Chapter 249: The Thirty-One-Hour Deadline
After the news spread, the atmosphere inside the shelter pod completely transformed. The previously boundless, isolated despair had been torn open, but in its place came the heavy, oppressive pressure of a countdown. Thirty-one hours was neither long nor short, but deep within the sealed underground rift, every minute and second felt agonizingly stretched.
Su Heng immediately adjusted their defensive deployment. Between the remaining squad members and Lin Yan's five-man special task force, there were only fourteen people in total. Manpower was still severely stretched. He divided the cabin into three concentric alert rings: The first ring consisted of the trigger traps in the tunnel outside the hatch cover, monitored in shifts by the scout and the military police officer; the second ring was the hatch latches and reinforcing steel pins, with two men on standby to lock the hatch at the first sign of movement from the tunnel; the third ring was the final line of defense inside the cabin, where everyone kept their weapons ready, and medical supplies were concentrated in the corner next to Lin Yan, ensuring the wounded were prioritized for protection.
"The ancient beings have now confirmed that the assault formation from the barrier cities is on its way," Su Heng said, spreading the miner's hand-drawn tunnel sketch onto the moisture-proof mat. His fingertip traced downward along the main trunk of the primary rift. "They have two choices. First, concentrate their main forces to rush our shelter pod, paying any cost to destroy the terminal and kill us, erasing the coordinates. Second, abandon a direct assault here, deploy all their troops along the main rift passage, and wait to intercept the main reinforcement army head-on."
The miner frowned. "Which possibility is greater?"
"Both are possible." Leaning against the rock wall, Lin Yan was still weak. Sitting for too long made his chest feel tight, and the chill from his blood loss had yet to dissipate. His Sea of Consciousness was still slowly repairing itself. "But the supreme ruler is rational enough. A direct assault on the shelter pod would exact a heavy toll. We've set up early-warning traps here, and the reinforced hatch is difficult to breach quickly. If they divert forces to hunt us down, their strength to intercept the reinforcements on the front lines will be weakened. I lean toward them focusing on the main rift defense line, sending only a small number of elite scout squads to attempt a stealthy sneak attack."
The female support soldier nodded in agreement. "The secondary priests and high-tier scaled beasts are their true lethal weapons. Deploying them on the main passage to block heavy assault equipment yields a higher return. For our side, we will most likely only face small infiltration units."
Even if it was just a small infiltration, no one dared to relax. The ancient beings' scouts were all experts at concealing their auras and using spores to shield their presence. The risk of them silently creeping over was equally lethal.
For the remaining time, the shelter pod entered a strict rotation system. Four people formed a group, rotating shifts every two hours, while the rest seized the time to rest, eat, and treat their wounds. Lin Yan was strictly ordered to rest. Su Heng forbade him from taking guard posts, allowing him only to regulate his breath inside the cabin to recover his Sea of Consciousness and body.
Leaning against the rock wall with his eyes closed, he circulated his ancient martial arts mental techniques. Many of his internal meridians had suffered shock damage, and his Sea of Consciousness was covered with fine, dark scars left by spore erosion—the remnants of the cellar reservoir and countless psychic impacts along the way. According to the growth rules established previously, to continue breaking through to the next level, he had to wait for these hidden injuries to slowly heal before enduring the tempering of life and death. Currently, he was still a short distance away from Level Two, but the consecutive battles to the death had drained him too much; advancing in the short term was completely impossible.
From time to time, he opened his eyes to look at the communication terminal not far away. The red pulse light was still blinking steadily, continuously anchoring the coordinates. The green signal light had gone out; the communication link with the barrier city command center had once again been severed by the aliens' psychic barrier, leaving only the one-way pulse. They could no longer speak with the outside world. The reinforcements could only rely on this single point of light to navigate and push forward.
Time flowed slowly within the constant, dim yellow light of the emergency lamps.
The first eight hours passed without incident. The traps were not triggered. The tunnel outside the hatch cover was completely silent, with no hissing of scaled beasts or abnormal fluctuations of spore flow. Many people's taut nerves relaxed slightly, and they began to speak in low voices, guessing the configuration of the reinforcement formation: heavy blasting cannons, anti-scaled-beast assault armor, and Sea of Consciousness suppression vehicles. These pieces of equipment, previously only seen in war zone briefings, became the hope in everyone's hearts.
