Chapter 452: Laboratory, Interception

Chapter 452: Chapter 452: Laboratory, Interception

As he spoke, Chet Lucius turned to Seraphina Sullivan, seeking her support.

Seraphina Sullivan understood immediately. She took a step forward and said to Dr. Ford, "Doctor, I think Chet Lucius has a point.

We’re a team now, and your safety and research progress are important to all of us.

If your preliminary research yields results—even if it’s just analyzing a significant weakness of the monsters or synthesizing an effective repellent—it will be a huge advantage for our journey to the Shelter.

It might cause a delay, but it’s worth it if we can gain better security and potential ways to fight back."

Although Sharon Lynn didn’t understand much, she could tell that "research" meant fighting monsters, so she nodded vigorously from the side.

She said in a childish voice, "Grandpa Ford, we all agree!

Hurry up and research something amazing to scare all the bad monsters away!"

Dr. Ford looked at the two determined young people before him, then at the innocent yet hopeful little girl, and finally at the pile of precious samples on the ground. The passion for research and his sense of responsibility for humanity’s future finally overwhelmed his worries and hesitation.

He took a deep breath and nodded firmly, his gaze becoming sharp and focused once more. "Alright! Alright! Alright!

You young people have courage and drive!

This old man will take this gamble with you!

There’s no time to waste. Let’s find a suitable location immediately!

Lucius, you’re more familiar with the nearby terrain. You lead the way!

Sullivan, you, uh... Flora, and Sharon will be on watch and provide assistance!"

"No problem!" Chet Lucius and Seraphina Sullivan replied in unison.

The group quickly packed up the crucial samples, tools, and a small amount of supplies. They abandoned their plan to follow the established route to the Shelter, instead heading rapidly toward the ruins of the nearest city.

Dr. Ford was burning with anxiety, constantly calculating the time. "These tissue samples, especially the neural and organ samples, must be initially fixed and processed within 24 hours. Otherwise, the cells will rapidly autolyze and lose all research value... We have to find a place with basic equipment as soon as possible!"

Seraphina Sullivan, however, was relatively calm, thanks to a private hint from Chet Lucius.

Chet Lucius had secretly told her that he had a fairly complete set of lab equipment in his Storage Space.

So their primary goal now wasn’t to find a "perfect," fully equipped laboratory, but rather a relatively safe building that could provide shelter from the elements and had basic water and electricity, like a school’s lab building or a hospital’s pathology department.

Under Chet Lucius’s "lucky" guidance, the group avoided several small, wandering monsters, passed through dilapidated streets and collapsed buildings, and finally arrived in an area that seemed relatively less damaged as the sun began to set.

It appeared to be the city’s university town.

Their target was a five-story building with a sign that read "College of Life Sciences, Experiment Building."

The building was somewhat damaged and most of its windows were broken, but the main structure looked more or less intact.

"This is it!" A glimmer of hope ignited in Dr. Ford’s eyes, and he eagerly started to rush inside.

However, just as they approached the entrance to the lab building, a dozen or so people suddenly swarmed out from the shadows of a half-collapsed dormitory next to it!

The group consisted of men and women, most of them dressed in rags, gaunt and sallow-faced, but all of them were holding an assortment of makeshift weapons.

Rusty rebar, sharpened crowbars, battered kitchen knives, and even a few what looked like homemade shotguns and hunting rifles.

Their eyes were wary, filled with obvious hostility and a faint, hard-to-detect greed as they quickly surrounded Seraphina Sullivan’s group of five.

"Stop! You lot! What are you doing, skulking around?!"

A burly, middle-aged man with a scar on his face, who seemed to be the leader, shouted harshly, aiming his homemade shotgun at Chet Lucius, who was in the lead.

Chet Lucius stopped immediately, carefully placing the sample case he was carrying behind him while turning sideways to shield Dr. Ford.

Seraphina Sullivan also quickly pulled Flora Sullivan and Sharon Lynn behind her, her hand already resting on her hip.

The [Eye of Resume] quickly scanned the group.

’They’re all Native People! No Players!’

’Their Level information is a mess, but the main threat comes from their numbers and the crude weapons in their hands.’

In the apocalypse, danger never came just from monsters.

The scarcity of resources and the collapse of order often made one’s own kind more dangerous than any beast.

"Speak! Are you deaf?!"

Seeing them remain silent, the scarred man’s tone grew even fiercer, and he raised his gun a little higher. "You’re carrying all these bags, and you’ve got guns... Are you here to rob our territory? Or are you trying to get into this building to find some treasure?"

Dr. Ford was a bit stunned by the sudden confrontation. He still hadn’t fully adapted to the naked hostility and defensiveness among apocalypse survivors.

He instinctively tried to explain, "A misunderstanding! Everyone, this is a misunderstanding!

I’m a researcher, and these are my assistants and students.

We need to enter this lab building to borrow the laboratory inside and study these..."

He pointed at the sample case behind Chet Lucius. "To study these monster samples!

Time is of the essence. It’s about whether we can find a way to fight the monsters!

Please, step aside and don’t delay important work!"

"A researcher?" Scarface eyed Dr. Ford suspiciously, then glanced at Chet Lucius and Seraphina Sullivan, clearly unconvinced.

"Studying monsters? Heh, who are you kidding?!

In times like these, who has the mind for research?

You have guns and skills. Instead of killing monsters to protect us regular people, you’re running off to do research?

I bet you people are the ones who created these monsters in the first place!"

This baseless accusation made Dr. Ford’s face flush with anger. "You... How can you say such a thing!

Scientific research is for finding a fundamental solution!"

"Cut the crap!" Scarface interrupted impatiently, his greedy gaze sweeping over Seraphina Sullivan and Chet Lucius’s firearms and their bulging backpacks.

"I don’t give a damn what you’re doing!

You’ve come to our territory, so you’ll follow our rules!

Leave your weapons, food, and everything else useful you have! We might consider letting you live. Otherwise..."

He shook his gun menacingly.

The others behind him also raised their weapons, shouting their agreement in a noisy chorus.

"Yeah! Hand over your stuff!"

"Why should you have guns and food!"

"Protect us! Get us out of this godforsaken place!"

Sharon Lynn was terrified by the menacing crowd and the loud shouting. She clung tightly to Flora Sullivan’s clothes, burying her little face in her arms and trembling.

While comforting Sharon Lynn, Flora Sullivan scanned the group with an icy gaze. The tips of her hair trembled slightly, as if she was ready to lash out at any moment.