Chapter 47

The fresh sunlight after the rain brought little warmth, instead illuminating the desolate Gobi Desert and its ravines. Chen Mengzhou and Chu Li walked silently, one after the other, their feet slippery on wet gravel and lingering mud. Both were still wounded, and their pace wasn't brisk, but their vigilance was at its highest.

The information Chu Li revealed was shocking, like another hammer striking down upon a worldview already riddled with cracks. Were "anchor points" planted? The direction of evolution? The Foundation's madcap reverse-anchoring scheme? All of this pointed to a larger, more ancient chess game, and they seemed merely pawns on the board, newly awakened to their predicament.

There had to be more information. About Kronos, about the truth of the Anchor Point, about how to break this damned fate.

"The Foundation... or Kronos, where would they record this level of information?" Chen Mengzhou broke the silence, his voice hoarse with thirst. Fortress Area A was an obvious choice, but it was undoubtedly a dangerous place.

Chu Li panted slightly, trying to keep up with the pace. He frowned and thought, "The core database in Area A is too heavily guarded... and after this incident, they must have increased their vigilance. Besides that place... maybe... 'Lighthouse'?"

"Lighthouse?" Chen Mengzhou remembered the word that appeared repeatedly in the "Prophet" data fragments and Adrian's crazy words.

"Yes. The remains of an abandoned project that the Foundation has classified as a top taboo. It's said to be deep in the western restricted area, near the 'wall.'" Chu Li's eyes were a little vague, as if he was recalling some painful fragments. "I once heard a researcher mention it...when I was half-conscious...that it was the 'place where the first mistake began', where the 'remnants of the old dream' were sealed...and the defenses were relatively weak because it was...not 'clean' enough that even scavengers were unwilling to stay there permanently."

Where did the first mistake begin? A remnant of the past?

This description sounds ominous, but it may also be the only breakthrough in information.

"Do you know the exact location?"

Chu Li hesitated for a moment, nodded, and then shook his head: "There's a rough direction... but I've never been there. I only know it's on the other side of the 'Silent Rift'. There... the environment is very harsh, and there are strong spiritual remnants."

Silent Rift. Another unfamiliar place name. But compared to having no clue at all, this was a clear coordinate.

"Let's go there." Chen Mengzhou made a decision.

The two fell silent, conserving their energy as they headed in the general direction Chu Li had pointed. The further west they went, the more bizarre the landscape became. The earth took on a shattered, fragmented quality, as if repeatedly torn and forcibly glued together. Vast, bottomless fissures appeared everywhere, emanating an icy aura. The low, spiritual whimpering in the air, emanating from the "wall," seemed to fade, replaced by a dead, unnerving vacuum, as if even sound and energy had been devoured by something.

Chu Li's face became paler and paler, and his breathing became more and more rapid, as if he was reacting strongly to this environment.

"We're almost there..." She pointed to a huge shadow stretching across the sky and earth, seemingly splitting the world in two. "That's... the Silent Rift."

The so-called rift valley wasn't a narrow abyss, but rather an immense, shattered plateau, as if shattered by a giant's axe and then carelessly discarded. Countless massive rock slabs tilted, stood, and even hung upside down in mid-air at various angles, shrouded in a gray, light-absorbing mist. There was no bottom to be seen, nor the other side to be seen; only boundless, deadly chaos.

There was almost no sound here; even the wind seemed to take a detour. The spatial structure was extremely unstable, and occasionally tiny pieces of gravel could be seen floating in defiance of gravity, only to suddenly fall.

A suffocating feeling of oppression came over me.

"Follow me closely." Chen Mengzhou said in a deep voice, and took the lead in stepping into this dead and broken land.

The rock beneath their feet was cold and hard, making the path difficult to discern. They could only scramble and weave their way through the massive boulders. Spatial perception was severely disrupted, intermittent, and they could only rely on basic vision and intuition.

The silence amplified every subtle sound—one's own breathing, heartbeat, and even the sound of blood flowing seemed like the beating of drums.

Traveling in such an environment is a huge drain on both mental and physical strength.

Suddenly, Shen Mengzhou, who was walking in front, stopped abruptly and raised his hand to signal.

Chu Li immediately held his breath and looked forward nervously.

Amidst the gray fog, a massive, tilted metal structure loomed! It resembled a broken bridge, or the skeleton of some massive building, its surface covered in thick, dark rust. Its style was completely different from the current technology, carrying a cold, timeless, and ancient feel.

It lay there silently, embedded between two huge rock walls at an extremely unnatural angle, as if it had been dead for countless centuries.

