Chapter 2826: Chapter 2826: Infiltration Began

However, armed security guards continued their relentless patrols around the perimeter. Yu Qi refrained from making an immediate move.

"Let’s analyse their patrol rotations first." Yu Qi whispered softly.

"Let’s go in." Yu Qi said.

Long Hui nodded in silent agreement.

Concealed by their invisibility, the three watched the security personnel closely. The guards moved in fixed, rhythmic loops around the facility, with overlapping secondary patrols passing through every few minutes. While their invisibility shielded them from direct sight, they still had to exercise extreme caution to avoid making noise or brushing against guards in tight corridors.

After observing the pattern for several minutes, Long Hui pointed toward a blind angle near the rear facade of the building.

"There is a dead zone between those two overhead security cameras. That will be our point of entry." Long Hui noted quietly.

Yu Qi evaluated the spot carefully.

"Mhm... Perfect." Yu Qi agreed.

Aoi treaded silently toward the designated blind spot, carrying Yu Qi and Long Hui on his back while Qin Xia hovered smoothly behind them on his sword. Upon reaching the shadows directly beneath the cameras, Yu Qi surveyed the ground level again. There were no guards in the immediate vicinity.

"Neko-chan..." Yu Qi tapped her earpiece softly. "Can you run a diagnostic on their security grid?"

"Master, scanning the network now." Neko-chan’s synthesised voice echoed in her ear. A brief silence followed before Neko-chan reported back. "The cameras surrounding your section are monitored live. I can loop the video feeds temporarily, but you must act quickly."

"How much time do we have?" Yu Qi inquired.

"Roughly thirty seconds before the system registers a frame desynchronization." Neko-chan stated.

"That’s plenty of time." Yu Qi nodded.

They moved instantly.

Aoi darted soundlessly toward the side service door while Yu Qi and Long Hui held tight. Qin Xia descended from his sword, landing without a whisper of sound.

Reaching the heavy electronic door, Yu Qi found the security latch firmly locked. Without a high-level keycard, unauthorised entry was virtually impossible for ordinary people. However, Yu Qi was anything but ordinary. She tapped her earpiece once more.

"Neko-chan, is the perimeter clear? Can you override the lock?" Yu Qi asked.

"Hold position." Neko-chan instructed. "Two guards are approaching the inner corridor. I will disengage the lock the moment they pass."

Yu Qi froze in place, motioning for the others to stay still. Pricking her ears, she detected faint footsteps ringing out from the opposite side of the door. Two security officers passed by the entrance, deep in casual conversation. One of them briefly turned his head toward the door’s glass panel, but seeing only empty darkness outside, he suspected nothing and kept walking.

Yu Qi waited patiently until their footsteps faded into the distance.

"Master, the guards have cleared the area. I have bypassed the electronic latch. You may proceed." Neko-chan confirmed.

"Understood." Yu Qi replied.

She reached out, gently turning the heavy door handle and pulling it open. The hinges gave a near-imperceptible squeak.

Yu Qi paused immediately, listening for any sign of alarm. Hearing no response from inside, she eased the door open just enough for them to slip through one by one. Once inside, she carefully clicked the door back into its frame.

"Stay alert." Long Hui reminded them in a low whisper.

Qin Xia nodded, his eyes scanning the corridor.

Navigating deeper into the facility, they found several interior sections bright with fluorescent lighting. Despite the late hour, night-shift researchers were still active. A group of scientists clad in white lab coats walked past them down the hallway, discussing experimental data in hushed tones.

Yu Qi and Long Hui pressed themselves flat against the wall to grant them ample room. One researcher passed mere inches from Yu Qi, but her breath remained steady and silent as he walked right by without detecting a thing.

Once the researchers turned the corner, Yu Qi released a quiet breath.

"Operations seem surprisingly normal on the surface." Qin Xia murmured softly.

"Mhm..." Yu Qi nodded.

The facility had clearly recovered its composure following the recent public relations disaster. While the public-facing laboratories operated as usual, Yu Qi knew the covert, illicit research had ground to a halt, without the ancient tree, their primary source of spiritual power was gone.

"Their PR team handled the scandal impressively well." Yu Qi observed quietly. "After the incident involving Lin Suyi and the other students, Manjing Centre attempted to ruin Shenxie’s reputation. Yet Shenxie quickly issued public apologies, distributed lavish compensation, and skillfully redirected public scrutiny toward their corporate rivalry with Manjing."

"They know precisely how to manipulate public perception." Long Hui added dryly.

"Which is why the public has already forgotten about the scandal." Qin Xia noted.

"That’s why we can’t judge this place by its facade. Everything up here appears legitimate, but we know the monstrosities hidden underground." Yu Qi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

They were not here tonight for the legitimate laboratories. They were here for Master Liang.

Following the layout from Professor Shen’s intel, Yu Qi led the way through a maze of restricted hallways, bypasses, and security checkpoints, with Neko-chan continuously looping camera feeds ahead of them.

Reaching a heavily reinforced double door marked as a high-voltage utility room, Yu Qi paused. Behind the fake electrical panels lay the hidden freight elevator that descended into the subterranean research complex.

Using Neko-chan to override the biometric scanner, the heavy steel door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a dark, concrete descent.

"Senior Brother Xia." Yu Qi whispered, pointing down into the dark abyss of the shaft. "The underground facility begins right below us."

"I can feel a faint, distorted energy lingering below." Qin Xia’s eyes darkened as he focused his senses downwards.

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