Chapter 239: Undercurrents in the Rift
There was no dawn or dusk underground. The jumping numbers on the shelter pod's main control screen were the only measure of time for this group of survivors. Seven hours had passed since the beast tide retreated.
The pile of scaled beast corpses stacked against the inner side of the gate continuously emitted dark green, foul-smelling bodily fluids. These leaked slowly through the gaps in the steel plates, pooling into sticky stains on the ground. The deterrent effect of the corpses was still present. In the images transmitted by the monitoring probes, occasional ordinary scaled beasts would peek out from the edge of the wasteland rift beyond the gate. Upon smelling the scent of their kin's remains, they would let out anxious, low hisses and shrink back into the deep darkness, not daring to approach rashly. Yet, everyone knew in their hearts that this apprehension was merely instinctual and would not last long.
Lin Yan lay on a makeshift soft mat in a corner of the compartment. Bandages were wrapped in layers, securely binding the wounds on his waist, calf, and chest. The hemostatic powder's effect was limited, and the outer bandages had already been soaked into a dark color by the continuously seeping blood. He spent most of his time in a semi-comatose state. The lingering spore toxins in his Sea of Consciousness were like a dense spiderweb, occasionally pulling out fragmented illusions. Sometimes, he saw his master waiting for him at the mountain gate to practice martial arts; other times, he heard the low, indistinct psychic whispers of the ancient beings echoing from underground, tempting him to sink into eternal sleep. Every time he was on the verge of completely losing consciousness, the resilience brought by the ancient martial arts foundation deep within his physical body would gently pull him back to reality.
His breathing was still faint, but much steadier than when he had just been rescued. The military doctor came to check on him at regular intervals, his fingers resting on Lin Yan's wrist pulse, his brow remaining tightly furrowed. Without intravenous fluids or blood plasma, relying solely on small amounts of purified water and crushed nutrient paste fed to him bit by bit, whether he could survive the next forty-eight hours was a matter of life and death. If wound infection or aggravated internal bleeding occurred, no one would be able to save him.
Scholar Su sat on a steel frame not far away, his chest wrapped in thick bandages, not daring to make any large movements. He had not rested; forcing himself to endure his injuries, he was reviewing the shelter pod's remaining data and inspecting the functioning equipment alongside two surviving military police officers. The command terminal still had no way to connect to the main communications network of the barrier cities. The psychic barrier formed by the spores and the subterranean aliens was like an inverted iron bell, completely isolating this area.
"The three small outer beacons are all destroyed," one of the military police officers said in a hushed voice, pointing at the dim lights on the screen. "Originally, this branch rift was one of the forward outposts of the six barrier cities. Once the beacons are completely wiped out, headquarters will only determine that the outpost has been entirely wiped out and will no longer dispatch search and rescue teams here. Even if patrol squads pass by later, without beacon guidance, it will be extremely difficult to find this shelter pod hidden in the folds of the rock layers."
Scholar Su rubbed his fingertips against the cold casing of the terminal, his gaze drifting toward the gate.
"In other words, for the short term, we can only rely on ourselves."
No one refuted this statement.
The civilians in the storage compartment were divided into small clusters, quietly huddled together. Adults covered their children's mouths to prevent crying from attracting the monsters in the dark. Some silently sorted through the remaining supplies: compressed rations were less than thirty percent, the water level in the purified water storage tank was continuously dropping, and emergency consumables were nearly exhausted. Despair hovered over the crowd like a thin layer of ice, but after the brutal death defense earlier, no one dared to vent loudly.
The little boy who had given Lin Yan the compressed biscuit would occasionally sneak over, crouching beside the soft mat and quietly watching Lin Yan's chest rise and fall. He didn't dare touch him; he merely placed the small portion of rations allocated to him beside Lin Yan's hand, over and over again, even if his mother gently pulled him back each time.
"He is the one who stood in front of us," the boy whispered to his mother, looking up.
The mother's eyes reddened. She could only hold him tightly and nod gently.
Deep within the tunnel, inside the cavern.
The Beast Commander's psychic network was continuously drawing in the scattered scaled beasts. This loss was devastating. A massive number of low-tier beasts had died in battle, and all three third-tier powerhouses had perished. Its authority within the clan had already been shaken. Several secondary scaled beast priests voiced their doubts, believing they should not obsess over this tiny shelter pod and should not pay such a heavy price for a single human.
The consciousness of the Spiderweb Ancient Being slowly unfurled, soothing the agitated clan. It was in no rush to launch a direct assault. The spores had already been implanted into the Sea of Consciousness of everyone in the shelter pod; they were seeds that had been sown. Lin Yan was severely wounded and near death. Even if he survived, this spore erosion and physical trauma would leave long-term hidden injuries, and the upper limit of his Sea of Consciousness would be permanently scarred. This was a harvest far more valuable than killing him.
