219: Chapter 219 A Desperate Run

The inner wall of the pipe was slick and sticky, covered in aged rust, moss, and some indescribable, slimy grime.

Darkness, like solidified ink, pressed in from all sides; only from the direction of the pipe opening behind him did the remnant light of a flashlight beam filter through, along with the increasingly clear sounds of pursuit and the humming of energy equipment starting up.

"Emergency Purification procedure"?! Ling Ye didn't know exactly what that was, but the cold, efficient sense of destruction contained within that humming made the hair on the back of his neck stand up!

He absolutely could not stop, and even less could he turn back!

He crawled desperately forward in the narrow pipe, using both hands and feet.

The slope of the pipe was quite steep and tilted downward; this accelerated his speed but also made it difficult for him to control his direction.

The rough pipe walls and protruding rivets constantly scraped against his body, and his hastily bandaged wounds split open again, sending searing pain through him.

But he couldn't care about that anymore; the instinct to survive and the extreme premonition of danger from that humming sound drove him to squeeze out the very last ounce of strength in his body.

The pipe didn't seem to be a straight line but rather had a certain curvature.

The flashlight beam behind him was blocked by the bending pipe wall and rapidly dimmed.

But the footsteps of the pursuers, and that increasingly loud, increasingly close energy hum, were like maggots on a bone, clinging tightly to him.

"He went that way!"

"Don't lose him! Initiate Purification! Cover this section!"

"Watch out for energy backlash!"

The humming suddenly became sharp! Immediately after, a scorching airflow mixed with the pungent smell of ozone and something like burnt protein rushed in from deep within the pipe behind him!

Had "Purification" started? Some kind of energy pulse or high-temperature shock?

Alarm bells rang in Ling Ye's heart; with no time to think, he lunged forward, pressing himself tightly against the bottom of the pipe, hands over his head!

"Boom—!!!"

It wasn't a violent explosion, but a low, high-frequency energy vibration that instantly swept through the entire pipe!

The pipe walls trembled violently, groaning under the strain!

Dark blue energy ripples, like electric arcs, surged in from behind like a tide; wherever they passed, the rust and moss on the inner walls of the pipe instantly carbonized and peeled off!

The air was ionized, crackling with pops!

Ling Ye felt as if countless burning red steel needles had instantly pierced his body and Soul!

The intense pain almost made him faint!

The "xuanyuan ring" suddenly erupted with a cold, ghostly light, fiercely resisting that erosive energy, emitting a faint sound like shattering glass.

The "Ancient Ring" mark deep within his Soul also sent out a wave of intense fluctuation, radiating a protective warmth that barely shielded his mental core.

This energy shock came quickly and left just as quickly.

But even just a graze along the edge left him as if he had been fished out of water; his entire body was soaked in cold sweat and the filth from the pipe, his vision swam with black spots, his ears were left with nothing but sharp ringing, and the smell of blood permeated his mouth and nose.

But he was still alive! Moreover, the sounds of pursuit and humming behind him seemed to have been disrupted by this wave of energy shock, causing a brief pause and chaos!

"Damn it! The pipe structure is unstable! Energy feedback!"

"Retreat first! Block the exit from the outside! He can't escape!"

The pursuers seemed to have temporarily given up on pursuing him deep into the pipe, perhaps worried about the pipe collapsing, or perhaps because the "Purification" procedure had also affected the pipe itself.

Opportunity! Ling Ye endured the intense pain and dizziness, bit his tongue, used the sharp pain to stimulate himself to stay awake, and again crawled forward using his hands and feet!

Every movement tugged at the pain throughout his body, but he dared not stop for even a moment.

He didn't know where this pipe led, only that he had to get far away from that death trap behind him.

Darkness, dampness, narrowness, the unknown... everything was suffocating.

He could only rely on his sense of touch and direction, moving along the pipe downward, and then further downward.

He didn't know how long he had been crawling, maybe a few minutes, maybe longer.

The sounds behind him had completely disappeared, leaving only his own heavy, suppressed breathing and the hollow sound of wind coming from deep within the pipe.

The pipe began to level out, and then it seemed to have an upward trend.

Suddenly, a faint, dim yellow light appeared ahead!

It wasn't blue light, nor was it a flashlight beam, but rather the kind of light similar to old incandescent bulbs!

Was it an exit? Or another room?

His spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace.

The light drew closer, accompanied by a faint, rhythmic, low rumbling sound, and... the sound of water?

Finally, he crawled to the end of the pipe.

This was a connection point for a larger pipe, with the pipe opening located on a rough concrete wall, about two meters above the ground below.

Below, it seemed to be a small underground pump room or water treatment room; the space was not large, the lighting was dim, and it was covered in dust and water stains.

Some discarded filter cartridges and tools were piled in the corner.

On the other side of the room, there was a heavy, half-open fire door; outside the door was a hallway with lights, and the sound of water and the low rumble came from outside the door.

For now, there was no sign of anyone.

Ling Ye poked his head out from the pipe opening, carefully observed the room below, and after confirming it was safe, cautiously climbed out of the pipe and landed on the dusty ground.

The movement tugged at his wounds, causing him to grunt and nearly fall.

He leaned against the cold wall, breathing heavily, feeling as if all the bones in his body had fallen apart.

But the danger had not yet been lifted; this place was clearly still within the search range of the "Plainclothes Agents", or at least was a related facility.

He had to leave this pump room immediately and find a path to a truly safe area.

