Chapter 210: Third Level

“Calling headquarters, calling headquarters. This is the Third Unit in charge of suppressing the unrest in Philadelphia’s Old District. I’m Captain Robert. The entire Old District is now under our control, and local police have arrested most of the armed individuals. Please advise on our next course of action. Awaiting new orders from headquarters.”

“This is headquarters. I’m the on-duty communications officer. Thank you for your efforts, Captain Robert. I’m relaying Major General Matt’s latest orders: you are to assist local police in maintaining order in the Old District. Additionally, deploy team members to conduct continuous patrols in nearby areas to clear out armed threats and looters.”

“Understood. I’ll carry out the orders.” After ending the call, Robert began directing his team to help the police maintain order.

Meanwhile, the communications officer who had just transmitted the orders removed the headset from his head with trembling hands. 

“Cuff his hands,” said one of the black-clad intruders pointing a gun at the back of his head to another man dressed similarly.

Without hesitation, the second man handcuffed the communications officer’s hands behind the chair.

“Who are you? Do you even realize what you’re do—” The officer’s words were cut short as a strip of tape sealed his mouth.

The armed intruder addressed the other two communications officers, who were similarly bound and gagged. “Don’t try anything clever. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill two of you, as we only need to keep one alive.”

Realizing these people were ruthless killers, the officers’ eyes filled with terror. They still couldn’t comprehend how such an event could occur—how an entire military base had been taken over.

Due to the unrest in Philadelphia tonight, the base’s combat personnel had been fully armed and ready to assist with suppression efforts. But the attack happened so suddenly, and with the base plunged into darkness, the defenders were at a disadvantage from the start.

In stark contrast, the attackers’ weapons were vastly superior. Many of the black-clad intruders wielded rocket launchers, blasting through defenses, while others used grenades and submachine guns. From the outset, the fight had been overwhelmingly one-sided.

Within ten minutes, the black-clad attackers had used their superior firepower to push the military personnel into the second basement level. Meanwhile, other attackers patrolled the exterior to prevent anyone from escaping or hiding.

The once-dignified major general was now covered in dust, his face and uniform bearing marks of the chaos, making him appear disheveled and helpless. In these cramped quarters, even an exceptional commander’s skill was no match for two submachine guns. Witnessing the relentless and overwhelming assault firsthand was an eye-opener. The enemy’s attacks came in wave after wave, offering no chance for respite. The original force of over 200 soldiers had now dwindled to fewer than 60.

By this point, the major general realized the situation was hopeless. Continuing to resist would only result in more needless deaths.  

But he dared not order a surrender. He knew all too well how critical the contents of the lowest level were. If the attackers seized those, the consequences would be beyond anything he could bear.

“General, we can’t hold out any longer. Please, order a retreat to the lower level!” the vice officer, looking even more disheveled, shouted.

“Fine, retreat to the lower level immediately,” the general finally relented.

The remaining fifty or so soldiers began retreating toward the third level while firing to cover their movement.

The third level was far more spacious than the floors above, equipped with an independent power supply, making it the only place with functional lighting. After the electronic door was opened and the group rushed inside, the vice officer didn’t wait for the general’s command. He activated the security system, causing the massive iron door to begin descending.

As the imposing door lowered slowly, the major general let out a small sigh of relief.

“General Matt, what’s happening outside? Is there a fire?” At that moment, a few men in white lab coats, aged between 40 and 60, walked over with worried expressions.

“Dr. Seth, our base is under attack by a group of unidentified black-clad individuals, and they’re heading this way,” General Matt replied to the older man at the front.

“What? Isn’t this a military base? How could such a thing happen?” The men looked shocked and frightened.

General Matt gave a bitter smile. He wished it were just a bad dream. Apart from waiting for reinforcements, there was nowhere else to run. He had fought in the Vietnam War, but even on such a brutal battlefield, he had never faced such a passive, defensive situation.

“General Matt, who are these people?” Seth asked again.

“I don’t know. All I know is that they’re a group of armed men in black clothing. It’s a shame our people are all in Philadelphia dealing with the riots, or we wouldn’t be in this mess,” the general said, becoming increasingly sure that the chaos in the cities was connected to these intruders.