"This is..." A hint of surprise flashed in Chu Li's eyes.

Chen Mengzhou's eyes were sharp. She saw a vague, almost time-worn etched mark on the rusted metal surface.

A twisted bolt of lightning runs through an irregular circle.

The symbol of Kronos!

Moreover, this symbol was older than any she had ever seen before! It exuded an aura of antiquity!

"Is it the wreckage of the 'Lighthouse'?" Chen Mengzhou whispered.

Chu Li shook his head uncertainly: "Unlikely... 'Lighthouse' is said to be 'newer' than this... "

Could it be that Chronos's activity dates back even earlier than the Foundation's records? Even earlier than the so-called "first error"?

The two approached the massive metal wreckage cautiously. The closer they got, the more they could sense its enormity and its agonizing antiquity. The air felt even colder, and the dead silence thickened.

Chen Mengzhou stretched out his hand and gently touched the cold, rough, rusted surface with his fingertips.

At the moment of touch——

Buzz!

A cold, broken, yet enormous stream of information, like a flood bursting through a dam, suddenly rushed along her fingertips and into her mind!

Not through sight or hearing, but some kind of direct, residual memory imprint!

[…Warning! Timing calibration failed! Dimensional coordinates have irreversibly shifted!]

[…Lighthouse core overload! Energy feedback loop established!]

[…Abandon the main structure! Initiate emergency escape procedure!]

[…Coordinates locked: Low □□ Fixed Area - Sector 7…]

[…Spreading program…Start…“Anchor” sequence…Deploy…]

[…May…the fire…continue…]

The shattered images flickered wildly: stars collapsed, a huge silver building (a lighthouse?) disintegrated in the light, countless tiny "capsules" were shot into the boundless black void, and a cold voice, like a last will and testament...

The flow of information came to a sudden halt!

Chen Mengzhou took a step back suddenly, his face pale and cold sweat oozing from his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Chu Li hurriedly supported her.

"... Kronos... They..." Chen Mengzhou panted, trying to digest the fleeting information, "... They are not 'Sowers'... They are also... Fugitives?!"

Timing calibration failure? Dimensional coordinate offset? Emergency escape? Spreading fire?

That ancient branding information seems to reveal a completely different truth!

Kronos is not the high and mighty mastermind behind the scenes. They also seem to have encountered some kind of huge disaster and were forced to abandon their "lighthouse" and flee to an unknown low-dimensional world (Earth?). On the way... they released the so-called "anchor" fire?

What was the purpose of this "anchor point"? Was it to mark an escape route? Or was it to... gain a foothold in the new area?

And the Foundation's understanding of the "Anchor Point" stems entirely from those incomplete "relics." It's possible they misinterpreted it from the very beginning?! Their crazy plan is built on a fallacy?!

Just as Shen Mengzhou was shaken by this subversive information—

call out!

An extremely slight yet sharp sound of breaking through the air suddenly rang out!

A crossbow arrow flashing with dark blue energy shot out from behind a huge floating rock on the side like a poisonous snake, heading straight for Chen Mengzhou's solar plexus!

The speed is extremely fast! The angle is tricky and fierce!

A sneak attack! And the timing was perfect, right at the moment when her mind was losing its balance!

Chen Mengzhou's pupils suddenly shrank, and his body instinctively fell backwards!

The crossbow arrow flew past her cheek, the wind pressure it brought scratched her skin painfully, and it was nailed hard into the rock wall behind her, and the arrow tail trembled violently!

Almost at the same time!

Another dark shadow pounced out from the other side like a ghost, aiming directly at Chu Li who was standing a little further away! A short blade in his hand stabbed her in the back!

Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west! Their real target is Chu Li, who is in an even worse condition and seems to know the secret!

It all happened so fast, in a flash!

Chen Mengzhou's old strength has been exhausted and his new strength has not yet been generated. It is too late for him to return to help!

Chu Li seemed to be completely unable to react and stood there in a daze!

Seeing that the short blade was about to penetrate——

A critical moment!

A very faint, inhuman, cold blue light suddenly flashed in the depths of Chu Li's glass-like eyes!

She didn't even look back, she just waved her arms back seemingly casually and extremely awkwardly!

Bang!

Her fingertips, with incredible precision and understatedness, touched the side of the swiftly stabbing short blade!

A seemingly powerless blow!

However--

Snap!

The short blade, which was obviously made of extraordinary material, was suddenly broken in half as if struck by an invisible force! The front half flew out in a spiral!

