The electrical supply to every machine was cut off. The lights dimmed and eventually went out covering the lab in darkness. In that brief moment, everything froze as if time stood still. The silence ensued for a few seconds before it was broken.

“What’s happening? Why is the power out?” Salmon asked. “We have dedicated lines for our power, no?”

“I have no idea. I’ll turn on the backup power now.” A voice rang. He spoke to Salman in Hindi. 

During this period, Xia Lei quickly reached out to the door handle and left the laboratory. He pulled something out from his backpack as he ran towards the stairway leading to the roof.

“Boss, aren’t you worried about the experiment result?” Tsukino Kyoko followed after Xia Lei.

Crack! A gentle sound rang. Xia Lei turned on a tactical flashlight. A beam of light shone in the pitch-black hallway.

“What are you doing?” Tsukino Kyoko was anxious. “Turn it off! You’re basically painting a target on our backs.”

In contrast...