201: Chapter 201 The Choice of Embers

The flames flickered one last time within the embers of the canvas nest before extinguishing completely, leaving behind only charred marks and a pungent, mixed odor. The Warehouse returned to silence, but this silence was starkly different from the cold "presence" that had shrouded it before; it was an empty silence, one carrying the lingering echoes of gunpowder and blood—the silence of a victor.

Ling Ye leaned his back against the cold wall, slowly regulating his breathing. His Mental Energy, like seawater gathering again after an ebb tide, recovered and strengthened slowly and steadily under the guidance of the "Star Visualization." The pain in his body accelerated its healing under the lingering effects of his deep meditation and the "Star-Burning Method." The grayish-white area on his left arm, that uncomfortable, cold numbness, had been thoroughly dispelled by the faint yet persistent "balance" of the ghostly light emitted by the "xuanyuan ring," leaving behind only a slightly lighter-colored scar. The penetrating wound on his right shoulder and the laceration on his right leg also pulsed with the intense itch of healing.

More importantly, there was the connection between his Soul and his hands. The "Ancient Ring" mark was no longer dormant; like stars brightening after a gale, it emitted a steady, cold radiance, connecting tightly and clearly with his consciousness. Although he still could not unleash powerful strength, the rhythm of "existence" and "Guardian" could now be clearly perceived by him, subtly nourishing his spirit. The ghostly light of the "xuanyuan ring" flowed more actively, and the ring itself seemed to have become a part of his limbs; its cold, profound power resonated initially and harmoniously with his own "Qi" and "Star" intent. Between the dual rings, that extremely faint but undeniably present "rhythm of balance" echoed subtly like background noise whenever he focused his perception.

According to the Legacy knowledge from the Tower Spirit, his current state was roughly equivalent to having initially stabilized the contract of a "Gatekeeper Candidate," with the "Ancient Ring" mark having an awakening degree of about 10% and the "xuanyuan ring" having an initial master-recognition degree of about 5%. There was still a long road ahead before he could truly unleash the power of the "dual rings," but at least he had set foot on the right track and possessed a clear growth direction and initial application techniques (such as enhanced perception, mental barriers, and weak energy guidance).

He ended this deep meditation and slowly opened his eyes. The light inside the Warehouse remained dim, but the daylight filtering through the cracks high above seemed a bit brighter; it was likely daytime outside. His mechanical watch indicated that about three hours had passed since he set the bait, triggered the conflict, and cleared the nest.

His physical strength had recovered to about 50% of his healthy state, and his wounds were healing well, no longer affecting basic movement or low-intensity combat. His Mental Energy was full, and his perception was sharp. His condition was better than ever.

Now, it was time to make the next critical choice.

He first dealt with the remains of the canvas nest. Using a crowbar and pipe wrench, he thoroughly destroyed and cleared away the charred fungal mats, broken eggshells, and those few hiding, dying, injured Mutants. Along with the corpse remains of the "scout" from earlier, he dragged them all to a corner of the Warehouse, pushed them into an abandoned deep pit (possibly a seepage well dug in earlier years), and buried them with rubble and waste. Although he could not completely eliminate the odor, it at least prevented decay and the potential spread of contamination.

Then, he returned to the relatively "clean" safe zone. It was temporarily safe here, but the mysterious "dangerous area" (the source of the strange noises) deep in the eastern passage still existed, and having just gone through a major battle, its subsequent impact was unknown. The generator room shaft and the ventilation ducts provided potential exits, but where they led was unknown.

He needed to evaluate several options:

Option One: Use this Warehouse as a long-term base and develop in depth.

Advantages: It had a stable (though requiring treatment) Water Source, was relatively hidden, had a sturdy structure, and had space for basic defensive modifications (utilizing blueprints and existing Materials). He could calmly digest the Legacy knowledge here, accelerate his strength recovery, and attempt to study Chen Yan's data card, Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe's notes, ancient star charts, and other Materials.

Disadvantages: The "dangerous area" in the eastern passage was a huge hidden danger; its nature of threat was unknown and might change over time. The Warehouse's location might still be on a potential path for the "Cleaning" side or the spread of "abyssal eye" contamination. It lacked outside information and was isolated from the world.

Key Actions: Need to thoroughly investigate and evaluate the threat level and nature of the "dangerous area"; need to find a way to obtain outside information (such as finding radio batteries); need to find more sustainable food sources.

