Chapter 11: Moving Forward

With this in mind, and to eliminate any future troubles, Ye Mi took the core and left the brown-haired girl’s long blade behind, carrying away only her handgun and not even bothering with her teammates’ weapons.

After all, those guns were nearly out of bullets anyway, and the creatures of the Light Ruins were never much afraid of ordinary ammunition.

She kept the handgun simply to have another means at her disposal; besides, its small size made it easy to conceal during combat.

Ye Mi stood at the laboratory’s entrance, casting one last glance inside before tossing in several grenades—

A thunderous explosion erupted, flames soaring skyward in a final, perfect curtain call.

Minutes later, all that remained of the laboratory was its charred, burning skeleton.

Ye Mi waited patiently for the fire to burn itself out. At last, she walked through the ruins, turning over the wreckage to make sure every corpse had been reduced to ashes, and then left without a backward glance.

She found a quiet spot and drew out the Light Ruins energy core, turning it over in her hand.

This was something the OC Corporation had extracted and condensed using special machinery. It was easy to store and transport; crush it, and it would return to its original mist-like form.

The core was intended as an energy source, not something potent enough to trigger one’s evolution—the quantity was simply too small.

The fact that the brown-haired girl had one of these cores was most likely a precaution for self-preservation. Though she was clearly skilled with the blade, she still carried a handgun, and Ye Mi had long since noticed the special energy device on that weapon—a device that presumably required the core to activate.

That was probably her trump card for survival.

But the girl hadn’t had a chance to use it before dying.

Ye Mi had approached with too much stealth; her opponent could hardly have drawn her gun right before her eyes, and Ye Mi would never have given her the opportunity.

“What a pity.”

Perhaps, in her final moments, the brown-haired girl had pleaded for her life—not out of terror, but hoping to seize a chance.

Ye Mi considered her perspective: to hold a deadly ace and never have the chance to play it—that would be unbearable.

She stowed the energy core away—in a small pouch fashioned from excess strands of black thread, which also contained the handgun. The bundle was hidden against her body, fitting so smoothly it seemed almost elegant.

She decided to head at once to the Second District, to investigate the alien ruins—and perhaps test herself against the Adventure Squad from the Bureau of Defense.

...

Late at night, near the border between the First and Second Districts, mist rose like towering walls.

Ye Mi’s silhouette slipped through the haze, her steps silent on the damp, ruined ground.

Less than five hundred meters ahead, her artificial eye swiftly adjusted, catching the glow of artificial lights—a domed metal structure stood amidst the rubble, its outer wall emblazoned with the unmistakable OC Corporation insignia.

A company facility.

Ye Mi crouched low, limbs folding in close, making her profile as small as possible.

She observed the supply station: three layers of electrified alloy fencing around the perimeter, rotating surveillance cameras perched on the top; the main building itself was streamlined, with a signal tower and solar panels rising from its roof; on the side helipad, two transport drones were unloading cargo.

What drew her attention most was that, as she’d approached, every kilometer or so, another silhouette of a similar building had loomed faintly in the mist.

These supply stations were like arteries, connecting the First District to the outside world, providing OC Corporation’s exploration teams with ongoing support.

“...Repeat, Station B-7 has completed the transfer of supplies...”

The broadcast from the supply station came through in intermittent bursts.

Ye Mi’s pupils narrowed. She didn’t bother to approach—she simply committed the location to memory.

She was tempted to destroy it.

But she knew from the Adventure Squad’s intelligence that such stations were well-defended, and she had no reason to waste time on it right now.

Besides, the appearance of a supply station meant she was already close to the Second District.

Ten minutes later.

“This is the place?”

Ye Mi pulled out the holographic map she’d taken from the Adventure Squad. A clear demarcation split the land before her in two, with the words “Second District” boldly marked.

She soon halted, her pace slowing as she stopped at the boundary between the First and Second Districts, her toes brushing the invisible divide.

Moonlight seeped through the leaden clouds, scattering shadows on the ground.

She raised her head and noticed that the moonlight was oddly tinged; on closer inspection, it carried a faint wash of red, like diluted blood bleeding across the sky.

Against the white canvas of the moon, the red was more pronounced.

Clearly, this was not the moon’s true color, but something caused by the Second District.

The energy here was shifting.

If the energy of the First District was invisible, and in the Second District it began to blush crimson, then what of the Third, the Fourth... or even the legendary Fifth District, where no one had ever returned? Would it be a world entirely washed in blood-red?

She raised her metal arm, stretching it slowly into the air of the Second District.

Black threads flowed along her skin, probing the energy’s difference.

—No anomalies.

Ye Mi crossed the boundary.

The ground beneath her feet felt softer, almost as if she were treading on the hide of some great beast; the air was tinged with a faint scent of rust, mingled with the slightest hint of blood.

She needed to find the road to Halo Mall.

That was her destination.

The map marked clearly where the alien ruins had appeared, and Ye Mi could tell at a glance that the area was beside the commercial district of Halo Mall. Though the mall and its surroundings must now be ruined, as a landmark, it remained the best point of reference.

Ye Mi was still fairly familiar with the eastern side of Edge City—before the Light Ruins had swallowed it, this had been a thriving commercial district.

Halo Mall was an upscale venue owned by OC Corporation, specializing in cybernetic implants and luxury goods; she had accompanied wealthy friends here for upgrades once or twice.

Ye Mi recalled the city’s layout—following Galley Avenue forward would lead straight to the commercial zone.

She moved quickly through the city, vigilant and ready for danger at every step.

As she vaulted a collapsed concrete wall, she suddenly heard the clatter of falling rubble.

A low growl—

A black shape lunged from the side!

Ye Mi twisted aside in an instant—a mutated dog’s claws scraped across her metal shell, casting a spray of sparks.

The creature was the size of a full-grown wolf, much of its fur gone, exposed muscle marbled with purplish-red tumors, corrosive saliva dripping from its fangs.

The mutant dog lunged again—Ye Mi’s right arm instantly reformed itself into a blade.

A metallic hiss—

The blade struck true, piercing the monster’s throat, black threads surging madly into the wound.

The dog convulsed violently, tumors bursting one after another, spraying foul pus.

Within three seconds, the body withered, until nothing remained but a skin bagged loosely over bone.

Ye Mi flicked the residue from her blade and looked ahead—the ruined highway sprawled before her like a twisted metal serpent, winding through the wreckage.

On either side, the shattered buildings grew denser, skeletal remains gnawed by some colossal beast, their twisted rebar stabbing defiantly at the sky.

Suddenly, the road’s bend opened out—

In the vast heart of the ruin, Halo Mall stood silent and alone, stripped of its former splendor, but still unmistakable.