Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess
Chapter 208: Looks understaffed

Chapter 208: Looks understaffed

Feng Yizhou tilted his head slightly, eyes flicking over him before settling on the figure just behind.

Sun Zimo trailed a step behind Haoyu, his shoulders a touch tense but not uncertain. He offered a small, crooked smile as he stepped forward, his voice softer. "Good morning, Brother Feng. Hope you slept better than we did."

That earned him a faint lift of an eyebrow from Feng Yizhou. "Didn’t think they’d bunk you in the ventilation shaft."

"It felt like one," Sun Zimo muttered. Then, realizing he’d said it aloud, he ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sir."

Feng Yizhou’s expression didn’t shift much, but there was a subtle glint in his gaze now—something like restrained fondness.

"Come on, then," he said simply.

They fell in beside him, naturally—Haoyu just behind his left shoulder, Sun Zimo a step to the right. It wasn’t formation; it was muscle memory.

Chenlu, several paces ahead, glanced over his shoulder and gave a knowing smirk. "So the entourage’s assembled. Should I feel flattered or nervous?"

"Neither.." Haoyu said blandly.

Feng Yizhou’s voice was dry. "Just walk."

Chenlu raised an eyebrow. "That wasn’t really yours to.."

"Zone Four permits visitors to bring aides right??" Feng interrupted smoothly. "If you’re my escort, I assume that includes them."

Chenlu held his grin, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes this time. "Of course. I’m just here to make sure no one falls into a pit of mutant larvae."

Sun Zi mo made a strangled sound in his throat. Haoyu put a hand on his back.

Feng Yizhou didn’t flinch. "Lead the way."

The base extended much deeper than it first appeared. Zone Four’s surface looked utilitarian, but the inner corridors were reinforced with old-world metal alloy plating, pre-apocalypse tech that had held up against time, rot, and more than one explosion.

They passed checkpoints, gates, and double-sealed doorways that hissed softly when opened.

Everywhere, soldiers moved with precision, though their eyes lingered on Feng Yizhou with thinly-veiled curiosity.

"Don’t mind them..." Chenlu said cheerfully. "You’re the closest thing to royalty they’ve seen in months."

Haoyu frowned. "He’s not—"

"I said closest thing." Chenlu shot him a wink. "We don’t get pretty S-Class wanderers with serious expressions and mysterious reputations every day."

Sun Zimo nearly tripped over his own feet.

Feng Yizhou said nothing, eyes scanning the surroundings instead.

They reached a long, segmented corridor lined with windows on one side. Beyond the glass was a cavernous room filled with machinery: cooling systems, generators, hydroponic tanks for nutrient growth, and a single shimmering containment unit at the far wall.

"That’s what powers Zone Four’s internal climate.." Chenlu said, leaning closer to the glass. "If that breaks down, we all die slow and sweaty deaths."

The machines weren’t in great condition, some parts were scorched, some showed recent welding, and at least two pipes had makeshift wrappings that looked suspiciously like fabric torn from uniforms.

But they were functional at least.

Sun Zimo stepped closer, pressing his fingers to the glass. "Is that... energy crystal grade-C?"

Feng Yizhou turned to him in surprise.

"Good eye.."

Sun Zimo flushed under the praise, drawing his hand back quickly, like he hadn’t meant to speak up at all. "I—I did a short rotation in Central Lab before my military days ended. We only worked with fragments, though. That’s a full core, isn’t it?"

Chenlu gave an exaggerated sigh. "See, this is why I love having outsiders. They notice things. Our own engineers stare at that crystal every day and never think to say anything insightful."

Haoyu murmured, "Might be because they’re busy trying to keep the base from catching fire."

Chenlu barked a laugh. "Fair point."

Feng Yizhou stepped away from the glass, eyes narrowing slightly as he looked past the shimmering containment unit. "Who’s maintaining that field?"

Chenlu’s grin dropped. "That’s why you’re here."

Feng’s gaze snapped to him.

"Not the only reason," Chenlu amended smoothly, "but it’s at the top of the list. We’ve been cycling through energy stabilizers faster than we can replace them. Last week, we nearly lost power to the outer corridors. If that happens again, we lose refrigeration, comms, and medbay in one go."

Haoyu looked around. "You didn’t put in a request for transfer protocol."

Chenlu spread his hands. "And have Central send some bean-counting technician with clearance but no sense of field reality? I’d rather gamble on someone who’s already half myth and three-quarters miracle."

Sun Zi mo gave Feng a sidelong look. "Are you really going to fix their shield?"

Feng didn’t look up from where he was adjusting the strap on his arm brace. "Of course not."

Sun Zimo blinked. "Wait, then what did you mean by needing system access?"

"I need information," Feng said simply. "Not responsibility."

There was a pause.

Then Sun Zimo said, slowly, "So you’re not going to fix the shield.."

"....but I will find out who’s been sabotaging it.." Feng finished.

"..."

Chenlu lips twitched as they talked directly in front of him.

"Ready for your next awe-inspiring walkthrough?"

Feng simply nodded.

Chenlu led them down a tighter corridor this time, narrower and warmer, walls humming with buried wiring. "This sector used to be for R&D. Now it’s just barely running. We lost two of our top analysts during the last surface breach."

They passed half-lit labs and storage rooms sealed behind biometric locks. The flicker of broken fluorescent panels lent a ghostly feel to the hall.

Eventually, they reached a reinforced door with a keypad and retinal scanner. Chenlu gestured dramatically. "Welcome to the beating brain of Zone Four."

"...."

Feng Yizhou scanned the room in silence.

Chenlu led them to the observation platform above, where they could see the whole operation floor.

"What you’re looking at is the Control Hub. It runs everything from life support to external scans, threat mapping, and sector scheduling."

Haoyu frowned slightly. "Looks understaffed."

"It is." Chenlu’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Half the teams are running two shifts. A third are just dead. Literally or in spirit. We’ve been bleeding dry for a month."