The whole nation: You're put to survive on a desolate planet, you'll be running an alien b

The morning sun failed to dispel the gloom that shrouded Donghai City as expected. The sky was a sickly leaden gray, with low-hanging clouds that seemed almost within reach, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression. The stench of blood from last night seemed to have seeped into every pore of the apartment, and even the cold wind could not completely wash it away.

Li Haotian stood by the window, the cigarette in his hand burned out, the long ash teetering precariously but refusing to fall. He watched the pedestrians and vehicles gradually denser on the street below, his gaze like that of someone looking at a group of ants teetering on the edge of a cliff. The city had awakened, but each breath it took was accompanied by a muffled roar, an echo from the depths of the earth.

"The equipment has all been checked," Qin Yue's voice broke the silence. She had changed into a black tactical uniform that allowed for easy movement, the holster on her waist fitting snugly against her outer thigh, a position that would allow her to draw and fire in 0.5 seconds. She handed a spare magazine to Li Haotian, "Lin Mo's condition is not very stable, we need to be prepared to deal with any emergencies."

Li Haotian turned around, took the magazine, and skillfully tucked it into his waistband. His gaze drifted towards the bedroom, his brow furrowed slightly. "Her current state is like a collapsing container, and we're deliberately adding fuel to the fire."

"If we don't find out the source, she will be devoured by that 'voice' sooner or later," Qin Yue said in a deep voice, her tone revealing a hint of anxiety that was hard to detect. "If you hadn't forcibly severed her mental connection last night, she might have already gone mad."

Li Haotian didn't reply, but went straight to the bedroom.

In the bedroom, Lin Mo sat on the edge of the bed, curled up in a ball, hugging her knees. Her face was as pale as paper, and her once clear pupils were now clouded with a faint gray, like cracks on some ancient porcelain. Hearing the door open, she jerked her head up, her body tense like a frightened animal, but upon seeing that it was Li Haotian, that tense aura instantly dissipated, replaced by deep exhaustion.

"Are we leaving?" Lin Mo's voice was hoarse and trembling slightly.

Li Haotian walked up to her, squatted down, and met her gaze. He didn't speak, but simply reached out and gently placed his fingertips on her pulse. It was cold and weak, but beating extremely fast, a rhythm that didn't seem like a human heartbeat, but rather like some kind of machine on its limit frantically operating.

"That voice..." Lin Mo bit her lip, her eyes somewhat unfocused, "It was shouting, it wanted... the mirror. It said that the way home was behind the mirror."

"Then take it home." Li Haotian withdrew his hand, his tone calm but undeniable, "But not now. Now, you are the guide."

Half an hour later, the black SUV drove out of the underground parking garage, like a sharp blade cutting through the city's smog.

A heavy, silent atmosphere filled the car. Qin Yue focused on driving, her hands firmly on the steering wheel, avoiding the congested main roads of the morning rush hour and choosing instead quieter side streets. Xiao Hei lay on the plush cushion in the back seat, its eerie green eyes fixed on the passing scenery outside the window, occasionally letting out a low whimper.

Lin Mo sat in the passenger seat, clutching tightly the shard he had brought back from the crime scene—an unusual piece of mirror, sharp at the edges, with strange ripples flowing across its surface.

"Based on previous clues, the underground drainage system and old subway network of Donghai City are intricate and complex. Most of the blueprints were lost in an archive accident decades ago." Qin Yue looked ahead, breaking the silence in the car. "If the 'mirror' that Lin Mo mentioned refers to some kind of physical building, the most likely location is beneath the ruins of 'Blackwater Town'."

Li Haotian flipped through the tablet in his hand. On the screen was a faded old map, with an inconspicuous corner marked in red. "Blackwater Town is the predecessor of the old town. It was completely abandoned seventy years ago due to a mysterious sinkhole. Later, the current Fourth Sewage Treatment Plant was built on the original site. It is the confluence point of the underground water system, and the yin energy is extremely heavy."

"It's right there." Lin Mo suddenly spoke, his fingers pressing hard against the car window, his nails turning white from the pressure. "I can feel... a pulling force, like countless hands are dragging me down."

Li Haotian glanced at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He knew what this pulling force meant—it was a call from the same source. The being hidden deep within Lin Mo's consciousness was responding to the call from the earth.

"Hold on tight." Qin Yue jerked the steering wheel, causing the car to tilt violently and turn onto a deserted dirt road. Ahead appeared a factory area surrounded by barbed wire, with a "No Entry" sign hanging on the rusty gate, creaking shrilly in the wind.

The car stopped two hundred meters from the gate. The three of them got out of the car, and the damp air, mixed with the smell of decay and chemicals, hit them, making their stomachs churn.

"The magnetic field here is very chaotic." Li Haotian took out a handheld detector, the pointer on which jumped wildly before finally stopping at the red warning zone. "Looks like we've found the right place."

Xiao Hei jumped out of the car. Instead of exploring the surroundings as usual, it clung tightly to Li Haotian's legs, its fur standing on end, and let out a hostile roar at the huge circular building deep in the factory area.