Yet, Lin Yan remained restless. His Sea of Consciousness perception remained fully expanded, carefully capturing every breeze and rustle in the tunnel through the alloy hatch cover. The ancient beings were far too patient. This prolonged silence often brewed an imminent surprise attack.
At the eleventh hour, the military police officer, who was on guard duty at the trap position, suddenly raised his hand. Instantly, everyone fell completely silent.
Drifting through the gap in the hatch cover was a strange spore scent. It was different from the spores dispersed by the scaled beasts' previous activities; it was thinner, colder, and carried the distinct flavor of deliberate concealment.
"Something is coming," the military police officer whispered, gripping his short blade tightly. "The aura is very faint, deliberately suppressed. It's not an ordinary scaled beast."
Lin Yan slowly braced himself against the rock wall to sit up straight, forcing down his dizziness as his Sea of Consciousness probed outward with full force. A moment later, his expression darkened. "Two second-tier scaled beasts and a secondary priest. It's an infiltration squad. There's no large army; their target is us. The priest is using a spore veil to mask their psychic signals, trying to quietly creep right up to the hatch. The traps haven't been triggered; they've bypassed the tripwires we set."
The scout immediately grabbed his rock hammer and moved to the side of the hatch. "They bypassed the traps?"
"The priest is familiar with the tunnel layout and understood our deployment logic," Lin Yan said, his voice softening. "They aren't rushing to smash the hatch. They probably plan to release a cluster of high-density dormant spores outside first. Once the spores seep into the shelter pod through the lock seams and metal gaps, they will silently erode the Sea of Consciousness of everyone inside. Only after we lose our ability to resist will they break down the door."
This tactic was incredibly vicious. It required no direct confrontation, relying instead on the spores to slowly poison the entire cabin.
Su Heng's eyes turned cold. "We cannot let them spread the spore cloud. Open a small gap. We will take the initiative to strike, ending it quickly. Remember, prioritize killing the priest. Once the priest dies, the two second-tier scaled beasts will lose their coordination."
With the plan finalized, the military police officer and the scout gripped the hatch latches on either side, slowly lifting it to create a narrow gap—just enough for one person to slip through sideways. The tunnel outside was pitch black, illuminated only by the dimmed glow of their glow stones.
The female support soldier was the first to slide out through the gap. The moment she landed, she pressed tightly against the rock wall, her short dagger held horizontally in front of her. The miner followed closely behind. Once outside, the two quickly flanked toward the direction the spore scent was coming from.
Lin Yan had originally wanted to go out, but Su Heng placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stay here. Your injuries can't withstand another brutal battle. Lock onto the priest's position from inside the cabin and call out the bearings for us."
Lin Yan hesitated briefly before nodding in agreement. Staying in the cabin, he locked his Sea of Consciousness onto the secondary priest's psychic signal, continuously relaying the bearings in a low voice: "Seven meters to the front left. The priest is hiding behind a protruding rock mound. The scaled beasts are on both sides of it, preparing to release the spore mist."
In the tunnel, the female support soldier and the miner slowly approached using the shadows of the rocks. The priest's attention was entirely focused on the shelter pod hatch,一心 (single-mindedly) manipulating the spore threads to converge, failing to detect someone creeping up on the flank in time.
"Strike," Lin Yan whispered as a reminder.
The miner suddenly accelerated, his rock hammer carrying the sound of wind as it smashed toward the priest behind the rock mound. Startled, the priest's tentacles atop its head trembled wildly as it immediately ordered the two second-tier scaled beasts to fall back and intercept. Roars erupted as the two burly second-tier scaled beasts pounced simultaneously, blocking the miner and the female support soldier from the front and back.
The space for this battle was extremely narrow, leaving no room to maneuver. The female support soldier's short dagger accurately thrust toward the gap in the scaled beast's eye, but it was blocked by the scales, sparking only a few embers. The miner's rock hammer slammed heavily onto the shoulder of one scaled beast. Its scales shattered, and dark green blood sprayed out. However, the other scaled beast seized the opening, its tail whipping horizontally and striking the miner fiercely in the waist. The miner let out a muffled groan, stumbling backward and nearly falling.
