Chapter 9
The freight passage at the back of the library was even narrower and darker than expected, filled with old dust and a faint smell of engine oil. A heavy iron fire door was ajar, its hinges rusted, and when it was pushed open, it made a harsh creaking sound that echoed far into the silence.
Zhao Jun squeezed in first, raising his crowbar for a moment before lowering his voice and saying, "It's safe. This passage used to be used to transport books. It leads to an old alley behind. There are usually fewer people there, so there should be fewer monsters."
Chen Mengzhou followed him, his eyes quickly scanning the passage. Bare concrete walls flanked either side, and overhead, at intervals, stood long-gone safety lights. The ground was thick with dust, and faint footprints could be seen, some old and some new. The most recent seemed recent, leading to a dark end.
Was it left behind by Zhao Jun when he came to explore the area? Or was it someone else?
The two walked forward in silence, their footsteps deliberately muted, their breathing remarkably clear. The passage wasn't long, and at the end was another flight of cement stairs leading upwards. A light seemed to filter down from the top of the stairs, and the faint sound of wind could be heard.
Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs and were about to go up——
[Future Dream Fragment Triggered: Strong Correlation Warning! The spatial fluctuation pattern detected ahead is highly consistent with the description of "Spacetime Turbulence (Micro)"! Danger Level: Medium!]
The system's warning pierced my mind without warning, more urgent than ever before!
Chen Mengzhou suddenly stopped, grabbed the back of Zhao Jun's collar as he was about to step onto the stairs, and pulled him back!
"Don't move!" Her voice was very low, with unprecedented solemnity.
Zhao Jun staggered and nearly fell as she pulled him. He turned back in shock, his face filled with confusion and a hint of offended anger. "What's wrong?"
Chen Mengzhou did not explain. Her pupils shrank slightly, and she used all her strength to activate her time perception ability, looking at the exit above the stairs where light was coming through.
The scene in front of me began to shake and distort violently!
She "saw" the exit at the top of the stairs. The air swirled like boiling water, tearing open tiny, flickering black cracks in the air! Ominous purple-black lightning flashed at the edges of the cracks, and occasionally gravel and dust were sucked in, disappearing instantly! A powerful, chaotic suction force emanated from those cracks!
Space-time turbulence! It truly was space-time turbulence! Although its scale wasn't as devastating as the one in the future dream, the aura of tearing everything apart and annihilating everything was exactly the same!
And at the edge of this micro-turbulence, several shriveled zombie corpses, as if all the water had been drained away, were scattered around, maintaining a climbing posture. It was obvious that they had accidentally entered it not long ago and were instantly sucked dry!
The scene disappeared, and a layer of cold sweat seeped down Chen Mengzhou's back. If Zhao Jun had rashly walked over, at such a close distance, he would have likely been pulled away by the chaotic suction in an instant, with disastrous consequences!
"There's something... up there." She released Zhao Jun's collar, her voice remaining calm, but her face pale. "It's very dangerous. It can suck you dry in an instant."
Zhao Jun looked up at the exit, half-believing. Everything seemed normal there, save for the sound of wind. But having witnessed Chen Mengzhou's various strange methods, he dared not completely disbelieve it. He squinted his eyes, feeling carefully, and it seemed... the direction of the dust in the air was indeed a little strange, with an inexplicable stickiness and a faint suction.
"Then... what should we do? This is the shortest way..." Zhao Jun frowned, his face grim. "If we go back, we'll have to go through most of the library area. There was quite a commotion just now, so I'm afraid..."
Chen Mengzhou didn't answer. She stared at the outlet that continued to emit a weak suction, her heart pounding.
Spacetime turbulence... dangerous, but also holds opportunity! In future dreams, could those terrifying beings tearing through space have emerged from this turbulence? And her spatial abilities stem from the same source as this turbulence!
An extremely bold, even crazy idea began to grow in her mind.
She could feel that the spatial energy in her body was slightly agitated, as if she had an instinctive fear of the turbulence ahead, but also a strange sense of "closeness".
"You wait here." Chen Mengzhou suddenly spoke, his tone carrying an unquestionable determination.
"What? What are you going to do?" Zhao Jun was shocked.
Chen Mengzhou ignored him. She took a deep breath, concentrated most of her mental strength, and carefully controlled the spatial energy, covering the surface of her body with a thin layer, as if she was wearing an invisible, constantly slightly twisting spatial gauze.
Then, she walked up the stairs very slowly, step by step!
