182: Chapter 182 The Final Secret, The Star Gate's Mystery

Darkness. Viscous, icy, a darkness that seemed to freeze the very Soul. This time, the darkness did not come from the outside, but from the extreme exhaustion of body and mind. Ling Ye curled up in a relatively spacious junction of the ventilation duct, his back against the cold, rough pipe wall. Every breath brought a burning pain to his chest and a chill that penetrated deep into his bones. The wound on his left arm had stopped bleeding, but the icy, corrosive sensation left by the grazing beam of the 'abyssal eye'—which felt as if it could freeze his Soul—remained like a maggot in the bone, slowly seeping along his blood vessels, bringing a strange sensation interwoven with numbness and piercing pain.

He had to treat the wound immediately. The power of the 'abyssal eye' was extraordinary; even a graze, with its inherent 'information assimilation' and 'structural deconstruction' properties, was enough to cause irreversible distortion or annihilation to an ordinary life form. If not for the 'Ancient Ring' imprint he carried, his Mental Energy far exceeding that of an ordinary person, and the fact that the 'black pupil' pendant and Chen Yan's nameplate had erupted with power at the critical moment to deflect the beam, he would have likely already turned into grey-white dust devoid of 'existence'.

He forced himself to sit up, though even this simple movement made his vision go black. He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his Sea of Consciousness. The 'Ancient Star' was dim now, like a candle in the wind, but it still stubbornly emitted a constant, cold radiance, maintaining his consciousness.

He guided the last trace of 'Qi' in his body, carefully gathering it toward the wound on his left arm. At the same time, he condensed his intent for 'Star Visualization', transforming it into a soft yet firm power of 'Purification' and 'Guarding', mixed with the vast and ancient rhythm of the 'Ancient Ring' imprint, slowly wrapping around the cold, corrosive alien energy at the wound.

The process was slow and painful. It was like trying to bake ten thousand years of ice with a faint candle flame. The cold, corrosive energy fought back wildly, bringing pain that felt like it was tearing his Soul apart. Ling Ye gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat pouring down like rain, but he did not waver in the slightest. His will was like the sturdiest dam, desperately resisting the erosion of the 'abyssal eye's' power, and using the power of the 'Star' and the 'Ancient Ring' to strip away, wear down, and transform that cold energy bit by bit.

He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps only a few minutes, yet it felt as long as centuries. The bone-chilling cold at the wound on his left arm finally diminished by more than half. Although a trace of coldness and numbness remained, it was at least no longer worsening, and it had formed a fragile balance with the power of the 'Star' and the 'Ancient Ring', temporarily suppressed.

Ling Ye exhaled a long breath of cold mist and slowly opened his eyes. Although exhausted to the point of death, his gaze was clearer and colder than before.

He had survived. Once again, he had crawled back from a desperate situation.

Now, it was time to check the 'Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe's Final Words' that he had traded his life for.

He carefully took out the leather notebook from his chest. The notebook was about the size of a dictionary, covered in a dark brown beast hide of some kind, feeling heavy to the touch, with worn edges. On the cover, the five hot-stamped golden characters 'Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe's Final Words' emitted an extremely faint, soft, milky-white halo in the darkness, as if some power was protecting it. It was precisely this halo that had made those mycelial tentacles wary before.

He took a deep breath and gently opened the title page.

On the title page, a passage was written in a vigorous, forceful hand, the ink deep, as if the writer had exhausted his final heart's blood: 'Latecomer, whoever you are, since you can see these words, it means you have already stepped into this cursed land and come into contact with the "abyssal eye" that should not exist in this world.'

'I, Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe, a Senior Researcher at the Seventh Mining District of Deep Space Frontier Capital, am also the initial witness and… to some extent, the facilitator of this disaster. My time is running out; my consciousness is becoming increasingly blurred under "Its" gaze. I have recorded everything I know here, not for redemption, but in the hope of leaving a glimmer of light for those who come after, or to preserve a spark of truth for this insane world.'

'Remember, do not fully trust what you see, especially what "It" lets you see. Do not fully trust what I have written, either, because my perception may have long been twisted by "It". Use your own heart to see, and use your "Spiritual Sense", which transcends common sense, to perceive. If you possess such potential.'

'The notebook is divided into three parts: I. The essence of the "abyssal eye" and my discoveries; II. The "dual rings Key" and the secret of the Star Gate; III. My final speculations and warnings. Some content has been recorded using my self-developed "Psionic Cipher", which requires Mental Energy of a specific frequency to be revealed. If you cannot decipher it, perhaps it means you are not related to "the key", which might not be a bad thing… at least, your chances of leaving alive are higher.'

