Night of the Apocalypse

Baikatu and the others dragged the remaining captives and quickly maneuvered around the sleeping monster, heading straight for the tightly shut door at the back.

At that moment, Baikatu took out a flower-shaped iron key from his pocket.

He inserted the key into the locked door.

Click!

The internal latch of the door immediately retracted.

Hearing this sound, a sinister smile appeared on Baikatu’s face as he pressed his hand against the thick, closed door.

His muscles bulged instantly.

Creak!

The heavy door opened from the middle, revealing an upward staircase passage.

With a wave of his hand, Baikatu signaled to Ozak, who immediately held his submachine gun and cautiously led his subordinates forward to scout the way.

Baikatu and the others climbed up, escorting the remaining hostages.

Before long, they all left. The entire laboratory was silent, with only the heavy breathing of the monster filling the air.

At that moment, the back door of the laboratory slowly pushed open.

Shen Qiu and Yun Xiaoxi walked in. They surveyed the disheveled laboratory, and their gaze finally landed on the sleeping monster.

“Are we chasing or not? If we’re going to chase, we need to hurry! That monster could wake up at any moment.”

Shen Qiu reminded Yun Xiaoxi.

“Let’s chase! Baikatu has opened the door with the key. No matter what, I’m going to ruin their exploration!”

Yun Xiaoxi said angrily.

“Oh, so it was the key that was lost! Do you know what Baikatu and the others came here for?”

“I don’t know. The team member who escaped didn’t have time to say much before he died. But I know it must be something very important.”

“Alright.”

Shen Qiu didn’t ask any more questions. At this point, he had already approached the sleeping monster.

From up close, the monster looked even more hideous and disgusting, and it emanated a pungent stench.

Additionally, the ground was covered in bloodstains and biological tissue remnants, indicating that Baikatu and his gang had been feeding this creature living people dosed with drugs during this time.

Shen Qiu and Yun Xiaoxi were facing the monster and sidestepped around it.

Soon, the two of them arrived at the open door.

What caught their eyes was a staircase leading upwards, which appeared to spiral upward.

Yun Xiaoxi held a kerosene lamp and gently stepped onto the staircase, leading the way.

Shen Qiu followed closely behind.

Both of them were on high alert, moving silently to avoid making even the slightest sound.

The length of this spiral staircase far exceeded Shen Qiu and Yun Xiaoxi’s expectations, consisting of several hundred steps.

When they reached the end of the staircase, they entered a small, open stone room.

The room was filled with many mahogany shelves, on which were displayed various old-fashioned gowns. The walls were adorned with several nude oil paintings of young girls in prayer.

The door of the stone room was open, likely having been opened by Baikatu and the others.

After scanning the area and confirming that there was no danger, Shen Qiu and Yun Xiaoxi crept to the side of the open door and looked outside.

What met their eyes was a grand prayer hall.

Shen Qiu and Yun Xiaoxi found themselves in a room on the left side of the prayer hall.

The entire prayer hall had a ceiling height of thirty meters, with neatly arranged stone columns standing tall.

At the solemn and majestic prayer altar, there was a red podium, and below it were rows of long benches that could seat at least five thousand people.

Above, the ceiling was made of colored glass, which was embossed with patterns of winged figures with holy faces dressed in white garments.

At first glance, it resembled the prototype of angels.

When sunlight filtered through the glass ceiling, the patterns would be projected onto the marble floor.

The surrounding walls were embedded with countless human skulls.

The stark contrast between the piles of white bones and the vibrant glass angel prints on the dome created a striking sense of impact.

At this moment, Ozak and the others held their guns, looking around the prayer hall.

Baikatu was holding a yellowed page, repeatedly examining the simple map drawn on it.

“Boss, this place is incredibly sinister!”

Ozak said, feeling a bit uneasy as he gazed at the skulls on the walls.

“We have 1 hour and 32 minutes left. When the time is up, the bell will ring. Time is short, so follow me. Remember, no one is allowed to make any noise or sound. Also, unless I give the order, no one is to touch or take anything from here. If we disturb the sleeping monster in this cursed place, none of us will survive. Understand?”

Baikatu warned in a low voice.

“Understood.”

Ozak and the others shivered at Baikatu’s words.

They had previously attempted to storm this cathedral head-on, only to suffer heavy casualties from the fanatical worshippers at the entrance.

Not to mention the monsters sleeping inside the cathedral.

There was no telling whether the bishop of this cathedral still existed, sleeping somewhere within.

Baikatu put away the simple map and led everyone toward the stairs on the left side of the prayer hall.

They soon reached the second floor and directly pushed open the slightly ajar corridor door.

Once they all entered, Shen Qiu and Yun Xiaoxi cautiously followed, glancing around the magnificent prayer hall, suppressing their racing hearts as they stealthily moved in the direction Baikatu and his team had gone.

At this time, Baikatu and his subordinates walked along the elongated corridor.

The corridor floor was covered with an old red carpet.

On either side stood grotesque stone statues, some depicting hideous demons and others resembling fierce, strange beasts.

These statues were carved so lifelike that they gave the illusion of being alive.

One particularly striking detail was that their eyes were inlaid with various colored gemstones, shining with a special luster, making them exceptionally beautiful and captivating.

One member of the Gray Scorpion, captivated by a statue with a pair of white gemstone eyes, couldn’t help but be drawn in, his gaze filled with greed.

He suddenly stopped, as if enchanted, and reached out toward the white gemstone eyes.

However, his actions were precisely noticed by Baikatu.

He stepped forward and kicked the team member down.

The team member immediately snapped back to reality and fearfully begged for mercy from Baikatu.

“Boss, I-I’m sorry!”

Baikatu directly grabbed the team member by the collar, his fierce demeanor fully exposed as he said, “How many times have I told you? No touching anything here without my command.”

“I’m sorry, Boss! I was wrong, I won’t touch anything again.”

The team member pleaded in a terrified whisper.

Hearing the team member’s plea, Baikatu’s fierce gaze gradually softened. He released his grip, patted the team member’s collar, and spoke in a gentler tone, “It’s okay. Just be more careful next time!”

Before the team member could react, Baikatu quickly wrapped his left hand around his neck, pulling the team member’s head to his chest. Then he reached around with his right hand, grabbed the team member’s face, and twisted it sharply.

Crack!

The team member didn’t even have time to react before he collapsed.

The other team members present felt a jolt of fear, frozen in place, not daring to utter a word.