“Sir, it seems they’ve stopped firing,” the aide reported, his face pale.

“What are they trying to do?” General Matt frowned.

The aide’s voice was weak as he responded, “Maybe they’re planning to blow this place up.”

Seth and the others instantly turned pale.

General Matt remained calm and said, “This underground laboratory was designed to withstand the intensity of a nuclear explosion at ground level. Unless they use hundreds of kilograms of TNT, they can’t blow this place up. So, we’re safe here. Once dawn comes and our men return, we’ll be saved.”

But before he could finish speaking, there were sudden loud bangs, and a few vents around the room were forced open. Moments later, seven or eight metal canisters were tossed down from above.

As General Matt saw the canisters releasing thickening smoke, his face changed dramatically, and he shouted, “Those are tranquilizer gas canisters! Throw them out!”

When a few soldiers rushed forward to grab the smoking canisters, an elliptical object was suddenly thrown at them.

“It’s a grenade! Get out of the way!” a soldier shouted as he dove aside.

A deafening explosion followed, and the shockwave sent everyone sprawling. Several soldiers were torn apart, their bodies mangled by the blast.

Seeing the chaos in the lab, which now resembled a battlefield, General Matt knew it was over.

With the tranquilizer gas spreading, everyone quickly lost their ability to move. But no one called out for help; they just waited in fear for what would come next.

Five minutes later, several black-clad men wearing gas masks jumped down from the vents. They held submachine guns and coldly watched the people sitting on the ground.

“We surrender. Please don’t kill us,” General Matt said weakly as he leaned against the wall.

One of the black-clad men signaled to the others, who immediately began to seize the soldiers’ and the general’s weapons in groups and then gathered them together under guard.

The black-clad man grabbed a researcher sitting on the floor and asked, “How do we open the door?”

Looking down the barrel of a gun pressed against his stomach, the researcher quickly spoke the code for the door, his voice shaking.

As the large door began to rise slowly, a group of men in tight black suits entered from outside.

The leading black-clad man, who had been giving orders, turned to the man at the front of the new group and said, “Proceed with the plan.”

The man nodded and immediately ordered several others to capture the researchers, one by one.

“Please don’t kill me! I’m just a researcher here; it has nothing to do with me!” the researcher pleaded loudly.

“If you cooperate properly, I won’t kill you. Now, take us to the archives and the storage area for the data.”

Hearing the black-clad man’s words, the general’s expression changed. They were indeed after those items.

But knowing that was of no use; he was completely powerless to stop them now.

At that moment, the lead black-clad man walked over to Dr. Seth and said, “Now, take me to your laboratory. Remember, don’t try anything clever. My gun is prone to misfire.”

Dr. Seth’s face turned pale as he reluctantly led the black-clad men into the laboratory.

Before leaving, the lead black-clad man told the others, “If anyone acts suspiciously, eliminate them immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

Using his fingerprint to unlock the electronic door, Dr. Seth led them into the central laboratory.

The laboratory was huge, at least the size of half a football field, filled with various equipment and numerous specimens preserved in formaldehyde.

The lead black-clad man carefully examined the specimens and discovered that many were gorillas and monkeys. The majority were chimpanzees. However, the row of specimens at the far end contained human corpses: men and women of various skin colors and ethnicities. What was most shocking were the two Asian and two African American teenage bodies among them. Their slightly open eyes, suspended in the eerie-looking preservative, seemed to tell a story. He also noticed some bodies had abnormal tissue growth on the surface, uncertain if it was a mutation or a result of later development.

Turning his gaze to Dr. Seth, the black-clad man said, “Open the main computer immediately. We need to copy some data.” He knew that the data here was encrypted, and unless accessed by the facility’s recognition system, even dismantling all the hard drives would be useless.

Dr. Seth’s face grew even graver upon hearing this. He understood just how sensitive the data was, and if anyone found out he had leaked it, even under duress, he would be held accountable.

As if reading his mind, the man coldly said, “You have no choice. If you don’t cooperate, we’ll kill you and bring in someone else.”

