Lin Xinghai got out of the vehicle and looked at the building before them with the others.
The Spacecraft Research Institute was of exceptionally high quality. You didnât need to inspect it to tell; it was obvious at a glance.
Essentially, any building that survived the Great Cataclysm was bound to be well-constructed; otherwise, it would have collapsed long ago.
But this Spacecraft Research Institute before them had no major damage visible from the outside, which was quite rare.
The group gathered in a relatively open area, and Fang Tianhe climbed down from his Mecha.
He scanned the group and got straight to the point. "According to the original plan, weâll split into two teams here. One team will be led by me to go inside and retrieve the Energy Crystal Stones."
"The other team, led by Shen Han, will blast a path with Micro Missiles to come rescue us if we run into danger and call for help."
"Now, raise your hand if youâre willing to enter the Spacecraft Research Institute with me. Of course, I must state first that it will definitely be more dangerous for those who go in."
"The Energy Crystal Stones inside the institute are in an unstable state. The energy radiation they emit is interfering with our detectors, so we know nothing about the situation inside," Fang Tianhe said in a grave voice.
SWISH!
A sea of hands went up, including Lin Xinghaiâs.
After leaving the Shelter, he had basically just been riding in vehicles. All he wanted to do now was walk around a bit.
As for the danger, it wasnât that he hadnât considered it, but he wasnât worried.
It wasnât that he was getting cocky. What was that old saying? âIf you and a friend are being chased by a man-eating tiger, you donât have to run faster than the tiger; you just have to run faster than your friend.â
In any case, with his Speed Superpower, there was no way heâd be the last one out if they had to run for it.
Fang Tianhe saw that more than half the group had raised their hands. He couldnât take everyone. The entire squad was only 17 people. By his estimation, an eight-person team would be about right.
After a moment of thought, he pointed to several people in succession, which of course included Roger, Wu Yan, and Xu Haishui. Soon, only one spot was left.
After a little more consideration, he added Lin Xinghai.
A Mercenaryâs combat effectiveness depends on more than just their Genetic Optimization Level. After all, weapons are also crucial, especially firearms.
With Lin Xinghaiâs Gun Technique, if you gave him a Tearing Rifle, no one would dare underestimate his combat power.
Of course, the main reason was that Lin Xinghai had successfully become one of the Optimized and had even awakened a Speed Superpower. He could protect himself if they ran into danger and wouldnât be a burden on the team.
Once the team was finalized, Fang Tianhe didnât delay, leading them straight inside.
He held a Great Saber in his right hand and a Hand Cannon in his left, taking the lead at the very front.
The others quickly followed, spontaneously forming a defensive formation.
Lin Xinghai, of course, didnât know anything about defensive formations, but he didnât need to. He just had to follow Roger and stay in the middle of the group.
As a marksman with exquisite Gun Technique, that was where he was supposed to be anyway.
The group didnât choose to enter through the main gate. It was an Alloy door, after all, and prying it open would have been a huge hassle.
Instead, they chose the nearest window. Without waiting for Fang Tianheâs order, a team member stepped forward and easily cut out the entire window frame with a Vibrating Dagger.
Everyone jumped lightly inside. They found themselves in a long, pitch-black corridor that stretched into the unknown.
Fang Tianhe didnât seem surprised by this. He activated the lighting system on his Combat Suit and continued to lead the way.
The others followed suit. The Combat Suitsâ lighting systems used luminous fibers in the fabric, so the light wasnât particularly bright.
But once everyone had turned on their lights, it was enough to see by.
The group moved forward. The corridor was long and deathly silent, which created a creepy feeling.
At least, thatâs how Lin Xinghai felt. He was even starting to regret coming along.
âWell, Iâm already in here, so itâs too late for regrets.â Lin Xinghai felt he could use something to soothe his fragile nerves.
âFor instance, I could check Fang Tianheâs power level.â This was something heâd wanted to do for a while but had hesitated, worried about wasting a free use of his Investigation Technique.
DING!
As Lin Xinghai used his Investigation Technique, the corresponding information immediately appeared on the system panel before his eyes.
Name: Fang Tianhe
Physique: 83 points
Power: 97 points
Speed: 72 points
Genetic Optimization Level: 97%
Second Level Superpower: Heaven-Sundering (Releases a form of energy with a powerful Tearing attribute, which can be imbued into objects to enhance their Attack Power.)
Lin Xinghai was somewhat stunned when he saw Fang Tianheâs Genetic Optimization Level.
Although he already knew it was over 90%, he never expected it to be as high as 97%. That wasnât far from 100% at all!
With Attributes like these, he could probably steamroll even a High Level Zombie.
What surprised Lin Xinghai even more was that Fang Tianheâs Superpower was a Second Level Superpower. No wonder it was so powerful.
However, a Second Level Superpower also indirectly proved that Fang Tianhe had missed an opportunity to upgrade his Superpower.
Otherwise, with a 90% Genetic Optimization Level, it was theoretically possible to have a Third Level Superpower. That was his goal, too.
Since he had a system to cheat with, Lin Xinghai didnât have to worry about probabilities.
The only thing he might have to worry about was Blood Qi Power.
While he was mulling these things over, he noticed that Fang Tianhe, who was leading the team, had stopped.
He glanced around warily and saw that it wasnât because of danger, but a fork in the path up ahead.
One path to the left, one to the right.
"Old Luo, which way would you go?" Lin Xinghai asked, trying to make small talk to break the oppressive atmosphere.
"Thatâs a meaningless question. In a situation like this, only the captain can make the choice," Roger said. Seeing Lin Xinghai shoot him a disdainful look, he knew exactly what the other man was thinking.
He explained irritably, "Donât think Iâm just sucking up. Our detectors are useless right now, so all we can rely on is our Perception Power. But our perception range is too small, so we have to depend on the captain."
Lin Xinghaiâs heart skipped a beat when he heard that. Heâd almost forgotten about that.
He quickly closed his eyes and extended his Perception Power as far as it would go.
Soon, he sensed a faint feeling of danger deep down the left corridor. It was a familiar feeling... Zombies.
Just then, Fang Tianhe made his choice. He didnât pick the safe-looking right path; instead, he proactively led the team to the left.
Lin Xinghaiâs mouth moved, but in the end, he said nothing and silently followed.