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Chapter 253 Fortress Upgrade and Unexpected Crisis

The fortress's control panel hummed, and the system interface flickered on Su Wanqing's retina.

She reached out and tapped the "Build" option, a pale blue light shining on her face.

"15x rebate, this time we have to use everything we can."

Lu Zhao adjusted his glasses and leaned closer to look. Four new options popped up on the screen: Defensive Time Field Stabilizer, Biological Purification Device, Quantum Communication Network, and Automated Medical Pod.

“A full build requires 12000 points.” He pointed to the number. “You currently have 12500 points.”

Xiao Ran kicked his tactical boots under the table, the metal chair leg scraping the ground: "The purification device can filter out mutated bacteria, and the stabilizer can withstand storms. Last time, that purple cloud almost blew off the top of the bunker."

"Biological purification is the foundation of survival." Xiaoling sat in the corner holding Xiaoyu, her red mole gleaming dimly under the emergency light. "The spores in the air will cause rot if they touch the skin."

Su Wanqing swiped her finger back and forth between the two options. Suddenly, a system notification sounded, and the 15x rebate icon flashed.

She gritted her teeth: "Build these two first." Her fingertip hovered over "Defensive Time Field Stabilizer" and "Biological Purification Device," and a confirmation box popped up on the interface saying "Consumes 8000 points."

The walls of the fortress began to tremble. Silver metal seeped from the cracks in the walls, flowing like living matter.

The ground in the central area cracked open, and a hemispherical device slowly rose up, its surface engraved with fine patterns.

Inside the surrounding walls, thick silver pipes pierce through the cement, each pipe opening embedded with a honeycomb-shaped filter unit.

“Look at your wrists,” Lu Zhao suddenly said. Everyone looked down, and the faint golden patterns on their wrists, which had been barely visible, were now glowing, like matches lit by the wind.

Xiao Ran raised his hand and shook it, the lines on it flickering: "Is this... supplying power to the device?"

“Quantum entanglement.” Lu Zhao took out the detector and pointed it at the hemispherical device. The waveform on the screen perfectly matched the heart rate of the five people. “The five of you are the anchors. The fortress is now part of the anchor network.”

He paused, pushing up his glasses. "The energy flow is three times faster than expected, and the device is 40% complete."

"Ding--"

A system alarm blared. Su Wanqing's temples throbbed, and the red text on her retina was so bright it hurt her eyes: [The Time Observer is equipped with an anti-anchor jammer; the device parameters are completely identical to those in the 173rd loop.]

"The 173rd time?" Xiao Ran suddenly stood up, his chair crashing to the ground. "They've even figured out the previous cycles?"

Lu Zhao's detector suddenly emitted a piercing beep. He turned the screen towards the crowd; a blue dot was moving from the northeast area towards the fortress. "We'll be there in 15 minutes."

"The jammer will disrupt the anchor network, and if the device is cut off halfway through construction," he didn't finish, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Xiaoling," Su Wanqing turned to the girl in the corner, "can you see their route?"

Xiaoling closed her eyes, her red mole shining brightly: "They came from the eastern sewers, three of them, carrying silver boxes."

When she opened her eyes, sweat beaded on her forehead. "There's black fog in the box."

"Xiaoyu." Xiao Ran squatted down and gently touched the back of his sister's hand.

Xiaoyu's eyes gleamed with silver light as she stared at the air for a while: "There are many eyes in the fog, just like the ones I saw in the Northeast last time."

Lin Che suddenly stood up, and the sleeve of his lab coat slid down, revealing newly appeared blue scales on his wrist.

“I’ll go guard the eastern passage,” he said, his voice lower than usual. “The purification ability might be able to deal with the fog.”

"No." Su Wanqing pressed down on his arm, the scales of which felt a little cool to the touch. "The device is 60% complete, and you are one of the anchor points."

She turned to Xiao Ran, "Take Xiao Yu to the west warehouse; there are spare weapons there."

Xiaoling, you and Lu Zhao keep an eye on the control panel.

