Chapter 46
The faint morning light filtered through the gaps in the vines, casting dappled shadows across the cave. The air after the rain was cool and moist, but it couldn't dispel the heavy, stagnant atmosphere between them.
Chu Li's "thank you" was light and airy, landing in the silent cave, yet it carried a tremendous weight. The icy shell in her eyes cracked, revealing not fragility, but a tempered, painful clarity.
Chen Mengzhou didn't respond to her thanks, but simply watched her quietly, waiting for her next words. Her physical exhaustion and mental exhaustion left her feeling hollow, yet her consciousness remained exceptionally sharp.
Chu Li took a deep breath, a breath that trembled slightly with the feeling of surviving a disaster, but was forcibly suppressed. She no longer avoided Chen Mengzhou's gaze. Her glass-like eyes reflected the morning light and the bottomless darkness.
"The Foundation... the Dreamweavers... their purpose has never been simply to spy on the 'other side.'" Her voice was still hoarse, but her words were clear, with a cold, analytical tone. "What they truly want is anchoring."
"Anchor?" Chen Mengzhou frowned slightly. This word touched her deepest nerve.
"Yeah." Chu Li nodded, her fingertips unconsciously drawing twisted lines in the sand, as if they were a manifestation of the chaotic thoughts in her mind. "The 'Dream Weavers' projected their consciousness over there not only to spy, but also to leave coordinates there. They believe that the 'other shore' is a higher and purer dimension, containing energy and knowledge beyond our comprehension. They want to completely open a stable channel for matter to pass through, rather than just projecting consciousness."
"And the 'wall'..." She paused, pointing in the direction of the cave. Although invisible, the invisible pressure seemed to still exist. "...The Weeping Wall. According to Foundation research, it is not a naturally formed barrier or seal. It is more like... a wound. A massive scar in the fabric of space and time, so ancient that it is unimaginable."
"scar?"
"Left behind a failed 'anchoring.'" Chu Li's voice deepened, carrying a subtle awe and fear. "A long, long time ago, perhaps even before the emergence of our civilization, something attempted to forcibly anchor itself from the 'other shore' to our world. But an uncontrollable disaster occurred, and the anchoring failed. The massive backlash of energy and the conflicting rules tore through space and time, forming this 'wall.' And those who failed... their 'echoes,' their resentment, were forever trapped near the wall, becoming the things we see now."
Chen Mengzhou's heart sank. A failed anchor? Could it be... related to Chronos? Or her "mission"?
"The Foundation… wants to repeat this process?" she asked, her voice dry.
"Not exactly." Chu Li shook his head, a hint of sarcasm on his face. "They are more cunning and crazier. They don't want to force their way over from the 'other shore'; that's too risky. They want to... anchor in the opposite direction from our side."
"Using the coordinates left by the Dreamweaver over there, and the existing, unstable scar of the wall, they injected enormous energy into it, forcibly 'stretching' it open and 'smoothing' it, transforming it from a failed scar into... a stable 'gate' under their control."
Reverse anchoring! Expand the scar!
Chen Mengzhou felt a chill running down his spine. What a crazy plan! If it succeeds, the thing on the other side of the door will surge towards him...
“That requires unimaginable energy…” Chen Mengzhou murmured.
"Yes." Chu Li's eyes grew dark. "That's why we have S-114, using the life energy of living people as a 'key' to try to force the door open. That's why we have 'Dream Weaver', using consciousness to explore the way and leave reverse coordinates. That's why..." She looked at Chen Mengzhou with a complicated look, "...that's why they want you so much."
Chen Mengzhou's pupils shrank.
"Your 'anchor' quality, your dual-spacetime ability..." Chu Li's voice was soft, but it struck Shen Mengzhou's heart like a hammer. "...In the Foundation's eyes, you are the most perfect...living anchor. You don't need such complex equipment and energy. You can directly resonate with the coordinates of the 'wall' or the 'other side', and even... directly stabilize a passage. This is the real reason why they are so determined to obtain you."
I see!
All the pursuits and conspiracies ultimately point to this goal! Using her as a living tool to complete that crazy reverse anchoring!
“And you…” Chen Mengzhou looked at Chu Li.
"Me?" Chu Li pulled the corners of his mouth, his smile pale and bitter. "I am the 'key' and also the 'door'... That's what the 'echo' said, and to some extent it's true. My mental traits are very special. I can sense and even influence the 'wall' and 'echo' to a certain extent. The Foundation originally captured me to study this trait of mine and try to replicate it to better control the 'wall'. Later... the 'Dream Weaver' project required high-intensity mental energy as a stabilizer, so I became... one of the 'batteries'."
