Strange Era: An exclusive talent every month.

"Go in." Chen Ye squeezed through the crack in the door first, gathering a soft "light of enlightenment" in his hand for illumination.

The group filed in, and the last one to enter, Daoist Dongxu, tried to push the door back up, but the sliding track of the door seemed to be stuck, and it could only be closed halfway, leaving a gap.

"That's fine, it leaves us a way out." Chen Ye glanced at the gap but didn't insist.

The passageway was quiet, with only the soft sounds of footsteps and breathing. The air was thick with the smells of dust and engine oil, and occasionally scattered metal parts and dried, strangely colored oil stains could be seen on the ground.

The passageway extended downwards for several tens of meters before leveling out and branching off. Based on the finite structure diagram obtained from the maintenance station's database (primarily concerning the maintenance passageway network), Chen Ye determined the direction and chose the path leading to the "lower-level energy distribution area" inside the tower.

His plan was to maintain the network of passageways, avoiding the main public areas and dangerous zones within the tower, and directly reach the second level where the "Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor" was located. It would be even better if he could also explore the current state of the tower, especially the edges of the "Corruption Spread Zone" and the "Land of the Fallen."

The passageway meandered like a maze. Many places were blocked by collapsed pipes or damaged equipment, requiring careful detours or clearing. The sense of chaotic energy in the air grew stronger, and at times, a muffled, heart-pounding energy pulse could be heard emanating from deep within the walls, making one uneasy.

"The energy here... feels terrible," Zhiyin said softly, her brows furrowing slightly. "It's full of restlessness and... malice."

Chen Ye nodded. He could sense that the gentle and sacred energy field of the Holy Mountain itself had been severely distorted here, replaced by a complex and dangerous environment that mixed the chaos of the Dark Abyss, the decaying remnants of Holy Spirit energy, and some kind of mechanical energy overload.

Suddenly, the light fox walking in front stopped, its ears perked up, and it let out a low "woof" warning towards a fork in the road ahead.

Chen Ye immediately signaled everyone to stop, conceal their auras, and carefully probed out their spiritual senses.

At the fork in the road ahead, a faint rustling sound, like many tiny metal parts rubbing together, was heard, mixed with a low gurgling sound, as if something was being chewed.

Soon, several strangely shaped "things" crawled out from the side path.

It resembled a hybrid of some kind of insect and machine, about the size of a house cat. Its body was composed of dark red, seemingly corroded metal and some kind of organic matter, and it had six slender, segmented limbs with sharp barbs. Its head was a constantly rotating mouthpart covered with sharp teeth. It emitted a faint aura of the Dark Abyss and chaotic mechanical energy fluctuations, and its strength was approximately at the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Is it a 'Corrupted Mechanical Insect'?" Chen Ye guessed based on the fragmented information in the database. It was probably a miniature mechanical construct originally used for cleaning or maintenance within the tower, which was corrupted by the power of the Dark Abyss and turned into the aggressive monster it is now.

The corrupted mechanical insects seemed unaware of Chen Ye and his companions, crawling aimlessly through the passage, their mouthparts opening and closing as if searching for metal or energy to devour.

"They are few in number and not very strong, but they might attract more," Chen Ye said in a low voice. "Let's finish this quickly and try not to make too much noise."

He raised his hand, and several condensed beams of "enlightenment light" shot out silently from his fingertips, accurately hitting the core energy nodes of several mechanical insects.

chi chi chi...

Like cold water poured into hot oil, the mechanical insect emitted a short, electronic-like hiss, its body convulsed violently, then went limp and motionless, its dark red sheen quickly fading.

The purification effect of "Light of Enlightenment" remains effective against these low-level corrupting machines.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and continued on their way.

After walking for a while, they arrived at a relatively spacious "node hall." It appeared to be the intersection of several maintenance corridors, with a huge, now-defunct energy regulator wreckage in the center. Several closed metal doors lined the walls of the hall, labeled in Holy Spirit script: "Energy Pipeline A-7," "Coolant Circulation Pump Station," "Backup Control Room," etc.

In one corner of the hall, there were piles of broken metal boxes and tools, covered with a thick layer of dust.

"Let's rest here for a bit and confirm our location," Chen Ye said. After continuously traveling through the narrow, oppressive passage, everyone was somewhat exhausted.