Taking advantage of the entanglement, the priest attempted to continue gathering the spore cluster.
"It's about to release the spores!" Lin Yan called out loudly from inside the cabin.
Gritting her teeth, the female support soldier endured a claw strike from the scaled beast, adding another wound to her arm. Disregarding everything, she lunged diagonally forward, bypassing the entangled scaled beast and diving straight for the priest behind the rock mound. Panicking, the priest tried to retreat, but with a rock wall at its back, it had nowhere to go. A flash of the short dagger pierced the base of its psychic tentacles.
A soundless psychic shriek swept across everyone's Sea of Consciousness.
The command link was severed. The movements of the two second-tier scaled beasts faltered, and their coordination completely collapsed. Enduring the excruciating pain, the miner counterattacked, joining forces with the female support soldier to hunt them down. Deprived of the priest's command, the second-tier scaled beasts, though still ferocious, were riddled with openings. A few minutes later, they fell one after another into pools of blood.
Not daring to linger, the two quickly checked to ensure there were no other ambushers, swiftly cleared the forming spore cluster, and turned to slip back into the shelter pod. The hatch closed heavily, and the steel pins were locked back into place.
Supporting his waist, the miner was covered in cold sweat. "We were a hair's breadth away from letting the spores spread."
Su Heng stepped forward to check his injuries. Fortunately, it was only a flesh contusion; no internal organs were damaged.
The crisis was temporarily averted, but everyone knew in their hearts that this was merely the first wave of infiltration. The supreme ruler would not send just this one squad. For the remaining time, there would most likely be a second and third wave of sneak attacks.
Time continued to pass.
At the seventeenth hour, the second infiltration squad arrived. Consisting of three first-tier scaled beasts led by a priest, they still attempted to sneak up on the hatch. This time, the scout and the military police officer had ambushed outside the gap in advance, cleanly eliminating the enemy. However, the military police officer sustained another deep wound on his forearm.
At the twenty-fifth hour, the third wave struck. This time was even more dangerous. The enemy brought corrosive fungal sacs capable of melting the alloy latches, intending to slowly dissolve the hatch lock. Lin Yan promptly perceived the unique psychic fluctuations within the fungal sac. The squad struck preemptarily, destroying the sac. The cost was that the scout's old calf wound tore open again, worsening his blood loss.
Wave after wave of infiltration was like a blunt knife cutting flesh, continuously draining the shelter pod's limited manpower, ammunition, and medical supplies. The number of wounded in the cabin grew, but the number of combat-capable personnel had dwindled to only seven. There were only six hours left until the reinforcements arrived.
Deep within the cavern, the Spiderweb Ancient Being perceived that all three infiltration squads had been annihilated. Not a single squad had succeeded in destroying the terminal or slaughtering the shelter pod. Its tentacles twitched irritably as it looked toward the main rift. Layer upon layer of defense lines had been set up there, with countless scaled beasts, priests, and high-tier individuals lurking in the darkness, quietly awaiting the human assault formation.
The sneak attacks have failed, the intent of the Spiderweb Ancient Being echoed in the darkness. We cannot remove this coordinate point before the reinforcements arrive. Then we can only fight a decisive battle head-on.
The supreme ruler's intent slowly dispersed, spreading throughout the entire main rift: Issue orders to all combat forces to tighten the defense line. The human steel torrent is almost here.
Inside the shelter pod, the numbers on the emergency timer ticked forward bit by bit.
There were five hours and forty minutes remaining until the assault formation arrived at the rift entrance.
Leaning in the corner, Lin Yan rested quietly. His wounds still throbbed faintly, and his Sea of Consciousness remained covered in dark scars. For now, he lacked the ability to directly clash with high-tier scaled beasts. Yet, he gripped his short blade tightly, his gaze steady.
Outside, in the main rift, a massive battle was poised to erupt.
Su Heng stood up, his gaze sweeping across the exhausted but unbroken people in the cabin. "There are less than six hours left. Hold the line for this final stretch. Once the reinforcements enter the rift, our counterattack will begin."
