30: Chapter 2 Fog at the Observation Point

The modified off-road vehicle's engine roared like a wounded beast, racing through the increasingly desolate and dilapidated area on the edge of The Nest.

The headlights pierced the heavy darkness, illuminating the twisted, broken elevated roads and crumbling abandoned buildings ahead.

Outside the car window, even the morbid clamor of "Silent Plaza" had faded into the distance, leaving only the sound of the wind, the engine, and the harsh screech of metal grinding as the vehicle jolted along.

Ling Yue gripped the steering wheel tightly; the joint where her mechanical arm met the wheel emitted a subtle adjustment sound, ensuring the vehicle remained stable despite the treacherous road conditions.

Her electronic eyes constantly scanned the external environment and the navigation map on the device, avoiding large obstacles and potential monitoring points.

Lin Feng slumped in the passenger seat, his brain still buzzing. The aftereffects of overusing his ability and the burning pain in his shoulder left him exhausted.

Through the rearview mirror, he saw Lei Kun in the back seat. The veteran maintained a vigilant posture, carefully shielding Xiao Qi in his arms, but his tightly closed eyes and pale complexion indicated that his condition was deteriorating rapidly.

The effects of the stimulants were wearing off, and the injuries and blood loss were reclaiming dominance.

Xiao Qi remained unconscious, occasionally letting out a faint moan due to the vehicle's jolting. The pale purple energy fluctuations around her flickered erratically, as if they could be ignited again at any moment.

>> Destination: 15km. Environmental Threat: Low. Biological Signatures: Sparse. >> Warning: Vehicle Integrity 23%. Lei Kun's Vital Signs: Deteriorating Rapidly.

The ability's warning was cold and objective. The vehicle was in poor condition, fuel was running low, and Lei Kun might not make it to the destination.

"Brother Kun is not doing well," Lin Feng reminded him in a hoarse voice.

Ling Yue glanced at the rearview mirror, her brows knitting even tighter. "I know. But we cannot stop now. 'Observation Point' is our only chance; there might be medical equipment there."

Her tone carried an unquestionable resolve, as if she were convincing herself.

The vehicle continued to weave through the ruins as the terrain began to rise gradually.

The surrounding buildings became sparser, replaced by huge, weathered rocks and broken concrete foundations. It felt as if they were driving toward the edge of the world.

Finally, in a particularly heavy darkness ahead, a huge and blurry silhouette gradually emerged.

It was the site of an abandoned old-era observatory built on a mountaintop.

The huge spherical observation dome had half-collapsed, revealing the rusted steel structure inside.

The main building stood like a silent giant on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the boundless ruins of the city below, which were shrouded in polluted clouds.

This was a blind spot on the edge of the "Sky Curtain" monitoring network, and also the meeting place chosen by "The Engineer" — the "Observation Point."

An invisible, unsettling silence enveloped the place; even the sound of the wind seemed to have been absorbed by some force.

Ling Yue parked the car behind a pile of boulders a hundred meters away from the main building and killed the engine.

Absolute darkness and silence instantly engulfed them.

"We're here," her voice sounding exceptionally clear in the dead silence.

The three of them (including the unconscious Xiao Qi) struggled to get out of the car.

Lei Kun could barely stand on his own, most of his weight pressing onto Lin Feng.

Ling Yue scanned the surroundings vigilantly, her energy pistol held in her hand.

>> Scanning... No Active Electronic Signatures Detected. No Obvious Ambush Signs. >> Structure: Significant Deterioration. Internal Layout: Partially Collapsed. Life Signs: None Detected.

The ability's scan found no obvious electronic signals or signs of an ambush; the building's internal structure was severely damaged, and no life signs were detected.

It seemed as if this were truly just a forgotten ruin.

Where was "The Engineer"?

Ling Yue supported Lei Kun from the other side, and the three of them moved slowly and cautiously toward the entrance of the main building.

The heavy anti-radiation metal door at the entrance had long since vanished, leaving only a pitch-black doorway that resembled the maw of a giant beast.

Walking inside the building, a heavy smell of dust and mold rushed to meet them.

The hall was spacious but dilapidated, with broken instrument parts and plasterboards that had fallen from the ceiling scattered on the floor.

On the remaining walls, one could still see some faded murals depicting cosmic star charts and technical parameters.

Outside the broken glass windows was an impenetrable darkness.

It was empty.

"Is he/she playing us?" Lin Feng's heart sank.

Ling Yue did not answer. Her mechanical eye scanned the hall like a searchlight, finally locking onto a relatively intact, dust-covered console in the center of the hall.

The console screen was dark, but the surface was exceptionally clean, as if it had been wiped.

On it sat a silver-white, streamlined metal box that looked out of place in the dilapidated surroundings.

Ling Yue approached cautiously and nudged the box with the muzzle of her gun; there was no reaction.

She reached out with her mechanical hand and gently opened the lid.

Inside was not a weapon or a trap, but three injections sealed in transparent medical tubes, emitting a soft blue fluorescent glow, with a folded piece of paper beside them.

Ling Yue picked up the paper and unfolded it. On it was printed, concise and forceful handwriting:

[Emergency Nano-Injections (Military Grade). Sufficient to stabilize injuries and buy time.] [Go left, third door, underground passage entrance. Password: 739#] [I am waiting for you underground. — E]

"E"? "The Engineer's" codename?

Ling Yue and Lin Feng exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and vigilance in each other's eyes.

"The Engineer" was really here! And he knew their situation like the back of his hand! He had even anticipated that Lei Kun would need emergency treatment!

This seemed like help in their hour of need, but it only made them feel a fear of having nowhere to hide.

"Should we use them?" Lin Feng asked, looking at the three injections.

Ling Yue picked one up and quickly analyzed it with the scanner on her mechanical arm.

>> Analysis: Advanced Medical Nanites. Composition: Standard. No Obvious Toxins or Tracking Devices.

The components were standard, with no obvious toxins or tracking devices.

"We have no choice," Ling Yue gritted her teeth, handed an injection to Lin Feng, and said, "Inject him."

Lin Feng took the injection, walked over to Lei Kun, who was sitting against the wall, and carefully injected it into his jugular vein.

Almost immediately, Lei Kun's painful gasps calmed slightly, and a trace of color returned to his face.

Although he was still weak, he was clearly out of immediate danger.

>> Lei Kun's Vital Signs: Stabilizing. Nanites Active.

Ling Yue put away the other two injections and then followed the instructions on the note, walking toward the third broken metal door on the left side of the hall.

Behind the door was a spiral staircase leading downward, bottomless.

A faint smell, different from the dust, began to appear in the air—something like ozone and coolant.

After entering the password [739#], a heavy sealed door at the bottom of the stairs slid open silently.

The scene behind the door left even the prepared Lin Feng and Ling Yue feeling greatly shocked.

Unlike the dilapidation on the surface, behind the door was a huge, brightly lit underground space filled with futuristic technology!

The silver-white alloy walls were smooth as mirrors, and countless cables and pipes of varying thicknesses were neatly arranged on the ceiling, extending into the depths of the space.

The air echoed with the low hum of large server clusters running and the extremely faint ticking sound emitted when some precision instruments were adjusted.

This was practically a miniature, extremely advanced "Sky Curtain" data center!

In the center of the space, in front of a huge circular workstation composed of countless holographic screens, sat a figure with their back to them.

That person seemed to be intently watching the Data Stream flowing before them, showing no reaction to their arrival.

Was he/she "The Engineer"?

Ling Yue and Lin Feng's hearts were in their throats as they slowly stepped forward, vigilantly watching their surroundings.

Seemingly hearing their footsteps, the figure's seat slowly turned around.

However, what met their eyes was not a real person.

It was an extremely realistic holographic projection made of light.

The projection presented a male figure who looked to be about thirty years old, with an ordinary, even somewhat blurry, face.

He was wearing a simple white research uniform, with calm eyes and even a hint of scholarly gentleness.

But looking closely, one could see extremely faint Data Stream flickering at the edges of his image, making it appear somewhat unreal.

"Welcome to the Observation Point, Ling Yue, Lin Feng. And... Lei Kun, I am pleased to see you have stabilized."

The holographic projection spoke. The voice was that kind of optimized, clear, and calm synthesized electronic sound, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

It was completely different from the cold murderous intent of "Razor," yet it equally gave one a sense of inhuman detachment.

His/her (its?) gaze swept over Lei Kun, who was being supported by Lin Feng and Ling Yue, and the still-unconscious Xiao Qi in Lei Kun's arms, and nodded slightly:

"It seems the state of 'The Key' is more unstable than expected. It does not matter; the facilities here can temporarily isolate external interference and help her calm down."

