277: Chapter 277 The Forge of Order

The circular passage with its pale blue halo, like the esophagus of some enormous creature, tilted downwards and extended into the unknown depths. The icy, firm, and irresistible traction of the metal ring on its wrist pulled it forward. Old Shi dragged its heavy footsteps, following the still-unconscious Ling Ye on the floating medical platform, as they entered this path that would determine their fate.

The passage was not long. At its end was another thick, dark silver gate covered in energy patterns that slid open slowly. Behind the gate was a relatively small, cylindrical chamber, about five meters high and no more than ten meters in diameter, with a regular shape. The chamber's walls, ceiling, and floor were made of the same smooth, seamless dark silver metal. Inside the walls, however, countless fine energy conduits, resembling capillaries and emitting a faint blue-white light, seemed to be embedded. They pulsed slowly as if alive, transporting and converging pure, icy "Order" energy toward the center of the chamber.

In the center of the chamber was a raised, circular platform about two meters in diameter. On the platform's surface was engraved an extremely complex, precise, and multi-layered energy array that seemed capable of manipulating the essence of space and energy, emitting a pale golden light. Above the platform floated a huge, translucent, bowl-shaped energy force field composed of countless fine lattices, enclosing the entire platform. Inside the force field, light and shadow flowed, and energy was highly concentrated, emitting a heart-stopping, pure to the extreme, icy "Order" fluctuation.

This was the "Purification/Repair Chamber," a facility used by the "Court of World Purification" to handle contamination, damage, or basic maintenance of "Order" creations. At this moment, it had become an icy, heartless "operating table" that would decide Old Shi's life or death.

"Please place the unit requiring Purification (Lifeform B) at the core of the Purification array." The cold, synthesized voice rang out in the chamber. At the same time, the medical platform floating beside Ling Ye automatically moved to one side of the chamber, fixing itself tightly against the wall. The inverted, pale blue energy force field lifted silently, revealing the circular platform beneath.

Old Shi looked at the platform emitting dangerous light, its throat dry, its heart pounding wildly. But it had no choice. The countdown on the metal ring on its wrist had already dropped to 9 minutes and 14 seconds.

It took a deep breath, dragged its heavy feet, stepped onto the circular platform, and stood at the very center of the complex energy array.

"Target detected in position. Initiating Purification/Repair program."

"Hum—!"

On the walls surrounding the platform, those capillary-like energy conduits suddenly lit up! The blue-white light instantly became blinding, like countless icy rivers of light surging and converging from all directions toward Old Shi in the center of the platform! Meanwhile, the pale golden energy arrays on the platform's surface also lit up layer by layer, emitting a low, Soul-shaking resonance!

A vast, pure, icy, and overwhelming "Order" energy, filled with the will of absolute "definition" and "regularity," like an invisible shackle, instantly imprisoned and enveloped Old Shi from the platform, the walls, and all directions! It felt as if it had fallen into solidified, icy, glowing metal solution, every cell in its body being forcibly "held down," "analyzed," and "defined" by this power!

The pain was not a sharp physical agony, but an indescribable torment that delved deep into the Soul, eroded the will, and seemed to want to completely "comb through" and "regulate" the very concept of "self"! The energy within it, whether it was its remaining vitality or that evil, contaminating power, began to boil, clash, struggle, and disintegrate violently under the scouring of this absolute "Order"!

"Urghhh—!!!"

Old Shi couldn't help but let out a shrill, inhuman scream! Under the imprisonment of that energy, its body began to twist and deform uncontrollably, like a wax figure being roasted over a fire! The veins under its skin bulged, showing ominous dark green and black colors. Especially on its right wrist, that isolated gray-green patch now seemed like a living thing thrown into boiling oil, squirming and expanding frantically, erupting with blinding, resentful, and chaotic dark green light! It engaged in the most direct and intense clash and annihilation with the icy, blue-white "Order" energy surrounding it!

"Chaos contamination within the target detected resisting violently. Initiating secondary Purification protocol: energy hedging and structural stripping."

