As a symbiotic being, I raise children amidst the chaos.

Upon hearing Patrick's words, Theresa was instantly overwhelmed by a complex and indescribable emotion. On one hand, the trust Patrick had shown her gave her a sense of reassurance.

However, on the other hand, the strange and unpredictable situation before her was like a heavy boulder pressing on her heart, making Theresa involuntarily feel a sense of tension.

“Alright…” Theresa took a deep breath, drawing in her jumbled thoughts, and then slowly exhaled. “Since it’s just the two of us here right now, we must be extra careful.”

Patrick nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Theresa's point of view. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Indeed, as you said, I have just conducted a thorough observation of the surrounding environment. I found that most of the buildings here are in excellent condition and well-maintained."

Patrick paused for a moment, then added, "Not only that, but the communication equipment also looks to be in excellent condition. It's only the surveillance equipment that's malfunctioning."

"It's completely malfunctioning. If I'm not mistaken, there must be some unknown mystery hidden within it."

Upon hearing this, Theresa frowned deeply and asked with a worried expression, "In that case, do you think it's more likely that this was caused by deliberate sabotage?"

“Very likely.” Patrick narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then slowly nodded. His tone was calm, as he had already outlined the sequence of events in his mind.

"However, at present, a more in-depth and detailed investigation is needed to pinpoint exactly who committed such an act."

"The most urgent thing right now is to find a suitable entrance as a starting point, and then conduct a detailed investigation of each floor and room, leaving no stone unturned."

Just then, Theresa, who had been listening quietly to Patrick, suddenly spoke up, "Entrance? Isn't this the gate?" As she spoke, she stretched out a slender, white finger and pointed to the magnificent gate of the Tower of Babel not far ahead.

"Since the goal is so clear, why don't we just walk in from here? Why bother looking for other entrances?"

Faced with Theresa's question, Patrick couldn't help but chuckle. He first glanced at her tenderly, then smiled indulgently and answered softly.

“My little Theresa~ We’re here on an infiltration mission! If we rashly choose to break in through the main entrance, what if there’s something extremely dangerous or a trap hidden inside?”

"Then the enemy can easily detect our movements and thus gain the upper hand. Conversely, if we can find other relatively hidden entrances, the situation will be completely different."

"In this way, the enemy is in the open, while we are hidden in the shadows, and we will naturally have more freedom to act."

After listening to Patrick's detailed and thorough explanation, Theresa, who had been somewhat confused, suddenly felt enlightened, as if struck by lightning. Her large eyes shone with a profound wisdom.

"Then how can we find the other entrances?" Theresa asked, her face full of doubt. "The Babylonian Laboratory is so big, are we really going to just wander around like headless flies?"

Patrick's lips curled into a slight smile, a fleeting, almost imperceptible glint of cunning flashing in his eyes. He then confidently patted his chest.

"Don't worry, I already have a plan for this issue and a preliminary idea in mind." After saying that, she deliberately reached out and patted the bulging multi-functional tool bag hanging from her waist.

Patrick then lowered his voice slightly and continued to explain, "Based on my experience, buildings of this size usually have some backup passages or entrances specifically for routine maintenance and repairs."

"These places are often well hidden and not easily discovered. So, let's first go around to the back of the Tower of Babel and explore it carefully."

After listening to Patrick's logical analysis, Theresa's tense nerves finally relaxed a little. The two quickly organized and checked their equipment, then headed towards the Tower of Babel.

At this moment, night was quietly falling, and the last rays of sunlight in the sky were gradually swallowed by darkness. The surrounding environment became increasingly dim and hazy, and a faint mist began to spread in the air.

Theresa followed closely behind Patrick, not daring to relax for a moment, while also nervously glancing around every now and then. As time passed, Theresa muttered to herself.

"This place looks eerie; it feels like something terrifying might jump out at any moment..."

After walking for about ten minutes, they finally reached the back of the tower. The environment here was noticeably more desolate than before.

There were almost no lights in the surrounding area, only a lone lamp in the distance swaying in the wind, emitting an extremely faint light, as if it might go out at any moment.

Patrick stopped, his eyes widening as he cautiously surveyed the surrounding terrain. After a brief pause, he pointed to a corner not far ahead and whispered to Theresa beside him, "Look over there!"

Theresa quickly turned her gaze to the direction Patrick was pointing, and sure enough, there was an inconspicuous little door in that corner.

The door looked very old, covered with a thick layer of dust, clearly indicating that it had not been opened or used for a long time.

The two men tiptoed stealthily toward the small door. Upon reaching it, Patrick deftly pulled a tool of unknown purpose from his toolbox. He then skillfully inserted the tool into the lock's hole.

Just seconds later, a faint, almost imperceptible "click" sound rang out. Then, the lock slowly loosened.

Patrick carefully reached out and gently pushed the door. The hinges made a low, grinding sound, then slowly opened.

He first peeked inside, scanning the room left and right to make sure there were no hidden traps, before turning back to Theresa and gesturing, "Done!"

As the two stepped into the tower, an unusual atmosphere instantly enveloped them. Before them lay a long, dark corridor, with neatly arranged, somewhat outdated equipment and crisscrossing pipes on both sides.

The air was thick with an unpleasant, damp smell, a mixture of rust and rotten wood that made one want to cover their nose and mouth.

Patrick took a flashlight from his backpack and switched it on. In an instant, a bright beam of light pierced the surrounding darkness, Patrick said in a low voice.

"Judging from this, this should be a maintenance passage, which might lead directly to the inside of the tower. Let's keep going and see, but we must be as quiet as possible and not make too much noise." After saying that, he took a flashlight and walked into the depths of the corridor.

Theresa nodded slightly to indicate that she understood, and then followed closely behind Patrick. As they ventured deeper into the corridor, the once silent sound began to faintly echo with the sound of their light footsteps.

After turning left and right for a while, a heavy metal door suddenly came into view. The door was dark gray throughout. Even more striking was the series of warning signs prominently displayed on the door, clearly intended to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering.

“The core area should be behind this door.” Patrick frowned, staring intently at the closed door, and slowly said, “To be on the safe side, it’s best to find another way in.”

Looking around, Patrick's face lit up with a hint of surprise. "There's a hidden ventilation duct here. Maybe we can get into the interior of this room through it." Hearing this, Theresa quickly stepped forward to take a look, nodding slightly in agreement with Patrick's idea.

So the two took a deep breath and carefully climbed towards the entrance of the ventilation duct. The duct was so narrow that it could barely accommodate one person at a time.

The interior was filled with dust and cobwebs, making their movements exceptionally clumsy. Each step forward required considerable effort, and they had to constantly be careful to avoid bumping into the pipe walls above or to the sides.

And so, the two of them struggled to move slowly forward through the ventilation duct. As they got closer, the surrounding light became increasingly dim, to the point where they could barely see their own hands.

Seeing this, Patrick took out a small flashlight from his backpack, turned it on, and a bright beam of light instantly pierced the darkness, illuminating the winding road ahead.

However, at that moment, a low, muffled humming sound came from afar without warning. The two people present felt a chill run down their spines.

(Please give this poor author some free gifts!! A few clicks to urge me to update!! Thank you, readers!! Please~ Please~).