Chapter 241: Heritage Corridor and the Whispers of the Past

Outside the blast door, the automated mechs’ futile impacts echoed like the roars of trapped beasts—muffled, relentless—each strike making the thick metal door groan under strain, dislodging cascades of dust. But this door, clearly designed for worse scenarios, still held the danger at bay.

The corridor was dead silent, save for the heavy breathing of the three of them reverberating in the narrow space. The brief adrenaline surge had faded, replaced by deeper exhaustion and the hollow numbness of survival.

Lingna slid down against the cold, rough wall, her left arm wound throbbing again from the ordeal—each heartbeat hammered like a mallet against the injury. Her trembling hand brushed the “Tear” shard in her chest, feeling its faint but steady glow, and finally eased a little.

Ya gently laid the unconscious Ellie flat, checked her vitals once more, confirmed stability, then sighed wearily and wiped sweat and grime from his brow. His emerald eyes adjusted to the dark, scanning the unknown maintenance corridor with caution.

The corridor stretched ahead, sinking into deeper darkness. Far off, faint air currents stirred, carrying an indescribable odor—mixing ancient dust, rusted metal, and something… organic decay.

“What you just mentioned… the ‘Heritage Corridor’?” Lingna’s voice was hoarse from thirst and weakness. “What is that place?”

Ya fell silent for several seconds, as if organizing his words—or recalling memories he wished to avoid. “The Ark… wasn’t built overnight. It was continuously expanded and modified upon the ruins of an extremely ancient civilization—one predating even the Elven golden age.” His voice was low, tinged with barely perceptible awe and dread. “The ‘Heritage Corridor’ refers to those deliberately sealed, forgotten remnants of that ancient era. Legends say they still hold the pioneers’ original technologies… and things beyond comprehension. Even the Doctor seems wary of those zones—his control network doesn’t fully cover them.”

Pioneer civilization? Older than the Elven age? Lingna felt a strange shock. The Ark’s history was far heavier, far more mysterious than she’d imagined.

“Is it a way out?” Lingna’s hope flickered.

“More likely a path of peril,” Ya doused it coldly, his tone grim. “Those zones are long-neglected, structurally unstable, environmentally hostile—and no one knows what still lurks inside. Elder Elana’s records mention certain ‘heritages’ retain minimal… vitality, even aggression. We’re choosing the lesser of two evils.”

The impacts outside suddenly grew fiercer, joined by the shrill screech of a high-temperature cutter biting into metal! The center of the door began glowing red, warping!

“They’ve found a way through!” Ya’s face darkened. He snatched Ellie onto his back. “No time to hesitate! Follow me!”

He turned without hesitation and sprinted into the unknown darkness ahead.

Lingna gritted her teeth, suppressed every ache and discomfort, and followed close behind.

The maintenance corridor was longer than expected, sloping downward. The ground beneath their feet shifted from metal grating to rough, uneven rock—as if leaving the Ark’s artificial structure and entering its natural geological strata. The air grew damper, colder; the strange decay odor intensified.

After walking an indeterminate time, a strange glow appeared ahead in the darkness—not artificial light, but a faint, eerie blue bioluminescence, flickering like will-o’-the-wisps. The light came from a thick, moss-like growth covering the rock walls.

These mosses emitted a cold blue radiance, illuminating the scene ahead—the corridor ended here, replaced by the edge of a vast, violently torn underground chasm. A narrow bridge, ancient beyond measure, constructed of dark metal and crystal, spanned the bottomless abyss, leading to a black, gaping entrance on the far side.

The bridge was rusted, warped in places, sections missing entirely. Below lay endless darkness, with cold winds howling upward.

The thick decay odor emanated from the chasm below and the dark entrance beyond.

“This is it. Cross this bridge—the entrance to the Heritage Corridor lies beyond.” Ya’s expression was grave. He studied the bridge, trembling with decay. “Follow my steps exactly. Don’t miss your footing.”

He stepped onto the bridge first. Ancient metal groaned and shuddered, as if ready to collapse at any moment.

Lingna’s heart rose to her throat. She drew a deep breath and followed cautiously, stepping only where Ya had stepped. The bridge surface was slick; cold winds from the gaps nearly pulled her down. She dared not look down—only fixed her gaze on Ya’s back and the path ahead.

Just as they struggled to the bridge’s midpoint—

Crack!

A section of metal beneath Ya’s foot shattered! He plunged downward abruptly!

“Ah!” Lingna cried out in horror.

At the last instant, Ya surged upward, gripping a twisted railing with one hand, clutching Ellie tightly with the other, hanging suspended in midair. Shattered metal fragments tumbled into the abyss—no echo returned.

“Ya!” Lingna’s soul nearly fled. She wanted to rush forward, but feared adding weight to the bridge.

“Don’t come closer! The bridge won’t hold!” Ya growled, his arm trembling violently as he strained to pull himself up.

At that moment, deep within the black entrance opposite, two enormous, crimson “lanterns” flared to life! They flashed once—then an indescribable terror, blending physical and psychic pressure, surged outward like a tidal wave!

