338: Undercurrents and "Moments of Choice"

"hope" glided through the dimensional tunnel like a silent silver fish.

The scenery inside the tunnel was as bizarre and surreal as ever, with countless fragmented historical images flashing past the portholes like meteors—these were the imprints of time and space left behind from the era of the Star People.

But no one on the bridge had the heart to appreciate this right now; everyone's attention was focused on the constantly ticking countdown on the main screen.

Twenty-nine days, seventeen hours, forty-three minutes, and twelve seconds.

This was the countdown to the triggering of the "Ultimate Harvesting Protocol" calculated by the "Messenger."

Every passing second felt like a muffled drum beating in everyone's heart.

The core team meeting had been going on for six hours.

On that massive holographic tactical map, densely packed operational nodes, timelines, and contingency plans were marked, along with "high-risk segments" highlighted in red—there were too many, so many that the entire map looked like a list filled with death notices.

"The fourth route, the team raiding the 'General Dispatch Station,' has an estimated success rate of only thirty-seven percent."

Senior Brother Zhang pushed up his glasses, his eyes bloodshot behind the lenses, "That is the core area of the Creation Heavenly Court, and its defense level is ten times that of the three spirit net control centers."

According to the data provided by Yun Zhi, there are at least three hundred 'Heavenly Soldier' Rank guards, twelve 'Heavenly Generals,' and possibly one 'Star Lord' stationed there."

"Star Lord?" Zhao Iron Pillar frowned, "Stronger than a Heavenly General?"

"Much stronger," Yun Zhi said, sitting at the other end of the conference table, her white clothes as pure as snow, but her expression grave, "A Star Lord is a mid-level manager of the Creation Heavenly Court and has mastered at least one complete fragment of the 'Heavenly Dao Law'."

In front of them, the power of an ordinary Cultivator is like an ant trying to shake a mountain."

Wen Youyi stared at the red-marked node: "I'll take this route. I have the master key, perhaps I can counter the 'Heavenly Dao Law'."

"No," Aila Xinghen - Deputy Captain immediately objected, "You are the commander-in-chief; you cannot take this risk."

"Furthermore, although the master key can mobilize the power of the Star People's heritage, you haven't fully mastered how to use it yet, and it's too dangerous to recklessly confront an entity that has mastered the Law."

"Then who will go?" Wen Youyi looked at everyone.

After a brief silence, Luo Chen spoke: "I will go. The Sky Patrol civilization has some research on high-dimensional energy; I might be able to hold off the Star Lord for a while—as long as your other three routes are fast enough."

"Father!" Lia said anxiously, "Your injuries from last time haven't fully healed yet!"

"It's precisely because I almost died last time that I have experience this time." Luo Chen smiled and patted his daughter's shoulder, "Besides, we can't always let the young people take the risks."

Wen Youyi looked at Luo Chen and finally nodded solemnly: "Then I'll leave it to you. But remember, our goal is to destroy the System, not to throw our lives away. If it becomes impossible, retreat immediately—that is an order."

"Understood."

The meeting continued. They spent four full hours finalizing every detail of the four-route operation down to the minute.

When to depart, which route to take, what response plan to use in case of specific situations, and even what equipment each person should carry and what the backup plans were—everything was clearly listed.

"It feels like planning a cosmic-level surgery," Wang Wu rubbed his throbbing temples, "the kind of high-difficulty surgery where the patient could hemorrhage at any moment, and the doctor has to split into four to operate simultaneously."

"An apt metaphor," Wen Youyi smiled bitterly, "but we have no choice."

Countdown: Twenty-eight days, twenty-two hours, nine minutes.

"hope" sailed out of the dimensional tunnel and reappeared in the conventional Universe.

Ahead lay a familiar Star Domain—the "Tianyuan Realm," where the Ranch World was located, was not far away. With the naked eye, one could already see the planet wrapped in a light blue spirit net, like a gem trapped in a spider web.

But the Tianyuan Realm at this moment was somewhat different from what was in Wen Youyi's memory.

Those spirit net filaments, which were originally only faintly visible, had now become exceptionally bright, almost covering the entire surface of the planet.

Even more eerie was that there were dozens of dark golden light spots around the planet, moving slowly in orbit—these were the newly added monitoring stations of the Creation Heavenly Court.

"The alert level has been raised by at least three levels," Aila Xinghen - Deputy Captain scanned the data, "The energy shielding field is fully activated, and the active scanning frequency is three times what it used to be."