The attacker obviously didn't expect this sudden change. He paused in his forward momentum, and his eyes were full of surprise!

Just this moment of meal!

Chen Mengzhou had already reacted, twisting his body forcefully, and the bayonet, with a sharp whistle that tore through the air, went straight for the attacker's throat!

The attacker reacted extremely quickly, rolling backwards and narrowly avoiding the fatal blow, but the mask on his face was cut by the bayonet, revealing a pale, sinister face with a hideous scar!

On the other side, in the direction where the crossbow arrow was originally fired, a man wearing the same black combat uniform and holding a modified crossbow arrow also appeared, and the crossbow arrow was aimed at Chen Mengzhou again!

Not scavengers! Not hounds! Their equipment was more sophisticated, their styles more bizarre, their eyes as cold as machines, and they carried a pure, emotionless killing intent!

A professional killer! A "cleaner" trained by the Foundation to handle the most difficult targets?!

They actually tracked us down here?! And they launched a sneak attack with such precision!

Chen Mengzhou protected Chu Li behind him, holding a bayonet in front of him, and glanced coldly at the two killers who were surrounding him in a horn-like manner.

"Did the Foundation send you?" she asked coldly, trying to buy time to observe.

The two assassins remained silent, as if dumb. The crossbowman locked eyes with Chen Mengzhou, while the other assassin with the broken blade pulled out a high-frequency vibrating dagger from his waist, emitting a teeth-grinding buzzing sound.

Their coordination was perfect, their auras completely concealed, and they were clearly top players.

Chen Mengzhou's heart sank. In her current state, she was already struggling to deal with one person, and facing two professional assassins who worked in perfect harmony at the same time, her chances of winning were extremely low.

What's more, he also had to protect Chu Li who was in a strange condition.

What happened to Chu Li just now?

She didn't have time to think about it, the killer's attack had already arrived!

The crossbow bolt shot out silently again! It went straight for her heart! At the same time, another killer pounced on her like a cheetah, slashing at her lower body with a vibrating dagger!

A decisive game!

A fierce look flashed in Chen Mengzhou's eyes, and he was about to desperately unleash his spatial ability in a desperate fight—

Chu Li behind him suddenly moved.

She took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Shen Mengzhou, and raised her eyes, which were once again emitting a strange blue light, to look at the killer who was rushing towards her.

Her lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.

But the killer, halfway through his attack, suddenly froze! It was as if he had hit an invisible wall! His eyes were instantly filled with extreme fear and confusion, as if he had seen some incomparably terrifying vision. He clutched his head and howled silently, his movements completely distorted!

Mental attack?! So direct and effective?!

Chen Mengzhou seized this fleeting opportunity, slid sideways suddenly to avoid the crossbow arrow, and the bayonet, like a poisonous snake emerging from a hole, accurately pierced the heart of the confused killer!

Phew!

Warm blood splattered!

The first killer died!

Almost at the same time, Chen Mengzhou threw the general spear at the crossbow-wielding killer without stopping!

The crossbow-wielding killer obviously didn't expect his companion to be killed instantly, and he dodged sideways in a hurry!

And just at the moment he dodged!

Chu Li turned his gaze to him!

The crossbow killer's body trembled violently, the fingers that were pulling the crossbow arrow froze, and his eyes also fell into a brief confusion and struggle!

Although it’s only a few tenths of a second!

But enough!

Chen Mengzhou rushed in front of him like a cannonball and punched him hard on his Adam's apple!

Snap!

The teeth-grinding sound of bones breaking was heard!

The second killer's eyes suddenly bulged out, he covered his throat and collapsed, dying instantly.

The battle started quickly and ended even faster.

The two top killers counterattacked cleanly and efficiently in just a few seconds.

Chen Mengzhou gasped heavily, looked at the two corpses on the ground, and suddenly turned his head to look at Chu Li beside him.

The blue light in Chu Li's eyes had faded, his face turned transparently pale, his body swayed, and he could barely stand. It was obvious that the two mental shocks just now had consumed a lot of energy.

“You…” Chen Mengzhou supported her, his eyes full of complexity.

Chu Li leaned on her arm, panting slightly, avoiding her gaze, and said in a weak but clear voice:

"...'Echo'... left behind... a little 'gift'... can only be used a few times..."

She paused, raised her head, and looked into the depths of the deadly rift valley. Her eyes became distant and resolute.

"It seems...'Lighthouse'...we have to go there."

"The Foundation… or whatever 'thing'… doesn't want us to know the secrets there."