19: Shelter from the glimmer of light

A milky-white halo, centered on Lin Mo, rippled outwards like water, covering an area of about ten meters around the library hall entrance. This light was not dazzling; instead, it was exceptionally soft, like melting snow in early spring, carrying a soothing power.

As the halo swept over their bodies, every person in the hall clearly felt an indescribable change.

The cold, oppressive, and inexplicable sense of panic that had clung to their hearts like a persistent illness visibly thinned, like mist illuminated by sunlight. The faint, nauseatingly sweet smell of sulfur in the air seemed to have been partially purified, making breathing a little smoother. Most noticeably, the incessant, irritating scratching and screeching sounds from outside seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, becoming distant and blurry, no longer possessing that soul-piercing penetrative power.

"This... what is this...?" a mother holding a child murmured, her face showing an expression that wasn't purely fear for the first time.

"I feel... much better. My head isn't as dizzy," a young man who had been listless due to mild mental contamination earlier said in surprise, moving his body.

"It's Administrator Lin! It's that thing in his hand!" Everyone's gaze refocused on Lin Mo, who was sitting against the wall, his face still pale but his eyes bright, filled with the excitement of surviving a catastrophe and a deeper reverence.

Professor Wang squatted down, carefully feeling the changes brought by this halo, an unbelievable light flickering in his old eyes. "Regional reality stability enhancement... This is simply a miracle! Lin Mo, this thing you found is of immense significance!" He understood the value of this "stability field" better than ordinary people; it wasn't just psychological comfort but genuinely countering the rules of this collapsing world!

Lin Mo nodded weakly, offering no further explanation. He was currently channeling the energy of the reality stabilization anchor fragment to nourish himself, while carefully experiencing the new perceptions brought by this nascent fragment.

Unlike the previous dust-level fragment, this fused fragment-level reality stabilization anchor had a much closer and clearer connection to him. He could not only feel the range of the stability field it provided but also vaguely perceive the flow and subtle changes of energy within the field. He could even "see" a simplified regional map with a radius of about fifty meters, centered on himself, projected into his consciousness—this was a newly unlocked function of the editor interface. On the map, the light points representing survivors inside the hall were relatively bright and stable, while outside the door was a dark red area representing chaos and malice, with several blurry light points representing Low-Tier Cleanup Units circling the periphery.

More importantly, he perceived the energy stored within the fragment (35%) and its ability to slowly draw free energy from the surrounding environment for self-restoration. Although the recovery speed was slow, this was a sustainable hope!

"Professor Wang," Lin Mo rested for a moment, feeling some strength return, and said, "This 'stability field' has a limited range, and maintaining it... requires energy. We must use it wisely."

Professor Wang immediately understood his meaning: "Right! Not everyone can crowd in here. We need to plan!" He stood up and surveyed the hall, "Those with more severe injuries, the weak, and children should stay in the center of the field; it's safest here. Those who can still move should be divided into two groups: one group is responsible for guarding the edge of the field and the entrance, and the other group takes turns resting to conserve energy. All actions should be carried out as much as possible within the field's range!"

Under his organization, the survivors began to move in an orderly fashion. The power brought by hope was immense; although people were still tired and fearful, their actions showed more vitality and cooperation. Limited supplies were also gathered and distributed more rationally.

Lin Mo, meanwhile, tried to manipulate the reality stabilization anchor with greater precision. With a thought, he attempted to slightly shrink the range of the stability field, concentrating it near the entrance barrier.

Indeed, as his thoughts focused, the milky-white halo, as if alive, slowly contracted and condensed towards the entrance, significantly strengthening the stabilizing effect near the barrier, while the halo in other areas inside the hall correspondingly weakened.

"I can control the range and intensity!" Lin Mo was secretly delighted. This meant he could use it flexibly according to the actual situation, for example, strengthening the barrier during a monster attack, or expanding the range to cover more people during normal times.

