214: Chapter 214 The Embers Return

Above the ruins of the nest, the embers had not yet died out, and wisps of blue smoke curled upward, emitting the nauseating, scorched stench peculiar to burning protein and energy.

The burning pain, ringing in his ears, the smell of blood, and the dull ache in his internal organs were like maggots boring into his bones, constantly reminding him of the limits his body was enduring.

And that sense of "discordance," which was rapidly dissipating yet still left behind a lingering trace of icy aftertaste, acted like an invisible alarm, warning that greater danger could track him down at any moment.

Although Ling Ye's eyes were slightly dim from pain and exhaustion, the cluster of cold flames deep within them had not been extinguished.

He fought through the dizziness and the stinging pain all over his body, quickly scanning the two tunnel entrances that hadn't been completely buried.

The left opening pointed roughly northwest, at an angle to the direction he had come from (the shaft and pumping station), but the sense of contamination seemed to be dissipating in that direction. The airflow from the opening carried a relatively less foul scent, even possessing a faint trace of something like dust from a ventilation shaft.

The right opening pointed southeast, toward the deeper underground—the direction of the "Dark Nest." The airflow surging from within was more humid and stifling, carrying a thicker scent of silt and... some sort of faint, rhythmic, low-frequency vibration?

He did not hesitate. He chose the left opening.

He no longer lingered on the ruins behind him or the potential spoils of war.

He bent down and, using his still-functional left hand, picked up a relatively thick, burning remnant of a wooden beam from the ground, using it as a torch, a crutch, and a makeshift weapon.

With his right hand, he fished out the last small half-bottle of medical alcohol from his tattered satchel, unscrewed the cap, and poured some of it onto the most severe burn and corrosion wounds on his arm and back.

"Hiss—!"

The excruciating pain surged through his entire body like an electric current, making him nearly bite his teeth into pieces.

But the cool, sterilizing sensation of the alcohol followed, slightly alleviating the fiery burning sensation.

He used strips of relatively clean cloth torn from his inner garment to hastily bandage the wounds on his arm and the back of his neck; the ones on his back had to be left alone for now.

After finishing this simple emergency treatment, he didn't delay any longer, holding the crackling, flickering wooden beam aloft as he plunged into the black hole on the left.

Behind the opening was indeed an upward-sloping, relatively dry concrete passage, much more orderly than the previous sewage pipe; it appeared to be an old ventilation or maintenance tunnel.

Although the air inside the passage was still murky, the pungent stench of fishiness and ammonia had faded significantly.

The ground was covered in thick dust, and the walls bore blurred markings and lighting circuits that had long since failed.

He followed the passage, enduring the pain, limping upward step by step.

The light from the wooden beam dispelled the darkness for a few meters ahead, casting his long, swaying shadow against the walls.

The ringing in his ears was still severe; he could only hear his own heavy breathing, his heartbeat, and the faint crackling of the burning wood.

But his "Energy Perception" was still operating, remaining vigilant for any movement in front or behind him.

After walking about fifty or sixty meters, the passage began to fork.

Relying on his vague sense of direction, as well as the signs of airflow and dust movement, he chose to continue along the main upward path.

During this time, he heard several sharp, shrill screeches from deep within the passage—sounds like rats but far more piercing—but they quickly faded away, as if something had been scared off by the firelight and the scent of a living person.

After ascending a bit further, a half-covered, rusted metal gate appeared ahead.

Behind the gate seemed to be a small equipment room, stacked with some discarded machine parts and toolboxes; there was a faint smell of machine oil in the air.

On the other side of the equipment room, there was an ajar wooden door leading to the staircase above. Through the gap in the door, a more natural light shone through—the dim, yellow light of an incandescent bulb that hadn't been maintained for a long time, not the light of a flashlight or a flame.

It seemed he was approaching the ground floor of some building?

Ling Ye did not push the door open immediately.

He first extinguished the wooden beam, which was about to burn out (only a small, charred piece of charcoal remained), and listened intently (despite his impaired hearing).

It was very quiet outside the door; there were no footsteps, no sounds of conversation.

He carefully pushed the wooden door open a crack.

Outside the door was a narrow, dirty, dimly lit stairwell with stairs leading upward.

The stairwell was piled with miscellaneous items, and the wall plaster was peeling, but it was definitely the interior of a man-made building!

The air smelled of dust, mold, and a trace of... a very faint scent belonging to human life (a mix of dust, food scraps, and body odor), though it seemed to have been a long time ago.

He slipped into the stairwell and gently pulled the door shut behind him.

Leaning his back against the cold, rough wall, he slowly slid down to the ground and let out a long, silent breath.

Temporarily... safe.

He checked his satchel.

Only the last small packet of compressed rations remained, and only half a flask of water.

The medicine was basically gone.

