22: Choice and Departure

"We can cooperate, but there are a few conditions."

Lin Mo's voice, though not loud, echoed clearly at the silent library entrance, instantly drawing everyone's attention. Li Rui's gaze sharpened, and he made a 'please speak' gesture, his attitude focused. Professor Wang and the survivors behind him also held their breath, awaiting his next words.

Facing Li Rui's sharp gaze, Lin Mo spoke clearly and methodically:

"First, during our cooperation, command can be negotiated, but the method and timing of using this 'item' of mine must ultimately be decided by me. No one is allowed to force or attempt to seize it." This was the bottom line, and it had to be clear. He couldn't let himself and the fragment become mere tools.

Li Rui nodded almost without hesitation: "Reasonable. Listening to expert opinions in specialized fields is a fundamental principle. We respect and need your abilities; we won't do something as foolish as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs."

"Second," Lin Mo continued, "on the route to the Shelter, safety must be the priority; we cannot blindly take risks. We need to formulate a detailed plan, making full use of your information and our... 'stable field' advantage. If we encounter irresistible danger, I have the right to suggest, or even demand, a change of route or a temporary halt." He needed to ensure his initiative in the operation, avoiding being used as cannon fodder to scout the way.

"Naturally," Li Rui agreed. "Survival comes first. We will share all known intelligence and plan the route together. Your perception ability is crucial to us."

"Third," Lin Mo's gaze swept over the elderly, children, and injured behind him, "we are a whole. During the operation, the safety of vulnerable groups must be prioritized. The weapons you provide need to be appropriately distributed among our people to enhance self-defense capabilities. Supplies obtained along the way must be fairly distributed." He had to secure the means of survival for this temporarily gathered group.

Li Rui pondered for a moment, looked at the expectant and fearful faces inside the library, and finally solemnly promised: "Agreed. We will be responsible for the main combat vigilance, but will assist in arming your able-bodied people. Supplies will be distributed as needed; this is a basic moral principle in the apocalypse."

"Finally," Lin Mo lowered his voice, allowing only Professor Wang and Li Rui nearby to hear, "regarding this item of mine and my abilities, it is limited to those who need to know. I don't want to cause unnecessary panic or... covetousness." He was referring to the two team members behind Li Rui, and other forces they might encounter in the future.

Li Rui looked deeply at Lin Mo, understanding that this was a request for information control. "Understood. I will classify relevant information as confidential. My team members are trustworthy, but information will also be limited to what is necessary for the operation."

With the conditions agreed upon, a fragile alliance was established. The tense atmosphere eased considerably.

Next came the intense preparations. Li Rui and his two team members—Ye Qing, the young female soldier responsible for technical reconnaissance, and Zhao Qiang, the burly heavy weapons specialist—were allowed into the stable field perimeter outside the library hall. The weapons, medical kits, and water purification equipment they brought immediately proved useful.

Ye Qing skillfully operated some portable detection equipment, conducting a more detailed scan of the environment around the library, marking the activity patterns of nearby Corruptors and several relatively safe potential evacuation routes. Zhao Qiang began instructing Da Liu and a few other young people on how to use pistols and fire axes for basic defense, and used the library's tables, chairs, and furniture to reinforce several key windows and secondary entrances, setting up simple warning devices.

Professor Wang, meanwhile, organized the women and elderly to start sorting all the materials that could be taken: food, water, medicine, warm clothing, tools, etc. Every item needed to be carefully considered, balancing weight and necessity.

Lin Mo became the busiest person. On one hand, he had to maintain the effect of the "reality stabilization anchor" fragment, soothe everyone's emotions, and try to familiarize himself with the precise control of the stable field's range and size; on the other hand, he needed to work with Li Rui and Professor Wang to study the route to the Seventh Shelter.

Li Rui pulled out a crumpled city map with many markings and spread it on the ground. The Seventh Shelter was located in the distant suburbs northeast of the city, a converted abandoned air-raid Shelter. From the library, the straight-line distance was over thirty kilometers. In peacetime, this would be an hour's drive, but in this ruined city, infested with monsters and with broken roads, it was nothing short of a death march.

"Main roads are mostly blocked by abandoned vehicles and easily attract large groups of Corruptors," Li Rui said, pointing to several major highways on the map. "We suggest taking smaller roads, passing through the old city and some industrial parks. These areas have dense buildings, making them easy to conceal, but they may also contain unknown dangers, especially as Whisperers and Weavers like to operate in such environments."

