The information on the screen was evidently useful. After reading it, Xiao Muyu and the short-haired woman exchanged glances and then nonchalantly looked away from each other.
Xiao Muyu glanced back at the office they had just come from, and the short-haired woman caught the hint. She walked over to her teammates, checked her watch, and reminded them, “We have twenty minutes left. Let’s split up and act quickly.”
Seeing the short-haired woman enter the office they initially visited, Shen Qingqiu exchanged a knowing look with Xiao Muyu.
In the following offices, Xiao Muyu didn’t find anything particularly useful. Even if there was valuable information, it only confirmed that Nuoru Biopharmaceuticals had developed a new drug. As a pharmaceutical company, developing new drugs was perfectly normal. All the documents indeed seemed to be those required for registration. No matter how much they suspected that the Z reagent was related to the zombie virus outbreak, they had no concrete evidence.
However, in the financial director’s office, Xiao Muyu and her team found a computer. Not only did they see it, but the other two teams did as well. Unfortunately, the computer required a password to access. Everyone tried various guesses but to no avail.
Attempting to use the password hint feature, they found the questions too personal, and no one could crack them.
Given that they had reached the fifth level, those who made it this far were quite skilled. Cracking basic computer passwords should be straightforward.
Jiang Wei, who had some computer knowledge, smiled and said, “This is simple. I have experience; let me try.”
Xiao Muyu didn’t say anything and watched him operate the computer. Jiang Wei indeed had experience. He tried logging in as an administrator to reset the password, but unfortunately, while most people don’t set passwords for administrator accounts, this computer was not one of them.
Jiang Wei didn’t mind, saying, “As expected, it’s not that simple. It seems there’s important information here.”
He continued trying, repeatedly pressing F8. Xiao Muyu knew what he was attempting but didn’t bother watching. She turned and left.
Seeing Xiao Muyu leave, Shen Qingqiu didn’t feel like staying either. She was indifferent by nature, especially to people she disliked.
Seeing their captain and vice-captain leave, Su Jin and the others didn’t hesitate to follow. Their behavior showed complete disregard for whether Jiang Wei could open the computer, which made Jiang Wei’s face darken.
“Do you think he can’t crack the computer?” Shen Qingqiu laughed quietly.
Xiao Muyu’s expression remained unchanged. “Hmm, he’s trying to use F8 to enter safe mode to reset the password. But he didn’t consider that this could be a dead loop; some computers require logging in to access safe mode. Trying to use the computer to crack the password without the password is pointless.”
“So what are you looking for?” Shen Qingqiu wasn’t worried. Just because Jiang Wei couldn’t open it didn’t mean Xiao Muyu couldn’t.
“Chen Kaijie, keep an eye on him. Don’t let him get frustrated and reinstall the system,” Shen Qingqiu instructed, knowing enough to prevent Jiang Wei from damaging crucial data through reinstallation.
“We need a USB drive. If we can find one, it’ll make things easier,” Xiao Muyu said, frowning.
Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian hurriedly searched the drawers but found nothing. With little time left, Xiao Muyu waved them off. “Forget it. If the system didn’t provide it, let’s try another method.”
Returning to the office, Xiao Muyu glanced at the people gathered around the computer, still stuck on the login screen. Seeing them discussing whether to reinstall the system, she said sternly, “Since it’s not open yet, let me try.”
Feeling humiliated by their failure to open the computer, Jiang Wei’s teammate, with a hint of hostility, said, “Forget it. What does a woman know? We should look for other clues instead. If nothing else works, reinstalling the system might help. We might find useful data on other drives.”
Shen Qingqiu sneered, “How have you survived this long? Is your captain forced to take everything because no one wants to team up with him? Saying such things, what are you even thinking?”
The teammate’s face turned red and white with anger, but before he could speak, Jiang Wei reprimanded him, “Jiang Han, shut up!”
Shen Qingqiu chuckled, realizing they were related. Despite his discomfort, Jiang Wei was smart enough not to openly confront them, restraining his anger to maintain the peace.
Ignoring the tense atmosphere, Xiao Muyu went to the computer. Shen Qingqiu stood behind her, arms crossed.
