Chapter 240: The Night Owl

Darkness. Thick, suffocating darkness reeking of rust and dust. The emergency passage was narrower and more twisted than imagined; often, Lingna had to crawl on hands and knees, the cold metal walls scraping her skin, the freshly bandaged wound on her left arm throbbing anew.

Behind her, the heavy, rhythmic thudding echoed like a parasite clinging to bone, faintly penetrating the thick walls, reminding her of the pursuers’ approach and the dwindling time. Each impact struck her like a hammer on her nerves.

Ahead, the Raven moved silently and swiftly, carrying Ali without any apparent loss of agility. He knew the labyrinthine underground network with astonishing familiarity, always choosing paths at junctions without hesitation.

“Where… are we going?” Lingna gasped, her voice barely audible in the narrow passage.

“Gamma-7 node. That’s our only chance.” The Raven’s voice came from the darkness ahead, hushed. “We must reach it before the Doctor’s main force completes the encirclement.”

“How’s Sister Ali?”

“Vitals are stable, but no signs of regained consciousness. The Doctor’s forced directives and chip overload have severely stressed her brain.” A trace of barely perceptible concern colored the Raven’s voice.

Lingna’s heart sank. She clenched her fists and pushed harder to keep pace with the Raven.

The passage sloped downward, the air growing damp and stifling. Far ahead, a deep, rumbling mechanical roar echoed—like some colossal beast working deep beneath the earth.

“We’re nearing the energy zone,” the Raven explained. “Gamma-7 node was an old secondary power distribution and monitoring point, later integrated into the main system but retaining some independent physical lines. I hope Elder Elana’s backdoor is still functional.”

After several more turns, a faint, flickering red light appeared ahead.

The Raven stopped, signaled for silence, cautiously peered forward, then waved them on.

Lingna crept closer and saw they stood at the edge beneath a vast metal platform crammed with thick energy pipes and valves. High above, complex steel frameworks supported the platform; the flickering red lights came from fault indicators mounted on the pipes. The thunderous mechanical roar originated here, making the metal grating beneath their feet tremble slightly.

On the opposite wall, far across the platform, an unassuming, grease-caked ancient control panel was embedded. Above it, nearly buried under dust, was a metal emblem carved with an owl’s head—the Night Owl’s Eye.

“There!” the Raven whispered, pointing to the panel. “We need to get over and activate it. But there might be patrol automata up there.”

Lingna looked up. Between the crisscrossing steel beams, she glimpsed several pale-lit automata, like giant metallic spiders, slowly moving. Their scanning beams periodically swept across the platform.

Charging directly would be suicide.

“Follow me. Below.” The Raven clearly had a plan. He led Lingna along a narrow maintenance corridor beneath the platform, using pipes and valves as cover, inching closer to the underside of the target panel.

The journey was heart-stopping. Several times, scanning beams nearly grazed their heads. Lingna’s heart pounded; her palms were slick with sweat.

Finally, they reached the shadow directly beneath the control panel—unscathed.

“I’ll go up and activate the node. You stay here and keep watch.” The Raven gently leaned the unconscious Ali against the wall.

Lingna nodded nervously, gripping the only decent weapon they’d taken from the outpost—a worn, nearly depleted elf-style pistol. Its power might not even pierce an automaton’s armor, but it offered her at least a sliver of psychological comfort.

The Raven moved like a nimble monkey, silently climbing the cold pipes and supports toward the upper platform.

Lingna held her breath, eyes fixed on the movements above and around her, ears straining for any unusual sound.

Seconds ticked by. The Raven had reached the panel, carefully wiping away grease and dust, then began attempting to operate it.

The automata above showed no sign of detection, continuing their fixed patrol routes.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Then, just as the Raven was about to complete the operation—

Beep—!!!

A piercing, shrill alarm erupted throughout the energy zone—not from above, but from the direction they’d come! Rotating red warning lights flared in every corner!

