Chapter 21: Wastelanders and the Ark Coordinates

The moment the barrier shattered, it was as if the world's volume had been suddenly turned up. What came from afar was no longer a vague howl, but a clear, discernible roar full of wildness and power, mixed with some never-before-heard, heart-piercing shrieks and low-frequency vibrations. The air was no longer limited to the decay and bloodiness of urban ruins; it also mingled with wilderness dust, the foul scent of unfamiliar vegetation, and… something… even richer, free-floating magical energy particles.

The Blood Moon's light poured down unobstructed, outlining the distant, undulating, unknown mountain range like a crouching beast. An intangible pressure settled over them, heavier than at any previous time.

"The barrier… is really gone." Li Siwen pushed his glasses, his voice dry, staring at the unobstructed darkness that seemed able to devour everything, his face turning pale.

"It feels… the air is different." Han Qing took a deep breath, brows furrowed, he could sense that the flow of energy within his body had become slightly more active, but accompanied by a stronger sense of danger.

Chen Mo remained silent, his 【Keen Smell】 and 【Tactical Goggles】 operating passively at full power, capturing countless unfamiliar signals carried on the wind. He could 'smell' the foul stench of powerful monster lairs dozens of li away, and 'see' the energy currents flowing through the air, denser and more chaotic.

"We shouldn't linger here; first find a concealed spot to digest our gains." Chen Mo gave a decisive order. The barrier's premature disappearance had disrupted their plan; they must immediately adapt to this changed environment.

Everyone acted quickly, finding on the edge of the Iron Rust Zone a relatively intact, easy-to-defend two-story building. After setting up simple warning traps, Chen Mo immediately took out the silver-white data crystal he had obtained from the metal can.

He tried connecting via the miniature interface on the depleted energy weapon he had obtained from the Cleansers, but there was no response. He then tried feeding energy directly into it, yet the crystal remained inert.

"Let me try." Su Yu reached out and took the crystal. As her slender fingers touched its icy surface, the waterdrop pendant she always wore around her neck once again emitted a faint blue glow, sharing the same source as the crystal.

It was as if the key had found its lock.

The blue patterns on the crystal's surface suddenly lit up, projecting a soft light screen into the air. Countless complex data streams flowed like a waterfall, finally freezing on a fragmented map marked with ancient symbols and energy nodes, and a blinking coordinate point far to the northwest.

In one corner of the map, there was a clear emblem resembling Noah's Ark, beside which ancient characters were inscribed—【Ark: Eden】.

At the same time, a processed segment of Su Yu's mother's gentle yet weary voice echoed in everyone's minds:

"Little Yu, when you hear this message, Mother may already be gone. The 'Ark' is not a legend; it is the greatest legacy of the old era, and one of the last hopes for resisting the 'Purple Corrosion' and seeking the world's truth. The coordinates point to an outer access point of the Ark, but the road there is fraught with danger. The 'Cleansers' belong to an extremist organization called the 'Purification Society,' which regards the Ark and all 'Observers' as heretics that must be eradicated. As for the 'System'… it is not a savior, but rather like a… cold observer and screening mechanism; do not rely on it completely, nor believe any ultimate mission it publishes."

The voice cut off abruptly, the light screen dissipated, and the crystal turned into a wisp of ash. All the information existed only in the memories of those few who had heard the message.

The room fell into dead silence.

"Purification Society… Cleansers… Ark… System untrustworthy…" Zhang Yang muttered, feeling his worldview violently shaken.

"So we've been struggling all this time in a… monitored test field?" Wang Hu's voice carried anger and lingering fear.

Su Yu gripped the pendant tightly, her body trembling slightly, but her eyes were firmer than ever. The clue her mother left pointed her toward a direction.

Chen Mo digested this astonishing information, his eyes deep. It confirmed some of his guesses from his previous life and explained why so many variables had appeared in this life. His rebirth, and Su Yu's existence, might have touched certain sensitive nerves of this 'System' and the hidden hand behind it.

"No matter what the 'System' is, or what the 'Purification Society' intends, our goal remains unchanged—to survive and grow stronger." Chen Mo's voice broke the silence, "And now we have a clearer objective—the 'Ark'."

He looked toward the northwest, his gaze seeming to pierce the walls, toward that distant coordinate.

"There, we might find the answers we need, and… a genuine chance to break free from the game."

Over the next two days, the Echo team did not return to Sector 7 Shelter, but used this building as a temporary base, digesting their gains from the Iron Rust Zone, leveling up and familiarizing themselves with new skills, while cautiously exploring the surrounding dozens of li after the barrier's disappearance.

Chen Mo's level stabilized at LV11, his control over the form of 【Energy Shot】 became more proficient, even able to briefly form an energy shield. Su Yu's perception, after adapting to the new environment's energy density, expanded in range and increased in precision, now able to preliminarily block the most chaotic negative emotional interference.

Han Qing, Zhang Yang, and the others also each made progress.

On the third evening, Zhao Lei, who was in charge of outer perimeter watch, suddenly came running back, scrambling on his hands and knees, face full of panic: "Boss Mo! Outside… outside a group of people is coming! Not monsters! They're riding… riding a kind of beast that looks like a lizard clad in iron armor! Heading our way!"

Chen Mo's eyes narrowed, and he immediately led everyone up to the second-floor rooftop.

In the afterglow of the sunset (which looked especially eerie under the Blood Moon's light), a group of about fifteen or sixteen people rode creatures three meters tall, covered in dull metallic scales, exhaling sulfurous breath—lizard-like beasts—moving steadily toward the building.

These people wore a mishmash of gear, but mostly armor pieced together from leather and metal plates, their bodies reeking of strong dust and blood, their eyes sharp and wary as they surveyed the surroundings. Their weapons varied widely, from crude cleavers to modified firearms, and some even carried the remnants of energy weapons on their backs.

Leading them was a bald, burly man with a ferocious scar across his face, riding the largest of the iron-armored lizards; his gaze swept over the building like a hawk's, finally settling on Chen Mo and the others on the rooftop.

【LV. 13 Wastelander (Scar)】

【LV. 11 Wastelander (Lackey)】 xN

Their levels were generally higher than those of the Echo team! Moreover, they were clearly 'old birds' who had survived outside the barrier for a considerable time.

"Friends inside the building!" the scarred big man called out, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing, "Don't be nervous! We're the escort squad of the 'Vulture' caravan, just came from the 'Black Stone Settlement' to the east, no ill intent! We just want to ask for directions, and maybe do a little trade!"

His words were fairly courteous, but his scrutinizing gaze and the team's faintly encircling posture indicated it was far from merely 'asking for directions.'

Chen Mo stood on the rooftop, looking down on them, his fine tactical axe glinting coldly in the bloody sunset.

"Asking for directions is fine, doing business is also fine." Chen Mo's voice was calm yet carried an intangible pressure, "But your mounts frightened my companions. Have them retreat fifty meters, send three people, drop their weapons, and come over to talk."

The scarred man narrowed his eyes, the scar on his face twitching like a centipede. He obviously hadn't expected the people inside the building to be so firm.

Their gazes collided in the air, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

The first encounter outside the barrier seemed unfriendly. These wastelanders from other regions—whether friend or foe remains unknown. And the Echo team is about to face its first clash with the new world's rules.