41: Chapter 13 The Moment of Choice

The dark, lightless spiral staircase, like a throat leading to Hell itself, extended downward into a disconcerting, absolute darkness. Only the faint cold light emitted by the stairs themselves outlined its unnatural, disturbingly smooth curves. The ancient "call" coming from the depths, which resonated strongly with the "Source" inside Lin Feng's body, became increasingly clear—it was no longer a vague guidance, but an almost tangible gravitational pull.

The slowly rotating Double-Ring Symbol on the stone tablet was etched into the minds of the three like a brand.

"I'll take the lead." Lei Kun's voice broke the nearly stagnant silence, his tone more solemn than ever. He checked his weapons and equipment and was the first to step onto the smooth, cold stairs. As his feet landed, they didn't make the slightest sound, as if all noise was swallowed by this eerie material.

Lin Feng followed closely behind, with Ling Yue bringing up the rear. Her new mechanical arm's sensors were fully active, frantically recording environmental data that was abnormal to the extreme, her face pale yet intensely focused.

As soon as they stepped onto the stairs, the sensation of space-time distortion struck again, but it was even stranger than the previous information flood zone. It felt as if they weren't walking down, but rather "sliding" through some non-Euclidean geometric structure. The surrounding scenery was no longer fixed rock walls or architectural structures, but had become a flowing, unpredictable stream of dark energy, where incomprehensible, colossal shadows and structures occasionally flashed by—glimpses of another dimension.

>> Warning: Local Physics Breaking Down. Causality Loops Detected in Vicinity. Maintain Focus on Resonance Link.

The warnings from the "Source" became urgent. The laws of physics were failing!

Lin Feng locked onto the sense of resonance coming from below, using it as their only beacon in this chaotic space-time. "Follow my lead! Don't look at the surroundings!" he growled, his voice sounding unusually abrupt in the absolute silence of the stairs.

Lei Kun and Ling Yue followed closely, relying their perceptions to the maximum on Lin Feng's guidance.

Down, they went, constantly downward.

Time lost its meaning. It could have been just a few minutes, or perhaps several hours. Both their physical strength and mental state were under immense pressure in this environment. Lin Feng felt the resonance growing stronger, so strong it almost formed a concrete "voice" or "image" in his mind.

Suddenly, the view ahead opened up!

The stairs reached their end.

They stood on the "inner wall" of a spherical space so massive it defied description—or rather, they felt like they were standing on the inner wall, as their sense of direction was completely scrambled. In the center of the space, something was suspended.

It wasn't any imagined data core, chip, or ancient scroll.

It was a patch of "void."

A region of absolute darkness that constantly flowed, shifted, and swallowed all surrounding light. It was roughly the height of a person, its form extremely unstable, sometimes like boiling ink, other times extending strange tentacles that shimmered with absolute cold light like star-swirls. The space around it exhibited severe distortion, with light bending around it as if the void itself possessed unimaginable mass.

And the source of that powerful, ancient resonance was precisely this "void"!

>> Target Identified: "initial protocol" Fragment.

>> Nature: Non-Physical. Manifestation of Primordial Information / Conceptual Reality Anchor / Temporal Paradox Kernel (Inconclusive).

>> Extreme Danger: Reality Consumption Detected. Proximity May Cause Existential Unraveling.

The analysis results from the "Source" were full of incomprehensible terminology and high-level danger warnings.

"That's... the 'initial protocol' fragment?" Ling Yue's voice carried an unbelievable shock and a hint of fear. "Is it... alive? Or rather, is it some kind of... phenomenon?"

Lei Kun's muzzle instinctively rose, aiming at the "void," but he didn't fire. Intuition told him it would be meaningless and might even trigger catastrophic consequences. "This is what... The Engineer wants?" he said deeply, his tone filled with doubt.

Just then, at the core of the "void," within that churning absolute darkness, a speck of light suddenly lit up.

That speck of light expanded rapidly, evolving into the Double-Ring Symbol they had seen on the stone tablet! But now it was no longer a pattern carved in stone; it was composed of pure energy containing indescribable information, rotating slowly and emitting an ancient, majestic aura.

With the appearance of this energy symbol, the "call" or "gravitational pull" reached its peak!

Lin Feng couldn't help but take a step forward! The "Source" inside him seemed to receive a supreme summons, becoming exceptionally active, almost breaking free from his control to rush toward the "void"!

"Lin Feng!" Lei Kun barked, grabbing his arm.

But the moment Lei Kun touched Lin Feng—

BOOM!!!

