Chapter 28

The abandoned resort was deathly silent. Dead vines clung to the decaying wooden bridge like giant pythons, and dilapidated villas, like gnawed skeletons, lay scattered around the dry lakebed. The air was thick with the stench of mud and an indescribable smell of decay.

Chen Mengzhou hid the battered SUV in the garage of a half-collapsed villa, carefully covering it with tattered canvas. She checked the remaining ammunition and supplies and found they could still hold out for a while, but they needed more food and clean water.

The injury to his arm was no longer a problem thanks to medication and his own resilience, but the recovery of his spatial ability was still slow, like a dry riverbed, with only a trickle seeping out. The aftereffects of the chase and the forced use of his ability were lasting longer than he had imagined.

She needed time and a relatively safe environment to fully recover and digest the vast and astonishing information - Kronos, the Ark, the lighthouse, the anchor point... and the brutal "Black Dog" she had just encountered.

The resort was quite large, so she decided to take some time to thoroughly scout it, eliminate potential dangers, and find a suitable hiding place.

She moved through the ruins like a ghost, her footsteps so light that no sound could be heard. Her spatial perception was like invisible tentacles, carefully exploring each building. Most of the houses were empty, with only dust, ruins, and the occasional eroded wreckage.

It wasn't until she approached the largest building by the lake, which might have been the main building of the hotel, that she suddenly caught an extremely faint...energy fluctuation at the edge of her perception?

It's not the putrid energy of corroding corpses, nor the violent turbulence of time and space, but a more obscure, more restrained energy residue with a sense of...old dust?

She stopped immediately, became alert, and quietly approached the broken revolving door of the main building.

The energy fluctuations came from underground.

A hotel basement? Usually, this kind of place is either a garage, a storage room, or... a more secret place.

The entrance was mostly blocked by fallen decorative columns and debris. It took some effort for her to clear a gap to pass through.

A colder, damper smell than outside, a mixture of mold and rotting paper, hit me in the face. Below was a cement staircase leading down, and the depths were pitch black.

She drew her bayonet and turned on the tactical flashlight on her rifle, letting the beam pierce the darkness as she walked down carefully.

At the end of the stairs was a heavy, airtight metal door, but it was severely deformed and ajar. The strange energy fluctuations came from behind this door.

Pushing open the half-open door, the flashlight beam swept into the interior.

Chen Mengzhou's breathing paused almost imperceptibly.

What was before him wasn't an ordinary basement, but a... private shelter? Or perhaps, a doomsday preparer's lair?

The room was approximately fifty square meters, surrounded by reinforced alloy walls. One side was lined with rusted shelves, littered with expired canned goods, moldy grain, and broken tools. On the other side lay a crude camp bed and a workbench.

The most eye-catching thing is the workbench in the center of the room and several electronic devices placed against the wall, which are powered by solar panels and small generators and still have faint indicator lights flashing...!

An old military-grade radio transceiver! A knob-covered device that looked like an energy detector! Even a laptop with a cracked screen but the main light still on...

Is there anyone here?! Or... has someone lived here for a long time?

Chen Mengzhou's heart raced slightly as he cautiously swept his gun across the room, confirming there was no sign of life. There was only dust and dead silence.

She walked over to her workbench. Scattered across it were manuscripts and notes, their pages yellowed and brittle. Carefully, she lifted a page. The handwriting was scribbled and excited, as if recording some profound discovery or... madness.

[…They're right! The Cataclysm isn't the end, it's a sifting! It's the beginning of the path of evolution!] […The fluctuations of the energy tide follow a pattern! Look! This perfect peak! (Attached is a scribbled waveform diagram)] […Cronus…the ancient watchers…their legacy lies beneath the ruins…guiding the way…] […I must find the "Gate"…I must get there before the "Scavengers"…it's the key to a new world…]

Kronos! Scavenger!

See those two names again! This mysterious doomsday prepper also knows about Kronos?! He's even hiding from the "Scavengers"?! He also mentioned "gates" and "new worlds"?

Chen Mengzhou quickly flipped through the other manuscripts. Most of the records were incomplete, filled with fanaticism and obscure terminology, but the scattered fragments of information continued to piece together a shocking truth:

This self-proclaimed "prophet" appears to have known some of the prophecies concerning Kronos and the apocalypse through some channels before the cataclysm. He firmly believes the apocalypse is a form of "evolutionary selection," and that the "legacy" and "gate" left behind by Kronos are the key. He has been tracking the patterns of energy tides, attempting to locate the "gate," and warns against a group called the "Scavengers" who seek to "stifle evolution and maintain decay."