Xiao Muyu rebooted the system, drawing a sneer from the opposing teammate. Shen Qingqiu’s cold gaze silenced him immediately.
As the computer was rebooting, Xiao Muyu forcefully shut it down. On the third attempt, the computer displayed a “Windows Recovery Error” message with a startup repair option. Xiao Muyu clicked the repair button, accessed the detailed information, and scrolled to the last document.
By now, everyone realized Xiao Muyu wasn’t just pretending. Even Jiang Wei approached to see what she was doing.
Xiao Muyu’s rapid actions made it hard for them to follow. They only saw her dragging the mouse, clicking keys, and opening several folders, but couldn’t catch the specifics.
Jiang Wei caught a glimpse of “system32” before Xiao Muyu quickly renamed two files and returned to the initial screen, clicking finish.
The computer restarted, showing the login screen again.
Jiang Wei’s expression grew serious as he watched Xiao Muyu. Was this woman the Xiao Muyu mentioned in the system announcements?
Just as Jiang Han’s face showed disdain, Xiao Muyu tapped the shift key five times, opening a black command window. She typed quickly, hit enter twice, and the desktop appeared without needing a password.
“Wow!” exclaimed a girl from the short-haired woman’s team, followed by excited cheers from Su Jin and her teammates. “We’re in!”
Jiang Wei’s face darkened but held his tongue, pointing at a procurement folder on the screen. “Open that quickly.”
Ignoring him, Shen Qingqiu leaned over Xiao Muyu, blocking Jiang Wei completely. “Let’s check this first.”
Xiao Muyu opened a file and saw it was a procurement order from the R&D department. The most recent one was from early May, with previous ones from April and March. It was a list of items purchased by Nuoru Biopharmaceuticals’ research institute.
The documents were numerous and messy. Xiao Muyu quickly exited, accessed the financial system, and found a list of transactions. Comparing it with the procurement orders, she found the electronic records.
Scrolling back a few months, Shen Qingqiu frowned. “Something feels off.”
Xiao Muyu remained calm. The procurement details included routine office supplies and experimental reagents, as well as lab animals like mice and rabbits.
This seemed normal until December last year, when Nuoru Biopharmaceuticals purchased a large batch of high-spec protective gear, including over ten positive pressure suits.
They also bought several level 3 biosafety cabinets and a large number of goggles and respirators.
Additionally, the number of lab animals doubled in the following months.
Xiao Muyu noticed an email icon in the corner. Opening it, she found a single message: “It’s over!” She glanced at the sender’s address before moving the mouse away.
“Please don’t be unreasonable. We went through a lot to get here. If we leave empty-handed, we’ll let down our fallen and surviving teammates. We’re not enemies; sharing information won’t harm you.”
Having recognized Xiao Muyu, Jiang Wei had been holding back his frustration. With time running out, he couldn’t stay calm any longer, though he kept his tone measured.
Xiao Muyu turned to him, silent. Everyone watched her intently. She typed a few commands, then stood up, saying, “We’re done. It’s all yours.”
“We’re almost done too. Thanks for letting us tag along. You… it’s you. No wonder.”
The short-haired woman stepped out, looking surprised and then understanding.
Xiao Muyu touched her face, realizing the mask’s time was up.
The woman extended her hand, smiling. “I’m Qi Hongyue.”
Xiao Muyu shook her hand briefly before letting go.
Qi Hongyue smiled warmly. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re…”
Always serious, Qi Hongyue’s smile was like a spring breeze. “You’re Xiao Muyu, aren’t you?”
Xiao Muyu sensed Shen Qingqiu’s cold glare and knew she was upset.
Shen Qingqiu’s eyes narrowed, her gaze icy. Though she didn’t target Qi Hongyue directly, her expression was far from friendly, like someone owed her millions.
Xiao Muyu nonchalantly stepped back and said calmly, “Sorry, you have the wrong person. This is our captain. I’m Shen Qingqiu.”
Qi Hongyue was momentarily stunned. Shen Qingqiu nodded at her, looking much more composed, and said, “Time is running out. You should focus on getting your team out safely. You’ve already lost a few members, so be careful.”
