Chapter 226: The Omen of Corrosion
The hydraulic pipeline trenches at the bottom of the main gate were hidden beneath the thick alloy base plate. They were the pre-embedded power oil circuits from when the shelter pod was originally constructed; the locking and lifting of the entire gate relied entirely on this hydraulic system. The outer walls of the pipelines were wrapped in a layer of anti-corrosion alloy sheathing, but a fine gap still remained between the sheathing and the rock layer. This was precisely the breakthrough point the Spiderweb Ancient Being had targeted.
On Lin Yan's terminal screen, the scattered, drifting spore light points were converging toward this area at the gate's foundation like a tide, slowly stacking into a dark, dense signal cloud. The spores did not rush directly into the interior of the pipelines. Instead, they first attached to the outside of the sheathing, secreting a layer of thick, black corrosive liquid to slowly gnaw at the metal protective layer. This corrosion was not rapid; it was silent. In the short term, the instruments could only capture the rising spore concentration, making it difficult to immediately judge the progress of the sheathing's breach.
"They are not in a rush to send the spores into the cabin; their target is the hydraulic oil circuit," Lin Yan said, his finger circling the pipeline route on the screen, his speaking pace quickening. "Once the sheathing is eaten through and the corrosive liquid invades the hydraulic oil, the oil circuit will become blocked, and the sealing rings will burst. The locking mechanism will fail directly. By then, when the gate loses its hydraulic lock, relying solely on the mechanical latches will not be enough to withstand the combined ramming of the three third-tier scaled beasts outside."
Scholar Su leaned down to look at the bottom inside the gate. There was only a small maintenance hatch there, just large enough for a person to bend over and crawl through. The edges of the hatch were covered in thick dust and were rarely opened under normal circumstances.
"Divert a three-person maintenance squad. Take neutralizing spray, detectors, and emergency sealant, and go down immediately to inspect the pipeline sheathing," Scholar Su arranged quickly. "The remaining guards are to heighten their alertness and closely monitor any changes in the gate's vibrations. Do not alarm the civilians to avoid the spread of panic."
The three soldiers took their equipment and moved with lowered bodies to the maintenance hatch. They unscrewed the fixing bolts and flipped the hatch upward. A cold wind mixed with rock dust and a faint, fishy stench of spores surged up from the gap. The flashlight beams probed inside. The space below was low and cramped, with pipelines laid horizontally along the foundation. The outside of the pipe walls was already coated with a thin layer of grayish-black mucus—the corrosive substance secreted by the Spiderweb Ancient Being.
"Found it. Pitting has already appeared on the surface of the sheathing," the leading soldier said in a low voice, leaning in to carefully check the detector readings. "The corrosion is most severe in three locations. In another half day, the sheathing will be completely eaten through."
The other two immediately activated the neutralizing spray. The milky-white agent sprayed onto the mucus, emitting faint white smoke with a sizzling sound as the corrosive mucus was quickly dissolved. However, the spray could only clean the spores and corrosive liquid already attached to the surface; it could not stop the new spores continuously surging from the seams in the rock layer. The supply of the agent was limited, and repeated spraying consumed it rapidly. It was treating the symptoms, not the root cause.
"We can only use the sealant to patch the pitted areas first, and then set up a small amount of blast-blocking charges outside the trench," a team member reported over the communicator while quickly applying the sealant. "The explosives can only scorch the entrance of the trench, delaying the approach of the spores. They cannot permanently isolate them."
At the command area, Lin Yan was simultaneously monitoring the peripheral thermal signatures.
Outside, the three third-tier scaled beasts continued to ram the gate at a fixed rhythm. Thud, thud, thud, one after another, the rhythm unchanged, as if they were completely unaware of the underground spore operation. But Lin Yan knew clearly that the Beast Commander was fully aware of the Spiderweb Ancient Being's plan. The continuous ramming was not only psychological pressure but also served to vibrate the rock layer, helping the corrosive liquid seep into the metal seams faster. The two were working in tandem.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings resonated slowly.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being patiently regulated the secretion speed of the spore colony, controlling the intensity of the corrosive liquid. It did not seek to pierce the sheathing in an instant; it only aimed for steady erosion. It knew very well that if the corrosion was too fast, humans would immediately realize the risk and blow up this section of the hydraulic pipeline to disable the gate entirely. Slow infiltration was what would plunge humanity into a dilemma: repair, and resources would be continuously consumed, never ending; do not repair, and the locking system would slowly collapse in silence.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being still maintained a constant erosion of the Sea of Consciousness. The tolerance level of everyone in the cabin had long been ground to a very low point. Many guarding soldiers had slowed reactions and frequently blurred vision, needing constant reminders from their companions to stabilize their minds. In the civilian area, more and more people sat in a daze for long periods, reacting sluggishly to external stimuli. A few with weak wills would occasionally lose focus, ensnared by illusions.
