Free Web NovelChapter 125: Chapter 125: Endless Corridor
Darkness flooded his vision, accompanied by a familiar wave of dizziness. Shen Feng stood his ground, his muscles bulging as he shifted into his combat form. The skin over vital areas petrified, ready for any potential crisis.
The very instant the dizziness hit, a cool breeze washed over his body, bringing with it a refreshing chill.
It was still pitch-black before Shen Feng’s eyes.
The surrounding air felt damp.
This was no longer the hotel room from before.
He was now in the Gray Tide Doomsday World!
Shen Feng didn’t move immediately. He stood perfectly still, like a lifeless statue, straining his ears to listen to the sounds around him.
Judging by the lack of light, it had to be nighttime in the Gray Tide Doomsday World.
And judging by the sound and direction of the wind, he was inside some kind of building.
It was so dark, with barely a glimmer of light, that even his evolved eyes couldn’t adjust to the environment.
"I’ve completed an ultrasonic scan. It’s an ordinary room with some furniture. Nothing else. You can turn on a light," Jingwei’s voice rang out in his mind.
Without taking the time to ask what modifications Jingwei had made to the silicon-based framework in his chest this time, Shen Feng immediately took off his backpack, found a high-powered flashlight, and pressed the button.
A beam of light shot out, instantly revealing his surroundings.
Just as Jingwei had said, it was indeed a room.
The room was about twenty-five square meters, with gray metal floors, walls, and ceiling. There were no windows.
The room also contained some furniture like tables, chairs, a bed, and a sofa, all made of the same gray metal.
The entire room was practically dust-free, as clean as new, but it lacked any sign of human life.
Shen Feng couldn’t help but frown, a faint sense of foreboding creeping over him.
A gust of wind blew past, sending another chill through him.
He looked down and, sure enough, he was buck naked.
This mission’s transport was just like the very first one; it hadn’t brought his clothes, only him and his backpack.
Fortunately, Shen Feng was prepared. He took a T-shirt and shorts from his backpack and put them on, feeling helpless against the game system’s stinginess.
His wristband suddenly vibrated:
"Player has successfully entered the Gray Tide Doomsday World. This Doomsday World is a mass extinction event caused by the global loss of control over nanomechanical metal insects. Game Tasks: 1. Find the cause of the Gray Tide outbreak. 2. Find a way to control the Gray Tide. 3. Obtain the latest iteration of the Gray Tide sample. 4. Beware of structural damage from the Gray Tide; avoid assimilation."
’So that’s what it is... Nanomechanical Insects...’
Shen Feng nodded slightly, having gained a basic understanding of this world.
The so-called Nanomechanical Insects were, in fact, another name for Nanomechanical Robots.
After all, having been miniaturized to the nanometer scale, their individual definition was closer to that of an insect.
But these mission objectives were still complete bullshit.
Every single one was incredibly difficult.
Fortunately, with his experience from the previous two Doomsday Worlds, Shen Feng now had a general plan.
The first step was to find any surviving humans in this apocalypse and dig for information from them.
Pulling on a pair of Yeezys he had just bought in New York, Shen Feng took a pistol from his backpack and tucked it into his waistband. He then took out an automatic rifle to hold, and finally, he brought out the Electromagnetic Pulse Gun.
As for the flashlight, he temporarily mounted it on top of the automatic rifle to serve as a tactical light.
He donned a bulletproof vest, put on a brand-new anti-glare, full-color tactical night-vision device, clipped on a grenade and two Electromagnetic Pulse Bombs, and armed himself to the teeth. Only then did Shen Feng start walking out, rifle at the ready.
As he moved, he couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.
This was the third apocalypse he had entered. He could finally be considered an experienced old hand. He was no longer starting buck naked with nothing; at least he had enough gear.
The circular halo from the tactical light shone ahead, cutting through the corridor like a flower of light in the darkness.
Following the direction of the wind, Shen Feng moved forward cautiously, gun raised, and soon passed through the door of the room.
He was met with an identical room.
Still the same gray metal walls and floors, the same various pieces of furniture, and no windows.
Jingwei’s ultrasonic scanning continued, reporting to Shen Feng:
"No life signs detected at present. You can continue forward."
Shen Feng nodded, continued walking, and once again passed through the door of this room.
