Stone Face held up three fingers.
“First, the ‘Devouring Abyss Cult’. They are a bunch of lunatics who believe pollution is a gift of evolution and worship evil gods. They actively accelerate their own mutation and hunt normal survivors for sacrifice. They are our most dangerous enemies.
“Second, the ‘Crystal Core Chamber of Commerce’. They are merchants. They don’t participate in the conflict; they only trade, exchanging supplies for core crystals. They are neutral but profit-driven, so be careful when dealing with them.
“Third, the ‘Old World Remnants’. It is said that in some hidden shelters, the most complete technological civilizations from before the Great Cataclysm are preserved. They never contact the outside world, only occasionally collecting resources through mechanical devices. Few people know where they are, and no one has ever seen them.”
Jiang Lin listened quietly, committing this information to memory.
“Alright, that’s the basic situation.”
Stone Face stood up.
“For the next few days, you’ll familiarize yourself with the outpost. Ed will lead you.
“Remember the rules: don’t wander off, don’t touch other people’s things, and report any abnormalities immediately.
“That’s about all you need to know for now. Additionally, I will report your situation to my superiors. Someone from above might come looking for you later.
“You can prepare yourself ahead of time.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lin wasn't surprised.
He nodded calmly.
Shortly after, Stone Face and the woman with the crystal eye quickly left the room.
Only Jiang Lin and Ed remained.
Jiang Lin stood up.
“Let’s go. Show me around this outpost.”
Ed didn't say much and led Jiang Lin out of the room.
The scale of the outpost was larger than he had imagined.
After passing through several narrow passages, they arrived at a more open space.
This was presumably the “common area” of the outpost.
It was also the area where more ordinary people lived.
About thirty or so ordinary people were gathered here.
Some sat on crude bunks mending clothes, others queued around a humming machine to receive some kind of gray paste-like food, while others curled up in corners, staring blankly at the walls.
Most of them exhibited mutation characteristics.
Crystalline spots on the skin, small scales growing on the arms, or eyes that had turned completely white.
But compared to combatants like Stone Face or Ed, their degree of mutation was much lighter—they looked more like ordinary people being slowly eroded.
A little girl about seven or eight years old crouched by the wall, holding a piece of tattered cloth, trying to wipe a palm-sized metal disc.
The surface of the disc had complex circuit patterns, and a dim blue crystal was embedded in the edge.
Sensing someone approaching, the little girl looked up.
The right side of her face was covered in fine crystalline patterns that spread from her forehead to her chin, and that eye had become a complete deep blue crystal.
Her left eye was a normal brown, and it stared warily at Jiang Lin.
“Don’t be afraid,” Ed crouched down, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “This is a newcomer... Brother Matthew. He won’t hurt you.”
The little girl stared at Jiang Lin for a few seconds before suddenly holding up the metal disc. “Brother, can... can this be fixed?”
Jiang Lin took the disc.
It felt heavy in his hand, made of metal, with several obvious dents on the surface.
He flipped it over and saw a line of tiny inscriptions on the back.
It wasn't the Teluofuto Common Tongue, but some more ancient script.
“What is this?”
“A holographic projector,” Ed explained. “A technological product from before the Great Cataclysm. It can be used to play videos and store information. But most of them are broken, and there are no spare parts to replace them.”
Jiang Lin nodded slightly.
The technological level of this world was clearly higher than the world he had come from.
A holographic projector, metal materials that could still be used after hundreds of years, and the complex circuit patterns on those inscriptions... before the Great Cataclysm, this must have been a fairly developed civilization.
“I can’t fix it. I don’t have the right parts.”
Jiang Lin looked at the disc in his hand.
The little girl lowered her head in disappointment.
“It has the last video my mother left for me inside.”
Ed stood up and whispered to Jiang Lin:
“Her mother was killed in an Aberrant attack three months ago. Her father is a combatant who hasn't returned from a mission.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lin fell silent.
Just then.
A piercing alarm rang out from the direction of the outpost entrance.
Red lights flashed in the corridor, and everyone’s expression changed simultaneously.
Stone Face’s hurried footsteps approached from a distance, interspersed with his shouts:
“All hands on alert! It’s an ‘Emberflame’ level signal! High-level personnel are approaching!”
The outpost fell into chaos.
