Chapter 37: The Illusion of Moonshadow Lake, the Call of Jade, and the Doctor

The “Cleaners” summoned by the viper hung like the Sword of Damocles above their heads. The air at Hope Outpost was as heavy as lead. Wrench had entered an unprecedented “workaholic” state—his narrow eyes bloodshot, a half-charred lizard leg dangling from his mouth, frantically assembling death traps from the remains of the black scorpions and whatever materials he could find in the depression.

He welded fragments of the assault platform’s main armor into massive, barbed “mine plates,” burying beneath them unstable explosives made from energy core residue and gunpowder, then camouflaging them with loose soil. At the entrance to the depression, he erected a “spike barrier” made of thick steel pipes and springs, coated with neurotoxins extracted from mutated plants. He even scaled up the principle of his earlier “Blind the Dog’s Eyes” rounds, crafting several oversized “magnetic pulse stun bombs,” claiming they could make the “Cleaners’” electronics dance.

Ali became a ghost of the wasteland. Using the dim light of dawn and dusk, she wore a makeshift camouflage suit of gray cloth and metal shards, slipping silently into the ruins to the east, searching for possible paths the “Cleaners” might take and scouting the black scorpions’ movements. Her tracking and counter-tracking skills reached their peak—she narrowly evaded multiple black scorpion reconnaissance squads without being detected. The intelligence she brought back was chilling: the road eastward toward the black scorpions’ main activity zone had been thoroughly cleared—clearly to pave the way for the “Cleaners.”

Lingna devoted all her energy to the few patches of “Starlight Moss” and the core potato seedlings. The interdimensional purified water was exhausted; she could only carefully irrigate them with filtered wastewater from the depression. The pale golden leaves of the “Starlight Moss” grew slowly, emitting a faint but constant natural aura that purified a small patch of surrounding soil. The core potato seedlings displayed fierce vitality, sprouting new branches and leaves even from the scorched earth, with tiny, unripe potatoes the size of fingernails forming at their tips. The energy reserves of the domain core [Seed of Life], sustained by the fragile agricultural cycle and feedback from the “Starlight Moss,” slowly recovered to 15%.

Lin Mo’s injuries healed rapidly, thanks largely to the nourishment of the [Seed of Life], though a grotesque burn scar remained on his chest. Each day, besides helping Wrench set up defenses, he maintained contact with Liyana through the stable thorn pathway, discussing strategies.

Liyana’s condition fluctuated. Though the faint but continuous life-energy feedback from Lin Mo’s domain, combined with the stabilized spatial channel, allowed her silver purified soil to barely hold its form—and even revived a trace of vitality in the few silver moss patches—the withered marks continued to spread slowly. Purple stains on her silver hair had crept upward again, and the vine-like patterns on her wrists had darkened slightly. Every resistance against the mist’s corruption and every purification of water left her more exhausted.

“The Moonshadow Lake… lies northwest of the forest… guarded by the ‘Corrupted Treemen’ legion… the Jade Forest… lies southeast… it is the domain of the ‘Spore Mother Nest’…” Liyana transmitted the information, her thoughts heavy with helplessness. “Without the power of a Moon Priestess… I cannot cross… those regions…”

Lin Mo stared at the images Liyana sent—of the Moonlight Crystal and several natural holy relics—and frowned. All these items lay deep within the dead zones; with Liyana’s current state, retrieving them was impossible.

“Perhaps… I could go help you?” Lin Mo proposed again. Had the channel’s stability improved enough to allow material transmission?

“The risk… remains immense…” Liyana’s thought carried worry. “Your body… cannot withstand spatial tearing… and the channel… can only be maintained… for an extremely short time…”

Just as both were at a loss, Lingna made an unexpected discovery while tending to the “Starlight Moss.” One of the healthiest specimens, under the first ray of morning light, flickered faintly—its pale golden veins glowing briefly, projecting onto its leaf surface an extremely blurred, distorted image: the outline of a dead, silent lake encircled by black, dead trees! At the lake’s center, a faint silver glow seemed to sink into its depths!

“Moonshadow Lake!” Lin Mo instantly recognized the image Liyana had sent—it was the Moonshadow Lake Liyana described! Could the “Starlight Moss” sense and project landmarks from the elf world?!

Shortly after, another “Starlight Moss” flickered at noon, projecting an image of a forest region shrouded in thick purple mist, yet faintly shimmering with scattered emerald-green lights—the Jade Forest!

“They’re… guiding us?” Lingna asked timidly.

Lin Mo’s mind reeled! These plants from the elf world not only survived the wasteland—they retained faint sensitivity to their homeland, even acting as interdimensional compasses!

“Liyana! Lingna’s ‘Starlight Moss’ can sense the locations of the Moonshadow Lake and the Jade Forest! Perhaps… I can use their projected images as spatial coordinates for an ultra-short-range precise teleportation—directly to the target’s vicinity!” Lin Mo transmitted his idea through thought.

“Precise… interdimensional teleportation?!” Liyana’s thought surged with shock, then ignited with hope. “If… it works… perhaps… it’s possible! But the time… must be extremely short! The force of spatial tearing… and the corruption of the withering mist… you’ll need the strongest possible protection!”

The plan showed its first glimmer of hope—but the risk remained terrifyingly high. Lin Mo needed a way to briefly resist spatial tearing and withering corruption. And he had to act fast—the black scorpions’ “Cleaners” could arrive at any moment!

At that moment, Ali returned with the latest—and worst—intelligence:

“East… fifty li away… the ‘Cleaners’… are coming.”

She described a terrifying construct resembling a moving mountain of steel: ten meters tall, nearly twenty meters wide, its treads like city walls, entirely sheathed in thick armor glowing with energy. At its top sat triple-mounted heavy plasma turrets; on its sides, multiple rocket pods and automated defense gun arrays. Most devastating of all, it was surrounded by a pale blue energy shield!

“It’s… slow… but… unstoppable,” Ali said, her voice heavier than ever before.

The black scorpions’ ultimate weapon had finally bared its fangs. The countdown to Hope Outpost’s destruction had begun!

Lin Mo gazed at the faint dust rising on the eastern horizon, then at the faintly glowing “Starlight Moss” in Lingna’s hands, and finally toward the direction of the elf world. Surrounded on all sides, time running out!

“Wrench! Activate all traps! Prepare for the ‘Cleaners’!”

“Ali! Come with me! We need… to forge the final ‘armor’ for the interdimensional operation!”

The wasteland lord’s gaze turned toward the deep depression, toward the still-smoldering fissure of the geothermal vein. Though the wild geothermal energy had been drained, perhaps traces of the extreme heat—and something more—still lingered there, capable of forging a miracle.