The Supernatural Daily Life of a Magazine

Chapter 16 Activating Runes

"Give me paper and pen," he said.

Xu Qingqing took out a notebook and pen from her backpack. Li Shancheng drew a set of runes from memory, a total of seven symbols arranged in a specific order.

"This is... a variant of the wall-penetrating talisman?" Xu Qingqing recognized part of it.

"The Earth Escape Talisman temporarily alters the structure of matter, allowing one to pass through solids," Li Shancheng said. "But it requires a carrier and energy to activate."

"Vessel?"

"A talisman, or... carved onto an object." Li Shancheng looked at the ground. "If you draw it on your body with a special powder and then infuse it with energy, you might be able to pass through the wall."

"It's theoretically feasible, but the risks are huge." Xu Qingqing frowned. "If the runes malfunction or the energy control becomes unstable, you could get stuck in the wall, or... worse."

"But this is the only way to enter without triggering an alarm," Li Shancheng said. "And I have knowledge of the array's core, so I should be able to succeed."

Looking into his determined eyes, Xu Qingqing finally nodded: "What materials do you need?"

"Lime powder, cinnabar, and... a little bit of my blood," Li Shancheng said. "Blood serves as an energy medium, connecting the runes and the user."

They found a building materials store nearby and bought lime powder and cinnabar. Back in the car, Li Shancheng mixed the materials in a specific ratio, adding a few drops of his own blood. The mixture turned pale red, emitting a faint energy fluctuation.

"I'll draw it for you," Xu Qingqing said.

Following the rune patterns instructed by Li Shancheng, Xu Qingqing used the mixed powder to draw intricate symbols on his arms, chest, and back. With each stroke, Li Shancheng could feel the powder seeping into his skin, bringing a slight tingling and warm sensation.

Once everything was complete, Li Shancheng closed his eyes and focused his mind to activate the runes. The energy within his body—energy he hadn't known he possessed before—began to flow, circulating along the paths of the runes. When he opened his eyes, the runes on his arm were emitting a soft silver light.

"I'm going," he said to Xu Qingqing.

"Be careful, keep in touch." Xu Qingqing handed him a small earpiece. "This has a GPS tracking function. If there's danger, retreat immediately."

Li Shancheng nodded, got out of the car, and walked towards the wall. He chose an area where the surveillance cameras had no view, where two large trees cast shadows. Standing in front of the wall, he took a deep breath and placed his palms on the cold surface.

Activate the rune.

In an instant, the wall rippled like water. Li Shancheng stepped forward, feeling as if he were passing through a thick layer of glue. His vision was blurred, with only the silver light of the runes guiding his way in the darkness. Three seconds later, he passed through the wall and appeared in the warehouse area.

Looking back, the wall was completely intact.

"Entry successful," he reported in a low voice.

"Well done." Xu Qingqing's voice came through the earpiece. "Now head to Warehouse No. 3. It's about 200 meters away at your two o'clock position."

Li Shancheng made his way forward, using the shadows cast by the warehouses and containers. Patrol cars occasionally passed by in the park, but he avoided them all in advance. Five minutes later, he arrived at Warehouse No. 3—a huge gray building with an electronic lock and two security cameras at the entrance.

"We can't get in through the main gate, let's find another entrance," Xu Qingqing said.

Li Shancheng went around to the side of the warehouse and found a ventilation window. It was located high up, but there was a pipe next to it that he could climb. He climbed up the pipe and looked inside through the gap in the ventilation window.

The warehouse appeared normal, filled with various crates and machinery. But Li Shancheng's senses told him that the underground space lay beneath. Searching for possible entrances, he noticed that the ground in the central area of ​​the warehouse was a slightly different color, suggesting it was movable.

"A possible entrance has been found, but it needs to be opened from the inside," he reported.

"Can we go in?"

Li Shancheng tried the ventilation window; it was locked. He used the Earth Escape Talisman again, this time activating it only partially, allowing his arm to pass through the glass and open the latch from the inside. Pushing open the window, he silently slid into the warehouse.

Upon landing, he immediately hid behind a pile of shipping containers. The warehouse was quiet, with only the faint sound of machinery humming in the distance. He cautiously approached the central area and, sure enough, found a movable floor panel about three meters square, with tiny gaps along the edges.

There were no obvious switches or control panels on the floor. Li Shancheng tried to probe with his senses and discovered a complex mechanical structure and energy circuit beneath the floor. It was a double-locked entrance—requiring both a physical key and energy authentication.

"I need the key and the energy signature," he whispered.

"The key might be in Lin Han's or a core member's hands," Xu Qingqing responded. "Energy signature...maybe you can imitate it. Are there any related techniques in the knowledge of the array's core?"

Li Shancheng searched his mind for information. There was indeed a technique called "energy mimicry" that could temporarily imitate specific energy characteristics, but it required contact with a sample of the original characteristic. He recalled encountering Hanshan Technology's surveillance equipment in the library; those devices retained traces of the operator's energy.

"I can try, but it will only last a very short time," he said.

He placed his palms on the floor, focusing his mind on recalling the characteristics of that energy—cold, precise, and mechanical. At the same time, he guided the flow of energy within his body, adjusting the frequency in an attempt to match it.

The first few attempts failed, with noticeably different energy fluctuations. But on the fifth attempt, the energy circuit beneath the floor suddenly reacted, emitting a slight hum. A ring of blue light lit up the edge of the floor, and then the central part began to descend—it was a lifting platform.

"Success!" Li Shancheng stepped onto the platform.

The platform slowly descended, entering a vertical passage. After descending about fifteen meters, the view suddenly opened up. He had arrived at an underground laboratory, far larger than he had imagined.

The laboratory is divided into several areas: on the left is the energy monitoring center, with screens covering the walls displaying various data and waveforms; in the middle is the culture area, with a dozen cylindrical culture dishes neatly arranged, three of which are running, with blurry biological outlines suspended inside; on the right is the research area, with various instruments and samples placed on the experimental tables.

Most striking was a separate isolation room deep within the laboratory, through which one could see a person sitting—Liu Wei. Her hands were secured to a chair with specially made handcuffs, her expression one of fear but also of awareness.

Li Shancheng didn't act immediately. He hid behind an equipment cabinet and observed the situation. There were three researchers working in the lab, all wearing protective suits, their faces obscured. They seemed focused on their tasks and didn't notice the movement at the entrance.

"I saw Liu Wei in the underground laboratory," he reported in a low voice.

"Is Lin Han here?" Xu Qingqing asked.