A sudden gust of cold air rushed into the fortress's ventilation shaft. Su Wanqing heard a metallic scraping sound coming from above; it was the sound of a sewer manhole cover being lifted.

She pulled out the stun gun from her waist, her knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.

"Ding--"

The system interface transitioned to 85% completion. The patterns on the hemispherical device began to rotate, emitting a low hum.

Su Wanqing's wrist was burning hot, the golden veins so bright they seemed to burn through her skin. *Thump!*

A heavy thud came from the eastern passage. Lin Che's blue markings suddenly surged, crawling from his wrists to his shoulders, the scales gleaming coldly under the light.

He nodded to Su Wanqing, then turned and rushed into the passage.

"boom!"

The sound of shattering glass. Su Wanqing heard Lin Che groan, followed by the sound of liquid splashing.

She gripped the stun gun and was about to follow when Lu Zhao suddenly grabbed her: "The device is 95% complete!"

The red light on the control panel turned green. The hemispherical device emitted a blinding white light, and the air throughout the fortress suddenly became sweet and refreshing.

Su Wanqing felt a chill on her wrist as the golden patterns dimmed.

The sound of something heavy falling to the ground echoed through the passage. Lin Che emerged, leaning against the wall, half of his clothes torn, revealing blue scales on his shoulder.

He was carrying a silver box, from which black smoke was rising.

“Their fog,” he gasped, “was purified by me.”

Lu Zhao took the box and pried it open with a tool. Inside lay a cloud of black mist, which was slowly dissipating.

The detector swept across the fog, and the screen suddenly went black. "Anti-anchoring material."

He said, "It can corrode the structure of time anchors."

Su Wanqing looked at Lin Che's shoulder; the scales had already climbed up to his collarbone.

“Go to the medical ward,” she said. “Check if there are any long-term effects.”

Lin Che didn't move. He stared at the scales on his arm, his fingers lightly touching them: "I knocked over a beaker in the passageway just now."

His voice was muffled, “It’s polluted water inside. When it touches my skin, my instinct is to purify it.”

Lu Zhao's hand paused on the box. He looked up: "You purified the polluted water?"

Lin Che nodded: "Even more thorough than the device." He rolled up his other sleeve, the scales on his wrist had faded a bit, "but then the blue markings increased."

Su Wanqing walked over and gently touched the scales on his arm.

It's a bit hard, like the edge of a fish gill. "Lu Zhao," she said, "let's test his genes."

Lu Zhao took out a blood collection needle from the drawer of the lab bench. As Lin Che reached out, the scales brushed against the metal surface, making a soft rustling sound.

A drop of blood was placed on the testing plate. A red light swept across it, and a line of text appeared on the screen: "[Unknown gene sequence accounts for 37%, with a 92% match with Weaver Technology]"

“Not human,” Lu Zhao said softly.

Lin Che looked down at his arm. The scales shimmered with a deep blue light, like seashells submerged in the deep sea.

"Each time I use my ability, the lines appear a little more," he said. "If it spreads throughout my entire body..."

“No, we will find a way.” Su Wanqing interrupted him.

Lu Zhao put the testing panel into the drawer. As he turned around, his glasses reflected the light: "Wanqing, can I say a few words to you?"

The two walked behind the control panel. Lu Zhao lowered his voice: "If the scales cover his entire body, he might lose his human characteristics. Memories, emotions, even consciousness." He pushed up his glasses. "This ability isn't evolution, it's transformation."

Su Wanqing watched Lin Che's retreating figure. He was squatting down talking to Xiaoyu, who reached out to touch the scales on his arm, her eyes showing no fear.

"Keep it from him for now," she said. "We'll tell him once we find a way to control him."

Lu Zhao nodded. Suddenly, the console beeped, and a new message popped up on the system screen: [Time Observer location success rate dropped to 30%]

The fortress's ventilation system started humming again. Su Wanqing glanced at the wall clock; the hands pointed to ten o'clock at night.

She touched the jade bracelet on her wrist, the cool touch seeping through her skin.