159: Chapter 159 In Death

Ling Ye curled his body into the smallest possible form, pressing tightly against the cold ground, even burying his face into his arm crook to minimize exposed skin area.

His breathing was nearly stalled, and his heartbeat, forcibly suppressed by his will, slowed to a hibernation-like state.

His spirit sank into the deepest depths of the "Star Visualization", where the light of that "Eternal Star" was restrained to the extreme, maintaining only the most basic clarity of consciousness, like a candle flickering in the wind, yet stubbornly unextinguished.

In the cavern, deathly silence descended once more, with only the continuous humming of the scanner and Keith's heavy, vigilant breathing.

Keith did not approach immediately.

He stared fixedly at the scanner screen; the light spot representing high-energy disturbance had vanished, but the previous trajectory pointed clearly.

He slowly moved the muzzle of his gun, scanning every suspicious corner of the cavern as the scanner indicated: behind stacked tables and chairs, beside the environmental control unit, the metal bunk bed...

His gaze finally fixed on the metal bunk bed where Ling Ye was hiding, and the shadow beneath the bed cluttered with debris.

That was the end point of the trajectory, and also the most likely place in the entire cavern to hide a person.

Keith did not rashly step forward.

He moved two steps to the side, adjusting his angle in an attempt to get a better view, but the depths beneath the bed remained shrouded in debris and shadows, making it hard to see clearly.

"Final warning! Come out!" Keith roared again, his voice carrying suppressed anger and a hint of imperceptible tension.

One of his hands slowly reached toward his waist, where a non-lethal weapon seemed to hang—perhaps a stun gun, perhaps a capture net.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the non-lethal weapon at his waist—

"Beep!"

The monitoring terminal he had placed on the table suddenly emitted an alarm sound completely different from before, more urgent and louder!

The screen instantly turned red, a huge, constantly flashing warning sign popped up, next to a line of rapidly scrolling text:

"Warning! High-intensity, non-standard energy burst detected! Coordinates: Old Factory District barrier core, depth negative (data blurred)! Energy signature matches 'Secondary Contamination Source' by 87%! Assessment: Suspected abnormal increase in 'Secondary Contamination Source' activity, or a partial weak point in the 'barrier'! Suggest immediate report to the Command Center!"

Something happened at the Old Factory District! The barrier core has changed! "Secondary Contamination Source" activity increased?!

Keith's movements froze abruptly!

He instantly turned his head, staring fixedly at the monitoring terminal screen; the vigilance on his face and the focus on the space under the bed were completely interrupted by this sudden, higher-priority alarm!

As an outer perimeter observer, monitoring and reporting "abnormal" movements was his core duty!

The priority of this alarm was far higher than that of a "possible intruder"!

In that fatal half-second when his attention was drawn by the terminal alarm—

In the shadows beneath the bed, Ling Ye moved!

He did not spring up to attack, but like the swiftest gecko, sticking to the cold ground, with the smallest possible movement, he slid out silently from the other side of the bunk (opposite to Keith's position)!

He did not stand up, but continued to maintain a low-crouching posture, using tables, chairs, and equipment as cover, darting like a phantom toward the tightly closed airtight door of the cavern!

His goal was not to attack, but to escape! Taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime gap in attention created by a greater external crisis!

The corner of Keith's eye seemed to catch a faint movement, and he turned his head abruptly, his muzzle swinging with him, but Ling Ye's figure had already merged into the shadows beside the airtight door, blending with the door frame and equipment, making it difficult to aim instantly.

"Stop!" Keith barked, his finger hooking toward the trigger!

But just as he was about to pull the trigger, the monitoring terminal emitted another piercing alarm, the data on the screen refreshing wildly, the energy readings of the Old Factory District still skyrocketing!

Keith's focus was inevitably distracted again by this crisis that concerned the overall situation!

A momentary hesitation appeared in his decision to fire!

It was this hesitation of a fraction of a second!

Ling Ye had already lunged to the control panel beside the airtight door!

He had no time to crack the password or find the switch!

When Rake operated it earlier, he had relied on the keen perception of his "Spiritual Sense" and his photographic memory to forcibly memorize the general sequence and position of Rake's key presses!

At the critical moment of life and death, the memory was like a red-hot branding iron, incomparably clear!

His fingers were like phantoms, tapping rapidly on the dust-covered control panel!

"7... Left 2... Confirm... Iris scan bypass (estimated)... Emergency code (the one Rake entered last)..."

His movements held no hesitation, driven entirely by intuition and memory!

"Hiss—"

A soft sound! The airtight door actually slid open a crack!

Ling Ye had gambled correctly! The code Rake entered when he left was a temporary access code, not fully locking it, or perhaps he had remembered part of the emergency opening instructions!

The gap was only a palm wide, but it was enough!

Ling Ye, like an arrow released from a bow, squeezed sideways into the gap!

"Bang!"

A muffled gunshot! The bullet grazed Ling Ye's back and struck the heavy metal door frame, sparking a trail of fire!

The scorching airwave and the harsh sound of impact exploded in his ears!

Ling Ye let out a muffled groan, feeling a burning, stinging pain from his back, but his movement into the door did not stop for even a second; he had already rolled into the dark passage behind the door!

"Damn it!" Keith's roar and rapid footsteps came from behind the door!

Ling Ye had no time to see what was behind the door; he used all his strength to pull the heavy airtight door back with his backhand!

"Clang!"

The door closed. Temporarily sealing off Keith's roar and subsequent bullets.

But Ling Ye knew this door wouldn't hold for long. Keith had authorization and could open it at any time. Or, he would report it and summon more enemies.

He leaned against the cold, tightly closed metal door, panting heavily, the stinging pain from the wound on his back, and the dizziness and headache brought on by the excessive consumption of Mental Energy surged like a tide.

But he was still alive. And, he had made it behind the door.

This was a wider, brightly lit metal corridor with smooth walls, filled with a sense of futuristic technology.

The corridor extended forward, with quite a few closed cabin doors on both sides, neat conduits overhead, and the air was filled with a faint smell of ozone and recycled air.

This was definitely not a natural cavern or an abandoned mine shaft.

This was a formal underground facility of some organization!

Very likely, a secret base or forward command post of the "Cleaning" protocol, or related forces, beneath Dawn City!

He had actually, in a desperate situation, stumbled into the enemy's... nest?