In the dim light, drifting particles of dust twirled within the pervasive mist, resembling solitary dancers.
Black Mist, an exclusive creation of the Inverse Realm, was the culprit behind the enigmatic atmosphere. It absorbed copious amounts of light and heat, shrouding the world beyond Kraufgate in eternal darkness and eeriness.
Death Lurking Outside the Door
Beside a rusty cabinet filled with boxes and documents, a man dressed in red protective gear and wearing a hooded helmet rifled through the cabinet's contents. These items, who knows how many years they had existed, crumbled into ashes at the slightest touch.
"This Inverse Zone 127 is making me sick. Look, the civilization that once existed here is so similar to ours. Even if I were to come face to face with another version of me here, I wouldn't be surprised."
Turning around, his tone carried a hint of impatience. "So, Tianyang, have you managed to establish contact with our main team yet?"
The protective suit emitted a faint light, emanating from the miniature spotlight on his shoulder. Despite the light's limited range, coupled with the absorption by the black mist in the air, it only dimly illuminated the room.
With the aid of this feeble light, one could make out that this place seemed to be some kind of archives room.
The floor was strewn with papers, covered in chaotic footprints. Someone was crouched over a thick stack of documents, tinkering with a standard communicator.
This device, resembling a radio on the outside, was designed for communication within the Inverse Realm, capable of sending and receiving data.
Built-in security measures prevented unauthorized eavesdropping. Its components included a receiving antenna, a frequency conversion module, an enhancement module, and a spare matrix circuit.
Now, the person known as Tianyang was installing the components on the communicator, trying to boost the signal's transmission.
However, even with these efforts, the electronic noise coming from the communicator hinted at the challenging prospects for this small team.
"...This is Collection Team, Fourth Squad. I am Tianyang, soldier code 1507. Main team, please respond."
After several attempts yielded no response, Tianyang lifted his head. In the dim light, a youthful face with lingering traces of innocence could be seen inside the helmet.
"Can't establish contact, Captain. We might have ventured too deep, beyond the communication terminal's maximum transmission range," Tianyang reported.
Not far away, someone angrily kicked a shelf and pointed at Captain Qinwu in the red protective suit. "This is all your fault, Qinwu! If you hadn't acted recklessly, we wouldn't be cut off by those damned wanderers now!"
Captain Qinwu gestured towards the fourth team member guarding the door. "Can I be blamed for this? If it weren't for that bastard Dongyan swearing he found the signal of the Starcore Pillar, I wouldn't have rushed you all over here!"
The team member at the door defended himself, "My digital model wasn't wrong. Based on recent data on wanderer activity, there should be a Star Pillar nearby!"
Qinwu rushed over, grabbing his protective suit. "Then tell me, where is the Star Pillar now?"
"Quiet!" Tianyang raised his hand, clenched into a fist, signaling caution.
All members of the collection team, including the captain, tensely gazed towards the door.
The hallway outside was dim, its walls covered in mold.
Strange sounds echoed from around the corner.
It was like the gasping breath of a critically ill patient and the low growl of an injured beast combined.
Tianyang reached into his utility bag from behind and pulled out a glow stick.
Nervous, Qinwu asked, "What are you doing?"
"We need some illumination, Captain. Don't worry; the wanderers don't react to light sources."
Tianyang bent the glow stick and threw it around the corner of the hallway. As the chemical inside reacted, a cold, bluish-gray light gradually brightened.
In the icy blue glow, everyone could see several distorted figures on the wall around the corner.
These figures were severely contorted, swaying and wandering on the other side of the corridor.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from the wall corner. The skin of the hand was decaying, oozing a dark green pus. It was sticky, dripping onto the ground with a sizzling sound, like water drops on scorching rocks.
The heartbeats of the team members raced, but fortunately, the hand quickly withdrew.
"It's the wanderers, it's them!" Eastward, the team member, stepped back repeatedly. "Captain, we need to leave. I don't want to be caught by those things!"
"But how do we leave?" another team member cried out. "Even if we rush through this corridor, there are more wanderers downstairs. They're everywhere, in the streets, in every building!"
"Shut up!" Qinwu tightened his grip on the assault rifle in his hand, his gaze flickering. "It seems we have no choice."
He turned to Tianyang, extending his hand. "Newbie, hand over your gun!"
Tianyang's face behind the hooded helmet was clearly filled with hesitation.
He instinctively held onto the rifle in his hand.
The assault rifle was standard issue for the collection team, firing solid projectiles. Despite its limited power and unwieldy design, at the right range, it could break the will-cage of the wanderers. It was the only way to halt these dark subordinates.
