200: Chapter 200 Swift and Decisive Action, Using One Tiger to Devour Another

At this moment, the Mutant group had just finished scouting the northeast corner, their attention likely not yet fully withdrawn to the nest, and their "interest" in the east corridor had been piqued, but a new, dense patrol pattern had not yet formed.

This was the window for action!

Complete the bait placement at maximum speed, then immediately evacuate, leaving subsequent developments to the collision between the "tiger" and the "wolf."

Any delay could lead to the plan being exposed or finding himself surrounded.

Thoughts moved like lightning, a decision made in an instant!

There was no longer any hesitation in Ling Ye's eyes, only cold calculation and desperate resolve.

He immediately began final preparations.

He checked the "super bait" trolley, ensuring the vibration motor was securely connected, the slow-burning tinder was in a semi-lit state (slightly covered with a damp cloth for control), and the pheromone canvas was wrapped tightly but allowed scent to disperse.

Then, he tied the trolley to his waist with a long parachute cord so he could drag it through the narrow corridor.

Personal equipment: crowbar in hand, pipe wrench at his waist, high-intensity flashlight in a position for quick strobe use, and a military knife at his boot.

All important supplies (food, water, medicine, documents) had been packed into a small emergency backpack, hidden near the generator room shaft cover (if the plan failed and he needed to evacuate immediately, he could easily grab it).

Finally, he took a deep breath, adjusting his state to the best.

Pain was suppressed by willpower, Mental Energy was highly concentrated, and "Energy Perception" covered the path ahead like an invisible net.

Action!

Like a phantom in the dark night, he dragged the slightly heavy trolley, slipping out of the safe zone without a sound, sticking to the shadows of the Warehouse's east wall, moving quickly toward the entrance of the east corridor.

At the corridor entrance, there was silence.

The scent of the "sentinels" that had lingered earlier had dissipated, seemingly having retreated to the edge of the nest with the main force.

But Ling Ye dared not be careless; before entering the corridor, he concentrated his perception again.

There was no obvious cold "presence" nearby.

Only the solid collective aura of the Canvas Area in the distance, and the faint, low, "wailing" monster sounds coming from deep within the corridor.

This is it!

He turned sideways and slipped into the corridor, pulling the trolley in after him with a backhand motion.

It was darker inside the corridor, with only a faint spot of light forming at the entrance from the cracks high up in the Warehouse.

He turned on the lowest setting of his high-intensity flashlight, quickly scanning the road ahead to confirm there were no obstacles, then immediately turned it off, relying on memory and perception to move forward.

The wheels of the trolley made an extremely faint "rustling" sound on the dusty ground, appearing exceptionally clear in the dead-silent corridor.

Ling Ye's heart was in his throat, but his movements were unhesitating, moving at a steady and as fast as possible speed toward the alcove at the fork thirty meters away.

Twenty meters, fifteen meters, ten meters...

The strange smell of sulfur and ozone in the corridor grew stronger, and the "wailing" monster sounds became clearer, as if they were sighs from deep underground.

Five meters, three meters...

The outline of the alcove at the fork appeared in the darkness.

Arrived!

Ling Ye quickly pushed the trolley into the alcove, using debris to slightly cover its outline, but ensuring that the vibration and heat could dissipate smoothly.

Then, he untied the parachute cord from his waist.

The final step: activate the bait!

He first uncovered the damp cloth used to control air on the slow-burning tinder lunchbox, letting the flame contact more air.

With a "pfft," the flame suddenly leaped higher, emitting more obvious heat and light!

At the same time, he tore a large hole in the canvas wrapping the Mutant corpse, letting the thick, bloody, and homologous pheromones burst forth!

Immediately after, he connected the wires of the vibration motor to the heavy lead-acid battery!

"Hum—!!!"

The motor started abruptly, driving the unbalanced nut to spin wildly!

The entire iron plate, along with the alcove, began to vibrate violently, emitting a dull and continuous "humming" roar!

Coupled with the light of the flames, the strong odor, and that Mutant corpse... this "super bait" instantly turned into an irresistible, intense stimulus source in the darkness, radiating complex signals of "danger," "food," "intruder," and "calls for help from one of their own"!

Having done all this, Ling Ye didn't even have time to confirm the effect.

He immediately turned around and ran at full speed along the path he had come, toward the corridor entrance!

He couldn't stay any longer!

