194: Chapter 194 Silent Poisonous Shadows, Hidden Killing Intent

Ling Ye instantly entered the deepest state of "Turtle Breathing" and "Observation of Silence". This was a life-saving technique from the Legacy to deal with high-level detection, requiring one to reduce mental fluctuations, vital signs, and even the intention of "paying attention" to the outside world to near nothingness. He closed his eyes, no longer "looking" with his vision, nor even actively "probing" with his "Spiritual Sense", but passively receiving the most subtle sounds, air currents, and the shifts in the position of that cold "sense of presence" in the environment.

His body seemed to become part of the Warehouse's shadows, cold, stiff, and devoid of life. Only the "Star" deep within his Soul flickered slightly at the lowest rhythm, maintaining his consciousness from dissipating and providing him with a faint layer of natural insulation against "discordant" auras, derived from the essence of "Order".

Time passed slowly in the extreme silence and tension. Each second felt as long as a century.

"Rustle..."

The friction sound rang out again, seemingly closer than before, but still slow and hesitant. It was as if a cold snake had raised its head in the darkness, testing the air with a forked tongue.

Ling Ye could feel that cold "sense of presence" sweeping slowly through the air of the Warehouse like an invisible tentacle, brushing over the punch press area where he was hiding several times. Each time it swept past, he felt a nausea and chill, as if a cold, slimy tongue were licking his Soul. But he forcibly suppressed any physiological or psychological reaction, maintaining absolute "emptiness and silence".

That "sense of presence" seemed somewhat puzzled. It lingered near the punch press for a moment, found no obvious signs of "prey", and then slowly moved away, turning toward the engineering vehicle area that Ling Ye had searched earlier.

"Click... Sizzle..."

A faint sound came from over there, like a carapace scraping against metal, and... the rustling of a canvas backpack being rummaged through? It was checking the traces he had just left behind!

Ling Ye's heart tightened slightly. Most of the important supplies in the backpack had been taken by him, but it was inevitable that he had left behind scents and traces. He hoped the creature would not follow the trail to find him.

A moment later, the rummaging stopped. That cold "sense of presence" seemed to lose interest in the empty backpack and the engineering vehicle, and began to move slowly again. This time, it was moving in the direction of the unexplored area at the south end of the Warehouse, covered by a huge canvas.

The rustling sound gradually faded, disappearing behind the canvas. That uncomfortable "sense of presence" also weakened, but did not completely vanish, as if lurking in the shadows behind the canvas, merging with the darkness of the Warehouse.

Did it leave? Or did it just retreat to its nest or its usual lurking spot?

Ling Ye did not dare to relax immediately. He continued to maintain the state of "Observation of Silence" and patiently waited for another full half hour. During this time, no sound came from behind the canvas, and that cold "sense of presence" remained stable at a very low level, as if it had fallen into a deep sleep, or was just quietly keeping watch.

It seemed that the creature's method of perception was indeed more dependent on movement, heat, or obvious bursts of life energy. As long as he maintained absolute stillness and deep concealment, he could avoid its attention. But it had clearly marked this area of the Warehouse, especially the Canvas Area at the south end, as its own "territory". The previous survivors had likely been forced to leave because of its presence, or because they had detected its tracks.

Now, Ling Ye faced a new problem: this unknown lurker, carrying a faint aura of "abyssal eye" (that "sense of discord"), had become a major threat to his exploration of the south area of the Warehouse and his long-term occupation of this place. If he did not solve or avoid it, his range of activity would be restricted, and his safety could not be guaranteed.

But in his current state, actively challenging a lurking hunter with unknown attributes and unknown strength was by no means a wise move. Especially since the opponent likely adapted to the dark environment and possessed some kind of concealment and ambush ability.

He needed more information, and he also needed to recover more of his strength.

After waiting quietly for another ten minutes, confirming that the lurker really showed no signs of moving again, Ling Ye extremely slowly and extremely slightly lifted the "Observation of Silence" state, like a fish beneath the ice, beginning to cautiously "thaw".

He first moved his almost stiff fingers and toes, then adjusted his posture slowly by the millimeter, making himself more comfortable while keeping his face toward the direction of the Canvas Area. He did not stand up or move immediately, but began to think of countermeasures.

Known Information:

The lurker is located in the Canvas Area at the south end of the Warehouse, possibly using it as a nest.

Method of perception: Suspected to be sensitive to movement, heat, and strong life energy. Limited detection capability for deeply concealed static targets.

Carries a faint aura of "abyssal eye" (sense of discord), possibly a corrupted low-level derivative, or a mutated creature that has lived in a polluted environment for a long time.

Behavior is cautious, does not actively search too far from the nest, possibly inclined toward ambushing.