"There is no need to rush the harvest." The psychic fluctuations of the Spiderweb Ancient Being slowly spread through the cavern. "Let them slowly consume themselves in scarcity, fear, and waiting. Hunger, pain, and suspicion will destroy this group of humans more easily than the claws of scaled beasts. We will enter only after they tear open the cracks within themselves first."
The other ancient consciousnesses slowly echoed in agreement.
The supreme ruler hovered at the highest point of the cavern, silently overlooking the entire branch rift. It perceived the emotional fluctuations of every living being in the shelter pod: fear, exhaustion, gratitude, and a faint yet stubborn will to survive. It paid close attention to Lin Yan's slowly rising and falling life signal. This human had not died; his vitality was stronger than anticipated.
Receiving the order, the Beast Commander ceased organizing attacks. It dispatched a portion of the scaled beasts to set up ambush outposts in the rock layer intersections surrounding the shelter pod, sealing off all escape routes outward. It would not enter, nor would it let anyone inside escape. This was a gentle siege, an invisible cage.
Time ticked by.
Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes amidst another wave of intense pain. The dizziness in his Sea of Consciousness was still present, though slightly milder than before. He rolled his eyes, seeing the rough rock layers above and hearing the low murmurs around him. The scent of medicinal powder, blood, and compressed rations lingered in his nostrils.
"Awake?" Scholar Su sensed the movement and immediately moved to his side, keeping his voice as soft as possible. "Don't move around. Your wounds are still bleeding."
"Are there... still scaled beasts outside?" Lin Yan's voice was dry and hoarse.
"There are ambushes, but no direct attacks," Scholar Su explained the current situation to him in a low voice. "They've sealed off the roads. It seems they intend to trap us to death. Our supplies won't last long, communications are down, and we can basically give up hope on reinforcements."
Lin Yan listened quietly, his gaze falling on the monitoring curves jumping on the main control screen. In the corner of the screen, the spore concentration curve was stable, not dropping, maintaining a threshold that continuously eroded the Sea of Consciousness. He understood the ancient beings' intentions. The price for a frontal battle was too high, so the aliens chose to besiege them, slowly breaking everyone down with hunger and despair.
"The scaled beast corpses cannot hold back the gate for much longer." Lin Yan paused for a long while, slowly regulating his breathing. "After the corpses rot, the deterrent of the death aura will disappear, and it will breed subterranean saprophytic worms. That will be another trouble. We need to think of another way out."
"A way out?" Scholar Su's brow furrowed. "All the main outward tunnels are blocked by scaled beasts. The rest are abandoned pipelines, narrow and easily sealed off."
Lin Yan looked at a faint gray line on the terminal map. It was an abandoned flood discharge tunnel left over from early rock layer resource mining, marked with 'Unstable, multiple collapses.'
"This tunnel is marked on the map as connecting to another main branch rift. That area is an old war-zone mining point, and there used to be a temporary military supply cellar. If we can reach the cellar, there might be leftover supplies inside, or even backup communication equipment."
Scholar Su followed his gaze to the route, his expression growing even graver. "There are many collapsed sections, and the rock layer structure is unstable. Furthermore, it is highly likely that scaled beast outposts are also set up deep within the tunnel. The risk is extremely high."
"Staying here means waiting to die slowly," Lin Yan said softly. "Breaking out at least gives us a chance. But not now. I can't move, and everyone else hasn't recovered yet. Give me three days. If I can survive these three days and my injuries stabilize, we will discuss exploring the path."
He knew clearly in his heart that three days was the limit. The remaining supplies, the duration of the deterrent effect of the scaled beast corpses, and the speed of continuous spore erosion—all conditions hinged on this时间节点 (time node).
Scholar Su was silent for a long time before slowly nodding. "Alright. For these three days, we will take turns monitoring the probes, ration the food and water, and reinforce the gate. I will arrange for someone to inspect the tunnel entrance to first check if there are any nearby ambushes."
The compartment fell silent once more. The faint glow of the main control screen flickered, reflecting the exhausted, pale faces. Beyond the gate, the dark rift wasteland was eerily quiet, yet everyone knew that countless pairs of crimson eyes were hidden in the shadows, waiting patiently.
Deep within the cavern, the Spiderweb Ancient Being captured fragments of their conversation, its consciousness trembling slightly.
It heard about the abandoned flood discharge tunnel, and it heard the three-day agreement.
It did not immediately mobilize the scaled beasts to intercept them at the tunnel.
