Chapter 453: Hidden Quest Completed

Chapter 453: Chapter 453: Hidden Quest Completed

Seraphina Sullivan gazed at the group before her. They were fellow survivors, but the pressure of the apocalypse had warped them into something hideous, people who wanted to reap where they hadn’t sown, even to the point of robbing their own. She found it both laughable and pathetic.

She stepped forward, shielding Dr. Ford. There was no fear on her face, only a hint of mockery.

"Look, everyone,"

Seraphina Sullivan’s voice was clear and calm.

Yet it carried an intangible pressure. "Take a good look. What is this?"

She slowly raised her hand, revealing the uniquely shaped sniper rifle. The muzzle was pointed vaguely at the ground, but its cold metallic sheen and smooth lines silently screamed danger.

"We have a gun, that’s right." Seraphina’s gaze swept over their crude weapons.

"But we aren’t your babysitters, nor are we part of the military.

We’ve survived this long on our own merits, and we’re using our own abilities to find a way not just to live, but to turn this whole situation around.

You want weapons?

Want food?

Fine. Go find them yourselves. Scavenge in the ruins. Don’t stand here robbing people, pinning your hopes on stealing what others have risked their lives to get."

Her words were merciless, tearing right through their disguise of being righteous victims.

Scarface, humiliated, flew into a rage. "Stop fucking lecturing me!" he roared.

"You’re just selfish!

You’re capable, but you won’t protect your own countrymen!

Brothers, they refuse to hand them over, so we’ll..."

Just as the conflict was about to escalate, Dr. Ford broke out in a sweat. She couldn’t understand why these people refused to believe in science, resorting to violence instead.

At that very moment, Chet Lucius, who had been observing in silence, suddenly moved.

He moved like lightning. His right hand blurred at his waist, and a silver, standard-issue pistol was in his grasp. Without a moment’s hesitation, he aimed it at the sky above the crowd and fired—

"BANG!"

The sharp crack of the gunshot exploded through the air!

It echoed between the relatively quiet buildings with a piercing shriek!

The surrounding crowd flinched at the sudden gunshot, instinctively stumbling back a few steps as they stared in terror at the smoking muzzle in Chet Lucius’s hand.

Chet Lucius’s gaze was sharp, his voice ice-cold and filled with undeniable killing intent.

"Get the hell out of my way! I’ll give you three seconds. Anyone still blocking the road after that, I won’t mind putting a few holes in you."

His gaze swept over each person as if it had physical weight. The murderous aura, built from countless life-and-death struggles, was far more than this rabble—who only relied on their numbers to bully lone survivors—could possibly bear.

Scarface’s face went pale. He could tell that neither Chet Lucius nor Seraphina Sullivan were people to be trifled with; they were the kind who would actually shoot to kill.

Although his side had more people, their weapons were crude. If a real fight broke out, a lot of his men would definitely die.

He gritted his teeth, but ultimately didn’t dare to press his luck. "You win this round! We’re leaving!" he spat viciously.

After speaking, he led his underlings in a dejected retreat back into the shadows, and they quickly vanished.

The crisis was temporarily averted.

Dr. Ford sighed in relief, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, her heart still pounding. "Those people... How could they turn into this? Even with the monsters around, they could have gone to a shelter. Why are they out here robbing people?"

Seraphina put away her sniper rifle and said lightly, "In the apocalypse, human nature doesn’t stand up to the test.

Doctor, next time you’re in a situation like this, talk less and do more.

Reason with reasonable people. For unreasonable people... fists and guns are the only logic they understand."

Chet Lucius also holstered his pistol and glanced at the entrance to the lab building. "Let’s hurry. It’s getting dark.

It might not be safe inside, either."

The five of them wasted no more time and quickly entered the silent, dark life sciences building.

Chet Lucius, relying on his superior perception and speed, entered the building first to scout ahead.

On the third floor, he found a relatively intact laboratory with few windows, making it easy to defend.

He got to work quickly before Dr. Ford and the others arrived.

With a mere thought, he began taking out the equipment stored in his Storage Space, unfolding and setting up each piece.

A folded sterile workstation was set up in the center of the lab counter. A high-powered electron microscope and a micro-centrifuge were connected to the portable Source Core he carried.

A basic chemical analyzer and a simple set of DNA processing equipment were also assembled and placed in appropriate locations.

He even placed a small refrigerated cabinet in the corner to store temperature-sensitive biological samples.

The whole process was quick and methodical, as if rehearsed countless times.

When Dr. Ford, protected by Seraphina Sullivan and Flora Sullivan, finally reached the third floor, breathless, and pushed open the door to the lab that Chet Lucius had cleaned and "set up," the sight that greeted her made her freeze in place. Her jaw dropped, and her glasses nearly slid off her nose.

"This... this... Oh my God!"

Dr. Ford’s voice cracked with utter shock and elation. She walked unsteadily into the lab, her hand trembling as she caressed the gleaming, state-of-the-art equipment in disbelief.

"This... This school’s lab equipment... It’s... it’s been preserved so perfectly?!

No, that’s not right!

This equipment... some of it I’ve never even seen before!

This model of electron microscope, an analyzer with this level of integration... It’s like all this was moved directly from a top-tier research institute!"

She was so excited she became incoherent, circling the instruments with a light in her eyes like a child seeing their favorite toy for the first time. "This is wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!

With this equipment, I can definitely complete the preliminary analysis!

Lucius, you... you’re our team’s lucky star!"

Chet Lucius’s expression remained impassive, his excuse already prepared. "Doctor, I found all this while I was clearing out the room.

This lab seems to have been dedicated to a key project. They were probably in the middle of an equipment upgrade when the disaster hit, so all this new hardware wasn’t damaged or moved.

Luck. It’s all just luck."

Dr. Ford was completely consumed by the ecstasy of potential research; she was in no state to question the plausibility of the equipment’s origin. She nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, luck! The heavens are on our side!

No time to waste, I’ll start working immediately!"

She eagerly pulled on a pair of gloves and goggles, carefully opened the sample case, and began processing the precious monster tissue samples on the impossibly clean sterile workstation.

Almost at the very moment Dr. Ford became completely engrossed in her research.

[DING! Congratulations to Players Seraphina Sullivan and Chet Lucius for completing the hidden mission: Assist Dr. Sophia Ford in establishing a temporary research point!]

[Reward issued: Monster Weapon. Available for inspection at any time.]

The system’s notification echoed simultaneously in the minds of Seraphina Sullivan and Chet Lucius.

’Mission complete! Reward secured!’

A flicker of joy went through Seraphina, but she didn’t check on the weapon right away.

She glanced at Chet Lucius, who had also received the notification, and they exchanged a meaningful look.

Chet Lucius gave a slight nod, indicating he hadn’t immediately claimed his reward either.