27: Vault 7
The massive corpse of the Smasher lay like a discarded war machine amidst the dust and blood of the logistics park, signaling the end of a brutal battle. The smoke had not yet dispersed, and the air was filled with a pungent, mixed odor, but the suffocating sense of death had gradually receded with the monster's fall.
The survivors, supporting each other, emerged from behind cover, their faces a mix of exhaustion, pain, and a nearly numb relief. Counting the casualties, no deaths was a blessing in disguise, but almost everyone was injured, their mental and physical reserves pushed to the limit. Professor Wang and Ye Qing immediately organized personnel to provide emergency treatment using the medical supplies brought by Li Rui's team.
Lin Mo leaned against a relatively intact container, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing. Waves of stinging pain and dizziness from his near-depleted mental energy continuously assaulted his consciousness. The editor interface glowed dimly, with only 0.4 units of energy remaining. The reality stabilization anchor fragment was also slowly drawing in sparse free energy from the environment, but the speed was far from keeping up with the consumption. Forcibly using the 'Needle of Order' to precisely edit reality nodes had burdened him far more than anticipated.
Li Rui walked over and handed him a high-energy nutrient solution. "Hold on, we need to leave here as soon as possible. The battle was too loud; we can't stay long."
Lin Mo took the nutrient solution, and a warm current slid down his throat, slightly alleviating his physical weakness. He nodded, saying nothing more. Every bit of strength needed to be conserved now.
After less than half an hour of rest, once Ye Qing confirmed there were no new high-risk energy readings nearby, the team set off again. This time, the atmosphere was even more somber. The cost of traversing the logistics park's nest was heavy; everyone stumbled, the injured needed support, and their progress was severely hampered.
For the next two days, the team trekked laboriously in silence and vigilance. Lin Mo's power had not fully recovered, and he could only maintain a minimal stable field, barely warding off the Whisperer's harassment, and his suppressive effect on the Predator was much weaker than before. Fortunately, Li Rui's team was experienced, and Ye Qing's reconnaissance and Zhao Qiang's firepower formed a reliable barrier, allowing them to avoid large-scale Corruptor groups several times with minor scares.
They passed through abandoned factory areas, bypassed collapsed underground passages, and searched for a way out among the ruins. Food and water were rapidly depleting, and a sense of despair, like spreading moss, quietly took root. The no longer dazzling fragment in Lin Mo's hand became the team's most stubborn spiritual pillar in the endless darkness.
It wasn't until the afternoon of the third day, after climbing over a small hill covered in shell craters and scorch marks, that the sight before them invigorated everyone!
Below the hill was a relatively open valley. In the center of the valley, a camp had been established, built around the entrance of a vast, abandoned old-era air-raid Shelter. A five-meter-high wall, constructed from rough concrete and scrap metal, tightly enclosed the camp. Rusty but still sharp barbed wire was strung along the wall, and the figures of patrolling personnel were faintly visible. Inside the wall, tidy barracks, chimneys with curling smoke, and even a small cultivated field planted with cold-hardy crops could be seen!
More importantly, a faint but definite order energy field, similar to the reality stabilization anchor fragment, enveloped the entire camp like an inverted bowl! Although its intensity was far less than the fragment in Lin Mo's hand, its range was extremely wide, clearly separating the camp area from the chaotic atmosphere of the outside wasteland!
Seventh Shelter! They had finally arrived!
"We're here! We made it!" An uncontrollable cheer erupted among the crowd; many wept with joy, embracing each other, as if the fatigue and fear of the past few days were released at this moment.
Even the usually steady Li Rui's eyes flashed with a hint of relief. Ye Qing quickly operated her equipment, confirming that the camp's energy signature matched the Seventh Shelter records in the database.
"Stay alert, approach as planned," Li Rui suppressed the group's excitement and ordered. Even upon reaching their destination, any slackening before finally entering the high walls could lead to fatal danger.
The team cautiously descended the hill, approaching the Shelter's main gate. It was a heavy, steel-forged gate, with a smaller side gate next to it, which was currently closed. The sentries on the wall had long since spotted them; several dark muzzles protruded from the firing ports, vigilantly aimed at the ragged intruders.
"Stop! Identify yourselves!" A cold and wary voice, amplified by a loudspeaker, rang out from the high wall.
Li Rui stepped forward, raising his hands to show he was harmless, while also displaying his Anomaly Investigation Bureau ID (though it might no longer hold actual authority, it represented an official background): "I am Li Rui, former captain of the Anomaly Investigation Bureau's Jiangdong District Special Operations Team! We are survivors who broke out of the city, requesting entry into the Seventh Shelter!"
The wall fell silent for a moment, seemingly engaged in verification and discussion. After a while, the voice spoke again: "Are there any infected or those with abnormal energy reactions in your team?"
"No! We have undergone strict screening!" Li Rui replied. Ye Qing's equipment did have basic contamination detection functions, and she had been monitoring them throughout their journey.
"Wait in place! Prepare for inspection!"
An inconspicuous probe above the side gate emitted a pale blue scanning beam, slowly sweeping over everyone in the team. Lin Mo could feel a faint probing energy contained within the beam, seemingly analyzing their vital signs and energy fluctuations. He subtly reined in most of the external glow of the reality stabilization anchor fragment, retaining only the most basic stabilizing effect, and his editor was in a hidden state of minimum power consumption.
