Chapter 228: The Lament of the Latches
The metal latches, subjected to continuous ramming and pulling, emitted a shrill screech that grew increasingly piercing. Mingled with the roaring impacts from outside, it was like a fine needle repeatedly piercing the nerves of everyone inside the cabin.
Four thick steel latches were wedged between the door frame and the door panel, now the sole structure bearing the brunt of the gate's impacts. Every time a third-tier scaled beast hurled its massive weight and bone spurs forward in a full-force charge, the heavy alloy door panel dented inward slightly. The stress transmitted through the latches, continuously accumulating microscopic fractures within the steel. Though invisible to the naked eye, the increasingly ear-piercing friction and taut creaking made one thing clear to everyone: they could barely hold on any longer.
Inside the gate, the remaining thirty-plus combatants stood in a tight horizontal formation, short blades and modified spears gripped in their hands. These weapons were the inventory brought in during the initial retreat to the shelter pod. Ammunition had long been exhausted, leaving them with nothing but cold steel to rely upon. They were divided into four groups, guarding the positions corresponding to the four latches. The moment the door panel broke, they would be the first to rush forward and seal the breach.
Scholar Su stood in the center of the formation, his short blade drawn and held in his hand, his gaze fixed tightly on the trembling door panel. He did not shout to boost morale; at this moment, any impassioned words would seem pale and hollow. There was only silent steadfastness. The continuous dull pain in his Sea of Consciousness continued to intrude, and illusions occasionally flashed before his eyes. He saw the gate shattering and the tide of scaled beasts pouring in. He could only bite his teeth tightly, using the physical pain to anchor himself back to reality.
Lin Yan guarded the terminal in the rear, projecting his Sea of Consciousness outward with all his might to scan the surroundings.
On the screen, the three third-tier scaled beasts took turns charging and ramming the gate. During the rotation intervals, they did not rest; they merely stepped back slightly to adjust their stances before immediately charging again. Dense masses of ordinary scaled beasts were crammed into the narrow passage behind them, emitting continuous low roars. Restless thermal signatures rose and fell in waves, waiting for the instant the gate broke to swarm in. Deep underground within the rock layer, the spore signal of the Spiderweb Ancient Being had temporarily fallen silent. The earlier explosion had sealed the trench passage, and it needed time to find new infiltration seams, rendering it temporarily unable to coordinate a spore offensive.
"The Spiderweb Ancient Being has temporarily halted; it is re-probing for other routes through the rock layer. Right now, all the pressure is concentrated on the gate's latches." Lin Yan's voice was thick with exhaustion, his temples throbbing. The uninterrupted, prolonged perception via his Sea of Consciousness was pushing him to his absolute limit. "The Beast Commander is controlling the intensity of the ramming, not going all-out in a single massive strike. It is slowly fatiguing the metal, expanding the internal fractures of the latches bit by bit, rather than snapping them in one blow."
This was a far more insidious tactic.
A sudden, violent strike might snap the latch directly, but it also risked severely injuring the scaled beast from the recoil. A slow, continuous, rhythmic application of pressure would gradually drain the steel's toughness. This would not only reliably destroy the barrier but also conserve the stamina of the third-tier scaled beasts, ensuring they had ample combat power left to harvest everyone inside once the gate fell.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings resonated quietly.
The Beast Commander maintained a steady rhythm, patiently wearing down the latches. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being continued to maintain a constant erosion of the Sea of Consciousness, neither increasing nor decreasing, continuously draining the mental fortitude of everyone in the cabin. The Illusion Ancient Being reduced its illusions to an absolute minimum. It knew that no extra bewitchment was needed right now; the escalating crisis outside the door was, in itself, the most terrifying deterrent. Many civilians stared blankly at the trembling gate, their bodies shaking. Without the need for illusions to amplify it, the terror in their hearts was already overflowing.
The supreme ruler's consciousness hovered high above, quietly observing the iron box.
It had seen metal fracture under continuous stress, and it had seen humans either explode with desperate fury or collapse in the face of despair. It was in no rush. It was waiting for the exact moment the first latch snapped. That crisp sound of breaking steel would either be the bugle call that crushed their remaining order, or the spark that ignited the last, fierce bravery of a cornered beast. It calmly awaited both possible outcomes.
Time crawled forward, second by second, amidst the sounds of ramming.