And then, another identical room.
By now, he was certain he was in a building with an extremely strange structure.
He just didn’t know why a windowless, coffin-like building like this was ever constructed.
’Could this be a product of the Gray Tide?’
With no time for further thought, Shen Feng pressed on with his gun raised, quickly passing through more than a dozen rooms.
These rooms were all exactly the same—the same furnishings, the same structure, and no windows!
’Something’s not right...’
He walked to the doorway and shone the tactical light ahead. The beam shot out, revealing yet another identical room.
These rooms looked as if they were metal molds produced from a template on an assembly line.
Most importantly, there was not the slightest trace of human life.
His expression grim, Shen Feng paused his advance. He took a small block of plastic explosive from his backpack, tapped on the adjacent wall, and stuck the explosive to it.
After setting up the detonator, Shen Feng covered his ears, retreated into a nearby room, and instantly pressed the detonation button.
"BOOM!" A massive explosion echoed, the shockwave spreading far and wide through the chain of rooms. Even though Shen Feng had covered his ears, the concussion still made his chest feel tight.
But he had no time to worry about that. He rushed into the blasted room to inspect the damage.
The gray metal wall was completely intact, save for a bit of black explosive residue. It was as if nothing had happened.
’This metal is extremely tough!’
Breaking through the walls to get out was clearly not an option.
It looked like he would have to rely on his own two feet to leave.
Besides, there was no telling what dangers the sound of the explosion might attract.
Shen Feng hesitated no longer. He took a deep breath and began to sprint in the direction he had been heading.
Although the doorways of these rooms weren’t perfectly aligned, he believed that even the longest building had to have an end.
The presence of wind meant there had to be an exit.
His most urgent task now was to find that exit and get out of here!
HUFF... HUFF...
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP...
The surroundings were pitch-black, illuminated only by the beam of his tactical light. Throughout the entire structure, only the sound of Shen Feng’s breathing, his footsteps, and the faint whisper of wind could be heard.
At first, it didn’t bother him, but as time wore on, an intangible sense of oppression gradually welled up inside him.
But the more anxious he became, the more elusive the end seemed, as if the building was truly endless.
Jingwei’s ultrasound couldn’t penetrate the walls, so it had no idea what this place was or what was around them. All they could do was keep moving forward, ever forward. freeweɓnovel.cøm
He had thought this place would be better than the Stone Statue Apocalypse and the nuclear wasteland, but it turned out to be nothing more than an iron coffin.
Eventually, Shen Feng grew completely accustomed to the structure of the rooms. With Jingwei’s scans to guide him, he finally turned off the tactical light, held only a pistol, and began to run at full speed.
’Run! I have to get out of here! I have to escape this metal tomb!’
Hour after hour passed. In that time, Shen Feng stopped once to rest, eat some food, drink some water to replenish his energy, and then continued running.
At this point, he was even faintly hoping for some monster to appear, even a robot would do. A fight to the death would be far better than this oppressive loneliness where there was nothing at all!
He also finally understood what claustrophobia truly meant.
Eternal confinement and darkness brought about the warping of one’s mind and soul!
The only consolation, perhaps, was that the furniture in these metal rooms was usable, allowing him to rest...
He finally understood why the severity of the Gray Tide Doomsday World was rated higher than that of the nuclear wasteland apocalypse...
...
Darkness, endless darkness.
Shen Feng’s eyes snapped open.
Still, darkness.
He got up from the metal bed, fumbled to put on his gear, shouldered his backpack, took a sip of water, and prepared to set off again.
It was already the seventh day. Seven days had passed in a flash, and he was still in this endlessly looping series of metal rooms!
The length of this structure far exceeded his expectations.
And his supply of food and water was running low!
Shen Feng took a deep breath, got his bearings, chatted idly with Jingwei for a bit to lift his spirits, and then resumed his frantic run.
He had to get out of here, no matter how long it took!
About ten minutes later, the occasional breeze suddenly grew more humid. At the same time, a faint glimmer of light seemed to appear ahead, accompanied by a faint, howling sound, like countless bagpipes playing at once.
Shen Feng’s eyes widened. He couldn’t help but quicken his pace, tightening his grip on the pistol.
’The exit is finally here!’
There was a glimmer of light ahead!