Chen Ye took out the "Star Key Resonance Disc" and infused it with a wisp of spiritual power. The patterns on the disc's surface lit up, showing their current relative position inside the tower—approximately in the upper part of the tower's base, more than a hundred meters vertically away from the "Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor" on the second floor, but they would need to go through a complex maintenance passage to get there.

“From here… turn left, pass the ‘coolant pump station,’ and then there’s an emergency maintenance shaft that leads upwards…” Chen Ye planned the route, referring to the structural diagram in his mind.

Just then, Jiufeng suddenly let out a soft "Eh," walked over to the pile of broken toolboxes, and used the tip of her gun to pry open a few of them.

"Brother Chen, look at this."

Chen Ye walked over and saw several items scattered at the bottom of the box: a uniquely shaped, silver-gray energy pistol with a slender barrel (it was already out of power); several palm-sized silver battery panels with energy interfaces on their surfaces (some of which still showed a faint energy response); and a thick paper logbook made of some kind of waterproof and fireproof material.

"Standard equipment of the Holy Spirit Clan?" Chen Ye picked up the energy pistol. It was heavy and well-made. Although the energy was depleted, the structure was intact. Perhaps he could try to recharge it.

He picked up the journal again. The cover was damaged, but the title was still faintly legible: "Maintenance Log Inside the Tower, Seventh Era, No. K-73".

Chen Ye's heart stirred, and he carefully opened the log.

The first half of the log records the trivial matters of daily maintenance work inside the tower: replacing energy conduits, calibrating rune arrays, inspecting autonomous guards, etc. The handwriting is neat and shows a sense of rigor.

But when you turn to the middle section, the handwriting begins to become messy and hurried:

"...Star Calendar 7402, Day 117. Alert! Abnormal fluctuations in the core energy of the Aion! The Holy Light reading continues to decline! All non-essential personnel have been evacuated from the upper levels..." "...Day 119. Energy disturbances have intensified, with 'Shadow Corruption' appearing in some areas. The 'Cleanser' series of constructs has reported the discovery of an unknown organic/inorganic hybrid life form, highly aggressive, tentatively named 'Corrupted Entity.' Internal isolation procedures have been initiated..."

"...Day 121. The situation is out of control. The number of 'Corrupted Entities' has surged, breaching the three layers of isolation zones. The seventh layer, the 'Hall of Elements,' has completely lost contact. An unidentified crack has been detected in the outer energy barrier of the eighth layer, the 'Between Star Cores'..."

"...Day 125. We are trapped in the lower maintenance area. The outside passages are blocked by 'corrupted entities' and energy turbulence. Communications are down. Backup energy is about to run out. We don't know what's happening up there... May the light of the Holy Spirit protect us..."

"...Last page: Energy is running out. This is the end of the record. Those who come after, if you see this log, beware, the tower is no longer a sacred place. 'They' are everywhere. The core... may have already... fallen. Do not trust... any seemingly intact autonomous guardians... especially... the 'Hunters'..."

The log ends here.

Chen Ye closed the logbook, his heart heavy. According to the logbook, before and after the Holy Spirits withdrew, a terrible anomaly had already occurred inside the Tower of Eternity. "Corrupted entities" (which were very likely the later Fallen Ones) spread out from the outer perimeter of the star core, infecting and corrupting many areas and mechanical units within the tower.

The statement, "Don't trust any seemingly intact self-disciplined guardians... especially the 'Hunters'," is particularly chilling. Combined with the fact that the "Hunters" series is marked as a "potential threat" in the repair station database, it's clear that these constructs, possessing a certain level of AI and independent combat capabilities, may have encountered problems during the Tower's internal mutations, or even... sided with the corruption?
“The situation is worse than we thought.” Chen Ye briefly explained the contents of the log to everyone. “There may not only be Fallen Ones inside the tower, but also hostile, corrupted constructs. We must be extra careful.”

He carefully stored away the energy pistol and several battery panels that still had a faint amount of energy. Although the pistol was unusable now, perhaps he could find a way to recharge it or disassemble it to extract useful parts.

After a short rest, the group continued their journey.

Following Chen Ye's planned route, they successfully passed the coolant pump station (which had long since stopped working and was filled with frost) and found the emergency repair shaft.

The shaft is about two meters in diameter and contains a simple ladder, but many of the steps have rusted and fallen off. The shaft extends upwards and disappears into the darkness, with a faint, more distinct roaring sound of turbulent energy flowing from above.

"I'll go first." Chen Ye took a deep breath and, using both hands and feet, began to climb up the broken ladder. The others followed closely behind.

