Chapter 120: Echoes of the Abyss

The crawling sounds from deep within the cave mouth grew nearer, like countless arthropods scraping against the rock.

Han Qing immediately issued tactical orders: "Wang Hu, Makusi, hold the two sides of the cave mouth, prepare fire suppression. Zhang Yang, go up to the high platform, give me vision. Kaiwen, Aili, fall back to the plant, ready medical and energy support. Lao Zhao…"

Lao Zhao was already crouched at the edge of the cave mouth, shining his flashlight toward the spiral staircase's depths. The beam cut a conical shaft through the darkness, and what it revealed made everyone gasp a cold breath.

They were not whole creatures. They were fragments—limb fragments, torso fragments, head fragments—all glued together by shadowy matter, like a clumsy collage. These "fragments" were climbing upward, each piece retaining some primitive animal trait: an insect's compound eye, a mammal's fur, a reptile's scales, even… a human finger.

"Hybrid." Kaiwen's voice trembled. "Tissues of different species are forcibly fused… this is a sight only possible in a laboratory."

"Not a laboratory," Su Yu said, gripping her pendant. Within the True Knowledge Vision, the patched creatures' interiors coursed with murky gray energy. "It's contamination. That 'foreign object' is using organisms from the underground ecosystem for fusion experiments."

The first hybrid burst out of the cave mouth.

It had three asymmetrical legs—one resembling a deer's hind leg, another an arthropod's foot, and the third astonishingly a human leg, still clad in a fragment of pre‑catastrophe denim. Its torso bore four different eyes, and its mouth was split longitudinally, filled with shark‑like teeth.

Wang Hu opened fire.

The heavy machine‑gun's rounds struck the torso, punching a large hole. Yet the shadowy matter quickly sealed the wound; the hybrid merely shivered and kept charging.

"Physical attacks are of limited effect!" Han Qing raised the disc. "Prepare energy weapons!"

The disc emitted a hum, and a pale‑blue purifying beam shot out. This time it worked—where the beam struck, the shadowy matter boiled and evaporated like scalding water. The hybrid let out a shrill, piercing screech, not a single sound but a blend of many creatures' dying cries.

But it did not retreat. Instead, it thrust that human leg powerfully and leapt toward the nearest Makusi.

Makusi sidestepped, swung his metal arm, and struck the hybrid's head with precision. Amid the dull clang of metal meeting bone, the hybrid was flung back, crashing into the Cradle's luminous wall.

The wall's phosphorescence suddenly intensified. It was not illumination but an attack—light condensed into fine needles that pierced the hybrid's body. In the pure light, the shadowy matter began to disintegrate; the hybrid writhed a few times before turning into a pool of black slime.

"The wall has a defensive mechanism!" Kaiwen shouted. "Stardust material naturally counters shadows!"

More hybrids were pouring out of the cave mouth—five, ten… endless streams.

"We can't fight here," Han Qing assessed. "The space is too open, their numbers too great. We must keep the battlefield confined to the cave mouth area!"

Su Yu looked at the plant. One of its branches pointed toward the cave mouth, then toward its own roots—the luminous roots that delved underground, forming the spiral staircase.

She understood suddenly.

"Han Qing! Get everyone to fall back around the plant! Quickly!"

The team obeyed at once. Six of them pressed their backs against the plant, forming a defensive circle. The plant seemed to grasp the intent; all its branches drooped suddenly, shielding the group like a shield. The roots began to glow, and light streamed down the spiral staircase like a reverse waterfall.

The hybrids that surged up the stairs collided with the light stream.

The effect was immediate. Where the light flowed, the shadowy matter melted away instantly, like snow in hot water. The hybrids emitted a chorus of mixed screams; some disintegrated outright, others tried to retreat but were shoved by those behind them, falling into the depths of the light.

Thirty seconds later, the hybrids on the stairs were cleared.

But the crawling sounds did not cease. They gathered below, waiting for the light stream to weaken.

"The light stream can't last," Kaiwen said, staring at his detector. "The plant's energy is depleting fast. At most it can sustain… three minutes."

Three minutes.

"Commander!" Su Yu shouted at the plant. "What's the structure of the lower passage? Can we rush straight down?"

Li Yuanshan's voice came through the plant's roots, accompanied by interference static:

"The emergency passage is 280 meters long, two meters in diameter, spiraling downward. There are three platforms midway that can serve as defensive points. But…"

The static suddenly intensified.

"…the cage core…has detected…it's mobilizing more…"

Communication cut.

A plant branch suddenly pointed at Su Yu, then at Lao Zhao, mimicking a "follow" gesture.

