Chapter 35 Brain Death?

The moment Lin Yuan roared "Yes" in his heart, he felt the entire world change.

On the mechanical arm of "scavenger no. 2", the probe, which had originally been used only for data interaction, suddenly erupted with a silvery-white light far more intense than any before.

This light was no longer mere energy; it carried an unquestionable and incredibly domineering law of "devouring".

Like an invisible giant net, it instantly enveloped that blue sphere of light, known as "ashilya".

The blue sphere of light seemed to sense a fatal threat; the light on its surface began to flicker violently, and that aura of serenity and sadness instantly transformed into extreme panic and resistance.

However, in the face of the system's unreasonable law of "devouring", all its struggles appeared so futile.

The blue sphere of light, like a popped balloon, disintegrated in an instant into billions of information fragments shimmering with blue radiance.

Then, these information fragments converged into a brilliant torrent composed of pure information, forcibly pulled by that silvery-white net, and poured into the body of "scavenger no. 2", and then... vanished.

Almost at the same time, Lin Yuan felt as if his brain had been blown open from the inside by an exploding nuclear bomb!

"Boom—!"

A cold, massive, and alien torrent of information crossed the connection between the drone and his consciousness, rushing directly into his mind in an incredibly brutal manner!

What was that feeling?

Lin Yuan could not describe it.

He felt that he was no longer Lin Yuan.

He felt his consciousness was like a drop of water poured into a vast ocean.

Countless memories that did not belong to him submerged him instantly, like a tsunami.

He "saw" a gigantic star emitting a soft white light, and three beautiful planets, like emeralds, orbiting it.

He "saw" countless intelligent beings with pure white bodies, elegant figures, and transparent wings like dragonflies on their backs, singing, learning, and creating in garden-like cities.

He "heard" an ethereal language, as melodious as wind chimes.

He "felt" the joy of birth, the troubles of growing up, the focus of learning knowledge, and... the bone-deep emotion known as "despair" when disaster struck.

That was the life of "ashilya".

All memories, from birth to being uploaded into the "Gene Temple".

This amount of information was too massive.

So massive that it could blow up the brain of any carbon-based lifeform.

Lin Yuan felt his thoughts, his memories, his twenty-plus years of life, like a tiny bubble in this vast ocean of memories, ready to burst and dissipate at any moment.

His personality was being rapidly "assimilated"!

"Beep—! Beep—! Beep—!"

In the Command Center, the instruments monitoring Lin Yuan's vital signs emitted an unprecedented, shrill shriek!

"Brainwave activity has exceeded the critical threshold! The peak is over ten thousand times that of a normal person!"

"Cerebral cortex activity has exceeded the safety threshold by five thousand percent! His brain... his brain is burning!"

"Cardiac arrest! Blood pressure is zero! He... he is experiencing brain death!"

The voice of the Head of the Medical Team became shrill and ear-piercing due to extreme terror.

"Chen Weiguo! Academician Wang! We... we have lost him!"

"Impossible!" Academician Wang looked like a crazed tiger; he shoved aside the medical personnel in front of him, rushed to the main screen, and stared fixedly at Lin Yuan's heartbeat chart, which had already become a straight line. "Where is the 'neural buffer module'? Where is the 'pangu system'? Why aren't they working?!"

"It's useless! Academician Wang!" The person in charge of the Technology Department, their face as pale as paper, said with a voice full of despair, "What we are facing is not an energy shock, but a complete high-dimensional consciousness! Our firewall is like a sheet of paper in front of it! Comrade Lin Yuan's consciousness... is being... being overwritten!"

"No..."

Academician Wang's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

Chen Weiguo also froze in place. He looked at the straight line on the screen that represented death, feeling as if his heart had been ruthlessly clenched by an invisible giant hand, hurting so much he couldn't breathe.

It was over.

Everything was over.

They had won the bet and opened the treasury.

But at the very last step, they had lost their most precious, and only, bargaining chip.

However, just when everyone had fallen into the abyss of despair.

Deep within the ocean of Lin Yuan's consciousness, which was about to be completely submerged.

That cold, emotionless, synthesized mechanical voice rang out stubbornly once again.

【High-risk foreign consciousness intrusion detected!】

【host's core personality detected on the verge of collapse!】

【Initiating highest-level 'firewall' protocol!】

【Protocol codename: Purification!】

The next second, a power even more domineering, ancient, and unreasonable than the consciousness torrent of "ashilya" burst forth from the deepest part of Lin Yuan's soul!

If the consciousness of "ashilya" was a vast ocean.

Then this power was a... black hole capable of devouring stars!

Within Lin Yuan's consciousness space, the mysterious 【deep space salvage system】 revealed its ferocious side for the first time!

It was no longer a cold interface, but had transformed into a constantly rotating black vortex composed of countless runes smaller than quarks!

The moment the vortex appeared, it generated an irresistible, massive suction force!

That vast, cold ocean of memories belonging to "ashilya" could not even offer a shred of resistance in the face of this suction, and was frantically pulled, torn apart, and devoured!

Those memories, emotions, and thoughts belonging to the alien... all of it was ruthlessly crushed by that black vortex, then converted into the purest, harmless... information energy.

Lin Yuan felt the pressure that had been about to blow him up vanish instantly.

His consciousness, like a candle in the wind, regained a chance to breathe.

【Foreign consciousness cleared.】

【Beginning to parse, compress, and format information energy...】

【Parsing complete.】

【Congratulations to the host, you have obtained a new item: 'Eternal Flower' Gene Archive (ashilya) * 1】

【Congratulations to the host, you have obtained a new skill: 'Eternal Flower' Civilization Language Basics (Passive)】

【Due to the host's mental strength being tempered during this impact, Mental Strength + 1.】

When this series of system prompts sounded in Lin Yuan's mind.

Outside, in the Command Center.

The ECG, which had already become a straight line, suddenly, slightly, flickered.

Then, another flicker.

One, then another...

Weak, but firm.

"He... he's alive!" A sharp-eyed nurse pointed at the screen and let out an unbelievable scream, "His heartbeat has returned! His heartbeat has returned!"

Everyone, including Academician Wang who had collapsed to the ground, suddenly lifted their heads to look at the screen.

They saw that the straight line was turning into a strong, rhythmic wave line!

Brainwave activity also rapidly returned to stability from a state of chaos!

"Cough... cough cough..."

On the connection seat, Lin Yuan coughed violently a few times and suddenly opened his eyes.

His face was still pale, but his eyes held a... depth never seen before.

He looked around at the dumbfounded scientists, who looked as if they had seen a ghost, bared his teeth, and revealed a weak smile.

His voice was hoarse, but clear.

"Reporting to the commander... I... I think I've packed up that alien and brought it back."

"And... I think I can understand them now."