After stocking up at the maximum level, all the handsome men in the apocalypse are looking for suppo

Chapter 227 Encirclement and reinforcements
Lin Che walked up to Su Wanqing, reached out, and gently hugged her. His movements were a little stiff, but it was clear that he was giving her a tight hug.

He released her hand, looked into her eyes, and said in a low voice, "No matter what happens, remember that the true purpose of the jade bracelet is to seal, not to activate. If I fail to reach the rendezvous point on time, do not wait for me. Do not hesitate, start the sealing process immediately."

He took a miniature storage device from the inside pocket of his work clothes and handed it to Su Wanqing. "This contains the complete sealing procedure. Only you, as the anchor, can execute it."

After speaking, he turned to Lu Zhao, his expression more solemn than ever before: "If everything gets out of control... if I am controlled by 'Night' again... you understand what I mean. Don't hesitate, if necessary, destroy me and the three cores, this is the last line of defense."

Lu Zhao remained silent, then nodded heavily.

Another loud thud echoed from the outer wall. Without another word, the three quickly evacuated through three different secret exits of the safe house, disappearing into the shadows of the city.

Su Wanqing and Lu Zhao walked through the dilapidated streets and buildings. Lu Zhao was responsible for leading the way and avoiding patrols, while Su Wanqing carried the container containing the second core.

According to the plan, Lu Zhao would activate the energy replicator every certain distance.

The brief energy pulse emitted by the device was like a torch in the night. Sure enough, the roars of pursuers and the advance of the mechanical troops quickly caught up and firmly locked onto their direction.

In a narrow alley, they were blocked by a group of extremely fast mutants.

Just as Lu Zhao was about to throw the electromagnetic pulse grenade, the jade bracelet on Su Wanqing's wrist suddenly emitted a dazzling light and resonated strongly with the purple core in the core container in her arms.

The system interface in her mind instantly updated, and a new line of text appeared: [Anchor point permissions enhanced; unlocked trial version of the time intervention function, which can temporarily slow down the flow of time in a local area.]

Looking at the scene before him, Lu Zhao showed a hint of surprise: "This confirms Lin Che's theory. You are indeed the anchor point chosen by the system, and the jade bracelet is adapting to your energy characteristics, gradually unlocking more functions."

Su Wanqing thought for a moment, then, without hesitation, she raised her hand and pointed the jade bracelet at the horde of mutants surging towards her.

As she focused her mind, an invisible wave emanated from the jade bracelet.

Those mutants, which were originally ferocious and swift, suddenly became as still as if in slow motion.

However, the moment she used her ability, a strong feeling of dizziness struck Su Wanqing, and her body inevitably swayed.

A system warning then appeared: [Time intervention consumes anchor point life energy; overuse may cause permanent damage.]

"Let's go!" Lu Zhao supported her, pulled her through the almost still gaps between the mutants, and quickly left the scene.

As he ran, he analyzed, "It seems these advanced functions all have serious side effects. 'Night' is likely planning to exploit this, causing you to exhaust your abilities when you use the final seal... We must remember Lin Che's warning."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Lin Che was quietly making his way along the intricate sewer system.

He was wearing a specially made invisibility cloak that could absorb most of the energy fluctuations; it was the last remaining item in the safe house.

The stench and darkness did not slow him down; he approached the underground area of ​​the military outpost silently, like a ghost.

However, as he got closer and closer to the target point on the map, a sharp, intense pain suddenly shot through his body.

He leaned against the slippery pipe wall, curling up in pain. He could feel the blue lines beneath his skin beginning to flicker uncontrollably, as if resonating with something.

With each step forward, the Orion sequence within his body became increasingly unstable.

He realized a terrifying truth: the fragments of "Night's" consciousness that had been temporarily suppressed by Su Wanqing's injection of blood were being awakened by the nearby third core, attempting to regain control of his body.

