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Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: Shadows in the Sewers

The entrance to the eastern sewer system, Zone 3, was located in an industrial, sparsely populated area of the city. It was a heavy, circular metal hatch set into the concrete ground, bearing the official emblem of the Mo City Engineering Corps.

Lin Ke swiped the keycard the Guild had given him. A green light flashed, and with a hiss of hydraulic pressure, the heavy hatch slowly lifted.

A wave of cool, damp, and musty air washed over him. Below was a dark shaft with a metal ladder leading down into the gloom.

"Ready, little guy?" Lin Ke asked the Rock Vole on his shoulder.

"Ji!" The Rock Vole gave a determined squeak, its senses already on high alert.

Lin Ke secured a small flashlight to his shoulder strap and began his descent. The moment he stepped off the ladder and onto the wide walkway below, the hatch above sealed shut, plunging him into a world of concrete, metal, and shadows.

The sewer system was a testament to the city's advanced engineering. It was not a simple network of pipes, but a vast, multi-layered labyrinth. The main passage was as wide as a two-lane road, with a channel of slowly flowing water in the center. Smaller tunnels branched off in all directions. The only light came from his flashlight and the occasional, dim emergency lamp set into the ceiling, casting long, eerie shadows. The air echoed with the constant drip of water.

This was his first real mission, and the environment was far more oppressive than any training field.

But Lin Ke was not afraid. He was a researcher in his element. He immediately activated his Gene Editor, not to look for enemies, but to scan the environment itself.

In his vision, the world was overlaid with data.

[Atmosphere Analysis: High humidity. Trace elements of methane and industrial waste detected. Oxygen levels are normal.] [Biological Scan: Fungal spores (common, non-toxic), bacterial colonies (standard), trace DNA residue of 'Scrap-rats' and 'Sewer Mollusks'.]

Everything seemed normal at first. He began to walk deeper into the tunnels, following the basic map provided by the Guild.

After about twenty minutes, the Gene Editor's interface suddenly flashed.

[Warning: Unidentified energy signature detected.]

Lin Ke stopped in his tracks, his heart rate quickening. He directed the scan towards a patch of dark, slimy moss growing on the wall. To the naked eye, it looked like ordinary sewer grime.

But the editor showed him something else.

[Target: Corrupted Moss] [Analysis: The specimen's genetic structure has been forcibly altered by an external energy source. Cellular growth is chaotic and aggressive.] [Energy Signature: Matches low-level 'Abyssal Corruption' markers. However, the energy pattern shows an unusual degree of... coherence.]

Coherence? Lin Ke frowned. According to the textbooks, Abyssal Corruption was a chaotic, entropic force that caused random, violent mutations. It was like a biological cancer. But "coherence" implied a pattern, almost a design. This was the first discrepancy between the textbook knowledge and reality.

He followed the trail. The further he went, the more signs of corruption he found. There were strange, unnatural scratch marks on the metal pipes, far too large for any normal sewer creature. He found the half-eaten carcass of a Sewer Mollusk, its body twisted into an unnatural shape.

The sense of danger grew with every step. The Rock Vole on his shoulder was tense, its nose twitching, letting out low, wary growls.

He came to a large, circular junction where several tunnels converged. The energy signature was strongest here. His flashlight beam cut through the darkness, landing on something in the middle of the chamber.

It was a nest. A grotesque, pulsating nest made of sludge, scrap metal, and strange organic matter, all held together by a dark, web-like fungus. And in the center of the nest, he could see the glint of discarded bones.

This was the source of the fluctuations.

Suddenly, the Gene Editor flashed a bright, crimson-red warning.

[!! HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED !!] [Proximity: 15 meters.] [Life Signs: High aggression. Subject is approaching at high speed.]

Lin Ke's blood ran cold. He immediately leaped back, shouting, "Rock Vole, get ready! Rock Harden!"

From the dark maw of a tunnel to his left, a horrifying screech echoed, and a monstrous shadow lunged out into the light.

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