Chapter 240: The Three-Day Pact
The lights in the shelter pod were dimmed to their lowest setting, a pale, cold white barely illuminating the compartment to minimize power consumption. The low, continuous hum of the backup generator served as a constant reminder; every watt of electricity had to be meticulously budgeted, reserved solely for the monitoring terminal, the vital signs monitor, and the surveillance probes. Scholar Su divided the watch into three shifts. Two military police officers took turns monitoring the real-time feed from the gate, ready to sound the alarm at the slightest sign of scaled beast movement. The rest were assigned to manage supplies, care for the wounded, and inventory usable tools. No one could afford to be idle.
Rations were redistributed on a per-capita basis, reduced to the absolute minimum: less than half a compressed biscuit per person per day, accompanied by a strict water ration. The water level in the tank continued its slow descent. The military doctor repeatedly emphasized that the wounded had priority for water, while able-bodied individuals should drink only enough to moisten their lips. A suffocating atmosphere blanketed the compartment. The usual faint chatter had vanished, leaving only the hum of the machinery, the suppressed groans of the wounded, and the rhythmic blinking of the main control screen's indicator lights.
Lin Yan still lay on the soft mat, spending most of his time in a light sleep. The lingering spore toxins in his Sea of Consciousness had not dissipated, but their concentration had stabilized at a constant level, no longer unleashing violent psychic assaults. The illusions still visited from time to time, mostly quiet scenes: a morning practicing martial arts in the mountains, a cup of coarse tea handed to him by his master, the wildflowers blooming on the wasteland outside the barrier city walls. There were no longer any seductive whispers. The ancient beings seemed to have changed their approach, using gentle memories to slowly erode his focus.
Every time he woke from his light sleep, his first action was to activate the ancient martial arts technique of concealing his breath. He slowly guided his internal energy throughout his body to soothe his damaged meridians and stabilize his internal bleeding. This process was incredibly taxing on his mind. With every minor cycle of energy circulation, his wounds would send tearing pain through his body, and layers of cold sweat would bead on his forehead. The military doctor couldn't help but advise him to stop each time he saw this, but Lin Yan never ceased. He knew that whether he could move in three days, and whether he could lead a team to explore the abandoned flood discharge tunnel, depended entirely on stabilizing his injuries during these three days.
"Don't push yourself too hard," Scholar Su said in a hushed voice as he sat beside him during a shift change. "Even if your injuries stabilize, that tunnel isn't necessarily passable. With multiple collapses and unstable rock layers, if a cave-in occurs, the entire squad will be buried inside."
"I know the risks," Lin Yan said, slowly opening his eyes, an indelible exhaustion in his gaze. "But staying in this shelter pod is a dead end. The scaled beasts have set up a perimeter blockade, and the ancient beings are in no rush to attack. They are waiting for our supplies to run out and our morale to collapse. Once the rations and water are gone, we'll fall apart on our own without them lifting a finger."
Scholar Su looked toward the civilians on the other side of the compartment. Some had already begun to stare blankly into space, their eyes empty. Two older adults, taking advantage of others' inattention, were secretly glancing toward the supply cabinet, anxiety hidden in their eyes. The seeds of despair had been sown. The longer the siege lasted, the easier it was for suspicion and conflict to take root. This was exactly the outcome the subterranean aliens wanted to see.
"I've arranged for two people to scout the tunnel entrance this evening," Scholar Su said. "They will only go within fifty meters of the entrance, not deeper, to confirm if there are scaled beast ambushes or new rock collapses. I've selected the two most agile military police officers. They'll travel light, without unnecessary gear, and return immediately after gathering information."
Lin Yan nodded slightly. "Remind them not to provoke anything. The underground tunnels don't just house scaled beasts; there are also saprophytic worms attracted by spores and rock-dwelling reptiles. If they sense any psychic fluctuations, they must retreat immediately."
Time slowly passed, the numbers on the main control screen ticking constantly until the agreed-upon scouting window arrived. The two military police officers briefly reinforced their protective gear over their combat suits, tucked short blades into their waists, and turned off all light-emitting devices. Relying solely on a faint glow stone for illumination, they slipped out through a concealed maintenance hatch on the side of the compartment, making their way to the entrance of the abandoned flood discharge tunnel.