The key documents were still there.

He broke off a small piece of the dry rations and, with a sip of water, swallowed it with difficulty.

The rations were coarse and hard to swallow, but they could provide the most basic calories.

After eating, he leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and began his deepest—and most dangerous—attempt: in his injured and extremely exhausted state, he entered the "Star Visualization," guiding the power of the faint "Ancient Ring" mark and the "xuanyuan ring" to attempt to accelerate the healing of his injuries, purge the residual corruption from his body, and recover a trace of Mental Energy.

This was a slow and painful process.

Every time he guided the energy to flow through his damaged Meridians and burn wounds, it brought a tearing pain.

But he gritted his teeth and persisted, his will like an undying star, stubbornly emitting a faint light in the darkness.

He did not know how much time had passed—perhaps half an hour, perhaps longer.

When he opened his eyes again, although the exhaustion remained, the blood-red color and unfocused gaze had faded significantly, and the ringing in his ears had also eased.

The most severe wounds began to itch distinctly; that was the tissue starting to regenerate rapidly under the nourishment of the "dual rings" faint light.

The dull ache in his internal organs had also eased somewhat.

His condition had recovered a little bit.

At least, he had the basic ability to act and think.

He stood up and exercised his still-stiff and aching muscles and bones.

Then, he began to explore the building.

The stairs led upward, seemingly to higher floors.

But he did not intend to go up for the time being.

On this floor of the stairwell, he found an ajar door; behind it was an empty, dust-filled small room, which seemed to have been a storeroom in the past.

Inside the room was a dilapidated wooden table, an overturned chair, and some empty cardboard boxes piled in the corner.

The window was sealed shut, but there was a very small, oil-stained ventilation louver; outside the window was the back alley of the building, where he could see the opposite wall and a small patch of lead-gray sky.

This place could serve as a temporary hideout.

It was relatively hidden, had an escape route (the stairs), an observation point (the louver), and for the time being, there were no signs of activity from other people or dangerous creatures.

He needed to rest here, treat his more detailed injuries, and think about the next steps.

He first cleaned the room briefly and used the rags he found to block the gaps in the door to reduce the leakage of odors and light.

Then, he sat behind the broken table and, with the extremely faint natural light filtering through the louver, began to take stock of the current situation and plan for the future.

Current Status:

Condition: Seriously injured (burns, corrosion wounds, internal organ concussion), exhausted, deaf (partially recovered), supplies exhausted.

Equipment: Lost rifle, combat knife, high-intensity flashlight, grenades.

Only a satchel, a small amount of food and water, key documents, a mechanical watch, and a set of tattered clothes remain.

Location: Suspected to be on the ground floor of an abandoned building on the outskirts of the "Dark Nest" radiation zone.

The specific location is unknown, but he should have escaped the most dangerous core area of the pipe network.

Intelligence: Destroyed a small secondary pollution nest, confirmed that the "Dark Nest" contamination has penetrated deep into the underground pipe network, and that there are active breeding points.

Observed military and unidentified "Plainclothes Agents" activity around the "Dark Nest."

Urgent Needs:

A safe, long-term place to recover from injuries.

Food, water, and medical supplies.

Weapons, tools, and lighting equipment.

More intelligence on the "Dark Nest," the military, and the "Plainclothes Agents."

Find a way to return to a relatively safe area or establish contact with Wang Hao, Sun Li, and others (with extreme caution).

Short-term Goals (1-2 days):

Rest in this room and recover from his injuries and exhaustion as much as possible.

Observe the outside world through the louver to determine his specific location and the surrounding environment.

Under the premise of ensuring safety, explore this building to a limited extent to search for potential leftover supplies (food, water, medicine, tools).

Attempt to use a radio (needs batteries) or "Energy Perception" to capture signals or energy fluctuations in the nearby area to assess risks.

Mid-to-long-term Goals:

After recovering basic combat capability, find a way to leave this high-risk area and head toward the vicinity of the military settlement mentioned by Zhao Haichuan or on the radio (without entering), seeking opportunities to obtain supplies and intelligence.

Investigate the truth behind the "Dark Nest" and the "Plainclothes Agents," and search for clues regarding the whereabouts of the "Ancient Ring."

While ensuring his own survival, explore the possibility of ending the threat of the "abyssal eye."

The plan was clear, but every step was full of variables and dangers.

He leaned against the cold wall, his gaze passing through the gaps in the louver, looking out at the familiar yet strange city sky shrouded in the clouds of disaster.

The "xuanyuan ring" in his hand flowed with a faint yet constant, eerie light in the dimness.

The "Ancient Ring" mark deep within his Soul also transmitted a trace of stable warmth that carried a sense of being a Guardian.

The road was still long.

But at least, he was still alive.

And as long as he was alive, there were infinite possibilities.