His manuscript finally stopped at an extremely complex drawing marked with multiple energy peak points and suspected coordinates, the time was just after the catastrophe. It seems that there has been no update since then.

Where did he go? Did he find the "door"? Was he captured by the "scavengers"? Or did he die outside?

Chen Mengzhou's gaze turned to the laptop computer that was still running.

She tried pressing the power button. The screen flickered a few times, then suddenly lit up! The battery still had some power left!

There was no password on the screen, and she was taken directly to a desktop filled with data and icons. Most of the files were corrupted, but one folder's name caught her attention: "Coordinate Reckoning for the Kronos Legacy."

Opening the folder, he discovered a vast amount of observational data, calculation formulas, and... a few blurry screenshots of satellite photos! The photos showed a flickering red dot deep within a vast radiation swamp known as the "Death Basin." A note next to it read: "Suspected energy reaction of the 'Gate,' with periodic fluctuations in intensity, matches the theoretical model with a 71.4% accuracy!"

Death Basin... It is one of the most dangerous restricted areas in the apocalypse, filled with high concentrations of radiation, mutated creatures and an extremely unstable space-time environment!

This lunatic actually thought the "door" was there?!

But...what if he was right? What if there really was a "gate" there, left by Kronos, leading to the so-called "new world"?

Just as Shen Mengzhou was feeling agitated—

Woo-woo-woo-woo

The old energy detector on the table suddenly and without warning sounded a sharp alarm! The pointer on the screen jumped wildly, pointing to a specific frequency band!

This frequency… Chen Mengzhou's pupils suddenly shrank! She remembered this frequency! It was the detection wave frequency emitted by the "Black Dog" scanner! It was nearby?! And it was actively scanning?!

How did they find this place?! Were they tracking her down? Or...were they searching for this "prophet's" sanctuary?!

Damn it!

Chen Mengzhou instantly turned off the power to all devices, and the room fell into darkness and silence. She scurried to the door like a raccoon cat, listening attentively while simultaneously increasing her spatial perception to the utmost.

Above the ground, the distinct sound of vehicle engines emanated! More than one! Footsteps were also heard! They were rapidly approaching the main hotel building!

Surrounded!

What to do? Forcing my way out would be a near-death experience! This basement might be hidden, but the entrance is already exposed. If the enemy comes down, we'll be caught in a trap!

Her eyes quickly swept across the entire shelter. There must be a way out! Such a paranoid planner would definitely leave a way out for himself!

Spatial perception has carefully explored every inch of the walls and the ground!

Found it! Behind the shelves, there's an area on the ground with an unusual echo! It seems empty underneath!

She shoved the heavy shelf open, revealing a metal plate underneath with a hidden handle!

Pull it open! Below is a narrow, bottomless vertical passage! Icy air rushes out! There is a rusty ladder on the wall of the passage!

This is it!

At this time, the rough shouts of the Black Dog soldiers and the loud noises of breaking into the door could be heard from the ground!

There is no time to hesitate!

Chen Mengzhou didn't hesitate and jumped into the vertical passage! At the same time, he pulled the metal plate back to its original position with his backhand!

Snap! There seems to be a buckle inside that locks automatically!

She slid down the cold ladder quickly! It was pitch black all around her, with only a faint light coming from the entrance above her head and the noise getting closer and closer!

After sliding down about ten meters, I finally touched solid ground. Before me was a crudely dug underground tunnel, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, with no idea where it led.

She had no choice but to run forward along the tunnel!

The tunnel twisted and turned upwards, the air growing increasingly humid. After running for an unknown amount of time, I faintly heard the sound of water and light ahead!

exit!

She rushed out of the tunnel exit, and the view before her suddenly opened up!

She had actually emerged from the other side of the mountain! The exit was hidden behind a waterfall! The roaring water cascaded down from a height, forming a natural curtain of water that perfectly obscured the cave entrance!

At this moment, she was standing on a narrow stone platform behind the waterfall, with a bottomless pool at her feet and a steep rock wall covered with slippery moss opposite her.

Safe for now. The roar of the waterfall drowned out everything else.

She leaned against the cold, wet rock wall, breathing heavily, her heart pounding.