Everyone remaining behind held their breath, staring at the weak signal returning on one of the portable terminals. The signal was intermittent; the rock layers in the tunnel provided extreme shielding, allowing for short-range tracking only. One minute, five minutes, ten minutes... No one spoke during the agonizing wait.
About twenty minutes later, the light dot on the terminal began to move back.
A moment later, two figures covered in rock dust crawled back into the shelter pod, their faces pale.
"There are no scaled beast outposts near the entrance," one of the military police officers panted, wiping the dust from his face. "But the ground at the tunnel entrance is covered with fresh slime trails. They weren't left by scaled beasts, but by subterranean worms. A few dozen meters in, you can see a massive collapse. The pile of rubble has nearly blocked most of the passage, leaving only a narrow gap at the top, barely enough for one person to crawl through. Moreover, the spore concentration in the air is much higher than in the shelter pod. Just getting close made our heads feel heavy."
The other officer added, "Behind the collapsed area, we could faintly hear a very soft scraping sound. We don't know what is moving in the depths. We didn't dare stay long and retreated immediately."
As the news spread, the compartment fell into a dead silence. The absence of scaled beast ambushes was a stroke of luck, but the worms, the cave-in, and the higher spore concentration were all fatal obstacles.
After listening to the report, Lin Yan closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. The worms themselves were not highly combat-capable, but they lived in swarms. Once provoked, they would attack en masse, gnawing at flesh and blood. The high spore concentration meant the scouting team's Sea of Consciousness would face greater pressure, easily causing their minds to be broken by illusions prematurely. The narrow gap at the collapse site was a natural ambush point; if attacked there, they wouldn't even have room to dodge.
"The difficulty of the tunnel is worse than expected," Scholar Su said in a low voice. "Should we reconsider this plan?"
"There are no alternative routes for now," Lin Yan said, slowly shaking his head. "All the forward outpost branches of the six barrier cities are completely sealed off. This abandoned tunnel is the only route not under heavy guard by the scaled beasts. The ancient beings probably think we'll be trapped here, so they likely won't station heavy forces in an old tunnel that has long been abandoned and is riddled with collapses. This is precisely our only chance."
Deep within the cavern, the Spiderweb Ancient Being received the sensory information transmitted by the worms and scattered spore nodes. Every move the two military police officers made while exploring the tunnel fell within its sensory network. It synced the information to the Beast Commander, which immediately requested the deployment of a batch of worms and two secondary scaled beasts, secretly positioned behind the collapsed gap to wait for the human squad to walk into the trap.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being stopped it.
"No need," its psychic fluctuations drifted leisurely. "Let them see the collapse, the worms, and the high spore concentration. Let them weigh their own fear. If they still choose to depart, we will set a trap deeper inside. Blocking this path too early will cause the humans to completely give up struggling and die defending the shelter pod. That would make the hunt boring."
The supreme ruler silently perceived everything and did not object. It watched the humans in the shelter pod, fearful yet still searching for a way out. This trait of repeatedly weighing pros and cons in desperate situations, and refusing to sit idle and await death despite knowing the path ahead was perilous, was what it found most fascinating about this species after long years of observation.
Inside the shelter pod, the first day of the siege passed safely.
As night fell (according to underground monitoring time), the military police officer on watch suddenly took a sharp breath while staring at the gate probe's feed. On the screen, several ordinary scaled beasts slowly walked to the perimeter of the corpse pile, tentatively sniffing the accumulated bodies of their kin. The deterrent effect of the remains had begun to wane. They no longer retreated the moment they got close, though they still didn't dare to cross over the pile and enter the cabin.
"They're almost no longer afraid of the corpses," the watch officer reported to Scholar Su in a low voice.
Scholar Su immediately went to Lin Yan's side and showed him the feed.
Lin Yan stared at the slowly pacing scaled beasts on the screen, his gaze calm. "Faster than estimated. Our three-day pact has actually been compressed. We have two and a half days at most before the corpse barrier completely fails. When that happens, they will launch a direct assault on the gate."
