Chapter 228

The doctor’s icy words licked at Ellie’s nerves like a serpent’s tongue. Use her as bait to lure Xiang Lingna, the possible survivor, into the open? The thought filled her with furious rage… and a sliver of fear. She would not let the doctor succeed!

But now, her limbs were bound, her power suppressed—she was fish on a chopping block, utterly powerless to resist. She could only watch helplessly as two technicians stepped forward, expressionless, gripping her left and right, their strength pinning her immobile; the energy restraint cuffs’ suppression field prevented even suicide.

The doctor no longer looked at her; his attention returned to the flashing red dot on the virtual screen, his fingers swiftly swiping to pull up more data.

“The ‘Ark Heart’ network… an ancient security protocol, harder to crack than the main system. The disturbance signal originated from… Seventh Outpost?” A glint of calculation flashed in his eyes. “Records indicate that outpost is near the ancient ecological garden ruins—unstable energy environment, multiple structural damages… ideal as a hunting ground.”

He seemed to be muttering to himself—or issuing an order: “Deploy a ‘Scavenger’ hunting squad. Equip them with the latest-model trackers and energy suppressors. Do not launch direct assault. Seal all possible exits. Set traps. Apply pressure. Let our ‘little fish’ grow uneasy, curious… then drive her toward the direction we want.”

“What about this one?” A technician pointed at Ellie.

“Take her to Observation Room 7. Connect her to physiological monitoring and neural-emotional readout devices. Her emotional fluctuations—fear, worry, despair… these negative emotions are the best bait for energy-sensitive little things.” The doctor’s tone was calm, as if arranging a routine experiment.

Ellie’s heart sank. She wasn’t just to be bait—her emotions were to be exploited too!

She was roughly dragged off the observation platform and shoved into a narrow room with walls of pale alloy, littered with sensor interfaces. Cold patches were pressed against her forehead and chest; faint currents pierced her skin, beginning real-time monitoring of her physiological data and brainwave activity. A crushing sense of violation, total lack of privacy, surged through her.

She was forced to sit on a chair in the center of the room, facing a massive one-way observation mirror. She knew—the doctor was likely behind it, watching her every twitch like a caged beast.

Despair? Fear? Yes, she felt them. But she bit her lip hard, forcing herself to calm, burying every emotion deep beneath the ice of her heart. She would not let her feelings become a weapon against Lingna! She had to find a way… find a way to do something…

Meanwhile, inside the Seventh Outpost.

Lingna knew nothing of Ellie’s plight or the doctor’s scheme, yet an inexplicable unease and heartache clung to her, as if something terrible was unfolding. The anomalous energy fluctuations detected by the sentinel and that ancient distress signal pulled at her attention like magnets.

What lay within that high-risk Maintenance Corridor No. 3? Merely echoes of history? Or something truly alive, from the past, needing help?

“Sentinel, does the database hold more information on the Seventh Ecological Garden and the ‘Cradle’?” Lingna leaned against the console, struggling to operate with her left hand.

[Searching… Relevant data severely incomplete. Fragments only: Seventh Ecological Garden, one of Ark Core Ecological Preservation Units, responsible for preserving rare flora and fauna samples and the ‘New Home’ species enlightenment function. ‘Cradle’… points to multiple possibilities: an advanced ecological maintenance device, an emergency cryogenic life storage system, or… a genetic information preservation and cultivation center based on World Tree technology.]

Cultivation center? Children? Lingna recalled the distress signal’s mention of “children.”

【Based on analysis of the last received energy signature,】 the sentinel added, 【its frequency shows subtle deviation from known elf energy signatures, closer to… some form of highly dormant or low-energy state… life response.】

Life response?! Though the sentinel added many qualifiers, it struck Lingna like thunder!

Could it be… that during the fall of the Seventh Ecological Garden, some elves—or other lifeforms—were successfully placed into the ‘Cradle,’ and survived ever since in a special state?! And these anomalous energy fluctuations and the distress signal… were signs the Cradle’s energy was nearly depleted or malfunctioning?

This speculation quickened her heartbeat! If true, this wasn’t just history—it was living, breathing life needing urgent rescue!

She looked at the entrance of Corridor No. 3, marked high-risk and partially collapsed, then at her own wounded, unrecovered body and empty right arm.

Go… or not?

Go—and the path ahead was unknown, perilous; her current state was nearly suicide. Don’t go—and those possible survivors might perish silently, forever…

Her gaze fell to the side of the medical bay, where several old uniforms and basic tools lay, along with one small bottle of the energy supplement the sentinel had barely synthesized—barely better than nothing.

Her inner struggle lasted only moments. She remembered Brother Lin Mo’s choices, remembered Sister Ellie’s icy exterior hiding fierce loyalty to her comrades, remembered Big Sister Gelong’s bold, charging back…

She struggled to her feet, downed the energy supplement in one gulp—a faint warmth temporarily dispelling some chill and weakness. She tore the old uniform into strips, binding and stabilizing her fractured right shoulder as best she could; searing pain brought sweat to her brow, yet her eyes grew harder.

She picked up a sturdy metal pipe as a cane and probe, then clipped the last remaining small multi-tool knife to her belt.

“Sentinel, I’m going into Corridor No. 3.” Her voice remained weak, but carried unshakable resolve.

【Warning: Risk coefficient extremely high. Your physical condition is critical. Corridor environment is unknown and hazardous. Recommend prioritizing recovery.】 the sentinel coldly warned.

“There’s no time. If survivors are there, they may not wait for me to recover.” Lingna shook her head. “Help me plan the safest possible route. Monitor structural stability and energy fluctuations in real time. Alert me immediately to any anomalies.”

【…Command confirmed. Route planning… Activating last reserve power of outpost. Strengthening sensors and support structures at Corridor No. 3 entrance (temporary). Establishing low-power communication relay… Good luck, Visitor.】

The heavy airtight door slid open slowly, revealing the dark corridor beyond, thick with the stench of decay and dust. A bone-chilling wind rushed out, carrying an indescribable, ancient rot—as if from the depths of time.

Lingna drew a deep breath of the frigid air, gripped the metal pipe tightly, and stepped resolutely into the darkness.

Every step was agonizing. The corridor was choked with debris, the ground uneven and slanted. Only sparse sensor data from the sentinel provided faint illumination and guidance; visibility was near zero. The cold air burned her lungs; her right shoulder tore with every movement.

But she did not turn back.

She did not know how long she walked—perhaps only meters, perhaps a century. The corridor began sloping downward, damage worsening, forcing her to crawl over collapsed metal structures.

Suddenly, the sentinel’s warning rang in her ears:

【Detected structural stress anomaly fifty meters ahead! Likely caused by recent explosive impact—support points compromised! Simultaneously detected multiple weak energy signals rapidly approaching! Signature… matches database… Scavenger units!】

The doctor’s hunting squad?! They found this place already?! And from ahead?! Did they discover another entrance at the far end of Corridor No. 3?!

Unknown danger ahead, hunters behind!

Lingna’s heart leapt to her throat!

And worse—toward the direction of the Scavenger energy signals—she thought she heard… faintly, as if an illusion… the whisper of a child’s sob?

Trap… or true distress?