Apocalyptic Island - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

“Not again.” Wen Yishu swung her arm to shove Bai Mi back. The other woman’s grip was surprisingly strong; as she grabbed Wen Yishu’s hand, Yishu stumbled and nearly fell.

Bai Mi’s physical constitution was already excellent, and for a moment, she was actually on par with the physically enhanced Wen Yishu. She pinned Wen Yishu’s shoulders firmly, attempting to throw her to the ground.

“Surrender. You can’t beat me… gurgle gurgle… gurgle…”

Wen Yishu acted quickly, prying Bai Mi’s mouth open and pouring the solution inside. She had no intention of using underhanded moves like gouging eyes or striking the throat on her friend.

Bai Mi’s gaze instantly became vacant. Wen Yishu brushed her hands off, recapped the vial, and tucked it back into her pocket. The reagent’s tube was specialized, made of a new type of soft glass to maximize utility. It was corrosion-resistant, would return to its original shape if deformed, and was difficult to break, making it very easy to store.

The expression on Bai Mi’s face shifted several times. Wen Yishu stood by quietly, waiting without rushing her. Finally, Bai Mi gasped for air, and the blue glow behind her neck vanished. She looked like she had just been hauled out of the water, appearing completely suffocated.

Wen Yishu patted her back. “How is it? Feeling any better?”

Bai Mi swallowed with difficulty and looked at the person beside her with a dazed expression. “Where are we?”

Wen Yishu pointed at the people hanging on the brackets around them. “Looks like we were dragged to the robot housekeepers’ nest. But don’t worry, we were just knocked out by the syringes. I’ve already found the antidote.” After speaking, she pulled the reagent from her pocket and waved it in front of Bai Mi’s eyes.

Bai Mi checked her body and felt her pockets, then felt a sharp pain in her mouth. She reached up and touched it, finding dried blood at the corner of her lips. She frowned and rubbed the spot. “What happened here?”

Thinking of how she had bit her lip out of anger earlier, Wen Yishu turned her head away guiltily. “It’s nothing. You were being ‘assimilated’ by the robots. The hallucinogen probably temporarily reorganized your data memory modules, making you think you were one of the robots. Then you started attacking me, we had a scuffle, and I accidentally hurt you.”

The reflection on the metal brackets showed the two of them. Bai Mi looked suspiciously at her wound, which showed no bruising or swelling. “Did you abuse me?”

Wen Yishu looked at her in shock. “How is that possible? Are you still not fully awake? Here, drink some more.” She moved to unscrew the vial and pour it into Bai Mi’s mouth, but Bai Mi blocked her with her arm.

“Just kidding. Let’s exchange useful information.”

Bai Mi didn’t know much either. As they walked and talked, Wen Yishu briefly recounted the previous events. They eventually found the exit to the basement, looking back at the people still tied to the brackets. Wen Yishu first tried to see if she could release them, but once the red light at the neural-link interfaces flickered, she gave up. Unless these people woke up through their own willpower and descended as “puppets,” Wen Yishu had no way to rescue them.

The urgent priority was to take down Dr. Zhao, the one behind all of this, to find out what was going on. Perhaps out of pure confidence, Dr. Zhao seemed to believe that the people under the control of the drugs and neural links would never wake up; there were no robots guarding the area. Aside from the two that had entered earlier, she didn’t see a single robot housekeeper.

As they walked out, the empty corridor was terrifyingly silent, save for the rhythmic tap-tap of their footsteps. Wen Yishu felt full of energy and was itching to find a couple of robots to practice on.

The iron door leading upstairs from the basement was locked. The display on the electronic keypad glowed with a faint blue light, trapping them. Bai Mi had no tools on her; seeing Wen Yishu’s questioning look, she shrugged to indicate she was powerless to help.

Wen Yishu pulled the String of Pearls from her pocket, feeling like she was playing a card in a game. “It’s up to you.”

Using Wen Yishu’s hand as a base, the String of Pearls extended its vines. The moment it touched the electronic screen, it began its “brute-force” operation. First, the plant unscrewed the surrounding bolts and violently entered the internal lock cylinder. Tiny leaves sprouted along its elongated vines, acting as supports for a deeper breach, precisely wedging into every stress point.

The exterior remained intact, but five minutes later, the entire lock was dismantled. Wen Yishu stared at the thin wooden board revealed in the gap and fell into deep thought. The String of Pearls retracted its vines at the right moment and, in a very human-like gesture, tapped its two largest leaf tips together, “twiddling its thumbs.”

“Master, why didn’t you just punch through it earlier?”

Wen Yishu’s mouth twitched, replying in her mind, “Who would have thought that such an important place would use something that’s all show and no substance?”

The dark wood had led Wen Yishu to believe the door was very thick, so she hadn’t even thought to try. Who knew Dr. Zhao wouldn’t play by the rules and would put something like this in such a critical location? Bai Mi, unaware of the internal dialogue, pushed open the lightweight wooden door and walked out.

Wen Yishu hurried to follow. This basement seemed to have a middle mezzanine level. They arrived in a spacious room illuminated by a blue-tinted light. Although the temperature felt like it had risen slightly, the room gave Wen Yishu a bad feeling. It was cold and dark, like a damp bathroom that never saw the sun.

On the floor were wireless charging piles for the robots. Compared to the bracket area below, this was likely where the robot housekeepers frequented most. Two silver metal protrusions on the floor served as the charging docks for each robot. The room contained specialized racks for clothes and jewelry, allowing them to be taken off and set aside when necessary.

After observing for a while and finding no danger, they located a wooden door of a distinct color. This time, Wen Yishu stood before the door and carefully examined the material and the lock model, finding them identical to the one below. She didn’t let the String of Pearls intervene; instead, she rolled up her sleeves, gestured for Bai Mi to move back, and threw a punch at the door.

With a sharp crack, the expected scene of the door splintering didn’t happen. Instead, Wen Yishu felt a searing pain in her hand. It hurt so much she couldn’t even make a sound. She could only clutch her injured hand in agony, cursing in her head: “God damn it, it’s not the same material! He’s insane!”

Bai Mi didn’t see the disaster on this side; she was focused on finding a tool to pick the lock. Suddenly, she spotted a yellowed plastic-coated charging schedule tucked behind some clothes and waved Wen Yishu over. Her fingers held the schedule steady. The casing was yellowed, but the light blue paper inside still smelled of fresh ink—it was clearly new.

The schedule detailed the robots’ charging times:

Please comply with the new Robot Town schedule as follows: