23: Chapter 3 Purple Eyes

That pair of eyes, shimmering with a faint purple glow in the darkness, was like stars suddenly lighting up in an abyss of despair, carrying an unquestionable sense of urgency.

There was no time to hesitate! The sounds of explosions, gunfire, and the increasingly close footsteps of the search party behind them were like a death warrant!

Lin Feng and Ling Yue exchanged a glance, both seeing a sense of determination in the other's eyes—whether it was a trap or a turning point, they had to take the risk!

Without hesitation, the two of them crawled, one after another, scrambling into the narrow drain opening.

The very moment Lin Feng's trailing foot pulled inside, that pale, slender hand quickly pulled the tattered canvas back over, sealing it perfectly and cutting off the light and sound from the outside.

Bang! Bang!

Almost simultaneously, the muffled thuds of energy weapons hitting the alley walls and the sound of heavy tactical boots running past came clearly from outside the pipe, mere inches away! The official troops and Razor's men were conducting a dragnet search outside!

The inside of the pipe was pitch black, permeated with a damp, rusty smell and a strange, faint sweet fragrance that stood in stark contrast to the bloody smoke outside. Lin Feng and Ling Yue tensed their nerves, held their breath, and with hearts pounding wildly, waited quietly for the judgment of fate.

The footsteps and shouting outside lasted for several minutes, seemingly searching the vicinity repeatedly, but eventually, they gradually faded away, heading in other directions.

Crisis... temporarily averted?

Only now did Lin Feng have the chance to look at where they were. This didn't seem to be a simple drainpipe; the interior space was more spacious than imagined, like a shelter converted from an abandoned small air-raid shelter or supply storage room. In the corner lay a clean blanket and several soft cushions, and nearby were scattered some toys and books that looked like they had been scavenged from a trash heap but wiped clean. On the walls were some childish graffiti and star and moon patterns made from scavenged glowing materials.

And the person who had saved them was currently curled up in another corner a little further away, hugging her knees, warily eyeing them.

With the help of the light from the faint glowing materials on the walls, Lin Feng saw her appearance clearly.

She was a young girl who looked only fourteen or fifteen years old, with a petite and frail frame, wearing old, washed-out clothes that were clearly too big for her, and she was barefoot with stained feet. She had rare, moonlight-like silver short hair, and her skin was pale to the point of being almost transparent. But most striking were her eyes—that pair of huge, lavender pupils that seemed to contain nebulae, currently staring at them without blinking, her gaze a mixture of curiosity, wariness, and a trace of... indescribable confusion and emptiness.

She looked like a frightened, rare animal that had escaped from some laboratory, fragile yet mysterious.

>> Bio-Scan: Human Female. Age Estimate: 14-15. Physical Condition: Malnourished, Weak.

>> Anomaly Detected: Brainwave Activity Highly Irregular. Energy Signature: Faint, Pulsating, Non-Standard.

>> Threat Assessment: Low (Physical). Unknown (Other).

The ability's scan results made Lin Feng's heart jolt. Highly irregular brainwave activity? Non-standard energy signature? This girl was definitely not an ordinary person!

Ling Yue's gaze was also locked onto the girl, especially those purple eyes. Her electronic eyes and data screens were flooded with scrolling analysis data, and her face showed an expression of extreme shock and disbelief, even subconsciously taking a small step forward.

"You..." Ling Yue's voice carried a hint of imperceptible tremor, "Your eyes... are you... 'Number Seven'?"

Upon hearing the address "Number Seven," the girl's body trembled noticeably, her arms hugging her knees tightened, a flash of fear crossed her purple pupils, and she shrank back into the corner without answering.

But her reaction undoubtedly confirmed Ling Yue's guess!

Ling Yue gasped, the shock on her face gradually replaced by a complex expression mixed with pity and fanaticism. "It really is you... The seventh initial success subject of the Genesis project... The one with the most prominent 'psionic sensing' trait... I thought you had long since... with that accident..."

Her words exploded in Lin Feng's ears like a thunderclap!

The seventh successful subject?! A living successful case of the Genesis project?! That taboo existence that caused the entire project to be frozen and all researchers to be silenced?! She was actually still alive?! And had been hiding at the very bottom of The Nest all this time?!

Lin Feng instantly understood what the abnormality of those purple eyes and that non-standard energy signature meant! She also possessed special abilities! Very likely related to psionic sensing!

The girl—perhaps she should be called "Number Seven"—seemed to have painful memories stirred up by Ling Yue's words; she buried her face in her knees, emitting a faint, small animal-like whimper.

Ling Yue seemed to realize she had lost her composure, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down. She softened her tone, trying to make herself sound less threatening: "Don't be afraid, we aren't here to hurt you. Was it you... who used your ability to guide us here just now? Did you sense the danger outside?"

Number Seven slowly raised her head, tears shimmering in her purple pupils. She nodded timidly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet carrying a strange, ethereal quality: "...Sounds... very loud... very fierce... want to catch you... here... quiet..."