Option Two: Explore the generator room shaft to find a new way out.

Advantages: The blueprints indicated that the shaft might lead to the base of the surface building, making it a potential route for a quick return to the surface. The exploration process itself would also be reconnaissance of a new area.

Disadvantages: The shaft was dozens of meters deep, making climbing dangerous, and the situation at the exit was completely unknown (it might be sealed off, occupied, or exposed in a dangerous area). Once he left, returning to this Warehouse might be difficult.

Key Actions: Need to make sufficient climbing preparations (ropes, lighting); need to preset contingency plans for various exit situations (combat, concealment, retreat).

Option Three: Explore the ventilation duct network to find other underground paths or bases.

Advantages: The ventilation ducts extended in all directions and might connect to other underground areas of the city, potentially leading to safer The Shelter, resource points, or closer to other clues related to "Gatekeeper" (such as other ruins mentioned by Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe?). They were relatively hidden.

Disadvantages: The environment inside the ducts was unknown; they might be narrow, oxygen-deprived, or contain dangerous creatures or traps. It was easy to lose one's way.

Key Actions: Need to carry sufficient lighting, tools, and directional markers; need to carefully choose the direction of exploration.

Option Four: Attempt to return to the surface, but not through the shaft; instead, look for other known exits (marked on the map, but many were "suspected to be blocked").

Advantages: Directly facing the outside world would allow him to obtain first-hand information, search for friends and family, and intervene in the core of the "abyssal eye" incident.

Disadvantages: The situation on the surface was extremely dangerous (the aftermath of the "Meltdown," the spread of "abyssal eye" contamination, control by the "Cleaning" side), his own identity was sensitive, he had just recovered from severe injuries, and the risk was at its highest.

Key Actions: Need precise positioning, careful planning, and preparation of sufficient disguises, identity cover, and contingency plans.

Ling Ye pondered, weighing all the information, resources, his own state, and long-term goals (investigating the mystery of the "Star Gate," searching for the whereabouts of the "Ancient Ring," and dealing with the "abyssal eye" crisis) he currently possessed.

Short-term (1-3 days) top priorities:

Thoroughly recover combat effectiveness (to 70-80%).

Obtain outside information (radio batteries!).

Evaluate the threat of the "dangerous area."

Digest Legacy knowledge and improve the connection with the "dual rings."

Viewed in this light, Option One (using this base as a foundation) combined with an evaluation of the "dangerous area" seemed to be the optimal solution for the short term. However, he had to resolve the issue of information blockage as soon as possible and confirm that the "dangerous area" would not pose an imminent, devastating threat.

He decided to prioritize two things within the next day:

Find batteries for the crystal radio. There were certainly undiscovered corners within the Warehouse, especially areas storing electronic equipment, tools, or potential emergency supplies. Combined with the blueprints and more detailed searching, the possibility of finding batteries was not small.

Conduct an extremely cautious, long-distance, in-depth observation of the "dangerous area." He would not enter deep into the eastern passage but would utilize ventilation ducts or other high vantage points to attempt to observe the conflict site and judge the existence type of the "dangerous area" (biological? geological? mechanical?), as well as its signs of activity.

If the batteries were found and he could obtain outside information, he would be better able to judge the situation on the surface and decide whether to return to the surface as soon as possible.

If the "dangerous area" was judged to be a relatively "static" or "avoidable" threat, then this base could be considered as a short-to-medium-term safe house.

He immediately began to act. First was a more thorough search of the Warehouse, with clear targets: batteries, electronic equipment, spare tools, and undiscovered reserve supplies.

Carrying a crowbar and a high-intensity flashlight, he conducted a second, more detailed combing of the Warehouse using a grid-based method. This time, he focused his inspection on:

All cabinets, boxes, and drawers with doors, regardless of size.

The top layers of shelves and the backs pressed against the walls.

Loose floor tiles or suspicious depressions on the floor.

The interior or base interlayers of large equipment (such as punch press control boxes or machine tool power distribution cabinets).

Hard work pays off. In a damaged "Dawn City Public Alarm System" cabinet leaning against the wall, he found a box of unopened, old-fashioned Type 1 dry batteries (four cells)! Although the model was slightly different from what the radio required, the voltage was the same; it only needed slight modification (using electrical tape and metal strips to connect) to be usable!

