216: Chapter 216 Nighttime Investigation of Blue Light

The lead-gray sky outside the window showed no obvious signs of day or night passing; the light simply grew dimmer and muddier, like a heavy blanket soaked in sewage, pressing down heavily on the ruins of the buildings. The rhythmic, low rumble in the distance felt exceptionally clear in the thickening "night," like the dying pulse of the city.

A safe retreat might temporarily avoid known risks, but passive waiting and going with the flow would never allow one to take the initiative. The "Blue Light" marked on that naive, hand-drawn map was like a faint, eerie guiding light in the darkness, subtly fitting the characteristics of the "abyssal eye," yet it appeared outside the core area of the "Dark Nest." This defied logic. Either it was a child's imagination or misremembering, or... it meant that there existed some independent or auxiliary anomaly point related to the "abyssal eye" contamination, one not yet fully controlled (or discovered) by the military or the "Plainclothes Agents."

Such places often contained risks, but they could also hide the key to breaking the deadlock—whether it was information about the "abyssal eye" itself, potentially unlooted resources, or even... some method to interfere with tracking or hide oneself.

Ling Ye's eyes flickered with calm calculation in the dim light. His supplies could still hold out, his injuries were slowly healing, and the net of the pursuit was tightening. Rather than passively depleting his resources while fleeing, it would be better to take the initiative and seek opportunities within the danger.

He decided to investigate the substation Warehouse area at night.

But it was by no means reckless. He carefully hid the two cans of beans, a spare battery, the child's map, the diary, and other items he wouldn't need for the time being deep inside the closet, blocking them off again with broken wooden boards. He only carried one can of beans, half a bag of hard biscuits, his canteen (refilled with settled water), povidone-iodine gauze, pliers, a screwdriver, the crystal radio (with batteries installed), and the roll of paracord and electrical tape. As for weapons, he only had that charred wooden beam from the nest, burned down to just over a foot long, which could barely serve as a short club, and the multi-function military knife he always carried (thankfully, it had been tucked behind his waist and wasn't affected by the explosion).

He took off his tattered jacket, tore a relatively clean old bedsheet he had found into strips, and re-bandaged the exposed wounds on his arms and the back of his neck, trying his best to cover up the fresh blood and abnormal skin color (the faint glow of the "xuanyuan ring" was also covered by wrapping his finger with cloth strips). Then, he cut a piece from the remaining bedsheet to cover his nose and mouth, leaving only his eyes exposed, and rubbed a little dust on his clothes and exposed skin, trying his best to look like an ordinary, dirty, and disheveled wanderer struggling to survive in the ruins.

Ready. He checked his equipment one last time, confirming the radio was off and the battery was sufficient (the indicator light was faint). Then, he left the room silently, returned to the stairwell, and instead of taking the front door, climbed out through a broken window on the second floor, landing in a narrow alley behind the building filled with broken bricks and rubble.

Based on the hand-drawn map and his sense of direction, he identified his bearings. The substation Warehouse area was roughly to the southeast, requiring him to cross a few abandoned streets and a small open area. He chose a relatively hidden route that hugged the shadows of buildings and piles of rubble, starting to move quickly and cautiously under the cover of the deepening gloom.

The streets were empty and deathly silent, with only the wailing of the wind through broken window frames and the occasional, sporadic, source-unknown gunfire in the distance. Toppled utility poles, the burnt wrecks of vehicles, and debris and trash visible everywhere formed a passage filled with obstacles. He utilized every available cover, sometimes sprinting, sometimes lurking, with his ears and "Energy Perception" fully engaged, alert to the movement of any living thing.

During this time, he saw a military vehicle patrol from afar. Two camouflaged jeeps with their headlights on slowly drove through an intersection on a main road, the machine gunner on the roof scanning the surroundings vigilantly. He immediately crouched low, hiding behind an overturned truck, and only continued forward after the headlights faded away and the engine sounds disappeared.

He also encountered a small pack of wild dogs scavenging for food in a trash heap. These animals had red eyes, dirty fur, and were full of aggression, but under the aura Ling Ye emitted—a mix of the lingering contamination of the "abyssal eye" and his own cold killing intent—as well as the deterrent of the charred wooden stick in his hand, they growled and backed away.

About half an hour later, he crossed the last patch of open ground piled with construction waste, and an area simply enclosed by rusted barbed wire and broken concrete slabs appeared before him. In the center of the area were several low, square brick-concrete Warehouses and an open-air substation with high-voltage towers and transformer equipment. Most of the substation equipment was silent and rusted, but on the side of one of the larger transformer boxes, a crack had opened up, from which an extremely faint, dark blue glow, pulsing like a breath, was faintly seeping out!

That was it! The "Blue Light"!

However, Ling Ye's heart sank instantly.

Because he saw that parked outside the barbed wire fence of the substation were two dark gray, unmarked box trucks! Standing next to the trucks were four or five figures wearing dark plain clothes, holding strangely shaped instruments with antennas and display screens! They were gathered around the transformer box, talking in low voices, the light from the instrument screens reflecting on their calm and focused faces.

It was those "Plainclothes Agents"! They were actually here too! And, it seemed they were conducting tests or operations on that transformer emitting the blue light!

Ling Ye immediately crouched down, hiding behind a pile of abandoned cable reels, his heart pounding wildly. How could it be such a coincidence? Or... was this place already within their surveillance or investigation range? Was that child's mark not a coincidence?

He dared not get closer, pushing his "Energy Perception" to the limit while pricking up his ears, trying to catch their snippets of conversation. At a distance of about fifty meters, the wind interfered, making it hard to hear clearly, but intermittent words drifted over:

"...Readings are stable... but the frequency has abnormal fluctuations... seems to be a delay... with the 'Main Nest' pulse..."

"Sample collection... be careful of contamination... Level 3 protection..."

"Record the coordinates... G-7 Node... secondary resonance point..."

"'the key' frequency simulation test... prepare for the next round..."

"the key" frequency simulation test?!

Ling Ye's pupils shrank! These people were not only monitoring this "Blue Light" point, but also trying to simulate the frequency of "the key"? They knew of the existence of "the key" and might even be conducting related research! Was this place a small "secondary node" that had energy resonance with the "Dark Nest," being used by them as an experimental ground?

He had to know more! But there were many of them, they were well-equipped, and clearly well-trained. Charging in was suicide.

He needed to get closer, hear more clearly, and perhaps... see what they were doing. His gaze turned to the roof of the tallest Warehouse next to the substation area. The Warehouse was about three stories high, with a flat roof that had partially collapsed, but it looked climbable. From there, he might be able to use binoculars (unfortunately, he had none) or get a better angle to observe below, and also hear the sounds more clearly.

But climbing the Warehouse would inevitably expose him to risk. Moreover, the situation inside the Warehouse was unknown.

Just as he was weighing his options, those "Plainclothes Agents" below seemed to have finished their preliminary tests. Two of them remained by the trucks to operate the instruments, while the other three walked towards a small, rusted iron door of the substation not far from where Ling Ye was hiding! That door seemed to be an entrance leading to the interior or underground facilities of the substation!

They were going in? Into the source of that blue light?

An opportunity! If they went in, the number of people left on guard outside would decrease, perhaps he could take the chance to get closer to observe, or even... find an opportunity to sneak into the Warehouse or the substation?

But the risk also increased simultaneously.

Ling Ye held his breath, his body frozen in the shadows like a rock, his gaze locked tightly onto the three "Plainclothes Agents" walking toward the iron door, and the door that was slowly being opened, revealing deeper darkness and a faint blue light.