Chapter 5: Ninth Fortress 5

An He didn’t act rashly. She didn’t know where this sense of crisis came from, but there was no way she could return to the wasteland right now. She needed a livable place.

The best approach was to play it by ear. If anything went wrong, she could always run later.

The so-called Research Lab sat right in the center of the fortress.

The medical team took Asta away, and as the vehicle drove onto the main thoroughfare, An He realized the Ninth Fortress was much larger than she’d imagined. It had the full scale of a town, all protected behind the Iron Wall.

The fortress was built into the mountainside. The outermost perimeter held Thorn Lamp’s outposts, while the central area housed the civilian districts. At the foot of the mountain stood a hospital, a school, a church, and food trading posts.

Clearly, this fortress had been established for a long time. A new civilization and order were gradually taking shape.

Even though all the facilities looked somewhat outdated and drab, it was undeniably livable here. The air was much cleaner than outside—no dust mask needed, and her lungs didn’t feel irritated.

What surprised An He was the pair of massive mounds at the fortress’s heart.

They weren’t ordinary hills. From a distance, half of each “mountain” was a dull earthen yellow, covered in machinery performing some kind of operation. Heidi noticed her confusion and explained, “Those are our underground shelters—and our mines.”

“Mines?”

“Yeah, mostly iron ore.”

In that instant, An He pieced together a lot of things.

She’d just been wondering how a resource-scarce world could forge such an enormous Iron Wall. Now, glancing at Heidi—the metal buckles everywhere on her body, the vehicle unscathed by the bomb blast—it all made sense.

Metal smelting was highly developed here.

Heidi went on, “Each of the thirteen fortresses controls a vital survival resource. Iron ore is what keeps the Ninth Fortress standing in the wasteland. After all, unpolluted mines are rare, and ones we can actually excavate are even scarcer.”

An He quickly grasped the emphasis in her tone.

Metal wasn’t like food—it didn’t sustain life directly. But if humanity wanted to rebuild, boost productivity and combat strength, and fight the Bone Eaters, metal became indispensable.

Fighting with a blade was always better than going in empty-handed.

The Ninth Fortress was nothing like An He had imagined.

Through the car window, she saw ordinary folk along the roadsides. They weren’t as tall as Heidi or Asta. Due to resource shortages, their clothing was simple and sturdy—mostly durable denim and leather. Fragile spots like necks and wrists were reinforced with metal rings and buckles. Lacking salt and meat, they showed some edema, but it wasn’t severe.

These visual differences finally gave An He a tangible sense: she had truly crossed over into a resource-starved, order-rebuilding wasteland world.

As an outsider, An He began observing every detail closely.

She noticed that everyone in sight was a woman. Hair colors, eye colors, skin tones—all varied. After the great catastrophe, humanity had migrated and intermixed genes; they no longer fit neatly into single ethnic categories.

On this whole street, An He was the purest East Asian.

Even the red-haired woman from her dreams had mixed features.

It wasn’t without oddities, though.

Facing death threats and material shortages, these people should have looked terrified. But An He saw no despair on their faces. Instead, their eyes flickered with hopeful flames.

As the car passed through the bustling market district, Heidi slowed down. An auntie passing by spotted her and handed a shriveled apple through the window. “The commander said you went to trade for salt. Hard work, Heidi.”

“Thanks, Aunt Helitanskia.” Heidi took the apple and bit into it naturally.

Whoa, what a long name—lucky Heidi could remember it, An He thought.

From these people’s gazes, An He could feel their genuine affection for Thorn Lamp’s members. Such small interactions couldn’t be faked.

“See?” Heidi said, munching the apple as she drove, deliberately showing An He around. “Civilians without combat ability handle iron smelting and basic construction. That’s who we Thorn Lamp protect.”

“All women?”

“Yeah. The Ninth Fortress is a matriarchal society. We support each other—like elephants.” Heidi used the elephant analogy again. “We’re resilient to bloodshed and illness; we don’t break easily.”

It made sense. An He nodded firmly.

Seeing these civilians, she finally understood where Heidi and Asta’s convictions came from. The atmosphere here naturally inspired people to uphold it, even at the cost of their lives.

“So, if your checkup’s clean, you can stay.” Heidi finally revealed why she’d taken the scenic route with An He. “Since you’ve awakened a Nestsoul, why not consider joining Thorn Lamp? I’ve watched you—you stay calm and adapt on the fly. Perfect fit. And most importantly, you’re not afraid to die.”

“Is that a compliment?” An He tilted her head. She struggled to see her own strengths; anxiety and paranoia had kept her from much contact outside doctors.

