Chapter 944: Living Sample Death
Xu Huo and the living sample had been separated for less than two hours. When he first entered this rest area, he discovered that the xenomorph locked in the cage was already dead. Although dead, it still emitted "heartbeats" and "breathing." Using props to fake a "living" state was not difficult, which was why it could deceive Shangguan Xi and the others, who had been watching it without leaving.
Besides Shangguan Xi and the four others, the only people who could get close to the living sample were the personnel of this training base. Apart from the staff they had encountered after separating, there were also Gao Xiaoyan and her group.
The living sample had been delivered here, only to be killed at the final step. On the surface, it seemed like an attempt to hinder their instance clearance. In reality, regardless of who had done it, preventing their clearance could not be the true goal. The problem naturally circled back to the living sample itself.
Based on his earlier speculation, the sample was more likely to carry an infectious virus than an antibody. Moreover, its delivery to W37 Base City was not for vaccine research but for a poisoning operation by W11 City.
There was a premise here: whether W11 and W37 had a cooperative relationship.
If the two cities were cooperating, this xenomorph might genuinely be a research sample. If the background of the sample transport was real, then the sample's value was greatest while alive. Since it had already arrived at their doorstep, W37's higher-ups should not have remained indifferent.
Gao Xiaoyan held a high position in the training base and could directly contact the mayor. She should not have been excluded from confidential information. Her attitude toward the sample indicated that the living sample was not as important as the game's background story suggested.
Given that most base cities likely had no intention of changing the current state of base stations, if this work had to be carried out due to some compromise, neglecting the living sample could barely be justified. However, secretly tampering with and killing the sample in the training base was extremely unreasonable.
Yes, among the suspects, Xu Huo was more inclined to believe that Gao Xiaoyan's side had killed the living sample.
Of course, Teacher Ai was also highly suspicious, but he lacked the ability to deceive Shangguan Xi and the others.
If Gao Xiaoyan had doubts about W11's intentions, she should have acted immediately upon first seeing the xenomorph. Yet she did not do so at that time.
Therefore, regardless of the purpose of transporting the sample, the response from W37 Base City, as the receiving party, was somewhat strange.
So, what use was a dead living sample?
"Mr. Xu, we can prepare to depart," Gao Xiaoyan said, having returned.
Xu Huo deliberately glanced at the metal cage before nodding.
No one could be trusted with the living sample, so Shangguan Xi and Zhu Feiyun were responsible for moving it in and out. The base staff prepared a wheelchair for Teacher Ai, and the group walked out of the training base building to board the vehicle.
"This car has style!" Shangguan Xi whistled at a dark gray oversized off-road vehicle ahead.
The staff member who had previously been responsible for the full load came specifically to see Xu Huo off. Upon hearing this, he immediately introduced, "This is the latest achievement from the laboratory. The core technology was imported from other game districts and specially crafted for the W37 base station environment. Using this vehicle, it will take less than half a day to reach the base city."
"Moreover, the car is equipped with a new detection system. Even if a xenomorph is hiding behind a mountain, it can be discovered, allowing us to avoid risks in advance."
As he spoke, the ponytailed man responsible for driving had already started the vehicle. The driver's seat and the back seats were connected. Shangguan Xi eagerly leaned over and asked, "What does this display show?"
"Lifeforms inside the car," the lightning-tattooed man beside him replied. "It can detect every breathing creature in the car, even if props are used..."
"That's not right..." Shangguan Xi interrupted him. "There should be twelve people in the car right now. Why are there only eleven dots?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Feiyun's expression changed. He immediately moved to the metal cage. "The anesthetic's effect should be wearing off soon. The xenomorph hasn't made a sound at all!"
Everyone in the car changed color. Pan Qiao said, "But we can still hear its breathing..."
Gao Xiaoyan immediately came over to check. She pressed a prop inscribed with "Truth" against the metal cage. Something inside the cage fell with a thud. The breathing and heartbeat that the players had been hearing instantly vanished.
"Open the lid and see the prize," Kuang Wenjun said, slapping the top of the metal cage. The cage's lid automatically broke and flipped to the side. Sure enough, the xenomorph inside was already dead, its breath having ceased for some time.
The car fell silent for a moment. After a while, Shangguan Xi spoke, "How could this happen? We guarded the sample without leaving its side the entire way. Who did this!"
The clearance players certainly could not have killed the sample. That left two suspects: Teacher Ai and Gao Xiaoyan's side. Everyone knew Teacher Ai's condition, so Shangguan Xi turned his anger toward Gao Xiaoyan. "Did you people do this!"
The ponytailed man and the lightning-tattooed man immediately shielded Gao Xiaoyan. The players who had come to see them off, along with those responsible for guarding the area, surrounded the car. The defensive weapons in front of the base building were also aimed at the vehicle!
"We had an agreement. You were to take the xenomorph into the base city. Once inside, we wouldn't care how you handled it. Regardless of your purpose, our people would take over the xenomorph upon arrival. There was no need to kill it at this time," Gao Xiaoyan said, her expression calm. She was explaining to Xu Huo. "However, since this happened here, the base city must also bear some responsibility. The matter is already settled. Rather than getting to the bottom of it, it's better to discuss how to salvage the situation."
She had a point. Since Xu Huo's side could not have killed the sample, someone from this training base must have done it. As a member of W37 Base City, Gao Xiaoyan's first priority should be to check if there was a rat in her own house. Giving Xu Huo an explanation was secondary. The simplest solution was direct compensation.
"Salvage?" Before Xu Huo could speak, Shangguan Xi said angrily, "How do you salvage? Compensate with props or white notes? What about the instance rating?"
"Xu Ge and I are both on the leaderboard. Do you know how many ranks we'll drop if we can't clear this instance? How do you compensate for that loss!"
Gao Xiaoyan frowned. "Are there other xenomorphs? I'll personally go and bring one back."
"There were three xenomorph samples in total," Xu Huo said. "These were supposed to be vaccine research samples sent to your base city, specifically to deal with the virus that hasn't disappeared from the base station. Don't you have any leads?"
"How could W11 send such good things over?" the lightning-tattooed man immediately said. "Vaccines and samples are all fake. Spreading the virus is more likely!"
But Gao Xiaoyan seemed to think of another point. She turned to the ponytailed man and asked, "Where do xenomorphs entering the base city go first?"
"Dead ones go to the incinerator. Live ones go to the laboratory for sampling."
(Chapter End)