With every tremor of the gate, rock dust fell in a continuous shower from the seams of the door frame, landing on the shoulders of the soldiers in the front row. The commotion in the wounded area intensified. Patients suffering from high fevers thrashed wildly in their agony. The military doctor had no means left to help them; he could only lean over to hold them down, whispering words of comfort. The waterproof tarps storing the bodies were piled beside the gate, a faint stench of decay slowly spreading through the air. Mixed with the smells of medicine and sweat, it made everyone's chest feel tight and suffocated.
The numbers on the resource consumption chart continued to slide downward.
Drinking water was down to less than five days' worth, rations to four days, and the oxygen purification module had only three days left before its efficiency plummeted. Even if the latches could miraculously hold out, hunger, thirst, and foul air would slowly reap them all one by one. In the radio booth, the guard still sent encrypted messages on schedule. The radio waves repeatedly pierced the spore-shrouded wasteland, yet after every transmission, the headphones held only the boundless hiss of white noise.
There were no reinforcements.
This fact had become the unspoken answer in everyone's hearts.
Another round of ramming fell. Thud!
This impact was exceptionally heavy. The door frame violently lurched, and a clear, faint cracking sound emanated from the first latch on the left.
Crack.
The sound was not loud, yet it pierced through the roaring din, falling clearly into the ears of every single person.
The gate violently caved inward a fraction, the gap widening slightly. A cold, foul-smelling beast roar seeped through the fissure. The soldiers in the front row instinctively tensed their bodies, thrusting their spears forward, aiming directly at the crack in the door.
"Latch number one has fractured!" Lin Yan immediately reported in a loud voice. "The crack is continuously expanding. It can withstand at most seven or eight more impacts before it completely breaks!"
Scholar Su raised his arm in a signal. Four soldiers near the first latch stepped forward half a pace, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and pressing their backs against the inside of the door panel, attempting to use their bodies to absorb some of the impact. Human flesh and blood were insignificant against the charge of a third-tier scaled beast, but they had no other choice.
Outside, the third-tier scaled beast responsible for ramming the first point seemed to sense the damage to the latch. Its low roar grew excited. It retreated a greater distance, gathering its strength for the next charge.
Thud!
Another impact struck.
Crack—
The fracture continued to spread. The steel deformed, and the latch arched outward slightly, struggling to hold the door panel securely in place.
In the civilian area, someone finally could no longer suppress their terror and burst into tears. The cry was quickly muffled by a hand over their mouth, but panic rippled outward like ripples under the dim emergency lights. Some whispered prayers, while others curled into tight balls, clutching their children fiercely in their arms.
Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness suddenly caught a trace of anomalous movement deep underground.
Deep within the rock layer, the spore signal of the Spiderweb Ancient Being, silent for so long, began to spread again. This time, it did not attempt to approach the gate's hydraulic pipelines. Instead, it veered toward the outer intake plenum of the shelter pod's oxygen purification unit. The spore flow dispersed into countless tiny clusters, navigating through the rock seams, maneuvering toward the ventilation intake.
"No, the Spiderweb Ancient Being has changed its target!" Lin Yan's pupils contracted as he quickly marked the signal on the terminal. "It has abandoned the gate pipelines and is attacking the intake plenum of the oxygen purification system! Once the spores flood into the ventilation circuit through the intake, the entire cabin's air will be contaminated with psychic toxins!"
Scholar Su's heart sank. The pincer attack was forming once again.
In the front, the first latch of the gate was on the verge of breaking, with third-tier scaled beasts ramming in relays, ready to breach the door at any moment. Deep underground, the Spiderweb Ancient Being was taking a detour to ambush the ventilation purification system, preparing to poison everyone through the air.
All their blast-blocking charges and neutralizing agents had long been exhausted. They had absolutely no remaining means to seal off new spore infiltration points.
Outside the door, a low beast roar sounded once more. The third-tier scaled beast retreated again, lowering its head, its bone spurs aimed directly at the door seam.
Thud!
The heavy impact struck again, accompanied by a piercing sound of tearing steel.
The first latch had completely snapped.
Freed from the restraint on one side, the heavy alloy gate tilted violently inward. A fissure half a meter wide tore open instantaneously. The cold wind from the wasteland, carrying the stench of spores, poured madly through the breach. Outside, the crimson vertical pupils of the scaled beasts were clearly visible in the shadows of the dim passage.