He tried to slightly rotate his arm, tugging at his wounds. A wave of intense pain hit him, but it also allowed him to clearly perceive his own condition: the internal bleeding was preliminarily stabilized, and the hemostatic effect on the wounds was barely holding, but his strength was recovering very slowly. Returning to normal combat capability would still be extremely difficult.
"For the next two days, everyone must rest and recover as much as possible," Lin Yan said, raising his voice slightly so those nearby could hear. "Those willing to follow through the tunnel should prepare in advance. Streamline your packs; bring only water, a small amount of rations, short blades, and glow stones. Those with weak constitutions, the wounded, children, and women will stay in the shelter pod, led by Officer Su to hold the fort, continue reinforcing the gate, and buy us as much time as possible."
As his words fell, a faint stir arose in the compartment.
Some wanted to break out with the team, unwilling to stay behind and wait for death. Others were terrified of the unknown in the tunnel and preferred to stay in the shelter pod. Divergences quietly sprouted. Just as the ancient beings had anticipated, the siege was tearing this group of survivors apart.
Scholar Su looked at Lin Yan. "How many people do you plan to take?"
"Five at most," Lin Yan replied. "The tunnel is narrow. Too many people will hinder movement, create a large target, and make it easy to be exposed. Select those with strong resistance to psychic attacks and agile movements. The rest will stay behind. After we find the supply cellar and communication equipment, if we can contact the barrier cities, we will immediately send a signal back to escort the remaining people. If we fail..."
He didn't finish, but everyone understood the unspoken second half. If the scouting team perished in the tunnel, the last hope for those staying behind would be extinguished.
Hearing that they were leaving, the little boy who had given him the biscuit broke free from his mother's hand, ran over, and grabbed Lin Yan's uninjured wrist. "Will you come back?"
Lin Yan looked down into the child's clear yet terrified eyes, his heart sinking slightly. He couldn't make a definite promise. He could only reach out with his uninjured hand and gently pat the top of the boy's head. "I will try my best to come back. Listen to Officer Su and your mother."
The boy pressed his lips together, nodded vigorously, and clutched Lin Yan's sleeve with his small hand, refusing to let go.
Beyond the gate, the scaled beasts were still lingering around the corpse pile, the foul stench seeping through the gaps in the steel plates. Deep within the tunnel, the worms slowly slithered among the rubble, quietly awaiting the impending visitors.
The countdown of two and a half days had begun to tick.
End of Chapter.
Rations were redistributed on a per-capita basis, reduced to the absolute minimum: less than half a compressed biscuit per person per day, accompanied by a strict water ration. The water level in the tank continued its slow descent. The military doctor repeatedly emphasized that the wounded had priority for water, while able-bodied individuals should drink only enough to moisten their lips. A suffocating atmosphere blanketed the compartment. The usual faint chatter had vanished, leaving only the hum of the machinery, the suppressed groans of the wounded, and the rhythmic blinking of the main control screen's indicator lights.
Lin Yan still lay on the soft mat, spending most of his time in a light sleep. The lingering spore toxins in his Sea of Consciousness had not dissipated, but their concentration had stabilized at a constant level, no longer unleashing violent psychic assaults. The illusions still visited from time to time, mostly quiet scenes: a morning practicing martial arts in the mountains, a cup of coarse tea handed to him by his master, the wildflowers blooming on the wasteland outside the barrier city walls. There were no longer any seductive whispers. The ancient beings seemed to have changed their approach, using gentle memories to slowly erode his focus.
Every time he woke from his light sleep, his first action was to activate the ancient martial arts technique of concealing his breath. He slowly guided his internal energy throughout his body to soothe his damaged meridians and stabilize his internal bleeding. This process was incredibly taxing on his mind. With every minor cycle of energy circulation, his wounds would send tearing pain through his body, and layers of cold sweat would bead on his forehead. The military doctor couldn't help but advise him to stop each time he saw this, but Lin Yan never ceased. He knew that whether he could move in three days, and whether he could lead a team to explore the abandoned flood discharge tunnel, depended entirely on stabilizing his injuries during these three days.
