256: orphans of civilization

The wuling type 100 hovered above the Stasis Zone, its tracks off the ground, its energy wing membranes still gently fluttering.

The vehicle's body emitted a low, rumbling sound, as if it were panting.

Chen Wang kept a tight grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

He didn't dare let go.

Three aircraft slowly circled around.

They stopped attacking and did not approach the cockpit.

One of them opened its side door and dropped a metal box.

The object fell, bounced once on the ice, and rolled to a stop under the vehicle.

Amy looked at the financial terminal and said, "The scan is complete. There are no trackers, and it's not something from the Empire."

Lin Wei steadied herself against the medical pod, stood up, and walked over to pick up the box.

The casing was very cold, with several fine lines on the surface, resembling some kind of code.

She brought the box back to the vehicle and placed it on the console.

"Should we open it?" Su Ling asked.

Chen Wang nodded.

Lin Wei used a tool to pry open the lock.

As soon as the lid opened, a blue light emerged.

Inside, it was filled with Stasis energy crystals, arranged neatly, emitting a soft light.

Touching them, they felt like they were pulsing, as if they had life.

Su Wan took the box and connected it to the medical pod's system.

After the wires were connected, the screen began flashing data.

She pulled up the bio-electric residue module and started the extraction program.

A holographic image appeared.

In the frame, a group of people wearing old-style research uniforms stood in a control room.

Behind them was a collapsed roof, and alarm lights were flashing.

A person walked out, with sweat and tears on their face.

"We are the last ones left," he said. "Thank you for activating the initial code... The kindling system is still here; this is very important."

He paused, his voice turning hoarse.

"We are not enemies. We are just backups, forgotten backups. Listen carefully—don't come back. There is no hope here. The system is broken, time is stuck, and everyone is trapped in the last second."

Another woman took over and said, "But we left a coordinate: 63° North latitude, 129° East longitude. That is the final safety device of the genesis engine. If you see this, please go there. Do not trust anyone who claims to be an Inheritor; they have long since changed."

The image jumped to the inside of a laboratory. A large machine was shutting down, its red lights extinguishing one by one.

"We stored our memories in the Stasis energy," the first man said. "This is the only thing that can travel through time. The box in your hands is our final gift. It is also a warning."

The recording ended.

No one in the vehicle spoke.

Su Ling leaned back in the passenger seat, eyes closed. Her gun lay by her leg, the crack on the barrel deeper now.

She whispered, "They told us not to go back."

No one responded.

Amy walked to the console and flipped the box over.

There was a ring of engravings on the bottom; looking closely, they were latitude and longitude numbers.

She entered them into the financial terminal and built a coordinate model.

"This location is not on the map," she said, "but it has an 87% match with the records of the Ark Project's underground hub. It's deep in the far northern permafrost, covered by the black tide all year round."

Lin Wei looked at her hands. The crystal in her palm was still warm.

She suddenly remembered something and opened the log of the kindling system. She discovered that while the video was playing, the system had automatically saved a piece of encrypted data from an unknown source.

"This isn't an ordinary memory," she said. "It reacts with the initial code. My father participated in this project, but he never mentioned any of this."

Su Wan unplugged the wires and set the medical pod to standby.

She glanced at Star Pupil. The girl was still unconscious, but her breathing was steady, and her fingers were no longer tapping out a rhythm.

The remains of the mechanical parrot rested on her chest, its blue light flickering.

"She shouldn't have to bear these memories," Su Wan said.

Chen Wang stared at the radar screen. Where it had been empty before, there was now a red dot. The signal was weak but steadily strengthening.

He pulled up the waveform chart and discovered it was resonating with the kindling system.

"It's not a natural phenomenon," he said.

Amy walked over and compared the two signals: "When the box released the memory, it triggered a remote response. There is energy fluctuation starting in the direction of that coordinate, increasing by 12% every minute."

Lin Wei stood beside her: "Someone is rebooting something."

"Or they want to lure us there," Su Ling opened her eyes. "They sent an item, left a message, and gave coordinates. It sounds like a plea for help, but it could also be a trap."

Chen Wang didn't speak. He looked down at the steering wheel.

His glove was torn, revealing the calluses on the web of his hand.

These hands had repaired thousands of vehicles and killed many Annihilation Beasts.

But what he was holding now was neither a tool nor a weapon.

It was a choice.

He pressed the communication key and opened the navigation interface. The new coordinate was already marked, flashing red. The system prompted: [Set as destination?]

His finger hovered over the confirm button.

Lin Wei said, "I can perform a correlation analysis between this memory and the initial code to see if there are any hidden instructions."

Amy said, "I've already run a risk model. If we go to that coordinate, the current survival rate is 31%. If the energy fluctuation continues to rise, it will drop below 19% in two hours."

Su Wan said, "Star Pupil needs at least six hours to recover. Leaving now is a risk for her."

Su Ling looked out the window: "We just escaped. Are we going into another place?"

Chen Wang withdrew his hand.

"No rush," he said. "Save the coordinates first and mark them as S-level priority."

He closed the navigation and reopened the radar screen. The red dot was still there, pulsing steadily. Like a heartbeat.

Amy sat back in her seat, clutching a chip in her hand.

She didn't tap the table, just gripped it tightly. Lin Wei opened her notebook and began entering data. Su Wan checked the supply of medicine in the medical pod. Su Ling recharged her sniper rifle.

Star Pupil didn't move.

The blue light on the remains of the mechanical parrot slowly synchronized with the Stasis energy in the box, brightening and dimming as if in response.

Chen Wang looked up ahead.

Under the gray-white sky, the shadow of the crystal dome was vaguely visible. The wuling type 100 hovered silently, neither advancing nor retreating.

In the bottom right corner of the kindling system interface, that red dot was still flashing.

He touched the burn scar on his left arm.

Then, he gripped the steering wheel again.