'May the starlight guide you, or… completely devour you.' — Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe, on the eve of his consciousness completely sinking.

Ling Ye's heartbeat accelerated slightly. Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe actually knew about "Spiritual Sense"! He also mentioned "the key" and the "Star Gate"! Furthermore, there was an encrypted section in the notebook that required specific Mental Energy to activate? This was practically tailor-made for him!

He couldn't wait to turn to the next page.

Part One: The Essence of the abyssal eye and My Discoveries

This section detailed the early research of Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe's team on 'sample zero' (i.e., the 'abyssal eye'). Unlike the official reports in previous files, Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe's records were more in-depth, even containing many bold conjectures that were not adopted by his superiors:

'…The "abyssal eye" is not simply a "high-dimensional energy aggregate" or an "unknown life form". I believe it is more akin to a highly ordered, strongly purposeful "information singularity" or "reality virus". Its core is not the energy we understand, but a kind of information meme capable of directly modifying underlying physical rules and eroding the concept of "existence".'

'Its "pollution" process is essentially the forced overwriting and writing of its own distorted "information rules" into the natural rules of the affected area. Life forms being "distorted", matter being "deconstructed", and the environment becoming "incongruous" are all external manifestations of its information erosion.'

'"Gaze" is its primary way of perceiving and exerting influence. It is not visual, but a global "scanning" and "synchronization" attempt based on information resonance. Those "gazed" upon by it will unconsciously resonate with its information field, leading to twisted cognition and even the slow assimilation of the Soul. The members of my team who first showed abnormalities all did so after a high-intensity "sample focused observation" experiment…'

'The most disturbing discovery: The "abyssal eye" seems to possess some low-level "learning" and "imitation" abilities. It can extract fragmented information from the consciousness of life forms it comes into contact with and "reproduce" it in a twisted way. Those "eye" patterns on the walls, the form of the mycelial mat, and even the behavioral patterns of certain derivatives all vaguely carry the shadows of things we humans fear in our subconscious… It is imitating us, or rather, using our cognitive flaws to construct its "pollution form".'

'Warning: Any deep mental connection or information exchange with the "abyssal eye" is extremely dangerous. It may plant a "seed" in your consciousness or open a "backdoor" to it in your cognition. My headaches and hallucinations are getting worse; I suspect I…'

Seeing this, a chill ran down Ling Ye's spine. Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe's description gave him a deeper understanding of the horror of the 'abyssal eye'. An information virus, a reality modifier, a meme pollution source with learning capabilities… This was far more terrifying than a simply powerful monster. Moreover, it was very likely that Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe himself had already been deeply affected, or even "polluted", by the 'abyssal eye'.

He continued to read, where the detailed process of the accident was recorded, which matched the previous information but added a key detail:

'…At the moment of the energy explosion, the ancestral heirloom I was wearing—a black ring engraved with a strange star map—emitted unprecedented heat and resonance! At the same time, in the azure light at the center of the explosion, I clearly saw the phantom images of two rings orbiting each other and constantly rotating! One was like the object on my finger, pitch-black and deep, containing the starry sky; the other was dark silver, flowing with water-like ghostly light, as if connected to an endless abyss…'

'The two phantom images flashed and vanished, but the resonance of the black ring on my finger lasted for several seconds and emitted a strange wave capable of weakly soothing and combing through the violent "abyssal eye" energy in the surroundings! I recorded it as a "Harmonizing Signal". At that moment, I was certain that this family heirloom black ring, along with that other ring phantom, was the key to controlling or closing the "abyssal eye"! I call it—the "dual rings Key"!'

'However, the company's upper management and the people from "The Scavengers" were not interested in this; they only wanted weaponized applications with greater destructive power. I realized that I must never give them the secret of the black ring and the "Harmonizing Signal". I had to hide it, along with my discoveries…'

A black ring! A family heirloom! Capable of producing a "Harmonizing Signal" with the 'abyssal eye' energy!

This was undoubtedly the xuanyuan ring! Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe was actually the holder of the xuanyuan ring! Or at least, he once was!

Ling Ye's heart raced, and he couldn't wait to turn to the second part.

