225: Chapter 225 The Light Chaser

The musty smell inside the shack mixed with the scent of mud and decay clinging to his body, forming a nauseating, viscous sense of reality that, like the patch of green fungal film itself, served as a reminder of the aberration and filth from the very bottom of the material world that he had just encountered.

However, when Ling Ye's fingers touched the neatly folded record paper inside his coat through the rough fabric, a distinctly different, cold sensation—one that felt woven from metal and data, belonging to a higher level of "anomaly"—was clearly transmitted to him.

"the key"... simulated frequency... phase delay... guidance and suppression...

What these terms represented was a power system completely different from the "green light" corruption, a power closer to the essence of the "abyssal eye" and more likely to touch upon the deeper secrets of this world.

That "The Plainclothes Organization" had clearly gone further down this path and was more of a threat.

The "green light" point might be a new form of pollution or an isolated incident, but as it stood, its direct connection to "the key", the core mysteries of the "abyssal eye", and his own situation was far less clear than the trail of "The Plainclothes Organization".

Ling Ye's eyes became sharp and focused once again in the dim light.

The brief deviation and reconnaissance had yielded the necessary information.

Now, he had to return to the main thread.

The light of "the key" was the goal he needed to pursue.

And the clue to that pursuit lay with "The Plainclothes Organization".

He no longer gave any thought to that foul-smelling sewage outlet.

He temporarily sealed away the memories of the "green light", the wriggling creatures, and the decaying fungal film, along with that fishy, sweet smell, categorizing them under "potential environmental threats to be wary of".

All his mental energy now had to be devoted to investigating "The Plainclothes Organization".

But how to begin?

Searching for their facilities directly was no different from blind men feeling an elephant.

The record from the G-7 Node provided a possible entry point: their monitoring and screening network.

The fact that they could discover and mark IN-1147 (the nest he had destroyed) and monitor secondary nodes like the G-7 Node for long periods indicated that they possessed a monitoring system that was either fixed or mobile.

Finding the "nodes" or "veins" of this system might allow him to follow the trail, catch a glimpse of how it operated, and perhaps even discover their peripheral facilities.

He needed to formulate a new reconnaissance plan; his target was no longer specific pollution points, but the traces of "The Plainclothes Organization"'s activities.

Plan Codename: "Light Chaser".

Phase One: Analysis and Deduction (Inside the shack, completed today)

Reviewing the G-7 Node and IN-1147 incidents:

G-7 Node: A long-term monitoring point with fixed equipment (recording instruments) and regular sampling.

Located in the substation Warehouse area, it was relatively isolated and hidden, but not an absolute core.

This suggested that similar nodes might be distributed in places that seemed ordinary but had anomalous energy backgrounds or were convenient for concealed access (old Industrial Zone, basements of large buildings, near special terrain).

IN-1147: A new outbreak point that was rapidly marked.

Method of marking?

It could be a large-scale passive energy fluctuation scanning network (covering the Old Factory District and its surroundings), or it could be mobile detection vehicles/personnel patrolling regularly and marking it after detecting an anomaly.

Considering that "The Plainclothes Organization" could bring precision instruments to work at the G-7 Node site, they likely possessed mobile detection capabilities.

Speculated possible activity patterns:

Fixed monitoring points: They might be disguised as Municipal Government facilities (such as power boxes, communication base stations, ventilation shafts), abandoned buildings, or utilize existing underground pipe networks.

They were characterized by long-term presence, hidden locations, and a need for periodic maintenance or data retrieval.

Mobile detection: Unmarked vans were the most likely carriers.

They might patrol along fixed routes or proceed to verify after receiving an alert from a fixed monitoring point.

The detection range might include energy fluctuations, biological signals, specific chemical/radiation indicators, etc.

Action teams: Like the one encountered at G-7 Node, responsible for sampling, testing, and special operations (such as "Purification").

They were well-equipped and well-trained.

Designating potential reconnaissance areas:

With the Old Factory District (Dark Nest) as the core, a radiation radius of three to five kilometers.