The bait had been activated, and every second from now on, he could be blocked in the corridor by Mutants arriving in response, or by entities in the "danger zone" that might be disturbed!

He exploded with the fastest speed he could currently achieve, running wildly in the darkness relying entirely on memory and feeling!

Behind him, there was the increasingly loud humming of the motor, the crackling of flames, and that nauseating, thick odor.

"Click-clack! Click-clack! Click-clack!!!"

Almost just as he had run out a dozen meters, from the direction of the fork behind him, and from the more distant Canvas Area, dense and terrifying sounds of carapace friction and rapid crawling came simultaneously!

That cold "presence" was like a swarm of bees being awakened, instantly boiling and erupting!

Several, no, dozens of strong, cold auras poured from the Canvas Area nest and the depths of the east corridor like sharks smelling blood, crazily rushing toward the direction of the alcove at the fork!

The speed was extremely fast!

Far exceeding what he had seen before!

The bait had succeeded!

And the effect... was shockingly good!

Ling Ye could even feel that the closest cold aura had already emerged from the corridor corner behind him, and the distance might only be twenty or thirty meters!

He didn't look back, pushing his speed to the limit, rushing out of the east corridor entrance, and returning to the relatively open Warehouse area.

But he dared not stop, continuing to run wildly in the opposite direction of the safe zone—toward the northwest corner of the Warehouse, the area with the ventilation duct maintenance hatch!

This was one of the preset evacuation and observation routes!

Just as he had turned around a large machine tool and was about to reach the northwest corner—

"Boom—!!!!"

A dull, terrifying roar that sounded like a giant beast mixed with the sound of tearing metal suddenly came from deep within the east corridor, from the direction of that "danger zone"!

Immediately after, there were even sharper, more chaotic Mutant shrieks, the sound of carapaces shattering, and the terrible movement of some heavy object being hit and dragged!

The "tiger" and the "wolf" had collided!

The intensity of the conflict was far beyond imagination!

The entire Warehouse floor trembled slightly!

Dust fell down in a rustle.

Ling Ye crouched in the shadows under the ventilation duct maintenance hatch, panting heavily, his heart pounding wildly.

He carefully poked his head out and looked toward the east side of the Warehouse.

He saw that at the entrance of the east corridor, black shadows were constantly rushing into the depths of the corridor, obviously subsequent support from the nest.

And inside the corridor, those terrifying impact sounds, shrieks, and a sharp whistling sound like high-pressure airflow jetting were intertwined, forming a sonata of death!

Faintly, one could also see dark blue energy flashes and splashing black body fluids in the depths of the corridor!

The battle was exceptionally tragic!

And, it sounded like... the Mutant group didn't seem to have the upper hand?

The existence in that "danger zone" was even more terrifying than expected!

Ling Ye didn't look any further, immediately climbed onto the ventilation duct maintenance hatch, removed the grate, crawled in, and then loosely covered the grate from the inside.

This place was relatively safe, and there was an angle from which he could observe most of the Warehouse area, especially the east corridor entrance.

He lay in wait quietly, while recovering his strength, closely monitoring the development of the battle.

The battle lasted for about ten minutes.

The shrieking and impact sounds gradually weakened, but that sharp airflow whistling and heavy dragging sound continued intermittently.

Finally, all sounds subsided, leaving only that strange smell of sulfur and ozone, which seemed to permeate even more strongly, mixed with a thick, bloody, and burnt smell.

Is it over?

Who won?

Or did both sides suffer heavy losses?

Ling Ye waited patiently for a longer time, about half an hour.

There was no more movement at the east corridor entrance, and no Mutants retreated.

In the direction of the Canvas Area nest, that cold collective "presence" had significantly weakened and thinned, and was full of panic and chaos, no longer having the orderly sense of vigilance it had before.

It seems that the main force of the Mutant group was likely severely damaged in the "danger zone," perhaps even completely wiped out!

Those who were lucky enough to escape back were also scared out of their wits, shrinking into the nest and daring not to come out again.

The plan... succeeded?

And the effect was better than expected!

Ling Ye suppressed the excitement in his heart and did not go out immediately.

He continued to wait until another hour had passed, and the inside and outside of the Warehouse were completely dead silent, with only that strange smell remaining, before deciding to act.

He first carefully crawled out of the ventilation duct, landing on the ground.

He observed the surroundings vigilantly, especially the Canvas Area and the east corridor.

