Chapter 304: Ark Activation

Lin Yu struggled to crawl over and pulled down the blueprint. It was a very early structural sketch of the base, showing the maintenance pipe network below B3 Level. Several special points were marked on it with faded ink, and next to them were drawn the same markings he had seen on the pipe walls earlier. Next to one of the marks, the words "Node-Gamma" were written in a blur.

His gaze searched the maintenance station. A dust-covered metal box was half-buried under a pile of tools. A first-aid kit!

He practically lunged at it, prying open the rusted latch. There wasn't much inside, but enough to save his life. A few energy bars, a small bottle of sealed purified water, several military-grade high-efficiency antibiotics, and a potent healing agent.

He did not hesitate, tearing open an energy bar package and stuffing it into his mouth ravenously; the dry, hard texture nearly scratched his throat. Then he carefully unscrewed the water bottle and took small sips, soothing his throat that felt like it was smoking.

Having recovered a bit of strength, he began to treat his wounds. He unwound the bandage on his right leg; the wound had turned white from being soaked in sewage for a long time, and the edges were red and swollen. He carefully cleaned it with the antiseptic wipes from the first-aid kit, the sharp pain causing the veins on his forehead to bulge. Then he applied the viscous healing agent, followed by a cooling sensation that turned into an even more intense stinging. Finally, he re-bandaged it with a clean bandage.

The fracture in his left arm could not be treated better for the time being, so he could only check if the splint was secure. A dull, persistent pain came from his broken ribs, and he could only try his best to keep his breathing steady.

After finishing all this, he leaned against the wall, feeling that he had regained a bit of control over his body. He looked at the structural map again, trying to align his current position with those marked nodes. Gamma... it seemed not far from here, but the blueprint was severely damaged in this section, making it impossible to see the specific path.

In the corner of the maintenance station, there was also an old terminal, its screen pitch-black and covered in dust. Lin Yu walked over and tried pressing the power button.

Beep—a faint electronic sound rang out, and the screen actually flickered a few times, lighting up with a weak green glow! There was backup power!

A login interface quickly popped up on the screen, requesting an Authority code.

Authority... where would he have any Authority. Xuanyuan Qing had used a Chip before... right, the Chip!

He remembered the two destroyed "Scavenger" wrecks beside him when he fell. Enduring the pain, he returned to the entrance and rummaged through the pile of twisted metal. Embedded in the chest of one of the wrecks was a scorched and deformed piece of metal. He pried it off with his Dagger with great effort. It was an identification Chip, its edges broken and its surface bearing burn marks.

Could it still be used? Might as well treat a dead horse as if it were alive.

He returned to the terminal, found the corresponding interface, and carefully inserted the Chip.

Zzzzt—!

A loud bang came from inside the terminal, the screen flared brightly, and then sparks flew everywhere, emitting acrid black smoke!

Damn it! It short-circuited!

Just before the screen went completely dark, a line of fragmented system status reports flashed by rapidly; the handwriting was blurry and unclear, but the last few words were exceptionally distinct:

【…Ark System: Activated…】

The screen went completely dead. The terminal emitted a faint crackling sound of electricity, then fell into absolute silence.

Lin Yu stood where he was, only those few words echoing in his mind.

Ark System? Activated?

The low roar of engines grew louder, accompanied by the creaking sound of metal tracks crushing gravel, making the soles of his feet go numb. It wasn't just one vehicle; quite a few were coming.

Xu Xiaochuan leaned his back against the cold, rough wall, his chest heaving; the air he inhaled was full of the smell of rust and dust. Xuanyuan Qing on his back was burning up again, her breathing light but rapid, her body twitching from time to time.

"Protect... the Container..." she started talking nonsense again, her voice too faint to hear clearly, "Cannot... give to them..."

Container? What container? Wasn't Xiao Ya already... Xu Xiaochuan shook his head, not letting himself think too much. Surviving was the most important thing right now.

Overhead, the buzzing sound never stopped, like a death warrant. Red light beams swept back and forth through the ruins, cutting this dead land into a mess.

He couldn't stay here anymore. This broken factory couldn't stop the people coming from below at all.

Xu Xiaochuan gritted his teeth and shifted Xuanyuan Qing higher on his back; his right leg hurt so much that his vision went black. He let out a low growl, hard-carrying the pain, and moved along the base of the wall toward the other end of the factory, where many discarded oil drums were piled up.

Hum—!

A Drone flew low, hovering right above the broken roof of the factory, and a blinding white light suddenly engulfed their side!

Xu Xiaochuan's heart gave a violent jolt, and he shrank his whole body into the shadow of an oil drum. The Chip in his pocket felt slightly hot.

Now! He concentrated his mind, and a faint stream of heat surged from the mark on his back, transferring to the Chip in his palm.

The fading blue light on the surface of the Chip flashed rapidly.

Zzzzt...

The Drone overhead shook violently, the beam of its searchlight went haywire and veered away. Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Xiaochuan saw that in the squad that had just entered the factory, the screen on the device worn on the wrist of the leader flickered a few times and emitted a short burst of interference noise.

It worked! But the blue light of the Chip grew dimmer, almost invisible, and the scalding sensation quickly vanished. The energy in this thing decreased with every use; he had to use it sparingly.

"Over here! The target is moving!" The shouts of the pursuers came over, echoing with a metallic ring through the empty factory. They hadn't been completely fooled; they had just temporarily lost their aim.

What was even worse was that Xu Xiaochuan noticed that the lights on the tips of the detectors held by the few people who had spread out to search had all lit up briefly when he used the Chip just now, pointing in the general direction where he was hiding.

They were tracking the Chip!

Cold sweat broke out instantly. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before they were found.

He looked around, his gaze landing on the edge of the factory area, on that rusted-beyond-recognition, terrifyingly tall abandoned signal tower. The tower body looked okay, and there seemed to be some broken equipment on top.

A desperate thought popped up.

Rather than waiting for death, he might as well take a gamble! If his old man really left a backup plan, and if the "Ark" project was real, this Chip wasn't just a backup. It might be a key, a signal!

"Hold on tight," he whispered to the unconscious Xuanyuan Qing on his back, not knowing if she heard him.

He did not hesitate, using the chaotic structure and shadows in the factory to dash toward the signal tower. Every step tugged at the wound on his leg, hurting to the core, sweat blurring his eyes. The footsteps and shouts of the pursuers behind him were getting closer.

At the base of the signal tower, the entrance was mostly blocked by twisted steel bars and stones. Xu Xiaochuan put Xuanyuan Qing down and desperately pried open a gap he could only squeeze through sideways. Inside the tower was an iron ladder leading up, badly rusted and wobbly.

He carefully leaned Xuanyuan Qing against the corner of the wall and then began to climb. With every step he climbed, the ladder made creaking sounds, making one's heart panic.