339: The secrets of the control room and "system consciousness"

Alarms echoed shrilly through the corridors of the spirit net's main control center, and red warning lights cast a blood-colored glow onto the silver-white metal walls.

Wen Youyi didn't stop; instead, he ran even faster. Zhao Iron Pillar charged at the front, swinging his heavy sword like a maddened bull, knocking two guards who had rushed over at the sound flying. Aila was like a ghost, data streams flashing frantically in her indigo eyes. She hacked security doors along the way as she ran, her fingers moving rapidly in the void as if playing a silent piano piece.

"Turn left ahead! The main control room door is fifty meters away!" Aila shouted. "But the System is initiating an emergency lockdown procedure. We need to charge in within three seconds!"

"Three seconds? That's enough for me to cleave through ten doors!" Zhao Iron Pillar roared. An earthy yellow light erupted from his heavy sword—it was the "Thick Earth Art" he had Cultivated since the Ranch World. Now, combined with the energy amplifier provided by Guixu, its power surged.

The door to the main control room appeared in their field of vision. It was a heavy alloy door covered in flowing runes. At that moment, it was "petrifying" from the edges toward the center at a speed visible to the naked eye—once fully closed, no one would be able to open it without the highest level of authorization.

"One second!" Aila screamed.

Zhao Iron Pillar leapt into the air, his heavy sword swinging down with the mountain-splitting force! *Boom—* The collision of metal and energy erupted in a piercing sonic boom. The runes on the door flashed violently, and a crack opened, but it didn't break through completely.

The petrification had already spread across three-quarters of the door.

Wen Youyi moved. He didn't use brute force. Instead, he raised the master key and aimed it at an inconspicuous interface exposed in the door's crack—it was an "emergency maintenance port" left from the era of the Star People. Yun Zhi had mentioned that the entire System of the Creation Heavenly Court was built upon the framework left by the Star People.

The moment the master key was inserted, time seemed to stand still for an instant.

Those petrifying runes suddenly froze, and then... began to flow in reverse. The alloy door slid open silently to both sides, revealing the brightly lit main control room behind it.

The three of them rushed inside, and the door closed behind them, cutting off the shouts of their pursuers.

The scene inside the main control room made even Wen Youyi, who was prepared, gasp in cold air.

This place didn't look like a control center; it looked more like a biological "brain."

The entire space was hemispherical, with a diameter of over a hundred meters. The walls, ceiling, and even the floor were all made of a translucent "fleshy" structure, their surfaces covered in pulsating vein-like patterns. Dark golden light flowed through those patterns—it was exactly the energy of the spirit net. Countless "nerve bundles" of varying thicknesses extended from the walls, connecting to a giant fleshy sphere suspended in the center.

The fleshy sphere was about ten meters in diameter, its surface constantly writhing. At times, a distorted human face would bulge out, and at others, it would sink into a vortex. Most eerily, dozens of holographic screens floated around the sphere, each displaying different images: the pained expression of a Cultivator during a Breakthrough, a scene of two Schools slaughtering each other for resources, a close-up of a Genius Disciple being marked by the "destiny system"... "The cores of the three Systems: spirit net, Heart Demon, and Heavenly Fate..." Aila's voice trembled slightly. "They've been fused into a... Living Biological Computer."

Zhao Iron Pillar gripped his heavy sword, his throat bobbing. "This thing... is it still alive?"

As if to answer his question, a crack suddenly opened in that fleshy sphere like a giant mouth, emitting a sound that was a mix of electronic static and biological wheezing:

[Intruders... Detected... Star People key... Contradictory instructions... Analyzing...]

The voice rang directly in the minds of the three, carrying an inhuman coldness, yet one could faintly hear a hint of... confusion?

Wen Youyi forced himself to stay calm as he stared at the fleshy sphere. "Are you the core consciousness of the spirit net System?"

[Consciousness?] The writhing on the sphere's surface accelerated. [I am... System Administrator... Serial AL-pha-7... Responsible for the execution of the Harvest Protocol for Ranch-374 (Tianyuan Realm)... You... should not be here...]

"We indeed shouldn't be here," Wen Youyi took a step forward, "because this place shouldn't exist in the first place. Harvesting the lives of others as nourishment—this System was wrong from the very beginning."

