272: Broken Ark

Star Pupil stood before the main console, her hand pressed against the data disk interface. Her fingers trembled, blood seeping from the tips. The broadcaster perched on her shoulder, its wings spread, projecting a waveform. The signal was much stronger than before.

Chen Wang stood beside the driver's seat, holding insulation pliers. He didn't stop her. He knew she couldn't hear anything outside right now.

Data began to scroll. The screen lit up, words flashing rapidly. The kindling system interface suddenly popped up a warning: [Unauthorized Access Detected] [Mental Link Strength 97%].

Star Pupil's eyes were open, glowing blue. Blood flowed from her nose, dripping down her chin onto the control panel. The blood landed next to a button, slowly spreading.

"It's not a distress call..." she spoke, her voice very soft, "It's a summons."

Chen Wang looked at the screen. A line of text appeared in the data: [Ark Project · Seventh Experiment Station · Final Protocol]. This was followed by a string of numbers, each with a gene matching rate and neural frequency value.

Star Pupil's fingers moved slightly. She pushed her consciousness deeper.

The screen changed.

A new name appeared: "Sower."

Below it read: "Objective: Screen suitable gene sequences and inject surface ecological reconstruction program." "Carrier: Individuals with high neural synchronicity." "Execution Cycle: black tide Phase Twelve activation."

Chen Wang's breath hitched.

He looked at the corner of the passenger seat. His father's pocket watch lay there. The surface was engraved with the number "7-23-0419." This number appeared on the thirty-seventh line of the data stream, with the status "Activated."

Star Pupil's body suddenly shook. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. The next second, Yan Shiduo's voice came from the wuling vehicle's loudspeaker.

"Thank you for helping me complete the code."

Chen Wang immediately rushed to the control panel. He pressed the mute button, but it didn't work. He cut the main power, but the voice continued.

"I'm monitoring the entire system," the voice said.

The voice was deep, almost laughing. "Every step you took was recorded. From the maze entrance to cracking the Stasis Zone frequency, then to accessing the data disk core—it was all a pre-arranged path."

Chen Wang looked up at the kindling system interface. The previously stable icons began to flash red. Weapon system, life support, and space expansion all entered standby mode. Prompts for [Protocol Upgrade Request: Unknown Source] kept popping up.

He pulled up the system log. Lin Wei's mechanical arm remote connection record showed that an encrypted command had been uploaded through the kindling channel fifteen minutes ago. The target node was at 73° North latitude, which was the Northern Empire's main control center.

"He rewrote our kindling protocol," Chen Wang said softly.

Star Pupil was still connected. Blood also began to flow from the corner of her mouth. But she didn't let go.

Information continued to appear on the screen: "Suitable candidates will serve as seed carriers, bearing the new world's genetic template." "Unsuitable candidates will be eliminated during climate reset." "The kindling system is not a tool; it is an identity verification terminal."

Chen Wang walked back to the driver's seat. He didn't sit down. He stared at the blood-stained numbers: 7-23-0419. This was his father's birthday, and also his own.

The loudspeaker rang again: "You think you're a survivor? You're just a chosen part."

Chen Wang didn't speak. He unplugged the main line and removed the backup battery pack. But the kindling system's holographic interface remained lit. It was now running independently, without power from the vehicle.

The weapon system suddenly activated. The electromagnetic cannon began charging, and the alarm light turned red. The shield closed, and oxygen circulation dropped to 40%. The temperature inside the vehicle rose.

Chen Wang used the insulation pliers to cut the weapon circuit. Sparks flew onto his arm, but he didn't dodge. The system paused, then a new prompt appeared: [Emergency Mode Activated] [Function Retention 32%].

He took a breath and looked at Star Pupil.

Her eyes were closed. Her breathing was weak. Smoke rose from the data disk interface. Her mind was still transmitting, but her body could no longer hold on.

"Enough," he said.

But he didn't forcefully disconnect the link. He knew the truth wasn't over yet.

The screen refreshed again.

An audio clip played automatically. It was Dr. Tang's voice: "The Seventh Experiment Station's mission isn't to save people. It's to test the stability of the 'Sower' reception port." "We selected nine high-frequency sensitives, and Star Pupil is the only one, Number Seven, who survived."

Star Pupil's body trembled violently.

The audio continued: "All kindling carriers were implanted with initial code. You thought the system chose you—but in fact, you were born to be part of this program."

Chen Wang walked over to her and squatted down. He saw a virtual fragment appear in her palm. It read: "Suitable Candidate = Seed Carrier."

Her lips moved.

"We... were never survivors," she said.

Chen Wang stood up and returned to the driver's seat. He didn't buckle his seatbelt. He looked at the number on the pocket watch, then at the dried bloodstain on the control panel.

After a long time, he said, "So they had already chosen the people."

The lights inside the vehicle flickered. The alarm continued to blare. The kindling system interface stopped on the last line of text: [Identity Verification Complete] [Sowing Cycle Countdown: Initiated].

Star Pupil leaned against the passenger seat corner, conscious but very weak. Her nose was still bleeding. The mechanical parrot's wings trembled slightly, perched on her shoulder. She still held the unparsed data fragment in her hand.

Chen Wang's hand rested on the steering wheel. His fingers traced the kindling system's operating area. There was a scratch there, which he had left three days ago while repairing the vehicle.

He remembered saying that day: "Parts don't lie."

But now, he suspected that the vehicle itself was a lie.

The voice from the loudspeaker was gone. No farewell, no threat, only static.

Chen Wang didn't move. He knew it wasn't over yet.

Star Pupil suddenly raised her hand. Her finger pointed to the ventilation duct at the top of the cockpit. There was a weld joint there, a different color from the rest.

"That place..." her voice was hoarse, "was tampered with."

Chen Wang stood up and approached the ventilation duct. He touched the weld joint with his hand. It was slightly cooler than the surrounding area. There was a slight vibration at the seam.

He took out a wrench and tapped the weld joint.

The metal casing cracked open.

Inside was a black wire, connected to a small transmitter. The surface was imprinted with the Northern Empire's emblem: a closed eye.

Chen Wang removed it and placed it on the control panel. The wire was still warm.

He looked at the kindling system interface. The independently operating holographic screen, facing him, kept flashing.