From below the chasm came a horrifying, dense rustling—as if countless things were climbing up the rock walls!

Some terrible entity slumbering within the “Heritage” had been awakened by their intrusion!

“Hurry! Get across!” Ya seized the moment the bridge still trembled from the impact, thrusting himself and Ellie toward the far end with all his strength, landing hard and rolling several times.

Simultaneously, Lingna unleashed every ounce of her strength, sprinting across the final, crumbling stretch of bridge, and flung herself onto the far shore!

The instant she landed and turned back, she saw a sight she would never forget—

Countless fist-sized beetles, their carapaces covered in the same eerie blue moss, armed with grotesque mouthparts, surged onto the bridge like a tide, instantly burying the ancient structure! They devoured every scrap of metal and foreign matter in frenzy!

And deep within the opposite entrance, the two crimson “lanterns” drew nearer, accompanied by footsteps heavy enough to shake the ground—and a rasping, wheezing breath, like a broken bellows, thick with endless hunger.

The bridge, eaten by the insect tide and crushed by the terror’s pressure, let out its final cry—and began collapsing as a whole.

“Go!” Ya grabbed Lingna’s hand and bolted into the darkness behind them—the Heritage Corridor.

Behind them came the thunderous crash of the bridge’s final collapse, the shrieking rustle of the insect tide, and the deafening, furious roar of the terrible entity.

The sounds quickly faded behind them—but the soul-deep fear lingered.

They sprinted down a more ancient corridor, its walls etched with geometric patterns in Pioneer style, until all sound from behind vanished. Only then did they stop, slumping against the wall, gasping.

“W-what was that just now?” Lingna trembled, voice shaking.

“...‘Heritage’ ‘cleaners’… and worse.” Ya’s face was pale, fear still in his eyes. “The ‘vitality’ here is higher than the records indicated. We must be even more careful.”

Lingna finally had a chance to observe their surroundings. The walls were neither metal nor stone, but felt warm and smooth, like polished metal, covered in incomprehensible geometric patterns of mathematical beauty. Some patterns held embedded crystal conduits, long dark. The air still carried the strange decay odor, though fainter now.

The corridor stretched ahead. Occasionally, strange, tightly sealed hatches appeared on either side—no handles or locks visible, only intricate glowing patterns, most now dimmed.

The silence here was terrifying. Only their breathing and footsteps echoed in the vast corridor, producing faint reverberations that only deepened the strangeness.

“Which way now?” Lingna asked uneasily.

Ya pulled out an ancient handheld scanner he’d taken from the outpost—likely Elder Elana’s relic. The screen was filled with static and interference, barely showing a vague directional indicator.

“The scanner’s heavily disrupted, but the general direction remains. We must head toward the Ark’s ‘heart’—the main energy core. Only near it can we find a gap into the Doctor’s control zone.” Ya adjusted the scanner. “Follow me. Don’t touch anything.”

The two rose again. Ya carried Ellie; Lingna followed close behind, stepping cautiously along the silent, ancient corridor into its depths.

The corridor seemed endless. The scenery repeated monotonously—walls etched with unknown patterns, sealed hatches. Time here grew blurred.

After walking an indeterminate time, Lingna suddenly sensed something odd.

She seemed… to hear a faint, intermittent… sound of music?

The sound was extremely faint, as if from a distant place—or echoing directly within her mind. The melody was strange and ethereal, played on instruments she’d never heard, slow in rhythm, carrying an indescribable sorrow… and longing?

“Ya… do you hear that?” Lingna whispered.

Ya stopped, listening intently, frowning. “Hear what? Besides our own breath, there’s only silence here.”

He couldn’t hear it?

Lingna was certain it wasn’t an illusion. The music was faint, but real. And as they moved forward, it grew slightly clearer.

Worse, her thorn-mark on the left arm and the silver-gray scar on her right leg seemed to resonate faintly with the music, sending tiny tingles through her skin.

This music… it affects my marks?

She said nothing, only grew more alert, watching her surroundings and listening to the eerie melody.

Around the next bend, the corridor split. One path continued straight; the other led to a half-open door, revealing a much wider chamber. The strange music seemed to emanate from within.

The scanner’s direction pointed straight ahead.

Ya chose to go straight without hesitation.

But Lingna stopped involuntarily, staring at the chamber. The music seemed to hold magic—calling, drawing her. A powerful, inexplicable urge pushed her to enter.

“What’s wrong?” Ya noticed she hadn’t followed and turned back.

“There’s… something in there…” Lingna pointed, voice dazed.

Ya glanced warily at the half-open, strangely shaped doorway—pitch black inside, indistinct. “The Heritage Zone is full of unknown risks. Don’t stray. Keep moving.”

Reason told Lingna Ya was right—but the pull grew stronger. Even the “Tear” shard in her chest warmed slightly.

As she hesitated, a soft, warm white light suddenly glowed deep within the half-open door.

In the light stood a faint, slender silhouette, dressed in ancient robes, facing away from them, standing still at the chamber’s center. The ethereal, sorrowful music flowed from it.

The silhouette slowly… slowly… turned its head.