Chapter 4: This Is Not a Coincidence

The military vehicle drove through a long tunnel and entered a cavernous space the size of a small village. The vehicle came to a stop, and together with the bearded instructor, we—thirty-two people in total—got out. We were greeted by a contingent of uniformed military police. Seeing the strict inspection by the military police, the bearded instructor looked somewhat puzzled.

"Is something wrong? Why is there such a high level of security? Where are the scientists?" Seeing the inspectors deep in thought after checking the documents, the bearded instructor could not help but ask. Normally, soldiers would refrain from prying, but today's situation clearly seemed abnormal, prompting him to finally ask the inspector.

"Unfortunately, what you are about to see today may not proceed as planned," the inspector finally spoke.

"Why?!" The question came simultaneously from more than thirty voices.

"Last night, a beast from the parallel space suddenly mutated and attacked two scientists on duty. As a result, the attacked scientists also mutated and turned into monsters—into biochemical mutants!" The inspector reluctantly explained to the bearded instructor.

"Have they been sent to the biochemical cave?" The bearded instructor asked, somewhat shocked and concerned. Seeing the military personnel nodding solemnly in response, Yang Huawi felt puzzled, not knowing what the biochemical cave was.

"And what about us?!" The bearded instructor asked hesitantly.

"Wait here. I will report to higher-ups," the inspecting soldier hurriedly left. The remaining team members, having come from a single vehicle, felt a growing sense of unease.

After a moment, the team leader of the security personnel hurriedly returned: "The higher-ups have instructed you to go directly to the research institute outside the biochemical cave. There are still some top researchers stationed there, while others have gone to the northeast to investigate the space rift and see if they can capture a safer specimen."

The group wordlessly reboarded the vehicle. During the drive, the curiosity and anticipation from their earlier arrival had turned into a heavy mood. It seemed the road ahead was not going to be as easy as they had imagined. The lurking dangers of the parallel space made everyone feel more solemn.

As the vehicle traveled, Yang Huawi found himself deep in thought about unrelated matters. He wondered why his father and uncle had sent him here. The saying "a precious child should not sit in a dangerous hall" came to mind, and given the uncertain outcome of this mission, did his father and uncle know about the situation and still choose to sacrifice him? Defending this space was everyone's duty, but Yang Huawi couldn't shake the strange feeling inside him.

As Yang Huawi pondered, the group was first flown to another location by plane and then transferred to another vehicle for around two hours. After another half-hour, the vehicle stopped, and Yang Huawi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"I've been here before," he said, seeing the bearded instructor's inquiring gaze, and he explained.

"You couldn't have been here before," the bearded instructor immediately countered without hesitation.

Observing the building in front, Yang Huawi said nothing but suddenly left the team and walked towards the central door. Their vehicle had stopped at the side door of the building. Seeing Yang Huawi heading towards the main entrance, the others looked at each other in confusion, not knowing his intentions, while the bearded instructor forgot to stop him.

Yang Huawi approached the electronic surveillance camera at the main entrance and quickly typed a series of numbers on the keypad before placing his palm on the scanner. The door suddenly opened with a slight chirping sound—not an alarm, but not a normal sound either. To everyone's surprise, a gentle yet somewhat anxious female voice came from the speaker: "Weiwei? Is that you?"

"Yes, I came with my teammates. I'm going to carry out my mission first. I'll talk to you later," Yang Huawi naturally responded, causing the others to be taken aback.

Yang Huawi and his teammates entered through the side door, but before receiving further instructions, a middle-aged, gentle woman hurried over: "Weiwei, Weiwei?!"

"Mom, why are you here?" Seeing the curious looks from his teammates, Yang Huawi felt a bit embarrassed.

"Are you also a member of the parallel space dispatch team?" Yang Huawi's mother, Fang Zilan, asked with a pale face, trembling as she held her son's hand. Upon confirming with a nod, she almost collapsed to the ground. If she had known it would come to this, she would never have let her son undergo such modifications. She looked at Yang Huawi with a dazed expression.