Ordinary people were quickly evacuated to the deeper shelter areas, combatants rushed to their posts, and weapons were taken from their hiding places.
Those weapons caught Jiang Lin’s eye.
They weren't the swords, bows, or magic staves he was familiar with.
They were firearms.
Roughly shaped but well-constructed firearms with metal bodies, composite stocks, and complex energy-focusing devices at the muzzles.
Several combatants were quickly checking their ammunition.
They weren't bullets, but some kind of energy blocks emitting a faint blue light.
“This is...” Jiang Lin murmured.
“Legacies of the Old World.”
Ed gripped her crystalline right arm.
“The ‘Crystal Core Chamber of Commerce’ traded them from the Old World Remnants for core crystals. There are very few of them; only important outposts are equipped with them.
“They can effectively kill Aberrants below the 3rd-rank.”
Jiang Lin was thoughtful.
Although the technological heritage of this world had been broken, the remaining creations could still be used.
The alarm grew more urgent.
Stone Face rushed in front of Jiang Lin and Ed, his face grave:
“The signal is from the headquarters’ dedicated channel! An ‘Emberflame’ level member is approaching the outpost, and it’s a highest-authority emergency teleport!”
“Highest authority?” Ed’s pupils shrank. “That means...”
Before she could finish.
In the open space in the center of the outpost, space suddenly twisted.
It wasn't the gentle spatial fluctuation of teleportation magic, but a more violent, direct spatial tear.
A silver-white rift appeared out of thin air, with blinding sparks of electricity shooting from its edges. The air was filled with the smell of ozone and the acrid scent of burning metal.
A second later, three figures stepped out of the rift.
Leading them was a woman.
She wore a silver-gray tight-fitting combat suit, the surface of which was covered in translucent energy armor that emitted a soft glow in the dim outpost.
Her left arm, from shoulder to fingertips, was completely crystallized.
But the crystal wasn't the dark, dull crimson of Ed’s—it was a nearly transparent silver-white, with fine gold patterns flowing inside. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
The two people behind her were also in combat gear, a man and a woman. Their auras were steady, clearly powerhouses of at least the 3rd-rank.
The appearance of the three caused the entire outpost to fall into a dead silence.
Stone Face froze for a second before suddenly dropping to one knee, his voice trembling:
“G-Greetings, Lord Emberflame!”
The combatants around him also knelt one after another.
The ordinary people holding firearms stood there in a daze, clearly never having seen such a display.
The silver-haired woman’s gaze swept over the kneeling crowd before finally landing on Ed.
“Outer scout Ed, Designation E-17?”
Ed’s eyes widened as she pointed at herself:
“You’re looking for me?”
“The person you brought back—where is he?”
Ed stepped aside, revealing Jiang Lin behind her.
The silver-haired woman’s gaze fell on Jiang Lin.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The entire outpost was silent.
Then, the silver-haired woman did something that left everyone dumbfounded.
She walked up to Jiang Lin and bowed slightly.
It was a gesture of considerable respect.
“Mr. Matthew, the Leader wishes to see you. Please accompany us to the headquarters.”
Ed opened her mouth but found she couldn't make a sound.
Stone Face knelt on the ground, the expression on the crystallized half of his face completely frozen.
The ordinary people holding firearms stood in a daze, as if paralyzed.
Jiang Lin looked at the steady silver-haired woman in front of him and asked:
“Who is your Leader?”
“The Leader is the Leader.”
The silver-haired woman straightened up, an inscrutable light flashing in her silver-white eyes.
“She rarely sees outsiders. But this time... she requested to see you personally.”
“Why?”
The silver-haired woman was silent for a second.
“My apologies, I am not sure either. This is the Leader’s order.
“But she said you are a very important person—the only one with a chance to lead us to victory.”
A deathly silence filled the outpost.
Stone Face looked up, shock and bewilderment written on his half-crystallized face.
Ed’s eyes were wide, and she gripped her crystalline right arm, her face filled with disbelief.
Jiang Lin was silent for a moment before asking:
“When do we leave?”
“Now.”
The silver-haired woman turned and pointed to the spatial rift they had come through.
The rift had now stabilized into a silver-white vortex about two meters in diameter, with tiny sparks of electricity dancing around the edges.
“This is a temporary transport channel. It can only be maintained for fifteen minutes.”