On the communication terminal, the red pulse light continued its stubborn, rhythmic blinking.
End of Chapter.
Su Heng immediately adjusted their defensive deployment. Between the remaining squad members and Lin Yan's five-man special task force, there were only fourteen people in total. Manpower was still severely stretched. He divided the cabin into three concentric alert rings: The first ring consisted of the trigger traps in the tunnel outside the hatch cover, monitored in shifts by the scout and the military police officer; the second ring was the hatch latches and reinforcing steel pins, with two men on standby to lock the hatch at the first sign of movement from the tunnel; the third ring was the final line of defense inside the cabin, where everyone kept their weapons ready, and medical supplies were concentrated in the corner next to Lin Yan, ensuring the wounded were prioritized for protection.
"The ancient beings have now confirmed that the assault formation from the barrier cities is on its way," Su Heng said, spreading the miner's hand-drawn tunnel sketch onto the moisture-proof mat. His fingertip traced downward along the main trunk of the primary rift. "They have two choices. First, concentrate their main forces to rush our shelter pod, paying any cost to destroy the terminal and kill us, erasing the coordinates. Second, abandon a direct assault here, deploy all their troops along the main rift passage, and wait to intercept the main reinforcement army head-on."
The miner frowned. "Which possibility is greater?"
"Both are possible." Leaning against the rock wall, Lin Yan was still weak. Sitting for too long made his chest feel tight, and the chill from his blood loss had yet to dissipate. His Sea of Consciousness was still slowly repairing itself. "But the supreme ruler is rational enough. A direct assault on the shelter pod would exact a heavy toll. We've set up early-warning traps here, and the reinforced hatch is difficult to breach quickly. If they divert forces to hunt us down, their strength to intercept the reinforcements on the front lines will be weakened. I lean toward them focusing on the main rift defense line, sending only a small number of elite scout squads to attempt a stealthy sneak attack."
The female support soldier nodded in agreement. "The secondary priests and high-tier scaled beasts are their true lethal weapons. Deploying them on the main passage to block heavy assault equipment yields a higher return. For our side, we will most likely only face small infiltration units."
Even if it was just a small infiltration, no one dared to relax. The ancient beings' scouts were all experts at concealing their auras and using spores to shield their presence. The risk of them silently creeping over was equally lethal.
For the remaining time, the shelter pod entered a strict rotation system. Four people formed a group, rotating shifts every two hours, while the rest seized the time to rest, eat, and treat their wounds. Lin Yan was strictly ordered to rest. Su Heng forbade him from taking guard posts, allowing him only to regulate his breath inside the cabin to recover his Sea of Consciousness and body.
Leaning against the rock wall with his eyes closed, he circulated his ancient martial arts mental techniques. Many of his internal meridians had suffered shock damage, and his Sea of Consciousness was covered with fine, dark scars left by spore erosion—the remnants of the cellar reservoir and countless psychic impacts along the way. According to the growth rules established previously, to continue breaking through to the next level, he had to wait for these hidden injuries to slowly heal before enduring the tempering of life and death. Currently, he was still a short distance away from Level Two, but the consecutive battles to the death had drained him too much; advancing in the short term was completely impossible.
From time to time, he opened his eyes to look at the communication terminal not far away. The red pulse light was still blinking steadily, continuously anchoring the coordinates. The green signal light had gone out; the communication link with the barrier city command center had once again been severed by the aliens' psychic barrier, leaving only the one-way pulse. They could no longer speak with the outside world. The reinforcements could only rely on this single point of light to navigate and push forward.
Time flowed slowly within the constant, dim yellow light of the emergency lamps.
The first eight hours passed without incident. The traps were not triggered. The tunnel outside the hatch cover was completely silent, with no hissing of scaled beasts or abnormal fluctuations of spore flow. Many people's taut nerves relaxed slightly, and they began to speak in low voices, guessing the configuration of the reinforcement formation: heavy blasting cannons, anti-scaled-beast assault armor, and Sea of Consciousness suppression vehicles. These pieces of equipment, previously only seen in war zone briefings, became the hope in everyone's hearts.
