24. Freedom
Once the decision to leave was made, it was like chiseling a crack in a suffocating cage. Long-suppressed emotions seemed to find an outlet, replaced by an exhilarating mixture of tension, a thirst for adventure, and an infinite yearning for freedom. However, how to escape safely from this heavily guarded, precision-operated steel behemoth without triggering alarms and pursuing them became the most realistic and severe test.
"Breaking through is definitely not an option." Lei Qing used a bit of charcoal ash scraped from the corner of the wall to sketch out the rough layout of the base on a simple wooden table. His brow furrowed, like a deep cut carved by a knife. "The main gate is well guarded and equipped with heavy firepower. Forcing a breakthrough is like hitting a rock with an egg. The casualties are unpredictable, and it will immediately trigger the highest alarm, attracting a relentless pursuit."
"Then sneak out?" Ah Yan came closer, his fiery red hair dancing like a flame in the dim light. He lowered his voice, eager to try, "Find a gap when the guards change shifts, or find a way to climb over the wall? With our skills..."
Mu Lin shook his head slightly, his slender finger pointing at the towering walls and densely packed sentry towers on the sketch. He calmly analyzed, "Not only is the wall incredibly tall, its surface is also smooth and difficult to climb. Furthermore, based on observations, it's likely to be pierced with high-voltage electricity. It's said this is to protect against certain special mutants with climbing abilities. The sentry towers' fields of view are meticulously designed, with virtually no blind spots. With the searchlights sweeping the area in a loop, the possibility of scaling the wall... is incredibly slim."
Su Lin pondered for a moment, a hint of consideration flashed in his clear eyes: "Maybe... we can take advantage of the opportunity to go out on a mission?" The base regularly sends teams out on missions, and this is a relatively reasonable reason to leave.
"But the personnel, vehicles, and equipment of the outbound teams are all registered, with strictly defined routes, mission objectives, and return times." Lei Qing immediately pointed out the key issue, his mind like the most sophisticated tactical computer. "If we fail to return on time or significantly deviate from the established route, we will be immediately deemed to have deserted. The base will never allow a psychic to escape easily, especially a small team like ours. Elite pursuit forces will inevitably be sent. We need a method that allows us to completely disappear and avoid being immediately tracked down."
It's easy to go up the mountain but hard to go down.
Stardust, who had been huddled quietly in the corner, trying hard to reduce his presence, suddenly raised his eyes timidly and interrupted the discussion in a weak but clear voice: "I... I seem to have heard a few old men on the construction site talking about this before... Some people who really can't survive, or don't want to be controlled anymore, will find a way to... through abandoned sewage pipes, or those old maintenance passages that no one has maintained for a long time... sneak out of the base..." After he finished speaking, he seemed to have run out of courage, and immediately lowered his head, his fingers nervously twisted together, anxiously waiting for everyone's reaction, fearing that his idea was too naive and useless.
However, Lei Qing and Mu Lin's eyes lit up almost at the same time, as if they saw a beacon in the fog.
"Sewage pipes... old maintenance passages..." Mu Lin pondered, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. "When the base was first established, there must have been a vast underground pipe network for water supply, drainage, electricity, communications, and so on. Although most main roads should be strictly controlled or completely blocked, after so many years, due to terrain changes, human vandalism, or simple negligence... perhaps there really are one or two forgotten paths leading to the outside world..."
"It's worth investigating further." Lei Qing made his decision immediately, his tone firm. "Mu Lin and I will be responsible for finding out the possible abandoned exits and feasible routes of the underground pipeline network. Ah Yan, you will be responsible for obtaining some necessary 'cover' - creating some minor chaos that won't trigger a large-scale alarm to attract the attention of some guards, or finding a way to obtain something that can interfere with vision and conceal whereabouts, such as smoke bombs, noisemakers, etc. Su Lin, you will organize all the supplies in the space and prepare for long-term survival in the wild. Prioritize food, water, and medicine, and streamline unnecessary items. Stardust..." He turned his gaze to the thin boy and paused. "Try to recall any rumors about the underground pipeline. Also, your ability... may be able to sense in advance what 'things' may be lurking deep in the pipeline, avoiding unnecessary encounters."
With a clear division of labor, the operation was immediately launched quietly under the cover of night.