"Our camouflage System can barely cope, but we cannot get too close, nor can we stay for too long."

"Proceed according to plan," Wen Youyi took a deep breath, "Team one, two, and three, prepare to depart."

In the conference room, twelve people were divided into four groups, with three people in each group.

First route: Wen Youyi, Aila Xinghen - Deputy Captain, Zhao Iron Pillar. Target: Tianyuan Realm spirit net control center, located underground at the "Heavenly Tower" behind the Qingyun Sect.

Second route: Senior Brother Zhang, Wang Wu, Mu Wanqing. Target: Di Yuan Realm spirit net control center, located at the "Nether Well" deep within the Demonic Path headquarters.

Third route: Yun Zhi, Old K, Little Li (Zhao Iron Pillar's Disciple, who pestered them to participate). Target: Xuanhuang Realm spirit net control center, located at the Yao Race Holy Land, "Valley of Ten Thousand Yao."

Fourth route: Luo Chen, Lia, and a Sky Patrol technical elite (named Reno). Target: High-dimensional "General Dispatch Station," location uncertain, requires special coordinates provided by Yun Zhi to locate.

"Use the encrypted neural network for direct communication, and confirm status every ten minutes," Wen Youyi instructed finally, "If there is no response for over twenty minutes, other teams should assume that route has failed and adjust plans according to the contingency protocol."

"Remember, our ultimate goal is to save people, not destruction. As long as the System is paralyzed enough for us to open the portal, that's enough; do not get bogged down in fighting."

The twelve people looked at each other and then nodded in unison.

"Then," Wen Youyi gripped the master key, "Operation begins."

Four modified shuttle craft slid out from the belly of "hope," like four silent meteors, flying in different directions.

Each craft had activated its most advanced stealth System, with surfaces covered in a special coating that could absorb detection waves, and engines adjusted to the lowest power, producing almost no energy fluctuations.

The shuttle craft Wen Youyi was in flew toward the Tianyuan Realm. Outside the porthole, the familiar planet drew closer; one could clearly see the outlines of continents, oceans, and even identify the direction of the Qingyun Mountain range.

But those dense spirit net filaments made everything seem strange and oppressive.

"Three minutes until entering the atmosphere," Aila Xinghen - Deputy Captain stared at the instruments, "Shields adjusted to adaptive camouflage mode, which will simulate the energy signature of an ordinary bird—hopefully, the Creation Heavenly Court's monitoring System won't be bored enough to scan every single bird."

Zhao Iron Pillar checked his equipment: a heavy sword, an energy disruptor, explosive spirit talismans, and a "spirit net disruption dagger" specially made by Wen Youyi—this thing, when stabbed into a spirit net node, could paralyze a local network for ten seconds.

"Boss, how do you think the Qingyun Sect is doing now?" Zhao Iron Pillar asked suddenly, "When I left, there were still over two hundred brothers from the Cooperative left there to provide cover."

Wen Youyi was silent for a moment. He didn't know either. They had left the Ranch World several years ago (Universe time); according to the time flow rate of the Tianyuan Realm, it might have been over a decade or even decades.

Those former companions, were they still holding on, or had they been completely assimilated by the spirit net?

"We'll know once we get in," he said, "If we can find them... we'll take them with us."

The shuttle craft entered the atmosphere with a slight vibration. Below were the familiar cloud seas and mountains, but Wen Youyi keenly noticed that there were some unnatural "light spots" in many places—those were the newly added monitoring Formations.

The direction of the Qingyun Sect was even more heavily shrouded by a dense layer of spirit net, to the point where even the shape of the mountains could not be seen clearly.

"Land in the nameless canyon behind the mountain," Wen Youyi marked the location based on his memory, "That is a weak point in the spirit net monitoring, which Yun Zhi told me about back then."

The shuttle craft slid silently into the canyon and landed in a concealed rock crevice.

The three of them quickly changed into their disguises—ordinary Qingyun Sect Outer Sect Disciple attire (replicated from the Guixu database and intentionally distressed), suppressing all energy fluctuations, looking like three ordinary low-Rank Cultivators.

Stepping out of the rock crevice, Wen Youyi took a deep breath of the familiar air—mixed with Spiritual Qi, the scent of grass and trees, and a faint... sense of oppression.

That was the psychological pressure brought about by the omnipresent monitoring of the spirit net.

