Chapter 29
The night was as dark as ink. The radio waves from the abandoned gas station spread the deadly "gift" silently like a stone dropped into a stagnant pond. Chen Mengzhou's figure had long since blended into the darkness, far away from the place of right and wrong that was about to stir up a storm.
She didn't look back, nor did she care whether the predators would discover the machine, or whether they would believe the coordinates leading to hell. The seeds had been sown, and all that remained was to wait. Wait until greed, curiosity, or fear drove certain people, certain forces, towards the meat grinder known as the "Death Basin."
Her top priority was to recover her strength as quickly as possible and find a lair where she could hide temporarily and observe the gathering storm.
Based on the map she obtained from the transit station and some scattered notes from the "Prophet" shelter, she drove the weathered off-road vehicle towards the more remote southwest. There were rolling hills and abandoned mining areas there, with complex terrain, sparse population, and even relatively rare erosion corpses, making it an ideal hiding place.
A few days later, she stopped at the edge of a vast, long-defunct open-pit mine. The pit was bottomless, a scar on the earth, its walls covered in winding tunnels and rusted conveyor racks. It was a desolate place, with only the sound of the wind and the echo of falling gravel.
She chose a relatively stable abandoned mine tunnel, drove the SUV deep inside, and carefully covered it with gravel and camouflage netting. Deep in the mine, she found a relatively dry and intact cavern once used by miners for rest, which she used as a temporary base.
This place was secluded enough, but also isolated from the outside world. She needed information from the outside world, needed to know whether the "gift" had worked, and needed to understand the movements of "Black Dog" and the fortress.
She thought of the laptop she had brought out from the Prophet's shelter, the one with a shattered screen but still working. Perhaps... there was something more valuable inside?
After plugging in the SUV's backup battery (she had modified the wiring), the laptop lit up again. Aside from the folder "Coordinate Reckoning for the Kronos Legacy," she began to sift through every remaining scrap of documents more carefully.
Most of the data was indeed severely damaged, but in a deeply hidden system log backup folder, she found some cache fragments that had been overwritten and deleted many times but accidentally remained due to physical damage to the hard drive.
Most of these fragments were unrecognizable garbled text, but through painstaking piecing together data recovery software, she managed to extract several fragments of encrypted communication records! One of the parties in the communication was identified as [Fortress-A]! The other party was an unknown entity called [Foundation]!
The communication timestamp was just a few days after she escaped from the fortress!
[Foundation (encrypted message fragment): ...Anomalous energy signature confirmed...Highly consistent with the "anchor point" sequence...Source: Your out-of-control experimental subject S-07...Threat level raised to maximum...]
[Fortress-A (encrypted reply fragment): ...Incident is being handled...S-07 has escaped containment...Fully pursued...Requesting Foundation Level 1 "Scavenger" clearance to assist in cleanup...]
[Foundation (encrypted instructions): ...authorization granted...'Scavengers' deployed...priority recovery or destruction of S-07...decontamination of relevant areas if necessary...keep channels clear...]
The communication record ends here.
Chen Mengzhou sat in the cold mine, feeling as if all the blood in his body was freezing.
Foundation! Scavengers!
So that's it! The "Scavengers" aren't an independent force at all, but rather an armed force under the umbrella of an organization called the "Foundation"! After Fortress Area A went out of control (her escape), they requested reinforcements and executioners from this "Foundation"!
And this "Foundation" obviously knows about the existence of the "Anchor Point"! Maybe it's even... a remnant of the "Kronos" organization? Or another higher-level entity with inside information?
Their goal was crystal clear—to recover or destroy her, this "out-of-control anchor"! If necessary, they could even "cleanse" the entire area! They were cold, efficient, and treated human life with indifference!
The huge sense of crisis was like ice water poured over her head, making her wake up instantly.
Her previous guess was too conservative. Her enemies were far more than just the researchers in Area A of the Fortress. There was also an even larger and more terrifying "Foundation" hidden deeper within!
The "scavengers" were frequently active in the west, raiding gathering points. They weren't looking for any "special materials" at all, but were carrying out the Foundation's orders to search for her! Any gathering point that might have come into contact with her or provided assistance would be indiscriminately "purged"!
That transfer station... She had been there... Although she had cleaned up the traces, but...
Chen Mengzhou's heart suddenly sank! We had to leave this place immediately! Although the mine was hidden, it wasn't completely safe! The technology and resources possessed by the "Foundation" and "Scavengers" were far beyond imagination. It was only a matter of time before they found this place!
She stood up suddenly and began to pack up all the supplies as quickly as possible, preparing to move again.
Just as she loaded the last box of ammunition into the car—
Woohoo!!!!
An extremely low, yet powerful, roar of an engine quickly became audible, coming from far away and approaching. It wasn't the sound of an ordinary vehicle, but more like... a heavy aircraft?!
