161: Chapter 161 A Frenzied Race Against Time

The escape tunnel was designed from the start to handle extreme situations (such as fires or intrusions), and in theory, it should lead to a relatively safe exterior or an alternate exit. Although it might trigger alarms or encounter defenses, it was still better than being trapped in the Command Center or facing the entire base head-on. He had to rush in before the enemy fully reacted and completely sealed off all passages! This was a race against death, and every second was crucial!

His thoughts flashed in an instant. A fierce look flickered in Ling Ye's eyes, and he no longer hesitated in the slightest! He leaped out from under the sand table, like a leopard pouncing on its prey, with his target set directly on the red emergency escape door on the other side of the Command Center!

His movements were lightning-fast, carrying a sense of desperate determination!

"Who is that?!"

"Alarm! There is an intruder!"

The two operators were startled, turning their heads abruptly with faces full of shock! One of them scrambled to press the alarm button on the console, while the other reached for the sidearm at their waist.

But Ling Ye's speed was too fast! He gave them no time to react at all! In a few steps, he rushed to the small red door, grabbed the cold manual valve with both hands, and with all his might, twisted it hard!

"Click! Hiss—" As the valve turned, accompanied by the sound of compressed gas being released, the heavy little red door popped open a crack inward! A piercing, sharp alarm that resounded throughout the entire base simultaneously exploded from all directions!

Ling Ye ignored it all and squeezed sideways through the gap in the door!

Behind the door was a narrow, steep, downward-extending metal spiral staircase. Emergency red lights flickered on the walls, and the light was dim. The bottom of the staircase was bottomless, with only the sound of rushing wind surging up from below.

There was no time to observe! He took a step out and sprinted down along the spiral staircase!

"He has entered the emergency tunnel! Repeat, the intruder has entered the E-7 zone emergency tunnel! Requesting to seal the downstream exit! Activate internal defenses!" Inside the Command Center, the operator's frantic roars mingled with the alarm sounds, faintly drifting through the door gap.

Ling Ye turned a deaf ear and pushed his speed to the limit. The stairs seemed endless, spiraling downward circle after circle. The wound on his back burst open during the intense movement, causing a tearing, excruciating pain, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. The dizziness caused by the overdraft of his Mental Energy was also getting stronger, and the edges of his vision began to turn black.

He didn't know what was below. It could be a dead end, a trap, or perhaps... the only path to survival.

The stairs finally reached their end. Before him was a heavy, sealed bulkhead door with a manual wheel. Sprayed on the door was yellow warning paint: "Warning: Exterior non-safe zone. Air pressure and air composition cannot be guaranteed after opening. For emergency evacuation use only."

Exterior! Non-safe zone! Was it an exit leading outside the base? Or... an unknown area deeper underground?

Ling Ye had no choice. He lunged at the bulkhead door, grabbed the cold wheel, and used all his strength to start rotating it!

The wheel was exceptionally heavy, as if rusted shut. Veins bulged on his arms as he squeezed out the last bit of his "Qi" and physical strength!

"Creak... creak..." The wheel turned with great difficulty amidst the harsh sound of friction. One turn, two turns...

Above his head, rapid, heavy footsteps and shouts could already be heard! The pursuers were coming down! Their speed was extremely fast!

Fast! A little faster!

"Click!" The wheel finally turned to the end! The bulkhead door emitted a muffled sound and popped open a crack inward!

A gust of cold, damp air carrying a heavy, earthy smell and a stale odor rushed in through the gap in the door! It was completely different from the dry, purified air inside the base!

It really was the exterior! At the very least, it was the "wild" that hadn't been controlled by the base's environment Systems!

Ling Ye was overjoyed and pushed the bulkhead door open completely with all his might!

Behind the door was not the city's underground pipes or exit structures as he had imagined. Instead, it was a massive, dark, seemingly boundless natural underground cavern! The floor of the cavern was rugged and uneven, covered with scattered rocks and stagnant water. In the distance, the dim reflection of an underground river and massive rock formations that looked like the skeletons of giant beasts could be vaguely seen. Overhead was an unreachable dome with countless stalactites hanging down, and some strange fungi emitting a faint phosphorescence grew here and there on the rock walls, providing extremely limited light.

This is... the undeveloped, massive natural underground cave System beneath Dawn City?!

No wonder they built the base here; the secrecy was extremely high!

But at this moment, this strange, dark world filled with unknown dangers was his only path to survival!

Ling Ye did not hesitate, stepped out of the bulkhead, turned back, and used all his strength to pull the heavy bulkhead door shut! The wheel automatically locked from the inside with a "click," temporarily isolating the pursuers and the alarm sounds behind him.

But he knew this wouldn't hold them for long. They had the authority and could open it at any time. Or, they would send search teams from other exits to enter this underground world to hunt him down.

He had to get away from this exit immediately, venture deep into this darkness, look for a place to hide, or... another way to the surface.

He looked around, adapting to the extremely weak light. The underground cavern seemed to have several different directions of extension; some had the faint sound of flowing water, while others were deathly silent. The air was damp and cold, carrying an indescribable, seemingly eternal sense of silence.

There was no time to choose carefully. He walked quickly in the direction opposite to the sound of water, where the rock structures looked more complex and there were more scattered rocks. Staying away from the Water Source meant potentially staying away from common paths and biological activity areas, which was more conducive to hiding.

The ground underfoot was slippery and rugged, covered with moss. He moved forward, stumbling with each step, while spreading his remaining "Spiritual Sense" like tentacles to be on guard for movements around him. In the darkness, it felt as if countless eyes were watching, but his "Spiritual Sense" did not capture any clear, large signs of life, only some small biological fields similar to arthropods or underground fungi.

After walking for about ten minutes, the base exit behind him had long since disappeared into the darkness. All that remained around him was the boundless darkness, the cold air, the sound of his own lonely footsteps and panting, and the wailing of the eternal underground water flow in the distance.

Temporarily safe? Perhaps.

But the crisis was far from over. He was injured, exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, and he was in a completely strange, dangerous underground world. And on the surface, the "Purification Net" had already been spread; Su Qing, Zhou Ming, and even the entire "Cleaning" network were searching for him with all their might.

12 hours... no, there might be less than 10 hours left.

He had to recover as soon as possible, find a way out, and come up with a solution to deal with the "Purification Net."

Or... in this absolute darkness and isolation, welcome the inevitable end.