"Who on earth are you?!" Ling Yue demanded sharply. Although she did not raise her gun, her finger was tightly hooked on the trigger.

"Is what 'Razor' said true?! What exactly is 'project legacy'?!"

The holographic projection— "The Engineer"—faced Ling Yue's questioning without any change in expression on his face, simply answering calmly:

"Who I am is not important; it is just a codename. You may continue to call me 'The Engineer'."

"As for 'Razor's' words..." He paused, and data seemed to flash rapidly in the eyes of the holographic image, "They are half-true, half-false."

"His employer behind the scenes—Director Walker of the Universal Group Security Department—simply wants to use 'The Key' and 'The Source' as bargaining chips to gain more power in the internal struggles of The Consortium and to prevent any power that might threaten the existing 'Sky Curtain' architecture from emerging."

"His purpose in revealing the so-called 'truth' was merely to disintegrate your trust, making it easier to capture you."

This explanation seemed reasonable, but Ling Yue did not lower her guard: "Then what about 'project legacy'?! What is its ultimate goal?!"

"The Engineer's" projection leaned forward slightly, his tone still calm but carrying an unquestionable certainty:

"The ultimate goal of 'project legacy' is indeed to obtain higher authorization, but not to replace 'Sky Curtain,' but to correct it."

He operated something, and several huge holographic screens around them lit up, displaying a complex network structure diagram of "Sky Curtain," with some nodes marked in red, flashing with warnings.

"The existing 'Sky Curtain' system, under the control of the Four Consortiums, has long deviated from its original design trajectory of 'maintaining order and prosperity,' becoming a tool for exploitation, control, and inequality."

"There are many vulnerabilities and backdoors deliberately retained or even implanted in its underlying protocols, used to satisfy the private desires of The Consortium."

"And the 'Genesis' project, or rather, its unpolluted original core, happens to contain a 'Key' capable of accessing these underlying protocols."

"The Engineer's" gaze turned to Xiao Qi. "The uniqueness of 'The Key,' combined with the powerful optimization and integration capabilities of the 'Source' system," his gaze turned back to Lin Feng,

"plus my knowledge and the facilities here... we have a chance to perform a surgical 'purification' on 'Sky Curtain,' removing the malignant tumors implanted by The Consortium, and resetting it into a fairer, more neutral system."

This grand goal sounded much more positive than the "ascension to godhood" plan that "Razor" spoke of, and it was more likely to touch the hearts of Ling Yue and Lin Feng (especially Lin Feng).

However...

"Why did you choose us? Why use this method of concealment and manipulation?" Ling Yue pressed. This was the biggest grievance in her heart.

"The Engineer's" projection seemed to sigh slightly (an extremely realistic but clearly program-simulated emotional expression):

"Because the risks are extremely high, and the enemies are extremely powerful. Any leakage of information could lead to total disaster."

"What I need are partners with absolute execution and the ability to make correct judgments under pressure, not collaborators full of doubts and vacillation."

"Tests are necessary, including tests of loyalty, ability, and determination."

His gaze swept over the three of them: "You experienced the pursuit by 'Razor,' the chaos in The Nest, and internal suspicions, but in the end, you still chose to come here to seek answers. This proves that I did not misjudge you."

He reached out (the holographic projection) and pointed to a medical pod emitting a soft white light on one side of the hall:

"Now, Lei Kun needs further treatment, and 'The Key' needs to be stabilized. We can take a temporary rest. Afterward, if you are willing, we can begin to discuss the specific plan for the next step."

"Of course," his tone was still calm but carried a hint of unquestionable meaning, "if you still choose to leave, the door is over there."

"But I must remind you that the main force of 'The Cleaners' under Director Walker will search this area in at most two hours. Without my help, you have nowhere to run."

A mix of soft and hard tactics, a combination of kindness and coercion.

"The Engineer" had provided a seemingly more reasonable and noble goal, and also offered temporary safety and future hope,

but at the same time, he had placed the cruelest choice before them once again—to trust this still-mysterious, manipulation-accustomed holographic projection, or to push open the door and face the inevitable destruction outside?

The cracks in trust had yet to heal, and a new mist was already descending.

Lin Feng looked at the realistic holographic projection, then at Lei Kun and Xiao Qi who were in urgent need of treatment, and finally at Ling Yue, whose expression was changing uncertainly.

He knew that the real choice was only just beginning.

And no matter which side they chose, they were already deeply embroiled in the center of this huge storm sweeping across the entire city.