"It wants us to go down," Lao Zhao interpreted the plant's body language. "Now—while the light stream still persists."

"Too risky," Han Qing objected. "The situation below is unknown, the numbers uncertain…"

"But the people underground can't wait," Su Yu cut in, "and the plant is draining energy. When the light stream fades, they'll surge up again, and we'll have no chance to descend."

She looked at her teammates: "I need a five‑person squad. Han Qing, Wang Hu, Makusi, you're the main firepower. Kaiwen, I need your detection ability. Lao Zhao…"

"I'll go." Lao Zhao's voice left no room for doubt. "If there are survivors below, I know the layout of Zone 7. Moreover…" He brushed the scar on his face. "My son is a structural engineer. If he's still alive, he must be at the system‑maintenance site."

A brief silence. This was not a tactical discussion but an emotional decision.

"Alright," Han Qing finally nodded. "Five‑person squad. Aili, Zhang Yang, you guard the Cradle, maintain surface‑to‑underground communications. If there's no word within half an hour… execute Plan B."

Aili bit her lip but nodded, "Understood."

Zhang Yang set up his sniper rifle, aimed at the cave mouth. "I'll watch your backs."

The plant seemed to comprehend the arrangement. The light stream began to change, no longer a waterfall‑like torrent but condensing into a luminous "channel" that clung to the inner side of the spiral stairs, forming a protected pathway.

"Go!" Su Yu was the first to step into the channel.

The light stream enveloped her, warm as a mother's embrace. She could feel the plant's consciousness—not thought, but instinct: protect, guide, connect.

The five entered in single file. The light stream sealed behind them, like a moving shield.

The stairs were steeper than expected. The spiral's descent angle neared sixty degrees, and the steps themselves were naturally formed by the plant's roots, giving a springy feel as if walking on a living thing. On either side of the rock walls, remnants of the pre‑catastrophe world were visible: cables, pipes, and even faded safety signs—"Deep Shelter Zone 7, 300 m down."

The crawling sounds echoed below, yet the hybrids stayed away from the light channel. They gathered in the shadows, their eyes—various creatures' eyes—reflecting the channel's glow like a swarm of fireflies in the dark, only these "fireflies" bristled with murderous intent.

"They're waiting," Kaiwen whispered, "until we go deeper, until the light stream wanes."

"Then don't give them a chance." Han Qing gripped the disc. "Full speed ahead."

They ran downward. The light stream moved with them, like a roaming sanctified aura. The hybrids were forced to retreat, yet they stayed about five meters beyond the light's edge, like a wolf pack trailing prey.

Eighty meters later, they reached the first platform.

It had once been a maintenance bay, with workbenches, tool cabinets, even an old cathode‑ray display. Yet everything was coated in a layer of gray‑black slime, like the secretion of some organism.

At the center of the platform, something made everyone halt.

It wasn't a hybrid.

It was a "cocoon." Semi‑transparent, composed of shadowy matter and crystal, with something inside writhing slowly. The cocoon's surface bore pulsating, vessel‑like structures linking the floor and ceiling, like an umbilical cord.

"What is it… growing?" Kaiwen raised his detector. "Energy readings are extremely high, and… it shows signs of life."

"Don't get close," Han Qing warned. "Go around."

They moved along the edge of the platform, staying as far from the cocoons as possible. But as they passed, the cocoon suddenly pulsed violently. Beneath its semi‑transparent shell, a vague outline could be seen—a human outline.

An adult male, curled up, as if asleep.

Lao Zhao's flashlight swept over the cocoon's surface. The light penetrated the shell, revealing the man's side profile.

Time seemed to freeze.

Lao Zhao staggered a step, his gun almost slipping from his hand. His lips trembled, his voice barely audible:

"... Xiaofeng?"

That was his son's name.

The man inside the cocoon seemed to hear it. His eyelids twitched, but he did not open his eyes.

The cocoon's pulse quickened. Umbilical‑cord‑like vessels began pumping more black substance into him. His skin turned black, scale‑like patterns appearing.

"He's being transformed," Su Yu grabbed Lao Zhao, "we must——"

"No." Lao Zhao shook off her hand and walked toward the cocoon, "Xiaofeng, Dad's here. Do you hear me? Dad's here."

"Lao Zhao! Come back!" Han Qing shouted sternly.

Too late.

The cocoon suddenly split open—not a rupture, but an intentional opening, like a flower blooming. Black slime oozed out, and the man inside sat up.

He still looked human, but his eyes were completely black, pupils absent. The scale patterns on his skin gleamed metallic in the light. He turned his head toward Lao Zhao, tilting it as if trying to recognize him.

"... Dad?" His voice hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in ages.

