Chapter 229: The Echo of Crying and the Steel Hound

The cold metal pipe pressed into her palm, bringing a faint, negligible sense of solidity. Xiang Lingna leaned against the cold, rough wall of the corridor, gasping for breath. Every inhale tugged at the searing pain of her shattered right shoulder, and the frigid air stabbed her lungs raw. Fifty meters ahead lay the structural stress anomaly, and the Sentinel's cold warning still echoed in her ears. But clearer than the warning were the faint energy signatures of the approaching Scavenger units—like the footsteps of death drawing near.

What unsettled her even more was a crying sound, so faint it was nearly drowned out by the footsteps. A little girl's sobbing, thick with fear and helplessness, broken and intermittent, as if coming from somewhere impossibly far away, yet also just around the next corner.

A trap? One of the Doctor's usual ploys, exploiting human weakness? Sister Ai Li had fallen into his hands; he could very well use voiceprint synthesis to create such bait.

But that crying… why did it sound so real, so wretched, striking a raw ache in her heart? What if? What if it wasn't a trap, but the final cry for help from some survivor trapped deep in the ruins, from a distant past? Just like her back then, waiting beneath the rubble for a rescue that would never come.

"Sentinel, can you analyze the sound source? Is it a real biological signal or a synthetic simulation?" Xiang Lingna lowered her voice, barely more than a breath, while warily watching both ends of the corridor. The darkness was like thick ink; only the faint glow from the Sentinel's scattered sensors sketched the broken outline of the corridor, with twisted metal and collapsed debris everywhere.

【Environmental interference is too severe; the sonic signal is extremely faint and distorted. Precise voiceprint comparison is impossible. However, judging by the energy fluctuation pattern, no energy signature characteristic of a high-precision simulator activating has been detected in the Scavenger unit's area.】 The Sentinel's reply remained objective and cold, yet it left a sliver of possibility.

Not a simulator? Xiang Lingna's heart raced faster. She glanced back the way she came. Retreating meant the relatively safe forward outpost, but also meant leaving a possible life to die. Advancing meant unknown danger and an almost inevitable battle; in her current state, her odds of survival were slim.

In the instant of her hesitation, the crying suddenly spiked, filled with absolute terror, then cut off short, as if something had violently seized the child's throat!

Immediately after, a teeth-grinding screech of metal and a deep, inhuman snarl echoed from the darkness ahead!

Not good!

Xiang Lingna made her decision in an instant. She couldn't gamble! Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance it was a real life, she couldn't turn away!

"Sentinel! Plot the fastest route to the stress anomaly! Ignore safety coefficients, just the fastest!" She gritted her teeth, using the metal pipe to prop herself up, and moved toward a narrower, downward-slanting branch on her front-left, choked with condensation pipes. This was one of the alternate routes the Sentinel had just provided—more dangerous, but theoretically able to slightly bypass the main corridor the Scavengers were using.

【Route confirmed. Warning: severe condensate leakage on this section, the floor is icy, and the side wall has damaged high-temperature steam pipes. Extremely dangerous.】

"No time!" Xiang Lingna half-rolled, half-crawled into that branch. Her foot slipped, and she crashed hard onto the cold, wet floor. Her broken arm slammed against the ground, the pain so intense her vision went black and she nearly fainted. But she bit her lip hard, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth, forcing herself to stay conscious, crawling forward on hands and knees.

The snarls and heavy footsteps seemed to pinpoint her direction, immediately shifting course and pursuing! Extremely fast!

The cold condensate soaked through her thin uniform, the low temperature making her teeth chatter. Beside her, a damaged pipe periodically blasted out scalding white steam, missing her by a hair and leaving searing red welts on her body. She struggled forward in this gap between ice and fire, in a wretched state.

The pursuers behind were getting closer! She could already hear the clacking of their mechanical joints and the faint hum of energy weapons charging!

"Sentinel! How much further!" Xiang Lingna shouted anxiously, dodging another blast of steam.

【Fifteen meters ahead, on the right wall there is a maintenance compartment entrance. You might be able to take temporary shelter there. But the entrance may be blocked.】

Fifteen meters! A distance usually crossed in a breath, now like an impassable chasm!

