Chapter 12: Broken-Spine Ruins, Rust and Tusks

The lead-grey dawn had just driven away the heaviest darkness when Lin Mo and Sister Ai Li were already geared up and ready to move. Xiang Lingna had been strictly ordered to stay inside the shack, reinforce the wooden door, and not go out unless absolutely necessary. Lin Mo slung the hunting rifle across his back, tucked a rusted blade and a few rifle rounds at his waist, and carried in his hand a crude bag woven from rags and wire, meant for holding materials. Sister Ai Li went in light gear: her crossbow was already strung, a dagger was placed within easy reach, and a water skin and a few strips of dried meat hung at her waist.

The two left the hollow like ghosts, slipping toward the "Broken Spine" ruins Sister Ai Li had mentioned. The air carried the wasteland's signature smell of rust and dust, and the ground beneath their feet was still dry and cracked. Sister Ai Li led the way, her steps light and precise, always avoiding loose sand and metal scraps that might make noise, choosing the most concealed route. Lin Mo struggled to keep up, watching his surroundings warily.

The "Broken Spine" ruins lived up to their name. This was the massive wreckage of an industrial zone—countless thick, rust-mottled metal pipes lay toppled and twisted like the bones of giant dragons, their broken ends exposing jagged, saw-toothed gaps. Huge steel framework structures had collapsed, piling and pressing into one another to form dangerous, precarious caves and crevices. The ground was covered in a thick layer of rust powder and ash that crunched underfoot. The air was thick with a stronger metallic rust smell and a… hard-to-describe, faintly sweet-and-coppery scent of irradiated dust.

【Warning! Moderate radiation-contaminated zone detected! Host, please leave as soon as possible or take protective measures!】 The system's prompt rang in Lin Mo's mind.

Lin Mo's heart clenched and he instinctively held his breath. Sister Ai Li seemed to have expected this; she pulled two crude "masks" wrapped in multiple layers of rag and smelling faintly of wood ash from her clothes and handed one to Lin Mo. "Put it on. Don't stay too long."

Lin Mo quickly put it on. The effect was limited, but better than nothing. The two carefully stepped into this steel graveyard.

"Find… big, straight metal pipes. Or… thick steel plates." Lin Mo lowered his voice, describing the materials the blueprint required.

Sister Ai Li nodded, her sharp gaze sweeping over the massive metal wreckage like a searchlight. She quickly locked onto a huge metal pipe half-buried underground, about half a meter in diameter and over five meters long. One end was pinned under a collapsed steel beam, the other end tilted up toward the sky—badly rusted, but the overall structure still looked intact.

"That one!" Lin Mo's eyes lit up! This could absolutely serve as the main beam of the frame!

The two approached the pipe. The pipe was cold and heavy to the touch, its surface covered in thick flakes of rust. Lin Mo tried pushing it. It didn't budge.

"Need to… break it off." Sister Ai Li studied the end of the pipe that was pinned down. The steel beam pressing on it was equally thick and heavy.

"Try this?" Lin Mo pulled a few relatively thick metal crowbars from his bag, scavenged from the marauders.

Sister Ai Li took one, and together with Lin Mo, they wedged the crowbar deep into the gap between the pipe and the steel beam pinning it. Both threw their full weight onto the bar!

"Squeak… squeak…" The teeth-grinding sound of metal scraping rang out, rust flakes pattering down. The heavy steel beam and pipe groaned under the enormous force, and the gap was pried open a sliver!

"Again!" Lin Mo growled low, sweat instantly soaking his back. Sister Ai Li gritted her teeth, the muscles in her arms taut, and threw her weight in once more!

"CLANG!" A tremendous crash! The pried steel beam suddenly sank downward, dragging that section of huge metal pipe crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of rust dust!

Success! One end of the pipe had finally broken free!

But the enormous sound, like a stone thrown into a dead pond, instantly shattered the silence of the ruins!

"Hiss—!"

"Growl—!"

Several roars, brimming with savagery and hunger, suddenly came from deep within the ruins! The sounds were shrill and piercing, with a metallic, scraping quality!

Immediately after, several swift grey shadows shot out from the gaps in the collapsed steel framework like cannonballs, lunging straight at Lin Mo and Sister Ai Li!

Radiation beasts! And more than one! They were slightly smaller than the radiation wolves from before, but faster! They looked like rats—mutated and magnified several times over—covered in sparse, filth-matted coarse hair that exposed pink, tumor-covered skin. Their limbs were abnormally thick, their claws sharp as razors, and the most horrifying thing was their mouths, split all the way back to the ears, filled with layer upon layer of pale, file-like fangs! Their crimson little eyes glittered with pure, frenzied hunger!

"Split-Tooth Rats! Fall back!" Sister Ai Li barked sharply, her body springing open like a taut bowstring, her crossbow snapping up in a flash!

