Barkley and Irene's footsteps echoed in the abandoned underground passage, like the echo in an empty cave, gradually becoming low and heavy. The humidity in the air exacerbated their fatigue, but the danger was close at hand, and they had no choice but to keep running. Time no longer belonged to them, and the only thing they had was to keep moving forward.
"Hurry up." Irene's voice was very low, with anxiety and urgency. She quickly checked behind her to confirm that there were no pursuers, but she did not relax her vigilance at all. The decoder was in her backpack and could be taken away at any time.
Barkley's heart was beating wildly, and only the whistling wind and his own rapid breathing were left in his ears. He still couldn't calm down the shock and fear in his heart. The secrets about genes, mind control, and parents... All of these completely turned his life upside down in just a few days. However, at this moment, he had no time to sort out these chaotic thoughts.
They moved quickly along the underground passage, occasionally climbing broken stairs or crossing collapsed ceilings. The deeper they went, the more complicated and confusing this abandoned area became, like a maze. Barkley knew that this subway station was once one of the busiest transportation hubs in the city, but now it has become a shelter and trap for their escape.
"Where are we going?" Barkley asked panting, his body already exhausted.
Irene did not stop, and answered quickly while walking: "I don't know. But we need to try to avoid their tracking, at least make them lose their way."
"But we can't keep running like this, there must be a plan." Barkley frowned. Although he was afraid in his heart, he knew that running away was not a long-term solution. They need to find the last clue to solve the mystery of their parents and end this chase.
"I understand, but the time is not right now. We must find a safe place to hide before we can continue decoding." Irene's tone was still calm, but Barkley could hear her nervousness. She knew the horror of the Shadow Council better than he did, and she also knew their tracking methods.
Just as they were about to turn into another passage, Barkley suddenly stopped and pricked up his ears, as if he heard some strange sound. The sound was low and weak, almost drowned in the sound of wind and footsteps, but Barkley's intuition told him that this was not an ordinary sound.
"Did you hear it?" He whispered to Irene.
Irene also stopped, frowned, and listened attentively. After a moment, she nodded gently. "Yes, it seems that someone is approaching."
"They caught up so quickly?" Barkley's heart sank, and he hurriedly looked around to find a hiding place. However, this long and narrow underground passage did not have much space to hide, and the abandoned items and collapsed brick walls could only barely serve as cover.
"We don't have much time, we must act immediately." Irene took Barkley's arm and pointed to a hidden alley on the right, which led to an abandoned control room, which was narrow but relatively hidden. She made a quick decision, "Let's hide in there and observe the situation first."
Barkley did not object, and the two of them quickly rushed into the dilapidated control room. The air in the room was even more stuffy, covered with dust and cobwebs, and it seemed that no one had set foot in it for many years. Irene approached the wall, put her ear against the rusty door panel, held her breath, and listened carefully to the movement outside.
After a few minutes, Barkley realized that he had been clenching his fists and his palms were sweating. He tried to calm his breathing and slow down his heartbeat. The sound outside gradually became clearer. It was not a simple footstep, but a more mechanical rhythm, as if some kind of equipment was approaching.
"It's a tracking robot." Irene whispered, with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "They have activated drones and robots to find us, which means that the Shadow Council is no longer just relying on manpower to track us. They will go all out."
"Tracking robots?" Barkley asked in surprise. Although he had heard of this kind of equipment, he had never seen it. Rumor has it that these robots are the secret weapons of the Shadow Council, with extremely high tracking and combat capabilities, and are almost impossible to get rid of.
"They use heat induction and sound wave detection to penetrate the wall to find us. If we don't move, we will be discovered soon." Irene quickly thought about the next move. "But if we can cut off their signal source, maybe we can buy some time."
"How to do it?" Barkley asked. He was not sure if he could stay calm in this situation, but he knew that he had to rely on Irene's judgment now.
"There are some old communication equipment in this abandoned subway station. Maybe we can use them to create interference." Irene pointed to a row of abandoned equipment in the corner of the room. "I have worked on similar equipment before. If I can access the system, I may be able to disrupt the signal of the tracking robot."
Barkley nodded, hurried to the abandoned equipment, and wiped off the thick dust with his hands. The equipment looked very old, and the display was full of cracks, but Irene still quickly checked the interface and power connection.
"The power system here is still operational." Irene said, quickly opened the control panel of the equipment, and began to check the internal circuits. Her fingers flew flexibly on the circuit board, and her focused expression revealed her familiarity with this type of technology.
Barkley stood aside, waiting nervously, while constantly listening to the movement outside. He knew that time was running out, and the tracking robot could break through the room and find their hiding place at any time.
Finally, with a light "hum", a row of indicator lights on the device gradually lit up. Irene's mouth corners slightly raised, obviously confident in her operation.
"Okay, now we have to set the interference wave." She said while adjusting the frequency, her eyes focused on the screen.
A few minutes later, the numbers jumping on the screen began to change, and Irene's fingers kept adjusting the knobs on the device, as if she was fiddling with a complex combination lock. Her movements were so skillful that it seemed as if she had done similar operations countless times.
