Chapter 79: Fishing in Turbulent Waters, Sowing Hope

The news that the Ark was tinkering with Ruins creatures and even lost control sparked in the Echo Camp not ripples like a stone thrown into a cesspit, but a chorus of incomprehensible clicks of marvel and schadenfreude.

"Damn! Let them show off!" Zhang Yang slapped his thigh, laughing heartily, "That's what we call a warty toad sticking chicken feathers—stupid alien bird! They messed up, huh?"

Even the usually steady Han Qing couldn't help a twitch at the corner of his mouth as he summed up, "It seems the Ark isn't solid all the way through; at least there are radical experimental factions. Their loss of control is both a risk and a strategic window for us."

Kaiwen went into an excited analytical mode, his eyes lighting up at the reclaimed Crystal Core Fragment, "I told you! A Ruins entity of that tier wouldn't randomly target our little spot. It must be those lab lunatics messing around, angering the 'Landlord', and we got caught in the noise from the next‑door renovation!"

Chen Mo toyed with the cold Crystal Core Fragment in his hand, feeling the rule rhythm within it that was diametrically opposite to the Primordial Force yet subtly attracted like opposite poles of a magnet, and a bold plan gradually took shape in his mind.

"Engineer Li, Kaiwen," he said, looking at the tech duo, "concentrate resources and prioritize two tasks: First, fully analyze this fragment; I need to know its energy structure, operating principle, and… how to safely trigger or interfere with it. Second, upgrade the Big Eye to enhance detection of high‑concentration Ruins energy and the Ark's experimental equipment."

"Understood!" Li Siwen and Kaiwen replied in unison, clutching the fragment and a pile of gear, and plunged into their "junkyard workshop" with a resolve to keep tinkering until they produced earth‑shattering results.

"Hui Jin," Chen Mo turned to the Pure Fire leader, "strengthen patrols, especially to the northwest, and closely monitor any movement in the 'Crying Swamp' area. I suspect the Ark won't easily abandon that experimental site."

Hui Jin nodded gravely, "Don't worry, my kids are raring to go."

"Zhang Yang, Wang Hu," Chen Mo finally addressed the two veterans, "reorganize the manpower and intensify training. From now on, we may not have many peaceful days; be ready at any moment to go out and 'pick up trash'."

Zhang Yang and Wang Hu exchanged a glance, excitement flashing in each other's eyes. "We've been waiting for you, Captain, to say that!"

With everything arranged, Chen Mo turned his gaze again to the tiny test plot. The potato shoots had grown to calf height, lush and green, and Ning Shen Grass had blossomed pale‑purple flowers, exuding a tranquil scent. He walked over and, as usual, placed his hand on the soil—not wielding overwhelming rule power, but passing a thread of the purest, gentlest vitality.

Su Yu stood beside him and whispered, "Everyone's hearts seem to have settled again."

"Because we saw an even messier situation, our own troubles feel trivial," Chen Mo smiled, "Human nature is that strange."

A few days later, Kaiwen and Li Siwen's side achieved the first breakthrough.

"Captain! Come quick!" Kaiwen, with panda‑shaped eyes, waved an ink‑smeared schematic excitedly, "We've figured it out! This fragment is a 'Rule Beacon' and an 'Energy Seed'! Those Ark people wanted to use it as a core to mass‑print Ruins creatures, but the control algorithm crashed, so everything printed out was a bug!"

Li Siwen added, "We simulated its energy fluctuations; we can't replicate it, but we can try to generate a 'interference wave', like tossing sand into a precise program—crude, but it might work. Moreover, Big Eye No. 3 is online, now able to spot unstable energy clusters earlier."

Almost simultaneously, Hui Jin's reconnaissance squad reported back—over at the Crying Swamp, Ark activity had indeed resurfaced, seemingly attempting to clear the battlefield and rebuild facilities.

"The chance is here," Chen Mo's eyes flashed, "Zhang Yang, Wang Hu, select twenty clever operatives, equip them with new gear, and let's go have a chat with the Ark."

This time, their goal wasn't a full assault but harassment, reconnaissance, and… seeing if they could reap some extra "benefits" amid the chaos.