In addition, there was an intact explosion-proof flashlight (with stronger light), several rolls of signal wire, and a yellowed alarm point distribution map (covering several blocks around the Warehouse, which might be useful) in the cabinet.

In another corner piled with old instruments, he dismantled an old oscilloscope, obtaining several circuit boards, capacitors, and a small bundle of differently colored wires from inside; perhaps they would be useful for modifying tools in the future.

Underneath a pile of worn-out work clothes, he also discovered a crushed military first-aid kit. Although most of the medicine inside was expired, the hemostatic powder, suturing needles and thread, and disinfectant tablets were still well-sealed, making for a valuable medical supplement.

One of the most important gains was in the northwesternmost corner of the Warehouse, inside a hidden compartment completely blocked by oil drums and discarded tires, where Ling Ye discovered a long wooden box wrapped in tarpaulin that had been preserved in good condition! After opening it, inside, there actually were:

A well-maintained old-fashioned bolt-action rifle with a bayonet (the model was ancient, but the structure was simple and reliable), with fifty brass bullets placed beside it!

A military flare gun, equipped with three red flares!

Two defensive hand grenades (old-fashioned oval-shaped)!

A multi-functional engineer shovel!

As well as a firearm maintenance manual and a simple shooting tutorial!

This was practically an armory! It was very likely emergency equipment hidden here by the Warehouse guards or some secret unit back in the day. Although the models were old, their power could not be underestimated! Especially that rifle; in the current absence of heavy firepower, it was a tremendous deterrent and capital for self-preservation. The flare gun and grenades could also have miraculous effects in specific situations.

Ling Ye suppressed his excitement and carefully checked the status of all the weapons. The rifle chamber was clean, the springs were strong, and the bullets were in good condition. He knew a little about firearms (from the original "Ling Ye's" military training memories and his own learning ability), and quickly familiarized himself with the operation according to the manual. He slung the rifle on his back, carefully stowed the bullets, flares, and grenades, and tucked the engineer shovel into his waist.

With this equipment, his survival capability and combat power had leaped up by a large tier!

Now, the two major problems of batteries and weapons were preliminarily solved. He returned to the safe zone and immediately set to work modifying the batteries to power the crystal radio. Using the found metal sheets and tape, he made a simple battery holder, connected two size-D batteries in series, and plugged them into the radio.

"Screech… crackle…"

He turned on the switch and adjusted the knob. After a burst of static, intermittent human voices began to come through!

"...Repeating... This is the Dawn City emergency broadcast... The contamination incident in the Old Factory District is still ongoing... Please, all citizens, remain calm, follow instructions, and do not head to the southeastern region..."

"...The military has already established temporary shelters in the Third, Fifth, and Seventh Districts, providing basic food, lodging, and medical care... Please proceed in an orderly manner..."

"...Warning: There is still high radiation and abnormal energy residue in the southeastern direction; approach is strictly prohibited without permission... Report any individuals acting abnormally or suspicious items immediately..."

"...Due to damage to communication facilities, the coverage range of this broadcast is limited... Rescue forces are currently doing their utmost..."

The broadcast signal was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, mixed with a large amount of interference, but the information was clear: the city had not been completely destroyed; the military and the "Cleaning" party (not explicitly stated) were attempting to control the situation and establish Order, but the contamination (the "abyssal eye" leak) was still ongoing, and the southeastern district was the disaster zone. This basically aligned with his previous conjectures.

He continued to tune the frequency, occasionally catching some noise fragments of encrypted communications, as well as the faint distress signals of other survivors in the distance (which were quickly cut off), but there was no more specific information regarding Oak Street, Rust Town, or "Deep Space Frontier Capital," "Azure Watch," etc.

At the very least, he knew that the surface had not fallen into a state of complete anarchic extinction; Order was being arduously rebuilt. For him, who intended to return to the surface, this was both good news (there were organizations to rely on or utilize) and bad news (controls were stricter, and his identity was sensitive).

Having obtained basic information about the outside world, the next step was to assess the "dangerous area."

Carrying the rifle, engineer shovel, and high-intensity flashlight, he returned to the ventilation duct maintenance hatch. This time, he chose another branch duct; according to the blueprint, this duct seemed able to loop around to the side or above the eastern passage, perhaps allowing for a better angle of observation.

