177: Chapter 177 Following the Map to Unravel the Mysteries, Delving Deep into the Abyss

The wailing sound having summoned the monsters away perhaps meant the upstream was temporarily "cleared," creating a dangerous window for Transmigration through the "Corridor of the Drowned."

As a derelict research institute of "Deep Space Frontier Capital," the "Silent Church" might hold clues regarding the "abyssal eye," "the key," or even the "xuanyuan ring," making it a critical node for unraveling all mysteries and finding a way to survive.

He had to seize this fleeting opportunity to cross the dangerous zone and reach the next stop before the monsters or the owner of the wailing returned.

The immediate priority was to treat his wounds, recover his mobility, and then move at full speed!

Ling Ye forced his nearly falling-apart body to sit up.

The wound on the outside of his right leg was deep, the flesh rolled back, and it was bleeding incessantly; it had to be treated immediately.

He tore off more strips of cloth, simply cleaned the wound with the icy river water (enduring the bone-chilling cold and sharp pain), and then applied a pressure bandage.

The wound on his left shoulder also needed reinforcement.

After finishing this, he was nearly exhausted.

But time waited for no one.

He took out his notebook and, by the faint light of a distant gas lamp, re-confirmed the details of the "Corridor of the Drowned."

On the map, from the current "Echo Cave" along the underground river upstream for about one kilometer, the riverbank would gradually narrow and eventually submerge into the water, requiring him to wade or pass along a narrow plank road chiseled into the cliff face (if it still existed).

The water conditions there were complex, with numerous hidden whirlpools, and the cliff face was slippery, hence the name "Corridor of the Drowned."

Crossing the corridor, he would arrive at a relatively open "Backwater Bay," from where he could find the path to the "Old Lift Shaft."

The only warning in the notes about this place was: "There is something in the water, don't fall in. The 'paintings' on the wall, don't look at them."

"There is something in the water" — this likely referred to the kind of monster from before or other dangerous aquatic Mutants.

"The 'paintings' on the wall, don't look at them" — this was even more unsettling.

What were the "paintings"? Why couldn't he look at them?

There was no more information.

He could only be doubly careful.

Ling Ye put away the notebook, carefully removed the "Black Eye" pendant that had become searing hot and cracked, wrapped it in cloth, and placed it in his bosom.

This pendant seemed to be reaching its limit, but it might still be useful one last time at a critical moment.

He checked his remaining "Qi," guiding it to circulate slowly near his wounds to alleviate the pain, promote clotting, and warm his nearly frozen limbs.

After resting for about ten minutes and feeling a bit of strength return, he dared not delay any longer.

He immediately got up and continued upstream along the riverbank.

This time, he was even more vigilant, shrinking the perception range of his "Spiritual Sense" while increasing its precision, focusing on scanning the road ahead, underwater, and the cliff faces on both sides.

He gripped the multi-tool tightly, even though he knew its effectiveness against that kind of monster was limited.

The underground river was turbulent, its roar deafening.

After walking for a distance, the path ahead was indeed as the map showed: the riverbank grew narrower and narrower until it disappeared.

The raging river flowed almost flush against the steep cliff.

And on the cliff face, about two meters above the water surface, Ling Ye saw a narrow, incomplete stone plank road chiseled by human hands!

The plank road was less than half a meter wide, its surface covered in slippery moss, and in many places, it had collapsed, leaving only a few protruding stone pillars.

Below was the churning black torrent; if he slipped and fell, there was absolutely no chance of survival.

This was the "Corridor of the Drowned"!

Ling Ye took a deep breath, adjusted his state to the best, and began to climb onto the plank road.

The plank road was more dangerous and slippery than it looked.

He had to use both hands and feet, his fingertips digging desperately into cracks in the cliff or remaining stone pillars, his toes searching for infinitesimal footholds, inching forward.

The cold, damp air from the river below constantly rose, carrying that faint, unsettling "stale" odor.

"Spiritual Sense" was fully engaged, sensing the stability of the plank road ahead in advance.

Several times, a stone pillar he stepped on suddenly loosened and fell away; only thanks to the warning from his "Spiritual Sense" and his extraordinary reaction speed did he manage to steady himself at the last moment, breaking out in a cold sweat.

What was even more unsettling was that on the dark water surface below the plank road, he could occasionally see some huge, slowly moving shadows, and sometimes pale, bone-like or shell-like things flashed past underwater.

But he dared not look closely, keeping the warning "There is something in the water, don't fall in" in mind, focusing all his mental energy on the square inch beneath his feet.

After struggling forward for about twenty minutes, a relatively spacious, recessed platform appeared on the cliff face ahead.

