28: Chapter 8 Remains and Embers

The clamor and chaos of Silent Plaza were like a violent sea wave, instantly swallowing the four who had just escaped with their lives.

The ear-piercing noise, the foul odors, and the crowded, frantic throngs of people became their best cover for the moment.

"This way! Follow me!" Ling Yue's voice was sharp and urgent amidst the noise.

She supported Lin Feng with one hand, as he was stumbling due to his shoulder burn, while her other mechanical arm roughly pushed aside the blocking crowd.

Lei Kun followed closely behind, almost entirely shielding the unconscious Xiao Qi in his arms, using his broad back to withstand the collisions from all directions.

Every step was exceptionally difficult due to his fractured left arm and other injuries, but he gritted his teeth, not making a sound; only the cold sweat continuously beading on his forehead showed that he was enduring immense pain.

>> Vital Signs (Lei Kun): Critical. Blood Loss, Multiple Fractures, Internal Injuries Likely.

>> Vital Signs (Lin Feng): Moderate. Energy Depletion, Shoulder Burn, Psionic Feedback.

>> Vital Signs (Xiao Qi): Unstable. Deep Psychic Exhaustion, Potential Trauma.

The ability's warnings kept flashing in Lin Feng's mind, but he was barely managing to stay conscious at this point.

Ling Yue clearly had a deep understanding of the chaos in this area; she did not attempt to move away from the signal tower, but instead led them into the depths of the densest and most intricate shantytown surrounding the tower's base.

The buildings here were stacked together in a chaotic, disorganized manner, forming countless dark, damp crevices and secret passages that could only accommodate one person at a time.

Finally, she pulled open a trapdoor disguised as a pile of trash, revealing a small space beneath that could only hold four or five people.

Inside were some moldy blankets and a few rusted buckets; the air was foul, but at least it was isolated from the madness outside.

"Get down there, quickly!" Ling Yue jumped down first, then waited below to receive them.

Lei Kun carefully passed Xiao Qi down, then struggled to crawl in himself, almost collapsing onto the floor with a heavy gasp.

Lin Feng came down last, and Ling Yue quickly closed the trapdoor. The cramped space was instantly plunged into darkness, save for the faint light filtering through the cracks and the heavy breathing of everyone present.

In the darkness, suppressed groans of pain and the smell of blood permeated the air.

"Brother Kun!" Lin Feng groped his way toward Lei Kun.

"Don't... worry about me... check on... Xiao Qi first..." Lei Kun's voice was intermittent and his breathing weak.

Ling Yue had already turned on the dim light attached to her equipment, illuminating Lei Kun's dire condition.

His clothing around his abdomen was soaked with blood, his left arm was twisted unnaturally, and there was almost no color left in his face.

"We must treat the wound immediately!" Ling Yue's voice carried a hint of imperceptible trembling.

She quickly retrieved a field first-aid kit from the hidden storage compartment in her mechanical arm, her movements skilled as she began to cut away the clothing around Lei Kun's abdomen, revealing the gruesome wound beneath—a deep, long incision that appeared to have been made by an energy blade, still oozing blood.

"Press here!" She guided Lin Feng's hand to a spot above the wound, pressing down hard to stop the bleeding, while she herself took out hemostatic gel and a biological stapler to begin emergency treatment.

Her movements were fast and precise, but her brow was tightly furrowed; clearly, the situation was not optimistic.

Enduring the sharp pain in his shoulder, Lin Feng pressed down firmly, feeling the warm blood soaking into his fingers and the slight tremors in Lei Kun's body caused by the pain.

This man, usually as strong as a mountain, was now heartbreakingly weak.

"Left arm... open fracture... needs stabilization..." After treating the abdominal wound, Ling Yue quickly checked Lei Kun's left arm, using splints from the first-aid kit for temporary stabilization.

Throughout the entire process, Lei Kun gritted his teeth; apart from the occasional muffled groan due to the excruciating pain, he did not make another sound.

After finishing all of this, Ling Yue breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her expression remained grave.

"Too much blood loss, internal injuries unknown; we must get him to a proper surgery and blood transfusion as soon as possible... but that's completely impossible right now."

She also quickly checked the burn on Lin Feng's shoulder, spraying it with an anti-inflammatory and cell-regenerating spray.

"Just a flesh wound, you'll be fine."

Finally, she looked at Xiao Qi, who was curled up in the corner, still unconscious.

She reached out and lightly touched Xiao Qi's forehead with her fingertips, causing the sensors on her mechanical arm to glow faintly.

>> Psionic Activity: Subdued but Highly Chaotic. Neural Patterns Suggest Severe Psychic Trauma and Exhaustion. Physical Condition: Stable.

"She just passed out from exhaustion, but her mental state is very chaotic, as if she's suffered a massive shock." Ling Yue withdrew her hand, her tone complex.

The cramped space temporarily fell into silence, with only the heavy breathing of the three of them remaining.

