Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 564: Garbage Dump (6)

Adenauer found some thin, circular wounds on the exposed bodies of the two advanced synths. Scanning with the contractor's equipment confirmed that these wounds were caused by parasite attacks. The bodies of parasites were also found in the synths' bodies. However, these parasites died for some reason before reaching the synths' brains, and their bodies were completely calcified. The injuries on the two advanced synths caused by the parasite attacks were not serious and would not cause their death. Although the bodies of synths are very similar to those of normal humans, their physical fitness is actually much stronger than that of normal humans.

But apart from those wounds caused by parasite attacks, Adenauer did not find any other wounds on the bodies of the two advanced synths. According to the analysis of the contractor's equipment, they were not "dead" due to being controlled by the word key. The nutrient solution in their bodies that replaced regular blood had long dried up and evaporated. If they were controlled by the word key, then the nutrient solution should still be there. The disappearance of the nutrient solution can prove that they are indeed dead, so the cause of their death is still related to that special parasite.

After a brief thought, Adenauer quickly came to a conclusion. Based on his previous experience, these parasites can produce a highly corrosive and flammable gas. It may be because this gas is mixed with the body fluids of the synthetics, resulting in a certain chemical reaction. This chemical reaction may contain toxins that the synthetics cannot handle. At the same time, the reaction is also very lethal to the parasites, which leads to the death of the synthetics and the calcification of the parasites.

Ordinary humans, or those with human-like monstrosities, become controlled zombies after being infected by parasites. Their intelligence is greatly reduced, and they can only act on instinct. However, after being infected by parasites, although synths die, they are not controlled. This makes sense, as the entire secret research institute is composed entirely of synth researchers. If this can be confirmed, it can be concluded that the research institute was researching something related to those parasites.

Adenauer felt a little regretful at this thought. If he had known the function of these parasites earlier, he should have left them behind. That way, when he arrived in Johor Bahru and a battle broke out, he could use the parasites to deal with the synths in Johor Bahru. However, that was impossible now, unless Johor Bahru also had a research laboratory for these parasites.

"But is there really none?" Adenauer thought to himself. The situation in the town earlier had made him connect that situation to these parasites. According to common sense, synths were actually very stable, and it was difficult for them to go on a large-scale rampage. After all, for second-generation synths, a universal word key was all that was needed to control all second-generation synths who heard it. Among the personnel from the two factions he had encountered at the time, there were actually quite a few second-generation synths among those who were dealing with the violent townspeople. The team he had taken out on the third floor of the town hospital should have been from Xinshan City. Logically, they should have been equipped with equipment that could identify synths, but from beginning to end, Adenauer had never heard them utter a single word key. Their only means of dealing with the violent townspeople was bullets.

As a combat team dispatched by Xinshan City, they couldn't possibly not have access to the Word Key. The only possibility was that they already knew that the violent synths in the town could no longer be controlled using the Word Key. Adenauer couldn't help but connect the dots between the situation in the town back then and the clues he had now.

That is, the city of Xinshan is still researching these parasites and has made some breakthroughs. When Adenauer killed the violent townspeople, he did see some calcification after killing them, but he didn't pay much attention at the time and didn't have the time to examine the bodies one by one. Now think about it, perhaps the reason the townspeople went berserk was because some modified parasite was taking control of them. They didn't know what research they had done to allow the parasites to successfully infect synthetic humans without causing death on both sides. The entire town must be a testing ground for new parasites, because the situation in the town was clearly out of control.

However, Adenauer believed that the experiment did not seem to have completely failed, because when Adenauer discovered the abnormality in the small town police station, he saw the resurrected policemen and other personnel who were able to use guns and other tools to a certain extent. He even saw several violent townspeople who could drive. As for the mutants encountered in the small town hospital, Adenauer was not sure whether they were also caused by parasites, but it seemed that the probability was very high.

Thinking of this, Adenauer came up with an answer to the town incident, but he couldn't be sure yet. He would have to wait until he arrived in Johor Bahru before drawing a conclusion. He had already investigated all the locations of the secret research institute, so it was time to leave.

"There's nothing left here. I should go back."

To avoid trouble, Adenauer announced his next move. It seemed like he was talking to himself, but he was actually speaking to Frank and Liz, who were hiding near the composite door. Sure enough, the effect was remarkable. After he finished his "self-talk," Adenauer heard faint footsteps, and with his night vision, he could see Frank and Liz stealthily moving toward the secret laboratory's exit.

After a slight delay, Adenauer was ready to return to the rented B&B. When he was about to reach the ladder, Adenauer deliberately smoked a cigarette and waited for a while. After Frank and Liz climbed up, he started walking towards the ladder. After climbing up, Adenauer looked in the direction of the B&B. Sure enough, Frank and Liz were running wildly in the farmland in the dark.

"Running pretty fast."

After closing the metal trapdoor, Adenauer filled the surrounding dirt back in. After some time, he finished filling the hole, tossed the shovel aside, and then slowly returned to the guesthouse. Frank was still lying on the sofa, pretending to sleep. He even took the time to scrape the dirt off his shoes. However, Adenauer saw some dirt residue in the trash can near the sofa, but he didn't expose it. Liz had also returned upstairs. The door was open, but the light was off. Liz was not in the room, but was lying on the second floor, secretly peeking at him through the railing.

Adenauer pretended to know nothing. After taking off his boots, he went straight to the kitchen, took out a bottle of cold beer from the refrigerator, and then returned to the garage. About ten minutes later, he fell asleep on another sofa he had moved to the garage that morning.

"squeak..."

Half an hour later.

