Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 646 The Universe of the Black Core (Part 1)

Meanwhile, at the south gate of Belogersk, near the "fortress layer".

Having just fought those mutated black creatures, Dark felt an unprecedented, soul-deep exhaustion. He had to temporarily put aside his "Imitation-Mad Bear" pistol and look at the two pitch-black bodies on the ground.

“They must be Commander Nebrius’s personal guard. Now they’ve all mutated into this form. It seems the Federation has ultimately won this war.” Dark picked up the “Ice Lotus” badge from near the remaining fabric on the blackened body.

He stretched out his finger and rubbed off the charcoal residue, then examined it carefully:
"The ice lotus represents Nebusk, ice symbolizes Krusd, and the lotus represents a part of the culture of Khitanris. Adaloni, it seems we need to hurry and find Nebrius."

"Are you sure he's still alive?" Adaloni snorted, breathing in the complex and unpleasant smell in the air, and then stuck out his long, thin tongue, like that of a snake, to lick the air.

“Besides the strong smell of radiation, there’s also a pungent stench of blood, and even the odor of the ‘Heartless Virus.’ I estimate that for every minute we stay here, our sanity will decline. Before the radiation completely dissipates, we’ll become even more insane than those soldiers who just died.” Adaloni extended his large dragon feet, easily crushing the lower half of the black body’s internal organs and bones, turning over the marrow and flesh inside with his dragon claws, and clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Tsk tsk tsk, look, they were humans before. They were first exposed to the radiation of the 'Artificial Heavenly Punishment Fire,' but they did not die completely. The magical energy and 'Heartless Virus' in their bodies have extremely strong self-repair and metabolic capabilities, which allowed them to reconstruct some of their internal organs and bones in a short period of time."

"However, these newly formed flesh and blood are quite fragile. In order to repair this broken body, the 'heartless virus' needs to multiply in large numbers. Therefore, they mutated into 'heartless people' in a short period of time."

“So, they were originally... no, they were superhumans. It’s not surprising that a commander like Nebrius, who believes in the mysticism, would have superhumans around him,” Dark said, looking at the pile of roasted flesh that looked like chicken legs.

“Yes, it’s not surprising that there are some superhumans. But these people are most likely Nabrius’s core guards, probably bodyguards on special missions. Otherwise, with their half-eaten flesh and broken bodies, even though we’ve exhausted most of our strength against the Chosen Ones, we shouldn’t be struggling so much.” Adaloni pointed out the crux of the problem:
"In that case, Nabrius's chances of survival are even lower. Dark, there's another problem: apart from these few 'newborn heartless people' who haven't completely died yet, we haven't seen any other living beings on the ground. Even the trees around us have turned as black as machines, and I can't smell any life."

“However, I can sense that this place is filled with the souls of the dead who have not yet dispersed. We dragons possess the power of the creator; we can communicate with the gods above and go to the underworld to redeem people below. The ‘Scent of the Dragon Spirit’ has given us the ability to sense death.”

"So, the repeated bombardments of 'Heavenly Punishment Fire' on the first and second days did indeed kill the vast majority of humans and Lost Ones here. Those who didn't have time to escape, and those who couldn't escape, also died from radiation over the past two days." Dark paused, looking at the "Fortress Layer" not far away.

Suddenly, his brain, like a mechanical war machine that had been braked and then suddenly restarted, recalled the cosmic realm created by the [Core of Khitanria].

“Perhaps, Nebrius is there. These Crusad leaders are actually quite ruthless; only fanatical ‘loyalists’ like Yaroslav would appear in the center of the battlefield to fight on the front lines. The vast majority of other administrators and overall commanders are stationed in the rear, directing operations from the center.” Dak pointed to the half-finished, dilapidated building in front of him and said:

“Nabrius must still be below the ‘Fortress Layer.’ Adaloni, if we go in and still can’t find Nabrius, or if we confirm that he is dead, you must help me find the ‘Core of Khitania’ before we can leave this place.”

