35: Wasteland Dawn and the Guidance of Resonance

The gray fin shark transport plane, like a weary steel fish, struggled through the dim and turbid sky. The roar of its engines sounded listless, occasionally emitting a heart-wrenching, coughing tremor as it inhaled high concentrations of dust and anomalous energy particles. The external armor of the fuselage was covered in hideous scratches left during their escape, with several shallow dents from falling debris, making it look utterly battered.

Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was as oppressive as solidified lead. The three rescued researchers huddled in their seats, their faces devoid of the joy of escaping death, replaced only by bone-deep exhaustion and a bewildered fear of the future. The female researcher with a leg injury, despite simple bandaging and hemostasis, was pale from blood loss and pain, her consciousness flickering between clarity and blurriness. The other two male researchers, one older named Wu Yong and the younger one named Xiao Li, stared blankly out the porthole at the desolate, shattered land.

Was this the "hope" they had fought so hard to escape for? A tomb even vaster than the underground one.

Lin Mo sat in the pilot's seat, his hands still steadily on the controls, but his face was paler than before, his brow slightly furrowed, revealing his mental fatigue. The initial integration of the seed of source blood and the World Editor brought a significant increase in perception, but maintaining such high-precision environmental scanning and flight evasion was equally draining on his mind. He felt like a taut string, needing to concentrate at all times, otherwise, this scarred transport plane could lose control at any moment or be attacked by Corruptors sensitive to air targets, potentially hidden in the ruins below.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the black jade slip's light was no longer as brilliant as before, but flickered like breathing, slowly drawing in the thin energy from the air and the faint, homologous power continuously emanating from the core fragment within him, undergoing replenishment and adjustment. On the surface of the jade slip, the newly emerged ancient patterns seemed to become clearer, interweaving with the milky-white halo of the seed of source blood, forming a more intimate symbiotic state.

"editor, scan the nearby area for possible temporary landing sites. Requirements: relatively concealed, low energy interference, no obvious large-scale life (Corruptor) reactions," Lin Mo silently recited the command in his mind.

The jade slip's faint light flowed, filtering and analyzing the perceived information. A moment later, a rough energy topographical map covering dozens of kilometers around was fed back. Most areas were marked with red or dark yellow, indicating danger, showing high radiation, strong energy turbulence, or dense Corruptor activity. Finally, in a valley area about fifteen kilometers to the northeast, a faint, relatively stable blue light spot was marked.

"Analysis result: Suspected abandoned mining facility from the old era, underground structures may be partially preserved, with natural rock cover on the surface. Low energy background noise, can serve as a temporary resting point."

"Set navigation, prioritize avoiding red high-risk areas."

The transport plane traced a slightly winding arc in the sky, heading towards the designated valley. Lin Mo carefully manipulated it, trying to fly through dense dust clouds to conceal the engine's heat signature and sound, avoiding unnecessary trouble.

The flight was not smooth. They encountered a small-scale harassment by flying Corruptors, like vultures, who seemed interested in the energy fluctuations emitted by the transport plane. Lin Mo chose not to expend energy fighting but instead used [Cognitive Interference] again, distorting these low-intelligence creatures' perception of their "prey," making them mistake the transport plane for a tasteless metal ore emitting an unpleasant aura, eventually causing them to leave disgruntled.

He also observed some chilling sights from afar on the ground: huge Aberrations, like mountains, slowly moving, aggregated from countless wrecks and twisted flesh; an area where physical laws seemed completely chaotic, gravity inverted, rocks suspended; further away, a dark red energy storm connecting heaven and earth slowly rotated like a giant pillar, and wherever it passed, even space showed unnatural wrinkles... This was the true World after The Great Erosion. Far more direct and despair-inducing than what he had understood through screens and reports inside the Shelter.

After nearly an hour of cautious flight, the gray fin shark finally reached the target valley. From above, the valley entrance was narrow, and the interior terrain was complex, covered with jagged strange rocks and dead, bizarrely shaped vegetation. Deep in the valley, several dark mine entrances and a half-collapsed industrial building ruin were faintly visible.

The editor scanned and confirmed that there were no obvious signs of Corruptor activity on the surface, and the energy radiation level was within acceptable limits.

Lin Mo maneuvered the transport plane, choosing a relatively flat area embraced by a huge rock wall and close to a smaller mine entrance, slowly descending. The landing gear hit the ground with a dull thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The engines shut down, and a brief silence fell in the cabin, broken only by the whistling wind outside and the heavy breathing of the injured.

"We... are temporarily safe." Lin Mo released the control stick, rubbing his slightly throbbing temples, his voice carrying a hint of imperceptible hoarseness.

