36: Chapter 36 Stealth and Breakthrough

Lin Ye leaned against the back of the rock, his mind racing as he reviewed the situation.

The positions, spacing, and movement trajectories of those red dots were etched into his mind one by one.

Two were patrolling the street entrance on a circular route.

Three were crouched motionless in a pile of abandoned cars in the middle of the street.

Deep within the ruins, it was even more extreme; a dense crowd was packed together, all surrounding that golden light point.

"Forget about that cluster deep inside for now. Just sneaking to the middle section will be a handful."

He quickly outlined a route in his mind, following the base of the buildings at the outermost edge of the ruins.

Using collapsed floor slabs and debris as cover, he would bypass the patrol routes and cut in from the flank.

Having made up his mind, Lin Ye took off his backpack and pulled out the crumpled ball of tattered clothes.

Drawing his dagger, he quickly sliced the top into long strips of cloth.

He lifted his right foot.

He wrapped the cloth strips tightly around the sole of his tactical boot, layer by layer, from the ball of his foot to the heel, managing to wrap it three times.

He cut off the excess fabric and tied it in a dead knot.

He did the same for his left foot.

After three seconds of collective silence in the Great Xia Live Stream, the bullet chat surged out like a bursting dam.

[Holy crap! A handmade version of physical silencing?]

[Brother Eye's mastery of the path of survival is simply unfathomable!]

[See that? This... is what you call professional!]

[Archaeology Department: Our curriculum includes field surveys, site exploration, and... silently infiltrating ancient tombs.]

[Brother Eye: Quiet down, I'm not being a coward, I'm conducting high-end tactical deployment.]

Lin Ye stood up and took two steps in place.

His tactical boots, wrapped in cloth, stepped over the gravel-strewn ground without making the slightest sound.

Every step was silent.

He raised an eyebrow in satisfaction and put his pack back on.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Ye used the shadows of the rock wall to crouch low and sneak toward the edge of the ruins.

The inside of the ruins was even more dilapidated than it appeared from a distance.

Both sides of the street were lined with rusted, abandoned cars.

Broken utility poles had smashed through the asphalt road, leaving rebar exposed.

Large patches of exterior wall plaster had peeled off, revealing the grayish-black concrete beneath.

Deathly silence.

It was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

Lin Ye hunched over and crept forward along a half-collapsed exterior wall.

Just as he turned a corner, his footsteps faltered.

Less than thirty meters ahead, a small Pale Species was perched on top of a scrapped car.

Its limbs were splayed out, pressed against the car roof like a dead dog.

Its spindle-shaped head turned slowly, and thick saliva dripped occasionally from its wide mouth that split all the way to its ears.

Most fatally, this thing was blocking his only path forward.

Lin Ye shrank into the shadows.

Bypass it?

To the left was a collapsed building, completely blocked.

To the right was open ground, which would be pure suicide.

Retreat?

At the entrance of the alley he had just passed, another one was taking a stroll.

"Damn, it really knows how to pick a spot to gatekeep."

Lin Ye slowly crouched down and picked up a thumb-sized pebble from the ground.

He turned his gaze to the front left, where a rusted-through sheet-metal sign hung.

With a flick of his wrist.

"Clang—!"

A crisp sound rang out in the quiet ruins.

The Pale Species on the car roof snapped its head up and, without a moment's hesitation, pounced toward the direction of the sound from the sign.

Now!

Taking advantage of the moment its back was turned, Lin Ye lowered his body and dashed along the shadows of the car wreckage.

With the "Physical Silencing Boots" buff, he moved like lightning, yet didn't make a single sound.

A dozen seconds later, he had already slipped behind a pillar of a dilapidated building ahead.

He glanced back; everything was fine.

He continued to advance against the wall, using the ancestral skill of "Luring monsters with pebbles" to successfully avoid two more Pale Species wandering in the shadows.

A few minutes later, he reached the entrance of a convenience store with a Japanese sign.