Frank and Liz quietly pushed open the small door connecting the garage to the first floor a crack and glanced at Adenauer sitting on the sofa.

"Fell asleep."

After confirming each other's condition, the two closed the garage door and returned to the second floor. They discussed what they had just seen and heard in Liz's room.

"I always feel a little weird."

"What do you mean?"

"That place should be some secret research institute. Adenauer is completely unfamiliar with it. From his behavior and occasional changes in expression, we can tell that he has no clues or information about this place. He seems to be exploring rather than relying on intelligence. This contradicts our previous speculation that he has the support of some powerful force behind him."

"But if that's the case, it doesn't make sense how he could have found the entrance to the secret research institute. We also know that the trapdoor is hidden more than a meter underground. If he had no clues at all, I can't imagine how he could have discovered such a large structure hidden beneath the farmland."

"Maybe he got some relevant clues when he was on the farm before?"

"That's possible, but judging by the state of the farmland, if the locals knew there was such a large structure underground, they probably wouldn't cultivate it, right?"

"Too..."

"In our current interactions with Adenauer, we've learned that he possesses a wealth of knowledge, from weapons and ammunition to chemical bomb manufacturing and hacking. He must be quite a learned man. Could it be that he discovered something unusual in the soil of the farmland and guessed there might be something beneath it?"

"This statement is far-fetched. Even if it is true, it doesn't make sense that he could find the entrance so accurately."

Unable to figure out the reason, the two of them stopped worrying about it for the time being and instead began to discuss what they had seen in the secret research institute. The first thing they noticed was the mutated monsters.

"What do you think of those monsters?"

"When Adenauer discovered them, his actions and behavior seemed completely unaware, but he quickly made a judgment. Adenauer is usually very cautious and pays attention to details, so this is not surprising. However, the fact that he burned the monsters with thermite after killing them shows that even if he was unaware of their existence, he had at least come into contact with similar things. The reason he burned their remains was probably because he had encountered similar situations before. Simply killing them was not safe, and their bodies had to be destroyed."

"What about the two bodies in there? They haven't decayed. Adenauer often mutters to himself in the institute, and based on what he says, we can roughly infer that the institute has been abandoned for several years. Normal human bodies would have rotted away long ago. Since they haven't decayed, that means those two bodies aren't human, but synths. Because he also said in Oak City that synth bodies don't decay."

After hearing what Liz said, Frank seemed to have thought of something.

"Wait, I think I've guessed how Adenauer found that secret research institute. Could it be that those two synths had some kind of... positioning device, or something that could identify them? And Adenauer had some kind of tool that could receive information? We also saw him search the two synths, perhaps looking for those devices?"

"Now that you put it that way, it makes sense. We didn't search Adenauer's body, so we don't know what he was carrying. If the device that could receive information or signals was very small, he could have avoided our detection."

"But... there is another possibility, but this possibility is not easy for us to accept."

"You mean... Adenauer is actually a synth?"

"No, that's not the case. When we were investigating him, we saw the surveillance footage from the moment he left the prison until he left town. Adenauer surrendered himself to the prison a few years ago. Because of his actions in prison, his guard level was very high, and there was no chance of a synth replacing him. Moreover, with his skills, replacing him would be almost impossible. I'm talking about another reason."

"What does that mean? I'm a bit lost on you, Frank. What's your guess?"

"We previously speculated that Adenauer had the support of other forces, and I still hold this view. Adenauer's true identity may be different from what we understand. His name may be fake. We have thought of this a long time ago, but I now suspect that Adenauer's criminal record may have been forged to ensure his imprisonment."

"But what's the reason for doing this? Isn't it a waste of talent to let such a skilled person go to jail? Would the organization behind Adenauer do this?"

"Being in jail doesn't necessarily mean he was framed. It could be a form of protection, or it could have other purposes. Adenauer's true identity is probably some kind of scavenger specializing in dealing with synths. He may belong to a secret organization that opposes synths, and this organization may have clashed with the forces that possess synths, threatening their existence. Judging from Adenauer's skills, he might be a leader among them. To ensure the survival of the organization, they may have deliberately falsified their criminal record and used jail time to protect his safety. After all, the security measures in prison are very high, and once inside, everyone will be strictly controlled. There is no time or opportunity for synths to replace the people inside. Even if there were, they are prisoners after all, and they may not be able to get out once they go in, so sending synths in would be ineffective."

"Wait! I figured it out! The prison where Adenauer was imprisoned has a record of transporting prisoners to Johor Bahru for several years now. It has become a regular program. Perhaps the reason Adenauer surrendered himself was actually to be escorted to Johor Bahru?"

"That makes a lot of sense. The forces behind him must have received some intelligence, or at least some clues, which led Adenauer to enter the prison and wait for the opportunity to enter Johor Bahru. This also explains why, after escaping the prison van and the police, he insisted on going to Johor Bahru instead of fleeing immediately. This also explains why he discovered this secret laboratory in Sterburg, but was completely unfamiliar with the situation inside. It's possible that Adenauer had been here before, so he knew the location of the entrance. However, after Adenauer's long imprisonment, the interior of the laboratory had changed significantly and he couldn't recognize it. I believe the original owner of this secret laboratory must be the organization behind Adenauer. He came here because he wanted to get some help from the laboratory, but he didn't expect it to be abandoned for a long time. In this case, the two synths inside the laboratory may not be original employees of the laboratory, but may have been killed by those within the laboratory."

Adenauer, who was monitoring the conversation between the two using the contractor's equipment, was stunned. He didn't expect that they could come up with such a big drama. But it was also good. At least they made up an excuse to justify their behavior, which saved them a lot of trouble.