Wu Yong and Xiao Li, as if waking from a dream, quickly got up to check on their injured female companion. Lin Mo also found a standard Shelter medical kit from the storage compartment and handed it over. There wasn't much medicine inside, but it was enough to handle emergency injuries.

"Thank you... Thank you, Mr. Lin Mo." Wu Yong took the medical kit, his voice choked, his gaze at Lin Mo filled with gratitude and awe. The experiences along the way, especially the incredible abilities Lin Mo had displayed, had made them regard him as an existence far beyond ordinary people.

Lin Mo waved his hand, saying nothing more. He walked to the cabin door and pressed the switch. The door slid open, and a dry, cold wind mixed with sulfur, dust, and decaying odors instantly rushed in, causing everyone in the cabin to shiver.

He was the first to descend the gangway, stepping onto the soft, barren earth. Looking around, the valley was dead silent, with only the mournful wailing of the wind passing through rock crevices, like the whispers of departed souls. The sky was still that oppressive dim yellow, with no sun or stars visible.

He needed to confirm the safety of this foothold and... test his new abilities.

He walked to the entrance of the smaller mine, which was about two people high, dark and deep inside, emitting a damp musty smell and a faint mineral scent. He closed his eyes, extending his perception like tentacles into it.

Unlike relying purely on the editor's scan before, this time, he tried to actively mobilize the integrated power in his Sea of Consciousness. A milky-white halo, mixed with the editor's almost primordial analytical power, spread silently from him like mercury flowing across the ground, penetrating every corner of the mine.

This was a more active, more precise "environmental perception." It was no longer receiving feedback information, but actively "reading" the information contained within the environment itself—the age and structural stability of the rocks, the composition of particles in the air, residual energy traces, and even... faint imprints of whether life forms had been active here in the past period.

In an instant, the internal structure of the mine, several potential traps (possibly collapsed points or animal traps left from the old era), the directions of severalBranches roads, and even the habitat locations of a few weak mutated creatures resembling giant bats living in the depths, were all clearly presented in his "mind's lake."

At the same time, he also "read" that this place had been abandoned for at least several decades, and apart from those bats, there were no signs of frequent activity by large creatures, especially Corruptors, recently.

Safe.

This method of perception was less strenuous than relying solely on the editor's scan, and the information obtained was richer and had more "texture." This was the deeper understanding and affinity for the material World that the seed of source blood had granted him.

He withdrew his perception, his heart slightly settled. At least, this could serve as a temporary refuge.

However, just as he was about to return to the transport plane, a strange palpitation suddenly came from his Sea of Consciousness.

It wasn't the editor actively warning him, nor was it the lament of the seed of source blood, but... a resonance.

The core fragment that had been initially integrated into his body began to tremble slightly, without warning, emitting a gentle and continuous fluctuation with a clear direction. This fluctuation did not point to the vague "lighthouses" scattered everywhere that he had sensed before, but... something more specific, more distinct!

As if responding to this fluctuation, in his perception, in the extremely distant East, at an immeasurable distance, a sleeping consciousness, far more vast and ancient than the fragment in his hand, seemed to... stir slightly. Like a sleeping giant turning over, though subtle, it triggered a ripple of a law-level nature, transcending space.

A clear "pull" arose. It was no longer a vague direction, but a... summons. Carrying some mission that urgently needed to be completed, or an expectation of a great secret hidden within.

This feeling was fleeting, but it was imprinted in Lin Mo's perception with undeniable reality.

He stood in place, looking towards the boundless horizon in the East, shrouded in dust and chaos, his gaze profound.

A new goal had not only appeared, but... it had become incredibly clear and urgent.

But at the same time, he also felt the heavy weight on his shoulders. The three ordinary people in the cabin who depended on him for survival, this transport plane that needed maintenance and energy, and this perilous wasteland, fraught with danger at every turn... He was no longer the librarian who only needed to hide himself and silently accumulate strength. He bore more, and the path ahead was clearer, yet also more arduous.

He took a deep breath of the cold, polluted air of the wasteland and turned to walk towards the transport plane.

First, he had to survive. Then, repair the equipment, replenish supplies, and enhance his strength.

Finally, he would go East, to answer that resonance... transcending the void.

Meanwhile, deep within the collapsed Seventh Shelter, the charred hand reaching out from the ruins finally managed to push aside the last giant rock pressing down on it. Zhou Weian, or rather, the "thing" that used to be Zhou Weian, dragged his broken body, parts of which even showed non-human characteristics, out of the cracks of hell. He looked up, towards the direction Lin Mo had left, and a hoarse, wheezing laugh, like a leaking bellows, escaped his shattered throat, filled with endless malice and a certain... twisted craving.

"Wait... for me... I will find you... your... power..."

The roles of hunter and prey, in the dawn of the wasteland, seemed to have begun to blur.