manynovel Chapter 54 The Hive Entrance
Chapter 54 The Hive Entrance
The remains of the three-headed tyrant emitted a strange stench of burnt flesh mixed with a foul odor in the narrow back alley. Tony retracted his palm cannon, and his nanotech armor receded like water, disappearing back into his specially made clothing. He walked to the tyrant's side, whose central nervous system had been shattered by Chen Haotian's exquisite internal energy, and nudged the massive, lifeless body with his toe.
"Not bad efficiency," Tony commented, his tone carrying a hint of technical admiration. "This bio-weapon's muscle strength and bone density far exceed those of ordinary people, yet its neural responses seem to exhibit a certain delay and stiffness, making attacks targeting joints and nerve plexuses remarkably effective. Your... 'qi gong'?"
"Internal energy," Chen Haotian corrected, his breathing steady, as if the lightning-fast close combat just moments before was merely a warm-up. He bent down and tore off the still-intact identification tag and some electronic components that might contain information from the combat suit of a Tyrant's remains. "A way of utilizing energy, essentially similar to how you use a reactor to power your armor, only the form of expression is different."
"Similar, but different," Tony said, taking the parts from Chen Haotian. The miniature device on his wrist extended a probe to quickly scan the parts. "My energy source is clear and controllable, yours... is more metaphysical. However, results-oriented, as long as it works." The scan results quickly showed that these parts had simple internal structures, with only basic identification codes and positioning functions, clearly indicating that they were only consumable-level components.
"The Umbrella's probing is over," Chen Haotian stood up, his gaze sweeping across the alleyway where the surveillance camera was still faithfully working. "Sending three early-stage Tyrants shows both 'importance' and leaves room for maneuver. They want to know the limits of our strength."
"And we've already provided part of the answer," Tony interjected, a smirk playing on his lips. "We're powerful enough, possess unknown energy technology, and have some understanding of Umbrella's 'products.' Now, it's our turn to take the initiative. That 'Red Queen' hiding in the mainframe has probably already updated our threat level."
Without further delay, the two quickly left the ravaged battlefield and sped towards the manor in the northwest. The tyrant's attack had only reinforced their belief in the importance of the manor's location—the Umbrella Corporation wouldn't have deployed such a large force to intercept them on the route there without a valid reason.
The closer you get to the Western-style mansion area, the more tranquil and eerie the surroundings become. The streets are cleaner and tidier, and the green belts are meticulously trimmed, but there are almost no pedestrians or vehicles in sight, as if the area has been cleared out. Only the ubiquitous cameras slowly rotate at a constant frequency, their cold electronic eyes capturing the slightest movement.
"The atmosphere is spot on," Tony quipped in a low voice. "The perfect setting for an evil stronghold."
Chen Haotian didn't respond; his attention was focused on the vast, retro-style villa complex in the distance, surrounded by a tall wrought-iron wall. That was their target—the mansion, the disguise for the Hive's surface entrance.
Instead of approaching the main gate directly, the two searched along the wall for a relatively secluded side. At a section of the wall partially obscured by dense vines, Tony stopped. The device on his wrist lit up again, and a subtle scanning beam silently swept across the wall and the ground behind it.
"This is it," Tony confirmed. "About five meters behind the wall, there's a clear metal structure and energy reaction underground, consistent with the characteristics of a large lifting platform or tunnel entrance. Also, there's a tiny blind spot in the surveillance cameras here, lasting about 1.7 seconds, likely due to a gap in the connection caused by the maintenance cycle."
"One and a half seconds is enough," Chen Haotian nodded. For the two of them, this short window of time was sufficient to accomplish a great deal.
Calculating the rotation rhythm of the surveillance cameras, the instant the next blind spot appeared, Chen Haotian's figure blurred, silently vaulting over the three-meter-high wall like a weightless shadow, landing without even disturbing a single leaf. Tony's movements were even more technologically advanced; he shot out two extremely thin, almost invisible nanowires from his wrists, the ends attaching to the top of the wall, easily carrying him over, before retracting.
Inside the walled compound was a meticulously maintained garden, but it was also deserted. Directly in front of them was a seemingly ordinary lawn. But according to Tony's scan, the secret entrance was hidden beneath this lawn.
"The problem now is, how do we open this 'door' for us?" Tony crouched down, placing his palm on the grass. Nanoparticles seeped from his palm, seeping into the soil beneath the turf like liquid metal, beginning a more detailed structural probe. "A standard alloy armor door, incredibly thick, with a dual mechanical and electronic locking system. Forcing it open isn't impossible, but it will definitely trigger the highest level alarm."
"Then let's use the 'key'." Chen Haotian took out the UBCS identification card he had obtained from the police station, as well as the electronic parts he had looted from the Tyrant, from his equipment bag. "The Umbrella Corporation's internal system is not monolithic; different departments and levels have different levels of access. The regular access from UBCS might not be enough, but with the identification codes on these Tyrants, we might be able to piece together a temporary identity that's enough to fool the basic verification process."
Tony took the identification card and parts, quickly attaching them to the device on his wrist. "Interesting idea, playing with access control. Jarvis, start simulating the identity protocol, try combining these identifiers to generate a virtual identity with emergency access privileges, prioritizing access to the underground facility's list."
"Processing, sir," a synthesized voice responded. A stream of data scrolled rapidly across the screen of the miniature device. A moment later, "Virtual identity construction complete, permission level simulated as 'Bioweapon Emergency Recovery Force,' possessing temporary, restricted area access rights. However, warning: this identity cannot pass deep biometric verification; it will be immediately exposed if the system requests fingerprint, iris, or DNA verification."
"That's enough," Chen Haotian said. "We just need it to open the first door and gain access to the internal network interface. Once you have access to the internal circuitry, you'll have a way to deal with that AI called Red Queen, won't you?"
"Theoretically, yes." Tony smiled confidently. "As long as I get my hands on its 'doorknob,' I can figure out a way to pick the lock."
He stood up and pointed the device that generated the virtual information at a spot on the lawn. A specific encrypted signal was sent out.
After a brief silence, the low rumble of machinery filled the air. The lawn in front of them slowly parted to reveal a circular metal platform about four meters in diameter. In the center of the platform was a heavy alloy gate with a flashing red indicator light. After receiving the signal from Tony, the red light flashed a few times and then turned green.
With a soft hiss as air pressure was released, the alloy gate slid open to one side, revealing a brightly lit, futuristic metal passage below. A gust of cold air, carrying the smell of disinfectant, rushed out from the passage.
"Welcome to the Hive," Chen Haotian said calmly, looking down into the seemingly bottomless tunnel. "Are you ready to meet our 'mistress'?"
Tony flexed his fingers, the nanoparticles swirling slightly at his fingertips, a smile of anticipation and challenge on his face: "Of course, I can't wait to see whether the AI in this world is more powerful, or whether my technology is superior."
The two exchanged a glance, then, without hesitation, stepped one after the other into the passage leading to the secret underground world. Behind them, the lawn slowly closed, concealing the entrance once more, as if nothing had ever happened. But inside the Hive, the omnipresent electronic eyes had already clearly displayed the images of the two uninvited guests on the screen in the control center. In the cold, logical program, the threat level was quietly escalating.