The platform was about a dozen square meters and seemed to have been a temporary rest point or material storage area from when the plank road was first built.

Ling Ye felt a surge of joy and was about to step onto the platform to catch his breath —

His footsteps stopped abruptly!

His "Spiritual Sense" sent a strong warning!

It wasn't coming from underwater, but from... the cliff face inside the platform!

He stared intently.

He saw that the cliff face inside the platform was covered with a thick layer of dark green moss and sediment.

But beneath these coverings, large patches of dull yet strangely vivid — murals — were vaguely revealed!

No, that wasn't just a mural!

As his "Spiritual Sense" perceived deeper, Ling Ye "saw" that those so-called "pigments" were actually composed of some dense, dark blue mycelium or microorganisms that were still extremely slowly squirming!

They formed patterns that were incredibly bizarre, twisted, and full of madness:

— Countless eyes, of different sizes and shapes, some wide open, some tightly closed, some oozing blue mucus like pus and blood, but without exception, all were "gazing" in the direction of the platform.

— Distorted human outlines, as if randomly stitched together from viscera and bones, struggling and wailing in the pattern, only to be devoured and entangled by more squirming tentacles and eyes.

— A huge, dark blue giant eye like a whirlpool located in the center of the mural; in the center of the giant eye, there seemed to be a blurry, kneeling figure...

These patterns were not static.

In the perception of his "Spiritual Sense," those dark blue mycelia forming the patterns were emitting extremely faint, yet real, "incongruent" fluctuations homologous to the "abyssal eye"!

They seemed to possess some low-level life activity, slowly "breathing," squirming, and even... "observing"!

Ling Ye felt a wave of intense dizziness and nausea wash over him; the light of the "Star Visualization" in his Sea of Consciousness flickered violently, and a cold chill of being "gazed at" and "eroded" came from the depths of his Soul!

This was the "The 'paintings' on the wall, don't look at them"!

These murals were themselves a low-intensity, persistent source of mental pollution!

They were some kind of "residue" or "derivative" of the power of the "abyssal eye" in this place!

Staring at them for too long could even trigger hallucinations, madness, or... worse!

Ling Ye immediately averted his gaze, forcibly restrained his "Spiritual Sense," and stopped perceiving those murals.

He lowered his head, stared at the ground beneath his feet, and hurried across the platform, not daring to linger for even a second.

However, just as he was about to cross the platform and step back onto the plank road behind —

"Hum..."

A faint humming, acting directly on his consciousness, came from the direction of the murals!

Immediately after, Ling Ye felt the "Black Eye" pendant on his chest (even though it was wrapped) suddenly become searing hot!

At the same time, the "Ancient Ring" mark in the depths of his Soul also spontaneously and faintly flashed!

He turned his head in horror, glancing out of the corner of his eye.

He saw that in the center of the mural, the blurry kneeling figure in the center of the whirlpool-like dark blue giant eye pattern seemed... to become clear for an instant!

The clothing of that figure looked somewhat familiar... like some kind of old-fashioned work uniform?

And the figure's posture was not purely kneeling; it was more like... holding something up with both hands, offering it as a sacrifice to that giant eye?

Before Ling Ye could see clearly, that eerie humming and the feeling of being "gazed at" intensified sharply!

The "Black Eye" pendant emitted an unbearable "crack" sound, and the cracks widened!

Ling Ye's alarm bells rang, and he dared not linger any longer.

Using his last bit of strength, he rushed across the platform, stepped back onto the slippery and dangerous plank road, and ran forward without looking back!

It was only after leaving that platform and the murals far behind that the cold feeling of being "gazed at" gradually diminished.

He leaned against the cliff, panting heavily, his heart pounding wildly.

Looking down at his chest, the cloth wrapping the "Black Eye" pendant was already somewhat charred, and the pendant itself was likely on the verge of complete destruction.

That glance just now, although dangerous, had provided him with unexpected information.

The figure in the mural, wearing an old-fashioned work uniform, holding an object as a sacrifice... This reminded him of the old master in "Old Zhao's" story who turned into a "dried corpse" after touching "dirty things"!

Could it be that what the mural depicted was a scene from the Old Factory District accident back then?

Was it some kind of "record" or "re-enactment" of the power of the "abyssal eye" eroding reality?

The power of the "abyssal eye" could not only pollute living things but also "record" and "re-enact" certain scenes and information related to it in this eerie way?

Even forming a continuous mental pollution field?

This "Corridor of the Drowned" was indeed full of danger at every step, not only physical danger but also mental erosion!

He had to leave this place faster!

Ling Ye dared not stop, enduring the pain and exhaustion all over his body, and continued to struggle forward along the plank road.