The iron box under desperate siege had finally been torn open with its first fatal wound.
End of Chapter.
Four thick steel latches were wedged between the door frame and the door panel, now the sole structure bearing the brunt of the gate's impacts. Every time a third-tier scaled beast hurled its massive weight and bone spurs forward in a full-force charge, the heavy alloy door panel dented inward slightly. The stress transmitted through the latches, continuously accumulating microscopic fractures within the steel. Though invisible to the naked eye, the increasingly ear-piercing friction and taut creaking made one thing clear to everyone: they could barely hold on any longer.
Inside the gate, the remaining thirty-plus combatants stood in a tight horizontal formation, short blades and modified spears gripped in their hands. These weapons were the inventory brought in during the initial retreat to the shelter pod. Ammunition had long been exhausted, leaving them with nothing but cold steel to rely upon. They were divided into four groups, guarding the positions corresponding to the four latches. The moment the door panel broke, they would be the first to rush forward and seal the breach.
Scholar Su stood in the center of the formation, his short blade drawn and held in his hand, his gaze fixed tightly on the trembling door panel. He did not shout to boost morale; at this moment, any impassioned words would seem pale and hollow. There was only silent steadfastness. The continuous dull pain in his Sea of Consciousness continued to intrude, and illusions occasionally flashed before his eyes. He saw the gate shattering and the tide of scaled beasts pouring in. He could only bite his teeth tightly, using the physical pain to anchor himself back to reality.
Lin Yan guarded the terminal in the rear, projecting his Sea of Consciousness outward with all his might to scan the surroundings.
On the screen, the three third-tier scaled beasts took turns charging and ramming the gate. During the rotation intervals, they did not rest; they merely stepped back slightly to adjust their stances before immediately charging again. Dense masses of ordinary scaled beasts were crammed into the narrow passage behind them, emitting continuous low roars. Restless thermal signatures rose and fell in waves, waiting for the instant the gate broke to swarm in. Deep underground within the rock layer, the spore signal of the Spiderweb Ancient Being had temporarily fallen silent. The earlier explosion had sealed the trench passage, and it needed time to find new infiltration seams, rendering it temporarily unable to coordinate a spore offensive.
"The Spiderweb Ancient Being has temporarily halted; it is re-probing for other routes through the rock layer. Right now, all the pressure is concentrated on the gate's latches." Lin Yan's voice was thick with exhaustion, his temples throbbing. The uninterrupted, prolonged perception via his Sea of Consciousness was pushing him to his absolute limit. "The Beast Commander is controlling the intensity of the ramming, not going all-out in a single massive strike. It is slowly fatiguing the metal, expanding the internal fractures of the latches bit by bit, rather than snapping them in one blow."
This was a far more insidious tactic.
A sudden, violent strike might snap the latch directly, but it also risked severely injuring the scaled beast from the recoil. A slow, continuous, rhythmic application of pressure would gradually drain the steel's toughness. This would not only reliably destroy the barrier but also conserve the stamina of the third-tier scaled beasts, ensuring they had ample combat power left to harvest everyone inside once the gate fell.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings resonated quietly.
The Beast Commander maintained a steady rhythm, patiently wearing down the latches. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being continued to maintain a constant erosion of the Sea of Consciousness, neither increasing nor decreasing, continuously draining the mental fortitude of everyone in the cabin. The Illusion Ancient Being reduced its illusions to an absolute minimum. It knew that no extra bewitchment was needed right now; the escalating crisis outside the door was, in itself, the most terrifying deterrent. Many civilians stared blankly at the trembling gate, their bodies shaking. Without the need for illusions to amplify it, the terror in their hearts was already overflowing.
The supreme ruler's consciousness hovered high above, quietly observing the iron box.
It had seen metal fracture under continuous stress, and it had seen humans either explode with desperate fury or collapse in the face of despair. It was in no rush. It was waiting for the exact moment the first latch snapped. That crisp sound of breaking steel would either be the bugle call that crushed their remaining order, or the spark that ignited the last, fierce bravery of a cornered beast. It calmly awaited both possible outcomes.
Time crawled forward, second by second, amidst the sounds of ramming.