"Don't push yourself too hard," Scholar Su said in a hushed voice as he sat beside him during a shift change. "Even if your injuries stabilize, that tunnel isn't necessarily passable. With multiple collapses and unstable rock layers, if a cave-in occurs, the entire squad will be buried inside."
"I know the risks," Lin Yan said, slowly opening his eyes, an indelible exhaustion in his gaze. "But staying in this shelter pod is a dead end. The scaled beasts have set up a perimeter blockade, and the ancient beings are in no rush to attack. They are waiting for our supplies to run out and our morale to collapse. Once the rations and water are gone, we'll fall apart on our own without them lifting a finger."
Scholar Su looked toward the civilians on the other side of the compartment. Some had already begun to stare blankly into space, their eyes empty. Two older adults, taking advantage of others' inattention, were secretly glancing toward the supply cabinet, anxiety hidden in their eyes. The seeds of despair had been sown. The longer the siege lasted, the easier it was for suspicion and conflict to take root. This was exactly the outcome the subterranean aliens wanted to see.
"I've arranged for two people to scout the tunnel entrance this evening," Scholar Su said. "They will only go within fifty meters of the entrance, not deeper, to confirm if there are scaled beast ambushes or new rock collapses. I've selected the two most agile military police officers. They'll travel light, without unnecessary gear, and return immediately after gathering information."
Lin Yan nodded slightly. "Remind them not to provoke anything. The underground tunnels don't just house scaled beasts; there are also saprophytic worms attracted by spores and rock-dwelling reptiles. If they sense any psychic fluctuations, they must retreat immediately."
Time slowly passed, the numbers on the main control screen ticking constantly until the agreed-upon scouting window arrived. The two military police officers briefly reinforced their protective gear over their combat suits, tucked short blades into their waists, and turned off all light-emitting devices. Relying solely on a faint glow stone for illumination, they slipped out through a concealed maintenance hatch on the side of the compartment, making their way to the entrance of the abandoned flood discharge tunnel.
Everyone remaining behind held their breath, staring at the weak signal returning on one of the portable terminals. The signal was intermittent; the rock layers in the tunnel provided extreme shielding, allowing for short-range tracking only. One minute, five minutes, ten minutes... No one spoke during the agonizing wait.
About twenty minutes later, the light dot on the terminal began to move back.
A moment later, two figures covered in rock dust crawled back into the shelter pod, their faces pale.
"There are no scaled beast outposts near the entrance," one of the military police officers panted, wiping the dust from his face. "But the ground at the tunnel entrance is covered with fresh slime trails. They weren't left by scaled beasts, but by subterranean worms. A few dozen meters in, you can see a massive collapse. The pile of rubble has nearly blocked most of the passage, leaving only a narrow gap at the top, barely enough for one person to crawl through. Moreover, the spore concentration in the air is much higher than in the shelter pod. Just getting close made our heads feel heavy."
The other officer added, "Behind the collapsed area, we could faintly hear a very soft scraping sound. We don't know what is moving in the depths. We didn't dare stay long and retreated immediately."
As the news spread, the compartment fell into a dead silence. The absence of scaled beast ambushes was a stroke of luck, but the worms, the cave-in, and the higher spore concentration were all fatal obstacles.
After listening to the report, Lin Yan closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. The worms themselves were not highly combat-capable, but they lived in swarms. Once provoked, they would attack en masse, gnawing at flesh and blood. The high spore concentration meant the scouting team's Sea of Consciousness would face greater pressure, easily causing their minds to be broken by illusions prematurely. The narrow gap at the collapse site was a natural ambush point; if attacked there, they wouldn't even have room to dodge.
"The difficulty of the tunnel is worse than expected," Scholar Su said in a low voice. "Should we reconsider this plan?"
"There are no alternative routes for now," Lin Yan said, slowly shaking his head. "All the forward outpost branches of the six barrier cities are completely sealed off. This abandoned tunnel is the only route not under heavy guard by the scaled beasts. The ancient beings probably think we'll be trapped here, so they likely won't station heavy forces in an old tunnel that has long been abandoned and is riddled with collapses. This is precisely our only chance."
