Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Plan B

"What are you thinking about?" Now certain of his feelings for her, Lu Jingyu looked at Xu Qingsui’s deeply furrowed brows and wanted nothing more than to smooth them out.

"How can we..." Hearing his question, Xu Qingsui almost answered instinctively. But as she snapped back to reality and her gaze landed on him, she abruptly fell silent.

She hadn’t told Lu Jingyu about the horseflies yet. If she blurted out that she was trying to think of a solution, it would definitely arouse his suspicion. Since she didn’t have a good plan at the moment anyway, she figured it was better to speak up so everyone could brainstorm together.

The process of growing stronger always involved the presence of friends and teammates. She couldn’t rely solely on the Golden Octopus for an effortless path to the top, but she could definitely leverage everyone’s collective wisdom.

"I suddenly thought of a possibility," she said. "Do you know about horseflies? Since there were so many creatures locked up here, they must have carried plenty of tiny bugs like horseflies. Could those insects have also mutated and devoured all those creatures for us? And could they be lying in ambush around us right now, just waiting to follow us out of here?"

Hearing the mention of horseflies, Lu Jingyu froze. His brain began working at top speed, analyzing the plausibility of Xu Qingsui’s theory.

Although he had never seen a horsefly Mutant in all his life, he had encountered his fair share of bizarre Mutants. For instance, he had seen earthworm Mutants as thick as water buckets, and fish Mutants that had grown bony wings to fly in midair. Following this logic, it wasn’t entirely impossible for horseflies or other bugs to become infected and turn into Mutants. Moreover, considering the habits of parasitic insects, drinking blood and eating flesh perfectly aligned with what had happened earlier.

But could they truly possess the intelligence to wait and follow them out of the facility?

Lu Jingyu voiced his doubts outright, and Xu Qingsui responded by directly relaying the Golden Octopus’s explanation to him.

"These bugs exist in massive numbers, but because they’re so tiny, they can hide practically anywhere," she said. "They avoid our detection, yet still give me that inescapable feeling of being followed. Furthermore, this is the most likely explanation we have right now. We’re currently being targeted by an army of insects."

Lu Jingyu took a deep breath and finally nodded, agreeing with Xu Qingsui’s analysis. To the rest of the team standing nearby, the theory sounded like pure fantasy. However, since their boss had agreed with it, they didn’t dare voice any objections.

Xu Qingsui restrained her expression, resting her chin in one hand. She rubbed it thoughtfully and said, "The identity of our enemy is clear. The next question is how we’re going to deal with them. How do we wipe out an enemy with such massive numbers that’s hidden so deeply?"

As Xu Qingsui muttered to herself, the group began to brainstorm.

"Bug spray..."

Amid her thoughts, Xu Qingsui caught onto that specific phrase and instantly hatched a plan. She immediately shouted a command toward the main doors, then turned and entered the room equipped with communication devices.

Curious about what solution she had come up with, Lu Jingyu intended to follow her inside to see for himself. He also wanted to keep an eye on Shen Yan, just in case the man decided to play dirty and speak ill of him.

But before he could even step inside, Xu Qingsui walked back out. When she emerged, she had already strapped on a gas mask.

Before they had descended into the underground levels, the staff had provided them with gas masks. To be safe, everyone had put them on. But after experiencing a series of bizarre events down below, the stifling atmosphere beneath the masks had only made their gloomy moods heavier. As a result, almost everyone had eventually taken off their gear. Fortunately, nothing bad had happened because of it.

Yet now, Xu Qingsui had put hers back on. Walking up to the group, she declared directly, "Everyone, put your masks on! We’re going to kill some bugs!"

A joking remark from one of the team members just moments ago had given Xu Qingsui a brilliant reminder. Wasn’t bug spray the ultimate way to deal with insects? They didn’t have actual bug spray on hand, but wouldn’t other toxic gases do the same trick?

Earlier, Xu Qingsui had noticed that the laboratory rooms were equipped with toxic gas release systems. These mechanisms had been specifically installed by Shen Yan as a failsafe to prevent any Mutants from causing trouble. Since the third underground floor was specifically designated for holding experimental subjects, it was highly likely that similar systems were installed here as well.

Xu Qingsui had specifically checked with Shen Yan to confirm this. After receiving his confirmation, her plan completely took shape. In just a few brief sentences, she arranged for Shen Yan to release the toxic gas in exactly three minutes. She would employ the "bug spray" strategy to eliminate these Mutants. If that failed, they would proceed to Plan B.

Hearing her command, the others looked utterly confused, not entirely grasping what she meant. It was Lu Jingyu who first caught on to her intentions.

"Everyone, put your gas masks on immediately!" he urged. "Stop dawdling!"

Once Lu Jingyu spoke, the team didn’t bother asking for reasons and hastily strapped on their masks. Just as the last person secured their gear, the loud hissing sound of leaking gas echoed throughout the third underground floor.

Witnessing this, the previously bewildered group finally understood what was happening and quickly pressed their hands against their masks to ensure a tight seal.

As the toxic gas poured into the area, Xu Qingsui focused all her attention on monitoring their surroundings. The swarm of bugs was hidden far too well. She could only rely on her spiritual power to sense their presence and determine whether the gas was affecting them.

As the fumes continued to spread, she briefly felt their auras fade away. But it only lasted for a fleeting moment before that inescapable, shadowing sensation gradually returned. Xu Qingsui furrowed her brow. It seemed the toxic gas strategy had failed. As expected, bugs infected by the pollution source had developed a heightened resistance to toxins. Shen Yan’s failsafe system still had some significant flaws.

Letting out a long sigh, Xu Qingsui knew they had no choice but to initiate Plan B. If toxic gas couldn’t poison these bugs to death, surely an explosive fire could finish them all off, right?

During the final moments before she had left the communication room, Xu Qingsui had asked Shen Yan, "If an explosion occurs down here, will it affect the upper floors?"

Shen Yan had paused in surprise, but he quickly realized what she was planning to do. Given the current situation on the third underground floor, it was perhaps the most effective and straightforward solution available.

"The walls on the third underground floor have been specially treated," he had explained. "Although the main structural cracks did end up affecting the lower levels, that was an exception. If an explosion occurs down there, as long as it doesn’t directly collapse the main structure, there shouldn’t be a problem."

Having made up her mind, Xu Qingsui had told him, "Have the people up there evacuate, leaving only one person behind to open the door for us. If Plan A doesn’t work, I’ll activate Plan B and use the toxic gas to blow up the third underground floor."

After delivering those words, Xu Qingsui had walked out of the room. Now, it was time to put Plan B into action.

"In a moment, the people outside will open the door," she commanded the group. "Everyone needs to get out as fast as possible! I’ll bring up the rear. Once everyone is out, evacuate the building at top speed!"

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