"That old administrator... is he one of 'Razor's' people?" Lin Feng broke the silence, voicing the doubt in his heart.

"He was likely a mole who had been infiltrated or bought off long ago." Ling Yue's voice was cold.

"In a place like 'Silent Plaza,' as long as the price is right, nothing is impossible. 'Razor'... or rather, the employer behind him, has more power than we imagined."

She paused, turning her gaze toward Lei Kun, whose breathing had stabilized slightly, her eyes becoming sharp.

"Brother Kun, what 'Razor' said... about 'The Engineer'... is it true?"

This question, like a giant rock thrown into stagnant water, instantly made the atmosphere tense again.

Lei Kun kept his eyes closed and was silent for a long time—so long that Lin Feng thought he had passed out again—before he slowly opened his mouth, his voice hoarse and weary.

"...I don't know 'The Engineer's' entire plan... He/She has never fully trusted anyone..."

He gasped for breath with difficulty a few times before continuing.

"...But the core of the 'Genesis' project... is indeed 'Consciousness Ascension'... an attempt to create 'New Humans' who can transcend mortals and directly access and control the 'Sky Curtain' network... The loss of control of the Epsilon Series... was because of this..."

"So, what 'Razor' said... it could be true?" Ling Yue's face turned somewhat pale, her fingers tightening slightly around the first-aid kit.

"...The 'project legacy'... originates from the deepest database of 'Genesis'... 'The Engineer' is terrifyingly obsessed with it..."

Lei Kun did not answer directly, but the implication in his words was already very clear.

"What he/she is pursuing is not destruction, but... replacement. Using a more 'perfect' order to replace the existing 'flawed' order..."

Ling Yue's body swayed slightly, as if struck by something invisible.

The goal she had been pursuing, the cause into which she had poured countless efforts and risks—could its ultimate purpose really be so insane and... terrifying?

She recalled the indifference 'The Engineer' occasionally displayed toward ordinary, 'low-efficiency' lives, and remembered his/her extreme focus on 'The Key' and Lin Feng's abilities... Everything seemed to have a more logical, and much more frightening, explanation.

"And you?" Ling Yue looked sharply at Lei Kun, her voice carrying a hint of accusation.

"You knew about this all along? Why did you still work for him/her? Just because 'The Engineer' helped you find Xiao Qi?"

Lei Kun was silent again. After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze turning to the curled-up Xiao Qi.

Those weather-beaten eyes were filled with endless pain and... a faint glimmer of tenderness.

"...I owe him/her my life... and... only he/she has the ability... before Xiao Qi completely loses control or is captured by other factions... to find a way to control her powers... to let her... live like a normal person..."

His voice was low and hoarse, filled with a sense of powerlessness. "I had no other choice..."

The truth lay cruelly before them.

'The Engineer' might be a madman attempting to become a god. Lei Kun was an informed participant forced into cooperation to repay a debt and save Xiao Qi. Ling Yue was an idealist (perhaps once) who had been used and deceived. And Lin Feng was entirely a tool with special value, dragged in by accident.

The foundation of trust showed huge cracks at this moment, even teetering on the brink of collapse.

Ling Yue stood up abruptly, pacing restlessly in the cramped space (though she could only take half a step), her mechanical hand clenching into a tight fist, making a creaking sound.

"So... what exactly have we been risking our lives for?" Her voice carried suppressed anger and confusion.

Just then, the device in Lin Feng's possession—which had been confiscated by 'Razor' but not carefully inspected due to the chaos (he had kept it hidden on his person)—suddenly vibrated extremely faintly.

A message, bypassing all conventional channels, was displayed in an extremely covert manner directly on the bottom layer of the screen—the sender was the very person they had just been questioning and fearing—

['The Engineer']

The message consisted of only three short words, yet it carried a cold, all-knowing tone:

['Survival. Truth. Choice.']

Immediately following, a second message popped up, containing a coordinate and a simple instruction:

** [Coordinates: 89.11 by 301.4. 'Observation Point'.] ['Come find me. Face your problems.'] ['Or, stay, and be crushed by 'Razor' and his employer.']

The message finished displaying and instantly deleted itself, leaving no trace behind.

It was as if an invisible pair of eyes had been coldly watching their every move, even their inner struggles, and at the most appropriate (or most chilling) moment, had cast out new bait, or rather... a challenge.

Was it another trap? Or a ticket to the final answer?

Survival, truth, choice.

Three heavy words, weighing on everyone's heart.

Ling Yue stared at the empty device screen, her expression shifting uncertainly.

Lei Kun closed his eyes and let out a silent sigh.

Lin Feng felt a cold chill climb up his spine.

'The Engineer' had given them a choice.

A choice that could lead to destruction, or perhaps to liberation.

Go, or don't go?

The cracks were already there, and the road ahead was shrouded in mist.

And the moment to make a decision had arrived.