200: Shadow of the Sower

"'Protocol carrier ready, Cradle coordinates confirmed, requesting execution... Final Sowing'?"

The information sent by Liranta was like a cold electric shock, piercing through Lin Mo's nerves, which had become somewhat numb from exhaustion and grief. He subconsciously gripped the key fragment at his chest; the cold touch now carried an indescribable, almost fated heat.

"What does this mean, Liranta? What does 'protocol carrier' refer to? And what is 'Final Sowing'?" Lin Mo's voice sounded exceptionally clear in the newly quieted command room, carrying a faint, imperceptible tremor.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communicator, with only Liranta's slightly hurried breathing audible. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with unprecedented gravity, and even... a trace of fear.

"The 'final protocol'... is not merely a piece of code or a weapon, Lin Mo. According to the oldest forbidden records I can access from the depths of the myriad phenomena astrolabe, it is a... state-of-existence conversion protocol. To activate it, a special 'carrier' is required—a vessel capable of enduring the force of rule reconstruction."

Her voice paused, as if she were gathering courage. "As for 'Final Sowing'... that is the last contingency plan authorized for the 'Weaver' when facing the complete collapse of the universe's rules. Its meaning is—to select and 'sow' a candidate civilization, using it as the 'template' or 'cornerstone' for the new universal rules, while all other existences unable to adapt to the new rules... will be regarded as dregs of the old rules and... formatted."

Dead silence filled the command room. Even Commander Osira and Dr. Val, who had just relaxed slightly because of the suppressor's restart, stood frozen in place as if doused with ice water.

"Format...ted?" Dr. Val's voice was as dry as sandpaper. "You mean... destruction? Like deleting data, erasing all civilizations that do not conform to the new rules?"

"It's more thorough than that," Liranta's voice was low. "It's complete erasure from the level of existence; not even informational debris will remain. 'Sowing' is not creation, but... replacement. Using a selected 'template' to overwrite the current, collapsing multi-layered reality."

Lin Mo felt a chill rise from his spine, instantly spreading to his limbs. He looked down at the key fragment in his hand; its gentle pulsation now felt like the countdown of a time bomb. "So, the 'protocol carrier'..." He almost didn't dare to ask further.

"The key fragments are not just keys," Liranta confirmed his suspicion. "They are tools for screening and binding a 'carrier.' When the fragments are gathered and bound to a highly compatible consciousness core, that consciousness... will become the carrier of the 'final protocol,' becoming a living altar that decides which civilization is qualified to be the 'seed' and which will be 'formatted.'"

Lin Mo took a sudden step back, as if the fragment in his hand had become scalding hot. He had always thought he was a restorer, a savior, but now it seemed he was more like a chosen... executioner? Or rather, the entity holding the Ledger of Life and Death?

"Isla... she knew all along?" Lin Mo's voice carried suppressed anger and disbelief.

"I'm not sure if she knew everything," Liranta analyzed. "But her core logic has a deep interaction with the key fragments. She likely sensed the ultimate fate pointed to by the fragments after they bound with you. Her final actions... perhaps were not betrayal, but based on the logic she could understand to save the 'greatest possibility.' Sending the information to the 'Weaver' means she believed the conditions for 'Final Sowing' were nearing maturity, or... that this was the only way to break the current deadlock."

Just then, the external sensors of the Silent Lament space station, which had just been restored, shrieked with a maximum-level alarm!

"Massive hyperspace fluctuations detected! Right in the nearby airspace! Energy signature identification... it's the Silent Watchers main fleet! Quantity... over twelve ships! Including one 'Extinction-class' flagship!" The operator's voice was filled with despair.

On the main screen, ripples appeared in the previously empty star field like water, and massive, cold-lined gray warships slowly leaped out of hyperspace. They assumed a surrounding posture, firmly locking the Silent Lament and the deep diver docked at the port in the center. The belly of the most enormous 'Extinction-class' flagship—its main cannon, a 'Reality Deconstructor' capable of tearing apart a small star—was slowly charging, its dark muzzle aimed at the space station.

A voice even more majestic and cold than Venerable Toran's came through the wide-area broadcast:

"This is the Star Language Council, Silent Watchers High Adjudicator, Mohand. To the 'Silent Lament' space station and the surviving members of 'the deep diver': Your actions have caused an irreversible acceleration of universal rule decay and are suspected of triggering the ancient forbidden protocol 'Final Sowing.' According to the Emergency Act for Civilization Survival, I order you to immediately surrender all key fragments and relevant personnel to accept Council supervision. Any resistance will be regarded as a betrayal of all civilizations and will result in... immediate purification."

"Immediate purification..." Commander Osira's face turned ashen. "They actually deployed an 'Extinction-class' and the High Adjudicator... It seems the factions within the Council supporting 'Absolute Silence' or even more extreme plans have gained the upper hand."

Dr. Val looked at Lin Mo anxiously: "What should we do? Hand over the fragments? Perhaps we can buy some time..."

"No," Lin Mo refused decisively. His eyes had recovered from the initial shock and hesitation, replaced by a deep resolve burdened by a massive weight. "Handing over the fragments is equivalent to giving the power to decide the life and death of all civilizations to a group of people who would rather perish in silence than seek a glimmer of hope through struggle. Furthermore, the decision of whether to execute 'Final Sowing' cannot be given to them, and certainly not to that cold 'Weaver.'"

He looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the space station's armor to look directly at the massive fleet outside and the perilous universe behind it that was being 'chewed' up.

"Isla used her existence to buy us information and time. She believed in the 'Weaver,' or believed 'Final Sowing' was a necessary evil. But I... we, cannot just accept this fate. There must be another way, one that can both repair the rules and avoid that... cruel 'replacement.'"

He turned to Liranta's communication channel: "Liranta, can you still contact the 'Weaver'? Or are there any other records regarding the 'final protocol' besides 'Sowing'? Any clues that might bypass the 'formatting'?"

Liranta was silent for a few seconds before answering: "Conventional methods of contacting the 'Weaver' have failed; they seem to have entered some deeper state of silence. As for other records... there are only fragmented warnings in the myriad phenomena astrolabe mentioning that 'Sowing' is a last resort. But before that, there exists a theoretical stage called 'Resonance Reconstruction,' which requires the 'carrier' to achieve deep resonance with the 'Shadow of Origin.' Perhaps... a different solution can be found. But the records are extremely vague, and the risks are unknown."

"Resonance Reconstruction..." Lin Mo repeated the words, feeling the faint pull from the key fragment toward the distant Shadow of Origin. "Then we go to the Shadow of Origin! To the starting point of everything, the place where the 'wound' in the rules is located! There, perhaps we can find the answer!"

While they were talking, the 'Reality Deconstructor' of the external fleet reached its critical charging point, and its dark muzzle began to gather heart-stopping light.

"Lin Mo! They're preparing to fire!" Osira warned sharply. "The space station's defense systems cannot withstand a volley from an 'Extinction-class' main cannon!"

At the critical moment, another change occurred!

The space near the Silent Lament space station suddenly underwent a different form of distortion. It wasn't the chaos of rule rust, nor the ripples of a fleet jump, but a softer, deeper... scene like rippling water. Countless fine, silver threads of light seeped out from the void, quickly weaving into a massive, complex network structure that transcended mortal understanding.

This 'light net' gently brushed over the Silent Watchers fleet, and the energy of the Extinction-class flagship's imminent main cannon fire was smoothed out as if by an invisible hand, dissipating instantly. The engines, weapon systems, and sensors of all warships failed simultaneously; they were like insects frozen in amber, stuck motionless in the starry sky.

Following this, a peaceful, neutral voice, devoid of emotion yet seemingly containing infinite wisdom and ages, sounded directly in the consciousness of Lin Mo and all those holding or deeply bound to the key fragments:

[Binding of 'protocol carrier' confirmed. 'Final Sowing' request detected (Source: Secondary Logic Node - Isla). Forced intervention by 'Civilization Monitor' detected.]

[According to Chapter 7, Article 3 of the 'Ancient Watch Protocol,' the 'Candidate Asylum' procedure is now initiated.]

[Information Node Lin Mo, and associated individuals, you have been identified as candidate executors of the 'final protocol.' The 'Weaver' network will provide a one-time transfer window.]

[Target Coordinates: Shadow of Origin.]

[The right of choice is granted to the carrier.]

[May your choices transcend the rust of reincarnation.]

The moment the voice vanished, Lin Mo saw the port where the deep diver was located being gently enveloped by the silver light net. In the next instant, the entire warship, along with some personnel in the command room (Lin Mo, Val, Osira, and some key equipment), was uprooted by an irresistible but incredibly gentle force, instantly disappearing from physical space.

Only the Silent Lament space station and the frozen, powerful Silent Watchers fleet remained, silently testifying to the miracle (or rather, divine act) that had just occurred beyond their comprehension.

When Lin Mo's senses stabilized, he found himself on the bridge of the deep diver. Outside the viewport was an unprecedented sight of kaleidoscope-like twisting and changing colored light—they were traveling through a safe hyperspace channel opened by the power of the Weaver, at an unimaginable speed toward the beginning and end of everything: the Shadow of Origin.

Dr. Val slumped into a chair, murmuring, "The 'Weavers'... they aren't an immune system... they are... Gardeners? Selecting new seeds in a withered universe..."

Commander Osira looked at the empty main control interface that had belonged to Isla, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Liranta's communication came through, her voice carrying a hint of exhaustion but even more shock: "The 'Weaver' intervened directly... they have recognized your status as the 'carrier,' Lin Mo. But 'the right of choice is granted to the carrier'... this means that whether to execute 'Sowing' for a cruel replacement or to seek the slim hope of 'Resonance Reconstruction'... that decision falls on your shoulders."

Lin Mo stood in the center of the bridge, staring at the flowing light ahead leading to the unknown. The key fragment in his hand pulsed quietly, as if waiting for his final decision. He not only bore the responsibility of finding a way to repair the universe but also held the power to decide the life and death of billions of civilizations.

Would he become a tool for the screeners, executing that cold 'Final Sowing'?

Or would he, with a mortal body, perform the deeds of a god and pursue the nearly impossible miracle of 'Resonance Reconstruction'?

the deep diver, carrying this excessively heavy choice, sailed resolutely toward the oldest scar of the universe and the location of the ultimate answer.