His gaze swept across the room, and next to the pile of tools, he saw a rusted toolbox.

Opening it, he saw some wrenches, screwdrivers, a half-meter-long, rusty but still sharp pipe cutter, as well as a small roll of electrical tape and a few pairs of dirty work gloves.

A weapon! Although simple, it was better than being empty-handed.

He didn't hesitate to pick up the pipe cutter, put on a pair of gloves (to cover the faint light of the "xuanyuan ring" on his hand and also to avoid leaving fresh fingerprints), and stuffed the tape into his pocket.

Then, he walked lightly and quietly to the half-open fire door and listened.

Outside the door was a much wider underground hallway, with mottled concrete walls on both sides, and exposed pipes and dim, explosion-proof lights that only lit up at intervals overhead.

One end of the hallway led into darkness, while the other end emitted clearer sounds of water flow and machine rumbling, and he could vaguely hear human voices!

"... The signal at the G-7 Node has been interrupted; it might be that the Purification procedure caused a short circuit."

"Damn it, another accident! These secondary nodes have been getting increasingly unstable lately."

"The higher-ups ordered increased patrols, especially in the old pipe network area. I heard something happened at IN-1147; an unidentified person intervened and even destroyed an unregistered secondary incubation point."

"Hmph, overestimating themselves. The fluctuations of 'the key' are becoming more and more obvious; those rats hiding underground will sooner or later be dragged out and cleaned up."

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and finish checking the C-zone valves, and go back to change shifts."

They were patrolling guards! Listening to the conversation, they seemed to be grassroots personnel belonging to some organization (very likely the faction the "Plainclothes Agents" belonged to), responsible for maintaining the daily operation and security of this underground facility.

They mentioned the "G-7 Node signal interruption"; it seems the "Purification" procedure did indeed have an impact, temporarily covering his tracks. They also mentioned "IN-1147" and the nest he destroyed, indicating that the incident there had already attracted the attention of higher-ups.

He must avoid them!

Ling Ye held his breath, waited until the footsteps and voices of the two people had receded in the direction of the water sound, then gently pushed open the fire door, slipped into the hallway, and immediately moved quickly in the opposite direction—that is, toward the other end of the hallway, that area of darkness.

He didn't dare to run, but could only tread lightly, sticking to the shadows of the walls, trying his best to use the pipes and pillars as cover to move forward quickly.

The hallway was very long, the lighting was dim, and the air was murky.

Along the way, he passed several tightly closed iron doors labeled "Equipment Room", "Storage Room", and "Danger – Do Not Enter", none of which he attempted to open.

Finally, at the end of the hallway, he saw an upward, spiraling metal staircase; above the stairs, there seemed to be light and a ventilation opening, and he could vaguely hear the muffled, city-background noise coming from outside—vehicles driving by, faint music, and distant human voices.

Was it an exit leading to the surface?

Ling Ye felt a surge of joy, but immediately became vigilant.

The exit most likely had guards or surveillance.

He slowed his pace and approached the bottom of the stairs silently.

The staircase was open-style, spiraling upward, about three or four stories high.

He could see the exit at the top of the stairs, which was a heavy fire door with an observation window; the door seemed to be ajar, with light filtering in through the gap.

He didn't hear any human voices near the door.

He took a deep breath, gripped the pipe cutter in his hand, and began to climb up the stairs, step by step, silently.

Every step was cautious, avoiding making any sound on the metal staircase.

When he climbed near the top, he stopped, lowered his body, and observed upward through the gaps in the staircase railing.

Outside the fire door, it seemed to be the back alley or loading dock of a building.

He could see a small patch of lead-gray sky and the walls of the building opposite.

There was no one in sight, and no obvious surveillance cameras (at least not visible from this angle).

He gently pushed open the fire door, slipped out, and immediately closed the door behind him.

Outside was a narrow back alley, piled with a few large green dumpsters.

The air was damp and cold, carrying the smell of rain and the complex scent peculiar to the city.

One end of the alley was locked by an iron gate, while the other end led to a slightly wider street where vehicles occasionally drove by.

Across the street were some low, squat buildings that looked like Warehouses or small processing plants.

This place was already far away from the substation Warehouse area; it seemed to be another corner of the city, looking ordinary and dilapidated.

Ling Ye leaned against the cold wall and let out a long, silent breath.

For now... he was safe.

He quickly took stock of himself.

Covered in mud and blood, his clothes tattered, and holding a rusty pipe cutter in his hand, his appearance would definitely attract unnecessary attention if he walked on the street like this.

He had to clean up immediately, change his clothes, and leave this area as soon as possible.

He saw a dirty, oil-stained work jacket and an old, tattered baseball cap thrown next to a dumpster not far away.

Although dirty, it could at least provide some cover.

He walked over, picked up the work jacket and put it on (covering his tattered clothes and some of his wounds), put on the baseball cap (lowering the brim), and then wrapped the pipe cutter with some torn rags he found and tucked it inside the work jacket.

After doing this, he looked just like an unlucky worker who had just finished a night shift and was covered in dirt.

He took one last look at the fire door leading underground behind him, turned around, lowered his head, and walked quickly toward the street outside the alley, where there were vehicles and pedestrians (though few).

He had to leave here as soon as possible, find a new, safer hideout, digest the information he had just obtained, treat his wounds, and then... plan his next move.

The piece of paper he had obtained from the "Plainclothes Agents" was now pressed tightly against his chest, like a scorching secret, and also like a key that might open up a new situation.