Yet, Lin Yan remained restless. His Sea of Consciousness perception remained fully expanded, carefully capturing every breeze and rustle in the tunnel through the alloy hatch cover. The ancient beings were far too patient. This prolonged silence often brewed an imminent surprise attack.
At the eleventh hour, the military police officer, who was on guard duty at the trap position, suddenly raised his hand. Instantly, everyone fell completely silent.
Drifting through the gap in the hatch cover was a strange spore scent. It was different from the spores dispersed by the scaled beasts' previous activities; it was thinner, colder, and carried the distinct flavor of deliberate concealment.
"Something is coming," the military police officer whispered, gripping his short blade tightly. "The aura is very faint, deliberately suppressed. It's not an ordinary scaled beast."
Lin Yan slowly braced himself against the rock wall to sit up straight, forcing down his dizziness as his Sea of Consciousness probed outward with full force. A moment later, his expression darkened. "Two second-tier scaled beasts and a secondary priest. It's an infiltration squad. There's no large army; their target is us. The priest is using a spore veil to mask their psychic signals, trying to quietly creep right up to the hatch. The traps haven't been triggered; they've bypassed the tripwires we set."
The scout immediately grabbed his rock hammer and moved to the side of the hatch. "They bypassed the traps?"
"The priest is familiar with the tunnel layout and understood our deployment logic," Lin Yan said, his voice softening. "They aren't rushing to smash the hatch. They probably plan to release a cluster of high-density dormant spores outside first. Once the spores seep into the shelter pod through the lock seams and metal gaps, they will silently erode the Sea of Consciousness of everyone inside. Only after we lose our ability to resist will they break down the door."
This tactic was incredibly vicious. It required no direct confrontation, relying instead on the spores to slowly poison the entire cabin.
Su Heng's eyes turned cold. "We cannot let them spread the spore cloud. Open a small gap. We will take the initiative to strike, ending it quickly. Remember, prioritize killing the priest. Once the priest dies, the two second-tier scaled beasts will lose their coordination."
With the plan finalized, the military police officer and the scout gripped the hatch latches on either side, slowly lifting it to create a narrow gap—just enough for one person to slip through sideways. The tunnel outside was pitch black, illuminated only by the dimmed glow of their glow stones.
The female support soldier was the first to slide out through the gap. The moment she landed, she pressed tightly against the rock wall, her short dagger held horizontally in front of her. The miner followed closely behind. Once outside, the two quickly flanked toward the direction the spore scent was coming from.
Lin Yan had originally wanted to go out, but Su Heng placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stay here. Your injuries can't withstand another brutal battle. Lock onto the priest's position from inside the cabin and call out the bearings for us."
Lin Yan hesitated briefly before nodding in agreement. Staying in the cabin, he locked his Sea of Consciousness onto the secondary priest's psychic signal, continuously relaying the bearings in a low voice: "Seven meters to the front left. The priest is hiding behind a protruding rock mound. The scaled beasts are on both sides of it, preparing to release the spore mist."
In the tunnel, the female support soldier and the miner slowly approached using the shadows of the rocks. The priest's attention was entirely focused on the shelter pod hatch,一心 (single-mindedly) manipulating the spore threads to converge, failing to detect someone creeping up on the flank in time.
"Strike," Lin Yan whispered as a reminder.
The miner suddenly accelerated, his rock hammer carrying the sound of wind as it smashed toward the priest behind the rock mound. Startled, the priest's tentacles atop its head trembled wildly as it immediately ordered the two second-tier scaled beasts to fall back and intercept. Roars erupted as the two burly second-tier scaled beasts pounced simultaneously, blocking the miner and the female support soldier from the front and back.
The space for this battle was extremely narrow, leaving no room to maneuver. The female support soldier's short dagger accurately thrust toward the gap in the scaled beast's eye, but it was blocked by the scales, sparking only a few embers. The miner's rock hammer slammed heavily onto the shoulder of one scaled beast. Its scales shattered, and dark green blood sprayed out. However, the other scaled beast seized the opening, its tail whipping horizontally and striking the miner fiercely in the waist. The miner let out a muffled groan, stumbling backward and nearly falling.