He also tried to actively activate the "Reality Reinforcement" domain. He mobilized the energy stored within the fragment, locking his thoughts onto the chaotic pile of obstacles at the entrance.

"Activate 'Reality Reinforcement' Domain (Primary)? Target Area: Entrance Barrier. Estimated Energy Consumption: 5%."

5%! A considerable consumption! Lin Mo hesitated for a moment but still chose to activate it. He needed to test the actual effect of this ability.

Buzz!

A stronger energy fluctuation surged from the fragment, injecting into the tables, chairs, books, and other obstacles at the entrance. Visibly, the surface of the wooden materials glowed with an extremely faint, metallic sheen, and their structure seemed to become denser and more solid. The "sense of existence" emanating from the entire barrier suddenly increased, as if it had transformed from a pile of debris into a temporary low wall.

A Low-Tier Cleanup Unit scratching outside the door seemed to notice the change and tentatively increased the force of its impact.

"Bang!" With a dull thud, the barrier remained motionless, instead shaking the monster back a step, which emitted a confused screech.

Effective! And remarkably so!

Lin Mo felt much more confident. With this ability, the defensive capability of the library entrance was greatly enhanced; as long as there was enough energy, they could hold out for a longer time.

But he also knew this was not a long-term solution. The fragment's energy was limited, and its recovery was slow. The monsters outside were tireless, and the more terrifying Wailer was still lurking in the distance. Trapped here, their food and water would eventually run out.

"We must find a way to establish contact with the outside world or find more supplies," Lin Mo expressed his worries to Professor Wang.

Professor Wang nodded gravely: "I know. But it's too dangerous outside. Unless..." He looked at the fragment in Lin Mo's hand, "Unless this field can move, or we find a way to create a larger safe zone."

Move the field? Lin Mo's heart stirred. Currently, the field was fixed with him and the fragment at its center. But what if... he could refine or understand the fragment at a deeper level? Would he be able to move this "anchor point" within a certain range, or even set up multiple temporary stable points?

This would require time and energy to explore.

Just then, a young man guarding a sealed window on the side of the hall suddenly whispered nervously: "Movement! There's movement outside! Not monsters!"

Everyone immediately tensed up, their gaze fixed on that window. Lin Mo also immediately concentrated his perception.

Through the blocked cracks, a faint, intermittent whistling sound, seemingly man-made, could be heard from a distance. The sound was very regular, three long and one short, repeated several times.

"Is it a distress signal? Or... other survivors?" someone speculated.

Professor Wang gestured for everyone to remain quiet and listen carefully. After the whistling stopped, it resumed after a while, this time seemingly closer.

"It's like they're probing, or... looking for something," Professor Wang analyzed, drawing on his experience.

Through the fragment's perception and the mini-map provided by the editor, Lin Mo could vaguely "see" several faint but relatively stable light points slowly moving on a street behind the side of the library, avoiding the dark red monster light points wandering on the street. Their direction of movement seemed to be towards the library.

Friend or foe?

In this world where order had collapsed, fellow humans were sometimes more dangerous than monsters.

"Increase vigilance! No one is to make a sound or respond without my command!" Professor Wang immediately issued the order, his face grim. The survivors' nerves, which had just relaxed a little, tightened again.

Lin Mo gripped the fragment and the jade slip, weighing his options. If friendly survivors arrived, they might be able to strengthen their forces and exchange information. If they were ill-intentioned, then the fragile sanctuary they had just established might face both internal and external threats.

He tried to use the editor for a very low-consumption deduction to determine the newcomers' intentions, but with insufficient energy and too little information, the deduction results were vague, only showing "intentions unclear, certain risks exist."

The unknown once again became the main theme.

Although the faint light of the sanctuary had been lit, the path ahead remained shrouded in heavy mist and fraught with danger. Lin Mo knew that the real test might have just begun. He had to quickly regain his strength and unearth more potential from the reality stabilization anchor and his own editor.

He glanced at the warm fragment in his hand, then looked out at the unknown darkness beyond the window.

The vigil was not yet over.