plummeted!
"Freeze!"
With his low shout, the circular water wall Cassian had created, along with all remaining standing water on the ground, instantly solidified into an incredibly hard, thick layer of ice! Not only that, but the temperature in the spacious underground parking garage began to drop sharply, and snowflakes materialized out of thin air! The snowflakes gathered, swirling faster and faster, faintly forming a localized, miniature blizzard filled with razor-sharp wind blades, securely shielding them within its eye!
The undead, scrambling and pushing their way in from the narrow corridor entrances, were frozen in their tracks by the extreme cold and sharp ice crystals before they could even get close. Their movements instantly became sluggish. Then, bit by bit, they were covered in ice, transforming into lifelike ice sculptures, finally shattering with crisp "cracking" sounds under the slicing force of the miniature blizzard, collapsing into a pile of icy debris.
"Beautiful!" Seraph exclaimed, her reaction equally swift. As Zephyr controlled the main onslaught of the undead with his ice and snow, her flames erupted like blooming red lotuses at the feet of the frozen or slowed undead!
Searing flames intertwined with extreme cold, creating a spectacular scene of ice and fire. The undead engulfed by the flames were reduced to blackened ash amidst piercing shrieks, instantly clearing a relatively safe path.
Elara, like a phantom on the battlefield, wove nimbly through the gaps between ice and fire. She utilized her spatial abilities to their fullest, her dagger and invisible spatial blades appearing alternately, opportunistically reaping the "stragglers" that had managed to evade Zephyr's ice and Seraph's flames. Every one of her attacks was precise and lethal, wasting not an ounce of energy.
Vespera, though still pale and greatly drained from controlling the advanced zombie earlier, forced herself to stay alert. She diligently sensed the movements of the surrounding undead, occasionally using faint psychic pulses to interfere with those attempting sneak attacks from the rear, buying Amily and Jorah precious moments to breathe.
This was an arduous, desperate battle to break out. The number of undead was simply overwhelming, seeming to pour endlessly from every corner of the institute.
Elara and her group were like a small boat tossed in a raging storm, constantly in danger of being swallowed. But through their默契的配合 (tacit coordination/seamless teamwork) and powerful abilities, they managed to carve a bloody path through the relentless tide of undead!
After a brutal and hard-fought battle, at the cost of significant physical exertion and depleted abilities, they finally managed to break out of the underground parking garage and return to the previously cleared second-floor corridor.
"Quick! To the elevator!" Cassian wiped the sweat and grime from his face, his voice a grim command. There was no time to worry about the potential dangers of the elevator now; they had to reach their target area on the third basement level as quickly as possible.
Using his electronic key, Zephyr swiftly opened the fire door leading to the nearest elevator. Fortunately, this elevator appeared to be operational.
They filed in, one after another. The elevator doors slowly closed behind them, temporarily shutting out the roars of the relentlessly pursuing undead.
Inside the elevator, the air was thick with the heavy stench of blood and tense, ragged breathing. Everyone's nerves were stretched to the absolute limit.
"Ding—"
With a soft chime, the elevator slowly came to a stop on the second basement level.
The elevator doors slid open with a "ding," revealing an unsettling, impenetrable darkness outside. Unlike the corridors upstairs, which still had faint emergency lighting, this level seemed to have been swallowed by an endless night, devoid of even a sliver of light.
"Careful, something's not right," Zephyr's low voice rumbled in the darkness, tinged with caution. According to the institute's design, even in an emergency, the backup power should maintain basic illumination. This complete darkness was highly abnormal.
Seraph reacted instantly. Almost as the elevator doors opened, a small, bright flame ignited at her fingertips. Though faint, the orange-red glow was enough to dispel the darkness immediately around the elevator entrance, illuminating an inconspicuous switch panel on the wall.
She quickly stepped forward, her fingers fumbling over the panel for a few seconds before firmly pressing one of the main switches.
"Click—"
With a sharp sound, the previously pitch-black corridor of the second basement level was instantly flooded with light! The harsh white glare made everyone, whose eyes had just adjusted to the darkness, instinctively narrow their eyes.
"The institute has its own independent backup power system, military-grade. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't lose power so easily," Cassian said, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at the suddenly illuminated lights, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "The complete darkness just now either means someone deliberately cut the power to this level, or… there's a malfunction in this level's electrical system."
Either scenario indicated unknown dangers lurking on this floor.
Once the lights were on, they could finally see the second basement level clearly. It was a wide, long corridor, lined on both sides with heavy metal doors. Most of these doors were marked with red warning signs bearing words like "HIGHLY DANGEROUS" and "BIOHAZARD ISOLATION," clearly indicating this was one of the institute's core areas for high-risk experiments.
The corridor was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the scenes upstairs where undead roamed freely. The floor was almost excessively clean, without even a speck of dust visible. The air was thick with a strong, nauseatingly pungent odor—a mixture of formalin and some unknown chemical agent.
This uncanny silence and cleanliness only served to heighten Elara and the others' vigilance.
"It's… too clean here," Elara murmured, her sharp gaze sweeping every corner of the corridor. "Cleaner than upstairs. And no signs of undead activity."
"Definitely not normal," Zephyr echoed grimly, his hand already gripping the hilt of his longsword, his muscles tensed, ready for any sudden developments.
Just then, Vespera, who had been quietly held in Amily's arms, suddenly tugged lightly at Elara's sleeve. She then extended her small hand, pointing towards one end of the corridor. Her face was etched with a mixture of unease and… fear.
Elara followed the direction Vespera indicated, and her pupils contracted sharply.
At the far end of the corridor, an equally heavy metal security door was ajar. From the crack in the door, a faint… dark red, pulsating glow, like a beating heart, emanated ominously.