He gritted his teeth, sweat rolling down his forehead and dripping into the murky sewage.

"No... I can't... become your puppet again..." he whispered in anguish, forcing himself to continue moving deeper into the darkness.

The excruciating pain inside his body was like a relentless tide, each impact almost causing him to collapse to his knees in the cold, polluted water.

Lin Che gritted his teeth and leaned his body weight against the rough pipe wall, sweat sticking to his hair and collar.

He could feel the blue lines beneath his skin flickering uncontrollably, resonating fatally with a distant yet powerful source.

He thought that this was the price of getting closer to the third core; the fragments of "Night's" consciousness that had been temporarily suppressed by Su Wanqing's blood were being awakened.

He forced himself to stand up straight and climbed out of a maintenance opening in the sewer, following the route marked on the map.

Before us was an area enclosed by barbed wire and high walls; this was the military's temporary outpost.

His specially made invisibility cloak absorbed most of the energy fluctuations, while the remaining Orion sequence within him became the best pass at this moment.

He bypassed the visible searchlights and approached an outer energy-sensing door. The indicator light on the door briefly changed from red to green before returning to normal.

He slipped silently into the base like a "ghost" recognized by the system.

The entire outpost was on high alert. Squads of fully armed special forces soldiers patrolled key intersections, while researchers hurried between the various makeshift laboratory buildings.

Lin Che's goal was clear—the core experimental area located in the very center of the base, protected by three layers of heavy security doors.

He avoided the surveillance cameras, clinging to the building's shadows like a gecko, and eventually found the airflow duct leading into the experimental area.

The narrow pipe was filled with dust and the smell of engine oil as he carefully climbed toward his destination.

When he looked down from a vent, he saw a scene that made his breath catch in his throat.

Inside the central experimental area, Xiaoling's tiny body is floating in a transparent, special levitation device.

The purple third core floated in front of her chest, with countless fine purple energy lines connecting the two, forming a strange yet stable symbiotic system.

Xiaoling kept her eyes tightly closed, but her lips kept moving, uttering a strange language that he had never heard before.

Around her, several sophisticated translation devices were rapidly converting her voice into text on the screen. Lin Che had excellent eyesight; he could clearly see the scrolling lines of human language:

"...Coordinates locked...Time barrier about to collapse...The pioneers have reached the edge...72 hours is the deadline..."

Lin Che's mind went blank. This perfectly matched the intelligence information that Lu Zhao had intercepted earlier.

He waited patiently until a break occurred during a changing of the guard.

He quickly slid down the ventilation duct and connected to an unattended terminal next to it.

His fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, and the Orion sequence within him made cracking the military firewall exceptionally easy.

Soon, a report marked as top secret, codenamed "Whale Fall," appeared on the screen.

He quickly skimmed through the report. The report detailed all the unusual changes that occurred after Xiaoling came into contact with the core: unknown elements not found on Earth appeared in her blood, and her brain activity patterns were completely rewritten, no longer resembling human thought processes, but rather acting more like a highly efficient signal receiving station, capable of directly translating and relaying alien information transmitted by the core.

The report's final page contains an even more unsettling speculation: researchers analyzed the sources and patterns of the information and concluded that it did not originate from Orion, but from a more ancient and advanced civilization—the "Weavers."

The report's conclusions suggest a terrifying possibility: the Orion civilization's escape was not accidental; they may have been using Earth all along, using the planet as "bait" to attract firepower, or as a "barrier" to defend against an even more terrifying existence.

Just then, the sequence within his body suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly violent fluctuation.

The third core sensed his presence. The intense resonance made his vision go black, and excruciating pain shot from his spinal cord all the way to his brain.

He tried to control himself, but his right eye began to flash an eerie blue light uncontrollably, and a cold, cruel fragment of consciousness whispered in his mind, attempting to regain control.

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Alert! Unauthorized Orion sequence signal detected!"