Interested in traces left by previous searches, suggesting it may have certain exploration/scavenging habits.

Threat assessment: Medium-high. Before his own state is restored, a head-on confrontation carries extreme risk. But if he can grasp its exact habits, weaknesses, or recover some of his strength, there might be a way to deal with it.

Short-term response strategy:

Delineate safe zones and danger zones: Taking the current corner as the center, a radius of about fifteen meters is temporarily regarded as a "relatively safe zone". The Canvas Area at the south end and the twenty meters around it are marked as an "absolute danger zone", not to be approached unless necessary. The middle area is a "buffer/observation zone".

Establish early warning and obstacles: At the edge of the safe zone, especially in the direction of the Canvas Area, use found ropes, empty cans, and discarded parts to set up simple tripwire alarms and noise traps. Although they cannot stop it, they can provide early warning.

Adjust activity mode: All activities (fetching water, eating, meditation recovery) should be completed within the safe zone as much as possible, and movements should be light and slow to avoid excessive heat and noise from strenuous exercise. Exploration and searching are paused until strength is recovered or a way to deal with it is found.

Strengthen observation: Under the premise of ensuring safety, find a suitable location (such as high on a shelf, inside a ventilation duct) to conduct long-distance, intermittent observation of the Canvas Area, recording its activity patterns (if any), traces of entry and exit, etc.

Long-term considerations:

Evaluation after strength recovery: Wait until injuries are more than fifty percent recovered, the connection with the "dual rings" is re-established, and basic intention manipulation techniques are mastered, then decide whether to "Clean", "avoid", or "utilize" this lurker.

Explore alternative paths: If the Canvas Area is the only way to reach important areas (such as a certain ventilation duct or passage shown on the blueprint), a thorough plan for clearing or bypassing it must be developed. If not, perhaps they can coexist peacefully.

Utilize its characteristics: If this thing has territorial awareness and can drive away other creatures (including the search team from the "Cleaning" party?), perhaps under certain circumstances, it can be used as a kind of "natural barrier"? But the risk is extremely high.

With his thoughts clear, Ling Ye began to act. He first used the umbrella rope he had found and several empty tin cans to set up simple tripwire alarms at several key locations on the edge of the safe zone. Then, he reorganized his main supplies (food, water, medicine, tools, materials), hid them in a very hidden crevice under the punch press, and covered them with gravel and tarpaulin.

Next, he found a ventilation duct maintenance hatch located in the northeast corner of the Warehouse, as shown on the blueprint, climbed up, removed the grille, and crawled inside. The duct was narrow but large enough to accommodate him, and there was an angle through which he could look through the damaged filter screen to observe the general outline of the Canvas Area from a distance. This could serve as a hidden observation point.

He lurked here quietly for about an hour. The Canvas Area was dead silent, with no movement at all. That cold "sense of presence" was also like sinking into a deep pool, difficult to capture.

It seems that the active period of this thing might be at night? Or, does it need specific stimulation to act?

He noted this observation point and carefully retreated to the safe zone.

Next, it was time to continue recovering his strength. He swallowed a small piece of painkiller (to alleviate the mental drain of continuous pain), drank some water, and ate a small piece of compressed dry rations. Then, he entered a deep state of meditation and recovery again, focusing on guiding the warm current of "Star Visualization" to nourish his internal organs and Meridians, and trying to communicate with the dormant "Ancient Ring" and "bone ring" in a gentler way.

Time passed slowly for most of the day, spent in Cultivate, vigilance, and simple eating and drinking.

When Ling Ye woke up from deep meditation again, he felt a significant improvement in his condition. His physical strength had recovered to about thirty percent, the itching of his wounds was more intense, and healing was accelerating. His Mental Energy was more condensed, and his use of "Energy Perception" and "intention barrier" from the Legacy was slightly more proficient. Most importantly, the "Ancient Ring" mark deep in his Soul had a clear and stable connection with him again; although he still could not trigger its power, it was no longer dead silent. When he concentrated, he could also faintly feel the extremely slow "flowing" of the deep, dark light within the "bone ring" on his right hand.

The recovery speed was faster than expected. This might be due to the efficiency of the Legacy knowledge and the high-level status of the "dual rings" essence, which, even while dormant, were invisibly nourishing his body and mind.

He glanced at the mechanical watch he had found from the engineering vehicle. After winding it, it actually started working. Although the time might not be accurate, it provided a reference for the passage of time. About twenty hours had passed since he entered the Warehouse. It should be late at night outside.

The light inside the Warehouse had long since disappeared completely, and there was only the extremely faint, dim glimmer from cracks high above, whether it was starlight or firelight from afar. The darkness was as thick as ink.

