Chapter 22: Gear Graveyard, Old Karl's Legacy, and the Black Scorpion's Web

The brief calm of the hollow was filled with the low roars of the beast tide and scattered distant explosions. The remains of the water purifier were like a massive wound, reminding Lin Mo of their dire straits. The seedling's purification was a drop in the bucket; Xiang Lingna's small bowl could only purify a little at a time, barely sustaining the three's minimum drinking needs, utterly unable to support a fire wall or large consumption.

"The workshop... must rebuild the water purifier." Lin Mo's voice carried a desperate, no-retreat resolve. He walked toward that crude metal frame, his gaze sweeping over scattered parts, fragments of plastic pipe, and that bag of nearly depleted activated charcoal. Materials were severely lacking!

Sister Ai Li finished bandaging the burn on her right hand from throwing the claymore mine, her eyes coldly sweeping the western ridge and eastern ruins; the crippled wolf had temporarily gone quiet. "Materials... Gear Graveyard." She spat out the name. Old Karl's old haunt, and the place Iron Anvil mentioned being looted by the "Black Scorpions." The risk was enormous, but it might be the only place to find the needed parts.

"I'll go!" Lin Mo did not hesitate. Sister Ai Li was seriously wounded, Xiang Lingna needed to guard the seedlings—he was the only candidate.

"Be careful... Black Scorpion's... traps." Sister Ai Li did not stop him, only handed him the repaired short crossbow. "Take it. To survive."

Lin Mo took the ice-cold short crossbow, feeling the lingering warmth and blood scent of Sister Ai Li's palm on it, and nodded heavily. He carefully stowed the few remaining crossbow bolts, tucked the rusty blade at his waist, took one last look at Xiang Lingna and that potato field stubbornly resisting the beast tide's aftershocks, then resolutely turned, slipped through the reinforced thorn wall, and dove into the ruins' shadows like a lone wolf.

The Gear Graveyard was more dilapidated and... deathly silent than the "Broken Spine" ruins. This had once been an old-era mechanical repair station; the collapsed factory buildings were like giant beast skeletons, with rusted gears, broken bearings, and twisted metal plates scattered across the ground. The air reeked of heavy machine oil, rust, and... a faint whiff of blood.

Lin Mo was extremely alert, each step cautious, using the wreckage for cover as he advanced. Sister Ai Li's warning echoed in his ears: Black Scorpions, as treacherous as vipers.

Soon, he found Old Karl's "home"—a crude, half-underground bunker welded together from giant discarded gears and thick steel plates. The bunker's door... had been pried open by force! The door panel still bore bullet holes and blade-chop marks.

Lin Mo's heart sank. He lay prone, carefully scanning his surroundings, and only after confirming no ambush did he cautiously approach. The bunker's interior was a mess; Old Karl's prized "merchandise" had been looted clean, shelves toppled, parts scattered everywhere. Several puddles of long-dried, blackened blood stained the floor, a shocking sight.

"Old Karl..." Lin Mo sighed inwardly. That cunning old man who had once brought them supplies was likely doomed.

He forced down his discomfort and began rummaging through the ruins. The goal was clear: plastic pipes, activated charcoal, sealing materials, water pump parts... anything usable for building a water purifier.

After searching for a long while, his gains were meager. Just as he was nearly in despair, his foot kicked a heavy metal box half-buried under debris. The box was locked, but the lock had been broken by force. Lin Mo pried open the lid.

Inside were no valuable goods, only some old-era tools: a still-intact pipe wrench, several rolls of different-sized sealing PTFE tape, a small box of various-sized washers... and several books carefully wrapped in oilcloth!

Lin Mo's heart stirred; he picked up the topmost one and blew off the dust. The cover bore faded text: "Old World Basic Water Treatment Technology Manual"! The one below was "Illustrated Simple Mechanical Repair"!

Treasure! Absolute treasure! Lin Mo was so excited his hands were shaking! He quickly flipped open the water treatment manual, which detailed various purification principles, filter material choices, and device-making diagrams! Though the era was distant, the basic principles remained unchanged! This was exactly the knowledge he desperately needed!

He read voraciously, and soon found diagrams for building a simple water purification filter tower using gravel, activated charcoal, and multi-layer filter cloth! The material requirements weren't high—the Gear Graveyard might have them!

Just as Lin Mo was immersed in the ecstasy of gaining knowledge, an extremely faint, familiar cloying scent once again crept into his nostrils!

Sweet Dream! Black Scorpion poison gas!

Lin Mo's scalp instantly exploded! He sharply held his breath, grabbed the manual and toolbox, and like a startled rabbit, lunged toward a relatively sealed metal compartment in the bunker's corner! Almost simultaneously, wisps of pale yellow poison smoke seeped in like ghosts from the bunker entrance and ventilation shaft cracks!

The Black Scorpions had indeed set a trap here! Lying in wait!

Lin Mo curled up in the compartment, using a rag he had found to desperately plug the door crack, his heart pounding wildly. The poison smoke spread outside, its cloying scent seeping in everywhere. He couldn't hold out long!

What to do? Charging out was a dead end! Was he to be trapped to death here?

In despair, his gaze fell on that "Illustrated Simple Mechanical Repair." A crazy plan instantly took shape!