Apocalypse Survival Guide for a Beta [GB] - Chapter 61

“How do we open this door?” Bai Chuan and the others clung to the hall door on the 17th floor, feeling a bit dumbfounded.

The hall door was tightly sealed to the shaft, with no visible gap. A thumb-sized circular verification point was displaying a red warning signal.

“The elevator detected violent tampering and triggered its protection mechanism,” Elena explained.

“So what do we do now?” Tang Mary asked.

Elena frowned. “Someone needs to verify their identity from the outside.”

“From the outside? If someone were outside, we wouldn’t be stuck in here!” Bai Chuan exaggerated.

“There’s no other way?” Tang Mary asked again as she knocked around the edges of the hall door, trying to find another way out.

The red light flickered, casting its glow over everyone’s faces.

The elevator shaft had no way up or down. Were they supposed to go back down and fight Qiu Tu?

“There’s one more option,” Elena said hesitantly.

“What option?” Everyone turned to look at her at the same time.

Elena frowned in thought. “I’m not entirely sure about this method. I overheard the elevator technicians mentioning during maintenance that if there’s an internal malfunction, the call button box can be opened and reset using an ID card.”

Even though she had thought of a solution, Elena’s expression remained tense. “But if the reset fails, all the hall doors in the elevator shaft will enter high-security mode and be completely sealed off.”

For them, that would turn the shaft into a natural prison.

“We can’t wait any longer! Let’s reset it now. Doesn’t Lin Bai have an ID card?!” Tang Mary urged.

At that point, there wasn’t much time to think. Elena said, “We need to find the call button box first.”

The five of them clung to the elevator shaft walls like Spider-Man, searching around. Tang Mary groped for a long time but found nothing except the cold metal wall. Frustrated, she muttered, “Why did this research institute have to make everything so advanced?!”

Her tone was a stark contrast to how she had praised the institute’s technology just minutes ago.

After searching for three or four minutes, they still hadn’t found anything.

“I think I found it.” Bai Chuan, who had wind-based abilities, had spent three minutes listening closely to the air currents against the walls and finally sensed something. “Is it here?”

As he spoke, he tapped on the wall. The others listened carefully and heard a faint difference in the sound.

Now that they had found the location, a new problem arose. “How do we open this smooth panel?”

Lin Bai climbed along the wall to the spot, took out her ID card, and pressed it around different areas. No one knew exactly where the sensor was but suddenly, with a click, a small compartment popped open.

Elena noticed that although Lin Bai had taken out her ID card twice, she had been careful to keep the information on it hidden both times, not letting anyone see even a glimpse.

“Boom, boom, boom—”

The sound of heavy impacts echoed from the bottom of the elevator shaft. Qiu Tu had not given up on the elevator. Compared to the strict identity verification required on each floor, the elevator itself was a much faster option. The pounding noises were a constant reminder that time was running out.

Lin Bai looked at the compartment, then took out some iron clips and a steel wire from her pocket, preparing to reset the control box.

The internal mechanism was simple, with just a few wires and a small display screen, but the actual operation was highly complex.

Once Lin Bai used the steel wire to activate the display, a series of instructions appeared on the screen, densely packed and overwhelming to the eye. She skimmed through them rapidly, her fingers tapping the screen nonstop.

Red blocks, yellow blocks, blue blocks, green blocks, they lit up one after another.

Even Bai Chuan, who had some research experience, could only understand part of it. Meanwhile, Elena, Tang Mary, and Lou Tiannan, who had no technical knowledge at all, could only watch Lin Bai work.

As she observed, Lou Tiannan’s gaze shifted from the screen to Lin Bai’s face. Her eyes were fixed intently on the display, the light from the red and green indicators reflecting faintly off her eyeshadow. Her lips were tightly pressed together in concentration and the meticulous focus on her face made it impossible to look away.

Lou Tiannan had unknowingly been watching for a long time. It wasn’t until the control box emitted a sharp ding that he suddenly snapped out of it.

No one else noticed his distraction, as all their attention was on the voice prompt from the control box. They heard it announce, [The elevator control box is about to be reset,] and their faces lit up with excitement.

It worked!

Then, a long string of seemingly garbled numbers appeared on the display screen. Three seconds later, the voice prompt continued, [Please enter the 314-digit reset verification code within five minutes and then verify your identity ID to reset the control box.]

“Huh? What’s the reset verification code? And 314 digits? Do you know it?” Tang Mary turned to Elena.

Elena looked just as bewildered.

But the countdown had already begun.

“The verification code is a security measure to prevent accidental resets. It’s highly temporary…” Bai Chuan seemed to have some understanding of the system.

As he processed the situation, the excitement on his face gradually faded and he said seriously, “Normally, the system provides a random number sequence right before input. The longest one I’ve seen before was 32 digits. The numbers that just flashed on the screen must have been the 314-digit verification code.”

Tang Mary, who understood every word Bai Chuan said, turned pale. “That garbled mess just now was the verification code?! It flashed so fast that I didn’t catch any of it! I only remember something like 5691… What happens if we enter it wrong—”

She suddenly recalled Elena mentioning that if the reset failed, the entire elevator shaft would be sealed off. She immediately shut up, pinning her hopes on Elena’s memory.

Even Elena, with her exceptional memory, frowned. “I only remember the first 30 digits…”

As for Lou Tiannan and Bai Chuan, they didn’t even have that much.

Beep, beep, beep…

The sound of numbers being input echoed.

