5:47 AM — 83 km west of Amar City.
Arav said, "Nia, this time we both teleported to the exact same spot. Honestly, I was afraid we might get separated again."
The sun had not yet fully risen. Gentle pink waves floated over the blue blanket of the sky. The dense forest cast long shadows across the earth like stretched lines. Dew moisture hung in the air, and the first sunlight glittered on the leaves like pure gold.
Arav held his laptop in hand, where signals of human life were still appearing. But these signals were not normal — waves of Quantum Entangled Pulse kept fluctuating within them. This meant that it wasn't just a normal human tracker, but some form of technological interference.
Nia said softly,
"It seems like someone is watching us, Arav... The one we are searching for might already know about us."
Arav, looking intently at the screen, said,
"Either some survivor is calling us... or this could be a trap."
Entering the Forest
As they entered the dense tree-covered path, the air grew colder. With every step, dry twigs on the ground cracked, and eerie bird sounds echoed from the branches.
Their drone was flying overhead scanning the area. Suddenly, at one point, its screen froze.
Drone AI announced,
"Signal disruption detected. Magnetic flux exceeds threshold. Switching to internal power."
Arav said,
"There is a hidden network here. Either someone has used shielding tech, or this area naturally has magnetic distortions."
Nia, sounding frightened, said,
"If this shielding tech is true... that means someone is deliberately hiding."
Arav took out a small bioscanner rod from his bag — something he had taken along before leaving the planet. This rod could detect dissolved CO₂ in the air, body heat, and sound waves.
As Arav brought the rod close to the ground, a glowing green pulsating wave appeared on it.
"Someone is here... right nearby. Their breaths are heavy... which means they are either injured or running."
Suddenly some movement stirred beyond the bushes. Both spun quickly.
Then—
Thud-thud-thud — sounds of running through mud.
Arav quickly pulled a pulse flare from his waist—the blue light spread rapidly in all directions.
For a brief moment, a shadow appeared—a girl, about 16 years old, half of her face masked, with glowing eyes.
But as the light spread, she ran away.
Nia asked,
"Was that... a girl?"
Arav replied,
"She didn't run... she was calling to us."
They both ran in the direction where the shadow was seen. The path turned into a rocky slope, and suddenly a slight tremor was felt beneath a huge boulder.
Arav bent down and saw—an old Subterranean Shelter Hatch, probably from the Pre-Evacuation Era.
Arav said,
"These shelters were built before government evacuations... so why is a signal coming from here?"