11: Chapter 1 Claw Marks in the Abyss

Cold, damp, and suffocating darkness, mixed with the stench of rust and decaying flesh, wrapped around every inch of Lin Feng's senses like thick sludge.

That twisted, massive skeleton, those claw marks deeply etched into the metal of the pipe walls and glinting with an ominous cold light—every detail was so clear in his low-light vision that it made his scalp tingle. This wasn't a natural death; it was the result of being violently torn apart by some creature possessing terrifying strength!

>> Organic Residue Analysis: Non-Human. Genetic Markers Degraded. Estimated Time of Death: 72h

>> Claw Mark Analysis: Metallic Composition - High-Strength Tungsten Alloy. Sharpness: Extreme. Applied Force: >2000N. Non-natural creation.

The ability's analysis results were cold and objective, yet they only added to the chill in the air. Claw blades made of high-strength tungsten alloy? A swinging force exceeding two hundred kilograms? This was no wild creature at all! This was some kind of manufactured killing machine!

And what made his blood almost freeze was—

Shhh... shhh...

An extremely faint, yet unmistakably clear sound of metal scraping came from deep within the pipes he had just passed through!

It wasn't coming from the unknown dark area ahead, but from behind him! From the path he had come from!

Something... or someone... had followed him in! And it was getting closer!

Was it the cleaner code-named "Razor"? Had he broken through Ling Yue's shielding so quickly and found the pipe entrance? Or... was it the owner of those claw marks, that terrifying killing machine, returning to its nest at this exact moment?

Whichever it was, it meant lethal danger!

Lin Feng's heart instantly hammered to its limit, and adrenaline surged wildly, temporarily overriding the sharp pain of his wounds and his physical exhaustion. He reacted almost instinctively—lunging to the side, pressing himself tightly behind a thick, cold water main dripping with condensation, shrinking his body as much as possible while holding his breath.

He gripped the crude Jammer in his hand tightly, his thumb trembling as it hovered over the single trigger button. Ling Yue had said this thing could disrupt aiming and communications for over ten seconds. Ten seconds... in this absolute darkness and complex environment, maybe it could create a sliver of opportunity?

>> Acoustic Sensor Amplification...

>> Source: Approx 60m Back. Movement Pattern: Cautious, Weight Distribution - Bipedal, ~80-90kg. Metallic Footwear/Components Detected.

The auditory enhancement of his ability captured more details. The sound source was about sixty meters away, moving cautiously, bipedal, weighing about eighty to ninety kilograms, with metal soles or components detected... It was a person! "Razor" had caught up!

Lin Feng felt a slight sense of relief; at least it wasn't that unknown monster for now. But that was immediately followed by a deeper sense of urgency. If "Razor" could track him here, it meant he must have some special tracking method, certainly not just relying on conventional technology.

Shhh... shhh... shhh...

The footsteps grew clearer, unhurried, carrying a cat-and-mouse-like composure and pressure, echoing and amplifying in the hollow pipes.

Lin Feng pressed tightly against the pipe wall, feeling as though even his heartbeat was deafening. He could feel the other party gradually approaching the bend, approaching that horrific skeleton.

The footsteps stopped at the bend.

Dead silence.

Lin Feng could even imagine the other person standing there, sharp eyes (perhaps also possessing night vision) scrutinizing the skeleton and the claw marks on the wall, assessing the additional risks in the environment.

>> Warning: Target's Bio-Signatures Spiking (Adrenaline, Heart Rate). Threat Assessment Elevated.

The ability's warning popped up—the opponent had also discovered the skeleton and had instantly entered a state of higher alert!

For Lin Feng, this was both bad news and an extremely brief window! The opponent's attention was drawn by the skeleton!

Now!

Lin Feng suddenly dashed out from behind the pipe, not even trying to see the opponent's face, aimed the Jammer toward the direction of the footsteps, and slammed the button down!

Vroom—!!!

An invisible but extremely piercing high-frequency noise erupted instantly, filling the entire pipe space! This noise was merely extremely uncomfortable to human hearing, but for precise electronic sensors and communication equipment, it was lethal interference!

>> Jammer Activated. Duration: 15s Countdown.

Almost the moment he pressed the button, Lin Feng turned and sprinted desperately into the deeper darkness of the pipes! The slippery sludge underfoot made him stumble, nearly falling several times, but he couldn't care at all, knowing only to run forward with all his might!

