C25 (6)

Xie Yu was quite intrigued by Mr. Lee, the elusive figure within the headquarters building.

"Xie Yu, can you really be sure that Mr. Lee will have a word with us?" Soong Mu asked skeptically. "He's the one who's been keeping us from seeing Dr. Robert."

With a reassuring smile, Xie Yu clapped Soong Mu on the shoulder. "Trust me, I've got this. We'll coast to victory."

"Really?" Soong Mu gave him a dubious look. "Just don't end up getting played."

"Me? Get played?" Xie Yu scoffed, playfully thumping Soong Mu on the head.

"The underground city does not welcome outsiders," the metallic voice intoned once again. "Your presence has disrupted the order of our society. You may leave the letter, but your stay is not permitted."

"Chief Hai Yun mentioned on our way here that the underground city's energy crisis necessitates finding new solutions, and that clues from outsiders are crucial. Are you really going to send us away, disregarding her words?" Xie Yu glanced around. Spotting a row of sofas in the hall, he and Soong Mu took a seat. The display in front of them flickered to life, revealing a man at the center of the screen.

"You may address me as Mr. Lee." The blond man on the screen was all business, his face devoid of any smile. Xie Yu couldn't help but silently criticize; it seemed as though everyone in this building lacked any trace of emotion, especially compared to the staff member they'd encountered earlier. At least Hai Yun seemed more human, capable of emotion and anger.

"Dr. Robert is safeguarded by the underground city's governance decree. Without a prior appointment and clearance, strangers are not permitted to meet with him," Mr. Lee enunciated deliberately, "especially not outsiders like yourselves."

"We pose no threat to the underground city. Our sole purpose here is to deliver a message. Just let us hand it to Dr. Robert, and we'll be on our way," Soong Mu interjected, growing impatient. "If you're wary, feel free to have someone shadow us and monitor our every move."

"Moreover," Xie Yu added calmly, his voice tinged with a subtle but unmistakable edge, "this mission is non-negotiable for us, whether you consent or not."

Mr. Lee remained impassive, responding like a mannequin, "Dr. Robert is in this building. If you manage to find him, I won't interfere."

The electronic screen blinked off with a ding. Xie Yu remained seated on the sofa, motionless. After a brief pause, he suddenly looked up towards the second floor and called out, "I get your drift. No more tests needed."

His voice reverberated through the hall as Xie Yu ascended to the second floor with a smirk.

"Hold up, what have you figured out now?!" Soong Mu raced after him.

"That Mr. Lee is nothing but a digital facade. The true puppet master is the one behind the screen, and I have a hunch it's Dr. Robert himself," Xie Yu explained while running. "His research must have delved into forbidden territory, which is why he's been confined somewhere."

"So you think he's using the system to communicate with us, without letting anyone else in the building catch on, hence the charade?" Soong Mu inquired.

"Exactly, but it's still just a suspicion, not a certainty. Regardless, our main objective is to locate Dr. Robert." Xie Yu paused at the second-floor landing, scanning the area. "The building isn't that tall; the highest floor is the twelfth. We should be able to cover it floor by floor."

"We might not have that luxury," Soong Mu said, gesturing to a door at the end of the hallway. "If all the doors are like this one, a few hours won't be nearly enough."

Within the City Administrative Bureau's headquarters, the silver-white smart door gleamed, impossible to overlook despite not being blinding.

"We both wield melee weapons; breaching such a door won't be easy," Soong Mu remarked, drawing his weapon and sizing up the door.

His weapon, a sharp and slender military spike, resembled an awl. A hit from it could cause severe bleeding, and without a medic, stopping the blood flow would be futile.

"No need for that, let's head this way," Xie Yu suggested, pointing towards another room.

The door was ajar, casting a sliver of light from within.

As the two approached the threshold, Xie Yu gripped his kitchen knife, the Ring Blade too lengthy and conspicuous for subtle use.

"Team Leader, the initial phase of the experiment is complete, and the data looks promising," came a voice from inside.

Xie Yu and Soong Mu paused at the doorway, hesitant to enter.

"If the data is promising, then let's get in touch with the rest and gear up for phase two," a woman's raspy voice commanded from within.

"Understood."

Footsteps echoed, prompting Xie Yu and Soong Mu to instinctively sidestep, narrowly missing the departing experimenter.

"No need for stealth now, come on in."

The same woman called out, this time directly addressing them outside the door.

Realizing their cover was blown, Xie Yu and Soong Mu straightened up, tucked away their weapons, and confidently strode into the room.

They entered a state-of-the-art lab, its walls aglow with flickering blue and green lights, data and complex jargon floating across the surfaces in a dance too intricate for Xie Yu to decipher.

He recognized each word individually, but strung together, they were an enigma.

"I hear you're in search of Dr. Robert?" The woman, with her short golden hair and sharp white suit, was handling a row of reagent bottles.

"Yes, that's correct. Could you possibly assist us?" Xie Yu inquired with courtesy.

"No." She shook her head dismissively. "Robert's an oddity; no one cares to collaborate with him on experiments. His whereabouts are unknown to me."

"May I be so bold as to inquire about the nature of your experiment?" Xie Yu ventured.

"No comment," she replied curtly, turning back to her work. To her, Xie Yu and Soong Mu were mere shadows, unworthy of a second thought.

Xie Yu's brow furrowed as he surveyed the lab's equipment. They had been granted access only to be met with silence on the experiment's purpose. Did she not fear they might deduce something from the array of devices before them?

From the moment he stepped into the building, a sense of discomfort had settled over him, casting a shadow that simply didn't add up. Everything felt inexplicably off.

No matter how much he strained to rationalize it, the dissonance lingered, stubbornly refusing to be dismissed.

Upon laying eyes on the laboratory, that unsettling feeling intensified, adding another layer of unease.

Something was unquestionably amiss, yet they had yet to pinpoint what it was.