173: Chapter 172 Searching for the Key to the Ruins! Solving the Mystery and Obtaining the Key, Activating the System and Reshaping the Future (4)

In his mind, those blurry codes became clearer and clearer, gradually forming a complete system interface. Lines of clear text appeared on the interface, emitting a faint blue light:

[Detecting core system Fragments...]

[First Fragment: Integrated]

[Second Fragment: Detected (Held by Caesar's team)]

[Third, Fourth, and Fifth Fragments: Not Detected]

[Activation Key: Obtained]

[core system Activation Condition: Met (20%+ Fragment Integration + Activation Key)]

[Start core system Recovery Program?]

Mu Li silently recited in his heart without hesitation: "Start!"

[core system Recovery Program starting... 10%... 30%... 50%...]

As the system recovery progress continued to increase, Mu Li could clearly feel a more powerful energy continuously pouring into his body. His body became lighter, and his thinking became more agile. The power generated when he integrated the fragment in the Gobi Desert was now much larger and could be controlled at will. He could clearly perceive every trace of energy fluctuation in the cave and control everything around him, as if he were integrated with the entire world. The wound on his shoulder also completely healed, leaving only a shallow scar.

"Impossible! This is impossible!" Caesar shouted frantically, his face turning even paler when he saw Mu Li floating in mid-air with powerful energy radiating from him. His eyes were full of despair and resentment. "How could you activate the core system? How could you have such powerful strength? This is impossible!"

Unwilling to give up, he struggled to crawl up from the ground, picked up a submachine gun beside him, and fired frantically at Mu Li. The dense bullets shot towards Mu Li, trying to knock him down. But as the bullets approached Mu Li, they were blocked by an invisible energy barrier. With several "bang bang bang" sounds, the bullets were deflected one after another and fell to the ground, unable to harm Mu Li in the slightest.

[core system Recovery Progress: 80%... 90%... 100%!]

[core system Recovery Successful!]

As the prompt for successful system recovery sounded in his mind, the energy on Mu Li's body instantly erupted. The entire cave vibrated violently, and stalactites fell one after another, hitting the ground with loud noises, as if the entire cave was about to collapse. Caesar and his subordinates were dazed by this powerful energy and fell to the ground one after another, unable to get up again, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

Mu Li slowly descended onto the platform and opened his eyes. A faint blue light flickered in his eyes, and the surrounding energy gradually receded. He appeared steady and majestic, a completely different person from before. He reached up to touch the scar on his shoulder, clearly feeling that the core system had completely merged with his consciousness. He could control various functions of the system at will, perceive global energy fluctuations, and even manipulate energy for attack and defense.

"core system, activate energy attack!" Mu Li thought silently, staring coldly at Caesar.

Instantly, a powerful blue energy burst from his palm like a beam of light, shooting rapidly towards Caesar. Caesar tried to dodge, but the energy was too fast for him to react. The energy hit Caesar's chest, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, falling backward heavily to the ground, unable to get up again, his eyes filled with despair and resentment.

"CEO!" Caesar's subordinates saw him being knocked down and struggled to get up, rushing over to save him, but they were blocked by the energy barrier Mu Li had released. No matter how hard they tried, they could not break through the barrier and could only shout in despair behind it.

"Everyone, stop!" Mu Li said coldly, his voice carrying an unquestionable majesty that spread throughout the cave. "Caesar has been defeated by me. If you continue to resist, don't blame me for being merciless! Drop your weapons and surrender, and perhaps you'll be spared!"

The Mercenaries looked at the powerful energy on Mu Li, their eyes filled with fear. They no longer had their previous arrogance and dropped their weapons one after another, holding their heads in their hands and squatting on the ground in surrender. They knew they were no match for Mu Li and that resistance was futile and would only lead to a useless death.

Old Yang and the team members took the opportunity to rush over, quickly controlling all of Caesar's subordinates and tying them up with ropes to prevent them from resisting or escaping. Lin Wei stepped quickly to Mu Li's side, her eyes falling on the scar on his shoulder, full of admiration and heartache. She said excitedly, "Engineer Mu, you are amazing! The core system was really activated by you. Your injury... are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Mu Li smiled, his voice steady as he lightly patted his shoulder. "The core system's energy has already healed my wound, leaving only a bit of a scar. This is just the beginning. Although the core system has been restored, there are still four fragments that haven't been found, and the system's functions aren't fully activated. Furthermore, the influence of the North American Global Energy Group hasn't been completely eliminated. They still have many secret strongholds around the world. We still have a long way to go and cannot afford any slack."