Without hesitation, Jiang Lin stepped toward the vortex.
Ed hesitated for a moment, glanced at the silver-haired woman, and saw her nod. She then quickly followed Jiang Lin.
The moment the two of them stepped into the transport vortex, a strong sense of weightlessness hit them.
It was more violent and direct than a long-distance teleportation array.
Jiang Lin felt as if his body were being torn into countless pieces, only to be reassembled in the next second.
When his vision cleared, they were already standing in a different place.
It was a completely different world.
The sky was gray-blue, without the oppressive dark red of the pollution.
The air was incredibly fresh, mixed with the fragrance of earth, plants, and water.
This was the first time Jiang Lin had smelled air without the scent of rot since arriving on Planet Teluofuto.
Beneath his feet was a smooth metal platform, its surface covered in complex energy circuits emitting a soft glow.
Lush vegetation surrounded the platform.
These were real green plants, their leaves unfurled and full of life, not the twisted mutant moss found in the ruins.
In the distance, a massive building complex was built into the mountainside.
White walls, streamlined structures, and blue light flowing beneath translucent domes.
Between the buildings, hovering vehicles moved silently, leaving faint energy trails behind them.
“This is...”
“Deep within the Ash Mountains, Ember Headquarters.”
The silver-haired woman’s voice came from behind him.
“The pollution is kept out by a purification zone. This is the last pure land on this continent.”
Jiang Lin turned around and saw the silver-haired woman and her two companions also emerging from the vortex.
The vortex quickly shrank behind them, eventually turning into a point of light and dissipating into the air.
Ed stood beside Jiang Lin, staring blankly at everything before her. Her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes grew red.
“I never thought... it really existed...”
“Let’s go.”
The silver-haired woman made a gesture of invitation.
“The Leader is waiting for you.”
The four of them walked along the metal platform and across a transparent gallery bridge suspended in the air.
Below the bridge was a bottomless canyon, but the bottom was also covered in green vegetation, with small creatures occasionally seen jumping between the treetops.
Crossing the bridge, they entered the building complex.
The technological level here far exceeded Jiang Lin’s imagination.
The walls were translucent and could adjust their transparency.
Soft light flowed beneath the floor, illuminating every corner.
There was a faint fragrance in the air, whether from some plant or the purification system.
People occasionally passed by, all wearing tight combat suits similar to the silver-haired woman’s. Their bodies showed more or less mutation characteristics, but their mental state was significantly better than those at the previous outpost.
When they saw the silver-haired woman, they would nod slightly and then walk away quickly.
“There are forty-seven Emberflame members in total.”
The silver-haired woman introduced as they walked.
“Thirty-five are permanently stationed at headquarters, while the rest are stationed at various important outposts. We are Ember’s strongest combat force and the last line of defense.”
She paused and looked back at Jiang Lin.
“We have already received the news of you killing the Aggregate.
“The power you’ve shown... has already surpassed most of the Emberflame.”
Jiang Lin nodded.
“Naturally.”
The silver-haired woman was stunned for a moment.
She hadn't expected Jiang Lin to be so confident.
But considering the Leader’s words, it made sense for him to say that.
Finally, they stopped in front of a massive metal door.
The door was engraved with complex patterns, identical to the inscriptions on the back of the holographic projector the little girl had shown him.
Jiang Lin recalled for a moment, then looked down at the holographic projector in his hand.
Wait, that's not right.
Why was this holographic projector still in his hand?
Jiang Lin felt embarrassed.
These people had arrived too suddenly earlier.
And they had taken him away after barely a few words.
In his haste, he had forgotten to give the thing back to her.
And that little girl seemed to have been frightened by the presence of these people.
She hadn't dared to speak up and remind him.
She had simply let him take her most precious treasure away.
Jiang Lin felt a bit guilty.
He thought for a moment and decided to ask their Leader later if she could fix it.
He would return it to the little girl when he had the chance.
...
The silver-haired woman raised her hand and pressed her palm against the door.
The door slid open silently.
Behind the door was a circular room with a dome ten meters high, completely transparent, offering a view of the gray-blue sky and the silhouettes of the distant mountains.
Sunlight spilled through the dome, casting mottled shadows on the polished floor.
In the center of the room, a girl sat in a wheelchair.
...
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