“WARNING! Unauthorized access to energy node detected! Security protocol activated! All units proceed to Gamma-7 immediately!”

The Doctor had discovered them! He’d triggered the regional security protocol!

“Damn it!” The Raven cursed above, accelerating his movements.

The automata above instantly activated. Their scanning beams turned frantic and aggressive, all locking onto the Raven’s position! At least three automata scurried rapidly along the steel beams, their shoulder weapons beginning to charge!

“Raven! Watch out!” Lingna cried out.

“Don’t worry about me! Get ready! Once the command is sent, we’ll have only seconds!” The Raven shouted without turning, fingers flying over the panel, ignoring the approaching automata!

Shhh! Shhh!

Searing energy beams struck the metal framework around the Raven, spraying brilliant sparks! One automaton had closed to within striking distance and swung its massive metal claw toward him!

The Raven rolled sideways in a desperate twist, narrowly evading the claw, then slammed his palm onto the final button on the panel!

“In the name of Dawn!” he roared.

The owl emblem on the panel blazed with a soft white light; all indicator lights on the panel flashed wildly!

【Backup command confirmed… Attempting connection to secondary main energy core system… Connecting…】

Success!

But at the same moment, the automaton’s claw swung again—this time, the Raven had no escape.

In that split second—

Lingna found courage she didn’t know she had. She raised her old pistol and fired at the automaton’s massive optical sensor!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The energy bolts struck the thick sensor armor, producing only insignificant sparks—no scratch even remained.

But the sudden attack succeeded in drawing the automaton’s attention. Its cold sensor snapped toward Lingna below.

“Foolish! Get down!” The Raven shouted above, furious and alarmed.

But it was too late. The automaton’s weapon instantly locked onto Lingna.

Lingna stared at the muzzle Ningjuzhesiwangnengliang , her mind going blank.

But the expected attack never came.

The deafening mechanical roar of the entire energy zone, along with the shrill alarm, suddenly—abruptly—paused.

As if the entire world had been muted.

All massive machines, all flickering lights, all moving automata—their motions froze for an instant, unmistakably clear. The surging energy within the pipes seemed to stutter.

The Raven seized this fleeting pause, caused by the secondary core system’s reboot. He leapt from the platform, firing rapid pulses from his pulse pistol at the joints and sensors of two automata above.

Pah! Pah!

Sparks erupted from the automata’s critical components; their movements grew even stiffer, slower.

The Raven landed hard beside Lingna, grabbed her arm, and ran. “Go! The effect lasts only seconds!”

With his other hand, he once again lifted Ali, sprinting toward another dark maintenance hatch beneath the platform.

Behind them, the halted machines and automata resumed operation. The alarm blared again, louder than before. Energy beams rained down on the metal floor behind them!

The three barely slipped into the maintenance passage as the heavy blast door slammed shut behind them, temporarily sealing out the pursuers and attacks.

Thud!

Outside, the automata pounded furiously against the gate.

Inside the passage, darkness. Only the three of them, gasping for breath.

“D-Did we… succeed?” Lingna asked, heart still racing.

“The command was sent… the secondary core should’ve been briefly rebooted…” The Raven slumped against the cold wall, voice weary and shaken. “The Doctor must be furious now… many of his experiments and control systems will suffer interference… This buys us precious time…”

He paused, looking at Lingna, his gaze complex. “Just now… it was dangerous. And… brave.”

Lingna lowered her head, slightly embarrassed. She hadn’t thought much at all.

“What now?”

The Raven’s gaze drifted into the endless darkness ahead of the passage, where faint air currents stirred.

“The disturbance in the energy core will ripple through the entire Ark—including forgotten ancient zones… Perhaps… there’s a path. A way to exploit this chaos, to approach—or even enter—the Doctor’s control zone’s ‘Shadow’ region.”

His tone was uncertain, yet edged with desperate resolve.

“It’s a path… even the Doctor may never have fully mapped. A ‘Heritage Corridor’ leading to the Ark’s oldest, darkest era.”