174: Chapter 174 The Light of Dawn, God Seizes the Secrets of Heaven

The ferocity in Ling Ye's eyes burned like fire. As his body was sent flying by the shockwave, in that moment of losing control, his fingers hooked like claws, tightly gripping the cold portable command terminal!

It felt cold and hard to the touch, with chaotic electric arcs jumping across its surface.

There was no time to operate it! No time to think!

He let out a roar. As his body slammed into the wall and his bones groaned under the unbearable strain, he compressed, condensed, and ignited all his remaining Mental Energy, all his "Qi," and all the obsession stemming from the "Ancient Ring" mark and the "Gatekeeper" will!

It transformed into a spear of spirit—formless and intangible, yet sharp enough to pierce through the barriers of reality and information!

The spear tip did not strike the terminal's hardware. Instead, following the last thread of encrypted quantum entanglement channel—not yet completely severed by the shockwave—connecting it to the "Cleaning" party's core data network, it viciously "rammed" in, in a way that transcended conventional physics!

"Open—for—me!!!"

"Hum—!!!!!"

The indescribable roar did not come from his eardrums; it exploded directly in the depths of his Soul!

Before his eyes, the chaotic hall and blue-white light vanished, replaced by an endless torrent of violent, encrypted information representing the highest secrets of the "Cleaning" party!

They were like the nebulae at the dawn of the Universe, or black holes devouring everything, instantly swallowing his consciousness!

He "saw":

The "Meltdown" protocol's full name is "Regional Abnormal Contamination Diffusion Final Disposal Plan."

Core content: When it is confirmed that "contamination" is uncontrollable and will spread on a large scale, authorize the use of twenty-four tactical-grade neutron generators deployed beneath Dawn City to "Purification" the core contamination zone and surrounding high-risk areas (annihilating all organic life forms and suppressing abnormal energy activity).

The launch command has been issued. Countdown: 300 seconds!

"the key" is not a physical object, but a specific "psionic resonance frequency" or "informational existence" that can generate deep resonance with the "secondary contamination source" (codenamed: abyssal eye) and potentially control or shut down its activity.

The search target is an individual or item possessing this frequency characteristic.

Currently the highest matching record: 0.7%, source: trace energy residues left by Escapee-Zero (Ling Ye) in Rust Town and the periphery of the Old Factory District.

Su Qing's affiliation, the "Center for Abnormal Psychology and Behavioral Analysis," is actually a front for the "Cleaning" protocol partner organization, "Azure Watch," responsible for studying the impact of "abnormalities" from the perspectives of psychology and cognitive science, screening "sensitives," and providing target assessments for the "Purification Net."

Its superior is the "Federal Abnormal Phenomenon Control Bureau (APCC)," and it belongs to a different branch under the same bureau as "The Scavengers" troops.

The background of "Deep Space Frontier Capital" is a mystery; it seems to have an ancient connection with the "abyssal eye," holds the property rights to the Old Factory District, and its purpose is unknown. It is suspected of maintaining observation during the "Cleaning" operation and even interfering.

The true form of the "abyssal eye" in the Old Factory District: suspected to be the remains or fragments of an "informational life form" from a higher-dimensional space that fell onto the Azure Planet in ancient times. Its "contamination" essence is the erosion and distortion of the rules of reality.

The barrier is not a Seal, but a barely maintained "isolation layer."

After it collapses, the "contamination" will spread exponentially from the Old Factory District, with Oak Street and surrounding communities bearing the brunt, then spreading throughout the city... unless "the key" appears, or "Meltdown" takes effect.

The information was vast, chaotic, and filled with mental contamination!

Countless cold numbers, cruel plans, and eerie descriptions were like billions of red-hot steel needles piercing into Ling Ye's consciousness!

He felt his Soul being torn apart, assimilated, and swallowed by that endless darkness and cold!

"Star Visualization" was dim and on the verge of extinguishing; the "Gatekeeper" will was teetering on the brink of collapse.

But at the very moment his consciousness was about to sink completely, deep within his Soul, the mark connected to the "Ancient Ring" and another, more obscure mark that seemed to correspond to the "bone ring" suddenly trembled violently!

A fragmented piece of thought, as if from before the endless Reincarnation, split the Chaos of information like lightning:

"Star Gate keeps the key... dual rings resonate... one stabilizes order, one locks the abyss... if the key is lost, the gate opens; if the abyss moves, the world tilts..."

Immediately after, he "heard" a vague yet grand sigh that seemed to come from beyond the eternal starry sky:

"Find... the other... ring... 'bone ring'... balance... otherwise... this world... will return to... the silence of the 'abyssal eye'..."