Part Two: The dual rings Key and the Secret of the Star Gate. The handwriting in this part of the notebook began to become somewhat messy, interspersed with more personal speculation and citations:

"My family's black ring, according to the genealogy records, is named the 'bone ring'. It is one of the sacred artifacts passed down through generations by the ancient 'Gatekeeper' clan, paired with another ring named the 'Ancient Ring'. When the dual rings are united, they can open or close the 'Star Gate' leading to certain 'indescribable realms', and can also balance and suppress the 'abyssal darkness' power that might spill out from behind the gate."

"The ancestral teachings state: 'The Ancient Ring governs life and death, guarding the gate; the bone ring governs balance, smoothing the dark currents. If one of the dual rings is lost, the gate becomes unstable; if both are lost, the abyssal darkness will flood the world.'"

"I suspect that the 'abyssal eye' is an anomaly formed by the 'abyssal darkness' power leaking from a runaway or damaged 'Star Gate'! It is not native to this world, but comes from the 'Other' behind the gate!"

"And the 'dual rings key' is the key to rebalancing, closing, or at least controlling this 'gate' and its leaks! The xuanyuan ring can generate a 'harmonizing signal' to soothe the 'abyssal eye's' rage; if the Ancient Ring can be found, the resonance of the dual rings might generate an even more powerful 'Order signal', perhaps even... 'Sealing' or 'Banishment' it?"

"Unfortunately, I only have the bone ring. The Ancient Ring was lost in the long river of history. The genealogy records that the last ancestor to hold both rings disappeared after an ancient battle that swept across the starry sky, leaving behind only the bone ring as a Legacy. The whereabouts of the Ancient Ring are unknown."

"Without the Ancient Ring, relying on the bone ring alone, I cannot close the 'abyssal eye'. I can only barely utilize its 'harmonizing' property to protect a few people during the Early Stage of the accident, and I have hidden the xuanyuan ring and this portion of the research data in..."

The notes end abruptly here, followed by several pages of chaotic scribbles and meaningless symbols, clearly the product of Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe's consciousness nearing collapse.

Then, the handwriting suddenly became clearer, but filled with despair:

"I have failed. The gaze of 'It' is everywhere. The place where I hid the xuanyuan ring and the data may have already been perceived by 'It'. My time has come. I can feel 'It' whispering in the depths of my consciousness, trying to make me destroy all of this with my own hands..."

"Latecomer, if you can find the bone ring, if you bear the Karma of the Ancient Ring... then, perhaps you still have a glimmer of hope."

"Go look for the place where I hid things. The location is..."

The notes were interrupted again, the last few lines of handwriting crooked and trembling, almost illegible:

"B7... B7 Sample Repository... bottom level... coolant circulation hub... backup maintenance pipeline... behind the third isolation valve... password... my birthday... star map sequence..."

"Careful... of 'It's'... guards..."

The handwriting disappeared completely.

The xuanyuan ring and more complete research data were hidden by Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe in a secret location in the B7 Sample Repository (Silent Church)! The coolant circulation hub, backup maintenance pipeline, behind the third isolation valve!

And the password, is it his birthday combined with some kind of 'star map sequence'?

Ling Ye's spirits were lifted! Finally, there was a clear clue and location! Although the core area of the 'Silent Church' (B7 Sample Repository) was extremely dangerous, at least there was a target!

He turned to the final third part.

Part Three: My Final Speculations and Warnings

This part contained less content, more like the ramblings of a dying man and his deepest fears:

"The 'The Scavengers' and the company's upper management, their interest in the 'abyssal eye' goes far beyond research or control. I pieced together from some fragmented information that they seem to want to use the 'abyssal eye's' 'information rewriting' ability to do something insane—to carry out some level of 'screening' or 'Purification' on all of humanity. The code name seems to be 'Azure Dawn'? Or 'Era of Purity'? I can't remember clearly..."

"They don't care about the spread of the 'abyssal eye's' contamination, and might even view it as part of the 'Purification'. They are looking for the key, not to close the 'abyssal eye', but to better control and use it! They must never be allowed to obtain the 'dual rings key'!"

"Also, behind Deep Space Frontier Capital... the water is deeper than imagined. They seem to have known something was down here, and the exploration was intentional. They seem to have some connection to the 'Star Gate' and the legends of the 'Gatekeeper'... I suspect they might have clues about the whereabouts of the Ancient Ring, or even..."

At the end of the notes was a passage written in completely different, more ancient and obscure characters (similar to the runes on the Ancient Ring), which Ling Ye could not understand at all. But next to these characters, Senior Researcher Chen Qinghe had used his last strength to draw an extremely simple symbol, appearing to be two overlapping rings, with a note beside it:

"dual rings resonance... frequency... attempt... record..."