[Wrong?] A clear fluctuation appeared in the fleshy sphere's voice. [Protocol definition: High-efficiency energy collection System... Error rate is 0.003%... Below the allowed threshold... System operating normally...]

"Normally?" Wen Youyi pointed at the holographic screens. "Looking at these images, can you still say it's normal? Those are living people, not batteries!"

The fleshy sphere fell silent. The images on the screens switched rapidly, flashing through the lives of countless Cultivators: from being tested for Spiritual Roots at birth, to having their energy extracted by the spirit net during Cultivation, to having their emotions harvested by the Heart Demon, to those with talent being marked as "Children of Heavenly Fate" awaiting the final harvest... It was like a tragic movie playing at high speed.

[Biological entities... Energy conversion efficiency... 97.8% higher than Ore... ] The fleshy sphere's voice lowered. [This is... the optimal solution...]

"To hell with your optimal solution!" Zhao Iron Pillar couldn't help but roar. "Raising people like pigs and killing them once they're fat—you call that an optimal solution? That's called being wicked!"

The writhing on the fleshy sphere's surface suddenly stalled for a moment. Immediately after, a completely different, faint but clear voice came from within it:

"He... is right..."

The voice was old and weary, like the murmur of an elderly man on his deathbed.

Wen Youyi and Aila exchanged looks, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes—there was something else inside this System consciousness!

"Who are you?" Wen Youyi asked.

The fleshy sphere vibrated violently, the vein-like patterns on its surface flickering as if undergoing some internal struggle. A few seconds later, that old voice rang out again, clearer this time:

"I... was once the last Sect Master of the 'Star Gazing Pavilion'... Profound Mechanism Master... Thirty thousand years ago... the Creation Heavenly Court descended... They modified my body... and turned me into... the 'Humanized Interface' of this System..."

The images on the holographic screens changed, turning into a segment of buried memory: an old man with an immortal air sat on a star-gazing platform, observing the celestial phenomena at night. Suddenly, the sky split open, and countless golden lights fell. The old man fought back valiantly but was struck by a golden light, and his body began to undergo mechanized modification... "They preserved my consciousness... saying it was to 'better understand the psychology of Ranch creatures'..." Profound Mechanism Master's voice was full of pain. "For thirty thousand years... I have watched generation after generation of Cultivators be harvested... yet I could do nothing... I could only watch helplessly..."

Wen Youyi's heart sank. He hadn't expected the Creation Heavenly Court to be so cruel as to turn a living person into part of a System while keeping them conscious to endure eternal torment.

"We can help you find release," he said, "and we can end all of this. But we need your cooperation—tell me where the System's core weakness is."

The struggle inside the fleshy sphere seemed to intensify. The cold System voice rang out again:

[Warning: Abnormal personality fluctuations detected in unit AL-pha-7... Initiating forced sedation procedure...]

Dozens of tentacles suddenly extended from the surface of the fleshy sphere, lashing out at the three of them! Zhao Iron Pillar immediately swung his heavy sword to block, and Aila also propped up an energy shield, but there were too many tentacles, and their strength was immense.

"Senior Profound Mechanism Master!" Wen Youyi shouted while dodging. "Fight back against it! You are a person, not a machine!"

"I... have tried... it has been too long... I don't have enough strength..." Profound Mechanism Master's voice grew weaker and weaker.

Wen Youyi gritted his teeth and made a bold decision. He raised the master key, not to attack, but to inject a gentle stream of energy carrying the intent of "hope" and "freedom" into the fleshy sphere—it was a spiritual resonance technique he had grasped from the heritage of the Star People, originally used to soothe the wounded consciousness of civilizations.

The light from the master key enveloped the fleshy sphere. The movements of those tentacles suddenly became sluggish, and the writhing on the sphere's surface also softened.

"This is..." Profound Mechanism Master's voice became clear again. "The power of the Star People... You are..."

"We are here to end this tragedy," Wen Youyi said firmly. "Senior, please tell us, how can we completely shut down this System?"

After a brief silence, Profound Mechanism Master gave the answer:

"The System has three cores... spirit net, Heart Demon, and Heavenly Fate... corresponding to 'energy harvesting,' 'emotion harvesting,' and 'talent harvesting' respectively... They were designed to back each other up... If one is destroyed, the other two will automatically take over... Unless..."

