Tap...tap...tap...
The footsteps sounded like they were pounding on Lu Zhaoming's heartbeat, each one heavier than the last.
He narrowed his eyes, like a lurking cheetah, ready to pounce and strike at any moment.
In the darkness, a figure slowly emerged.
It was a man wearing a worn-out black trench coat, the hood pulled down low, almost completely obscuring his face.
Only from the shadow of the hood could one see a pair of murky eyes, like water in a deep well, lifeless.
“Don’t be nervous…” the man began, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper were being rubbed, “I’m just… a gravedigger…”
A gravedigger?
What kind of things are buried here?
Lu Zhaoming inwardly complained, but his face remained expressionless.
"A gravedigger? Whose grave are you guarding? In this desolate place, there doesn't seem to be anything alive except the dead, does there?"
"I'm in charge of guarding... the core area..." The gravedigger paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "...that seals... a power powerful enough to destroy the entire wasteland..."
The power to destroy the wasteland?
Lu Zhaoming almost burst out laughing.
These days, people don't even bother to think before they brag anymore?
However, he still keenly caught a hint of hesitation in the gravedigger's tone.
"Oh? Is that so?" Lu Zhaoming deliberately drew out his words, with a hint of amusement. "Then tell me, what kind of power could destroy the entire wasteland?"
The gravedigger fell silent.
Lu Zhaoming knew he had made the right bet. This guy definitely knew something.
"How about it? How about we collaborate?" Lu Zhaoming extended an olive branch. "I really enjoy dealing with smart people."
"Cooperation?" The tomb keeper raised his head, revealing half of his face, a weathered face covered with wrinkles, as if sculpted by the cruel chisel of time.
What do you want?
“I want to know everything.” Lu Zhaoming made no attempt to hide his ambition. “Everything about this base, about ‘Project Sky Dome’.”
“Impossible…” The gravedigger shook his head, his tone resolute, “It’s too dangerous there… You’ll be swallowed up…”
"Danger?" Lu Zhaoming chuckled, revealing a roguish grin. "I'm the kind of person who's born to enjoy challenges."
After some haggling, the tomb keeper finally relented.
There was no way around it; Lu Zhaoming had given him just too much… or rather, Lu Zhaoming had convinced him that for the sake of the wasteland's future, he had decided to take a risk.
“I can take you there…” the gravedigger said, “but afterwards, you must destroy all related documents…”
"No problem." Lu Zhaoming readily agreed, but in his heart he was thinking, "Destroy? No way!"
Led by the tomb keeper, the group arrived at the entrance to the core area.
It was a huge metal door, covered with densely packed runes. The runes were ancient and mysterious, exactly the same as the patterns seen in the ruins before.
"This is it..." the gravedigger said, pointing to the metal door. "To enter the core area, you must activate these runes..."
Lu Zhaoming stepped forward and carefully examined the runes.
"Beep! Beep! Warning! This device requires the host's special ability to activate, but there are unknown risks!"
The system notification sounded again, and Lu Zhaoming's heart sank.
Unknown risks?
It doesn't sound like a good thing.
"Zhaoming, be careful." Su Li's voice rang in his ears, tinged with worry.
"Don't worry." Lu Zhaoming turned around and smiled at her, indicating that he was fine.
He took a deep breath and placed his hand on the runes on the metal door.
Instantly, a powerful suction force came, as if it wanted to suck his soul away.
Lu Zhaoming felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and countless fragmented images flashed through his mind like a fleeting dream.
He saw the test subjects' agonizing screams, saw the venomous scorpion's sinister smile, and saw the cold moon's indifferent gaze...
Those images, like sharp knives, pierced his nerves painfully.
"Ah!" Lu Zhaoming couldn't help but let out a painful groan.
"Zhaoming! What's wrong?" Su Li rushed forward to support him and asked with concern.
Lu Zhaoming was pale and swayed as if he were about to collapse at any moment.
He forced himself to stay awake and slowly said, "I...I saw the truth..."
Originally, the purpose of "Project Sky Dome" was to save humanity and enable them to adapt to the harsh wasteland environment.
However, as time went on, the plan gradually deteriorated and eventually became a tool for building war machines.
The core area of this experimental base is where the prototype device of the "Azure Core" is stored.
"Damn it!" Lu Zhaoming said through gritted teeth.
He wanted to investigate further and thoroughly uncover the truth behind "Project Sky Dome".
But just then, a series of hurried footsteps came.
"Oh no! It's them!" The tomb keeper's face changed drastically, and he exclaimed in alarm.
Lu Zhaoming looked up and saw that Leng Yue was leading a large group of pursuers who had completely surrounded them.
"Lu Zhaoming, you can't escape!" Leng Yue said with a sneer, her eyes full of mockery. "You think you can control that power? You're nothing but a pathetic experimental subject!"
Faced with a desperate situation, Lu Zhaoming remained calm.
He knew he had to do something, or everyone would die here.
"System, activate the core device!" Lu Zhaoming silently chanted in his mind.
"Beep! Command received! Initiate core device activation!"
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