172: Chapter 172 Ascending to a High Place to Gaze Far and Wide, Quietly Observing the Collapse of the Sky

Ling Ye swallowed the last compressed biscuit, drank some water, and checked his wounds again. His strength had recovered by about 40-50%; although far from his best state, he possessed basic movement and observation capabilities. He hid the remaining emergency rations and water, kept the multi-function knife and PIT on his person, and then left the temporary safe house silently.

He did not take the ground route. Instead, utilizing the intricate pipes, scaffolding, and broken roofs of the Old Factory District, he climbed like an agile ape toward the highest structure in the center of the district: a dilapidated brick water tower about fifty meters high. The water tower had long since dried up and been abandoned, and the observation platform at the top offered a wide view with a relatively stable structure.

The climb consumed a considerable amount of his stamina, but as he stood on the platform at the top of the water tower in the cold wind, gazing into the distance, every effort was worth it.

The night view of the entire Dawn City unfolded beneath his feet like a black velvet cloth spread out, dotted with sparse lights. And in the southeast, about eight or nine kilometers away, where the Old Factory District was located, the scene was heart-stopping!

There, instead of the myriad lights of an ordinary urban area, there was only a massive, translucent blue hemispherical light shield covering an area of several square kilometers—an energy barrier! The surface of the barrier shimmered with flowing light, and countless fine electric arcs wandered and leapt like living things, emitting a low hum that could be faintly heard even from here. The brightness of the barrier was significantly enhanced compared to before (seen through the library window), and it was extremely unstable, sometimes suddenly becoming dazzlingly bright, and at other times dimming, as if it would shatter at any moment.

Even more unsettling was that in the central area of the barrier, one could vaguely see a constantly churning, expanding, deep blue, almost tangible dark vortex. From time to time, dazzling blue-white flashes erupted within it, and each flash was accompanied by violent changes in the barrier's overall brightness and a louder hum!

Was that the "Secondary Pollution Source"? It was striking the barrier, and its power was constantly increasing!

Ling Ye closed his eyes, pushing his "Spiritual Sense" to the limit he could currently maintain, and cautiously extended it in that direction.

The distance was too great, and the perception was extremely blurry, like watching raging flames through a thick layer of frosted glass. But he could still "feel" the cold, chaotic "sense of discord" full of desire for erosion and destruction, now crashing crazily inside the barrier like boiling magma! Every collision caused the barrier's energy field to fluctuate violently and radiated waves of heart-stopping "ripples" carrying the connotation of spiritual pollution outward!

He could even vaguely "hear" the "noise" directly affecting the Soul level, coming from inside the barrier, as if billions of tons of steel were twisting and breaking, mixed with the desperate roars of countless living beings! This noise made his head swell, and the "stars" visualized in his Sea of Consciousness began to sway slightly.

The activity of the "Secondary Pollution Source" had reached a terrifying level! The barrier absolutely could not hold for much longer!

He glanced at the time recorded on his PIT (although it was out of power, the internal clock might still be running). About three hours had passed since the "4-6 hours" collapse prediction he had obtained earlier. In other words, at the most optimistic estimate, the barrier might collapse within one to three hours!

Just then, he noticed that distinct, unusual traffic flows appeared on several main roads in the city—squadrons of military trucks, armored vehicles, and engineering vehicles with flashing warning lights were gathering from all directions toward the blockade line on the periphery of the Old Factory District's barrier! In the sky, more drones and a few armed helicopters were circling and patrolling.

The "Cleaning" side was reinforcing! They were preparing for the barrier's collapse! Were they attempting to suppress it the moment it collapsed? Or establishing a more peripheral defense line?

At the same time, there seemed to be unusual unrest in other areas of the city. The lights in some neighborhoods began to flicker irregularly, and more sirens could be faintly heard from afar, and even... faint shouts and riots from crowds?

Was this triggered by the "Purification Net" capture operation? Or was the citizens' panic over the barrier's anomalies and the military mobilization beginning to spread?

The wind was blowing before the mountain rain was about to come! The entire Dawn City seemed to be stretched to its limit, just waiting for that final sound of rupture.

Ling Ye's heart sank. If the barrier collapsed, it would likely trigger a chain reaction. Large-scale leakage of "anomalies," direct conflict between the military and the "anomalies," city-wide panic and riots, and the comprehensive control and cleansing carried out by the "Cleaning" side as an opportunity...

In this total chaos, would he, this "Escapee-Zero," find it easier to hide, or... easier to be swept up and crushed?

He had to make a decision immediately. Should he continue to stay in this relatively remote observation point in the North District, which might not be spared from the aftermath? Or should he flee immediately in a direction further away from the city (the wilderness to the west or north)? But given his current state and equipment, survival in the wild was equally fraught with danger.

Or... an extremely crazy thought flashed through his mind.

Since the barrier was going to collapse and chaos was coming, would the guard and monitoring in some places temporarily slacken because attention was diverted?

For example... the "Cleaning" side's "main relay station" in the North District?

The information he had previously obtained from the underground monitoring station showed that the "main relay station" was an important communication and command node in this area. If he could launch a surprise attack or sabotage it the moment the chaos broke out, could it severely interfere with the "Cleaning" side's command and control in the North District and even a wider range, creating a chance for survival in the chaos for more people (including Wang Hao, Sun Li, and himself)? Perhaps he could even obtain core secrets regarding "the key," the final deployment of the "Purification Net," or even the relationships between the forces Su Qing belonged to?

But this was tantamount to a suicide attack. In his current state, facing a heavily guarded command node, the success rate was minimal.

However, sitting and waiting for death, drifting with the tide in the coming total chaos, his fate was equally unpredictable.

Should he take a gamble and seek initiative in a desperate situation?

Or should he wait and see, leaving his fate to be decided?

Ling Ye stood at the top of the towering water tower, the cold wind blowing his tattered clothes. To the southeast, the blue light shield, constantly flickering and struggling like a dying giant beast, cast his face in a pale, ghastly light.

He slowly raised his hand and gripped the cold, dead PIT in his arms.

In his eyes, the last trace of hesitation was replaced by a kind of cold, ruthless determination.