He peered through the broken glass; the shelves were overturned.

Scattered across the floor were various product packages, looking as if the place had been looted.

Eye of Destiny, activate.

He scanned the area.

The convenience store was clean; there was no red light.

Safe.

He reached out to grasp the damaged aluminum door frame and gave it a gentle push.

"Creeeeeak—!"

Because the hinges were rusted shut, they let out a piercing grinding sound.

The sound wasn't particularly loud.

But in these ruins where a loud fart could be heard halfway down the street, it might as well have been a clap of thunder.

Lin Ye's pupils constricted.

Almost simultaneously, from the two darkest alleys nearest the convenience store, two Pale Species turned their heads at the same time.

Their pale, fish-like eyes "stared" intently in his direction as they let out a hiss.

Using all four limbs, they scrambled quickly toward the convenience store!

A pincer attack from both sides!

They were closing in at the same time!

Inside the Great Xia Live Stream, the viewers' hearts were in their throats.

[F*ck! This broken door is a death trap!]

[Two of them at once! Run, Brother Eye!]

[It's over, it's over. Even this master of stealth can't hide now!]

[My hands are shaking, help!]

[Japan: Yoshi! This is the consequence of stealing on our sacred territory!]

[USA: God has sent down righteous judgment!]

[South Korea: The Great Xia person's luck has finally run out, smida!]

Lin Ye's back was soaked with cold sweat.

He knew that if he got tied down here, every monster on the street would be drawn in, and then it would really be game over!

He decisively let go and turned toward the other side of the road.

It was a five-story apartment building.

He raised his right arm.

He pressed the switch with his thumb.

"Thwip—!"

The triple-clawed hook shot out, crossing the entire street and latching onto the concrete railing of the five-story apartment's rooftop!

"Whirrr—!"

The cable retracted.

Lin Ye kicked off the ground with force, and his whole body soared into the air!

Almost the instant his toes left the ground, the two Pale Species pounced on the spot where he had just stood, their sharp claws nearly grazing the soles of his shoes.

Meanwhile, Lin Ye had turned into a dark shadow, flying straight toward the fifth floor.

The five-story gap was crossed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Ye braced his hands against the concrete railing, his core strength exploding as he performed a smooth roll onto the rooftop.

He landed.

Stabilizing himself on one knee.

The bullet chat in the Great Xia Live Stream was scrolling frantically.

[Holy crap, incredible! I'm willing to buy a ten-year membership just for this scene!]

[The man is flying in front, while his soul is chasing behind! This play is god-tier!]

[Wind-Chasing Claw: See that? This is my main job; catching fish is just a side hustle!]

[Brother Eye: You thought I was going to crash? Actually, I'm just transferring!]

[Omni-directional mobility gear! Attack on Brother Eye!]

Lin Ye crouched behind the railing, holding his breath, and stealthily peeked out a bit to look down.

At the convenience store entrance below, the two Pale Species that had missed their mark were wandering around like headless flies.

After searching around and finding no one, they finally crawled back into the dark alleys in frustration.

"Whew—!"

Lin Ye withdrew his gaze, inwardly cursing at how close that was.

He blinked his left eye, scanning directly through the building beneath his feet.

From the second to the fifth floor, there was no red light; it was completely clear.

Only at the main entrance on the first floor were two dim red dots crouched.

As long as he didn't disturb them, these upper floors were absolutely safe.

"Alright."

Lin Ye calculated silently.

He decided to use this apartment as a temporary base and "loot" his way down from the fifth floor.

With some luck, he might find some useful supplies in this dilapidated building.

He stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and turned toward the fire door leading to the stairwell.

Having learned his lesson from the convenience store, he didn't even dare touch the door handle this time.

Drawing his dagger, he carefully inserted the blade into the door crack.

Bit by bit, he pried it open.

Finally, the fire door was pried open just enough for him to squeeze through sideways.

A musty, decaying scent wafted out from the stairwell...