So, giving up the gun was akin to surrendering one's life.
At that moment, the glow stick's light began to fade. In the gradually dimming glow, a foot stepped forward and extinguished the cold light around the corner.
The distorted figures began to approach, and in the gloomy corridor, the pale glow emitted by the will-cage of the wanderers resembled the flickering ghostly flames on a graveyard!
"Quick! I'll hold them off; you guys go first!" Tianyang volunteered.
Qinwu urged, "I need enough firepower; damn it, can't I protect you?"
Tianyang bit his lip and reluctantly handed over his rifle along with a magazine.
Qinwu accepted them and waved, "You guys exit through the window, climb up, and find another way out. Tianyang, you go first!"
Tianyang nodded and turned towards the window.
As he took his first step...
Bang!
A shock coursed through the young man, and blood sprayed from his right thigh, splattering onto the visor of his helmet like a blooming flower.
He stumbled and fell to the ground.
This sudden turn of events left the other two team members stunned.
Qinwu shouted, "What are you waiting for? Come with me. There are too many wanderers in the building. Now that his protective suit is breached, the release of Type B pheromones will attract those dark bastards. This is our only chance!"
Ah, now it made sense!
Whether it was due to the injury or feeling betrayed, the young man's limbs turned cold.
Rage burned in his chest, coursed through his veins, and erupted into a thunderous roar.
"Qinwu, why!"
Inside his helmet, Qinwu sneered, "There's no 'why.' I'm a Citadel Upworlder, a person of high status. Scum like you from the Lower Levels should feel honored to die for me now that you have the chance!"
"You son of a...!"
Tianyang tried to push himself up to confront Qinwu.
The glossy barrel of the assault rifle halted him in his tracks, and at the same time, it cooled his temper. Tianyang realized that anger wouldn't change anything; only a calm, calculated approach could offer a chance of survival.
Qinwu pointed the gun at the young man and glanced at the other two. "Are you leaving or staying? If you're not leaving, then stay here with him!"
Leaving those words behind, Qinwu headed towards the window.
The other two team members exchanged looks and eventually chose to leave with their captain.
"Wait!"
Tianyang pulled out a dagger, reversed the blade, and pointed it at his own chest.
"You can leave, but give me the first-aid kit and two units of survival supplies!"
Qinwu became frantic, "Why do you still have a knife?!"
A dagger wasn't part of the collection team's standard equipment.
Tianyang smirked. His mother had given him this alloy dagger for self-defense before he left. She had emptied her entire savings to buy it.
He had hidden it cautiously and was reluctant to use it, so Qinwu naturally didn't know of its existence.
"Qinwu, I don't need to remind you, do I? Dead people don't release Type B pheromones. If you don't give me what I want, well, I'm going to die anyway. I might as well end it now!" Tianyang declared, his eyes determined.
Inside his helmet, Qinwu was drenched in sweat, his eyes filled with uncertainty.
Tianyang turned to the other two team members. "Perhaps you should try to convince Captain Qinwu. Otherwise, if I die, the next one to be abandoned might be one of you."
"After all, you two are expendable lower-level citizens, aren't you?"
Eastward and the other team member couldn't help but swallow hard, gripping their rifles. Though they didn't dare to point their barrels directly at Qinwu, their fingers rested on the triggers.
Qinwu noticed this detail and cursed inwardly. He was well aware that this rookie was pressuring him. Frankly, he hadn't anticipated this scenario at all.
If he had known that Tianyang would be so tenacious, or if he had chosen a different target earlier, maybe things would be different.
As for now...
"I'll give him the first-aid kit, and each of you hand over one unit of survival supplies! Hurry up; there's no time!"
Qinwu swiftly removed the backpack from his back, which contained a first-aid kit. The other two exchanged glances and produced their survival supplies, nervously keeping an eye on Tianyang.
Only then did the young man move the dagger slightly.
Qinwu let out a breath, grunted, and crawled out of the window. Quickly, the three of them used the exterior wall's pipelines to climb higher, avoiding the wanderers inside the building.
As they watched them leave, Tianyang didn't utter any harsh words but stored this grudge deeply in his heart.
Next, he reached out to grab the first-aid kit. However, a strange sound emanated from the corridor outside the door, a noise reminiscent of a leaking bellows. Tianyang turned to look, and the pale ghostly flames floating in the dim corridor were getting closer. He even saw a foot, oozing a viscous liquid, with only three toes, heavily stepping on the ground.
Juices splattered around.
The wanderers had reached the doorway!