The closer she got to the exit, the stronger the chaotic suction became, sending her hair and clothes flying. Tiny, flickering black cracks in the air became visible to the naked eye, emitting subtle crackling sounds like shattering glass. The terrifying energy fluctuations were heart-pounding.
Zhao Jun watched from below, stunned, his heart nearly pounding in his throat! Was this woman crazy?! Was she even going to approach that thing?!
When she reached the last few steps from the exit, Chen Mengzhou stopped. She stretched out her hand, attempting to channel a trace of spatial energy into the nearest crack, which was no thicker than a finger.
Just at the moment her energy touched the crack!
Buzz!
A huge, chaotic, yet extremely pure spatial energy suddenly poured back in along that connection!
Chen Mengzhou groaned, her body trembling violently. Her face instantly turned as pale as paper, and a trace of blood even flowed from the corner of her mouth! The energy was so violent that it almost broke her meridians!
But at the same time, her inherent spatial energy, like a hungry wolf encountering flesh and blood, began to circulate frantically, greedily devouring and assimilating everything outside! Amidst the excruciating pain, she could clearly feel her spatial energy growing and solidifying at an astonishing rate!
Her perception of the tiny turbulence ahead suddenly became much clearer! She could even vaguely "feel" the core fluctuation pattern of that chaotic energy!
[Absorbing high-purity chaotic space energy... Increasing the strength of spatial superpowers... Analyzing the space-time turbulence structure (primary)...] The system's prompt sound was intermittent and seemed to be disturbed.
A few seconds later, Chen Mengzhou suddenly severed that energy connection, staggered back two steps, and held onto the wall to steady his body. He was gasping for breath, his vision was black, and his mental strength was almost overdrawn.
But her eyes were surprisingly bright!
Despite the immense danger, she succeeded! Not only did she absorb the energy, but more importantly, she gained a preliminary, direct understanding of "time-space turbulence"! This was far more valuable than the vague warnings from future dreams!
Zhao Jun, standing below, was already stunned. Although he couldn't clearly see the energy clash, he could see that Chen Mengzhou was injured after touching the terrifying rift, but she quickly regained her composure. Moreover... her aura seemed to have undergone an inexplicable change, becoming deeper and more dangerous.
Chen Mengzhou took a deep breath, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and looked towards the exit again. In her eyes, the terror of the micro-turbulence remained, but some weak links in its energy flow seemed vaguely visible.
She concentrated her last bit of mental strength, raised her hand, and flicked her finger at a relatively weak energy point in the chaotic area!
A tiny spatial blade shot out and hit that point precisely!
Like a needle puncturing a balloon!
The micro-turbulence suddenly stagnated, and then there was a slight explosion. Most of the flickering cracks suddenly disappeared, and the powerful suction force also quickly weakened, leaving only some residual energy fluctuations still sizzling in the air.
A barely passable path was briefly opened up!
"Go! Quick!" Chen Mengzhou shouted, her voice hoarse but filled with undeniable strength. She was the first to rush up the stairs, sprinting past the edge of the residual energy that hadn't yet completely subsided!
Zhao Jun woke up as if from a dream. He suppressed the fear in his heart and hurried to catch up, almost following Chen Mengzhou's footsteps as he rushed through the exit area. As he passed by, he could feel a slight tingling and itching on his skin, as if a small electric current was running through it.
The two successfully rushed out of the freight channel and returned to the daylight - although it was the dark blood-red daylight of the end of the world.
What lies before me is a dead-end alley filled with garbage and abandoned vehicles.
Chen Mengzhou leaned against the hood of an abandoned car, his face still pale, but his breathing had become much steadier. This adventure had yielded huge rewards.
Zhao Jun stood behind her, watching her back, his eyes filled with an extremely complex mix of fear, apprehension, inquiry, and a hint of completely unconcealed, fiery greed... This woman could not only foresee danger, but also absorb that terrifying energy? Even temporarily influence or even dispel it?
What kind of monster is she?
Her value far exceeds those genetic medicines!
I must follow her! No matter what, I must get more from her!
Zhao Jun quickly adjusted his expression and put on a concerned face: "Miss Shen, are you okay? It was too dangerous just now! Your injury..."
Chen Mengzhou slowly stood up, without looking back, and said lightly: "It's okay."
She looked towards the exit of the alley. She could hear faint zombie roars in the distance, and new dangers were approaching.
But in her perception, the world seemed to have become clearer, especially her perception of space.
And she could feel that the seemingly concerned gaze behind her had completely turned into the look of a hungry wolf staring at its prey.
The game has entered a new stage.
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