"Signal interference is activated." Irene finally said, and her expression relaxed.
"Can this temporarily get rid of them?" Barkley asked.
"In theory, the tracking robot can be disoriented, but this can only delay time. Sooner or later, they will resume normal operation." Irene stood up and carried the decoder. "We must leave here as soon as possible now."
Without further delay, the two rushed out of the control room and continued to flee along the underground passage. The passage became deeper and deeper, the terrain became more and more complicated, and the pipes above their heads began to emit low metallic sounds, as if the ruins of the entire city were exerting pressure on them.
"Where are we going?" Barkley asked as he ran, his mind in a mess. He was still unsure what they could do next.
"We need to find a device that can connect to the external network." Irene panted. "Only through the external system can we upload the decoded data and unlock all the genetic locks in your body."
"Then can't we go back to the ground?" Barkley asked, he felt that he could no longer endure this oppressive underground environment.
"Not for the time being, the tracking power on the ground is stronger." Irene ran while carefully checking the direction they were heading. "Although the passages here are complicated, they give us more possibilities for escape."
However, just as they turned into a narrower fork, there was a sudden violent roar behind them, as if the entire underground passage was shaking. Barkley's heart sank suddenly, and he knew that the pursuers were approaching.
"They are coming." Irene whispered, with a trace of uneasiness in her eyes. The tracking robot had obviously broken through the signal interference and was approaching them at a faster speed.
Barkley was panting and felt that his strength was almost exhausted. He couldn't help asking, "How long can we hold on?"
Erin gritted her teeth and didn't answer. The two continued to move forward, and the sound of footsteps and heartbeats intertwined, forming an invisible sense of oppression.
Barkley and Erin quickly left the basement and passed through the narrow passage. Although they tried their best to keep up the speed, the footsteps and mechanical sounds behind them became clearer and clearer, as if they were following closely. This time the enemy seemed to be more difficult than ever before, and might even be more precise and cruel than human pursuers.
"We don't have time anymore," Erin warned in a low voice, staring at the front, looking for any possible escape route.
Suddenly, a fork in the road appeared in front of the passage. On the left was an upward staircase that seemed to lead to a higher subway level; on the right was a deeper tunnel full of ominous shadows, as if leading to an unknown dark world.
"Which side should we choose?" Barkley asked, his voice full of tension.
Irene pointed to the right without hesitation. "Go deeper. They will expect us to try to leave the underground, so we must do the opposite and go to a place that is more difficult to track."
Barkley nodded and followed Irene to quickly turn to the passage on the right. They began to move deeper, the air became thinner and thinner, and the surrounding walls became more dilapidated and almost collapsed. The suffocating sense of oppression came from all directions, as if the entire tunnel was slowly closing and becoming a cage from which they had nowhere to escape.
The footsteps still lingered behind them, and the low hum of the machinery was getting closer and closer, almost making Barkley's heartbeat and breathing lose their rhythm.
"Irene, is this place safe?" he asked in a low voice, even though he knew he might be asking a stupid question.
Irene did not answer directly, but said: "No place is absolutely safe, but at least we can buy more time."
Just as they continued to go deeper into the tunnel, the ground in front of them suddenly shook, and then a huge gate slowly fell in front of them, blocking their way. Barkley looked at the heavy metal door in astonishment, and they were about to be trapped in this tunnel with no exit.
"What's going on?" Barkley asked in panic, turning to look at Irene.
A flash of surprise flashed across Irene's face, but she quickly regained her composure. She quickly walked to the control panel of the gate and tapped the screen hard, trying to restore the system to normal operation.
"It's the automatic protection system." Irene gritted her teeth and tried to crack the door lock program. "No one has been to this underground area for a long time, but the automatic defense system here seems to be still running, and it senses us."
Barkley felt desperate, and the mechanical sound behind him was getting closer and closer. They didn't have much time. If this door couldn't be opened, they could only wait for death.
"Hurry up! We don't have time!" Barkley urged nervously.
Irene was still focused on the screen, her fingers quickly tapping the keyboard, her brows furrowed. Sweat began to seep out of her forehead, and she obviously felt a sense of urgency.
At this moment, there was a huge roar from behind, followed by the sound of mechanical metal collisions - the tracking robot had reached the fork in the road and was approaching them.
"Hurry!" Barkley shouted, with fear in his voice.
Just as the footsteps of the pursuers were almost ringing in her ears, Irene finally let out a low roar, and then the huge metal door slowly opened. She quickly grabbed Barkley's hand and pushed him behind the door. They quickly passed through and closed the gate at the last second to isolate the pursuers.
"Success." Irene panted, her eyes flashing with victory, but there was a hint of fatigue in her voice.
Barkley collapsed to the ground, his back against the cold wall, his heartbeat still frantic. He didn't know how long he could hold on, and this mental tension almost made him collapse.
"Safe for now." Irene said softly, and then looked ahead. Deep in this unknown tunnel, there might be more dangers waiting for them.
They escaped the pursuit, but new puzzles and unknowns were waiting ahead.