15: Chapter 5 The Veteran's Gaze

The icy air sucked into his lungs carried the scent of rust and dust, stinging Lin Feng's nerves. The direction in which Ling Yue had vanished had long since returned to silence, leaving only the official police sirens growing closer like a tidal wave, and the ominous groaning of the factory's internal structure from the previous explosion.

>> Lockdown Perimeter Established: 500 Meters Radius. Scanning Patrol Routes...

>> Thermal Signatures Detected: [Rapid Response Team] x4, [Structural Integrity Drone] x2. Movement Pattern: Standard Search Grid.

>> Warning: "Razor" Bio-Signature: Lost. (Likely Employing Advanced Stealth or Has Exited Area)

The ability's scan results presented themselves coldly in his vision. The containment perimeter was forming, official troops were deploying a search grid with disciplined efficiency, yet the most dangerous one, "Razor," had vanished as if he had evaporated. This unknown was more heart-palpitating than a clear threat.

Lin Feng leaned his back against the cold boiler tank, his rapid heartbeat slowly calming, but a deeper, solitary chill seeped into his marrow. He clutched the heavy device in his arms tightly; it was his only reliance now.

He pulled up the coordinate map transmitted by Ling Yue. The blinking light was located on the edge of The Nest, near the abandoned old water treatment area. It was a place with crisscrossing pipes and complex terrain—truly an ideal spot to establish a safe house. But as Ling Yue had said, the path leading there was marked with at least three potential official checkpoints, as well as vast unknown areas with strong signal interference.

>> Calculating Optimal Route... Bypassing Checkpoints Requires: 1. Subterranean Transit (High Risk of Collapse/Unidentified Threats). 2. Surface Stealth Through Unmonitored Sectors (Longer, Higher Chance of Patrol Encounters).

Two paths, both covered in thorns.

Lin Feng gritted his teeth. The underground pipes had just undergone a baptism by "Razor" and that unknown mechanical creature; he absolutely did not want to face them again. He had to choose surface stealth.

He took a deep breath, adjusted the device's brightness to the lowest setting, carefully memorized the route, and then turned it off to save power. He checked himself; apart from this tattered jacket and a little loose change, he had nothing. The jammer Ling Yue had given him had also been lost during the previous escape.

True lone wolf stealth.

>> Activating Stealth Protocols: Minimal Energy Signature, Noise Cancellation (Passive), Light Refraction Adjustment (Low Efficacy).

The "Source" System provided stealth function was weak but ran continuously, like an invisible film covering his body, slightly distorting light and absorbing the sound of his footsteps. This was his only active defense at the moment.

He slid out from behind the boiler tank like a ghost, utilizing the shadows of the massive machinery within the factory to move rapidly toward the southeast direction indicated on the map. Every step was light and cautious, his ears catching any rustle, his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding environment.

Woo—woo—!

The engine sounds of official hovercars occasionally swept low over the factory's dilapidated dome, the beams of their searchlights like the eyes of a giant beast, scanning the cracks and windows on the ground.

>> Patrol Ahead: 2 Officers. Standard Issue. Patrol Path: Predictable.

>> Suggestion: Hold Position Behind Conveyor Belt Assembly. Wait for Pass.

Lin Feng immediately curled up and hid beneath the support of a stopped conveyor belt, holding his breath. Two official security personnel wearing standard-issue armor and holding pulse rifles walked past not far away, the visors on their helmets flashing with red light, their conversation faintly drifting over.

"...What on earth is going on in Sector 7? The energy levels monitored were almost on par with a small reactor meltdown!"

"Who knows? Those rats in The Nest always manage to come up with new tricks. The higher-ups just told us to guard the perimeter and make sure nothing gets out..."

"Really bad luck. Heard there are traces of 'The Cleaners' activity inside?"

"Shut up! Do your job!"

The voices gradually faded. Lin Feng waited a few seconds before continuing forward without a sound. The authorities had temporarily classified the incident as an internal conflict within The Nest, which bought him a sliver of space.

He successfully bypassed the first virtual checkpoint and entered a more dilapidated area. This place resembled a trash dump for the old industrial zone, piled high with unprocessable metal waste and building debris, forming twisted little hills of steel. The air was filled with a thick, chemical pollution smell.

Here, official patrols were noticeably much sparser, as if they had abandoned this worthless ruin.

But Lin Feng was even more vigilant. Places abandoned by the authorities often meant something else had occupied them.

He carefully wove between piles of rusted containers and broken concrete blocks. According to the map, he needed to cross this dump to reach the relatively safe passage on the other side.

>> Scanning... Multiple Faint Bio-Signatures Detected. Human. Malnourished. Scavengers.

>> Warning: Detecting Crude Weapon Signatures (Bladed, Blunt). Hostile Intent Probability: High.

The ability's warning made him stop. Scavengers—the lowest-level predators of The Nest, who would stop at nothing for survival supplies. They were more dangerous than official patrols because they had no rules and their numbers were unknown.