The inside of the duct was narrow and winding, so he could only crawl forward. After crawling for about twenty meters, a larger intersection appeared ahead, where there was a damaged ventilation louver, directly facing below—it was exactly near the fork of the eastern passage!

He carefully crept up to the gap in the louver and looked down.

The beam of the flashlight pierced the darkness, illuminating the scene below.

The first thing that came into view was a chaotic battlefield. Scattered on the passage floor were a large number of shattered carapaces, severed tentacles, and viscous blood that had long since congealed and turned black. Many of the remains were covered in a layer of grayish-white, lime-like or some kind of mineral powder. There were also many deep scratch marks and impact dents on the walls, as well as some sprayed, already dried dark blue gelatinous substances.

Further into the fork, in the direction leading to the "dangerous area," the passage seemed to be partially blocked by a pile of collapsed rocks and twisted metal pipes. Within the collapse, one could vaguely see several particularly thick, but already stiff, Mutant remains covered in even more grayish-white powder, as if they had been crushed or trapped while trying to rush inside.

Most eye-catching of all was a deep, bottomless hole on the ground not far in front of the collapse, about two meters in diameter, with irregularly torn edges! The rocks and metal at the edge of the opening presented a strange, melted-and-resolidified form, emitting a faint smell of sulfur and ozone, and a residual, extremely weak, cold energy fluctuation that was homologous to the "abyssal eye" but more "inert"! The inside of the hole was pitch black and bottomless, and that low "wooing" sound seemed to be coming from the depths of this hole, like the breathing of the earth's veins.

He did not see any obvious, active "creatures." The battle seemed to have ended, concluding with the disastrous defeat of the Mutant swarm and the "closing" (or temporary dormancy?) of this mysterious hole.

Ling Ye observed carefully. Could that hole be the core of the "dangerous area"? Was it some kind of geothermal vent? A natural toxic gas leak point? Or... some kind of small spatial rift or energy leak point related to the "abyssal eye" or "Star Gate"? Were those grayish-white powders the residue after a high-temperature or highly corrosive gas/liquid eruption? Were those dark blue gelatinous substances the product of a reaction between the Mutant's "blood" and some substance?

Judging from the scene, this hole seemed to possess powerful passive defensive or counter-attack capabilities, capable of spraying high-temperature/corrosive substances or triggering local collapses. However, it did not seem to show any signs of actively expanding or sending out "creatures." It was more like a fixed, dangerous natural (or artificially left behind) phenomenon.

Threat assessment: High, but relatively "static." As long as one did not approach, attempt to enter, or provoke that hole, it did not seem to actively attack. However, it had blocked the main eastern passage, also becoming an insurmountable obstacle and a potential source of contamination.

The intelligence was sufficient. Ling Ye slowly retreated and left the ventilation duct.

Returning to the safe zone, he combined all the new information and made a final decision:

Short-term (the next 2-3 days): Use this Warehouse as a base to complete thorough recovery, digest the Legacy, study the Materials, and use the radio to continuously monitor external dynamics.

Middle Stage (after 3-5 days): When his strength had recovered to 70-80% and he had a clearer grasp of the external situation, he would attempt to return to the surface via the generator room shaft. Goals: Find Wang Hao and Sun Li, investigate the movements of Su Qing and the "Cleaning" party, and try to obtain more definitive clues regarding the whereabouts of the "Ancient Ring" (descendants of the "Star-Falling Witch") and the "Frozen Wasteland."

Long-term: Depending on the situation on the surface, decide whether to lie low and develop, or to begin the journey to the "Frozen Wasteland."

With the plan set, his mind was clear.

He returned to the safe zone, swallowed some food, treated his wounds, and then entered into deep meditation and digestion of the Legacy once again. This time, he focused on studying the sections on introductory energy manipulation and basic rune knowledge in the "Gatekeeper's Primary Legacy," and attempted to guide the weak resonance between the "Ancient Ring" and the "bone ring" to accelerate his own recovery.

Time quietly slipped away amidst focused cultivation and occasional vigilance.

Outside the Warehouse, the city shrouded in disaster was struggling on the edge of chaos and Order.

And inside the Warehouse, a scarred yet infinitely potential-filled seed was accumulating strength, waiting for the moment to break through the soil and face the storm-filled sky.

The true path belonging to the "Gatekeeper" Ling Ye was about to... officially begin.