"Fwoosh!" A pale-blue bolt left the string, accurately shooting into the wide-open mouth of the Split-Tooth Rat charging at the front, piercing its fragile throat!

"Squelch!" Filthy blood sprayed! That Split-Tooth Rat couldn't even let out a scream before it tumbled to the ground, limbs twitching!

But the other three Split-Tooth Rats had already closed in! A stench of blood washed over them!

Lin Mo's scalp prickled, and he almost instinctively raised the hunting rifle in his hands! There was no time to aim; he squeezed the trigger at the Split-Tooth Rat lunging at him!

"BOOM!!"

The deafening gunshot exploded through the ruins! The massive recoil slammed into Lin Mo's shoulder with agonizing force, and he staggered two steps backward!

Countless pellets sprayed out like a storm! The Split-Tooth Rat at the very front took the brunt of it, half its body riddled into a sieve, and it crashed to the ground in a bloody mess! But the shotgun's spread was too wide—the two rats behind were also caught, letting out pained shrieks as several blooms of blood burst from their bodies, their assault faltering for a moment!

A perfect opening! Sister Ai Li closed in like a phantom, her dagger tracing a cold arc as it precisely slit the carotid artery of one of the wounded Split-Tooth Rats! A gush of filthy blood!

The last Split-Tooth Rat was shaken by its companion's death and the shotgun's thunderous roar, its ferocity dampened for a moment, but hunger quickly overpowered fear. It let out a low growl, dodged around Sister Ai Li, and lunged at Lin Mo again, who looked easier to bully!

Lin Mo had just steadied himself; the hunting rifle's massive report had left his ears ringing and his arm numb. Seeing the ferocious Split-Tooth Rat pounce, panic flared in his chest—there was no time to reload! Instinctively, he swung the metal crowbar in his hands and smashed it viciously at the rat's head as it lunged!

"THUD!" The crowbar slammed into the Split-Tooth Rat's hard skull with a dull thud! The rat's head was knocked askew, its pounce veering off course; its sharp claws grazed past Lin Mo's ribs, leaving several searing, bloody scratches!

The sharp pain made Lin Mo hiss and suck in a breath! The Split-Tooth Rat landed, quickly turned, and lunged again!

A hair's breadth from disaster!

"Fwoosh!" A crossbow bolt accurately pierced the back of the Split-Tooth Rat's neck, the arrowhead punching out through its throat! Sister Ai Li!

The last Split-Tooth Rat struggled a few times, then collapsed in a pool of blood.

The battle ended extremely fast, yet was fraught with deadly peril! Lin Mo leaned against cover, gasping for breath; the wound at his ribs burned painfully, and cold sweat soaked his clothes. Looking at the four ferocious rat corpses on the ground, he was still shaken. The hunting rifle was devastatingly powerful, but reloading was slow and the noise was even louder—using it in this kind of complex environment carried extreme risk!

Sister Ai Li swiftly retrieved her bolt, warily scanning the depths of the ruins. "Too much noise. Might draw more. Move!"

Lin Mo understood they couldn't linger. The two gritted their teeth against exhaustion and the pain of their wounds, and together heaved up that heavy metal pipe. The pipe was heavier than expected; using the crowbar as a lever, they exerted every ounce of strength to barely lift one end, dragging it toward the hollow. The heavy pipe scraped against the rust-and-rubble-strewn ruin floor, emitting a piercing screech.

They also found a relatively flat, roughly half-meter-square, nearly two-centimeter-thick rusted steel plate. Its edges were somewhat warped, but it would barely do as a workbench surface for the workshop. Lin Mo also picked up a few relatively straight, wrist-thick steel rods that could serve as frame supports.

The heavy haul slowed their pace. By the time the two dragged the metal pipe and steel plate back to the edge of the hollow, stumbling over uneven ground, the sun was already high overhead.

In the shack, when Xiang Lingna saw them return—especially the bloody wound seeping at Lin Mo's ribs and the utterly exhausted state of both of them—her little face went pale again. But she didn't cry; she immediately ran out, used the last bit of clean water Lin Mo had left her to wash the wound, then skillfully applied medicinal powder and bandaged it.

Watching Xiang Lingna's focused and careful movements, a warm current welled up in Lin Mo's chest. He didn't bother to rest and immediately began planning the workshop's construction. The spot he chose was the relatively flat area closest to the wall inside the shack.

Sister Ai Li joined in as well. Her strength was astonishing; she was in charge of hauling the heavy pipe and steel plate into position. Lin Mo, using those steel rods, screws and nuts, and the wire he'd found, began clumsily assembling the frame according to the simple diagram on the blueprint.

It was an extremely physically and mentally exhausting process. The steel rods had to be cut and bent to connect; the steel plate had to be leveled and fixed; the pipe serving as the main beam needed solid support… Lin Mo had no professional tools—only a rusted blade, a few crowbars, and some metal scraps. Progress was slow, and his fingers were cut open several times by sharp metal edges.

