Chapter 5: Past Events

"Mom, you must know about this, and also about the guards my uncles brought," Yang Huawi said, deciding to directly address the questions on his mind. Since the responsibility had fallen on him, it naturally came with a backstory. Things that had been buried in his heart couldn't be ignored forever, so he chose to confront them directly.

"What…what do you know?" Fang Zilan's face changed slightly upon hearing Yang Huawi's words.

"I don't know much, just that when I was seven years old, after a fight with a classmate, you were so worried and angry that you wanted to take me to find Commander Liu's son, Beibei, to settle things. But Dad stopped you. The next day, you took me to your research base, which was my first visit here," Yang Huawi recalled slowly.

"And what do you remember after arriving here?" The old director asked with curiosity.

"That day, when you brought me here, Aunt Zhang was in the lab," Yang Huawi said, thinking as he spoke. Aunt Zhang was a brilliant researcher at the institute, young and beautiful at that time, though a bit disheveled.

"But we sent you away while we were talking," Fang Zilan said naturally.

"Yes, you asked me to go to the next room to bring a chair for Aunt Zhang, but there was already an empty chair in the room. So, I knew you wanted me to leave because you didn't want me to hear what you were discussing with Aunt Zhang. I turned around and hid, then sneaked back," Yang Huawi shrugged innocently.

"At that time, you were talking about injecting something called JYXZ17. Aunt Zhang was vehemently opposed, saying that although there were no visible side effects yet, it was impossible that there were none. You two argued until you went to the old director. Later, when you returned, I tried to find out what JYXZ17 was but couldn't find anything. That night, after being sent back home, I started to notice gradual changes in my body. Although these changes were slow and seemed insignificant, I knew something new had been added to me. The strength wasn't something I originally had," Yang Huawi looked at Fang Zilan and the old director.

"You knew all this? Gene Correction 17!" Fang Zilan looked at her exceptionally perceptive son with a helpless smile towards the old director.

"Did you notice anything unusual in your growth process?" The old director, ignoring Fang Zilan's helplessness, eagerly inquired. It was rare to have such a clear test subject; his professional dedication was immediately evident.

"Not much, except that I felt unusually agile. I haven't told you yet, but my strength is also quite significant. Most of the time, I have to control my agility and strength. Compared to agility, my strength is even more formidable," Yang Huawi casually demonstrated by crushing a metal paperweight into a ball.

"Oh my God—" Both the old director and Fang Zilan exclaimed simultaneously.

"Perhaps from that day when I was seven, I already knew I wasn't an ordinary person. Over the years, I tried to evade responsibility and wanted to be a carefree young master, but from the moment the captain mentioned the parallel space, I knew I couldn't avoid it," Yang Huawi said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Since evasion is not an option, I might as well face it. My physiology is different from normal people's. Let me go in first and have a look. I'll take some recording equipment and also see what the people inside are like," Yang Huawi said with a heavy heart.

"Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhang is also inside," Fang Zilan's face darkened instantly.

"Aunt Zhang, you locked her in this monster-infested cave?!" Yang Huawi's heart chilled.

Seeing Yang Huawi's changed expression, the old director hesitantly replied, "It's not that we locked her in. She went in voluntarily when she was conscious."

"Rubbish—Aunt Zhang was harmless. How could she voluntarily walk into that place? What could have been her fate facing those monsters? Don't you know?!" Yang Huawi almost shouted in anguish.

"Huawi!" Fang Zilan's stern call immediately calmed Yang Huawi down, though he still looked at the old director with resentment, waiting for an explanation.

"After being infected by the monsters, Aunt Zhang is no longer a powerless woman. Her strength is beyond normal description," Fang Zilan said soothingly, "After being infected, her genes underwent some kind of reorganization and arrangement. Her body not only became extremely strong but also developed a highly corrosive property. Except for natural substances like rock and soil, almost everything else cannot withstand her corrosion, especially synthetic materials. Once she goes berserk, nothing can restrain her, not even steel and concrete."