He walked to Caesar's side, knelt down, and looked at him with cold eyes, asking seriously, "Where are the other three fragments? What other secret bases and strongholds does your North American Global Energy Group have around the world? Tell me everything, and perhaps I can spare your life!"

Caesar lay on the ground, his face pale, blood constantly flowing from the corner of his mouth, and his breath weak. He looked at Mu Li with resentment and anger, saying hoarsely, "Do you think you've won? Even if you've activated the core system, it's useless! Our group has placed pawns all over the world. With one command from me, they will immediately destroy all the nuclear fusion power station projects, making all your previous efforts go to waste!"

"Do you think I'll give you that chance?" Mu Li sneered, reaching out to inject a gentle energy into Caesar's body, and said coldly, "core system, read his memory!"

[Reading target memory... Reading successful!]

Instantly, all of Caesar's memories were read by the core system and clearly transmitted to Mu Li's mind, including his childhood, his growth, all the secrets of the North American Global Energy Group, and the specific locations of the other three fragments. Mu Li closed his eyes and quickly browsed through Caesar's memories, not missing any useful information. Soon, he found detailed information about the other three fragments and the locations of the North American Global Energy Group's secret bases and strongholds worldwide.

"So that's how it is." Mu Li opened his eyes, a flash of realization in them, and said calmly, "The third fragment is in a secret base in the South American Amazon rainforest, the fourth is in an underground base in the African Sahara Desert, and the fifth is on a remote island in Oceania. Additionally, your group has ten secret strongholds globally responsible for sabotaging energy projects and pinning down our actions."

Seeing that Mu Li had actually read his memory, Caesar's face turned even paler, his eyes filled with despair. He said hoarsely, "You... you can actually read my memory... This is impossible! How could the core system have such a function..."

"Nothing is impossible." Mu Li stood up and said to Old Yang, "Tie him and his subordinates up, keep them under strict guard, and take them back to Jing City to be handled by the relevant departments. Interrogate them well and try to get more useful information out of them. Also, immediately notify the Technical Team to lock onto all the secret bases and strongholds of the North American Global Energy Group based on the coordinates I provide, and be ready to strike at any time to completely destroy their forces!"

"Understood!" Old Yang nodded immediately, arranging for the team members to take action, carefully tying up Caesar and his subordinates and escorting them to the cave entrance to wait for backup.

After dealing with Caesar's team, the group began to explore the cave carefully for other valuable clues. Deep in the cave, there was a large stone chamber. The door of the chamber was blocked by a huge rock. Mu Li used the energy of the core system to give it a gentle push, and the rock was moved aside. The stone chamber contained many artifacts and documents from ancient times, including stone vessels, carved stone tablets, yellowed bamboo slips, and patterns drawn on animal skins. These artifacts and documents recorded the history of the Xuanguang Tribe in detail, as well as the origin and purpose of the core system.

According to the records in the documents and bamboo slips, the core system was an advanced technology obtained from outer space by the ancestors of the Xuanguang Tribe thousands of years ago. it could manipulate energy in the universe to provide humans with a continuous source of clean energy and improve the human living environment. Later, due to internal strife within the tribe and intense power struggles, the core system was divided into five fragments and scattered around the world. The key to activating the system was left in the ruins of Wuliang Mountain, guarded by generations of the tribe's protectors. The Xuanguang Tribe declined as a result and eventually disappeared into the long river of history, leaving only this ruin to witness its former glory.

"So, the core system is actually alien technology." Professor Zhang picked up a roll of yellowed bamboo slips and flipped through them carefully, his face showing shock and emotion. "This simply overturns our understanding of human history and technology. I didn't expect that thousands of years ago, humans had already come into contact with alien technology and were able to use it."

"Whether it's alien technology or a product of an ancient civilization, as long as it can provide clean energy for humanity and solve the global energy crisis, it's good technology," Mu Li said firmly. "These artifacts and documents are very valuable, carrying a forgotten history and rich technical information. We must carefully pack them all up and take them back to Jing City for in-depth research. Perhaps we can find more secrets about the core system and unlock more functions."

Everyone nodded and began to carefully pack the artifacts and documents in the stone chamber, their movements gentle for fear of damaging these precious historical relics. After packing, they returned along the original path. By the time they walked out of the cave, the sky was completely dark. The night was like a thick piece of black velvet, covering the entire Wuliang Mountain tightly. Only the occasional howl of an unknown beast came from the distance, echoing in the silent forest, adding a bit of desolation and eeriness.