"What do you need it for?" Adaloni gasped for breath, bracing himself against the ground as he leaped into the air, asking in bewilderment:

"That thing is far inferior to the 'Khitan Rys Ring' around my neck and the 'Mad Bear Pistol' in your hand. It can only create a dark labyrinth. If it were us dragons, we would know the end after breathing a few breaths of fire."

“Wait, Adaloni.” Dark stood up, looked at Adaloni behind him, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. He said:
"You just said that your dragon race can find the end by breathing a few breaths of fire? Is that right?"

“Of course. We dragons possess all sorts of abilities that you humans can only imagine, and even more that you can’t. Manipulating fire is a piece of cake for us. Don’t worry, Dark, once you and Light reach Chidanris, I will protect you. Whatever you want to do then, I will be your strong support. But for now…” Adaloni patted his broad dragon chest proudly.

"Adaloni, let me see, let me see!" Dark said as he pried open Adaloni's dragon mouth.

Adaloni resisted the urge to push Dark away, but at the same time, he didn't want to hurt him.

In the midst of the chaos, he exhaled a mouthful of pure, crimson dragon flame, which happened to graz Dark's ear, singeing a small tuft of hair near his ear.

"Um, Dark, I'm sorry, I've only just regained my dragon powers and I'm not yet proficient enough," Adaloni said apologetically.

“No need to apologize, Adaloni. I know what to do. Since you can unleash your breath and release flames at any time, even if we can't find Nebrius, we can find the [Core]. Follow me, Adaloni.” Dakra gripped Adaloni’s thick dragon claws.

"Wait, where are we going?" Adaloni asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Just follow me…” Dark said in rapid succession as he led Adaloni toward the ruins of the “Fortress Layer”:
"When Hoshino Shota led me down from the upper level of the 'Fortress Layer' to the underground, although my eyes were covered, my dark magic power actually allowed me to see the entire path clearly. I just didn't tell Hoshino Shota. He thought he had perfectly hidden the path to the universe created by the 'Core,' little did he know that I had memorized it all..."

When Dark finally stopped talking, he had already led Adaloni along a passage that could only accommodate one person at a time, to an underground entrance more than fifteen meters below the ground.

Dark looked around, closed his eyes, and began to sense the remaining dark magical energy around him, as well as the dark magical energy he had "accidentally" left behind.

This place is very similar to the abandoned mines of the Crusd Empire, but it is different from the mineral veins left by the dwarves.

Although the Nabve Mountains are generally high, the core area of ​​Belogersk is located in a low-lying area, where floods caused by glacial melting occasionally occur during warmer periods.

Therefore, when the old empire was excavating the "decaying lithium mine" here, it built two dikes, "Core 01" and "Core 02", which were slightly higher than the ground, to protect the mine and ensure that the underground would not be infiltrated by floods.

However, as the underground ore was continuously mined out, the ground in Belogersk rose, eventually burying the dam underground.

The location occupied by Dark and Adaloni is actually the "Central Lithium Mine of the Old Empire," flanked by two "Core Dams," while at the very center lies a deep pool that seems to lead to the underworld.

However, it was now completely frozen over, and falling in would certainly result in serious injury. After walking along the simple, openwork metal bridge built over the pool ahead, Dark and Adaloni saw rows of LEDs emitting a faint green light projected onto the wall.

This was clearly a technological product of the old empire, which Nebrius had directly adopted and used. These LEDs were far more efficient than wall lamps or electric lights connected by complex circuits; they consumed less energy and were cheaper to install.

Moreover, these LEDs were not completely turned off, especially the "Burning Ice Lotus" representing Nebrius, which was still powered, proving that the power system here was not damaged for the time being and was still being maintained.

As for whether it is Nabrius, we will only know after the two of them go deeper into the bottom.

Dakra, feeling somewhat oppressed and afraid, walked through a silent passage illuminated only by green light.

The place was so quiet that only the sound of their footsteps, the faint, almost inaudible sounds of machinery and the flowing river could be heard.

With his eyes closed, sensing the dark magic power, Dark walked for about two hundred meters before opening his eyes again and looking at the giant steel gate in front of him.