The alarm in the monitoring room instantly blared throughout the entire base. Red warning lights flashed and spun, the heavy alloy door slammed shut, and the sound of soldiers' footsteps came from all directions, sealing off all exits.

Lin Che knew he was running out of time. He abruptly pulled the connection cable, stopped hiding, and rushed straight towards the experimental area.

He placed his palm on the first security door, and the sequence energy within his body surged forth. The complex electronic lock emitted a cracking sound, and the door was forcibly short-circuited and opened.

He burst into the room where Xiaoling was being held. The guards reacted swiftly, immediately pointing their guns at him.

"Don't move!"

The sound of a bullet being chambered was clearly audible. But Lin Che didn't stop. In the instant before he was shot, he used all his strength to lunge at the levitation device, reached out, and touched Xiao Ling's cold little hand.

At the moment of contact, a strange phenomenon occurred.

Xiaoling suddenly opened her eyes. Her pupils were no longer black, but instead, like the core of her being, they shone with a deep purple light.

She looked directly at Lin Che and said in a mature and calm voice that seemed completely out of place for her age, "I knew you would come... and they knew too."

Her words made Lin Che pause for a moment.

“The three cores must be stored separately,” Xiaoling continued, each word clearly entering Lin Che’s mind. “That being who calls himself ‘Night’ doesn’t understand what he’s doing at all… He didn’t open a defense screen, but an invitation.”

Before she could finish speaking, Xiaoling suddenly grabbed Lin Che's arm and, with astonishing strength, forcefully shoved the third core, which was floating in front of her chest, into his palm.

"Take it away! Never let the three cores come together again!"

This action was like detonating a bomb. A violent energy surge erupted from the two of them, the lights in the entire base went out instantly, all equipment malfunctioned, piercing alarms blared, and the world was plunged into chaotic darkness and clamor.

Lin Che felt the core burning hot in his palm like a branding iron, frantically trying to establish a deeper connection with the Orion sequence within his body.

Without a second thought, he picked up Xiaoling, whose body had gone limp and who had fainted, and began to search for an escape route amidst the chaos.
-
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.

Su Wanqing and Lu Zhao's bait plan was proceeding smoothly. But suddenly, the detection device beside Lu Zhao sounded a sharp alarm, and the energy dot representing "night" on the screen drew a huge arc without warning and changed direction.

Lu Zhao's brows furrowed. "He's stopped chasing us; he's heading full speed towards the eastern outpost! He might have sensed the third core through his core, or... sensed Lin Che's presence!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than an urgent broadcast crackled through the military communications channel he had hacked: "Warning! An unidentified high-energy entity is rapidly approaching the base! Expected arrival within six minutes! All personnel immediately enter Level 1 combat readiness!"

Su Wanqing looked up towards the east of the city. Even from a distance, she could see a clear blue energy trail in the night sky, like a shooting star, falling straight to the ground.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"We must rush over there immediately to support Lin Che!" she decided without hesitation.

Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her wrist, which was adorned with a jade bracelet, and activated the time intervention function.

A familiar dizziness washed over her, and she could feel her life force being rapidly drained away, but everything around her slowed down, and her speed and reaction ability were greatly enhanced.

"This way!" Lu Zhao immediately planned the fastest route for her, while loudly warning into the communicator: "Lin Che, 'Night' is moving at full speed towards your location, evacuate immediately! We're waiting for you at the designated rendezvous point, under the abandoned overpass, hurry!"

Just then, in the distance, above the clouds, a flying object they had never seen before suddenly appeared.

It had no wings, was entirely smooth, and cast down an object that gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster.

The object silently pierced the sky and landed precisely in the direction of the viaduct where they planned to meet.

Lu Zhao's detector emitted an unprecedented, ear-piercing alarm.

He stared at the energy reading on the screen that had suddenly spiked, muttering to himself, "What is that... that energy reading doesn't belong to Earth's technology!"

(End of this chapter)