Chapter 2406: Chapter 2407: Strange Reports

As soon as Nis and Kanter stepped onto the fourth underground layer, they clearly perceived a difference in the atmosphere.

The first three layers felt extremely cold and quiet. While walking through them, they didn’t sense any lifelessness, but neither did they feel the presence of any living beings, as if traversing a forgotten wasteland. However, the fourth layer was different; even though they hadn’t yet laid eyes on a single person, the brighter lights, the different scents in the air, and the occasional distant rustle all indicated that there were people here, and quite a number of them.

Led by Reynaud, they had walked forward for a short distance when they saw signs of living beings.

At the end of the narrow corridor ahead, around the corner, some flickering human shadows appeared.

Nis squinted and looked at Kanter: "Should we go straight ahead, or proceed covertly?"

Kanter: "Until Angel finds the master control node, proceeding covertly is naturally best. But, how do you plan to stay hidden?"

Nis grinned wickedly and pointed to the silent, motionless bone-armored Knight beside him, implying something unspoken.

A way to hide? Naturally, it would be physical concealment. Just knock out the two ahead, and they could proceed silently and unnoticed.

Understanding Nis’s method, Kanter felt a slight twitch at the corner of his eye. As expected, given Nis’s usual approach, he was bound to choose this explicitly "hardcore," implicitly "reckless" method.

Kanter sighed silently, stretched out his hand, and a patch of darkness like night gathered at his fingertips.

Soon, this patch of night-blackness covered Kanter and extended rapidly, concealing Nis, Reynaud, and the large bone-armored Knight.

When the darkness enveloped them, standing under the lights, the four of them looked like human-shaped silhouettes covered in shadowy mosaic, appearing more conspicuous than before.

Nis looked at Kanter, attempting to convey via his gaze: It’s not nighttime now; making yourself obscure in darkness is less effective than a direct strike.

However, they were all shrouded in darkness now, and conveying information through just eye contact was difficult.

Yet, Kanter, daring to use this power, naturally had his reasons. Even without Nis asking, he would explain: "Don’t stand in the middle of the corridor; there’s light above. Walk close to the walls."

The corridor’s light source was directly overhead. Walking in the middle, they were like black silhouettes with no concealment effect.

But for Nis and Reynaud, walking closer to the walls didn’t seem particularly useful either. The corridor itself wasn’t wide, and the light source was enough to cover the edges.

Walking along the edges would at best dim the lighting, but they, as patches of shadow, would still be noticed.

While the group was puzzled, Kanter took the lead in stepping to the wall.

Then, a magical scene unfolded. Once Kanter reached the edge near the wall, he blended seamlessly into the environment, leaving no trace of his presence.

"What’s happening?" Reynaud asked blankly. As a soul entity, his eyes naturally had a threefold view: physical sight, energy vision, and soul sight, yet even then, he couldn’t perceive Kanter’s presence.

"A small trick. Even a hint of shadow can amplify the effect of concealment," Kanter explained.

Although corridor edges were covered by light due to angle, there was always a slightly visible layer of shadow at the base. Normally, these shadows didn’t impact visibility, but Kanter’s trick used this inconspicuous shadow to hide his form.

Following Kanter’s example, the others also moved to the wall.

Nis experienced the strange sensation of shadow concealment, with a hint of amazement in his eyes: "Is this a shadow ability?"

Kanter didn’t directly answer, but calmly said: "A gift from the night."

With the shadow concealment, their actions became much simpler. Even when spotting figures ahead, they proceeded without hesitation.

"Number 61 and 62." Upon reaching the corner, they first saw the backs of several figures who had just walked away, as well as two people standing nearby, wearing silver-white uniforms with mechanical touches, their faces numbered 61 and 62.

"They’re researchers. As for what they specifically study, I don’t know. I’ve never interacted with them in everyday life," Reynaud said through the Mind Ribbon.

"Researchers? Let’s hear what they have to say," Nis didn’t hastily leave; they had shadow concealment anyway, and with their abilities, they could suppress any outward vibrations.

Numbers 61 and 62 didn’t linger in place, but continued talking as they walked forward. However, they were unaware of the four hidden figures within the shadows beside them.