The four of them froze simultaneously and turned to look at Lin Bai who was entering the numbers.

Lin Bai pressed the keypad calmly. The numbers that had flashed across the screen were stored clearly in her memory chip. She had considered how to enter the sequence without drawing attention or how to justify it with a reasonable explanation but after three seconds of thinking, she realized that there was no way.

The hall door had to open. She had spent a year getting to that point, she couldn’t fail now. Even though she knew Elena was already suspicious of her, she had no choice but to proceed.

Lin Bai lowered her gaze and pressed each number one by one as the countdown on the screen ticked down.

The four others instinctively held their breath. Bai Chuan blinked as he stared at Lin Bai, and then suddenly realized. She was an android, so memorizing a 314-digit sequence shouldn’t be difficult for her. But… was she really an android?

Bai Chuan began to doubt himself. After spending the days with Lin Bai, she felt too natural and too much like a real person.

Elena watched Lin Bai, her heart pounding wildly. The fragile layer of doubt she had about Lin Bai grew thinner and thinner with every beat, ready to shatter.

[Beep—Verification successful. Please revalidate your identity ID.]

Click.

Elena stared at Lin Bai in disbelief. That thin layer of doubt was finally pierced completely by the system’s confirmation tone.

Lin Bai didn’t look at Elena. She pulled out her ID for the third time to complete the identity verification and the hall door on the 17th floor slid open.

Tang Mary finally stepped out of the dim elevator shaft and exclaimed, “Lin Bai, as expected of you! Your memory is incredible!”

She had always known that Vera had an excellent memory. Back when they mined in the wastelands together, Vera could always remember the exact locations of every ore deposit. But now, she had managed to recall a 300-digit verification code in such a short time, truly impressive!

After she finished speaking, silence fell around her. She looked at the others in confusion, expecting them to share her excitement. However, after a quick glance, she noticed that only Lou Tiannan seemed as surprised as she was. Bai Chuan, with his green hair, had an expression of self-doubt, while Elena’s face was filled with disbelief and shock. Her chest was visibly heaving from heavy breathing.

Huh??

Was Elena a little too emotional?

As for Lin Bai… well, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Even someone as dense as Tang Mary could sense that the atmosphere felt a bit off.

“Let’s move,” Lin Bai said calmly.

The group snapped out of it, realizing they had arrived at Room 621, the office and laboratory of the Biopharmaceutical Research Institute’s dean, Xiao Hehua.

The office was large but aside from its size, it looked like any other workspace, clean and organized, with no one inside. The floor-to-ceiling windows provided a wide view and a well-sealed lab area was also present. On the lab bench, reagent bottles and an uncapped pen suggested that the office’s owner had only stepped away temporarily.

“I thought the dean’s office would have tighter security. How did we get in just by opening the elevator? This is way too unprotected,” Tang Mary commented casually as she glanced around. She wasn’t particularly looking for anything. Her priority was simply ensuring Lin Bai’s safety.

Little did she know, her offhand remark stirred up Elena’s emotions once again.

Elena had visited her mentor’s office several times before. There should have been at least five security barriers outside the elevator. Even as her student, she had to pass through two verifications to enter.

Yet Lin Bai…

Could she really be her?

Elena couldn’t help but glance at Lin Bai again.

Tang Mary noticed Elena’s strange reaction and asked, “Elena, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Elena lowered her head to hide her expression and began searching the office.

She hadn’t lied to Lou Tiannan. Her mentor, Xiao Hehua, had indeed sent her a message after the apocalypse, telling her that she had left something for her. She needed to find it. If Lin Bai really was who she suspected, then that item would likely be of great importance to her.

Lin Bai also began searching the office meticulously.

Bai Chuan, after rummaging around for a while, edged closer to Lin Bai and whispered, “What’s the boss having you look for? I’ll help.”

“Keep watch,” Lin Bai replied expressionlessly.

“Got it.” Bai Chuan turned and took a few steps before realizing something. Wait a minute, wasn’t that order a little too natural?! Where was the usual cuteness of his boss?!

He turned to glance at Lin Bai but ultimately decided to follow her instructions. Something about this place didn’t sit right with him. It looked peaceful but he had a bad feeling. As he kept watch, he absentmindedly sifted through some items, mostly out of curiosity. After all, it was the office of the dean of the Federation’s top research institute. There had to be some valuable treasures hidden around.

But to his disappointment, all he found were countless experimental data sheets and some bottles of medicine.

After rummaging through several spots, he suddenly let out a low exclamation and ran over to Tang Mary to show off. “President Tang, look! Even the dean uses my products!”

Tang Mary glanced at the adult toy in his hand and sneered, “The packaging isn’t even opened. What use is that? Look at this! My Tang family’s classic jewelry is displayed in the dean’s showcase. Do you know how valuable that is?! No wonder she’s the dean. She’s got great taste.”

They weren’t making any effort to lower their voices. Lin Bai overheard them, looked up at what they were holding, and momentarily froze. But she quickly refocused, lowering her head again to continue searching for what she needed.

Lou Tiannan scanned the office quickly but couldn’t find the Primal Blood Vaccine that Minister Xiang Cheng had mentioned. Then he suddenly recalled the unknown metal that Minister Xiang had given him before he left the new city district.

Taking it out from under his collar, he used it to probe different areas of the sealed laboratory’s outer wall. Just as he heard a mechanical voice say, [Verification successful,] Tang Mary’s shocked voice rang out behind him.

“Are those things outside… zombies?”