The scan lasted about a minute, then the beam extinguished.
"Clang--" The heavy side gate slowly opened inward, revealing a passage wide enough for only two people to walk abreast.
"You may enter! Form a single file, maintain order! Hand over your weapons; there will be dedicated personnel to receive and register them upon entry!" The voice from the wall commanded.
Finally, they could enter! The excited survivors lined up and passed through the door, which symbolized hope for survival. Li Rui's team entered first, with Lin Mo and Professor Wang following close behind.
The moment they stepped through the Shelter's gate, a completely different atmosphere washed over them. Although the air still carried the dampness of an underground space and the smell of crowded humanity, the constant mental erosion of chaos and malice had vanished! In its place was a slightly oppressive, yet genuinely present, sense of 'order' and 'safety'. The faint stable field enveloping the entire camp, like an invisible membrane, filtered out the madness of the wasteland.
Beyond the door was a spacious, brightly lit (powered by some humming generator) security hall. Dozens of heavily armed guards, wearing unified uniforms (not military uniforms, but some kind of gray combat suit), strictly guarded all passages. Their eyes were sharp and indifferent, with the numbness of those accustomed to life and death.
"Place all personal items in the designated baskets, weapons on the table over there. Line up for physical examination and information registration." A white-coated, expressionless staff member directed the process.
People obediently handed over their remaining belongings and self-defense weapons (Li Rui's team also surrendered most of their standard equipment, only allowed to keep a few personal weapons), then lined up for a simple physical examination, mainly checking for obvious external injuries and signs of infection, and registering basic information such as name and former occupation.
When it was Lin Mo's turn, he noticed that the staff member responsible for registration, upon recording his profession as "librarian," looked up at him, his eyes seemingly moving slightly, but quickly returning to calm.
After registration, they were led to another area for what was called "purification" and "quarantine observation." The so-called purification merely involved spraying their entire bodies with a pungent disinfectant and changing into the rough but clean gray uniforms provided by the Shelter. The quarantine area was a large area formed by connecting multiple tents, where hundreds of haggard-faced survivors with various expressions had already gathered. They would be observed here for 24 hours, and only after confirming no latent contamination or anomalies would they be formally assigned housing and work.
It wasn't until he was sent to the quarantine area and found a relatively quiet corner to sit down that Lin Mo's taut nerves finally relaxed slightly. He looked around, surveying this so-called "Seventh Shelter."
Order, indeed, existed. There were armed guards maintaining order, basic material provisions (though only thin gruel and a small piece of compressed dry food), and medical stations treating the wounded. Although people were tired and fearful, at least they were not immediately facing the threat of death.
However, a subtle sense of unease, like tiny ice shards, pricked at his senses.
The guards here seemed… too well-trained, their eyes filled with an indifference and scrutiny far exceeding ordinary militiamen or emergency personnel. The stable energy field enveloping the entire camp, though weak, its energy structure… had an indescribable similarity to the reality stabilization anchor fragment in his hand, yet it was more rigid, lacking fluidity, as if it were generated by some fixed device.
Moreover, he keenly noticed that in the deeper parts of the Shelter, there seemed to be several more obscure energy fluctuations that caused both the fragment in his hand and his editor to subtly stir. These fluctuations were not purely orderly; instead, they carried a hint of… experimental, even somewhat dangerous, aura.
Li Rui had arranged for his team members to rest and sat down next to Lin Mo and Professor Wang, saying in a low voice: "We're finally safe for now. The defenses and order here are better than I expected."
Professor Wang breathed a sigh of relief, exclaiming: "Yes, it's a miracle to be alive here. Thanks to you, Captain Li, and Lin Mo."
Lin Mo, however, was not as optimistic as them. He pondered for a moment and asked: "Captain Li, how much do you know about the administrators of this Shelter? And that energy field…"
Li Rui's eyes flickered slightly, and he shook his head: "I don't know much either. The Seventh Shelter is one of the highest secrets, directly administered by the Revival Committee. The Committee is composed of military personnel, former government officials, and some… experts in special fields. This energy field should be some kind of 'Order Technology' controlled by The Committee." He paused, then added, "Now that we're here, we must abide by their rules. Ask less, observe more, and first, survive."
His tone was calm, but Lin Mo detected a hint of warning and… an indescribable caution within it.
Revival Committee? Order Technology?
Lin Mo asked no more, merely nodding silently. He leaned against the tent pole, his left hand seemingly casually resting on his knee, but his palm was tightly pressed against the warm fragment, the editor interface silently suspended in the depths of his consciousness.
Safety, perhaps, was merely an illusion.
Beneath the calm surface of this Seventh Shelter, seemingly the last bastion of human civilization, deeper undercurrents probably lay hidden.
He needed to recover his strength as quickly as possible, and he also needed to figure out what this so-called "Order Technology" and the hidden energy fluctuations deep within were all about.
His gaze passed through the gaps in the tent, toward the brightly lit outlines of the buildings deep within the Shelter, which ordinary survivors were not allowed to approach.
New mysteries had already emerged.