Dr. Seth, now pale, opened a few computers next to the lab. When he reached the login screen, he entered the password. A black-clad man took out two laptops and connected them to the main system.

Another black-clad man searched the data on a separate computer.

“Grant full access,” the man with the laptops ordered Dr. Seth.

Dr. Seth knew he had no way out and reluctantly complied. The black-clad man watched his every move closely.

After a while, watching the data being transferred, Dr. Seth felt a bitter taste in his throat. Even if these people didn’t kill him, the military wouldn’t spare him either; he would likely face imprisonment at the very least.

“How long will it take?” The lead man asked.

The man working on the laptop replied, “Based on the number and size of the files, it could take about half an hour.”

The man frowned, “That long? Never mind, speed it up. You, open that door.” He pointed to the heavy iron door that resembled a vault door.

Even though Dr. Seth knew this situation was unavoidable, he still trembled.

Seeing his hesitation, the man grew impatient. “Hurry up. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

When Dr. Seth opened the heavy door, the man discovered there was still another iron door behind it.

“What’s inside?”

“It’s a refrigeration chamber.”

“I’m asking what’s inside it.”

“I-it’s the embryos used for experiments.”

Embryos? The man didn’t think too much of it and ordered him to open the iron door immediately.

Inside was indeed a refrigeration chamber, but there was nothing special about it, just a large multi-compartment metal cabinet in the center. The man recognized it as a morgue cabinet.

Pointing his gun at Dr. Seth’s head, the man said, “Open it.”

With a pale face, Dr. Seth pulled out one of the cabinets, revealing the plastic wrapping over it. He then, with trembling hands, unzipped the plastic. When the zipper opened, a white, cold mist rose from inside.

As he looked more closely, surprise appeared in the man’s eyes.

“What is that?” he shouted.

Dr. Seth spoke in a lifeless voice, “The mysterious life form from the Roswell incident, which the military refers to as ‘the Visitors.’”

The man inhaled deeply, taking a moment before speaking, “So the rumor from fifty years ago was true?”

“Yes,” Dr. Seth said, lowering his head.

On July 4, 1947, near Roswell, New Mexico, an unidentified object was suspected to have crashed. The next day, a farmer, 120 kilometers from Roswell, found metallic debris scattered over a 400-meter area of his farm. He handed the debris over to a sheriff, who then transferred it to the air force base. On the 7th, Colonel Blaylock, Major Jesse Marcel, and another officer visited the scene to inspect it and returned with a large amount of material for further examination.

At the same time, civil engineer Gnady L. who was working nearby discovered several bodies with peculiar, gray, tight-fitting clothing scattered on the ground. The military quickly secured the site and removed the bodies.

The most unusual part was that a few days later, the newspapers reported that the military claimed to have found a crashed UFO on the farm, but later the newspapers issued a retraction, stating that it was just a weather balloon equipped with radar reflectors. However, many witnesses, including high-ranking officials and prominent individuals, swore they had seen a flying saucer near Roswell.

Years later, the U.S. military made another statement regarding the Roswell incident, claiming that the event had been part of a top-secret program called “Project Mogul,” unrelated to aliens and purely aimed at gathering intelligence on the Soviet Union. They claimed that while the townspeople might have seen a disc-shaped object, it was just an experimental supersonic drone, and the “alien corpses” recovered were merely dummies used for high-altitude escape tests.

This explanation was met with strong criticism, with many accusing the military of covering up the truth and fabricating evidence.

Now, what the man saw in the morgue cabinet bore a strong resemblance to the evidence from fifty years ago.

It was a humanoid corpse, small and emaciated, with yellow-gray skin, approximately 100 centimeters tall, bald, with a slightly flattened head. Its facial features were human-like, but the eyes were disproportionately large, covering about one-fifth of its face if they were open. The mouth was tiny, with no visible teeth.

At first glance, the corpse resembled a malformed child suffering from progeria.

The man turned to Dr. Seth and asked, “How many of these are there?”

“There are five in total. Three of them have already been dissected and used for experiments.”

The man was about to ask another question when a black-clad man walked in and said, “Sir, there’s an urgent matter with number 3.”

“I understand.” The man pushed Dr. Seth and left.