Seeing his mother's face, Yang Huawi couldn't help but smile wryly. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and he knew well what his mother was worried about. He comforted her with a hug and said with a smile, "It's alright. Your son is the general's son, so it's natural to lead the way as a soldier. Besides, if Mom can be at the forefront of dangerous scientific work, how can I let you down?" He playfully teased his mother.

Hearing Yang Huawi's words, Fang Zilan finally smiled through her tears, pinching her son's nose. She then glanced at the bearded instructor and other team members and said, "You go ahead with your mission first. We'll talk later tonight." She smiled kindly at everyone, released her son, patted his shoulder, and walked away, looking back occasionally.

The welcoming personnel, with a hint of reverence, led them to a large conference room. Two senior colonels and an elderly man with flowing white hair were waiting for them.

After everyone had taken their seats, the senior colonel in charge spoke sternly: "Originally, you were supposed to observe the two alien beasts from the parallel space. However, they suddenly mutated and attacked the two scientists. The attacked scientists, having mutated due to genetic changes, were sent to the biochemical cave. According to urgent instructions from above, you will be sent to the biochemical cave to witness the situation. If anyone is unwilling to enter, you may request to return."

Seeing the silence among Yang Huawi and the other team members, the colonel found no one expressing reluctance and continued, "Now, let the senior director explain the situation to you."

The senior director, who had been observing the team, unexpectedly focused his gaze on Yang Huawi. Noticing the senior director's attention, Yang Huawi respectfully nodded, signaling him to continue.

Seeing Yang Huawi's prompt, the senior director resumed his explanation: "The biochemical cave is essentially a place where anomalous creatures and mutated humans are imprisoned. Long ago, Americans began researching biochemical weapons. It's said that a biochemical enthusiast from the U.S. came to experiment on the border between our country and India. When the experiment went wrong and leaked, he and the villagers and animals in the area all mutated and crossed into our country. We have since confined them all in this hollowed-out mountain cave."

Upon hearing the senior director's explanation, everyone naturally displayed understanding expressions. Our country values peace and humanity, so it would not conduct such research willingly. However, if specimens were delivered to their door, they would not refuse to observe them. The hollowed-out mountain cave and tunnels were designed to contain them, and as long as the entrances were guarded, the creatures would remain inside for research. The knowledge that two of our scientists had also mutated and been sent to the cave made everyone feel heavier.

"Those monsters from the parallel space have also been sent to the cave. If you can, you may explore the cave from this side. Various monitoring systems are in place inside. If you find yourself in danger, you can send a distress signal, and someone will retrieve you," the senior director finished explaining and looked at Yang Huawi once more.

"But those who choose to withdraw midway will not have the opportunity to receive the Holy City's baptism and will not be sent to the parallel space. The remaining individuals will have their memories erased and will return to their previous military duties until their service ends, after which they will live ordinary lives." After the senior director's explanation, another colonel added.

It turned out that entering the cave was not only about observation but also involved a test. The thought of having their memories erased was a bit frightening, evoking images of American special police movies where, after a flash of light, everyone forgot everything. Was such an ordinary life what they wanted? Each person seemed to share the same thoughts, and after exchanging glances, they all wore determined expressions.

"If you have no objections, you may have a meal and familiarize yourselves with various weapons. You can team up with familiar comrades for the mission. Three days later, you will enter the cave in groups. Those who make it through the cave will have a one-week vacation to settle affairs before receiving the Holy City's baptism," the senior colonel calmly arranged their future plans. As they prepared to say goodbye to their families and head to the parallel space, Yang Huawi wondered if it would be as cold and desolate as the legendary battlefield. He tilted his head with some doubt.

After the meal, everyone began to form pairs for their tasks. Yang Huawi thought for a moment and went directly to find his mother. Seeing his mother, he naturally said, "Mom, I want to enter the cave alone tomorrow!"

Hearing Yang Huawi's words, both Fang Zilan and the senior director were taken aback.

"Why go in early?" Both asked in unison.