Chapter 1351 - 1350: Escape (Part 1)

At the back of the room there was a hidden door. Dr. Hayward walked up to it, opened it, then immediately shouted to Lin Fan and the Queen, "Quick! Come with me!"

"You go first!" Lin Fan said to the Queen.

The Queen nodded, then hurriedly followed right behind Hayward and stepped through the hidden door!

"Quick! They're in here!"

At that moment a furious shout came from behind Lin Fan!

Lin Fan whipped around, finger tightening on the trigger, and the "tat-tat-tat" of gunfire erupted nonstop!

With Lin Fan's marksmanship, he never wasted a bullet. The few men who'd rushed into the room first hadn't even reacted before they all collapsed in pools of blood!

The other guards heard the gunshots and quickly dove to the sides. Lin Fan seized the chance, sprinted into the hidden door, and slammed the iron door shut behind him!

Beyond the hidden door was a staircase made of steel. There was still some dust on it, but at a glance the stairs were brand new, spotless, clearly just recently built!

Seeing the confusion on Lin Fan and the Queen's faces, Hayward said, "I've been building this secret passage all along, for the sole purpose of using it to escape this place. Those damned top brass in America have kept me imprisoned here. Hmph! They really think I'll willingly work for them?"

"Where does this passage lead?" Lin Fan asked.

"Once we're up the stairs, we can head straight to the exhaust duct, then follow the duct out. Don't worry, I've studied it for a long time—this exhaust duct leads directly outside the Science and Technology Research Institute!" Hayward said with absolute confidence.

"Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, a series of loud crashes came from below—it was the sound of someone kicking the iron door with all their strength!

"Move!"

Lin Fan barked without hesitation!

Hundreds of guards had already gathered outside; forcing their way out was impossible. So Lin Fan had no choice but to trust Hayward.

"Follow me!"

With that, Hayward quickly climbed up the stairs!

Lin Fan and the Queen cautiously stayed close behind him!

After they climbed the stairs, a passage appeared ahead. The sound of wind roared continuously within—it was the exhaust duct!

Hayward didn't rush into the duct. Instead, he reached in and groped around for a while. Soon he withdrew his hand, and in it were actually two strangely shaped guns!

Hayward handed the odd-looking guns to Lin Fan and the Queen, saying, "These are Laser Guns. Each one only has twenty shots. Don't waste them."

Lin Fan took the Laser Gun and weighed it in his hand for a moment. This was his first time using such a high-tech weapon. He'd seen the robots' Laser Guns before and knew just how powerful they were. Now that he had one himself, Lin Fan couldn't help feeling a faint surge of excitement!

"Boom~"

Just then, with a deafening crash, the iron door below was kicked open!

"They're on the stairs!" Someone spotted the three of them and shouted loudly!

Without a word, Lin Fan raised the Laser Gun, took aim at the guards below the stairs, and pulled the trigger without hesitation!

"Whoosh, whoosh~"

With two sharp snaps, two blue beams of laser shot from the muzzle, pierced straight through the steel plates of the staircase, and then accurately hit a guard in the chest!

The beam was terrifyingly powerful. Once it struck his chest, it easily bored clean through, the wound emitting a wisp of black smoke as if scorched. The man then collapsed to the ground!

"This really is a good toy!" Lin Fan exclaimed, staring in amazement at the Laser Gun in his hand!

Its penetrating power was far stronger than bullets!

"Go! Get into the duct, now!"

Lin Fan ordered without hesitation!

"Move!" Hayward shouted, then dove in first. The Queen went after him, and Lin Fan brought up the rear!

Once the three of them had crawled into the exhaust duct, Hayward reached up and pressed a button on the top of the duct. They heard a series of "clack-clack" sounds from the entrance of the duct!

Soon, a steel plate slowly rose up and sealed the entrance, blocking the guards from crawling in! The exhaust duct was extremely narrow; the three of them could only crawl on their bellies. The duct was very long, and Hayward's crawling speed was fast!

The entire crawl took the three of them more than twenty minutes!

By then they had passed through another opening and reached a spacious area where they could stand upright!

This was the vent of the exhaust duct. Above their heads they could see the outside. This was the only exit out of the Science and Technology Research Institute!

However, at the opening above their heads, a huge fan was spinning. The fan was rotating at high speed, sweeping the airflow out and making a "whoosh-whoosh" sound!

Hayward said, "If we want to get out, we have to find a way to stop this fan."

Lin Fan asked, "How is this fan powered on? Is there a circuit?"

"Of course! But the circuits are all hidden inside the steel plates. It's hard to pinpoint their exact location. I've spent all this time trying to find where the wiring is, but I still haven't nailed down the precise spot. At least we can rule out this half."

Hayward pointed to the left side of the fan as he spoke.

Lin Fan stared intently at the fan!

The fan's rotation speed was extremely fast, but there was an opening behind it. If they wanted to leave through that opening, they had to stop the fan!

"Both of you, back up!" Lin Fan suddenly said.

The Queen didn't dare hesitate. She quickly pulled Hayward back!

Then Lin Fan raised the machine gun in his hand, aimed at the rear half of the fan, and immediately squeezed the trigger!

Beam after beam of blue laser shot out, easily punching through the steel plates!

But Lin Fan didn't just fire one shot. He kept firing, one laser after another, each beam hitting right next to the previous one, tracing a ring of laser shots around the fan!

Since the wiring was hidden behind the steel plates, Lin Fan would simply blast through all the plates around it. That way he was bound to hit the circuit!

The method was crude, but it was the most effective!

Soon…

"Crack~"

There was a crisp snap from inside the fan, and its spinning speed really did start to slow down!

"Oh! Why didn't I think of that?" Hayward said, suddenly enlightened!

In no time the fan stopped completely. Lin Fan said to the Queen, "You go up first."

"Alright!"

The Queen nodded, not daring to waste a second, and leapt upward!

When she reached the peak of her jump, Lin Fan quickly reached out, grabbed her feet, and gave a powerful upward push, sending her surging a bit higher!

The Queen's movements were agile; her body slipped through the gaps between the blades, she instantly grabbed the edge of the opening, and with a slight exertion, vaulted herself out!

"Dr. Hayward, I'll send you out next!" Lin Fan said to Hayward.

"And how exactly are you planning to 'send' me out?" Hayward asked curiously.

"Close your eyes, then stretch out your arms. Wait one minute, then open your eyes—you'll already be outside." Lin Fan smiled faintly.