After climbing about thirty meters, a strong energy fluctuation and a metallic clanging sound suddenly came from above!

Chen Ye immediately stopped and signaled the people below to be quiet.

He cautiously poked his head out and looked toward the shaft exit.

Outside the exit, there appeared to be a relatively open maintenance platform. The platform was a mess, littered with damaged equipment and parts. And in the center of the platform, a battle was raging!
On one side of the battle were two even more ferocious, bison-sized, corrupted monsters covered in dark red carapaces, covered in bone spurs and pustules—the "Corrupted Abominations"! Their auras had reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm!

And the other side of the battle... is a humanoid machine!
The mechanical guardian was entirely dark gold, taller and more muscular than the previously seen "Warriors," its lines radiating power. Its head was a sharply defined metal structure, with two constantly scanning red beams positioned where its eyes would be. Its arms were no longer simple claws, but transformable weapon modules, now wielding two rapidly spinning energy blades, fiercely clashing with the two corrupted abominations!
The energy blades struck the abomination's carapace, bursting into blinding sparks and dark red slime! The corrupted abominations' claw attacks and charges were either skillfully dodged by the mechanical guards or withstood by their sturdy armor!
The battle was exceptionally fierce, with both sides evenly matched. The mechanical guards moved with precision and efficiency, displaying a chilling, murderous beauty, but the Corrupted Abomination's power and regenerative abilities were also astonishing.

"That's... 'The Hunter'?" Chen Ye guessed to himself. Judging from its appearance and fighting style, it was very likely the "Hunter" series mentioned in the database!
The log warns against trusting the "Hunter," yet this very "Hunter" is battling a corrupted abomination? Is the program not yet completely malfunctioning? Or... is it purging all creatures that enter its "territory"?
Chen Ye was unable to make a judgment at the moment.

Just then, the battle took a turn!

Suddenly, a Corrupted Abomination opened its massive maw and spewed out a large glob of dark green, foul-smelling corrosive slime! The mechanical guard seemed caught off guard by this attack, and its dodge was slightly too slow, resulting in its left arm being smeared with the slime!

Chi Chi Chi!
The armor on the mechanical left arm was immediately corroded, emitting blue smoke, and its movements became slightly sluggish!
Another corrupted abomination seized the opportunity and rammed into the mechanical guard's chest!

clang!
With a dull thud, the mechanical guard was knocked back several steps, its chest armor dented, and the red beam of light flashed violently.

The two corrupted abominations let out triumphant roars, preparing to launch a deadly combined attack.

At this critical moment—

Chen Ye made a move!

He leaped out of the shaft like a falcon, mid-air, his left hand gathering a beam of "Light of Enlightenment" and shooting it toward the eye of the corrupt abomination that was spitting sludge! His right hand wielded the Wraith Greatsword, which was wreathed in golden-red flames, and slashed fiercely at the nape of another abomination that was about to pounce on the mechanical guard!

Golden light and flames instantly tore through the darkness on the platform!
"Light of Enlightenment" struck the corrupted abomination's right eye with pinpoint accuracy! Like a red-hot iron piercing butter, the abomination let out a shrill scream as its right eye was instantly burned open, leaving a charred hole from which dark green mucus and black blood gushed out! It clutched its eye in agony, its attack completely distorted.

At the same time, Chen Ye's golden-red sword light also struck the nape of another abomination! The restraining effect of the Holy Blood Power on the creatures of the Dark Abyss was once again evident. The sword light cut into the tough carapace as easily as cutting tofu, and deeply pierced into the cervical vertebrae!

"Roar—!" The abomination's roar abruptly ceased, its massive body frozen in place before crashing to the ground, its head and body connected only by a layer of skin and flesh, dark red blood gushing out like a fountain.

Two corrupted abominations at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm were killed and severely injured by Chen Ye's surprise attack!

Chen Ye landed beside the mechanical guard, sword in hand, watching the heavily wounded abomination warily.

The mechanical guardian's red beam locked onto Chen Ye, its internal processor seemingly performing high-speed calculations. Its left arm armor was still emitting blue smoke, but its right-hand energy blade remained in a fighting stance.

"Identity... Unknown life form... Energy characteristics: Holy Spirit origin... Behavioral pattern: Assisting in attacks on corrupted units..." A cold, electronic voice emanated from the mechanical guardian's body. "Analysis... Intentions unclear... Threat level: To be assessed." (End of Chapter)