She paused, her voice lowering. "That 'echo'... is also a byproduct of their experiment. They tried to forcibly implant whispers and energy fragments from the 'other side' into my consciousness, hoping to create a controllable bridge to communicate with the 'wall'... but they ended up creating a monster that normally slumbers, awakening if I'm weak or near the 'wall'. It almost turned me into their conduit."
The truth washed over them like an icy tide. The Foundation's ambition and cruelty far exceeded their darkest imaginations.
The cave fell into silence for a long time.
The morning light grew brighter, but it brought not warmth but a clearer picture of despair.
Suddenly, Chen Mengzhou seemed to remember something and looked at Chu Li fiercely: "You just said... you know a secret of the foundation?"
Chu Li nodded, his eyes sharpening. "A secret...about the 'anchor' itself. It's also one of the Foundation's highest-level secrets."
She moved closer and lowered her voice, as if afraid of being heard by some invisible being.
"The Foundation's research suggests that the 'Anchor Point' is more than just a naturally awakened psychic. They've deciphered information from some extremely ancient 'relics' (possibly left behind by Kronos) - the 'Anchor Point' was 'seeded'."
"Sowing seeds?" Chen Mengzhou's heart skipped a beat.
"Yes. In the distant past, one or more advanced civilizations (Kronos may be one of them), for some purpose (perhaps to maintain time or monitor dimensions), planted a 'potential' in the human gene pool of Earth and even more planets. This potential usually does not manifest, and can only be 'activated' under specific, massive space-time energy impacts (such as... a global catastrophe)."
"And the final direction of the activated 'anchor points' seems to follow several fixed 'patterns' or 'paths'. Based on the fragmentary information, the Foundation has roughly deduced several... which they call 'anchor point evolution directions'."
Chen Mengzhou held his breath. This might explain her awakening, and even... that vague sense of "mission"!
"Which ones?" she asked eagerly.
"I don't know everything, and the information is fragmented." Chu Li tried hard to recall, frowning, "It seems that there are 'Time Guardians' - who tend to stabilize the timeline and repair space-time rifts; 'Dimension Travelers' - who can travel relatively safely between different dimensions; and... 'Boundary Monuments'..."
When she mentioned the "boundary marker", she paused and her face turned slightly pale.
"Boundary marker?" Chen Mengzhou asked.
"...'Boundary Monuments'... contain the least information, and are the most bizarre. It seems... to be some kind of extremely passive, even cruel, path. The 'anchor point' itself becomes a fixed 'coordinate' or 'barrier', permanently solidified in a certain location, used to block dangerous passages or guide certain energy flows... The price seems to be... the complete loss of self, becoming a true 'object'."
Chen Mengzhou felt a chill. Boundary marker... This sounded more like... a sacrifice.
"What kind of person does the Foundation want you to be?" she asked in a dry voice.
Chu Li looked at her with a complicated expression: "They don't care which one it is. They just want to control you, use you as a tool, and force you to become what they need you to be, to complete the reverse anchoring. As for what you will become, whether you are dead or alive, they don't care at all."
Tools. From beginning to end, they are tools.
Chen Mengzhou slowly clenched his fists, digging his nails deep into his palms.
Cold anger surged in his chest like magma.
Not for the possibility of being exploited, but for the utter madness of the Foundation that treats all lives as pawns and consumables!
She raised her head, looked through the vines, and looked at the sky outside the cave which was gradually getting brighter.
The confusion still exists, and the road ahead is still shrouded in thick fog.
But some things became clear.
Who is the enemy and what is their purpose?
And... I must never become anything.
She took a deep breath, suppressed her turbulent emotions, and looked at Chu Li: "Can you still move?"
Chu Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "I won't die."
"Let's go." Chen Mengzhou stood up. Although his body was still weak, his back was straight. "We can't stay here for long."
She extended her hand to Chu Li.
Chu Li looked at the hand that was stained with blood and mud but was extremely stable. He hesitated for a moment, then slowly and firmly shook it.
Two cold hands clasped together, as if conveying a tiny bit of warmth and a heavy, common fate.
"Where are you going?" Chu Li stood up with the help of his force and asked softly.
Chen Mengzhou looked towards the west, his gaze seemed to be able to penetrate the mountains.
"Go find the answer."
"And find...a way to end this."
The two walked out of the cave, one in front and the other behind, and stepped into the cold and dangerous world after the rain.
The sunlight pierced through the clouds, stretching their shadows very long.
The game of hunter and prey is long over.
What begins now is a war between the survivors and the destroyers.
And the first stop may be to thoroughly figure out what the so-called "anchor point" means.
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