The will of the supreme ruler arrived: Let them think of a way out. Let them plan. Struggle is the most interesting part of this hunt.
The siege had officially begun.
End of Chapter.
The pile of scaled beast corpses stacked against the inner side of the gate continuously emitted dark green, foul-smelling bodily fluids. These leaked slowly through the gaps in the steel plates, pooling into sticky stains on the ground. The deterrent effect of the corpses was still present. In the images transmitted by the monitoring probes, occasional ordinary scaled beasts would peek out from the edge of the wasteland rift beyond the gate. Upon smelling the scent of their kin's remains, they would let out anxious, low hisses and shrink back into the deep darkness, not daring to approach rashly. Yet, everyone knew in their hearts that this apprehension was merely instinctual and would not last long.
Lin Yan lay on a makeshift soft mat in a corner of the compartment. Bandages were wrapped in layers, securely binding the wounds on his waist, calf, and chest. The hemostatic powder's effect was limited, and the outer bandages had already been soaked into a dark color by the continuously seeping blood. He spent most of his time in a semi-comatose state. The lingering spore toxins in his Sea of Consciousness were like a dense spiderweb, occasionally pulling out fragmented illusions. Sometimes, he saw his master waiting for him at the mountain gate to practice martial arts; other times, he heard the low, indistinct psychic whispers of the ancient beings echoing from underground, tempting him to sink into eternal sleep. Every time he was on the verge of completely losing consciousness, the resilience brought by the ancient martial arts foundation deep within his physical body would gently pull him back to reality.
His breathing was still faint, but much steadier than when he had just been rescued. The military doctor came to check on him at regular intervals, his fingers resting on Lin Yan's wrist pulse, his brow remaining tightly furrowed. Without intravenous fluids or blood plasma, relying solely on small amounts of purified water and crushed nutrient paste fed to him bit by bit, whether he could survive the next forty-eight hours was a matter of life and death. If wound infection or aggravated internal bleeding occurred, no one would be able to save him.
Scholar Su sat on a steel frame not far away, his chest wrapped in thick bandages, not daring to make any large movements. He had not rested; forcing himself to endure his injuries, he was reviewing the shelter pod's remaining data and inspecting the functioning equipment alongside two surviving military police officers. The command terminal still had no way to connect to the main communications network of the barrier cities. The psychic barrier formed by the spores and the subterranean aliens was like an inverted iron bell, completely isolating this area.
"The three small outer beacons are all destroyed," one of the military police officers said in a hushed voice, pointing at the dim lights on the screen. "Originally, this branch rift was one of the forward outposts of the six barrier cities. Once the beacons are completely wiped out, headquarters will only determine that the outpost has been entirely wiped out and will no longer dispatch search and rescue teams here. Even if patrol squads pass by later, without beacon guidance, it will be extremely difficult to find this shelter pod hidden in the folds of the rock layers."
Scholar Su rubbed his fingertips against the cold casing of the terminal, his gaze drifting toward the gate.
"In other words, for the short term, we can only rely on ourselves."
No one refuted this statement.
The civilians in the storage compartment were divided into small clusters, quietly huddled together. Adults covered their children's mouths to prevent crying from attracting the monsters in the dark. Some silently sorted through the remaining supplies: compressed rations were less than thirty percent, the water level in the purified water storage tank was continuously dropping, and emergency consumables were nearly exhausted. Despair hovered over the crowd like a thin layer of ice, but after the brutal death defense earlier, no one dared to vent loudly.
The little boy who had given Lin Yan the compressed biscuit would occasionally sneak over, crouching beside the soft mat and quietly watching Lin Yan's chest rise and fall. He didn't dare touch him; he merely placed the small portion of rations allocated to him beside Lin Yan's hand, over and over again, even if his mother gently pulled him back each time.
"He is the one who stood in front of us," the boy whispered to his mother, looking up.
The mother's eyes reddened. She could only hold him tightly and nod gently.
Deep within the tunnel, inside the cavern.
The Beast Commander's psychic network was continuously drawing in the scattered scaled beasts. This loss was devastating. A massive number of low-tier beasts had died in battle, and all three third-tier powerhouses had perished. Its authority within the clan had already been shaken. Several secondary scaled beast priests voiced their doubts, believing they should not obsess over this tiny shelter pod and should not pay such a heavy price for a single human.
The consciousness of the Spiderweb Ancient Being slowly unfurled, soothing the agitated clan. It was in no rush to launch a direct assault. The spores had already been implanted into the Sea of Consciousness of everyone in the shelter pod; they were seeds that had been sown. Lin Yan was severely wounded and near death. Even if he survived, this spore erosion and physical trauma would leave long-term hidden injuries, and the upper limit of his Sea of Consciousness would be permanently scarred. This was a harvest far more valuable than killing him.
