167: Chapter 167 Following the Sound to Explore Secrets, Secretly Entering the Dragon's Pool

This vibration carried a rhythmic regularity of mechanical operation, which could by no means be explained by natural geological activity. It might originate from antiquated equipment still in operation, an undiscovered underground factory, a water pump station connected to the city's pipe network, or even... secret facilities belonging to the "Cleaning" side or other forces in this area? Regardless of which it was, it was more valuable than blindly groping through the deathly silent, ancient passageways. Exploring along the source of the vibration meant actively intervening in the unknown, seeking a glimmer of life, and also facing potential new risks head-on. In a desperate situation, any "anomaly" might contain an opportunity for a turning point.

Ling Ye no longer hesitated; he turned and stepped into the branch path that sloped down to the right.

The branch path was quite steep, and the ground was slippery, requiring extra caution. As he delved deeper, the low-frequency vibration became increasingly distinct; he could even feel the rock beneath his feet trembling slightly. In the air, that stale smell of dust was gradually replaced by a faint, mixed odor resembling ozone, lubricating oil, and heated metal.

The passageway began to show clear traces of human maintenance—relatively newer metal supports and pipelines appeared on the walls (though they were also rusted), the floor had remnants of anti-slip grating, and he could even occasionally see old-fashioned, long-extinguished lighting fixtures overhead.

This place was absolutely more than just an ancient The Shelter! There had been human activity here in modern, or even contemporary times!

Both the vibration and the smell pointed toward a core still in operation deep within the passageway.

Ling Ye's heartbeat accelerated slightly, but his steps became lighter and more cautious. He lowered his body, almost pressing against the ground, and pushed his "Spiritual Sense" perception to the maximum, scanning every corner and every inch of space ahead.

Rounding a sharp turn, the space ahead suddenly opened up!

The end of the passageway connected to a massive, half-natural, half-artificial underground cavern. One side of the cavern consisted of rough rock walls, while the other was a sturdy reinforced concrete structure covered in various pipes, valves, and instrument panels (most of which were damaged or rusted shut). In the center of the cavern was a bottomless vertical shaft, about ten meters in diameter, with the opening sealed by a heavy metal grate; however, the grate had been severely deformed, revealing a huge gap. That low-frequency, rhythmic vibration came from deep within the shaft, accompanied by the faint, rumbling sound of what seemed like giant turbines rotating and the whistling of a powerful airflow!

At the edge of the shaft, some discarded mechanical parts, damaged protective suits, and several overturned metal oil drums with blurred markings were scattered about. The logo appeared to be a gear surrounding a lightning bolt pattern, with a line of small text underneath: "Federal 7th Engineering Corps - Deep Underground Energy Exploration Pilot Site".

Federal 7th Engineering Corps? Deep energy exploration?

Ling Ye remembered! In the early colonial history of Dawn City, there had indeed been many attempts to explore the planet's deep geothermal or special mineral energy sources, but most were halted due to technical, cost, or geological risks. Was this place one of those abandoned exploration wells? But why was it still running? Was it an automated maintenance System? Or... had it been reactivated by other forces later on?

He cautiously approached the edge of the shaft and looked down through the gaps in the grate. There was a maintenance ladder on the inner wall of the shaft, extending downward and disappearing into the bottomless darkness. A powerful, hot wind smelling of machine oil surged from below. The vibration and roaring sound became even more deafening.

About twenty meters down the shaft, there seemed to be a protruding metal platform; on one side of the platform, there was a door leading into the rock wall. From the platform, there appeared to be a faint, steady light shining out!

Was there someone down there?! Or, were there still automated facilities in operation?

This place was very likely an underground outpost or monitoring point related to energy exploration that was still in operation! Perhaps it was a legacy of the Federal military, perhaps it was later taken over by the Municipal Government or other organizations, or even... perhaps it was being secretly utilized by forces such as the "Cleaning" side or Deep Space Frontier Capital?

Regardless of who it belonged to, there were lights here, possibly equipment, and perhaps even another path leading to the outside world!

But going down meant venturing deep into an unknown environment filled with massive noise and vibration; he might encounter automated defenses, on-duty personnel, or other dangers.

If he did not go down, he could only return the way he came and continue groping through the ancient passageways.

Just then, the PIT in Ling Ye's embrace suddenly emitted a slight vibration, different from the previous ones—it was an information reception notification!

He immediately took out the PIT, and the screen lit up, showing that he had received a new encrypted text message from the "SF_Ops_LowBand_Gamma" network (because he was still in "Guest-Read Only" mode, he could only receive, not reply):

"Emergency Notification: The energy load of the Old Factory District barrier has reached 95%! The 'secondary pollution source' activity peak is continuing! The Command Center predicts that the barrier collapse time may be advanced to within 6-8 standard hours! All non-essential units, evacuate immediately to a safe distance (ten kilometers) away! Repeat, evacuate immediately! The 'Purification Net' operation time remains unchanged; all operation groups must complete primary target control before the barrier collapses!"

The barrier collapse, advanced to within 6-8 hours! Moreover, the "Purification Net" operation time remained unchanged, meaning that the search and capture would reach a climax before the barrier collapsed!

Time was even more urgent now!

And he was currently standing before this shaft, which might lead to some facility, or perhaps even a faster way out.

Going down to investigate might allow him to find an exit faster, or even potentially utilize the facilities here (if there were communications or transport vehicles) to do something.

But the risks were equally immense.

Ling Ye looked at the bottomless, roaring, and vibrating shaft beneath his feet, then looked at the shocking countdown on the PIT screen.

Should he take a gamble and sneak into the belly of this roaring steel beast?

Or retreat back into the relatively "quiet" but uncertain ancient passageways?