This was the area where their activities were currently known to be most frequent.

Key areas of focus: near the main underground pipe network exits connecting to the core area, concentrations of old factories/Warehouse, elevated observation points, and main road entrances and exits leading to other parts of the city.

These places could serve as locations for fixed monitoring points, and were also convenient for mobile detection vehicle patrols and concealment.

Phase Two: Peripheral Observation and Trace Collection (Next 2-3 days)

Changing observation points: The current shack location was too remote, which was unfavorable for observing main traffic routes and potential monitoring points.

He needed to move northwest (away from the Dark Nest, but still on the edge of the speculated monitoring network) to find an observation point that could simultaneously observe multiple roads and had good concealment and escape routes.

An ideal location might be a higher floor of an abandoned building, with windows facing key intersections and multiple escape routes.

Observation targets:

Vehicles: Focus on finding unmarked dark vans, especially those with tinted windows and no obvious features on the body.

Record their appearance times, travel routes, stopping locations, and approximate vehicle types.

Personnel: Pay attention to whether there were groups of personnel wearing dark plain clothes, with capable demeanor, carrying box-type equipment, who briefly stopped and operated at specific locations (such as roadside power boxes, communication manhole covers, abandoned building entrances).

Anomalies in fixed facilities: Keep an eye out for objects that appeared to be ordinary Municipal Government facilities but had extra cables connected, unusual ventilation shafts or small antennas, fresh tire tracks or footprints around them, or obvious signs of recent maintenance but no Municipal Government markings.

Principles:

Absolute distance: Maintain an observation distance of at least one hundred meters, utilizing binoculars (need to find a way to obtain a simple substitute, such as using convex lens pieces?) or favorable terrain whenever possible.

Never tail: If target vehicles or personnel were discovered, only record their direction of departure; never attempt to follow them.

The opposing party's counter-reconnaissance capabilities were extremely strong.

Judging traces: For any "anomalous" traces discovered, one must carefully judge based on multiple factors (frequency of appearance, coordination with the surrounding environment, signs of recent human activity) to avoid misjudgment.

Evacuate at any time: Once there was a feeling of risk of exposure (such as being noticed, or a vehicle suddenly approaching the observation point), abandon observation immediately and evacuate via the pre-planned escape route.

Phase Three: Information Integration and Risk Assessment

Compare and analyze the observation records of several days to look for patterns (such as the patrol times of specific vehicles or frequent "visits" to certain locations).

Assess the risk of self-exposure and determine whether the current observation point was safe.

Based on the "suspected nodes" or "activity routes" initially discovered, plan the next, more in-depth (but still non-contact) reconnaissance, or, if a "soft target" with extremely high value and controllable risk was discovered (such as an unmanned, peripheral site suspected of being a data relay or equipment storage), then consider whether to plan an extremely precise infiltration for the purpose of gathering intelligence.

The plan was clear, but every step was built upon fragile assumptions and limited observation, and it was accompanied by extremely high risks.

Ling Ye did not hesitate any longer.

He swallowed the last bit of the hard-as-stone "energy bar" and drank a few gulps of water.

Then, he carefully disposed of items inside the shack that might leave personal traces (such as the rags he had used or the broken pot for boiling water), either taking them with him or burying them deep.

He ensured that the place was restored to the state it was in before he arrived.

He dismantled the steel rebar spear (wrapping the spearhead in cloth and tucking it at his waist, using the shaft as a walking stick), hid the pipe cutter, and packed up his other items.

Then, he checked his disguise one last time, and after confirming everything was correct, he left the shack where he had briefly stayed for a few days, as silently as he had arrived, once again blending into the gray morning mist at the edge of the shantytown.

This time, his goal was no longer to lie low, but to conduct active, cautious reconnaissance, as if probing the edge of a minefield.

From the most inconspicuous corners of the city, from those speeding unmarked vehicles, and from those seemingly ordinary Municipal Government facilities, he would search for that wisp of cold "light" that belonged to "the key" and also to deadly danger.