Xiang Lingna silently helped on the side, handing him tools, collecting scattered screws, and using her small strength to help steady the wobbling frame.

Time passed amid the clanking of hammering. When the sun set in the west, an extremely crude, even slightly crooked metal frame had finally taken initial shape! The main beam was supported by several steel rods and fixed to the shack wall, and that thick steel plate was barely fastened with large screws onto several shorter steel rods, forming a wobbly workbench.

Although rough and a far cry from the "Beginner Workshop" the system blueprint required, a "work corner" usable for processing and repair had finally taken shape!

Lin Mo was exhausted to the point of collapse, but looking at this "workshop" pieced together from scrap iron and sweat, his heart swelled with a sense of accomplishment. He picked up that rusted machete and ground it hard a few times against the rough edge of the steel plate on the workbench—sparks flew! Some of the rust was ground away, revealing a relatively sharp edge beneath!

"Done!" Lin Mo let out an excited low roar. With this platform, he could try repairing more things—and even… crafting tools!

Just then, Sister Ai Li, who was on outer perimeter watch, suddenly let out a short warning: "Someone's coming!"

Lin Mo's heart clenched sharply! Could it be the Blood Claws again? He immediately grabbed the hunting rifle leaning against the wall!

On the east side of the hollow, on that little path leading to the "Gear Graveyard," a familiar figure appeared once again—Old Karl, leaning on his metal cane! He still had that bulging big backpack on his back, but this time, he walked very slowly. The mercenary smile from last time was gone, replaced by a hint of… anxiety and tension? As he walked, he kept looking back over his shoulder, as if something were chasing him.

When he saw the conspicuous, newly erected metal frame in the hollow, a flash of surprise clearly passed through his clouded old eyes, but it was quickly replaced by deeper anxiety.

"Old Karl? What are you…" Lin Mo walked out of the shack warily. The hunting rifle wasn't raised, but his finger was already resting on the trigger guard.

When Old Karl saw Lin Mo—especially the hunting rifle in his hands and Sister Ai Li's cold-eyed stare from the shack entrance—he visibly flinched. He quickened his pace, almost stumbling as he rushed to the edge of the hollow. From beyond the thorny barricade, he lowered his voice, urgent and almost on the verge of tears:

"Run! Run now! You all have to get out of here!" Old Karl's voice was full of fear. "Blood Claws! The Blood Claws' 'Mad Dog' is leading people this way! They know about the water! And… and the 'Gear Graveyard'… got raided! Those lunatics in black clothes! Killing on sight! Looting everything! I… I barely escaped to warn you!"

Like a bolt from the blue! Lin Mo and Sister Ai Li's faces instantly turned ghastly pale!

Bloodclaw's "Mad Dog" has brought men here! And that's not all—who is the "man in black" Old Karl mentioned? They raided the Gear Graveyard? Could they be the owners of those earlier cart tracks? Are they also heading this way?

Wolves ahead, tigers behind! Hope Outpost had instantly fallen into a desperate situation of being caught between two forces!

Sister Ai Li's crossbow snapped up at once, its cold arrowhead pointing at the panic-stricken Old Karl: "You led them here?"

Old Karl was scared out of his wits and dropped to his knees with a thud: "It wasn't me! It really wasn't me! It was 'Lame Wolf'! He's had his eye on you lot for a long time! Those men in black came from the east! They… they're looking for something! Looking for clean water and… and land that can grow things!" His gaze unconsciously flicked toward the small potato field beside the shack, which gave off a faint green hue.

Lin Mo's heart sank to the bottom. The worst-case scenario had happened! The secret of the clean water and the farmland was completely exposed! And it had drawn the covetous attention of more than one party!

"How long… before they get here?" Lin Mo's voice was parched.

"I-I don't know! But 'Mad Dog's' bunch are vicious and quick! The ones in black… might be close too!" Old Karl babbled incoherently.

Despair, like a cold tide, instantly drowned the industrial hope that had just been kindled. Lin Mo looked at the crude defensive works around him, the hunting rifle with only a few rounds left, the utterly exhausted Sister Ai Li, and Xiang Lingna, whose little face had gone deathly pale with fright…

Could it be that Hope Outpost would truly face annihilation at the very moment of its founding?

"Sister Ai Li…" Lin Mo looked at the only one he could rely on beside him.

But Sister Ai Li's gaze was chillingly cold and… mad! She stared fixedly toward the Vulture Cliff in the west, the hand gripping her crossbow white at the knuckles from the force, and a killing intent as tangible as substance, laced with towering hatred, spread out around her.

"Mad Dog…" she all but spat the name through clenched teeth, her voice as if rising from the deepest hell, "He… must die!"