From Robinson Crusoe

"Ivan, your time is running out."

……

Since the signs of aging began to appear on Ivan, his hearing has become increasingly difficult to control. Not only can he hear the noises of the real world, but sometimes he can even hear strange whispers from who-knows-where.

Ivan began to get used to being alone and started to frequently visit the Vatican, the snowy region, and monasteries, attempting to soothe his disordered mind with the chanting of monks.

But this is ultimately just a temporary solution.

The longer time went on, the more Ivan missed his former healthy self, the self who seemed omnipotent after undergoing the transformation program, and the self who could freely eavesdrop on other people's privacy.

The past and present present form a stark contrast.

While the pain was unbearable, the torment of aging was even greater; he could not accept himself becoming like this.

In secret, Ivan made many attempts. He collaborated with American tycoons to conduct horrific human experiments on a private island in the Pacific Ocean, and even tried to regain his life through blood transfusions and organ transplants.

However, even with his best efforts, he could not compare with the Soviet Union's research capabilities at their peak, not to mention that many researchers and secrets could not be bought with money.

An urgent sense of urgency was deeply ingrained in Ivan's mind—

"You don't have much time."

……

Excessive obsession can teach one to let go, but it can also drive one mad; Ivan is clearly the latter.

Desperate for a cure, he began searching for various ways to save himself, and eventually unexpectedly obtained photos of the modified base from Chen Zhou.

Ivan was relieved that he had never revealed his true identity, cleverly concealing his blood-stained hands under his clean white gloves.

Otherwise, he could never have obtained that crucial photograph and, by following the clues, discovered the lost relics of the former Soviet Union.

That is the true path to salvation.

However, the secrets within the modified base were far more complex than Ivan had imagined.

Both the "Confession Room No. 13" on the basement level and the "Aphasia Project" cost him dearly.

In fact, during the process of thoroughly transforming the base, Ivan lost nearly 200 loyal soldiers, used enough munitions to support a small-scale war, and even had his psychological problems exacerbated by the influence of the confessional.

Ivan had not told Chen Zhou any of this.

He uses a trap-like narrative, nine parts truth and one part falsehood, to throw out an enticing offer, simply because he suspects Chen Zhou is a special human being connected to "rust".

And the ability to prolong life, gain a longer lifespan, a healthier body, and endless wealth all depend on the secrets sealed deep within the base—

The secret to traveling to another world.

……

Ivan wished he had found this path ten years earlier.

He didn't have much time left, and his consciousness began to waver intermittently.

Sometimes, when his consciousness is disturbed, Ivan can't even remember what he just did.

He vaguely felt that "another self" had appeared in his body, and he couldn't tell whether the "self" he was now was lucid or insane.

However, he couldn't care less about that anymore; he just wanted to use every means to achieve his goal.

Now, success is just one step away. He has no room for failure; he can only move forward, no matter what.

If the remains of this "rusted sacred body" inside the lead coffin can be brought to the fourth basement level and placed into the energy-supplying device, there is hope of restarting the secrets of the past...

……

Ivan mentally rehearsed the steps he needed to take next. He scratched the back of his head in frustration, feeling as if he had overlooked too many details.

But at this moment, he was no longer driven by reason.

A madman never thinks he's crazy, and Ivan is no exception.

He forgot the meticulous plan he had made before, forgot what the mercenaries were supposed to do, and forgot to find the crucial figure, Chen Zhou.

Only the murmurs in his ears grew clearer, the waves of chanting raging in his mind, destroying his remaining sanity.

……

The gunfire outside the confessional room ceased.

Vladimirovich dealt with the Alexander Legion soldiers who had launched the attack, and he was leading his men at full speed toward the base entrance.

All indications since the operation began suggest that his employer has been withholding a great deal of details from him, making it clearly not a deal worth continuing. In any case, the $1000 million advance payment has already been deposited into his account, and he can still leave before any major casualties occur.

As for that crazy Slavic employer...

Who cares?
Only those who survive have the right to talk about enjoyment; if you continue to delve deeper into the so-called "spirit of contract," you'll end up with nothing.

"Hurry up!"