Qin Yue drew her pistol, released the safety, and led the way. Li Haotian supported Lin Mo with one hand and gripped a tactical knife in the other, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

They traversed the overgrown factory grounds and arrived at the entrance to the circular building. The main gate had vanished, leaving only a dark, gaping hole, like a gaping maw ready to devour anyone. The beam of their flashlights illuminated only a few meters ahead; beyond that, only thick, impenetrable darkness remained.

"Follow me, don't fall behind." Qin Yue's voice echoed through the empty entrance.

Descending the rusty spiral staircase, the temperature plummeted. The previously damp air became dry, carrying a faint smell of rust—the smell of blood, old, dried blood.

Lin Mo's steps slowed, her breathing became rapid, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. She seemed to be entering a nightmare, with strange hallucinations flashing before her eyes: flickering candlelight, crowds of people in robes, and countless mirrors, which did not reflect her face, but rather distorted, screaming features.

"Hold on." Li Haotian felt Lin Mo's body trembling, so he gripped her shoulder tightly. A warm internal force penetrated into her body, forcibly suppressing the restlessness.

"Almost there...it's down there..." Lin Mo gasped, her voice trembling with tears. "So many people...they're all inside..."

They descended to the lowest level, which appeared to be a huge underground reservoir, but now the water had dried up. In the very center of the reservoir stood an altar made of black stone, and around the altar were hundreds of mirrors densely packed together.

These mirrors varied in size and shape; some were broken, while others remained gleaming. Under the bright beam of the flashlight, the mirrors did not reflect their images but instead appeared an eerie, deep black, as if leading to an abyss in another dimension.

"This is... the source?" Qin Yue held up her gun and slowly approached the mirrors, a strong sense of unease rising in her heart.

Li Haotian released Lin Mo and walked onto the altar alone. He carefully examined one of the intact mirrors, his fingers gently touching its surface. The touch was icy cold; instead of the hardness of glass, his fingertips felt a viscous, liquid-like sensation.

"This isn't an ordinary mirror," Li Haotian said in a deep voice. He took out a lighter from his pocket, lit it, and brought it close to the mirror. The flame danced violently in front of the mirror, and its color turned into an eerie, ghastly green. "This is a 'boundary medium,' a barrier used to separate two spaces."

"The 'voice' Lin Mo mentioned, is it the one that's trapped on the other side of the mirror?" Qin Yue asked.

"Perhaps she's not trapped." Li Haotian extinguished his lighter, turned to look at Lin Mo, "but sealed. Lin Mo is the key; that voice wants to use her to break these mirrors and return to this side."

Just then, Lin Mo, who had been silent all along, suddenly screamed. She clutched her head with both hands, fell to her knees, and struggled in agony.

"It's coming out! It's going to break out!" Lin Mo roared, his pupils dilating instantly, and his originally black eyes began to turn into an eerie silver-white.

Hundreds of mirrors around them vibrated simultaneously, emitting a piercing buzzing sound. The blackness on the mirror surfaces began to flow, as if something was trying to squeeze through from the other side.

Qin Yue immediately raised her gun, aimed at the mirror closest to Lin Mo, and shouted, "Li Haotian, they're coming out!"

"Shoot at the center of the mirror!" Li Haotian shouted, his body leaping up like a cheetah as he charged towards Lin Mo, trying to pull her away from the center of the altar.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Qin Yue's gun spat fire, the bullets striking precisely the center of several mirrors. However, the mirrors didn't shatter; instead, ripples spread like water, engulfing the bullets. Then, pale, slender arms reached out from the mirrors, grasping the edges of the frames, seemingly trying to climb out.

"Physical attack ineffective!" Qin Yue quickly retreated to reload, her forehead covered in cold sweat.

Li Haotian grabbed Lin Mo's arm and pulled her into his embrace. Lin Mo possessed immense strength; her nails dug deep into Li Haotian's arm muscles, drawing blood. She raised her head, her silver-white eyes devoid of human emotion, filled only with icy killing intent.

"Get out of here!" Lin Mo's voice became overlapping and murky, as if countless people were speaking at the same time.

Li Haotian wasn't intimidated. Instead, he suddenly moved closer to her face, his gaze piercing: "Look into my eyes! Lin Mo, don't let them control you! Tell me, where exactly is this place!"

Those silver-white eyes paused slightly, as if Lin Mo's consciousness was engaged in a fierce tug-of-war with that voice.

"This is... the Tomb of the Mirror..." Lin Mo said haltingly, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, "This is... the place where the truth is buried."

As soon as he finished speaking, a crack suddenly appeared in the ground in the center of the altar, and a blinding red light shot into the sky, illuminating the entire underground space as if it were a blood-red hell. Within that red light, a huge shadow slowly emerged, its outline gradually overlapping with the "voice" that Li Haotian had seen in Lin Mo's mind.

Li Haotian released Lin Mo, drew the dagger from his waist, gripped it in a reverse grip, and stood in front of her. He looked at the shadow taking shape, a crazed smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"It seems that guy really wants to see us."

A gust of wind rose, shadows shifted. The sound of the mirror shattering was like a torrential downpour, heralding the prelude to death in this sealed underground abyss. Li Haotian took a deep breath, squeezing out every last bit of power from his body, preparing to face this cross-dimensional clash.

This battle is unavoidable.