This massive gate was originally made of special military-grade materials used only in the vaults of the Icefall City Bank. It could only be fully opened by using four keys to unlock the four keyholes and then turning the central rudder-like gate.

But now, a hole has appeared out of nowhere in the center of the giant gate, large enough to allow the entire body of the Adaroni dragon race to pass through.

"Has someone forced their way in here?" Adaloni looked at the hole, gestured with his hands, and asked.

"There's some leftover saltpeter around, and some machine gun shell casings. No, not only that, there's also rocket debris, and traces of a 'sundial' portable artillery piece. It seems..." Dark rubbed some of the black dust near the hole, tasted it on his tongue, and then quickly spat it out, saying:

"Perhaps the bombardment of the 'Artificial Heavenly Punishment Fire' was too intense, and some of the guards [warriors] who possessed the keys were killed. Therefore, in an emergency, they had to use the most powerful small cannons to force open the breach and escape inside."

"This does indeed seem to be an excellent place of refuge." Adaloni sniffed the air again with his dragon-like nostrils and said:
"It seems that some force from the Khitanris is filtering the foul radiation seeping from the ground, making the radiation concentration here unusually low. If Nebrius had escaped here during the first wave of bombing, he would very likely have survived."

"Once the external radiation concentration drops to a tolerable level, he can take advantage of the moment when the federal army is not mobilized and escape safely back to Nebusk."

"So, we can go in and meet up with Commander Nebrius?" Dark asked, his voice brimming with barely suppressed joy.

“I think we should be more cautious. Just now… I smelled not only the scent of humans and the Lost Ones, but also the scent of Ordered Monsters, and an extremely unsettling aura belonging to a monster. If there really is a ‘monster,’ do you still want to go in?”

"Of course, we have nowhere else to go anyway. We can't exactly surrender to that she-devil Shaneva just to reunite with Wright," Dark shrugged, sounding slightly helpless.

“Only if we safely reach Nabsk will Shaneva release Wright and allow him to join us. She knows that with you and me on the opposing side, Wright has no leverage and will inevitably leave. If she tries to force him to stay, Wright will surely fight her to the death. With the Federation's current strength, no one can defeat him in individual combat.”

“If the three of us are all on the Federation’s side, you and I will become bargaining chips to bind Wright. I will be placed under house arrest by Shaneva in Novayask, and you will have to go back to that bottomless Sener prison, filled with the stench of ‘sorrow’ and decay.”

Dark reached out and patted Adaloni's muscular shoulder, smiling slightly:

"Don't forget, I was once a 'monster' too... In the eyes of humans, whether we identify as human or not, we are always monsters, aren't we?"

“That seems to be the case.” Adaloni nodded slightly in agreement.

……

Bending down to pass through the massive steel gate, Dark and Adaloni walked for about a hundred meters along the dimly lit passage filled with the sound of flowing water, finally arriving at the spacious underground space where he had first met Nebrius.

Looking up, the universe still stretched out in a deep, boundless expanse. Only this time, there were many more dazzling nebulae and a distant Milky Way being swallowed by a black hole.

Standing here, Dak suddenly felt his brain, which had been fogged up by radiation, clear up considerably; this place truly shielded him from the vast majority of radiation.

Just as the two were preparing to search for traces of Nebrius and the [Core of Cidanria], Hoshino Shota appeared directly in front of them.

Hoshino Shota looked much more disheveled than when they last met. His face was covered with many small, unhealed wounds, his chest was burned, his right arm was completely missing and barely bandaged, and even when he opened his mouth, you could see that he was missing two front teeth.

Upon meeting, Hoshino Shota frowned and advised the two:
“You shouldn’t have come here. Commander Nebrius is preparing for a final counterattack. None of us will survive. We will all turn into monsters…”

Before he could finish speaking, two jet-black tentacles emitting faint white glow suddenly emerged from the depths of the "universe," wrapped around Hoshino Shota's waist, lifted him up abruptly, and tossed him aside.

Then, a deep and ethereal voice belonging to Nebrius came from "the end of the universe":
“They are right. You should come here, Belogersk. We need such excellent people… as raw materials.”