Her words were somewhat fragmented, as if she didn't often communicate with people, but they clearly conveyed her meaning. She had sensed the killing intent and danger outside and had used some method to guide them to this safe point she considered "quiet."

An indescribable emotion surged in Lin Feng's heart. This seemingly fragile girl had actually saved them under those circumstances just now.

"Thank you," Lin Feng said sincerely, trying to make his smile appear friendly.

Number Seven looked at him, her purple pupils flickering slightly; appearing to sense his goodwill, her tense body relaxed a little.

Ling Yue was more concerned with practical matters; she looked around at this crude but functional shelter: "Have you been living here alone all this time? How do you survive?"

Number Seven extended a pale finger, pointing to a small, modified water filtration device in the corner, and then to a pile of synthetic food packaging bags. "...Water... food... down below... things they don't want... I can find them..." Her abilities seemed to also include some degree of finding things or avoiding danger?

Ling Yue's eyes were complex. A test subject with powerful potential, hiding in the ruins like a mouse, surviving by scavenging trash. This was simply a huge irony to the grand goals of the Genesis project.

She crouched down to be at eye level with Number Seven, her tone becoming unprecedentedly serious (even carrying a hint of imperceptible excitement): "Number Seven, do you want to leave here? Do you want to not have to hide anymore, do you want to... truly understand and use your own power?"

A trace of confusion and longing flashed in Number Seven's purple pupils, but there was more fear. "...Outside... dangerous... they... will find me... like before..."

"The past is the past!" Ling Yue's tone carried a power bordering on bewitchment, "It's different now! We can help you! The Engineer... and us, we can protect you, we can teach you how to control it, instead of being controlled by it or even fearing it! Do you really want to live like this forever?"

Number Seven's body trembled slightly, clearly struggling intensely inside. Loneliness, fear, the longing for freedom, confusion about her own power... all sorts of emotions intertwined in her extraordinary eyes.

Lin Feng looked at Ling Yue, a trace of unease rising in his heart. The way Ling Yue looked at Number Seven was like looking at a peerless treasure, a tool that could greatly assist The Engineer's plan. That kind of fanaticism was exactly the same as when she had mentioned the project legacy previously.

Just then, Number Seven suddenly jerked her head up, her purple pupils contracting sharply as she looked toward the entrance of the shelter, her face filled with extreme terror!

"Ah—!" She let out a short scream, her hands clutching her head tightly!

"What's wrong?!" Lin Feng and Ling Yue instantly became alert.

"...They're here... so many... black... bugs... in my thoughts... digging for things... it hurts..." Number Seven's voice was full of pain and fear, incoherent!

>> Warning: Spike in Psionic Energy! Distress Signal Detected!

>> External Threat: Detecting Scanning Waves (Psionic Nature). Source: Multiple. Approaching. Intent: Hostile/Extractive.

The "Source" System issued an emergency warning! There were external psionic scanning waves! Multiple sources! Approaching! The intent was hostile/extractive!

Were they Razor's accomplices? Or did the authorities discover the anomaly here? Or were they... coming for Xiao Qi?!

"They've found us! We must leave immediately!" Ling Yue made an instant judgment, shoving the neural calibrator and battery deep into her backpack.

"But she..." Lin Feng looked at the agonizing Number Seven.

"Take her! She cannot fall into those people's hands!" Ling Yue's tone was unquestionable, even carrying a hint of ruthlessness, "She is the key!"

Ling Yue stepped forward, trying to pull Number Seven. But Number Seven seemed overly frightened, violently shaking off her hand, her purple pupils filled with resistance and fear, and even visible, lavender energy ripples began to undulate around her body! The surrounding air began to distort, and the clutter vibrated slightly!

>> Psionic Field Unstable! Risk of Feedback Loop or Explosive Release!

Her abilities were about to spiral out of control!

"Don't touch her! She's self-protecting!" Lin Feng hurriedly blocked Ling Yue.

Just in this moment of chaos—

Pfft! Pfft!

Several extremely faint sounds, like suppressed sniper rifles, came from outside the pipe! Followed by the sound of heavy objects hitting the ground!

The search team outside had been taken out?! Who was it?!

The next second, the canvas covering the pipe opening was violently ripped away!

A tall, steady figure blocked the opening, silhouetted against the light, but Lin Feng and Ling Yue recognized that silhouette instantly!

It was Lei Kun!

How could he be here?! The mission coordinates The Engineer gave him were not in this direction!

Lei Kun's gaze quickly swept over the scene inside the shelter, lingering on Lin Feng and Ling Yue for a moment to confirm they were safe, and finally, when it landed on the curled-up Number Seven with unstable energy surrounding her, his rock-like face showed, for the first time, obvious, immense shock and... an indescribable horror, as if he had seen a ghost!

His lips moved slightly, and almost unconsciously, he spat out a name:

"...Xiao Qi...?"