69novels Chapter 2 The Scavenger
Chapter 2 The Scavenger
The pumping station is quieter at night than during the day. Not really quiet—the bottom nest is never quiet. That deep industrial roar is always there, coming from the deepest part of the nest, passing through layers of metal structures, and eventually becoming an omnipresent background noise. But at night, the distant voices, footsteps, and machinery disappear, leaving only this roar, and the occasional whimper from the depths of the pipes.
Liu En didn't sleep too soundly. He remained in a semi-conscious state, his ears constantly listening to the sounds outside the pumping station.
After daybreak, he finished breakfast and then began to sort through yesterday's harvest.
The warehouse contained a considerable amount of material reserves: ceramic steel, plastic steel, various alloys, organic materials, and rare elements, totaling several hundred kilograms in weight. These substances were stored in the invisible space surrounding his body in the form of atoms and simple molecules, taking up no volume and having no weight.
The database contains an even larger amount of information on material composition. From the composite structure of building materials to the core technologies of weapons, from the parts data of vehicles to the functional modules of electronic devices, all kinds of information are automatically archived according to their source and category. He mentally recalled the information about the damaged laser gun—the dielectric layer structure of the energy capacitor, the optical parameters of the resonant cavity, and the composition ratio of the excitation medium. Although there were omissions, the skeleton was complete.
He needs more complete information about the weapons.
Liu En removed the plastic-steel sealing plate from the pump station entrance, disassembled it, and stored it back in the warehouse. Then he peeked out and looked around. The passageway was empty, with only grayish-yellow smog slowly flowing through it.
Today, based on my memory of the terrain, I chose to head north. To the north lies an abandoned factory area, once a production workshop for a certain bottom-nest clan, which ceased production decades ago. The structure there is relatively stable, and because it is far from water sources and main roads, few people go there.
He moved north along the passage, maintaining a cycle of "touch-decode-store-listen" as he went. He would touch a wall or pipe, decode it, store it, and then stop to listen for a few seconds. Efficiency decreased, but security increased.
After walking for about forty minutes, the passage suddenly widened. The walls on both sides changed from simple terracotta panels to complex pipes and supports, and more platforms and walkways appeared overhead, layer upon layer. The air was filled with a stronger smell of rust and a sour stench similar to rotting grease. Scattered on the ground were large amounts of industrial waste—broken machine parts, discarded tools, melted circuit boards, and deformed metal frames.
Liu En squatted down and began analyzing. The quality of the industrial waste was much better than what he had collected yesterday. He analyzed several complete gear transmission assemblies, obtaining information on the material composition of the reducer, clutch, and brake. He also analyzed the depth of the hardened layer on the gear teeth, the surface finish of the shaft, and the clearance design of the bearings.
In a relatively open space, he discovered a fairly intact piece of machinery. It was about two meters tall and three meters long, with a thick terracotta steel casing and a complex internal structure. Although it had been without power for many years and all moving parts were rusted shut, its material composition contained a wealth of knowledge in the field of machining—the spindle's motion precision, the material composition of the cutting tools, the cooling system's flow channel design, and the control system's circuit layout. Liu En spent nearly an hour analyzing this machine.
Just then, he heard footsteps. More than one person. They came from the other side of the passage, accompanied by voices—low Gothic. Liu En immediately went on alert. He slowly crouched down against the wall, simultaneously constructing a camouflage shell around himself using PVC material—a small camouflage shell that could completely cover his body, matching the color and texture of his surroundings. Through a few micro-holes in the camouflage shell, he peered out.
Three men walked through the passage. They were all dressed in dark gray clothing, with tools and crude weapons hanging from their waists. One of them carried a dim miner's lamp, its light cutting a blurry fan shape in the haze. They talked as they walked.
"I've searched three districts, but I haven't found anything."
"The boss said we have to find that shipment, or we're not going back."
"That place has already been emptied out. What's the point of us wandering around here?"
"Complaining to me is useless. Go talk to the boss."
The other person remained silent, simply following along. The three men passed by Liu En's camouflage shell, the closest of them less than three meters away. The light from their headlamps swept across the surface of the shell, finding nothing unusual. The footsteps faded into the distance, disappearing at the other end of the passage.
Liu En waited five minutes to make sure the three people were far away before removing his disguise and standing up. His heart was beating fast, but much more steadily than yesterday.
He sped up his scavenging and used auditory reconnaissance more frequently.
Deep within the abandoned factory, he found what he was looking for: a laser gun. Not fragments, not wreckage, but a complete, though old, laser gun in perfect working order. It leaned against a pillar in the corner of the factory, its body covered in dust, without a trace of damage. The energy pack was still plugged into the interface, and although the glass shell of the indicator light was dim, remnants of green fluorescent powder could be seen inside.
Liu En carefully picked it up, confirming that every part was intact. He didn't disassemble the gun. He needed a usable weapon, and he needed it now. He lacked sufficient confidence in his abilities and wasn't sure if the reconstructed laser gun would actually fire properly. He slung the laser gun over his shoulder and continued exploring the factory area.
Over the next few hours, his haul grew increasingly rich. Several fragments of power armor. Although only a few armor plates and pieces of the servo system remained, the information about their material composition gave him a glimpse into the Empire's advanced individual soldier equipment. A live-fire rifle. Much simpler than a laser gun, but remarkably intact. The remains of a thermobaric gun. More fragments of electronic equipment.
In a forgotten corner deep within the factory area, he discovered a data crystal. The crystal was intact, with no visible damage to its surface. He touched it, and information flooded in: information about the material composition of the storage medium itself, and the data stream stored within. The data was text encoded in High Gothic—too much information for him to decipher in the exposed environment of the Underground Nest. He simply stored the entire crystal's material composition information along with the data content into his database.
Later in the afternoon, he began his return journey to the pumping station. He had already walked a long way that day—from the pumping station to the factory area, and then back along another route, a total distance estimated to be over thirty kilometers. His body was improving somewhat with continued nutritional support, but he still couldn't withstand such strenuous exercise. His legs began to weaken, his breathing became rapid, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
At the corner of a passage, he heard footsteps again. This time, there was only one person, their footsteps heavy and hurried, as if they were rushing. Liu En darted into a side path, quickly constructing a camouflage shell. The figure ran past in the main passage without even glancing towards the side path. It was a lone resident of the bottom nest, looking flustered, carrying a package in his arms. His figure quickly disappeared into the haze.
Liu En emerged from the side road and continued moving towards the pumping station.
When he returned to the pumping station, the grayish-yellow smog had become even darker—day was almost over. He entered the pumping station, sealed the entrance with plastic sheeting, and sat down against the wall.
He acquired the laser gun today. Power armor fragments, wreckage of a molten lava gun, a complete live-fire rifle, and a data crystal. His material reserves in the warehouse have at least doubled, and his database contains hundreds more entries of material composition information. He successfully avoided two human encounters and one mutant encounter.
The laser gun was pressed against his side. Liu En took out atoms from the warehouse and created dinner. It was still the same simple nutritional formula. He ate it in small bites.
The information in the data crystal can be reviewed later. The laser copying can also be tried later. Right now, the most important thing is to rest.
In the distance, that low, mournful wail echoed again from outside the pumping station. Liu En ignored it. He placed the laser gun within easy reach, rested the dagger on his knee, and closed his eyes. His breathing gradually slowed, and his consciousness sank into a half-asleep, half-awake state of alertness.