Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Entering the Research Institute

That beastly roar had come from Meng Hu. It was meant to scare those three.

She was also the one who caused the power outage.

Song Yiguo’s apartment had the master switch that controlled the power for the entire building.

Now, seeing He Yu’an ahead of Hao Wenli, a smile curved Chen Xing’s lips.

When the power suddenly went out, they instinctively ran, definitely toward the place they felt was safest.

He Yu’an and Hao Wenli were running at about the same speed, which proved they had both started running in the same direction at the same time.

He Laiyu was different. She had likely run toward Changyuan Avenue first, which was in the opposite direction from the Research Institute.

She only turned back after realizing the other two had run somewhere else, which was why she was a bit slower.

Based on this alone, Chen Xing could determine that He Yu’an was also from the Research Institute.

She just didn’t understand what about her was worth such a huge investment from them.

One Hao Wenli wasn’t enough, so they sent another one.

’My arm?’

’It’s just a little stronger than a normal person’s...’

She immediately went downstairs and ran toward the Research Institute.

Hao Wenli and the other two ran all the way to the entrance of the Research Institute in one breath, but they didn’t immediately go inside.

"What is this place?" He Laiyu asked, panting heavily, seeing that they had stopped running.

Hao Wenli didn’t suspect He Yu’an; she just thought she had led the other two here. He Laiyu’s question left her at a bit of a loss. "I... I’m not too sure either..."

He Yu’an, on the other hand, put on a complete ’I-don’t-know’ expression, distancing herself entirely from the situation.

She had indeed received a mission, but the other party had demanded that she absolutely could not let anyone know about it, including her aunt, He Laiyu.

She had even subtly guided her aunt into coming to find Hao Wenli.

He Laiyu didn’t think much of it. She looked up at the Research Institute’s upper floors and saw lights on, so without hesitation, she pulled the two girls into the building.

’I’m the main force here,’ she thought. ’What ideas could two little girls have?’

The main door to the Research Institute was ajar; it opened with a simple pull.

Inside was a large hall. The lighting was extremely dim, and there wasn’t a single sound from the surroundings. It was a little terrifying.

Although He Laiyu had been the one to lead them in, the atmosphere was too frightening, and she was starting to regret it. "Why is it so chilly in here? Should we go back outside?"

Hao Wenli and He Yu’an had no objections. The three of them turned around together, only to see a figure appear at the doorway.

Unable to see clearly, the three of them were so frightened they simultaneously took several steps back, scrambling to hide behind one another.

When they saw that it was Chen Xing who had come in, they awkwardly let go of each other. "What are you doing here?" Hao Wenli asked, feeling a little guilty.

She had received a mission from the Research Institute to get close to Chen Xing. If she were discovered, she wouldn’t be able to complete her mission.

Although Chen Xing’s expression was still cold, her tone wasn’t as stiff as usual. "I saw you all running this way, so I followed to see what was going on."

He Laiyu had a completely unfavorable impression of Chen Xing and sneered at her, "So now you’re scared and following us?" ’She was acting so high and mighty when we met in the lobby earlier.’

It was rare for Chen Xing to take the initiative, and Hao Wenli didn’t want He Laiyu to ruin it. She quickly stepped in front of her and said in a slightly fawning tone, "It’s a good thing you followed us out in time. Is there a beast loose in our building? We heard a terrifying sound just now, which is why we all ran out in fear."

"Oh!" Chen Xing nodded and looked around. "What is this place?"

She looked as if she were seeing it for the very first time.

Seeing that Chen Xing wasn’t rejecting her and was speaking in a friendly tone, Hao Wenli thought her words had finally moved her. She tried even harder to appear kind and approachable. "I’m not too sure. We just came in because it seemed relatively safe. But Sister He said it looks creepy, so we were just about to leave!"

"It looks fine to me. Much better than our building. At least there’s electricity!" After speaking, Chen Xing didn’t wait for Hao Wenli and the others to make a decision and walked toward the elevators on her own.

The elevator indicator showed it was stopped on the top floor. She pressed the button, and the elevator started to move.

Hao Wenli was speechless. ’I don’t feel safe staying here.’

"We don’t even know what this place is. Isn’t it a bad idea to just barge in? What if there are bad people here?"

’There is no ’what if’!’

’This place is one hundred percent full of bad people!’

Chen Xing showed no intention of leaving. Instead, she looked up, watching the elevator’s floor numbers change.

With Hao Wenli and He Yu’an, two people from the Research Institute, here, she didn’t think the institute’s staff would release the zombie dogs.

As long as the zombie dogs didn’t come out, she wasn’t in any real danger. This was a good chance to explore the Research Institute with Hao Wenli and the others. She might discover something, which was the very reason she had followed them.

Unable to persuade Chen Xing, and seeing that He Laiyu no longer seemed to want to leave either, Hao Wenli could only follow them to the elevator and try to persuade He Laiyu. "Sister, didn’t you say this place looked unsafe? Let’s just go home."

"At least there’s electricity here..." He Laiyu had always been simple-minded. "It’s pitch-black without power, and that’s what’s really scary!"

Even though she didn’t like Chen Xing, this was much better than facing a beast.

At that moment, the elevator arrived. Chen Xing entered first, and the other three followed her in, one by one.

Hao Wenli felt uneasy.

’It seems I’ve succeeded in getting close to Chen Xing, but now we’ve suddenly appeared at the Research Institute together?’

’I wonder what expressions the higher-ups will have when they see this.’

The elevator stopped directly on the top floor. The doors opened...

The hallway, which should have been brightly lit, was now pitch-black. The only light came from the elevator entrance.

"Are we really getting out of the elevator?" Hao Wenli was quite reluctant. "Let’s just go home, okay?"

"Why don’t we just leave?" Seeing how dark it was, He Laiyu also grew afraid.

He Yu’an, however, remained silent.

Chen Xing paid them no mind and was the first to step out of the elevator.

Her vision allowed her to see all the way to the end of the hall in a single glance. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

The director’s office was at the end of the hallway. Its door was closed, and it didn’t look special in any way.

Chen Xing started walking toward the end of the hallway.

Hao Wenli didn’t know what she was worried about, just that she felt uneasy. "Chen Xing, we really shouldn’t go over there!" She grabbed Chen Xing’s arm as she spoke.

Chen Xing glanced back at her hand.

Hao Wenli flinched and immediately let go.

Right now, she was standing in the area illuminated by the elevator light. She couldn’t see anything beyond it at all.

She had never been to this part of the building before. Every time she entered, someone would receive her and arrange everything, so her activities were always restricted to the first floor.

She knew the people she met with were certainly unimportant; it was debatable whether they had even met the big boss behind the scenes.

The thought that the big boss might be here now made her anxious, but... she also felt a stirring of curiosity, a desire to see for herself.

Since Chen Xing was determined to go, Hao Wenli just pretended she couldn’t be stopped and let her be.

However, she didn’t move from her spot at the elevator entrance.

The other two were the same, all of them hesitating by the elevator.

Chen Xing quickly reached the door of the director’s office. Before her hand could even touch it, the surroundings suddenly lit up.