"The Heavenly Tower is over there," he pointed toward the direction of the Qingyun Sect's main peak, "but we cannot go directly. The spirit net control center is three thousand meters underground, and there are only three entrances: the secret passage under the main peak hall, the Discipline Hall dungeon, and..."

"And what else?" Zhao Iron Pillar asked.

"The 'Repentance Cave' at the Reflection Cliff behind the mountain," Wen Youyi said, "is a place for Disciples who have committed major mistakes to go into seclusion and reflect. Nominally, it's a punishment, but in reality, it's one of the 'maintenance passages' for the spirit net System. Yun Zhi said the security there is the weakest because no one would expect anyone to enter from there."

The three of them moved quietly along the mountain path.

They encountered several teams of patrolling Disciples on the way, all of whom they easily avoided—these Disciples had low cultivation levels and looked very exhausted, their eyes empty, as if they were performing their tasks mechanically.

"The erosion of the spirit net has deepened," Aila whispered, "the Mental Energy of these people has been mostly extracted, leaving only empty shells."

Wen Youyi's heart sank.

If even ordinary Disciples were like this, then those high-level Cultivators, and the people he knew...

Rounding a bamboo grove, the Reflection Cliff appeared before them.

It was a solitary cliff with dozens of caves chiseled into the cliff face, each entrance carved with the character for "Repentance."

Most of the caves were empty at the moment, with only the one deepest inside emitting a faint light, and two yawning guards sitting at the entrance—they looked like mere Foundation Establishment Stage Outer Sect Disciples.

"Good opportunity," Zhao Iron Pillar rubbed his hands, "I'll go knock them out."

"Wait," Wen Youyi stopped him, "use this."

He took out a small porcelain bottle and poured out two colorless and odorless Medicinal Pills.

This was the "Spirit-Calming Powder" specially made by Mu Wanqing, which could induce a deep sleep for three hours; upon waking, they would only feel that they had fallen asleep from exhaustion and would not suspect they had been attacked.

Zhao Iron Pillar took the Medicinal Pills and snuck over as silently as a civet cat.

Half a minute later, the two guards were already leaning against the stone wall, emitting rhythmic snoring sounds.

The three of them slipped into the cave.

The interior was very simple, with only a stone bed and a meditation cushion, but at the bottom of the cave was an inconspicuous stone slab with subtle gaps along its edges.

Following the method Yun Zhi had taught him, Wen Youyi traced a specific trajectory on the stone slab with the master key.

The stone slab sank silently, revealing a downward staircase.

The staircase was bottomless, with glowing crystals embedded in the walls on both sides, illuminating the path downward.

The three of them descended quickly, their footsteps echoing in the narrow space.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, a metal door appeared ahead.

The door was engraved with complex Formation patterns, and there was a groove in the center.

"It requires an authorization token," Wen Youyi frowned, "Yun Zhi said that a regular Disciple's token won't work; it requires at least an Elder's level."

"Then let's force our way in?" Zhao Iron Pillar raised his heavy sword.

"Wait," Aila stopped him, data streams flashing through her indigo eyes, "I'm scanning the Formation structure... This is a composite verification Formation that requires simultaneous input of Spiritual Power signatures and Divine Sense imprints. But if we can simulate the correct fluctuations..."

She looked at Wen Youyi: "The master key can simulate the highest authority of the Star People. Let's see if we can trick this Formation—the technological level of the Star People is far higher than that of the Creation Heavenly Court, and their verification System might have a 'backdoor' left behind."

Wen Youyi pressed the master key against the door.

The star map on the surface of the master key lit up slightly, resonating with the Formation patterns on the door.

A few seconds later, the Formation patterns suddenly became chaotic for a moment, as if the authorization verification logic had been forcibly "overwritten."

The metal door slid open silently.

"It worked!" Zhao Iron Pillar grinned.

Behind the door was a modern corridor—completely different from the primitive style of the Reflection Cliff.

The walls were made of silver-white metal, the floor was smooth synthetic material, and there was a cold white light on the ceiling every few meters.

On both sides of the corridor were transparent observation windows, through which one could see dense arrays of instruments and flickering screens.

"This is the peripheral area of the spirit net Main Control Center," Wen Youyi lowered his voice, "the Main Control Room is at the very end. But we have to destroy three key 'relay nodes' first to paralyze the entire System."

The three of them moved quickly along the corridor.

They encountered several technicians in white uniforms on the way, all of whom were taken down by Zhao Iron Pillar in a "gentle" manner—knocked out and stuffed into a storage room, the actions completed in one fluid motion.