“Ugh!” A suppressed, angry grunt came from far behind him. Following it was the chaotic noise emitted by some electronic device due to the interference.

The Jammer worked! The opponent's night vision goggles or sights must have been affected!

Bang! Bang!

Two muffled but clearly off-target gunshots rang out. Energy beams struck the pipe wall ahead and to Lin Feng's side, exploding into two clumps of searing metal slag. The blinding light momentarily illuminated a short section of the pipe before being swallowed by darkness again.

The opponent was firing blindly under the interference!

Using that momentary light, Lin Feng glimpsed what seemed to be another junction ahead. Without a second thought, he dove into the narrower, downward-sloping pipe on the left!

>> Jammer: 10s.

He scrambled down the slope, not daring to look back.

>> Jammer: 5s.

The interference was about to end!

>> Jammer: 0s.

The high-frequency noise stopped abruptly.

The pipe instantly returned to its previous dead silence, broken only by the sound of dripping water and the heavy hum of machinery.

But Lin Feng knew that beneath this silence lay even more lethal killing intent! "Razor's" equipment would recover quickly, and his escape route and the noise he made just now had undoubtedly completely exposed his position.

He collapsed into the sludge at the bottom of the slope, his lungs heaving like bellows, and the wound in his side pulsed with tearing pain that nearly made him faint. Was it over? Was there no escape?

>> Scanning... New Environment: Smaller Maintenance Conduit. Multiple Pipe Junctions Ahead.

>> Detecting: Faint Draft Flow. Source: Possible Surface Access Point?

The ability scanned the new environment. This was a thinner maintenance pipe with several pipe openings converging ahead, and it detected a faint airflow—could it lead to a surface exit?

A faint glimmer of hope had just ignited—

Click.

An extremely faint yet unmistakably clear metallic mechanical click came from the top of the slope he had just rolled down.

Lin Feng froze all over, looking up in despair.

A tall, lean figure, entirely shrouded in matte black tactical gear, stood silently at the top of the slope, almost merging with the darkness. He wore a complex multi-lens night vision device on his face, the red light on the lenses now stable. A compact, cold-lined Energy Pistol was pointed steadily downward, the muzzle without the slightest tremor.

Though he couldn't see the face, Lin Feng could feel the cold, scanner-like gaze coming from behind the night vision goggles, firmly locked onto him.

“You run quite fast.”

A processed, distorted electronic voice devoid of emotion rang out, colder than Ling Yue's and more filled with mechanical killing intent.

“Unfortunately, the game is over.”

“Razor's” index finger slowly pulled back on the trigger.

Lin Feng's pupils dilated as the shadow of death loomed over him like something physical. He had no more chips in his hand, and his body could no longer make any effective evasion.

At that critical moment—

Swoosh—!

An extremely sharp whistle, with a frequency so high it almost exceeded the upper limit of human hearing, suddenly shot out from the darkness deeper in the pipes without warning!

This sound wasn't aimed at Lin Feng; it precisely penetrated "Razor's" tactical helmet, acting directly on the internal communication and sensor systems!

>> Detecting: Highly Focused Sonic Attack. Frequency Targeting Advanced Audio/Comms Gear.

“Argh!” "Razor" let out a low growl of pain. The just-stabilized night vision goggles exploded into a mess of static again, and his gun-hand shook violently. The energy beam originally aimed at Lin Feng missed wildly, hitting the pipe wall beside him!

Yet another third party?!

Lin Feng was completely stunned.

But his survival instinct made him seize this second opportunity created by the unknown interference! He scrambled toward a small-diameter sewage pipe opening on the side and dove in recklessly!

This pipe was even narrower, requiring him to crawl, and it was filled with a nauseating stench, but he couldn't care about anything else!

Behind him came "Razor's" angry low growl and the hurried sounds of what seemed to be him replacing spare tactical lenses.

And, from the absolute darkness deep within the pipe, came... a faint but hair-raising sound of metal scraping against the ground, approaching rapidly from afar!

Lin Feng's scalp tingled. Using the last of his strength, he crawled desperately forward through the narrow, foul-smelling pipe.

He didn't know where the rescue had come from.

He knew even less what that rapidly approaching scraping sound was.

He only knew that he had just escaped from a bullet, only to possibly be crawling toward another... even more terrifying abyss.