"Ancient Ring"... "bone ring"... dual rings... the key... balance... abyssal eye...

Countless fragmented pieces of information, thoughts, and warnings collided and intertwined frantically in Ling Ye's about-to-collapse consciousness!

He understood! Yet he seemed even more confused!

"the key" is related to the two rings, "Ancient Ring" and "bone ring"! He bears the "Ancient Ring" mark, which is why a weak connection was detected! But where... is the xuanyuan ring?!

The "Meltdown" countdown continues! 240 seconds!

"abyssal eye" contamination is spreading!

And he, with his consciousness on the verge of shattering, his body severely injured, was trapped in the enemy's nest!

Just at this absolute dead end, at the peak of the information shock—

"Bang!"

A dull impact, accompanied by the excruciating pain of shattering bones, abruptly pulled his remaining consciousness back to reality!

It was that "Major"! He had steadied himself in the shockwave, discovered Ling Ye, and fired! The bullet struck Ling Ye's left shoulder, sending flesh and blood flying!

The intense pain acted like a final catalyst, allowing Ling Ye's consciousness, which had been shattered by the torrent of information, to erupt with a final trace of clarity and ruthlessness at this life-or-death moment!

Utilizing the impact force from being shot, he hugged the command terminal—which was already smoking with a cracked screen—and used his last ounce of strength to roll into a blast door next to him, which had been left half-open by the shockwave and led to a lower-level emergency passage!

"Pursue! He took the command terminal! He must not be allowed to take it away!" The Major's angry roar and chaotic footsteps came from behind.

Ling Ye rolled down the steep emergency stairs, regardless of everything! Gunshots rang out again behind him, bullets clanging against the metal stairs!

He didn't know how long he had been rolling or how many stairs he had fallen down, until with a "thud," he slammed heavily onto the cold concrete floor, his vision blacked out, and he nearly passed out.

Blood gushed from the wound on his left shoulder; his entire body felt like it was falling apart, and his consciousness was like a flickering candle in the wind.

Yet, in his arms, he still tightly clutched the damaged terminal.

And on the terminal's cracked screen, the last bit of remaining power displayed a line of constantly jumping, shocking red countdown:

Meltdown protocol execution - Deadline: 197 seconds

Furthermore, in the corner of the screen, an extremely hidden icon, previously unnoticed, was blinking slightly—that was the marker for remote data erasure and the activation of the positioning beacon!

The terminal was both a source of intelligence and a death warrant!

The pursuers were right above!

The "Meltdown" world-destroying countdown was less than 200 seconds!

And he, severely injured and dying, was trapped in a dead end.

No way forward, tigers behind, and the danger of heaven collapsing above.

Ling Ye lay on the cold ground, blood spreading beneath him, his consciousness gradually blurring.

However, at the end of that endless darkness and despair, a faint, unyielding spark was stubbornly flickering in the deepest part of his Soul.

That was the mark of the "Ancient Ring," the obsession of the "Gatekeeper," the unwillingness of Transmigration, and a glimmer of... fate snatched from the jaws of death.

Slowly and with extreme difficulty, he lifted his uninjured right hand, trembling, and reached toward the damaged terminal in his arms.

His fingertips touched the cold, jumping countdown numbers on the screen.

180 seconds.

A crazy and cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Want... to destroy...? Want... to kill me...?"

"Then... let's..."

"See... who can... last... until the... very last... second..."

He closed his eyes, mixing his last remaining, extremely weak "Spiritual Sense" and "Star Visualization" thoughts with the fragmented information he had plundered from the terminal regarding the "Meltdown" protocol's launch nodes and encrypted channels, as well as the imperceptible rhythm of the "Ancient Ring" mark deep within his Soul...

Injecting it all into the terminal!

Not sending a command.

Not reading information.

But—reverse injecting a segment of extremely chaotic, distorted, and encrypted signal—processed by the "Ancient Ring" mark—that contained some real "Meltdown" coordinates, but with the core targeting tampered with... an error positioning and self-destruct request signal!

Target: The "Cleaning" party's tactical-grade neutron generator deployment network!

Since they want "Meltdown," want "Purification"...

Then...

Let's... muddy the waters even more!

The signal, along with the terminal's last bit of power, was sent silently.

The next second, the terminal screen went completely dark, a slight sound of components bursting came from within, and it was completely ruined.

Ling Ye's hand dropped powerlessly.

Consciousness sank into boundless darkness.

Only the spark deep within his Soul flickered stubbornly.

Waiting...

Either, the world-destroying "Meltdown" white light.

Either, the muzzles of the enemy pursuers.

Or...

That which is absolutely impossible, yet must be believed in...

The light of dawn.