The first relay node was in a large circular hall.

In the center of the hall hovered a huge crystal ball, inside which countless points of light flowed, each representing a Cultivator connected to the spirit net.

Around the crystal ball were a dozen consoles, with several technicians busy working.

"How do we handle this?" Zhao Iron Pillar asked, "Knock them all out?"

Wen Youyi observed the layout of the hall and suddenly had an idea.

He pointed to the ventilation ducts on the ceiling: "Aila, can you release 'spirit net Interference Dust' through the ventilation System? You know, the one specially made by Senior Brother Zhang."

Aila nodded: "I can, but I need time to calculate the dust diffusion path to ensure it covers the entire hall without being cleared by the filtration System."

"You have three minutes."

Aila closed her eyes, her indigo Mental Energy extending out like silk threads, seeping into the ventilation ducts.

Two minutes and forty seconds later, she opened her eyes: "It's ready."

She took a small metal canister from her waist and unscrewed the valve.

A stream of colorless and odorless powder was sucked into the ventilation duct by the airflow.

Thirty seconds later, the technicians in the hall began to yawn and rub their eyes one after another, then collapsed softly to the ground—the interference dust not only paralyzed the spirit net nodes but also had a strong hypnotic effect on low-level Cultivators.

Wen Youyi walked quickly to the console and inserted a data chip.

The chip contained a virus program he had written, which would automatically spread to other nodes along the spirit net's relay lines.

"First node secured," he looked at the "Infection Progress: 100%" displayed on the screen, "on to the next one."

The second node was deeper underground, a massive "Spiritual Power Conversion Pool."

The pool was churning with milky-white liquid Spiritual Qi, but upon closer inspection, one could see countless tiny dark red threads mixed into that Spiritual Qi—that was the "Life Essence" extracted from the bodies of Cultivators.

"This is a goddamn juicer!" Zhao Iron Pillar gritted his teeth, "Draining living people dry!"

Wen Youyi's expression was also very ugly.

But he forced himself to stay calm and found the control core of the conversion pool—a black stone stele covered in runes.

He pressed the master key against the stele and input energy in reverse.

The runes on the stele began to extinguish one by one, and the operation speed of the conversion pool slowed down significantly.

"Second node paralyzed. Only one left, at the entrance of the Main Control Room."

The three of them quickened their pace.

But just as they were about to reach the Main Control Room area, the alarm suddenly sounded.

It wasn't because of them, but rather coming from the communication channel—it was the second team, the voice of Senior Brother Zhang.

"We've been discovered!" Senior Brother Zhang's voice was urgent, "The defense of the Di Yuan Realm is stronger than expected, there's an ambush in the Nether Well! Wang Wu is injured, we are retreating—but the alarm System has been triggered, and the alert level for all spirit net nodes has been raised!"

Almost simultaneously, the voice of the third team, Yun Zhi, also came through: "The Xuanhuang Realm is also a trap! The spirit net Main Control Center in the Ten Thousand Yao Valley was moved three days ago; this place is a decoy! Old K and Little Li are surrounded, and I am trying to rescue them!"

Bad news followed one after another.

Wen Youyi's heart sank to the bottom—the Creation Heavenly Court had indeed been prepared; their operation had been exposed from the very beginning!

"Fourth team, Luo Chen, how is it on your end?" he asked immediately.

After a brief sound of electrical interference, Luo Chen's voice came through, filled with suppressed pain: "The defense of the General Dispatch Station... far exceeds expectations. We triggered a spatial imprisonment trap as soon as we entered; Renault has sacrificed himself, and Leia and I are trapped in an isolation chamber. Wen Youyi... the plan might have failed."

Four teams in action, three blocked, one trapped.

Wen Youyi clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

But he forced himself to stay calm—a programmer's instinct told him that no matter how bad a System was, there was always a "restart button."

"All teams, execute Emergency Plan B," he ordered into the communication channel, "abandon the original objectives and instead create as much chaos as possible to attract attention. Aila, Iron Pillar, we're changing the plan—we won't destroy the nodes anymore; we're charging directly into the Main Control Room. I'm going to access the core database of the spirit net."

"What are you going to do?" Aila asked.

Wen Youyi stared at the tightly closed Main Control Room door ahead, his eyes sharp:

"I'm going to write a 'suicide program' for this harvesting System."

(End of chapter)