Deep within the cavern, the Spiderweb Ancient Being received the sensory information transmitted by the worms and scattered spore nodes. Every move the two military police officers made while exploring the tunnel fell within its sensory network. It synced the information to the Beast Commander, which immediately requested the deployment of a batch of worms and two secondary scaled beasts, secretly positioned behind the collapsed gap to wait for the human squad to walk into the trap.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being stopped it.
"No need," its psychic fluctuations drifted leisurely. "Let them see the collapse, the worms, and the high spore concentration. Let them weigh their own fear. If they still choose to depart, we will set a trap deeper inside. Blocking this path too early will cause the humans to completely give up struggling and die defending the shelter pod. That would make the hunt boring."
The supreme ruler silently perceived everything and did not object. It watched the humans in the shelter pod, fearful yet still searching for a way out. This trait of repeatedly weighing pros and cons in desperate situations, and refusing to sit idle and await death despite knowing the path ahead was perilous, was what it found most fascinating about this species after long years of observation.
Inside the shelter pod, the first day of the siege passed safely.
As night fell (according to underground monitoring time), the military police officer on watch suddenly took a sharp breath while staring at the gate probe's feed. On the screen, several ordinary scaled beasts slowly walked to the perimeter of the corpse pile, tentatively sniffing the accumulated bodies of their kin. The deterrent effect of the remains had begun to wane. They no longer retreated the moment they got close, though they still didn't dare to cross over the pile and enter the cabin.
"They're almost no longer afraid of the corpses," the watch officer reported to Scholar Su in a low voice.
Scholar Su immediately went to Lin Yan's side and showed him the feed.
Lin Yan stared at the slowly pacing scaled beasts on the screen, his gaze calm. "Faster than estimated. Our three-day pact has actually been compressed. We have two and a half days at most before the corpse barrier completely fails. When that happens, they will launch a direct assault on the gate."
He tried to slightly rotate his arm, tugging at his wounds. A wave of intense pain hit him, but it also allowed him to clearly perceive his own condition: the internal bleeding was preliminarily stabilized, and the hemostatic effect on the wounds was barely holding, but his strength was recovering very slowly. Returning to normal combat capability would still be extremely difficult.
"For the next two days, everyone must rest and recover as much as possible," Lin Yan said, raising his voice slightly so those nearby could hear. "Those willing to follow through the tunnel should prepare in advance. Streamline your packs; bring only water, a small amount of rations, short blades, and glow stones. Those with weak constitutions, the wounded, children, and women will stay in the shelter pod, led by Officer Su to hold the fort, continue reinforcing the gate, and buy us as much time as possible."
As his words fell, a faint stir arose in the compartment.
Some wanted to break out with the team, unwilling to stay behind and wait for death. Others were terrified of the unknown in the tunnel and preferred to stay in the shelter pod. Divergences quietly sprouted. Just as the ancient beings had anticipated, the siege was tearing this group of survivors apart.
Scholar Su looked at Lin Yan. "How many people do you plan to take?"
"Five at most," Lin Yan replied. "The tunnel is narrow. Too many people will hinder movement, create a large target, and make it easy to be exposed. Select those with strong resistance to psychic attacks and agile movements. The rest will stay behind. After we find the supply cellar and communication equipment, if we can contact the barrier cities, we will immediately send a signal back to escort the remaining people. If we fail..."
He didn't finish, but everyone understood the unspoken second half. If the scouting team perished in the tunnel, the last hope for those staying behind would be extinguished.
Hearing that they were leaving, the little boy who had given him the biscuit broke free from his mother's hand, ran over, and grabbed Lin Yan's uninjured wrist. "Will you come back?"
Lin Yan looked down into the child's clear yet terrified eyes, his heart sinking slightly. He couldn't make a definite promise. He could only reach out with his uninjured hand and gently pat the top of the boy's head. "I will try my best to come back. Listen to Officer Su and your mother."
The boy pressed his lips together, nodded vigorously, and clutched Lin Yan's sleeve with his small hand, refusing to let go.
Beyond the gate, the scaled beasts were still lingering around the corpse pile, the foul stench seeping through the gaps in the steel plates. Deep within the tunnel, the worms slowly slithered among the rubble, quietly awaiting the impending visitors.
The countdown of two and a half days had begun to tick.
End of Chapter.