Lin Feng tried to detour from the other side but found that all feasible paths were blocked by huge piles of waste. Turning back would take too much time and carry even greater risks.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and pass through quickly.

He lowered his body, reducing his presence to the minimum, moving rapidly through the shadows like a sliding gecko.

However, just as he was about to cross a relatively open area—

"Hey! Over there! Some fresh meat!"

A hoarse, ugly voice came from a twisted steel frame above!

Lin Feng's scalp tingled! He jerked his head up and saw a skinny man with grime on his face and a greedy smile, pointing in his direction!

Instantly, seven or eight figures stood up from the surrounding waste piles and pits! They were wearing ragged clothes, holding sharpened rebar, heavy Wrenchs, and even homemade nail guns, their eyes flashing with the hunger of wolves as they quickly surrounded him, blocking all his escape routes.

>> Threat Assessments. Poorly Equipped but Aggressive. Surrounding Tactics: Crude but Effective.

>> Options: 1. Attempt Negotiation (Low Success Probability). 2. Break Through Weakest Point (Risk of Injury). 3... ?

Lin Feng's heart sank to the bottom. Negotiation was meaningless; breaking through would inevitably lead to injury, and the sound of gunfire or commotion might attract official patrols!

What to do?!

Just as his brain was spinning rapidly, almost forcing him to trigger the "Source" System to attempt some high-risk energy interference—

Whoosh—!

An extremely faint, yet incredibly sharp sound of breaking air!

Snap!

A small stone, as if it had eyes, precisely struck the wrist of the skinny man who had first discovered Lin Feng!

"Ah!"

The skinny man screamed, the crude nail gun in his hand dropping onto the metal waste with a clatter.

All the scavengers' attention was instantly drawn away!

"Who?! Which bastard?!"

They looked suspiciously toward the direction the stone had flown from—it was a higher hill made of abandoned vehicles.

Lin Feng also looked up sharply.

He saw a blurry figure standing atop that pile of wrecked cars, silhouetted against the faint glow cast by the distant city. He couldn't see the face, only a tall and steady outline, like a silent Captain Shan Yan.

No words, no warnings.

The figure simply raised something slowly, with great oppressiveness.

It wasn't a gun. It seemed to be a... huge, structurally ancient-looking Wrench? But in the faint light, the Wrench reflected a heavy, heart-palpitating, cold, hard luster.

The action of raising the Wrench was slow and steady, without a tremor. A silent yet majestic deterrent force descended like a physical weight.

Those scavengers, originally fierce and malicious, were like people splashed with invisible ice water, instantly freezing in place. The greed and viciousness on their faces were quickly replaced by fear and suspicion. They looked at each other, then at the silent figure on the hilltop, and the "weapon" in his hand that looked ridiculous yet inexplicably made people shudder.

A few seconds later, it was unclear who led the way, but this group of scavengers retreated like a receding tide, silently and swiftly, quickly submerging back into the shadows of the waste piles and disappearing without a trace.

The crisis was resolved just like that, inexplicably.

Lin Feng stood frozen, his heart still pounding, looking at the top of the wrecked car pile with some disbelief.

Seeing the scavengers retreat, the figure slowly lowered the Wrench. He did not leave, but instead cast his gaze toward Lin Feng's direction.

Even from a distance, Lin Feng could feel the sharpness of that gaze and... the scrutiny. That wasn't the gaze of a hunter; it was more like a calm observation and evaluation.

>> Scanning... Bio-Signature: Powerful, Controlled. Muscle Density: High. Skeletal Structure: Reinforced. Bearing: Military/Tactical Training (High Probability).

>> Threat Assessment: Extreme. Current Stance: Non-Hostile (Tentative).

The ability's analysis results made Lin Feng's heart tighten. Extremely high physical fitness and tactical background! Extremely high threat level! But currently, there seemed to be no hostility?

Who was that person? Why help him?

The figure on the hilltop didn't seem to have any intention of getting closer. He just stood there, staring at Lin Feng for a few more seconds, then tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something.

Then, he raised his hand, not pointing at Lin Feng, but toward another direction in the junkyard—it happened to be a shortcut entrance on the correct path to the safe house marked on Lin Feng's map!

After pointing out the direction, the figure stopped lingering, turned around, and disappeared silently on the other side of the wrecked car pile as if merging into the shadows.

He came suddenly and left decisively.

Leaving Lin Feng alone, standing in the empty junkyard, his heart filled with huge questions and a trace of the daze of surviving a disaster.

Who was that mysterious veteran (as the ability analysis result implied)? Was he friend or foe? Why did he intervene, and why point out the way?

Was all of this still within the calculations of The Engineer?

Lin Feng shook his head, pushing these chaotic thoughts aside for the moment. Regardless of the other party's motives, at least the path ahead was clear.

He did not hesitate anymore and ran quickly toward the shortcut entrance indicated by the figure.

On the lonely path of escape, it seemed that a glimmer of light, carrying the scent of rust, had been cast from an unknown direction. And the true safe house was still waiting in the darkness ahead.