The Illusion Ancient Being adjusted its projections accordingly, beginning to render the scene of the gate opening on its own. Many people恍惚 (in a trance) saw the alloy gate slowly sliding inward. Outside was not a狂暴 (frenzied) tide of scaled beasts, but an envoy sent by the ancient beings, promising that if they gave up resisting, they would be provided with food and water, ending this endless torment. This kind of illusion, carrying the意味 (implication) of a transaction, was highly bewitching. Two civilians had already gathered privately, whispering about whether they should proactively compromise with the ancient beings.
Hearing the scattered whispers, the military police could only secretly increase their surveillance, not daring to publicly reprimand them. The cabin was already fragile; escalating conflicts could easily trigger a riot.
The Beast Commander quietly awaited the results of the spores. It had already prepared a backup plan: the moment the hydraulic lock failed and the gate loosened, the three third-tier scaled beasts would simultaneously launch a full-force charge, shattering the remaining mechanical latches and leading the ordinary scaled beasts behind them to swarm in. It was not in a rush to act, patiently coordinating with the rhythm of the Spiderweb Ancient Being. This combined internal and external killing move required sufficient time to brew.
The supreme ruler's consciousness quietly enveloped the shelter pod.
It watched humans crawl into the underground trenches to repair the pipelines, watched them patch the corroded sheathing bit by bit, and watched the neutralizing agents in their hands gradually diminish. It also saw the thought of compromise breeding among the crowd, and saw hunger and thirst constantly gnawing at everyone's confidence to survive. It did not favor any particular outcome. Whether humans held the gate and continued to be besieged, or the spores successfully corroded the defenses and the beast tide broke into the pod, it was merely a node in this siege to it.
Inside the maintenance trench, the three soldiers sealed all the pitted areas before the second wave of spores arrived. The blast-blocking charges were fixed at the rock layer entrance outside the trench, with the fuses pulled to the inside of the maintenance hatch. Having finished everything, they bent over and crawled back into the cabin through the narrow opening, closing the hatch and tightening the bolts again.
"Temporary sealing is complete," the squad leader reported in a low voice, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "But the neutralizing agent is completely used up. If corrosion occurs again later, we will have no agent left to eradicate the spore mucus."
Scholar Su frowned deeply, looking at the material statistics table.
The agents, painkillers, and anti-inflammatory drugs had long been exhausted. Now, even the spray for neutralizing spore corrosion had been completely consumed. The means left to them were becoming fewer and fewer; the chips in their hands were being cleared away bit by bit.
Time continued to pass.
Another shift cycle went by, and the rations of water and food were compressed once again. The children's cries had completely disappeared. The weak children leaned against their mothers' arms, barely having the strength to even open their eyes. Three new cases of high-fever infections were added to the wounded area. The military doctor was helpless and could only repeatedly wipe their burning foreheads with wet cloths. The oppression brought by death grew heavier. The compartment storing the bodies was completely full, and the lingering strange odor in the air became even more intense.
In the radio booth, the guard pressed the transmit button on schedule as usual. Encrypted messages were sent into the wasteland shrouded in spores time and time again, yet the headphones still held only the never-ending hiss of white noise, without any response.
Suddenly, Lin Yan's terminal issued another warning.
Outside the trench at the bottom of the gate, the spore signal had risen again. This time, they no longer concentrated on the sheathing. Instead, they split into several streams, scattering along more tiny rock layer branches beside the trench, bypassing the recently patched pitted areas to search for other unprotected weak points in the pipeline.
"They have learned to bypass the spots we repaired," Lin Yan said in a low voice. "The Spiderweb Ancient Being is adjusting the infiltration route of the spores."
Almost at the same moment, on the outside of the gate, the ramming sounds of the third-tier scaled beasts suddenly grew dense.
It was no longer the leisurely, slow rhythm from before. Continuous, muffled rams overlapped, and the rumbling vibrations traveled through the steel plates and the foundation to the entire shelter pod. The overhead pipelines swayed, and the emergency lights flashed frantically.
This time, it was no longer a mere feint to coordinate.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being had opened new infiltration routes, and the Beast Commander was applying synchronized pressure. The dual offensive pressed down upon this final gate together. The alloy door panel trembled slightly under the continuous ramming, and the locking hydraulic pipelines emitted a faint hum in the vibrations of the rock layer. The very foundation of the shelter pod was being gnawed at from both sides simultaneously.