Just as Ling Ye was preparing to perform another short round of meditation and then try to rest—

"Click-clack... Click-clack..."

A series of extremely faint, yet exceptionally clear sounds, as if many small bones were rubbing together or a carapace was opening and closing, came vaguely from the direction of the Canvas Area.

Unlike the previous rustling sound, this sound was denser and more fragmented, as if... there was more than one source?

Ling Ye instantly became alert, moved silently to the ventilation duct where the hidden observation point was located, listened intently, and simultaneously boosted his "Energy Perception".

The sound continued incessantly, becoming denser and denser, as if countless tiny things were moving and gathering under the canvas. At the same time, that cold "sense of presence" also began to strengthen and spread, no longer confined to a single point, but like mist, permeating from the Canvas Area, carrying a kind of... hunger and excitement?

What happened?

Could it be... its "feeding" time? Or, had it sensed some change in the outside world?

Ling Ye's heart tightened. He carefully climbed into the ventilation duct and looked out from the observation point again.

In the darkness, the Canvas Area was still pitch black, making it hard to see clearly. But the dense "click-clack" sound and the pervasive cold "sense of presence" could not be faked. Moreover, he seemed to see a few extremely faint, dark blue, will-o'-the-wisp-like ghostly lights flicker at the edge of the canvas, then quickly disappear.

Were they eyes? Or some kind of light-emitting organ?

This thing... could there be more than one? Or was it a type capable of splitting or summoning its own kind?

A chill climbed up Ling Ye's spine. If it was a group... then the threat level needed to be re-evaluated!

He had to figure out the situation immediately! But getting close to observe was too dangerous.

He suddenly remembered that when he found Chen Yan's iron box under the engineering vehicle, there was also an old-fashioned crystal radio with a knob next to it. Although it had no batteries, it had a small magnetic antenna inside for signal enhancement, which might be removable...

A thought flashed through his mind. He quickly retreated to the safe zone, rummaged out the radio, and carefully removed the small magnetic antenna with a watchmaker's screwdriver. Then he found a small piece of spring steel sheet removed from a hand-cranked flashlight, and a bit of electrical tape.

He quickly fixed the magnetic antenna to one end of the spring steel sheet with tape, creating an extremely crude "probe rod" with weak magnetism and flexibility. Then, he found a long piece of umbrella rope and tied it to the other end of the "probe rod".

He took this crude device and went back to the shadow of the shelf near the buffer zone. Estimating the distance and angle, he placed the "probe rod" against the ground and pushed it out toward the Canvas Area, extremely slowly, bit by bit.

The "probe rod" was very light, and its friction against the ground was almost inaudible. He hoped that by using this rod with weak magnetism, at a close enough distance, he could interfere with or attract the attention of those lurkers who might be sensitive to magnetic fields, metal, or specific energy frequencies, thereby observing their reactions. At the same time, connected by a rope, he could quickly pull it back or abandon it if something changed.

This was a bold and risky probe. But he needed information.

The "probe rod" slid slowly through the dust, getting closer and closer to the edge of the Canvas Area.

Five meters, three meters, two meters...

Just as the tip of the "probe rod" was about to touch the edge of the hanging canvas—

"Whoosh!"

A thin, long shadow, as fast as black lightning, shot out from a gap under the canvas, precisely entangling the front end of the "probe rod"!

Immediately after, a huge force came, violently dragging the "probe rod" into the depths of the canvas!

Ling Ye didn't even see exactly what the shadow was; he only felt the cold, slimy, barbed sensation coming from the "probe rod", and a strong suction force wanting to drag the "probe rod" and even him behind it into the darkness!

He made a prompt decision and let go of the rope in his hand!

"Swish!"

The "probe rod", along with that piece of rope, was instantly dragged into the darkness behind the canvas and disappeared. It left behind only an even more excited and dense "click-clack" sound, and a few dark blue ghostly lights that flashed and vanished behind the canvas gap.

Ling Ye leaned against the shelf, his heart pounding.

He saw it clearly—what shot out in that instant was something covered in fine black scales, with suction cups and bone spurs at the end, like a magnified worm or tentacle! Its speed, strength, and precision were far beyond expectations!

And, judging by its reaction, this thing was extremely sensitive to metal or magnetic objects! Its aggression was extremely high!

This was not a low-level derivative! This was definitely a dangerous Mutant with certain special hunting capabilities, spawned by the pollution of the "abyssal eye"! And, it was very likely a group!

The threat level of the south area of the Warehouse had to be upgraded to high-risk!

He slowly retreated to the safe zone, his face heavy.

With this "Neighbor", his recovery and subsequent plans would face even greater variables and challenges.