Following the cold voice, the energy force field at the top of the chamber pressed down sharply, resonating even more intensely with the platform's energy array! Beams of more refined, sharp, and tangible "Order" energy, like surgical scalpels, shot out from the inner wall of the force field and the platform array, precisely and ruthlessly piercing, cutting, and stripping away the contaminated, twisted energy structures and tissues within Old Shi, especially at the right wrist!

"Ahhhh—!!!"

Even more tragic pain, as if the Soul were being sliced inch by inch, caused Old Shi's consciousness to collapse almost instantly! Its body convulsed violently, and dark red blood threads mixed with contamination energy began to seep from its seven orifices! Under the cutting of the "Order" energy, the gray-green patch on its right wrist was torn, stripped, purified, and evaporated layer by layer, like a peeled onion! It revealed the deeper, more chaotic, and more "tenacious" source of contamination beneath, which resembled black roots deeply embedded in its meridians and bone marrow, as well as... the tiny, icy, dark silver "Metal Point" wrapped in layers of contamination!

"Damaged interface core detected. Level of contamination symbiosis: Deep. Initiating attempt to separate and purify the interface core and rebuild basic energy circuits."

The "Order" energy beams became more concentrated, like the most precise surgery, attempting to separate the "Metal Point" from the surrounding, leech-like contaminating "roots," bit by bit, with extreme difficulty. This process was even more painful and dangerous than simply stripping away contamination, because the "Metal Point" had already achieved a certain degree of "symbiosis" with Old Shi's life energy and meridian structure. Forcible separation could cause its vitality to wither or the interface to be completely destroyed at any moment.

"Warning: Symbiosis level between interface core and lifeform exceeds expectations. Failure rate of forced separation: 89.7%. Suggestion: Introduce high-Order Order beacon energy for coordinated guidance and stabilization."

The cold voice announced the program's predicament without a ripple. At the same time, a beam of light shot out from the top of the chamber, shining on the still-unconscious Ling Ye on the medical platform beside it.

"Request: Lifeform A (high-Order Order beacon carrier), provide beacon energy authorization and coordinated guidance. Authorize?"

The unconscious Ling Ye naturally could not respond. The beam of light shining on him began to actively and forcibly establish a connection with the dormant "the key" beacon imprint deep in Ling Ye's consciousness, attempting to guide, extract, and mobilize the homologous, higher-Order "Order" energy contained within it.

"Detection of beacon imprint activity low, response weak. Attempting deep stimulation and energy resonance."

The intensity of the light beam increased sharply! Ling Ye's body trembled violently in his unconscious state, as if struck by an invisible electric current, and he let out a painful muffled groan. Deep in his consciousness, that "the key" beacon imprint was forcibly and incompletely activated under the forced stimulation of this external force and the resonance of the "Order" energy field—which was homologous but larger and more "basic"—emitted by the "Purification Furnace"!

A cold, golden "Order" energy, though weak, was extremely high in essence and carried a certain "permission" and "guidance" attribute. It flowed slowly from Ling Ye's glabella (where the beacon imprint manifested), followed the beam of light, and injected into Old Shi, which was enduring the torture of the "Purification Furnace." More accurately, it injected into the dark silver "Metal Point" that was being forcibly separated!

"Hum—!"

The moment Ling Ye's "the key" energy made contact with the "Metal Point," a sudden change occurred!

The "Metal Point" seemed to have been injected with a Soul, suddenly lighting up! It emitted a strong energy fluctuation that resonated at the same frequency as Ling Ye's "the key" energy, echoing each other, and even faintly producing a sense of "completion" and "activation"! This fluctuation, in turn, greatly enhanced the activity of Ling Ye's "the key" imprint, making the energy he output more stable and powerful!

And even more astonishingly, this special, higher-Order "Order" energy generated by the initial resonance of the "Dual Keys" seemed to have a natural, more powerful "Purification" and "dispelling" effect on the contaminating "roots" wrapped around the "Metal Point"! Under the dual action of the "Purification Furnace's" basic "Order" energy and the "Dual Keys" resonance energy, those stubborn contaminating "roots" actually began to be stripped, purified, and annihilated at a faster speed and in a more "thorough" way!