“It’s a compliment. I like you.” Heidi admitted it openly. She was sending An He for checks because it was protocol. Setting that aside, personally, she really liked her.

After the praise, Heidi didn’t hesitate to throw cold water: “The downside is your physical fitness isn’t great, which hampers Nestsoul control. If you join Thorn Lamp, we’ll assign someone to train your body and teach you how to wield your Nestsoul.”

“Really?”

An He felt tempted. She’d get a dedicated coach to make her stronger and survive the wasteland.

It was a good deal—help her adapt fast, skip the trial and error.

An He had no urge to return to her original world. Strangely, she felt little attachment there. In this new one, she planned to put down roots.

The Ninth Fortress was a solid choice.

“Really,” Heidi affirmed.

“Just pass the checkup?”

“Yes. They’ll assess danger levels, mental strength, physical functions—make sure you won’t go berserk.” Heidi paused, sobering her expression. “Of course, the big prerequisite is you’re not our enemy… But that’s moot. You risked your life for Asta. I’ll wait for good news.”

The car pulled up and stopped in front of a three-story building. Heidi led An He to a Research Lab room on the second floor. As they arrived, a professor clutching a notebook rushed out.

“Hey, Professor Su.” Heidi blocked the bespectacled woman. “I’ve brought someone back. Needs a mental strength test.”

“I’m busy now. Find my assistant.” Professor Su didn’t look back.

Heidi found it odd. Awakening checks were a big deal in the Ninth Fortress—Professor Su Ling always handled potentials personally. What could be more urgent? Watching Su Ling’s retreating back, Heidi added uncertainly, “An Embedded Spirit Body from the wasteland. You sure you don’t want a look?”

Su Ling halted abruptly and turned back, peering at An He through her glasses. “From the wasteland?”

An He noted Professor Su’s emphasis wasn’t on the Nestsoul, but “wasteland.”

“Yeah. Asta rescued her. I’m about to report to the First Commander.” Heidi stood straight.

Su Ling glanced at her, no more chit-chat. “You go ahead. Leave her to me.”

Soon, An He was ushered into a metal-walled room. The assistant guided her onto a specialized rack for mental strength testing.

Su Ling fitted a half-dome device over her head and slapped on numerous metal patches across her body.

An He glanced sideways at a nearby electronic screen with faint cracks. Apparently, mental strength tests measured brain fluctuations under stimulation.

Su Ling held a massive syringe. “I’ll inject a sedative—in case you lose control and hurt someone.”

Su Ling was in her thirties, with Asian heritage, black hair—likely indoor work, her skin pale. Avoiding An He’s eyes, she aimed the needle at An He’s right arm.

The needle gleamed coldly. An He instinctively flinched; that inexplicable crisis sense surged again.

But she couldn’t dodge. The assistant had already secured her with metal restraints.

Heidi was right—her physique was too weak. The buckles pinned her completely. Her Nestsoul didn’t manifest from her agitation.

In that eye-lock with Su Ling, An He briefly suspected Heidi was lying.

The Ninth Fortress folks didn’t seem so friendly.

Worst, that syringe was huge. The sedative dose was way overkill!

Heidi, you liar.

Dangling promises like some shady HR!

An He cursed inwardly.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.” Su Ling sensed her tension and tried soothing, but her tone wasn’t gentle—stiff, at best. “You need some checks. Relax, sleep it off, and results will be ready when you wake.”

Yeah, right—like I’d believe that.

An He gritted her teeth, silent. Unable to rise, she shifted left while Su Ling checked the equipment. A table there held medical forceps.

She had to position so she could knock it over upon waking—whatever it took.

The sedative kicked in fast. An He’s eyes grew heavy.

Before closing, she saw the assistant filling out a medical record while Su Ling drew her blood—standard procedure. An He suppressed her unease and succumbed to sleep.

…

“Results are in.” Su Ling entered the office hugging a paper box. She slapped the file onto the metal desk. The woman behind it was wrapping wrist straps. “That person Heidi brought back—she’s an Embedded Spirit Body.”

“Rating?” The woman snatched the file, scanning it closely.

She had golden hair, twenty-six years old. Off-duty, it hung loose behind her head. A metal badge pinned to her chest—crafted from flame stone ore, glowing with lava-like patterns under UV light. The mark of Thorn Lamp’s Supreme Commander.

“No rating.” Su Ling adjusted her glasses. “Her Nestsoul is unusual. Heard from Heidi? A flock of Ravens—a whole flock. Can’t rate it. Innate Talent pending assessment. Her mental fluctuations exceeded the gauge. Ide, this is bizarre.”

