<h4>Chapter 1465: Chapter 1773: North County Research Institute (2)</h4>


    "No, when I say it’s dangerous, I mean truly dangerous." With that, Tang Yuan pulled a document from his backpack and handed it to Ling Chen. "See for yourself. This is thest piece of information the military received before losing contact with the institute."


    Ling Chen read through the document from start to finish, his face suddenly changing. "Is everything in this document true?"


    "It is." Tang Yuan nodded, speaking seriously. "Yi Haisheng mentioned in this document that thanks to Zhu Hong’s arrival, their research has made groundbreaking progress. In this document, Yi Haisheng repeatedly mentions ’reinforcement’ and ’experiment.’ Both of us have dealt with the God Organization, so we know what this implies. So much time has passed since the disappearance, and the military highmand is suspecting something."


    "What is it?"


    "Those missing soldiers didn’t vanish without cause; they were used by Yi Haisheng as test subjects. Since Yi Haisheng achieved significant breakthroughs in his research, he must need arge number of subjects to test if their research is correct. Yi Haisheng once submitted a request to draw prisoners as test subjects. However, this request was outright rejected by the higher-ups. Even prisoners have their rights. Yi Haisheng allegedly had a huge argument with the highmand over this matter, and in the end, it was left unresolved—this was also thest time Yi Haisheng had phone contact with the military. A few days after this event, all those soldiers vanished. I think Yi Haisheng was influenced by Zhu Hong to make such a decision."


    "How many people are responsible for securing the institute?"


    "Twenty people, not many, but they are elite units, capable of defeating ten foes apiece. Just imagine, if our spection is correct and Yi Haisheng and Zhu Hong used those elite soldiers for enhancement, do you think this mission will be simple?"


    Hearing this, a hint of seriousness finally appeared in Ling Chen’s eyes. If it truly is like that, it’s indeed a big problem.


    "Old Tang, didn’t you investigate that research institute before? What did you discover?"


    Tang Yuan shook his head, saying, "Nothing at all. The institute is sealed entirely, no ess at all."


    "No ess?" Ling Chen was slightly taken aback, saying, "Didn’t the person who contacted me say we could go inside?"


    "You believe them? They’d definitely describe this mission as very easy so that you’d take the bait. If they directly told you this mission is extremely dangerous, even threatening your life, would you daree? That’s why I said earlier, you’ve been tricked by them. Honestly, you should abandon it sooner rather thanter, lest you end up paying the ultimate price."


    "What about you?"


    "Me? Of course, I’m staying. I’m a soldier; this is my mission. I can’t leave until the mission isplete."


    "There you go." Ling Chen smiled and said, "I’ll stay too, even if it’s not for the mission. I can’t just stand by and watch my brother take risks alone. Come on! Stop worrying about this and that. We’re brothers; what can’t we aplish together?"


    "You... sigh! Forget it, can’t be bothered to argue with you. Since you want to stay, I’ll take you over to the institute."


    "Alright."


    The two rested briefly at the hotel. At midnight, Ling Chen got on Tang Yuan’s motorcycle and headed straight toward the institute. Before long, a building standing darkly appeared in Ling Chen’s sight. Although Ling Chen had visited once before, the institute wasn’t yet established then. Looking around, theb covered a vast area, three-stories high, situated right above the ancient tomb—the tomb’s entrance is inside the institute.


    Ling Chen observed from outside for a while. Throughout, there wasn’t the slightest light from inside the institute. Strange! Ling Chen frowned slightly. Why is there not a hint of light inside the whole institute? Is there really not a soul inside?


    "Old Tang, have you been monitoring for days without seeing a single person?"


    "No one. Not a person, not even a light; the institute seems abandoned."


    Upon hearing this, Ling Chen turned his gaze to the rows of tents surrounding the institute. "Who lives there?"


    "The troops responsible for security. Due to Yi Haisheng’s requirement, they all reside here, prohibited from entering the institute."


    "Let’s go take a look together." With that, Ling Chen cautiously made his way toward the tents in the dark. Soon, the two arrived at one of the tents. As soon as they entered, a pungent smell immediately hit them from within. Ling Chen switched on his phone shlight to inspect the situation inside the tent. On a central table sat several dishes, left for so long they were emitting a foul odor.


    Ling Chen held his nose, nced around, and said, "The people living here were about to eat, but the meal was left unfinished as they were forcibly taken away."


    "Forcibly?" Tang Yuan asked puzzledly. "How did you discern that?"


    Ling Chen pointed at the dropped bowls and scattered food on the ground. "As soldiers, they adhere to strict discipline, no matter what happens, they wouldn’t casually throw bowls on the ground. This indicates they were forcefully pulled away. Look, there are trampled traces on these scattered food pieces, meaning there was a struggle."


    "So, our judgment is correct."


    Ling Chen nodded, saying, "I’m afraid Yi Haisheng isn’t just a science fanatic; he’s a lunatic, even daring to harm his own people. Come on, take me to see the institute."


    Leaving the tent, Ling Chen and Tang Yuan went straight to the institute’s main entrance.


    "There’s a surveince camera there; be careful not to be spotted." Tang Yuan cautioned.


    Gazing at the tightly shut door, Ling Chen asked, "Can’t this door be opened?"


    "No way! Because of the importance ced on this ancient tomb by the military, when constructing the institute, they used extremely sturdy materials. Not even bombs could certainly break it open, unless using arge amount of stic explosives. But doing so won’t be permitted from above. The mission’s core is secrecy; too muchmotion isn’t allowed. I’ve carefully inspected over these past couple days and found no ws. The institute is designed like a steel fortress, very hard to infiltrate. I’ve reported this to the higher-ups, but haven’t received a reply yet."


    "Tonight, we’re merely assessing the situation. Before gathering enough intelligence, we should avoid rash actions; who knows what’s hidden inside."