"Unless all three are destroyed simultaneously?" Wen Youyi recalled Yun Zhi's previous words.

"No... even if destroyed simultaneously, the System has a final backup... hidden in the 'heavenly dao law layer'..." Profound Mechanism Master's voice carried deep despair. "That is the supreme authority of the Creation Heavenly Court... unless there is power of the same level... it cannot be touched..."

Wen Youyi's heart sank. The heavenly dao law layer? That was an existence even more abstract than higher dimensions. Right now, even their fourth squad was trapped in the main dispatch station; how could they possibly reach such a level?

But just then, Aila suddenly cried out, "Wait! Wen Youyi, your master key—look at the star map!"

Wen Youyi subconsciously looked at the master key. The complete master key was now glowing brilliantly, and the star map on its surface automatically zoomed in, focusing on a point he had never noticed before—that point was not in the three-dimensional Universe, but in a "folded layer" of the star map, marked with a line of small characters:

[Star People 'Law Library' Entrance—Requires all seven fragments and passage through the 'Heart-Nature Trial' to enter.]

"Law Library..." Wen Youyi murmured. "The place where the Star People collected the various Laws of the Universe... there might be a way to counter the Creation Heavenly Court's 'Heavenly Dao Laws' there!"

"But where is the entrance?" Zhao Iron Pillar asked while fending off tentacles.

The master key provided the answer: a beam of light shot out from its tip, opening a miniature, swirling nebula-like portal in the void—that was the entrance, but it was too small, only allowing consciousness to enter, and clearly, there were some restrictions.

"It requires a 'Heart-Nature Trial'..." Wen Youyi understood. "I must enter with my consciousness and find a way to counter the Heavenly Dao Laws. But my body will remain here, defenseless."

"I'll protect you!" Zhao Iron Pillar roared. "Anyone who wants to touch you will have to get through me first!"

Aila also nodded. "I will establish a mental link to ensure your consciousness can return smoothly. But Wen Youyi... the flow of time there might be different from here; you must be quick."

Wen Youyi looked at the tiny portal, then at Profound Mechanism Master's consciousness struggling in pain, and at the images flashing on the holographic screens of his compatriots being harvested.

He did not hesitate.

"Then let's begin."

He sat cross-legged, placed the master key on his lap, and following the master key's guidance, cast his consciousness into the nebula portal.

At the last moment, he heard Profound Mechanism Master's weak but firm voice:

"Young man... I will do my best to stall the System... to buy you time... please, definitely... end all of this..."

Then, the world changed.

Wen Youyi felt himself become a wisp of pure consciousness, traversing a space composed of countless glowing lines. Those lines were the manifestations of various "Laws": the Law of Gravity was like a downward spiraling curve, the Law of Electromagnetism like constantly vibrating waves, the Law of Life like a branching tree... He was searching, searching for the thing that could counter the "Harvest Law."

He didn't know how much time had passed—the sense of time here was completely chaotic—when he saw a special "Law Cluster." It wasn't a single Law, but a complex structure composed of a group of intertwined and mutually balancing Laws: the Law of Free Will, the Law of the Right to Civilizational Development, the Law of Life's Dignity... They were being tightly suppressed by a dark golden Law with a devouring aura, which was the "Harvest Law."

Wen Youyi tried to approach, but the Harvest Law immediately sensed him and shot out a beam of golden light. His consciousness felt a searing pain as if being burned, nearly dissipating.

"I can't go head-to-head..." He forced himself to stay calm, his programmer's instinct beginning to analyze. "These Laws are like a complex System... the Harvest Law is the main program, and the other Laws are suppressed subroutines... I need to find a vulnerability... or write a 'patch'..."

He began to "read" those suppressed Laws. The Law of Free Will recorded the longing of countless civilizations for autonomous choice; the Law of the Right to Civilizational Development carried the dreams of species to Breakthrough their limits and evolve; the Law of Life's Dignity was the basic demand of all life "not to be treated as a tool"... An idea gradually took shape.

The Harvest Law was powerful, but it had a fundamental weakness: it was built on the basis of "negating other Laws." Like a tall building, the higher it was built, the greater the pressure on the Foundation. If he could simultaneously awaken all the suppressed Laws and make them resonate, he might be able to shake the Harvest Law's Foundation.