Mu Li walked at the front of the team. The scar on his shoulder was faintly visible under the moonlight. Although the core system's energy had healed the wound, the high-intensity battle and energy consumption still left a trace of fatigue between his brows. He raised his hand to rub his brow, his fingertips still feeling the faint energy resonance from the stone sword and the USB drive. The fragment clues from Caesar's memory echoed repeatedly in his mind, and he already had a plan for the follow-up deployment.

"Engineer Mu, walk slowly and watch your step." Lin Wei stepped forward and gently supported Mu Li, her eyes still filled with concern. "Although the wound has healed, you've consumed too much today. You should rest more; we'll take care of the supplies and prisoners for the rest of the way." She held a wooden box containing ancient bamboo slips, her pace steady, no longer showing any of her previous panic, but rather a calmness gained after experiencing a fierce battle.

Mu Li shook his head slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, his voice steady: "I'm fine, this bit of consumption is nothing. Now that Caesar is captured and his subordinates are all under control, the remnants of the North American Global Energy Group are still out there. Although the locations of the other four fragments are known, they are also full of unknown dangers. We cannot afford any slack." He paused, turning to look at the team members behind him, his gaze sweeping over the fatigue and determination on everyone's faces, his heart full of emotion. "This time, it's all thanks to everyone. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to get the key, let alone successfully activate the core system. This credit belongs to every one of us."

The team members stopped one after another, relieved smiles appearing on their faces. All previous fatigue and pain seemed to vanish at this moment. Old Yang, holding the wound on his arm, stepped forward and said forcefully, "Engineer Mu, this is what we should do! It is our honor to contribute to activating the core system and protecting global energy security. Next, whether it's going to the Amazon rainforest to find fragments or destroying the secret strongholds of Global Energy, we are ready at any time!"

Professor Zhang also walked over, pushing up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, holding a roll of animal skin documents tightly in his hand, and said with emotion, "This trip to Wuliang Mountain not only found the activation key but also discovered so many precious ancient artifacts and documents, uncovering the mysterious veil of the Xuanguang Tribe and the core system. This is of inestimable value for our study of ancient civilizations and alien technology. Once we return to Jing City, we must conduct in-depth research on these artifacts and documents as soon as possible. Perhaps we can unlock more hidden functions of the core system."

Mu Li nodded slightly, his gaze looking toward the dark forest in the distance, his eyes sharp and determined: "That's right, this is just the beginning. Old Yang, arrange for the team members to take turns guarding the prisoners. Ensure their safety and make sure no one takes the chance to escape and leak our whereabouts or the secrets of the core system. Lin Wei, contact the Jing City headquarters immediately and have them send a backup team and professional artifact transport vehicles to Wuliang Mountain to meet us as soon as possible. At the same time, have the Technical Team prepare in advance. Once we return, we will immediately start the investigation and deployment for the coordinates of the other three fragments."

"Understood!" Old Yang and Lin Wei responded in unison and immediately took action. Old Yang arranged for the team members to split into two groups, one to guard Caesar and the others, and one to lead the way, staying alert to the surroundings. Lin Wei took out a satellite communication device and, during a brief interval when the signal was restored, quickly contacted the Jing City headquarters, orderly conveying Mu Li's instructions.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows and illuminating the path ahead for everyone. The team moved forward slowly, their footsteps echoing softly in the silent forest, mixed with the faint breathing of the prisoners and the low-voiced instructions among the team members. Mu Li walked at the very front, holding the stone sword tightly in his hand. The red crystal on the hilt still emitted a faint red light, echoing the USB drive in his pocket, as if foretelling the future journey.

He knew that activating the core system was only the first step. Finding the remaining four fragments, destroying the influence of the North American Global Energy Group, and unlocking all the functions of the core system still had a long way to go. But he had no fear in his heart because he had a group of partners fighting alongside him, the powerful core system as support, and the firm belief in protecting global energy security and uncovering the secrets of ancient civilizations.

As the night deepened, the forest remained silent, but a team carrying hope and mission was moving steadily toward the foot of the mountain. Their shadows were lengthened by the moonlight, gradually disappearing into the deep forest. The secrets of the Wuliang Mountain ruins, the future of the core system, and those fragments scattered around the world would all be revealed step by step in their journey.