With every tremor of the gate, rock dust fell in a continuous shower from the seams of the door frame, landing on the shoulders of the soldiers in the front row. The commotion in the wounded area intensified. Patients suffering from high fevers thrashed wildly in their agony. The military doctor had no means left to help them; he could only lean over to hold them down, whispering words of comfort. The waterproof tarps storing the bodies were piled beside the gate, a faint stench of decay slowly spreading through the air. Mixed with the smells of medicine and sweat, it made everyone's chest feel tight and suffocated.
The numbers on the resource consumption chart continued to slide downward.
Drinking water was down to less than five days' worth, rations to four days, and the oxygen purification module had only three days left before its efficiency plummeted. Even if the latches could miraculously hold out, hunger, thirst, and foul air would slowly reap them all one by one. In the radio booth, the guard still sent encrypted messages on schedule. The radio waves repeatedly pierced the spore-shrouded wasteland, yet after every transmission, the headphones held only the boundless hiss of white noise.
There were no reinforcements.
This fact had become the unspoken answer in everyone's hearts.
Another round of ramming fell. Thud!
This impact was exceptionally heavy. The door frame violently lurched, and a clear, faint cracking sound emanated from the first latch on the left.
Crack.
The sound was not loud, yet it pierced through the roaring din, falling clearly into the ears of every single person.
The gate violently caved inward a fraction, the gap widening slightly. A cold, foul-smelling beast roar seeped through the fissure. The soldiers in the front row instinctively tensed their bodies, thrusting their spears forward, aiming directly at the crack in the door.
"Latch number one has fractured!" Lin Yan immediately reported in a loud voice. "The crack is continuously expanding. It can withstand at most seven or eight more impacts before it completely breaks!"
Scholar Su raised his arm in a signal. Four soldiers near the first latch stepped forward half a pace, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and pressing their backs against the inside of the door panel, attempting to use their bodies to absorb some of the impact. Human flesh and blood were insignificant against the charge of a third-tier scaled beast, but they had no other choice.
Outside, the third-tier scaled beast responsible for ramming the first point seemed to sense the damage to the latch. Its low roar grew excited. It retreated a greater distance, gathering its strength for the next charge.
Thud!
Another impact struck.
Crack—
The fracture continued to spread. The steel deformed, and the latch arched outward slightly, struggling to hold the door panel securely in place.
In the civilian area, someone finally could no longer suppress their terror and burst into tears. The cry was quickly muffled by a hand over their mouth, but panic rippled outward like ripples under the dim emergency lights. Some whispered prayers, while others curled into tight balls, clutching their children fiercely in their arms.
Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness suddenly caught a trace of anomalous movement deep underground.
Deep within the rock layer, the spore signal of the Spiderweb Ancient Being, silent for so long, began to spread again. This time, it did not attempt to approach the gate's hydraulic pipelines. Instead, it veered toward the outer intake plenum of the shelter pod's oxygen purification unit. The spore flow dispersed into countless tiny clusters, navigating through the rock seams, maneuvering toward the ventilation intake.
"No, the Spiderweb Ancient Being has changed its target!" Lin Yan's pupils contracted as he quickly marked the signal on the terminal. "It has abandoned the gate pipelines and is attacking the intake plenum of the oxygen purification system! Once the spores flood into the ventilation circuit through the intake, the entire cabin's air will be contaminated with psychic toxins!"
Scholar Su's heart sank. The pincer attack was forming once again.
In the front, the first latch of the gate was on the verge of breaking, with third-tier scaled beasts ramming in relays, ready to breach the door at any moment. Deep underground, the Spiderweb Ancient Being was taking a detour to ambush the ventilation purification system, preparing to poison everyone through the air.
All their blast-blocking charges and neutralizing agents had long been exhausted. They had absolutely no remaining means to seal off new spore infiltration points.
Outside the door, a low beast roar sounded once more. The third-tier scaled beast retreated again, lowering its head, its bone spurs aimed directly at the door seam.
Thud!
The heavy impact struck again, accompanied by a piercing sound of tearing steel.
The first latch had completely snapped.
Freed from the restraint on one side, the heavy alloy gate tilted violently inward. A fissure half a meter wide tore open instantaneously. The cold wind from the wasteland, carrying the stench of spores, poured madly through the breach. Outside, the crimson vertical pupils of the scaled beasts were clearly visible in the shadows of the dim passage.
The iron box under desperate siege had finally been torn open with its first fatal wound.
End of Chapter.