Lin Mo looked at the map, and the simplified regional map provided by the editor in his consciousness overlapped with it. He could "see" large areas of dark red representing chaos and danger around the library, with only a few winding paths slightly lighter in color, appearing to have slightly higher feasibility. This roughly matched the paths Li Rui had judged based on his experience.

"My 'field' currently has an effective radius of about ten meters. Fully activating the 'reinforcement' effect can expand the range, but it consumes a lot and cannot be sustained," Lin Mo shared key information about his ability. "It primarily purifies the environment, enhances stability, and has a dispersing and weakening effect on lower-level 'Predators,' but its effect on higher-level Corruptors is unknown, especially against mental attacks."

Li Rui recorded diligently: "A ten-meter radius mobile safe zone—this is already a strategic-level ability. We will formulate tactics around this core. Ye Qing, calculate how many kilometers we can advance per day if we march quickly? We need to consider time for dodging, fighting, and resting."

Ye Qing quickly tapped on a military tablet with a solar charging panel (its battery was running low), and after inputting various parameters, concluded: "In ideal conditions, avoiding major threats, we can advance five to eight kilometers at most per day. But this is just a theoretical value. The actual journey will be severely affected by factors such as weather, sudden battles, and the burden of the injured. Considering the situation of our team..." She glanced at the elderly and children who were packing their belongings, "an average of three to five kilometers a day would be very good. This means that, if all goes smoothly, it will still take seven to ten days to arrive."

Seven or eight days! In this perilous environment, every day could be the last. Everyone's mood grew heavy.

"We must travel light, taking only necessities," Professor Wang decided decisively. "Prepare ten days' worth of food, but leave some leeway. Water is key; the water purifier must be well protected."

For the next half-day, the entire library transformed into a bustling preparation base. People, filled with fear for the future and a faint glimmer of hope, prepared nervously. Li Rui's team displayed professional competence; their arrival indeed greatly enhanced the organization and survival capabilities of the survivor group.

Lin Mo, meanwhile, seized every moment to recover his mental energy and familiarize himself with the fragment. He tried to compress the stable field to its extreme, covering only himself, and found that both the stabilization effect and energy consumption ratio were optimized. He also tried activating the "reality reinforcement" domain for a short time, feeling the speed of energy dissipation and the degree of environmental enhancement.

During a break, Li Rui approached Lin Mo alone and handed him a small piece of high-energy chocolate wrapped in tin foil. "Replenish your strength. From now on, you are key."

Lin Mo didn't refuse, taking the chocolate and feeling the sweet taste melt in his mouth, bringing a little energy.

"Lin Mo," Li Rui looked at him, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry, "Is this ability of yours... did it awaken after the disaster, or did you have it before...?" He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear. The Anomaly Investigation Bureau was not entirely ignorant of supernatural phenomena; they might have encountered other "anomalous individuals."

Lin Mo remained alert, his expression unchanged: "It's related to this ancestral antique. When the disaster occurred, it seemed to activate." He still stuck to his previous statement, attributing everything to the "antique," hiding the editor's existence.

Li Rui nodded, not pressing further, only saying meaningfully: "This world is becoming strange, and many normal rules have been broken. Having special abilities is not necessarily a bad thing; the key is how to use them. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation."

Lin Mo could feel that Li Rui was holding something back and was constantly evaluating him. This mutual probing and cautious cooperation would be the norm on their journey ahead.

As the setting sun (if that dim crimson glow could still be called a sunset) once again painted the shattered city with a desolate hue, preparations for departure were largely complete. Each person carried a backpack as light as possible, their faces a mixture of fatigue, fear, and determination.

Professor Wang gave a final, simple but heavy pep talk: "Everyone, staying here means certain death. Going out, there might still be a chance at life. This path will be very difficult, extremely difficult. But together, supporting each other, there is hope. Remember, survive!"

"Survive!" people responded in low voices, as if cheering themselves on.

Lin Mo stood at the front of the team, his left hand tightly gripping the warm fragment, a milky white halo spreading out from him, enveloping the team about to set off. He glanced at the people behind him who had entrusted their fate to him, then looked out at the unknown and dangerous ruins beyond the library.

"Move out!"

With Li Rui's command, after a final check of the heavy obstacles, a gap just wide enough for one person to pass was opened. Lin Mo took a deep breath of air, carrying the scent of blood and char, and was the first to step out of the library's main door.

The faint sanctuary was left behind, and the journey intertwined with death and hope officially began. Their first step out was not just over the library's threshold, but also the first step towards the cruel truth of this shattered world.

Under the dim light, the broken streets resembled the esophagus of a monster, waiting to devour these tiny beings.