The last barrier of the iron box had lit up red lights from the outside all the way to its foundation. Beneath the darkness, the noose of the ancient beings was pulling tighter and tighter.
End of Chapter.
On Lin Yan's terminal screen, the scattered, drifting spore light points were converging toward this area at the gate's foundation like a tide, slowly stacking into a dark, dense signal cloud. The spores did not rush directly into the interior of the pipelines. Instead, they first attached to the outside of the sheathing, secreting a layer of thick, black corrosive liquid to slowly gnaw at the metal protective layer. This corrosion was not rapid; it was silent. In the short term, the instruments could only capture the rising spore concentration, making it difficult to immediately judge the progress of the sheathing's breach.
"They are not in a rush to send the spores into the cabin; their target is the hydraulic oil circuit," Lin Yan said, his finger circling the pipeline route on the screen, his speaking pace quickening. "Once the sheathing is eaten through and the corrosive liquid invades the hydraulic oil, the oil circuit will become blocked, and the sealing rings will burst. The locking mechanism will fail directly. By then, when the gate loses its hydraulic lock, relying solely on the mechanical latches will not be enough to withstand the combined ramming of the three third-tier scaled beasts outside."
Scholar Su leaned down to look at the bottom inside the gate. There was only a small maintenance hatch there, just large enough for a person to bend over and crawl through. The edges of the hatch were covered in thick dust and were rarely opened under normal circumstances.
"Divert a three-person maintenance squad. Take neutralizing spray, detectors, and emergency sealant, and go down immediately to inspect the pipeline sheathing," Scholar Su arranged quickly. "The remaining guards are to heighten their alertness and closely monitor any changes in the gate's vibrations. Do not alarm the civilians to avoid the spread of panic."
The three soldiers took their equipment and moved with lowered bodies to the maintenance hatch. They unscrewed the fixing bolts and flipped the hatch upward. A cold wind mixed with rock dust and a faint, fishy stench of spores surged up from the gap. The flashlight beams probed inside. The space below was low and cramped, with pipelines laid horizontally along the foundation. The outside of the pipe walls was already coated with a thin layer of grayish-black mucus—the corrosive substance secreted by the Spiderweb Ancient Being.
"Found it. Pitting has already appeared on the surface of the sheathing," the leading soldier said in a low voice, leaning in to carefully check the detector readings. "The corrosion is most severe in three locations. In another half day, the sheathing will be completely eaten through."
The other two immediately activated the neutralizing spray. The milky-white agent sprayed onto the mucus, emitting faint white smoke with a sizzling sound as the corrosive mucus was quickly dissolved. However, the spray could only clean the spores and corrosive liquid already attached to the surface; it could not stop the new spores continuously surging from the seams in the rock layer. The supply of the agent was limited, and repeated spraying consumed it rapidly. It was treating the symptoms, not the root cause.
"We can only use the sealant to patch the pitted areas first, and then set up a small amount of blast-blocking charges outside the trench," a team member reported over the communicator while quickly applying the sealant. "The explosives can only scorch the entrance of the trench, delaying the approach of the spores. They cannot permanently isolate them."
At the command area, Lin Yan was simultaneously monitoring the peripheral thermal signatures.
Outside, the three third-tier scaled beasts continued to ram the gate at a fixed rhythm. Thud, thud, thud, one after another, the rhythm unchanged, as if they were completely unaware of the underground spore operation. But Lin Yan knew clearly that the Beast Commander was fully aware of the Spiderweb Ancient Being's plan. The continuous ramming was not only psychological pressure but also served to vibrate the rock layer, helping the corrosive liquid seep into the metal seams faster. The two were working in tandem.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings resonated slowly.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being patiently regulated the secretion speed of the spore colony, controlling the intensity of the corrosive liquid. It did not seek to pierce the sheathing in an instant; it only aimed for steady erosion. It knew very well that if the corrosion was too fast, humans would immediately realize the risk and blow up this section of the hydraulic pipeline to disable the gate entirely. Slow infiltration was what would plunge humanity into a dilemma: repair, and resources would be continuously consumed, never ending; do not repair, and the locking system would slowly collapse in silence.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being still maintained a constant erosion of the Sea of Consciousness. The tolerance level of everyone in the cabin had long been ground to a very low point. Many guarding soldiers had slowed reactions and frequently blurred vision, needing constant reminders from their companions to stabilize their minds. In the civilian area, more and more people sat in a daze for long periods, reacting sluggishly to external stimuli. A few with weak wills would occasionally lose focus, ensnared by illusions.