"There is no need to rush the harvest." The psychic fluctuations of the Spiderweb Ancient Being slowly spread through the cavern. "Let them slowly consume themselves in scarcity, fear, and waiting. Hunger, pain, and suspicion will destroy this group of humans more easily than the claws of scaled beasts. We will enter only after they tear open the cracks within themselves first."
The other ancient consciousnesses slowly echoed in agreement.
The supreme ruler hovered at the highest point of the cavern, silently overlooking the entire branch rift. It perceived the emotional fluctuations of every living being in the shelter pod: fear, exhaustion, gratitude, and a faint yet stubborn will to survive. It paid close attention to Lin Yan's slowly rising and falling life signal. This human had not died; his vitality was stronger than anticipated.
Receiving the order, the Beast Commander ceased organizing attacks. It dispatched a portion of the scaled beasts to set up ambush outposts in the rock layer intersections surrounding the shelter pod, sealing off all escape routes outward. It would not enter, nor would it let anyone inside escape. This was a gentle siege, an invisible cage.
Time ticked by.
Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes amidst another wave of intense pain. The dizziness in his Sea of Consciousness was still present, though slightly milder than before. He rolled his eyes, seeing the rough rock layers above and hearing the low murmurs around him. The scent of medicinal powder, blood, and compressed rations lingered in his nostrils.
"Awake?" Scholar Su sensed the movement and immediately moved to his side, keeping his voice as soft as possible. "Don't move around. Your wounds are still bleeding."
"Are there... still scaled beasts outside?" Lin Yan's voice was dry and hoarse.
"There are ambushes, but no direct attacks," Scholar Su explained the current situation to him in a low voice. "They've sealed off the roads. It seems they intend to trap us to death. Our supplies won't last long, communications are down, and we can basically give up hope on reinforcements."
Lin Yan listened quietly, his gaze falling on the monitoring curves jumping on the main control screen. In the corner of the screen, the spore concentration curve was stable, not dropping, maintaining a threshold that continuously eroded the Sea of Consciousness. He understood the ancient beings' intentions. The price for a frontal battle was too high, so the aliens chose to besiege them, slowly breaking everyone down with hunger and despair.
"The scaled beast corpses cannot hold back the gate for much longer." Lin Yan paused for a long while, slowly regulating his breathing. "After the corpses rot, the deterrent of the death aura will disappear, and it will breed subterranean saprophytic worms. That will be another trouble. We need to think of another way out."
"A way out?" Scholar Su's brow furrowed. "All the main outward tunnels are blocked by scaled beasts. The rest are abandoned pipelines, narrow and easily sealed off."
Lin Yan looked at a faint gray line on the terminal map. It was an abandoned flood discharge tunnel left over from early rock layer resource mining, marked with 'Unstable, multiple collapses.'
"This tunnel is marked on the map as connecting to another main branch rift. That area is an old war-zone mining point, and there used to be a temporary military supply cellar. If we can reach the cellar, there might be leftover supplies inside, or even backup communication equipment."
Scholar Su followed his gaze to the route, his expression growing even graver. "There are many collapsed sections, and the rock layer structure is unstable. Furthermore, it is highly likely that scaled beast outposts are also set up deep within the tunnel. The risk is extremely high."
"Staying here means waiting to die slowly," Lin Yan said softly. "Breaking out at least gives us a chance. But not now. I can't move, and everyone else hasn't recovered yet. Give me three days. If I can survive these three days and my injuries stabilize, we will discuss exploring the path."
He knew clearly in his heart that three days was the limit. The remaining supplies, the duration of the deterrent effect of the scaled beast corpses, and the speed of continuous spore erosion—all conditions hinged on this时间节点 (time node).
Scholar Su was silent for a long time before slowly nodding. "Alright. For these three days, we will take turns monitoring the probes, ration the food and water, and reinforce the gate. I will arrange for someone to inspect the tunnel entrance to first check if there are any nearby ambushes."
The compartment fell silent once more. The faint glow of the main control screen flickered, reflecting the exhausted, pale faces. Beyond the gate, the dark rift wasteland was eerily quiet, yet everyone knew that countless pairs of crimson eyes were hidden in the shadows, waiting patiently.
Deep within the cavern, the Spiderweb Ancient Being captured fragments of their conversation, its consciousness trembling slightly.
It heard about the abandoned flood discharge tunnel, and it heard the three-day agreement.
It did not immediately mobilize the scaled beasts to intercept them at the tunnel.
The will of the supreme ruler arrived: Let them think of a way out. Let them plan. Struggle is the most interesting part of this hunt.
The siege had officially begun.
End of Chapter.