Taking advantage of the entanglement, the priest attempted to continue gathering the spore cluster.
"It's about to release the spores!" Lin Yan called out loudly from inside the cabin.
Gritting her teeth, the female support soldier endured a claw strike from the scaled beast, adding another wound to her arm. Disregarding everything, she lunged diagonally forward, bypassing the entangled scaled beast and diving straight for the priest behind the rock mound. Panicking, the priest tried to retreat, but with a rock wall at its back, it had nowhere to go. A flash of the short dagger pierced the base of its psychic tentacles.
A soundless psychic shriek swept across everyone's Sea of Consciousness.
The command link was severed. The movements of the two second-tier scaled beasts faltered, and their coordination completely collapsed. Enduring the excruciating pain, the miner counterattacked, joining forces with the female support soldier to hunt them down. Deprived of the priest's command, the second-tier scaled beasts, though still ferocious, were riddled with openings. A few minutes later, they fell one after another into pools of blood.
Not daring to linger, the two quickly checked to ensure there were no other ambushers, swiftly cleared the forming spore cluster, and turned to slip back into the shelter pod. The hatch closed heavily, and the steel pins were locked back into place.
Supporting his waist, the miner was covered in cold sweat. "We were a hair's breadth away from letting the spores spread."
Su Heng stepped forward to check his injuries. Fortunately, it was only a flesh contusion; no internal organs were damaged.
The crisis was temporarily averted, but everyone knew in their hearts that this was merely the first wave of infiltration. The supreme ruler would not send just this one squad. For the remaining time, there would most likely be a second and third wave of sneak attacks.
Time continued to pass.
At the seventeenth hour, the second infiltration squad arrived. Consisting of three first-tier scaled beasts led by a priest, they still attempted to sneak up on the hatch. This time, the scout and the military police officer had ambushed outside the gap in advance, cleanly eliminating the enemy. However, the military police officer sustained another deep wound on his forearm.
At the twenty-fifth hour, the third wave struck. This time was even more dangerous. The enemy brought corrosive fungal sacs capable of melting the alloy latches, intending to slowly dissolve the hatch lock. Lin Yan promptly perceived the unique psychic fluctuations within the fungal sac. The squad struck preemptarily, destroying the sac. The cost was that the scout's old calf wound tore open again, worsening his blood loss.
Wave after wave of infiltration was like a blunt knife cutting flesh, continuously draining the shelter pod's limited manpower, ammunition, and medical supplies. The number of wounded in the cabin grew, but the number of combat-capable personnel had dwindled to only seven. There were only six hours left until the reinforcements arrived.
Deep within the cavern, the Spiderweb Ancient Being perceived that all three infiltration squads had been annihilated. Not a single squad had succeeded in destroying the terminal or slaughtering the shelter pod. Its tentacles twitched irritably as it looked toward the main rift. Layer upon layer of defense lines had been set up there, with countless scaled beasts, priests, and high-tier individuals lurking in the darkness, quietly awaiting the human assault formation.
The sneak attacks have failed, the intent of the Spiderweb Ancient Being echoed in the darkness. We cannot remove this coordinate point before the reinforcements arrive. Then we can only fight a decisive battle head-on.
The supreme ruler's intent slowly dispersed, spreading throughout the entire main rift: Issue orders to all combat forces to tighten the defense line. The human steel torrent is almost here.
Inside the shelter pod, the numbers on the emergency timer ticked forward bit by bit.
There were five hours and forty minutes remaining until the assault formation arrived at the rift entrance.
Leaning in the corner, Lin Yan rested quietly. His wounds still throbbed faintly, and his Sea of Consciousness remained covered in dark scars. For now, he lacked the ability to directly clash with high-tier scaled beasts. Yet, he gripped his short blade tightly, his gaze steady.
Outside, in the main rift, a massive battle was poised to erupt.
Su Heng stood up, his gaze sweeping across the exhausted but unbroken people in the cabin. "There are less than six hours left. Hold the line for this final stretch. Once the reinforcements enter the rift, our counterattack will begin."
On the communication terminal, the red pulse light continued its stubborn, rhythmic blinking.
End of Chapter.