After what felt like another century, the sound of water ahead changed; the roaring subsided, turning into a deeper, reverberating "rumbling" sound.

The plank road finally came to an end, connecting to a wider, relatively flat gravel riverbank.

The riverbank was located at the edge of a huge underground cavern.

On one side of the cavern was a relatively calm deep pool (Backwater Bay) formed by the inflow of the raging underground river.

Opposite the pool, on the cliff wall, there was vaguely a huge, pitch-black opening, leading to who knew where.

And according to the map, from this "Backwater Bay," he should be able to find the path to the "Old Lift Shaft."

Ling Ye stepped onto the riverbank, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

He leaned against a cold boulder, panting, and observed his surroundings.

He found no trace of monsters for the time being, nor that kind of eerie mural.

But he dared not relax.

He needed to find the "Old Lift Shaft."

The map indicated that the entrance should be in some hidden place near the cliff wall of the Backwater Bay.

He carefully groped along the riverbank towards the cliff wall.

Underfoot were slippery pebbles and broken shells (had there been life here?).

The air was filled with heavy moisture and that lingering "stale" smell.

Just as he approached the cliff wall, he suddenly kicked something.

"Clatter."

It was the sound of metal colliding.

Ling Ye looked down and used his multi-tool to push aside the gravel and water plants.

Below, a section of badly rusted rails was revealed, along with a damaged mine cart wheel half-buried in the silt.

Here... had there been a mine tunnel?

Was it a relic of the early prospecting by "Deep Space Frontier Capital"?

His spirits lifted, and he walked towards the cliff wall in the direction of the rails.

Soon, behind a dense, shimmering cluster of fungi at the base of the cliff, he discovered a pitch-black mine entrance partially covered by collapsed stones!

Above the entrance, a few blurry characters, almost covered by moss, were carved on the cliff wall, vaguely discernible:

"Seventh Mining District - Deep Shaft Passage - Danger! No unauthorized personnel!"

This was it!

The entrance to the "Old Lift Shaft"!

A glimmer of hope rose in Ling Ye's heart.

He cleared the rubble from the entrance, revealing a downward-sloping, deep, and dark mine tunnel, exuding a strong smell of mold and metal rust.

The rails extended into the dark depths.

He looked back at the rushing underground river behind him and the "Corridor of the Drowned" he had just come from.

There was no turning back.

He took a deep breath, gripped his multi-tool tightly, turned on the last emergency lighting function (faint light) of his PIT, and stepped into the mine tunnel.

The mine tunnel was terrifyingly silent, with only his own footsteps and dripping water echoing.

After walking about a hundred meters, a fork appeared ahead.

One path continued straight, while the other turned sharply to the right, seemingly leading to a larger space.

The map showed that the "Old Lift Shaft" should be on the right.

Ling Ye turned to the right.

After turning the corner, before him was a larger space that looked like a mine transit station.

More abandoned mine carts, tools, and some overturned cargo boxes were scattered on the ground.

At the end of the space was a huge square shaft opening sealed with thick steel beams and rusted steel plates!

There were broken railings on the edge of the shaft, and above the shaft, where the lift car and winch should have been, only a pile of twisted steel cables and broken metal frames remained, hanging down into the bottomless darkness.

This was the "Old Lift Shaft"!

However, what caught Ling Ye's attention was not the shaft itself.

It was that beside the shaft opening, in the shadow of a pile of abandoned cargo boxes, there was actually a person sitting against the cliff wall!

A person wearing old, mud-stained dark blue work clothes, head down, motionless, as if asleep — a person?!

Ling Ye's heart sank!

The hair all over his body stood on end!

How could there be someone here?!

Was it "Grave Digger" John?

Or another survivor?

Or...

He held his breath and carefully extended his "Spiritual Sense" over.

No fluctuations of vital signs.

No, that wasn't right... there was an extremely weak, yet abnormally cold "sense of presence" that was completely out of place with the surrounding environment, emanating from that "person."

It wasn't the aura of a living person, but more like... some kind of residual consciousness, or...

As if sensing Ling Ye's probing, that "person" with their head down slowly, extremely stiffly... raised their head.

A pale, bloated face of a completely unfamiliar middle-aged man, as if it had been soaked in water for a long time, came into Ling Ye's view.

The man's eyes were cloudy, white-grey with no spirit at all.

His mouth was slightly open, as if wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

Then, under Ling Ye's horrified gaze, this man in dark blue work clothes, suspected to have been dead for a long time, raised his right hand with an extremely slow movement, as if his joints were rusted shut.

In his hand, he seemed to be clutching something tightly.

He moved that hand, towards Ling Ye's direction, extremely slowly...

Reached it out.