"Good heavens, isn't she invincible then?" Yang Huawi couldn't help but cover his mouth.

"Yes, and once she goes berserk, she doesn't recognize anything. Fortunately, she has about an hour of consciousness each day. During that time, although she's extremely corrosive, she still retains her normal human nature. After attacking and corroding three research personnel, she managed to corrode the silicon locks that were imprisoning her and entered the monster-infested cave with a monitoring device. That's how we learned some of the changes in the cave," the old director finally came to his senses amidst Yang Huawi's anger and explained.

"Every day, she turns on the monitor during her conscious hour and turns it off before going berserk. However, starting yesterday, for some reason, the monitor hasn't been turned on, and we've lost contact with her," Fang Zilan added gravely.

"Prepare my equipment. I'll go in immediately with the recording and monitoring gear," Yang Huawi said decisively.

"That's a good idea. Old Director, report this. Let Huawi go in first. After losing contact with the inside, it's too dangerous to send the unmodified reserve team members in recklessly," Fang Zilan said to the old director, both relieved and worried as she looked at her son's resolute face.

After weighing the pros and cons, the old director quickly went to report to his superiors. Fang Zilan led her son Yang Huawi to the laboratory, explaining the various instruments he would need to take in and the cave's geography and Aunt Zhang's situation, which made his heart even heavier.

Two hours later, the old director returned, accompanied by the captain and two leaders. "Once you enter, there's no turning back. The cave is a one-way defense system, meaning you have to come out from the opposite side. Also, if something happens to you, it's very difficult to rescue you. Do you understand these issues?" the leader asked naturally.

"I understand!" Yang Huawi answered firmly. Knowing these things was precisely why he wanted to enter first. Otherwise, if all the team members rushed in together, it would be more costly if they all ended up trapped inside.

Hearing Yang Huawi's words, the two leaders sighed and said, "As the son of Engineer Fang Zilan and General Yang, the heavy responsibility falls on you. We hope you can safely make it through to the other side of the cave."

Seeing Yang Huawi's determined expression, the two leaders accompanied him to the armory, where he selected various weapons and was instructed, "Don't carry too many heavy weapons. Bring only a few grenades. Although the cave is solid, we cannot guarantee it's earthquake-proof. If you blow up the cave, you'll be buried with those monsters."

"Understood," Yang Huawi responded and began to choose his gear. He first selected a DSR No.1 sniper rifle, which could switch between three types of rifles with different ammunition and was easy to switch barrels. It had night vision, high-expansion explosive and armor-piercing ammunition, and was waterproof and highly accurate.

Being from a military family, Yang Huawi was no stranger to weapons. After choosing his main rifle, he also picked a Smith & Wesson M500 revolver.

Most people believe the Desert Eagle is the most powerful, but that's a misconception. The M500 revolver has twice the kinetic energy of the famous .50 caliber Desert Eagle, reaching the power of a high-caliber rifle! Its destructive power is truly formidable, deserving the title of "hand cannon." It's typically used for hunting large game, capable of taking down an African elephant with one shot. So, whether in the cave, parallel space, or even outer space, it would handle any threat. The only downside is its large bullets, meaning it only holds five rounds.

After selecting this crucial weapon, Yang Huawi took three high-power grenades and two submachine guns, loaded up on magazines, and prepared food, water, and portable lighting and monitoring equipment. He also strapped a Swiss Army knife to his waist and two daggers in his boots.

After the old director and scientists adjusted his gear, Yang Huawi was sent into the mutated biochemical cave amid the gaze of many onlookers.

As Yang Huawi entered the pitch-black cave, the stench hit him hard, nearly causing him to collapse. He turned on the overhead light and found some skeletons and rotting corpses. There seemed to be no recent corpses or objects, so Aunt Zhang's likelihood of having perished was small. Nevertheless, Yang Huawi proceeded cautiously.

Half an hour later, when Yang Huawi's nose had lost its sense of smell due to the stench, he finally encountered his first mutated creature in the cave.