A box of freshly made pastries allowed Lin Luyao to roughly figure out the current situation in the experimental area in just ten minutes.
For some unknown reason, the researchers who should have left the small town immediately after receiving the alarm had all stayed behind and had not evacuated to this day.
The security guards were also forced to stay and guard the experimental area along with the researchers.
Lin Luyao guessed that Doctor Kant must have suddenly taken off with the Chaos Energy Crystal, and the experimental area was busy trying to catch him, dragging down the entire schedule.
However, the countdown for the special mission was still ongoing, which showed that the researchers would ultimately board the transport vehicle to escape the small town.
"If you don't have anywhere to go for the moment, why don't you hide in the reception area first?"
Xiao Chen, the security guard who first noticed Lin Luyao's appearance and proactively led her into the experimental area after tasting the potato cream cube, secretly pulled Lin Luyao aside and whispered a suggestion to her.
In his view, the experimental area was so large that squeezing in one more person was not a big problem.
As long as the captain and the person in charge didn't find out, it would be fine.
Lin Luyao's eyes flickered, and just as she was about to say something, she heard a guard not far away—who had finished his snack and been urged by the captain to return to his post—suddenly raise his voice and shout.
"Who?!"
Everyone's gazes instantly snapped in that direction.
Looking at the two name tags hidden in the bushes, Lin Luyao couldn't help but marvel once again.
The ability [Reading People] truly was a huge helper for her in the Highway Survival Game.
This was also the first time she had seen players' name tags.
[Player: Gu Xinghe; Level: Lv2; Class: Assassin (Inactive); Neutral Unit]
[Player: Chen Caidie; Level: Lv1; Class: Musician (Orange); Neutral Unit]
"Senior, they're all crowded by the door, what should we do since we can't get out for now?! Do we have to scale the wall again?"
Seeing the woman whose attire and appearance were completely out of place with the NPCs, Chen Caidie couldn't help poking her head out for a closer look, only to be caught red-handed by the NPCs. She immediately kicked off her second round of parkour.
Given the situation in the experimental area, it seemed she could only temporarily cross it off her list of shelter options.
Unless they could find a spot here that wouldn't be discovered by the NPCs, they simply didn't have the extra stamina to dodge the horde of Zombies while simultaneously dealing with the relentless pursuit of the NPCs.
Gu Xinghe made up her mind, intending to find a gap to lead the others back out and directly rendezvous with Zhou Xu and the rest, when she spotted a familiar figure poking her head out from a nearby building, waving vigorously at them.
"Over here."
Lin Luyao's lowered call paused for a fraction of a second as she quickly found an entry point between the name tag shifting to a pale red and the white name tag that remained neutral.
"Miss Chen, it's very safe here. Would you like to talk about a cooperation?"
From the moment she received the mission, Lin Luyao had realized that the limited time limit was the most troublesome part of this mission.
A limited time often meant it was impossible to make flawless arrangements.
But if there were enough helpers at this time, things might take a different turn.
"You know me?"
Even after confirming that there was no ambush where Lin Luyao was standing, Chen Caidie and the other still couldn't let their guard down immediately.
"I just used a little trick."
Lin Luyao didn't want to dwell on these useless matters.
"Time is limited. Why don't we talk about why you came to the experimental area? If our goals are the same, perhaps we can cooperate to save time."
Lin Luyao's directness didn't completely put the two at ease, but her words were not without persuasion.
At least when they first met, Lin Luyao had demonstrated her strength.
Although she didn't know how Lin Luyao had managed to chat so happily with the NPCs in the experimental area in such a short time, this undoubtedly increased the bargaining chips in her words.
"How do you want to cooperate?"
Gu Xinghe skipped the meaningless probing, earning an appreciative look from Lin Luyao.
"It's very simple. Tell me what you're doing in the experimental area first, and we'll help each other."
Lin Luyao had already determined that Gu Xinghe was the one calling the shots between the two, and her gaze fell directly on her.
"I can tell you first that I'm here to find someone."
Lin Luyao had given five extra fresh shrimp meat buns to Xiao Chen, who had helped her sneak into the experimental area.
Fresh shrimp meat buns could restore health points.
Even if they ran into danger, they could at least hold out a bit longer.
Xiao Chen didn't know the deeper meaning behind this, and even ate one on the spot. He felt that the savory flavor directly conquered his taste buds, and as he chewed, he could even taste the bouncy shrimp meat. The more he chewed, the more he could sense the natural sweetness of the flour and the umami of the seafood, making him reluctant to swallow it down.
Xiao Chen carefully put away the remaining four.
Hearing Lin Luyao urge him to remember to eat them if he got hurt, he didn't think she was saying anything unlucky; instead, he took her words to heart.
If he could be comforted by such delicious food every time he got injured, then any injury was just a minor issue.
"In the past, I always heard people say that delicious food can heal the soul, and I thought it was an exaggeration. Now I know it's true; it's just that I never had the chance to eat such delicious food before."
Xiao Chen still looked somewhat reluctant to leave before he departed.
"Why didn't I know there was such a gourmet food shop in the small town before?"
If he had known in advance, he definitely would have gone to Lin Luyao's shop to eat every single meal!
Calculated this way, how many opportunities to eat delicious food had he missed?
Watching the other person's name tag gradually shift toward blue, Lin Luyao's smile became a bit more genuine, though she still hesitated and refrained from telling him that she was looking for Doctor Kant, choosing instead to listen carefully to Xiao Chen's instructions.
When Xiao Chen pointed out the layout of the makeshift experimental area near the escape route and told her where to find him if she needed anything, she nodded seriously and memorized it all.
"The person I'm looking for should be in the center of the experimental area."
Lin Luyao held the experimental area layout map she had torn off from the entrance of the escape route and pointed it out to her two temporary partners.
"If you can help me rescue Doctor Kant, I can also point out where the transport vehicle prepared for escape in the experimental area is, and help you get on board."
Lin Luyao naturally didn't know where the transport vehicle for escaping the experimental area was right now, but she believed that once they rescued Doctor Kant, Doctor Kant would be more than happy to clear up this little puzzle for them.
Hearing this, Chen Caidie's eyes lit up.
She instinctively looked toward Gu Xinghe.
Gu Xinghe, however, went straight to the point.
"You aren't planning to use the experimental area's transport vehicle to leave this place?"
Lin Luyao candidly admitted, "I don't have that thought for now, but I can't guarantee I won't change my mind later."
In her view, the option with the lowest current risk was to contact the lone Doctor Kant and complete the special mission.
However, if the option of Doctor Kant required too high a price, or if the reward offered couldn't satisfy her expectations, it wouldn't be too late for her to defect to the forces within the experimental area.
Lin Luyao wasn't clear on what caused the rift between Doctor Kant and most of the experimental area, ultimately leading him to run off with the energy crystal.
But rather than probing into the internal conflicts, Lin Luyao cared more about how to maximize her profits.
After a moment of silence, Gu Xinghe exchanged glances with Chen Caidie beside her and nodded. "Deal."