Vladimirovich's voice rang out repeatedly in the communication channel, and all the soldiers who sensed the danger began to run, dragging their heavy protective suits under the light of their headlamps.

But before they had run far, they heard a loud bang from the direction of the entrance, followed by a slight tremor of the ground and a shower of dust falling from above.

"Damn it!"

Vladimirovich cursed angrily.

By now, even the most dull-witted person should realize that he has fallen into that old man's trap and is trapped underground.

When the convoy arrived at the factory ruins, in addition to the team that went underground, five people were left on the surface to maintain the vehicles and set up a camp, in order to avoid danger after the operation ended.

Now it seems that those five people must have used explosives to blow up the entrance.

Vladimirovich ordered his men to halt the evacuation and then counted the amount of explosives they were carrying, hoping to use this to blast open a tunnel entrance and return to the surface.

However, most of that TNT was intended for forced detonation in case no exit could be found, and they did not bring much with them when they entered the base.

If they wanted to blow up the collapsed concrete blocks in one go, they would have to return to the confessional. The crazed Alexander's Legion was only concerned with unleashing their bullets and still had a lot of grenades and explosives left. Only by getting this replenishment would their escape plan be feasible.

Besides that, another way is to find Ivan.

This old man was clearly more familiar with the base's structure than they were. The fact that he dared to blow up the entrance so decisively meant that he must know other paths to the outside world. If they could catch him, they could also leave this place.

……

After a moment's thought, recalling the Alexander's Legion members who had suddenly gone mad near the confessional, Vladimirovich chose the second option.

The basement level isn't very large, and the ground is covered in a layer of dust, leaving footprints wherever you walk.

To find Ivan, simply return to the perimeter of the confessional and look for the footprints of Ivan and his group. This will allow you to capture Ivan and solve the problem.

……

Vladimirovich clearly hadn't anticipated the extent of Ivan's madness. Had he witnessed Ivan's appearance firsthand inside the lead coffin tunnel, he would never have chosen this dangerous option. Of the four forces that had entered the base, Alexander's Legion was nearly annihilated, and no one knew if any crazed warriors still roamed around the confessional.

Vladimirovich had fled far away and was on his way back to find Ivan.

Only Chen Zhou and Ivan were the closest.

He watched as Ivan and his confidants removed the half-sculpture, which appeared to be an alien corpse, from the lead coffin, carried the remains out of the tunnel, and left along the other side of the confessional.

Ever since the lid of the lead coffin was removed and the remains were taken out, Ivan and his confidants have become increasingly mentally unstable.

Following behind them, Chen Zhou even felt that Ivan's confidants had become walking corpses. Their pace was completely synchronized, and their breathing was as steady as a machine, which was obviously not the behavior of a normal person.

Chen Zhou had several opportunities to kill Ivan directly, but he did not fire.

He desperately wanted to know what connection this base had with the Time and Space Administration, and he was willing to take more risks for it.

Moreover, Ivan is too strange now. Even if Ivan turns his back to him and does not resist, he will hesitate for a moment before firing his gun, thinking about whether he has fallen into Ivan's trap.

……

Having obtained the remains, Ivan acted as if he knew the base inside and out.

Following behind him, Chen Zhou was able to see the secrets hidden behind the base's basement level—

Behind seemingly ordinary walls or cabinets often lie hidden doors or passageways. Passing through intricate laboratories and climbing stairs, they slowly make their way to the second basement level and even deeper into the basement.

The further away from the confessional, the fainter the hymns sung from who-knows-where became, yet the warning signs in Chen Zhou's heart did not diminish; on the contrary, they grew stronger.

Based on his intuition, he believed that he had followed Ivan through a passage that ran through the entire base to the third basement level or even deeper.

If Ivan didn't deceive him with a whole bunch of lies, then at least it's certain that the danger level will skyrocket once he enters the third basement level.

Right now, he has stepped into this forbidden zone of life that has remained undisturbed for half a century.

……

Not daring to get too close to Ivan, Chen Zhou deliberately kept a distance from him after the singing of hymns became faint, relying only on his hearing and the footprints on the ground to track him.

The corridor was as dark and oppressive as ever, and the deeper you went, the more grime appeared on the walls.

Later on, even torn mummies and human skeletons appeared.