For the next two days, the team appeared to be doing just as usual. They collected their meager rations on time, Xingchen continued to go to the construction site, and the others went about their business, seemingly fully accepting the rules of the base. But secretly, an undercurrent of tension surged among the five of them.
Lei Qing and Mu Lin took advantage of the brief interludes during nighttime guard changes, like ghosts blending into the shadows, silently exploring the forgotten corners around the base, rusted manhole covers, and abandoned entrances marked with danger warning signs. Mu Lin even took advantage of a chance to deliver purified water to the residence of a small-time leader with his own independent water supply. With a gentle and humble attitude, he skillfully and indirectly extracted some fragmentary information about the underground pipe network layout during the initial construction of the base from an elderly technician who seemed quite dissatisfied with the current situation.
Ah Yan, on the other hand, fully utilized his talent for mischief and stirring up trouble. He "bartered" some dubious but noisy homemade smoke bombs and noisemakers from some obscure corner of the trading area. He also deliberately caused several minor incidents in insignificant areas far from their planned escape route—such as setting fire to the trash in an abandoned vehicle yard with a small fireball, or severing several unimportant lighting lines with an ice pick. These incidents cleverly attracted the attention of some patrolling guards, causing a minor commotion and investigation, but the scale was perfectly controlled, avoiding any sensitive issues at the base and triggering a large-scale alarm.
Su Lin immersed his consciousness in his portable space and began a meticulous inventory and sorting. He discarded some of the flashy or overly heavy items and stockpiled as much as possible, including well-sealed water, high-energy compressed food, various first aid medicines and disinfectants, and basic tools like axes, saws, ropes, and nails. He even quietly put away the few relatively sturdy sheets and duvet covers in the team room—they would always come in handy in the wild. Every decision depended on future survival.
Xingchen tried to recall the fragmentary rumors he'd heard while working. After Lei Qing and his team had identified several possible pipeline routes based on their information and exploration, he mustered his courage and cautiously extended his spiritual perception. With his eyes closed, his brow furrowed, his face sometimes pale, he tried to "feel" for the possible lifeforms deep within the dark passages—whether zombies, mutants, or something else entirely. This meticulous exploration was extremely exhausting, and several times he nearly vomited after sensing dense and malicious presences, similar to swarms of zombie rats. But he persevered and successfully warned of the location of a large-scale zombie rat swarm within the pipeline, allowing Lei Qing and his team to change their exploration route and avoid a direct confrontation.
Ultimately, after repeated comparisons and risk assessments, they settled on an old drainage main in the northwest corner of the base, long abandoned, reportedly due to ground subsidence. The entrance was hidden behind a mountain of discarded building materials, sealed by a thick iron fence that had rusted so deeply it blended seamlessly into the surroundings. However, age and acid rain had weakened the railings in key locations, making them so fragile that they could bend with bare hands, revealing a narrow opening wide enough for a person to pass through while stooping. The interior of the pipe was dark and damp, reeking strongly of mold and rust. However, Stardust's repeated observations indicated that at least the first half was relatively "clean," posing no major threats.
The operation was scheduled for the third day, a moonless, overcast night. This was the time of the week when the guards were most tired, patrols were most inactive, and attention was most easily distracted.
That night, the night was as dark as ink and the cold wind was howling.
The five members of the team left the suffocating residence silently, like shadows blending into the night. Relying on Lei Qing's precise memory and Mu Lin's keen perception of air flow and temperature, they cleverly avoided the main patrol routes and monitoring areas, and sneaked towards the abandoned ruins in the northwest corner.
The air was thick with tension, even breathing was deliberately slow. At a predetermined intersection, Ah Yan, as planned, detonated a noisemaker. A loud, explosion-like sound suddenly erupted in the silent night, immediately attracting the attention of nearby guards. A cacophony of shouting, footsteps, and the roar of patrol car engines drifted in that direction.
Taking advantage of this carefully constructed, brief window of confusion, the five of them shot towards their target entrance like sharp arrows. Lei Qing and A Yan combined their strength, their muscles flexing, and easily pried open the rusted railings, revealing a dark tunnel behind that seemed to lead to the depths of hell. A stale, foul air, thick with a strong fishy stench, suddenly hit them, making them nauseous.