Su Ling skipped the surname, addressing the commander by name.

Ide’s expression turned grave. “You mean her mental strength tops A-rank?”

“No.” Su Ling inhaled deeply before continuing. “Sometimes it spikes off the charts, sometimes zero. Never seen an awakener like this. Nestsouls maintain stable mental strength for detection. Hers is wildly unstable. Plus, her baseline stats are average—she shouldn’t handle such a Nestsoul.”

Ide pondered. “So when Heidi said she forgot rescuing Asta, it wasn’t evasion—her Nestsoul’s out of her control?”

“Probably? No data to compare.” Su Ling pulled up a chair. “If that’s all, training could fix it. Ravens are a high-tier Nestsoul, and numerous. With time and training, she’d be a perfect warrior.”

“That’s exactly why I’m worried.” Ide finished her wrist wraps and began neatly tying her hair. She hadn’t donned her jacket yet; her arms’ muscles flexed visibly, scarred heavily.

Su Ling averted her gaze. “No leads on the First Fortress spies?”

“It’s only been a day since it blew up. Nothing.” Ide gripped An He’s report. “Not only no spies found, now an unstable Nestsoul Embedded Spirit Body pops up. Professor Su, too coincidental.”

Su Ling shuddered. “Good thing I got your heads-up first.”

Ide gave a wry smile. “Before you arrived, Heidi sang An He’s praises—gloating she’d planted the seeds of Thorn Lamp loyalty. I sentenced her to toilet duty.”

Su Ling frowned. “Can’t blame Heidi. She was trading salt for five days. Unaware of the fortress changes…”

Ide sighed helplessly.

This land had mostly devolved into radiation-polluted zones, with the remaining low-pollution areas carved up among human factions, their resources tightly controlled. The various factions had, through blood and tears, finally established a fragile balance of trade.

But now, that balance was shattered.

The previous day, Ide had received intelligence from her allies: the First Fortress had violated their pact by planting spies in the other fortresses. Their goal was simple—to scout the operations and resource points of each fortress, preparing to seize them.

Not all humans championed goodwill and cooperation. While battling the Bone Eaters, resource wars between human factions were an inevitable part of history.

Su Ling sighed. “The First Fortress’s actions completely violate the contracts we established. If this continues, no one will dare rescue the Defectors on the Wasteland, and the other fortresses will follow suit.”

“That gang of tyrannical conglomerates has been dreaming of unifying the human fortresses and monopolizing all resources for ages.”

Ide took the matter very seriously.

The core medical knowledge and technology preserved by humanity was almost entirely monopolized by the First Fortress.

The other fortresses could count themselves lucky that the First Fortress lacked the material foundation to build up a large armed force—for now. Once they did, those people would flatten the entire continent.

Ide tied up her hair. “Our fortress might not be infiltrated yet, or perhaps it already is, and we just don’t know. Either way, this Embedded Spirit Body called An He is highly suspicious. She can’t join Thorn Lamp, let alone undergo any training.”

“Take a look at this.” Su Ling pulled over a box on the table and handed it to Ide. “These are the clothes from An He. Your grandmother lived in the First Fortress—see if they match their style of clothing.”

“Artificial silk, polyester, cotton.” Ide felt the fabric. “It does look like First Fortress synthetics. The style matches too.”

This provided further evidence that An He was a sleeper agent.

“I’ll have someone watch her. Su Ling, once she wakes up, question her first. If she shows any signs of lying, note it on the evaluation form and hand it to me.”

Ide slipped on her jacket, instantly concealing the terrifying wounds on her body. She took a heavy gun from the wall. “Asta’s badly injured—her leg can’t be saved. We’ve lost an excellent A-rank Nestsoul user. If we’re attacked, our situation will be dire. I need to urgently establish defensive fortifications. Professor Su, if An He is a problem, you’re authorized to handle her.”

“Got it.”

Ide strode out, her hard boot soles clacking against the stone floor. Two steps later, she turned back, looking down at Su Ling from on high. “But remember, prioritize your own safety, Professor Su. I can’t bear the pain of losing you.”

…

An He dreamed again, fully aware that she was dreaming.

This time, the dream had a setting: blinding white lights, cold instruments. An He glanced around—it was the Research Lab from right before she passed out!

The red-clothed woman appeared again.

Standing in the shadows, flipping through An He’s medical records. Seeing An He lying on the metal bed and eyeing her sideways, the woman set down the records, slowly walked to An He’s side, sat down, and leaned over to stroke An He’s soft hair.

“Little lamb,” the woman said with a smile like she was watching a show. “Here’s some good news for you—you’ve been pegged as a spy.”