Metal cages covered with various warning signs stood on both sides of the corridor, where the experiment subjects who had long since died were imprisoned.

Further on, Chen Zhou saw the isolation room that Ivan had mentioned, "which looked like it had been attacked by a brown bear."

In fact, Ivan's statement was somewhat conservative.

If Pleistocene-era behemoths, such as cave bears or saber-toothed tigers, still existed in the world and had been modified by humans, then perhaps this level of destruction would have been possible.

The iron plate, about 5mm thick, was scratched with marks up to 2cm wide. The wall made of small square bricks was completely pushed down, and even the sturdy reinforced concrete wall was covered with dents.

Just walking by and witnessing these traces of destruction left by some unknown entity can instill a genuine sense of dread.

After all, these are not traces of damage left by explosives, but proof of the existence of living organisms.

The thought that Ivan had mentioned that there were still living modified creatures deep within the modification base made even the thrill-seeking Chen Zhou's heart race. He felt excited, but also a long-lost sense of trepidation.

……

Due to the pressure from the depths of the modified base and the unknown dangers lurking in the darkness, Chen Zhou became much more cautious in his forward steps, and his pursuit of Ivan slowed down accordingly.

However, the base was only so big, and Ivan was taking a passage with few forks in the road.

Even though Chen Zhou kept observing the signs of damage on the walls on both sides, he was still not far behind.

With bated breath, after walking for about an hour, Chen Zhou suddenly noticed that the blue light ahead had disappeared without warning around a corner.

"Did Ivan put the bones into the container?"

With this in mind, he kept a distance from the wall marked with claw marks, wary of any sneak attacks from the unknown creature, and cautiously peeked out from the corner of the wall to observe.

……

The base is located underground, and although it has a complete ventilation and drainage system, you can't feel the wind blowing when you walk around it.

After all, this place is surrounded by many walls, and the ground is covered with ice and snow in winter.

The dilapidated ventilation system was completely ineffective without a power supply. It was a miracle that the Soviet workers hadn't cut corners if there was enough oxygen; expecting to breathe the same fresh air as the outside world was simply impossible.

However, when Chen Zhou peeked out, he heard a whistling sound coming from the end of the passage.

He looked down at the edge of the slightly sloping ground and saw that about 50 meters away, the concrete road suddenly sank, causing the reinforced concrete on both sides to cave in and form a huge pit.

Ivan and his confidants, along with the glowing skeleton, disappeared from this place, and the sound of the wind also originated from the deep pit.

"They fell into the pit?"

Looking around, Chen Zhou slowly moved forward, trying to walk to the side of the pit to see how deep it was and where it led.

This may be the longest 50 meters that Chen Zhou has ever walked in his life.

As he slowly made his way to the edge of the pit and looked down, all he saw was endless darkness. There was no light, no debris of any buildings, and certainly no trace of Ivan and his group.

"Damn it, I knew he was crazy. He dared to jump down from a place like this!"

The solidified darkness resembled a sleeping behemoth, inspiring deep fear with just a glance.

Chen Zhou even felt his body uncontrollably wanting to jump down, but fortunately he managed to control himself in time.

He didn't seek thrills because he wanted to die; his instinct was to get away from the pit and stop trying to figure out where Ivan was going or what he was planning.

But before he could take two steps, he saw a dazzling blue light burst forth from the bottom of the pit.

Immediately, the blue crystal embedded in platinum on Chen Zhou's chest emitted a blue light no less bright than the light at the bottom of the pit, and even floated up.

"not good!"

Before Chen Zhou could even form this one thought, the crystal, like metal attracted by a magnet, forcibly dragged him towards the deep pit.

He frantically took off his helmet and tried to remove the crystal necklace.

But it was too late.

His feet, which were firmly planted on the ground, suddenly lost their footing, and he tumbled and fell into the deep pit, which was illuminated by blue light and was as bright as day.

The cold light, however, brought Chen Zhou an intense burning sensation.

He was shattered in an instant, the feeling being exactly the same as when he returned to the modern world after the challenge ended.

The blue crystal on his chest melted into the blue world, and then Chen Zhou's consciousness began to blur. (End of Chapter)