Number 62: "Although Number 47 said everything is under control, and there’s absolutely no way it could come to the fourth layer, I still feel uneasy."

Number 61: "Rest assured, the fourth layer has fully activated the Authority Eyes; it can’t enter. Even if it did, that’s fine. Unlike the first three layers, the control panel for the fourth layer is entirely mastered. As long as it dares venture here, we might not kill it quickly, but we can trap it, and slowly wear it down with a Magical Energy Array. When higher sequences return, it’ll be easy..."

They continued talking while turning into a room.

Nis and the others didn’t follow; it wasn’t reluctance, but rather the magical patterns in the room that shimmered with light. Numbers 61 and 62 might have direct access, but upon entering, they could be detected by the patterns.

Looking at the flashing pattern lights in the room, Nis sighed lightly: "The fourth layer may not be as easy as the previous ones."

After a pause, Nis glanced at Reynaud: "Do you know what’s up with these magical patterns?"

Reynaud was also staring at the activated patterns, pondering for a while before responding: "This is the phenomenon of a fully activated Magical Energy Array. The last time this happened was when a combat personnel defected. In an activated Magical Energy Array, without the required permissions, there’s virtually no escape."

Nis frowned: "So any area where patterns are activated is off-limits?"

Reynaud: "You need permission to enter; otherwise, the Magical Energy Array will lock onto you."

The Magical Energy Array identifies through energy, so anyone with energy entering is immediately detected, even a True Knowledge Wizard couldn’t escape. Unless someone possesses certain Special Laws or is a Space Wizard proficient in magical patterns, they might sneak into activated areas quietly.

But there are few Space Wizards, even fewer proficient in patterns. Moreover, the Magical Energy Array here was set up by Enchantment Adepts from the Origin World; to find a flaw in this array, one’s proficiency in patterns must at least match the creator’s level, making it difficult to find such individuals in the Southern Domain.

Nis: "Do you have permission?"

Reynaud shook his head: "Emergency permissions are temporarily issued; I don’t have any."

As soon as Reynaud finished speaking, he sensed a faint battle intent rising from Nis. He could roughly guess Nis’s thoughts, hence he added: "Permissions can’t be seized. Even if you capture and control someone with permissions, it’s challenging to utilize them. Permissions are engraved in soul markings."

"Furthermore, emergency permissions are unique to each individual."

In other words, even if you control someone with permissions to go into the Magical Energy Array, only they can use it themselves, unlike before when Reynaud’s permission allowed everyone to enter the Exhibition Room.

After Reynaud finished speaking, Nis immediately felt uneasy.

Given the current situation, doesn’t this imply that the majority of the rooms are inaccessible? What about the Exhibition Room, his exhibits would be gone then?

More importantly, the data he wants won’t be placed in the hallway; it must be in some room.

If they can’t enter the room, the data is effectively gone too.

"What should we do now?"

Kanter: "If we’re unwilling to barge in, the only option is to wait for results from Angel."

Nis contemplated and realized this might indeed be the only solution left. He initially wanted Toby to call Angel and update him about the situation here, but ultimately decided against it. Angel is surely researching the magic pattern to find the main control node right now. Any interruption could disrupt his thoughts, so he decided to wait until Angel finishes his research to talk.

In the meantime, the group cautiously roamed on the fourth floor, while identifying the regions where the magic pattern had been activated.

During this process, they encountered numerous researchers in silver-white uniforms. They all shared one common trait: their expressions were tense, and they hurried about as if danger was looming behind them, threatening to swallow them into the darkness if they dawdled.

This degree of cautiousness and nervousness piqued Nis’s interest in what’s happening on the fourth floor.

"Earlier, when overhearing the conversation between 61 and 62, it seemed like they mentioned some creature had intruded into the laboratory?" Nis: "I feel like this might be the reason why there is no one on the first three floors."

"Could it be some kind of magical creature?"

During their discussion, 61 and 62 never mentioned the intruder by name, only referred to it as "it." And "it" is usually translated as a non-human entity in the Universal Language on the continent. However, sometimes "it" can also be used to refer to humans, for example, extreme humanists might refer to other humans as "it," which carries a disdainful connotation. Like many Carabit people don’t think highly of Wise Men, even long after the "Human Revision Law" has been commonly recognized, they still refer to humans as "it."