An indescribable "roar" that didn't travel through sound slammed into the consciousness of the three!

It wasn't an attack, but an unimaginably massive flood of information, accompanied by countless fragmented images, sounds, and perceptions, forced its way into their brains!

They saw... fragments of the world.

It was no longer the gloom of The Nest, no longer the glitz of The Consortium. They saw a brilliant sea of stars, they saw magnificent super-structures that defied description operating among the stars, they saw the peak of some civilization that had reached the ultimate height of glory!

Then came destruction. Incomprehensible disasters, the cracking of space itself, the rewriting of laws. That glorious civilization struggled in despair, trying to preserve its embers. The "Source" System... seemed to be one of them. And the "initial protocol"... seemed more like some kind of ultimate blueprint of rules the civilization tried to formulate to deal with the final disaster. But it seemed to have shattered before it could be completed...

The images stopped abruptly.

After the impact, the three collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily, cold sweat soaking their clothes. In that moment, they felt as if they had experienced the life and death of several civilizations; that grandeur and pathos nearly scattered their individual consciousness.

"...Did you see that?" Ling Yue's voice trembled with great horror. "That... that was... the previous era before the Sky Curtain and the four major Consortiums appeared?!"

Lei Kun's face was also paler than ever. He gripped his weapon tightly, his knuckles white. Those fragmented images, especially certain scenes of war spanning the sea of stars, touched something deep inside him as a soldier.

Lin Feng's experience was the most intense. Those fragments of information, especially the bits and pieces regarding the "Source" System and the "initial protocol," produced the deepest resonance and... completion with the ability inside him. He felt his understanding of the "Source" instantly elevate to a massive new level; many previously vague abilities he used instinctively now seemed to have a hazy theoretical foundation and origin.

>> "Source" System Integration Level Increased. Understanding of Core Protocols Enhanced.

>> Warning: "initial protocol" Fragment is Unstable. Its Presence is Corroding Local Reality. Prolonged exposure is Fatal.

The "void" continued to fluctuate slowly in the space, the energy Double-Ring Symbol in its center flickering. It was both a treasure trove of endless knowledge and a cancer cell of the physical universe!

"We must decide." Lei Kun was the first to regain his composure, his gaze sharp as a blade as it swept over Lin Feng and Ling Yue. "The Engineer wants it. But what we just saw... this thing is too dangerous. Handing it over to an Engineer with unknown motives could have unimaginable consequences."

Ling Yue struggled to stand up, looking at the "void" with a complex expression. "But he might be the only person... or thing... who can understand or even control this. If we keep it, we'll only be swallowed by it or draw in even more terrifying entities." She glanced at Lin Feng. "Besides, this was the condition he agreed to for helping us."

Lin Feng stood in place, an intense struggle raging within him. The call was still strong, tempting him to touch and merge with that "void," where the complete answers for the "Source" and unimaginable power lay. But the warnings from the "Source" itself and the scenes of destruction he had just seen made him shudder.

Give it to The Engineer? Risk taking it away? Or... destroy it? (Did they even have the power to destroy it?)

This was a choice concerning their own fates, and perhaps even the future of the entire world.

However, the Library didn't seem to intend to give them ample time to think.

Just as their minds were reeling from this massive discovery—

Crack!

Rumble—!

From the direction they came, above the spiral staircase, the sound of a massive explosion and the roar of structural collapse suddenly erupted! This was followed by the dense, blatant sound of energy weapon fire!

>> Alert: External Intrusion Detected! Multiple Hostile Signatures! Energy Readings Match: "Razor" & [Sky Curtain] Rapid Response Teams!

>> They Are Fighting Each Other AND Breaching Towards This Location!

Razor and the official Rapid Response Teams! They had somehow found this place as well, and were clearly engaged in a firefight, charging toward this core area while attacking each other!

A dead end!

The "initial protocol" fragment that could swallow reality in front of them, and powerful pursuers behind!

Lei Kun instantly entered a combat state, his muzzle snapping toward the direction of the stairs where the noise was coming from, his body tense like a cheetah ready to pounce.

Ling Yue's new mechanical arm instantly deployed its weapon interface, energy beginning to converge, her face grim.

Lin Feng looked at the still slowly rotating energy double-ring, then at the passage behind them from which the lethal threat was coming. The immense pressure instead made his mind exceptionally clear.

There was no more time for hesitation.

He abruptly looked up, a flash of determination in his eyes.

"Lei Kun! How long can you hold them off?"

"Ling Yue! Is there any way to temporarily stabilize or seal that thing, even for just a few seconds?"

His choice had been made.