"I'll go ahead." Lei Qing didn't hesitate and was the first to duck down and crawl in. The dagger he held in his reverse hand could not reflect any light in the darkness, but the aura of vigilance emanating from his body was colder than the blade.
"I'll cover your retreat." A Yan followed closely behind, with a small, stable and weak flame brewing in his palm, which not only provided limited lighting but also kept him ready to deal with emergencies from the rear at any time.
Su Lin pulled Xingchen, who was pale and trying to remain calm, and walked in the middle. Mu Lin followed behind Xingchen, with a faint chill lingering around him, ready to freeze any accident at any time.
The pipes were completely silent, the only sound being the dripping sound of water from an unknown source, the muffled breathing, the rustling of clothing, and the subtle crunch of feet on the slippery mud. Beneath their feet lay the sticky, filthy sludge, a grime that had accumulated for who knows how many years, mixed with gravel and unidentifiable debris. The air was filthy, filled with the pervasive smell of methane and decay, even if one tried to hold their breath. In the darkness, it felt as if countless invisible eyes were watching these uninvited guests.
Xingchen's mind was intensely focused, his face paler in the dim firelight. He continuously extended his senses forward and in all directions like tentacles. Suddenly, he yanked Su Lin's arm, his voice trembling with nervousness: "There's something... ahead! Lots of them... very small... crawling very fast! They're... corpse rats! Lots of them!"
Lei Qing immediately stopped, raised his fist, signaled everyone to be quiet, and tensed all his muscles.
Sure enough, a subtle, shuddering rustling sound emerged from the darkness ahead. It grew clearer and clearer, like a surging tide. It was a swarm of corpse rats! There were quite a few of them! Encountering them in this confined space would be disastrous. Forcing their way in would undoubtedly cause a commotion, perhaps even alerting the guards on the ground above the pipe.
Just as Lei Qing's eyes hardened, ready to order a charge at all costs, Xingchen took a deep breath, as if resolving something. He closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing his instinctive fear of the corpse rats, and focused his mind. A faint, yet deeply targeted and oppressive mental wave, no longer as gentle as in previous practice, carried the undeniable, cold, predatory pressure, like an invisible barrier, slowly advancing forward.
Those teeth-grinding rustling sounds suddenly became chaotic, as if they had encountered some natural enemy that made them extremely frightened and uneasy. Their forward momentum suddenly stopped, and then the sound quickly turned and moved away - the group of corpse rats were actually driven away by a fear instinct derived from the life level, and in panic they avoided the direction where they were, drilled into some gaps in the side wall of the pipeline or branch pipes, and escaped!
Mu Lin glanced in surprise at Xingchen's sweat-soaked forehead and paler complexion. Lei Qing was silent for a moment, as if lost in thought. A Yan raised an eyebrow in surprise and muttered, "...you're still a bit useful, kid."
After narrowly navigating the corpse rat area without incident, they trudged through the darkness for nearly an hour, repeatedly relying on Stardust's warnings to avoid minor dangers and dead ends. Finally, a faint, fresh air, distinct from the stagnant air in the pipes, with the scent of earth and vegetation, and a faint, bleak moonlight, appeared ahead.
The exit is here! It's also sealed by rusty iron bars, but just as vulnerable.
Lei Qing carefully stuck his head out, like the most vigilant sentry, and observed carefully for a moment, confirming that outside was a desolate rocky beach far away from the base's patrol range and searchlight coverage, with only the silhouettes of rolling mountains in the distance.
"It's safe, come out."
As the five people crawled out of the pipe one by one and breathed the cool and free air of the wilderness again, they all had a trance-like feeling of being reborn, as if they had just woken up from a long and depressing nightmare.
Looking back, the massive, brightly lit shadow of the Northern Base still loomed like a dormant steel behemoth, lurking behind them and emitting a frightening sense of oppression. But they had already escaped its control, broken free from its cold rules.
Without even a moment's pause, not even enough time to brush off the filth, Lei Qing quickly identified the direction using his memory and the star map. Like a pack of wolves blending into the night, the team silently and swiftly disappeared into the vast darkness and rocks.
They gave up on searching for another large human settlement, as previously discussed, and went in search of a place of their own, a place they could call "home."
Behind them are rules and oppression, ahead is the unknown and freedom, and under their feet is a long journey to find their way home. But this time, their steps are firm and their vision is clear.
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