That was a close call...

The sudden appearance of the Black Dog disrupted all her plans, but also confirmed the importance of this sanctuary and the "prophet." Both were searching for Kronos's "legacy" and "door," and were sworn enemies.

So, the enemy of my enemy...

A bold idea took shape in her mind.

Perhaps she didn't need to face all this alone. The "prophet" might be dead, but the information he left behind... especially the coordinates of the Death Basin... could perhaps become her "bargaining chip"?

She didn't need to risk going to that hellish restricted area herself, but she could use this information to attract the attention of the "Black Dog" or even... divert the trouble away?

Or, look for other forces that might also be fighting against the Black Dog and the Bastion?

In the apocalypse, the power of one person is ultimately limited. She needs an intelligence network, eyes and ears, and... "allies," even if they are temporary allies that can be used for mutual benefit.

She remembered what the old man at the transit station had said: the west was more chaotic, but there might also be other survivor forces.

Perhaps she should change her mindset. Instead of blindly dodging and sneaking around, she should take the initiative, integrate resources, and lay out her own strategy.

Chen Mengzhou looked at the roaring waterfall in front of him, his eyes gradually becoming sharp and deep.

She took out the remains of the amulet that she had carefully preserved from Chen Bo, which had been turned into powder, from her underwear, and thought about the dangerous coordinates in her mind again.

Then she made a decision.

Turn around and dive into that tunnel again.

However, this time, she was not fleeing.

Instead, she was going to prepare a...special "gift" for her "allies" and "enemies".

A few days later, an abandoned gas station was found near a major traffic artery, nearly 100 kilometers away from the resort.

Occasionally, a few groups of survivors would pass by here to rest.

Chen Mengzhou was lurking like a sculpture in the shadow of a dilapidated building opposite the gas station, waiting motionlessly for most of the day.

She was waiting for someone. A group of survivors who would be conspicuous enough to attract Black Dog's attention and who might head west.

At dusk, the target finally appeared.

It was a medium-sized convoy consisting of five vehicles of various types, with about twenty people on board, all equipped with a mixed but reasonably complete range of equipment. The vehicles were spray-painted with ferocious ghostly patterns, making them look quite conspicuous. They stopped at a gas station, making a lot of noise and began searching for supplies, looking like a group of looters.

That's them.

Chen Mengzhou slid down the dilapidated building silently like a night owl, and went around to the back of the gas station to avoid the other party's sight.

From behind an abandoned oil tank, she dragged the old military radio transceiver she had brought from the shelter, wrapped in oilcloth (she had removed the positioning components and made it anti-tracking).

Then, she took out a message she had prepared long ago, written on a tarpaulin, and stuffed it into the battery compartment of the transceiver. The content of the message was simple:

[To the "Scavenger": Do you want the "Prophet's" legacy? Do you want the key to the "Gate"? Coordinates: X-734, Y-118 (the core area of ​​Death Basin). —A shadow you cannot catch.]

She signed her name with a simple twisted spiral pattern that imitated the symbol of Kronos.

After doing all this, she tuned the radio transceiver to a common public channel, turned the power to maximum, and set it to loop broadcast recording mode. The recording contained only one sentence, repeated coldly in an electronic synthesized voice:

"Coordinates...X-734...Y-118...Repeat...Coordinates...X-734...Y-118..."

Then she started the machine, carefully hiding it in an imperceptible crevice at the bottom of the tank.

The looping radio waves would continuously transmit the fatal coordinates like a beacon in the darkness. Any passing team with radio equipment could potentially receive them. The maximum power and looping mode ensured that the waves would travel far enough to attract the attention of the "Black Dog."

Those predators would soon discover this strange machine that kept making sounds. Whether they were curious, greedy, or vigilant, the coordinates and information would spread like a virus.

Especially when the "Black Dog" rover passes by here... they will never miss this strong, provocative signal.

Chen Mengzhou took one last look at the hiding spot, and a cold arc appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The gift has been given.

Next, it's just a matter of waiting for the fish to take the bait, and... observing how the storm she caused will sweep across the ruins.

Her figure flashed and completely disappeared into the deepening night.

Like a real ghost, it sows the seeds of chaos, then quietly leaves, waiting for the harvest season to come.

The chessboard is set.

The chess pieces are falling.

And she, the "anchor" from the future, finally stopped responding passively.

She started to make her move.