"A magical creature intruding the laboratory? That’s unlikely; generally speaking, it’s very hard even for humans to break into the laboratory." Reynaud said. He was able to sneak in with Nausicaa because he knew the place inside out, even understood the mechanism of patrols, allowing them to quietly infiltrate.

If they weren’t led by an insider, not to mention causing chaos in the lab, they wouldn’t even be able to get through the lab door.

Because... they don’t have permissions.

Nis thought about it and agreed; like this time, without Angel, they would definitely be stuck at the entrance.

A magical creature, no matter how high its intelligence, does it understand magic pattern applications?

"Then could it be that the magical creatures kept in the laboratory have rioted?" Nis: "Didn’t you say earlier that there were magical creatures being kept inside the laboratory? Last time, weren’t you and Nausicaa chased and forced to flee for your lives by magical creatures?"

Nis hesitated for a moment and said: "It’s possible, but even if the magical creatures kept inside the lab riot, it shouldn’t be to the extent that no one can handle them. Moreover, if we’re daring enough to keep magical creatures, we surely have methods to control them."

"That’s true, but how should this record be interpreted then?" Nis had a medical record in his hand, recorded by 23.

Nis turned to the record from the day before yesterday, which clearly documented that 23 was attacked by magical creatures, ultimately forcing him to undergo cold liquid repairs proactively.

Although 23 didn’t explicitly document what kind of magical creature attacked him, thus unable to confirm if it was a creature kept inside, it can be inferred that some kind of magical creature did show unusual movements.

At that time, Nis didn’t pay much attention to it, but looking at it now, this record seems to pinpoint the source.

Combining this with what 61 and 62 said earlier, it’s highly likely that everyone is holed up on the fourth floor due to magical creatures causing havoc.

Reynaud was also struck silent by this medical record.

"Could it be that with the combat personnel leaving, they couldn’t suppress some magical creature?" Reynaud speculated to himself, though even he didn’t believe his own guess much.

It’s true that researchers are adept at research, but to say they lack combat capabilities is impossible. Wizards largely develop comprehensively. Some are more skilled at combat, while others focus on research.

Because many things couldn’t be explained, further discussion seemed pointless. Nis thought for a bit before saying: "Let’s continue to gather information while looking for the way to the fifth floor."

With so many people crammed on the fourth floor, and not even bothering with consumption, they had fully activated the Magical Energy Array. Gaining anything on the fourth floor seems nearly impossible. But the fifth floor is different; according to Reynaud, the fifth floor is the private domain of the first three sequences. Even if magical creature invasions did occur within the laboratory, they might flee to the fourth floor at best, but surely wouldn’t dare trespass into the fifth floor.

Reynaud nodded. He had secretly gathered a lot of intel on the fifth floor, and his target also lies there.

He was just slightly worried that on the way to the fifth floor, they’d pass through numerous halls, such as the experiment center. Would the magical energy arrays in those places be activated as well?

With a sense of anxiousness, Reynaud walked into the shadows...

...

On the first floor of the base laboratory, footsteps echoed through the empty hallway.

Due to the narrow space, the footsteps produced a remote, repetitive ghostly feeling.

"Every step you take feels like a jolt to my heart, truly creepy." Dangross shivered and said.

Angel glanced at Dangross: "Do you have a heart? Also, you used the wrong word; you shouldn’t say ’creepy,’ but... ’creepy as fire.’"

"..."

Angel had already left the sub-control node on the first floor; he could basically determine the main control node was on this floor. However, he still needed to pinpoint its exact location.

He could directly calculate using the sub-control nodes on the second and third floors, but that would be slightly slower. Therefore, he decided to wander around the first floor, examining the magic pattern distribution here, combining it with the data from the sub-control nodes on the second and third floors to ultimately pinpoint the main control node’s location.

Thus commenced his leisurely stroll through the corridor.

After wandering for about ten minutes, Angel’s gaze suddenly halted at a corner of the corridor.

There emerged an unusual energy fluctuation... and it wasn’t originating from the Magical Energy Array.

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