Chen Mengzhou's face changed drastically. He suddenly threw himself behind the camouflage net at the exit of the mine tunnel and looked out cautiously!
On the gray-red skyline, three black dots were approaching at breakneck speed! As the distance drew closer, it became clear that they were three sleek, black vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with a metallic gleam and no markings.
Without warning, the aircraft hovered directly above the mine, a massive airflow whipping up a cloud of dust! The hatch opened, and dozens of black ropes were dropped!
Soldiers, clad in full-body black exoskeleton armor, their helmets optics gleaming crimson, and armed with breathtakingly sophisticated weapons, were rappelling down the ropes at high speed! Their movements were perfectly coordinated, icy and efficient, and they instantly controlled every commanding height above the mine!
It's the Scavengers! The Foundation's main Scavenger force! They've actually used air power! How did they find this place?! So quickly?!
There is no time to think!
Without any hesitation, Chen Mengzhou turned and rushed to the cab! He had to rush out from the other end of the mine tunnel immediately!
However, it was too late!
A thick blue energy beam suddenly shot out from the bottom of a suspended aircraft, and like a precise scalpel, it slammed heavily into the ground at the edge of the mine!
Boom!!!
There were violent explosions and landslides! From the direction of the mine tunnel exit, a large amount of rock and soil crashed down, instantly blocking her only exit!
Trapped!
At the same time, the scavenger soldiers who had already landed, like a black tide, began to advance rapidly along the passages and cableways on the side of the mine, towards the mine entrance where she was! Their exoskeletons provided powerful mobility and strength, allowing them to tread the steep mine walls with ease!
Da da da da!
The dense, characteristic hissing sound of energy weapons rang out! Bullets rained down like a torrential rain near the mine entrance, sending rock fragments flying! The firepower suppressed her so much that she couldn't even lift her head!
"S-07! Give up resistance! Surrender immediately!" A cold, emotionless electronic voice, amplified by a loudspeaker, echoed in the mine. "Repeat! S-07! Give up resistance!"
Surrender? The result of surrender is being "recycled" or "destroyed"!
Chen Mengzhou leaned against the cold steel of the SUV, his heart pounding, but his eyes remained unusually cold. Desperate! Another desperate situation!
We can't just sit there and wait for death!
She suddenly pulled off the canvas covering the car, revealing the individual rocket launcher brought from the military base and the only two high-explosive bombs underneath!
This is her last trump card!
She quickly loaded the ammunition, picked up the heavy rocket launcher, took a deep breath, and suddenly leaned out from behind the cover. She didn't aim at the fast-moving soldiers at all, but locked her target - the huge metal support supporting the old conveyor rack opposite the mine!
That is one of the weak points of the mine structure!
Pull the trigger!
Whoosh—Boom!!!
□□ roared out with a tail flame and hit the target accurately!
A deafening explosion echoed! The massive metal support was blown in half! The unsupported conveyor rack let out a tooth-wrenching groan, and along with the large rock wall above it, it collapsed towards the bottom of the mine like a landslide!
"Avoid! Landslide!" The scavenger's electronic voice became urgent for the first time!
The scavenger soldiers rapidly descending the mine wall were thrown into disarray! They all sought cover or used their exoskeletons to forcibly stabilize their bodies! Huge rocks and metal structures crashed down, stirring up clouds of dust and temporarily blocking the attack route below!
Chaos! Another chaos created by taking advantage of the environment!
But this time, Chen Mengzhou did not try to escape in the chaos - the exit had been blocked.
What she has to do is - fight back!
The moment she fired the bazooka, she discarded the launcher, grabbed her assault rifle, and pounced out of the mine like a cheetah! Using the smoke and chaos caused by the collapse as cover, she moved at high speed along a narrow maintenance path at the edge of the mine, heading towards another dark mine entrance to the side and above!
Her speed was astonishingly fast, appearing and disappearing in the smoke and dust!
"The target is moving! At three o'clock! Plank road!" The scavenger reacted extremely quickly. A soldier spotted her immediately and the energy weapon immediately changed direction!
Puff puff puff!
The energy bullets hit the plank road and the rock wall beside her, splashing a string of sparks and gravel!
Chen Mengzhou didn't even look back, he increased his speed to the extreme and ran like a snake to avoid it!
We are about to rush into the mine!
Sudden!
A hovering aircraft suddenly dropped its altitude, and a multi-barreled rapid-fire energy cannon at the hatch rotated and locked onto her! Deadly blue light began to condense!
At this critical moment!
Chen Mengzhou suddenly leaped forward to save the opponent! At the same time, the little spatial energy that had been restored in his body burst backward without reservation!
"Space Mark·Jump!" The target was the entrance to the mine she had just rushed out of! The distance was extremely short, but the cost was huge!
Buzz!