Lao Zhao's tears welled up: "It's me, son. I've come."

"Watch out!" Wang Hu suddenly yelled.

The man's arm suddenly deformed—bones restructured, skin tore, and three bone blades jutted from his elbow. Without warning, he lunged at Lao Zhao.

Lao Zhao did not dodge.

Because in the depths of those completely black eyes, at the last moment he saw a speck of light—human, anguished, pleading.

The bone blades halted half an inch from Lao Zhao's chest.

The man's whole body trembled, as if fighting himself. In his black eyes, that speck of light struggled, faint but resolute.

"... Kill... me..." he gasped, using all his strength, "... It's... controlling me..."

Then darkness flooded his pupils again. The bone blades rose once more.

This time, Han Qing's disc‑shaped light beam struck the man. Purifying energy burned the shadowy substance, and he let out an inhuman roar, stumbling back into the wall.

"Don't kill him!" Lao Zhao stepped in front of Han Qing, tears streaming, "He's still alive! Inside!"

"He's contaminated!" Han Qing roared, "You saw what he just——"

"I saw him pleading for help!" Lao Zhao turned, facing his son who was struggling to stand, "Xiaofeng! Look at me! Do you remember? On your tenth birthday I promised to take you to the observatory, but the mission kept me away. You cried, and I said, 'Next time, for sure.' Do you remember?"

The man's movements stalled.

Lao Zhao continued, voice choking but firm: "Later I really did take you. That day it rained, the telescope wouldn't work. You sat on my shoulders, watching the rain through the glass, saying, 'Dad, the light in the raindrops looks like stars.' Do you remember?"

The man trembled more violently. The bone blades began to retract, and the scale patterns on his skin faded.

"He's resisting the contamination," Su Yu suddenly realized, "with memory. With 'existence'."

She recalled Chen Mo's words, the seeds, the stardust plants. Light need not be abundant; a little suffices. And the brightest light humans possess is memory, love, and "I remember you."

"Everyone," Su Yu said, "say his name. Say we remember him."

Han Qing blinked, then spoke: "Li Xiaofeng. Sector 7 structural engineer. Thirty‑two years old. Likes astronomy and classical music."

Wang Hu muttered: "Li Xiaofeng. He fixed my motorcycle's brakes."

Makusi: "Li Xiaofeng. Before the disaster, he tutored my daughter in math."

Kaiwen pushed up his glasses: "Li Xiaofeng. Your employee ID is DL7305. Your last clock‑in record was at 7:38 a. m. on the day of the disaster."

Su Yu finally said: "Li Xiaofeng. Your father has searched for seven years. He never gave up."

The man's eyes began to change. The black receded, revealing brown human pupils. The scale patterns vanished, the bone blades fully retracted. He dropped to his knees, gasping, tears mixed with black slime sliding down his cheeks.

"... Dad..."

Lao Zhao lunged forward and embraced his son, holding him so tightly it seemed he wanted to fuse him into his own body.

Li Xiaofeng trembled, gripping his father's arm with his restored human hand: "Down there……there are still many people……like me……being transformed……"

He lifted his head, his eyes showing an engineer's calm and despair: "The Prison Core is sucking out their 'existence' to perfect itself. It……wants to become a complete life."

"Dr. Chen's equipment," he continued, "is on the next platform. But there……it's the Transformation Center. There are many cocoons, many……half‑transformed compatriots."

The crawling sound drew nearer again. More hybrids were surging up from below.

Li Xiaofeng stood, weak but resolute: "I know a maintenance passage that can bypass the Transformation Center. But it's only wide enough for one person, very tight."

He looked at his father: "Dad, let me go. I know how to operate the equipment. I am……the only one who can."

"No," Lao Zhao clenched his son's hand, "I've just found you……"

"So let me go," Li Xiaofeng smiled—the confident smile of the engineer he was before the disaster—"let me do what I ought to do. Just as you taught me."

He looked at Su Yu: "Give me a little light. A little is enough."

Su Yu took off the pendant around her neck and placed it on Li Xiaofeng's. The moment it touched his skin, it emitted a warm glow.

"It will protect you," she said, "and it will lead us to you."

Li Xiaofeng nodded and walked toward a vent at the platform's edge. The opening was tiny, just big enough for one person to crawl through.

"Wait for my signal," he said, giving his father one last look, "then……come get everyone home."

He slipped into the darkness.

Lao Zhao stood before the vent, his hand pressed on the metal grille, as if feeling the warmth of his son receding.

The crawling sound from below grew closer.

Han Qing checked his weapons: "Ready for battle. We need to buy him time."

The light-flow channel began to flicker unstably.

The plant's energy is nearing its limit.