Chapter 132: Investigating the Laboratory

You’d better make sure you never cross someone like that, or you won’t even know what hit you.

If he wanted to harm you, he’d have a hundred ways to do it.

The laboratory lights were brilliant, spilling onto a marble floor so polished it reflected one’s silhouette.

All sorts of advanced equipment were arranged in an orderly fashion, reflecting a silvery sheen under the lights.

The security here was tighter than Gu Mian had imagined. What surprised him even more was that all the security personnel were armed with guns.

Men in black stood ramrod straight in every corner, cautiously watching their surroundings.

"How did you get in before?" Gu Mian frowned.

Chi Heng glanced at him, hesitating before speaking. "None of this was here when I came before."

When he had come over back then, the area around the lab had been dead quiet. There were only transport vehicles and a few security guards; even the security cameras weren’t all on.

Gu Mian lowered the binoculars thoughtfully, his expression serene.

’These people were likely sent here on short notice. Perhaps after what happened yesterday, the other party has already discovered Chi Heng.’

’Of course, there’s another possibility.’

’The Mutated Bat Wings are still missing, so these people are on high alert and have brought in reinforcements just in case.’

But either way, it was not good news for them.

Gu Mian had done some reconnaissance beforehand. This was a privately established laboratory. The official records showed it was for animal research, with a focus on the origin of Beastmen and animal evolution.

It was legal and compliant, with all the necessary permits in order. On the surface, it looked like a perfectly ordinary lab.

But he had still found some clues. This lab was too large, and its registered capital far exceeded that of similar laboratories. And the security... ’Are their guns really legal?’

’Does carrying them mean that if something really happens, they can only resolve it with the most primitive methods?’

"Take this." He took two ID cards from his pocket and handed one to Chi Heng.

Chi Heng’s expression faltered. It was an access card for the laboratory.

’Where did he get this from?’

’And this photo on it... it’s clearly me.’

He subconsciously looked over at the man, only to see him looking as calm and composed as ever, as if this was nothing to be surprised about.

"Legitimate channels."

After speaking these two words, Gu Mian straightened up and walked towards the stairs without looking back.

They were currently at the top of a tower. After going down, they still had to walk some distance.

This was the tallest building in the vicinity. The elevator went up to the tenth floor, and one more flight of stairs led to the rooftop.

From here, they could see the entire laboratory complex.

The laboratory was quite large, and because it dealt with experimental subjects, it couldn’t be built in the city. But the suburbs had few good reference points, so it had taken Gu Mian a lot of effort to find a suitable vantage point.

As for the access cards, he had gotten them from a colleague. The scientific research community was only so big, and there were only a handful of famous names in the industry.

Besides, given the lab’s scale, it had to transport a lot of things every day. If one paid close attention, they were bound to find an opening.

So what if they had hired top-tier security? With a limited number of personnel, even if they noticed something amiss, it would be difficult to find the right target in a short amount of time.

That’s right. Ever since he learned this lab wasn’t state-run, Gu Mian had relaxed quite a bit.

No matter how legitimate it looked, as long as it didn’t have official recognition, there was nothing to fear. This proved that all the so-called malicious intent came from this small group of people.

Whether it was the experiments or the armed guards.

It was all them, using scientific research as a cover to satisfy their own selfish desires.

’But what are these people really after?’

’An operation of this scale can’t be just for the Beastmen.’

...

They walked into the laboratory right through the front door.

Although the guards outside were all armed, most were temporary hires just to make up the numbers. They couldn’t possibly recognize everyone’s face.

One of them even gave Gu Mian a polite nod as he approached.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile remained on the man’s face. He was the first to enter the lab, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings.

After entering, they had to pass through a security checkpoint, where a staff member in a black uniform scanned them up and down with a handheld device.

When the scanner passed over Chi Heng, the indicator light flashed, BEEP BEEP BEEP. Understandingly, Chi Heng took out a dagger and skillfully placed it in a box to the side.

Gu Mian only glanced at it before looking away. He wore a mask that obscured his face, but his tall, straight posture still gave off an air of nobility.

"How come I haven’t seen you before?" said a bearded man sitting in a chair at the security checkpoint, addressing Gu Mian.

The man’s smile deepened, and his tone was perfectly polite. "You’ve forgotten already? Last week, when I couldn’t find my keys, you were the one who opened the door for me."

"Ah... it was you!" The staff member rubbed his nose. An image of such a person did indeed surface in his mind.

’But those eyes... I remember he didn’t look like that!’

But Gu Mian obviously wasn’t going to give him too much time to think. He shot Chi Heng a look and strode past the guard.

The laboratory was only four stories high.

The first floor looked like a front.

They didn’t see anyone along the way. Based on the location Chi Heng had provided, Gu Mian did a quick analysis and headed to the second floor of the lab with him.

The second floor had many laboratories, and the windows of each were covered with privacy film.

After a simple survey, the two went on to the third and fourth floors. These floors had more rooms, but they looked very similar to the second floor.

"Where did you find the reagent?" Gu Mian asked.

Chi Heng led him to a corner on the fourth floor. There was a locked room there. Although it also had privacy film, the door had a small viewing window.

Through the window, they could clearly see staff members bustling about inside, holding syringes and injecting the Beastmen in the cages.

Gu Mian said, "Let’s check the basement."

"What about this place?" Chi Heng glanced into the room again.

"What we’re looking for isn’t here."

Chi Heng didn’t know what Gu Mian was looking for, so he could only follow him into the elevator and down to the basement levels.

The basement was far deeper than he had imagined.

The building was four stories tall above ground, but below ground, it was also divided into B1, B2, B3, and B4.

Oh, right, there was also a B5, which was the laboratory’s parking garage.

The design was truly baffling.

Gu Mian led Chi Heng as they searched from the bottom up. The seemingly ordinary basement was like a giant labyrinth, with countless interconnected rooms. Many lab technicians in protective suits and masks bustled through them.

Normally, reaching each floor required a corresponding ID card for the elevator’s scanner, but the card Gu Mian had prepared was truly miraculous; it granted them unimpeded access to every floor.

The B4 level looked stranger than the places they had passed through before. The air was thick with the unmistakable smell of disinfectant mixed with blood.

The walls were smooth and clean, yet they were covered in scratch marks of varying depths, which was a chilling sight.