Her figure disappeared out of thin air the moment before the energy cannon fired!
Boom!!!!
A thick beam of energy hit the spot where she was just now, completely vaporizing that section of the plank road!
Chen Mengzhou, accompanied by a severe dizziness and vomiting blood, reappeared at the entrance of the original mine tunnel, right behind the off-road vehicle!
"Cough cough..." She coughed up blood, her face pale as paper. Two forced space jumps in a short period of time almost drained her.
But her eyes were so bright that it was frightening!
She successfully attracted all the firepower and... created an extremely brief opportunity for herself!
The aircraft that had lowered its altitude and tried to bombard her with energy cannons was now hovering in the center of the mine, at a relatively low position, and in order to stabilize the bombardment, it was almost stationary!
Now is the time!
She suddenly jumped out from behind the car, holding the last bullet in her hand - armor-piercing bullet!
Load! Raise! Aim! The whole process is completed in less than two seconds!
The pilot of the aircraft seemed to have discovered her intention and tried to gain altitude and turn!
It's too late!
Whoosh—Boom!!!
□□ accurately hit the fragile tail engine group of the aircraft!
A huge fireball exploded in the air! The aircraft lost its balance, emitting thick smoke, and plummeted to the bottom of the mine, spinning and wailing!
Boom!!!!
A deafening explosion came from the bottom of the pit, and flames shot up into the sky!
Success! She actually shot down a "Scavenger" aircraft!
The remaining two aircraft obviously did not expect the target to be so difficult, and immediately climbed at high speed to increase the distance.
The offensive of the scavenger soldiers on the ground also stagnated significantly, as if they were shocked by the sudden loss and the target's frantic counterattack.
There was a brief silence in the mine, broken only by the crackling of flames and the occasional sound of rocks sliding.
Chen Mengzhou leaned against the wheel, breathing heavily, seizing every second to recover his strength, his brain calculating rapidly.
Destroying one aircraft bought her time, but the exit remained sealed, and the enemy still had two aircraft and dozens of elite soldiers. If she continued to fight, she would surely die.
We must find another way out!
Her gaze turned to the burning wreckage of the aircraft at the bottom of the mine, and then to the intricate mine tunnels around it.
An extremely risky plan flashed through my mind.
She stood up suddenly, not dodging, but actively running towards the edge of the mine, raising her rifle and firing wildly at the other two aircraft above! Although it couldn't cause any effective damage, it was full of provocation!
"I'm here! Come and catch me!" She even shouted with all her might!
As expected, her provocation immediately attracted all the firepower! Bullets and energy beams rained down on her again!
Chen Mengzhou turned around and ran towards the depths of the mine, in the general direction of the crashed aircraft! He used various obstacles and smoke to evade attacks!
She wasn't going to the crash site, but to go around it from the side and enter an abandoned transport tunnel leading to the lower levels of the mine!
According to the map, the other end of that tunnel seems to be connected to an underground river system! That's the only possible path to the outside world!
Bang, bang, bang! Bullets followed her footsteps, sending gravel flying around her!
She ran desperately, pushing her speed to the limit!
Finally, before she exhausted her last bit of strength, she saw the dark tunnel entrance and rushed in without hesitation!
Behind them were the angry roars of the scavenger soldiers and more intense gunfire, but they seemed to have some reservations and did not immediately chase into the tunnel.
The tunnel was pitch black, sloping downward, and the ground was slippery. Chen Mengzhou turned on his tactical flashlight and stumbled forward, hearing the footsteps of his pursuers in the distance behind him.
I don't know how long I ran, but I heard the rumbling sound of water ahead! The air also became humid!
There is hope!
She quickened her pace, the sound of water growing louder and louder! Finally, the tunnel reached its end! Ahead was a huge underground cave, with a raging underground river rushing through it, the water icy cold!
And by the river, there were a few old rubber boats tied up?! They seemed to be left behind by the miners.
There is always a way out!
Chen Mengzhou was ecstatic. He rushed over to untie a relatively intact rubber boat, pushed it into the river, and jumped on it!
The rubber boat was immediately swept by the rushing river and rushed towards the darkness downstream!
Almost at the same time, the scavengers' pursuers rushed to the cave exit and fired wildly at the rapidly retreating rubber boat! The bullets hit the water, stirring up dense splashes!
But soon, the rubber boat turned a corner and disappeared from their sight.
Temporarily... escaped again.
Chen Mengzhou slumped in the rubber boat, feeling the cold river water splashing on his body. He was soaked and exhausted.
This time, I really escaped death.
"Foundation"... "Scavengers"... You are really cruel.
But it's not that easy to catch me like this.
The rubber boat drifted rapidly in the dark underground river, with no idea where it was heading.
Chen Mengzhou closed his eyes and took the time to rest.
She knew that this hunting game was far from over.
And next time, she won't be satisfied with just escaping.
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