The squad slipped silently into the outskirts of the Crying Swamp. From a distance they indeed saw white‑clad soldiers clearing debris, erecting new temporary structures, with a few engineering mechs busy nearby. The atmosphere felt tense and oppressive.

"Click, click, looks like the last loss was sizable and manpower is thin," Kaiwen observed through a modified telescope, "Captain, what's the plan?"

Chen Mo surveyed the surroundings and whispered, "Su Yu, locate their energy supply and communication nodes. Zhang Yang, Wang Hu, each lead a team; use the terrain and Little Firecrackers to create multi‑point chaos—the louder the better, but don't engage head‑on. Kaiwen, come with me; we'll go after their 'database' or 'sample vault'."

The operation began. Zhang Yang and Wang Hu moved like unleashed wild dogs (in a good way), leading their men from different directions. Soon, the swamp's edge rang with the muffled blasts of Little Firecrackers, the crackle of rogue energy weapons, and the frantic shouts of Ark soldiers.

"Three o'clock direction! Energy turbulence!"

"Nine o'clock! Communications jammed!"

"Those damned survivors! Capture them!"

Amid the chaos, Chen Mo and Kaiwen slipped like specters to a relatively intact temporary building on the camp's rear side. Kaiwen used the Decoder to effortlessly bypass the door lock, and the two slipped inside.

Inside were piles of instruments and equipment, plus several sealed crates. Kaiwen's eyes lit up as he lunged for a still‑running data terminal, "I'll copy their experimental data!"

Chen Mo quickly scanned the crates, his gaze fixed on a silver metal box emitting a faint chill. He stepped forward, hand on the box, and Rule Perception seeped in—inside were several sealed vials of a substance similar to the previously seized Rule Neutralizer, but with far more complex energy fluctuations.

"Found it, a new‑model concoction," Chen Mo slipped it into his backpack.

At that moment, a massive explosion roared outside, shaking the whole building! Kaiwen shivered in fear, his hands moving even faster, "Damn, Zhang Yang and the others are really getting wild!"

With the data copy complete, Kaiwen pried open a few more crates, scavenging some seemingly useful electronic components and energy cells.

"Retreat!" Chen Mo barked low.

The two burst out of the building to find the camp in utter chaos. Zhang Yang and Wang Hu led their men in a hit‑and‑run, fully exploiting the swamp's tangled terrain and the Little Firecrackers' disruption to leave Ark soldiers scrambling.

"Ha ha! Thrilling!" Zhang Yang shouted back while sweeping fire, laughing, "These bastards only know how to hide behind metal cans!"

Wang Hu was even more direct, swinging his axe to cleave a small pursuing drone in two.

Chen Mo and Kaiwen successfully rejoined the squad and, seizing the chaos, vanished swiftly into the swamp's mist.

Back at the camp they tallied the haul: five new‑model vials, a trove of experimental data (awaiting analysis), and a pile of "junk" parts.

"Well done!" Han Qing said, looking at the spoils, a rare smile on his face, "Now those radical Ark factions will be worrying for a while."

Kaiwen clutched the data stack like treasure, "There's definitely research on the Ruins and that kind of crystal core in here! Maybe we'll find a clue to deal with that 'Ruins Apostle'!"

This operation not only struck the Ark again and secured valuable intel and resources, but more importantly, it greatly boosted the camp's morale. People saw that even when faced with a more complex situation, their leaders could still lead proactive strikes and find life in the cracks.

Chen Mo handed a new‑model vial to Hui Jin, "Test whether it improves Han Qing's recovery."

He also picked up a sealed high‑energy compressed ration salvaged from the Ark camp, walked to the test plot, carefully broke off a small piece, crushed it, and mixed it into the soil.

"Add some nutrition," he said to Su Yu with a smile.

Su Yu watched his mud‑caked hand, then glanced at the camp's weary yet bright‑eyed people, feeling warmth in her heart.

In the murky waters, they not only caught fish, but more importantly, they again planted the seed called "Hope" firmly in every heart.

And that seed, in the wasteland's cold wind, stubbornly takes root and sprouts.