448 Chapter 448: Ling Dan (1/2)

The three of us hurried to the basement level, right below the labs. Thanks to my glasses, I had recorded the blueprint of the map of the facility, and could display it on my lenses. Tracing a route, I was able to locate a staircase that led below.

Even though the lab area was relatively secure, we still couldn't lower our guard. There were Barbaric Baboons prancing about in the almost empty corridor, searching for prey. When I first caught sight of them, I immediately had Adrian and Melina go to cover and hide behind a contraption that protruded from a wall. Obviously I joined them, ducking under a gurney. The two Barbaric Baboons swung past from lighting to lighting, causing the equipment to spark and flicker, but they passed us by without ever noticing that we were right under their bulbous noses.

”Stay down,” I whispered while the Barbaric Baboons swung past directly above Adrian and Melina. Both kids held their breath and watched nervously as the monsters practically soared past them, and then they were gone, rushing toward the distance. I then relaxed my grip on my swords, relieved that I didn't need to engage in combat and thus end up breaking the stealth spell. While I was able to fool the scientists, who paid more attention to research than the staff who manned the base, it might be harder to deceive the security personnel.

I mean, I could try, but…I would rather not take the risk if I didn't have to.

We then got up and raced to the stairs as stealthily as we could. Mercifully, the stairs were empty, and I led the kids down to the basement level. There, the red emergency lights were on, drowning everything in a bloody haze. I glanced about, making sure there was nothing hiding in the shadows. Even with the stealth field on, I recalled Melina's warning that physical contact would envelop the monster or person within the stealth field itself and thus reveal ourselves to whoever we bumped into. So I couldn't take anything for granted.

”This must be the area for the prison cells.”

Consulting the map that I had recorded on my glasses, I cross-referenced our location and confirmed that the cells were just ahead. Moving along the corridor cautiously, I followed the holographic route marked across my lenses and found myself standing in front of a row of prison cells, the doors on each side.

Ironically, the prison area was the least touched by the monsters. The place was still secure, and the doors locked tightly. In order to prevent the prisoners from escaping, they had invested quite a bit into containment, and now it was this very same containment measures that kept the prisoners safe from a monster attack.

That didn't stop the Barbaric Baboons from paying the area a visit and trashing the security cameras and place. The cameras, I saw, were down, as were the few sentry turrets put in place to watch over the prisoners. Inevitably, the monsters suffered casualties, and I saw a few corpses here and there, but none of them were able to break down the doors of the cells. Frustrated by their failure and realizing the futility of clawing away at the reinforced material used to construct the doors or cells, they had retreated. Which explained the two Barbaric Baboons we saw swinging past earlier.

”Are we going to free all of the people imprisoned in here?” Adrian asked. I had considered that as well, but wasn't sure if we could afford the risk. I wasn't naïve enough to think we could rescue all of them, but at the same time my conscience wouldn't allow me to leave them behind as well.

”I guess.” After a few seconds, I made my decision. They deserved the chance at freedom, but other than Ling Dan, they would have to rely on themselves to escape. I wasn't going to help them all the way.

”How do we free them?” Melina was studying the doors. ”They don't look like they are opened by keys.”

”They aren't.”

My glasses had already analyzed them and I could see that they were electronically locked. So instead I headed to what passed off as an office at the front of the prison cells. As I suspected, there was a computer console there, and a dead warden. The poor guy had been on shift when the Barbaric Baboons dropped in, and then ended up being ripped apart by the frenzied monsters. Even though he was the enemy, I felt a little sorry for him. Usually it was the higher-ups who made all these stupid decisions, and the low-ranked grunts suffered the most from the fallout. Regardless of whether it was his choice to join the Dark Church, I doubted he had anything to do with the decisions his superiors made to kidnap innocent people or breed monsters.

Honestly, the ones who should pay should be the higher-ups who made these dumb decisions in the first place.

The good news, though, was that the computer console was left on. I managed to turn it on, and studied the programs and files in the computer. There was something that caught my attention and I widened my eyes.

”Eh? Ling Dan is the only prisoner in here?”

As it turned out, almost all the prison cells were empty. Then again, that made some sense. If the Dark Church abducted innocent people or took prisoners, they wouldn't bring them all the way out here, in some remote mountain range, to lock them up here. They would pprobably imprison them somewhere closer to civilization.

Hell, there were very few prison cells to begin with. About five at most, and four were visibly empty. Ling Dan was stated as being held in the very last cell, which was all the way at the end of the corridor, directly opposite the entrance.

”Found him.”

Moving the mouse, I clicked on the unlock button and removed the locks from the cell. There was a soft beep that indicated the computer's compliance, and then I left the console.

”Let's go,” I told the kids, and they nodded. Following me, we passed through the four cells – two on each side of the corridor – and made our way to the vault at the very end.

Even though I had technically unlocked the door from the computer console, the cell still looked secure and shut. The heavy metallic door remained in place, barring our sight into its interior. Not that we needed to check inside – earlier, I had caught a glimpse of the prisoner inside the cell, the silhouette of a man sitting on the bench, slouched against the cold, gray walls of his prison. From the data, he matched the height and size of Ling Dan.

It was most probably him.

Even so, there was the possibility this was all a trap – though it was highly unlikely that the Dark Church would set up such an elaborate scheme for no reason other than…I don't know. Why would they ever consider the scenario that someone would try to rescue Ling Dan and then trick whatever rescue squad like this? It was quite the long shot and an incredible coincidence.

”Stay back,” I told Adrian and Melina. Even though the security cameras along the corridor had been destroyed, and technically it was safe for us to switch off the stealth field, I still did not want to take any chances. One person getting caught was infinitely better than all three of us getting caught. And besides, I could pretend to be a security personnel or research assistant, but there was no way anyone would buy that bluff for Adrian and Melina, both of whom were clearly too young to be working in a place like this.

They both obeyed, and I strode up to the door and manually pulled it open. There was a grinding creak, and then the mechanism gave way, allowing me to yank the doors wide.

”!!!'

A hand shot out from inside the cell, almost catching my throat. Instinctively I took a step back, narrowly avoiding getting my jugular vein severed from what seemed like a surprise attack.

”Wait!” I called out. ”I'm not an enemy!”