She crawled forward desperately, finally spotting an unremarkable, rust-covered metal hatch on the right wall. The hatch seemed somewhat warped, hanging ajar, revealing a dark space behind it.

The instant she reached for the hatch, a searing energy beam grazed her scalp and struck the wall behind her, melting a glowing red hole!

They've caught up!

Xiang Lingna summoned her last strength, slammed the warped hatch open, and tumbled into the space behind. Almost at the same instant, at least three energy beams struck the hatch entrance in rapid succession, sending bright sparks flying!

She collapsed in the cold darkness, her heart pounding so hard it felt ready to burst from her chest, her lungs burning. Outside came the heavy pacing of the Scavenger units and the hiss of scanning beams sweeping across the entrance. They hadn't forced their way in yet, seemingly assessing, or waiting for something.

Safe for now…

Xiang Lingna leaned against the cold wall, gasping violently, slowly adjusting to the darkness here. This seemed to be a very small equipment maintenance compartment, piled with discarded parts and tools. The air was stale, but no other dangers had been detected for now.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief and was about to check her injuries when an extremely faint, tearful child's voice, without any warning, rang out clearly and directly inside her mind!

"Save me… it's so dark… so cold… they… they're going to find me…"

Xiang Lingna froze instantly, her hair standing on end! This wasn't heard through the ears—it was direct telepathic communication?! And that voice… was exactly the same as the crying she'd heard earlier!

"Who are you? Where are you?" Xiang Lingna struggled to focus, attempting to respond in her mind. She remembered Priestess Liyana seemed to possess a similar ability, but she herself had never experienced it.

"…Cradle… I'm in the Cradle…" the voice came in broken fragments, filled with fear and confusion, "…green light… it's almost going out… I can feel… on you… a similar light… very faint… but warm…"

The Cradle?! The Cradle of the Seventh Eco-Dome?! Xiang Lingna was shaken to her core. Was this child really a survivor from back then?! Survived in some strange state until now? And able to sense the lingering natural energy from the World Tree sapling on her?

"How many people? Are you okay?" Xiang Lingna pressed urgently.

"…only me left… the others… all fell asleep… and never woke up…" the child's voice carried endless sorrow, "…bad things… are hitting the door… the light is getting weaker… I'm scared…"

Bad things? Did she mean the Scavengers? Or something else?

Just then, the Scavenger units outside suddenly made new noises! A series of mechanical assembly and transformation clicks came through, followed immediately by a sharp, targeted-frequency energy scanning pulse that pierced the compartment's metal wall and swept violently over Xiang Lingna!

"Ugh!" Xiang Lingna felt a violent headache, as if steel needles were being driven into her brain. The child's crying in her mind instantly turned into a terrified scream, then vanished!

【Warning: High-intensity directional psychic interference pulse detected! Highly targeted, suspected use for driving out or flushing specific psychic entities or energy-sensitive units!】 The Sentinel's urgent warning sounded.

The Doctor's objective isn't just capture! He's also probing, even attacking the child who might be in that "Cradle"!

Intense fury replaced fear. The Doctor not only used Sister Ai Li as bait, he wouldn't even spare a child who might have survived for who knows how many years!

After the pulse scan, it was quiet outside for a moment. But Xiang Lingna knew this was only the calm before the storm. The Doctor's hunting squad had confirmed the target's general location; the next step was likely a forced assault.

She had to do something! She absolutely could not just sit and wait for death!

She groped through the darkness, her fingers touching, besides cold metal, a cold, cylindrical object that seemed to have a button on it. By the feel, it seemed like an old-fashioned…

Suddenly, a heavy crash came from outside the compartment! The entire compartment shook! The warped hatch at the entrance bulged violently inward, and a clear Claw Mark appeared on it!

They've begun the forced assault!

Xiang Lingna's heart clenched again. She gripped the cold cylinder tightly, her gaze sweeping quickly over the cramped space, searching for anything she could use.

The second crash followed immediately! The hatch's hinges groaned under the strain, and the cracks widened!

The third!

Boom!

The entire hatch was violently torn open by a tremendous force! A grotesque mechanical head, covered in pale armor, poked in, its crimson electronic eyes instantly locking onto Xiang Lingna curled up in the corner!

Cold killing intent instantly permeated the entire  entire cramped space!