“Su Jin, Chen Kaijie, Xiao Zuo, it’s time to go.” Just as Shen Qingqiu called her team to leave, a series of urgent beeps sounded, and the room began to shake violently.
“Attention, attention, the one-hour exploration time is over.”
As the announcement ended, the shaking intensified. The five of them huddled together as the entire ninth floor rose rapidly, and the view outside changed dramatically.
“This must be the true form of the building,” Xiao Muyu said, glancing outside, worried about the zombies on the previous floors.
“This means the hallways should be restored. We need to leave quickly before more trouble arises.”
Shen Qingqiu made a decisive call, knowing many of their items were used up. If they faced another zombie horde, things would get even tougher.
After speaking, the five of them immediately ran towards the emergency exit on the ninth floor.
Qi Hongyue also called her teammates to leave, while Jiang Wei and his team stayed behind to check the data on the computer, making them the last to leave.
The staircase on the ninth floor was quiet, not a single shadow of a zombie in sight, allowing them to exit smoothly.
Going down nine floors, they inevitably encountered zombies, and every door was closed. This reminded them of the zombies behind the closed doors in the “Nine Interlocking Rings” level, making them even more anxious.
There weren’t many zombies in the stairwell, but enough to hinder their progress. Shen Qingqiu wielded an iron rod, striking each zombie she encountered, pushing them into the corners where they couldn’t get up immediately.
Due to time constraints and a bit of personal motive, Shen Qingqiu didn’t clear out all the zombies in the stairwell, just enough to ensure they weren’t harmed.
Seeing Xiao Muyu and the others going down, Shen Qingqiu lightly gripped the railing and smoothly slid down beside Xiao Muyu. As she turned, she effortlessly knocked down any obstructive zombies, quickly reaching the first floor.
Her movements were cool and graceful. She even raised her chin proudly at Xiao Muyu, who couldn’t help but smile.
As Xiao Muyu expected, just as they exited, they heard frantic shouts from inside, “Run!”
As the five of them got into the car, they saw in the rearview mirror a horde of zombies chasing the nine people out of the building, creating a spectacular scene.
“Are we still going to the research institute?” Chen Kaijie asked.
Xiao Muyu glanced at the rearview mirror and then at Shen Qingqiu. “Today was too dangerous. Everyone must be exhausted. Let’s rest first and plan later.”
“Agreed. We’ve gained a lot this time. That procurement list seems very useful.”
Thinking about the data Xiao Muyu retrieved from the computer, Chen Kaijie felt excited, thinking any danger was worth it.
“As a biopharmaceutical company, not even a national research institution, purchasing such high-spec protective equipment indicates a serious problem.” Shen Qingqiu, driving, recalled what she had seen and frowned.
“I saw that they had III-level biosafety cabinets and complete personal protective gear. This setup is almost at the standard of a P4-level biosafety laboratory.
Currently, there are less than 100 P4-level virus labs globally.
P4-level virus labs study the world’s most dangerous viruses, with very stringent specifications and operations, often requiring military protection.
I doubt Nuoru Biopharmaceuticals, no matter how wealthy, could build a P4-level virus lab.
However, a pharmaceutical company needing such high-spec protective equipment is highly questionable. Why do you think they need these things?”
She glanced at Shen Qingqiu, and the two exchanged a knowing look.
“This information is already quite clear. No wonder the level was so difficult.” Su Jin took a deep breath. “It’s unbelievable; all of this might really be human-caused. Whether it was an accidental leak or deliberate remains to be discussed.”
“And that Jiang Wei’s team seems pretty shady. They have a big issue with us. I fear they might cause trouble if we encounter them again.” Chen Kaijie felt uneasy thinking about the four people in that team.
“We’ve already made enemies. If they still don’t know their place next time, my blade won’t show mercy.”
Shen Qingqiu was clearly not joking; her eyes showed she had indeed developed a killing intent.
However, her fierce demeanor lasted only a moment. She quickly turned and smiled, “I was just reckless. Unlike Muyu, who handles things so calmly.”
Su Jin and the others looked puzzled, “What do you mean, calmly?”
Xiao Muyu smiled silently, signaling Shen Qingqiu to drive. She had simply deleted some files while the others weren’t paying attention, which wasn’t a big deal.