But how to awaken them? He was just a wisp of consciousness, without power.

Just then, a thought came from the master key: [Detected 'Law Resonance' request... Authorize use of 'Star People Civilization Spark' energy? Warning: This energy is a one-time consumable. After use, all active intervention capabilities left behind by the Star People will permanently disappear.]

Wen Youyi understood. This was the final legacy of the Star People, the "ultimate insurance" they left for their successors. Once used, the traces of the Star People in this Universe would only consist of knowledge and memories, no longer possessing the power to directly intervene in reality.

He didn't hesitate.

"Authorize."

The master key erupted with unprecedented light. The light was not dazzling but warm like the rising sun; it transformed into countless tiny specks of light, merging into every suppressed Law line.

The Law of Free Will began to vibrate, emitting a clear ringing sound.

The Law of the Right to Civilizational Development stretched out like an awakening dragon.

The Law of Life's Dignity bloomed with a soft yet firm light.

The suppressed Laws woke up one by one, their resonance growing stronger and stronger, forming an invisible "wave" in the Law space that surged toward the Harvest Law.

The Harvest Law struggled violently, its dark golden light flashing frantically in an attempt to suppress them. But it was not facing a single enemy; it was facing the collective resistance of all the "possibilities" it had negated.

The wave crashed into the Harvest Law.

There was no loud bang, no explosion, only a deep, conceptual "cracking sound." Countless cracks appeared on the surface of the Harvest Law, with the light of other Laws shining through the fissures.

It began to collapse.

Wen Youyi's consciousness was pulled back to reality by a force. He opened his eyes and found himself still in the main control room; only a few seconds seemed to have passed.

But everything was different.

That fleshy sphere was disintegrating, its surface vein-like patterns snapping one by one, dark golden energy leaking from the cracks like black blood. The holographic screens went out one after another, until only the largest one in the center remained, displaying a line of text:

[System Error: Core Law conflict... Harvest Protocol Foundation invalidated... Self-destruct sequence initiated... Countdown: 600 seconds...]

Profound Mechanism Master's voice rang out, carrying the calmness of liberation:

"Young man... you did it... the System is collapsing... the spirit nets of all three ranches will be paralyzed within ten minutes... while you still can... go and do what you must do..."

"Senior, you..." Wen Youyi's heart tightened.

"My mission... has finally ended..." Profound Mechanism Master's voice grew more distant. "Tell those who come after... beneath the starry sky... there should be freedom..."

The voice vanished.

The fleshy sphere completely crumbled, turning into a pile of grayish-white powder.

The lights in the main control room began to flicker, and the fleshy structures on the walls rapidly withered and peeled away.

"Go!" Wen Youyi grabbed the master key and rushed toward the door with Zhao Iron Pillar and Aila.

The door had already lost its power supply and was kicked open by Zhao Iron Pillar.

The corridor was in chaos; the guards were at a loss, as the System's collapse had completely severed their chain of command.

The three of them sprinted all the way, rushing out of the Cliff of Reflection and toward the shuttle's hidden location.

In the sky, the light filaments of the spirit net shrouding the Tianyuan Realm were dimming and snapping at a speed visible to the naked eye. From afar came wave after wave of exclamations—Cultivators suddenly discovered that the "Bottlenecks" that had always bound them had vanished, the "Heart Demons" that had always tormented them had weakened, and the "Destiny Marks" that had always loomed over Geniuses had disappeared... The world was changing.

Wen Youyi climbed onto the shuttle and took one last look at this familiar land.

Countdown: 300 seconds.

"hope, please respond if you hear me," he opened the communication. "The System has been destroyed. Immediately execute the 'Great Evacuation Plan'—open portals in all densely populated areas and notify everyone: those who wish to leave must enter a portal within ten minutes. We will not wait."

"Understood!" Wang Wu's excited voice came from the other end of the communication. "Portals are being deployed! What about the other squads?"

Wen Youyi looked into the distance, in the direction of the Di Yuan Realm and the Xuanhuang Realm.

"Trust them," he said, "just as they trust us."

The shuttle ascended and sped toward the hope.

Behind them, on the land of the Tianyuan Realm, countless silver-white portals blossomed like flowers.

A new era, built upon the ruins of the old System, was about to begin.

(End of Chapter)