The Canvas Area was dead silent, with only a faint cold aura, like a candle in the wind.

At the entrance of the east corridor, a strong strange smell and bloodiness permeated, and the inside of the entrance was pitch black, bottomless, as if it were the esophagus of a giant beast, exuding a heart-palpitating lingering power.

He dared not enter the east corridor to investigate.

The danger there might not have disappeared.

His primary goal now was to consolidate the results, completely eliminate the remaining threats in the Canvas Area, and investigate whether the "danger zone" would have any subsequent impact on the Warehouse.

He gripped the crowbar, turned on the high-intensity flashlight (adjusted to medium setting), and began to cautiously approach the Canvas Area.

There were no more "sentinels," no more patrol teams.

When he reached the edge of the Canvas Area, that cold aura had already weakened to the point of being almost imperceptible.

He used the crowbar to lift a corner of the canvas, and the flashlight beam shone inside.

Under the canvas was a relatively spacious space, the ground covered with a layer of thick, viscous dark blue fungal mat (similar to the one in the B7 Hall, but on a much smaller scale), and on the fungal mat were scattered some broken carapaces, severed tentacles, and dozens of fist-sized, translucent "eggs" with dark blue light points wriggling inside!

And in the corner, some animal bones and scattered human items (torn clothes, tool remnants) were piled up.

It really was a nest!

And there were unhatched eggs!

Those eggs sensed the light, and the wriggling of the light points inside accelerated.

Ling Ye's eyes turned cold.

To cut weeds, one must remove the roots.

Without any hesitation, he took out the metal can containing the embers from the slow-burning tinder lunchbox and the remaining engine oil from his bosom, and poured all the smoldering embers and oil onto the fungal mat and the pile of eggs!

"Whoosh—!"

The flames rose instantly!

The dark blue fungal mat made a "hissing" sound as it burned, and the eggs cracked one after another in the high heat, flowing out disgusting mucus, and were immediately swallowed by the flames.

The remaining sporadic adult Mutants (it seemed there were only two or three, and all were injured, hiding in the deeper shadows) let out terrified shrieks but dared not come forward.

Ling Ye stepped back a few paces, watching coldly as the flames spread, burning the entire nest to the ground.

Thick smoke and a burnt, foul smell filled the air.

Having done all this, he did not stay, immediately retreating to the vicinity of the safe zone.

Now, the biggest threat in the Warehouse had been cleared.

Only the mysterious "danger zone" in the east corridor remained, but it seemed there were no signs of it expanding outward.

He needed to assess the long-term threat of this "new Neighbor" and decide whether to continue using this place as a base, or follow the original plan to leave as soon as possible through the generator room shaft or ventilation duct, heading to the surface or looking for a safer underground base.

He returned to the side of the generator room shaft, lifted the cover, and looked down.

The shaft was bottomless, but the airflow was stable, with no strange smell.

This was a potential way out.

He looked at the ventilation duct maintenance hatch again.

That might lead to other areas.

And in his hand, there were Chen Yan's data card, Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe's notes, the ancient star map, blueprints, and vague clues about the whereabouts of the "Ancient Ring."

Above the ground, the chaos in Dawn City and the threat of the "abyssal eye" were still continuing.

The safety of Su Qing, Wang Hao, Sun Li, and others was unknown.

The game between the "Cleaning" side and "Deep Space Frontier Capital" was far from over.

The road ahead was long and filled with crises.

But at least for this moment, in this abandoned Warehouse that had just experienced blood and fire and returned to silence, Ling Ye, this scarred youth with a will like steel, had temporarily won a moment of respite and a relatively safe starting point.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air mixed with the smell of gunpowder and blood, leaned against the cold wall, and sat down.

On his right-hand finger, the faint light of the "xuanyuan ring" seemed a bit brighter and more active than before.

Deep in his Soul, the faint light of the "Ancient Ring" mark had also become much more stable and clear.

The recovery of the "dual rings," stimulated by the slaughter and planning, seemed to have... accelerated.

He closed his eyes and began deep meditation and recovery.

Next, should he explore the shaft?

Should he contact the outside world?

Should he digest the "Legacy"?

Or... take the first step toward the distant goal of the "Frozen Wasteland" and the "Star Gate"?

Everything would be decided after resting.

And outside the Warehouse, that lead-gray sky, as if forever shrouded under the clouds of disaster, would it... have a ray of light to pierce through the clouds?