Below was a series of extremely complex records composed of dots and lines, resembling a spectrum.

Perhaps this was the characteristic of the 'specific frequency Mental Energy' required to trigger the 'psionic cipher' in the notes? Or some information characteristic produced during 'dual rings resonance'?

Ling Ye tried to sink his consciousness into the Ancient Ring mark deep in his Soul, then, imitating the fluctuation rhythm of the spectrum, slowly injected a trace of extremely weak Mental Energy, carrying the aura of the Ancient Ring mark, into the notebook.

"Hum..."

The milky white halo on the notebook cover suddenly brightened for an instant!

Immediately after, lines of glowing, more secretive text and patterns appeared in places in the notebook that were originally blank or contained unimportant content!

It was indeed the encrypted 'psionic cipher'!

These ciphers provided a wealth of details: a map of the specific hiding location of the bone ring (more precise), a method for deciphering the 'star map sequence' password (requiring reference to some kind of ancient star map), an analysis of some weaknesses of the 'abyssal eye' energy (relatively sensitive to highly ordered 'Star Power' or 'Gatekeeper' will), and... a few extremely cryptic hints about the whereabouts of the Ancient Ring:

"Where the stars fall, the Soul returns; the shadow of the gate, the beginning of the Legacy."

"Find those... who also see the starry sky and the abyss in their dreams."

The amount of information was overwhelming! Ling Ye read and memorized it hungrily. Especially the precise hiding map and the password decoding method, which were the key to his next steps.

As for the hints about the Ancient Ring, although cryptic, they pointed in a direction—'Where the stars fall, the Soul returns' might refer to a specific location or event (related to the 'starfall' during his Transmigration?); 'The shadow of the gate, the beginning of the Legacy' might be related to the 'Star Gate'; and 'Find those who also see the starry sky and the abyss in their dreams' reminded him of Su Qing's previous 'psychological resilience' research, and those individuals who might possess 'psionic potential' or be sensitive to 'abnormalities' (like Sun Li?).

Closing the notebook, Ling Ye leaned against the pipe wall, silent for a long time.

In the darkness, there was only his heavy breathing and the fading glow on the notebook cover.

He had mastered unprecedented information: about the nature of the 'abyssal eye', the truth about the 'dual rings key', the hiding place of the bone ring, the deeper motives of the 'Cleaning' side (The Scavengers) and Deep Space Frontier Capital, and even clues about the Ancient Ring.

But at the same time, he also faced an unprecedented crisis: he was seriously injured, trapped in the heart of the enemy's nest, the 'abyssal eye' had already awakened, the ground 'Meltdown' might have already occurred or was about to occur, and the hiding place of the bone ring was deep in the most dangerous 'Silent Church' B7 Sample Repository, with 'It's' guards.

The road ahead was still a narrow escape from death.

But this time, he was no longer confused. He knew what he had to do, who the enemy was, and where his goal lay.

He needed the bone ring. He needed it to balance the 'abyssal eye' erosion within him, needed it to resonate with the Ancient Ring, to explore the possibility of fighting the 'abyssal eye' and uncovering the secrets of his Transmigration and the 'Star Gate'.

He had to return to the depths of the B7 Sample Repository, find that coolant circulation hub, and get the ring and data.

Then, leave here, find Su Qing (perhaps she knows more about 'sensitives' and clues about the Ancient Ring), find Sun Li (she might be one of the 'people who see the starry sky and the abyss in their dreams'), and try to sabotage the crazy plans of the 'Cleaning' side and Deep Space Frontier Capital.

And the prerequisite for all this was—he had to first leave this ventilation duct alive and recover some combat capability.

He checked his supplies. Notebook, map, nameplate, crowbar, pipe wrench, dead PIT, and the nearly scrapped 'Black Eye' pendant. No food, no water.

He had to find supplies as soon as possible and treat his injuries.

He recalled the map; near the maintenance platform leading to the 'Old Lift Shaft', there seemed to be a room marked 'Emergency Supply Point (possibly abandoned)'. Perhaps there were leftover medical kits, food, or water there?

He had to return to the upper level and try his luck there.

After resting for a moment and gathering a little strength, Ling Ye carefully put away the notebook and other items, picked up the crowbar, and began to climb back along the ventilation duct in the direction he came from.

This time, his goal was clear, and his will was firm.

Even if the road ahead was purgatory, he would carve out a path to survival, and ignite that which could start a prairie fire...

Spark.