The Illusion Ancient Being adjusted its projections accordingly, beginning to render the scene of the gate opening on its own. Many people恍惚 (in a trance) saw the alloy gate slowly sliding inward. Outside was not a狂暴 (frenzied) tide of scaled beasts, but an envoy sent by the ancient beings, promising that if they gave up resisting, they would be provided with food and water, ending this endless torment. This kind of illusion, carrying the意味 (implication) of a transaction, was highly bewitching. Two civilians had already gathered privately, whispering about whether they should proactively compromise with the ancient beings.
Hearing the scattered whispers, the military police could only secretly increase their surveillance, not daring to publicly reprimand them. The cabin was already fragile; escalating conflicts could easily trigger a riot.
The Beast Commander quietly awaited the results of the spores. It had already prepared a backup plan: the moment the hydraulic lock failed and the gate loosened, the three third-tier scaled beasts would simultaneously launch a full-force charge, shattering the remaining mechanical latches and leading the ordinary scaled beasts behind them to swarm in. It was not in a rush to act, patiently coordinating with the rhythm of the Spiderweb Ancient Being. This combined internal and external killing move required sufficient time to brew.
The supreme ruler's consciousness quietly enveloped the shelter pod.
It watched humans crawl into the underground trenches to repair the pipelines, watched them patch the corroded sheathing bit by bit, and watched the neutralizing agents in their hands gradually diminish. It also saw the thought of compromise breeding among the crowd, and saw hunger and thirst constantly gnawing at everyone's confidence to survive. It did not favor any particular outcome. Whether humans held the gate and continued to be besieged, or the spores successfully corroded the defenses and the beast tide broke into the pod, it was merely a node in this siege to it.
Inside the maintenance trench, the three soldiers sealed all the pitted areas before the second wave of spores arrived. The blast-blocking charges were fixed at the rock layer entrance outside the trench, with the fuses pulled to the inside of the maintenance hatch. Having finished everything, they bent over and crawled back into the cabin through the narrow opening, closing the hatch and tightening the bolts again.
"Temporary sealing is complete," the squad leader reported in a low voice, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "But the neutralizing agent is completely used up. If corrosion occurs again later, we will have no agent left to eradicate the spore mucus."
Scholar Su frowned deeply, looking at the material statistics table.
The agents, painkillers, and anti-inflammatory drugs had long been exhausted. Now, even the spray for neutralizing spore corrosion had been completely consumed. The means left to them were becoming fewer and fewer; the chips in their hands were being cleared away bit by bit.
Time continued to pass.
Another shift cycle went by, and the rations of water and food were compressed once again. The children's cries had completely disappeared. The weak children leaned against their mothers' arms, barely having the strength to even open their eyes. Three new cases of high-fever infections were added to the wounded area. The military doctor was helpless and could only repeatedly wipe their burning foreheads with wet cloths. The oppression brought by death grew heavier. The compartment storing the bodies was completely full, and the lingering strange odor in the air became even more intense.
In the radio booth, the guard pressed the transmit button on schedule as usual. Encrypted messages were sent into the wasteland shrouded in spores time and time again, yet the headphones still held only the never-ending hiss of white noise, without any response.
Suddenly, Lin Yan's terminal issued another warning.
Outside the trench at the bottom of the gate, the spore signal had risen again. This time, they no longer concentrated on the sheathing. Instead, they split into several streams, scattering along more tiny rock layer branches beside the trench, bypassing the recently patched pitted areas to search for other unprotected weak points in the pipeline.
"They have learned to bypass the spots we repaired," Lin Yan said in a low voice. "The Spiderweb Ancient Being is adjusting the infiltration route of the spores."
Almost at the same moment, on the outside of the gate, the ramming sounds of the third-tier scaled beasts suddenly grew dense.
It was no longer the leisurely, slow rhythm from before. Continuous, muffled rams overlapped, and the rumbling vibrations traveled through the steel plates and the foundation to the entire shelter pod. The overhead pipelines swayed, and the emergency lights flashed frantically.
This time, it was no longer a mere feint to coordinate.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being had opened new infiltration routes, and the Beast Commander was applying synchronized pressure. The dual offensive pressed down upon this final gate together. The alloy door panel trembled slightly under the continuous ramming, and the locking hydraulic pipelines emitted a faint hum in the vibrations of the rock layer. The very foundation of the shelter pod was being gnawed at from both sides simultaneously.
The last barrier of the iron box had lit up red lights from the outside all the way to its foundation. Beneath the darkness, the noose of the ancient beings was pulling tighter and tighter.
End of Chapter.