"Dual Keys synergy effect detected. Purification efficiency increased by 427%. interface core separation progress: Accelerating. Warning: Lifeform B vital signs dropping sharply. Initiating emergency life support protocol (minimum limit)."

Old Shi's screams had turned into unconscious, intermittent groans. Its body was soaked in sweat, blood, and the black gas of contamination evaporated by Purification, as if it had been fished out of water. Its complexion was gray, its breathing weak to the extreme, as if it could be extinguished at any moment. But just on the edge of its life hanging by a thread, the energy conduits in the chamber also diverted a portion of energy, turning it into a gentle, life-sustaining energy flow, forcibly clinging to its last shred of vitality.

"Separation complete. Initiating basic Purification of interface core and energy circuit remodeling."

Without the obstruction of the contaminating "roots," the "Order" energy began to concentrate on purifying the dark silver "Metal Point" itself, and attempted to use it as a "seed" to reshape and reconnect the basic energy circuits at Old Shi's right wrist, which had originally belonged to the "Star Gate Maintenance Unit - Type 7" interface but had long been destroyed by contamination.

This process was relatively "gentle," but it was still accompanied by the pain of violent energy scouring and meridian remodeling. Old Shi's body twitched violently from time to time.

Meanwhile, while Ling Ye continued to output "the key" energy, he also seemed to be passively and slowly absorbing and fusing the pure "Order" energy dissipated by the "Purification Furnace" due to this "Dual Keys" resonance, as well as... the peculiar fragments of information released during the "Metal Point" Purification process that were homologous to his "the key" imprint. The wound on his chest, under the dual effect of the gentle medical energy and the "Order" energy, seemed to be healing at an extremely slow, accelerated pace.

Time passed second by second amidst extreme pain, cold energy operation, and the flow of weak vitality.

"Purification complete. interface core contamination level: 0.01% (residual, inert). Basic energy circuit remodeling completion: 31.7% (minimum operating standard). Lifeform B vital signs: Stable (extremely low)."

"Warning: Purification program energy consumption exceeds expectations. Backup energy at this node has dropped to 19%. Unable to continue deep repair. According to the 'Order Maintenance Basic Law - Energy Management Clause,' the Purification program is forcibly terminated."

"Hum..."

In the chamber, the blinding blue-white light began to fade slowly. The energy conduits on the walls dimmed, and the energy array on the platform and the force field at the top extinguished one by one. The energy imprisonment on Old Shi was lifted.

With a "thud," Old Shi, like a pile of mud with all its bones removed, collapsed directly from the platform, sliding and falling heavily onto the cold metal floor. It curled into a ball, motionless, with only extremely weak breathing proving that it was still alive. On its right wrist, that terrifying, squirming gray-green patch had completely disappeared! In its place was a strange scar that looked like it had been scorched by fire—charred, shriveled—but one could faintly see extremely weak, dark silver, regular energy patterns slowly circulating beneath the skin. At the center of the scar was that purified, dark silver "Metal Point," now embedded in the skin like a jewel, emitting a faint, stable, icy light that belonged to "Order."

Purification... was it a success? At least, the contamination had been cleared, the core of that "interface" had been preserved, and the most basic energy circuits had been reshaped.

But Old Shi itself had also been thoroughly "cleansed," weak to the extreme, as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

On the other side, Ling Ye was still lying on the medical platform, but his complexion seemed slightly better, and the wound on his chest was no longer bleeding. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were digesting the fragmented information about the "Star Gate," "Dual Keys," the mission of the "Court of World Purification," and... the blurred figures of his parents that had flooded into the depths of his consciousness during the "Dual Keys" resonance process.

The chamber fell into an even deeper silence after the excessive energy consumption.

The countdown had already stopped the moment the Purification program ended. The metal ring automatically detached from Old Shi's wrist, turned into tiny metal particles, and dissipated into the air.

"Purification/Repair program ended. Judgment executed. Lifeform B, contamination threat removed. Temporary permissions updated: Limited activity within the node allowed. Lifeform A, medical protocol ongoing. Node entering low-energy maintenance mode. Suggestion: Proceed to an area with sufficient energy as soon as possible, or seek external energy replenishment to complete the thorough repair of Lifeform B and activate the full permissions of Lifeform A."