105: Warning in the shadows

Raven's projection vanished completely.

The warning, "more dangerous than you imagine," echoed repeatedly in the deathly silent secret communications room like a poisoned death knell, battering everyone's eardrums.

The joy of victory was stripped away layer by layer, leaving behind only bone-chilling ashes.

Chen Feng sat where he was, silent for a long time. He simply stared quietly at Eve's vacant face on the screen, his fingers unconsciously tracing the cold metal surface of the console as if he wanted to carve deep marks into it.

Su Li and Reno looked at his heavy profile, their hearts sinking bit by bit. They knew all too well that Raven's final warning was by no means groundless.

"Boss..." Su Li spoke with difficulty, breaking the suffocating silence, "He... also sent an encrypted attachment."

"Open it." Chen Feng's voice betrayed no emotion, sounding frighteningly calm.

"Yes."

Su Li took a deep breath and tapped her fingers on the virtual keyboard. A video file labeled by Raven as a "gift" was decrypted and projected onto the central screen.

The moment the image lit up, the air in the communications room seemed to be sucked dry.

It was a record from a mechanical perspective, cold to the point of cruelty.

The footage began with a richly dressed interstellar merchant raising a glass in celebration on a luxurious bridge. On the star map behind him, a coordinate from a higher dimension—one where a transaction had just been completed—was marked.

"It's him... the chairman of the 'Golden Ring' Chamber of Commerce. Three years ago, he was a competitor of our family," Su Li's voice carried a hint of trembling. "Later... he suddenly disappeared."

The footage fast-forwarded rapidly, and subtle changes began to appear in the merchant. An abnormal flush surfaced on his skin, followed by black spots like rotting mold. He began to scratch, as if countless insects were squirming under his skin.

"What's going on?" Reno's face turned grim.

"Don't speak," Chen Feng's voice remained cold.

The merchant in the footage became terrified. He sought out every famous doctor in the galaxy and used the top-tier medical pods, but it was all to no avail. The black spots spread faster and faster, and his body began to undergo non-human distortions.

His arms elongated and dripped like melting wax. His spine bent uncontrollably, and bones pierced through his skin, making a tooth-aching cracking sound.

The most terrifying part was his face; his features were crudely kneaded together as if by an invisible hand. His mouth gaped open to an unnatural degree, yet he could not produce any coherent syllables, only beast-like shrieks mixed with extreme pain and terror.

Finally, after a period of violent convulsions, the once-wealthy merchant completely melted into a pool of slowly squirming, indescribable flesh upon his throne.

That pool of flesh was still screaming, with countless distorted faces surfacing and vanishing within it, like a hell composed of agony.

"Ugh..." Reno could no longer hold it in. He suddenly turned and rushed to a corner, letting out a violent dry heave.

Su Li's face was as white as paper, but her strong psychological fortitude forced her not to look away. She operated quickly, pulling up the data stream attached to the video, her glasses reflecting a cold light.

"Boss, this..."

"I know," Chen Feng interrupted her. His gaze was fixed dead on the last frozen frame of the video. In the corner of the screen, the final list of higher-dimensional items the merchant had traded before his disappearance was clearly listed.

One of the lines read remarkably—【High-Entropy Conceptual Object】.

That was the official academic name used by the Interstellar Exchange for items like "undead crystals."

"Boss!" Su Li's voice became sharp with fear. "According to the data analysis, this is a type of 'pollution' of low-dimensional life forms by high-dimensional laws! It fundamentally alters the biological form of existence... The victim in the footage, he... he had traded large quantities of 'conceptual resources' similar to our undead crystals!"

"I know!"

Chen Feng stood up abruptly from his seat, veins bulging at his temples and eyes bloodshot. A fury at being fooled and the fear of facing the abyss nearly tore his sanity apart.

His greatest reliance, the cheat he depended on to reverse his fate, was actually a one-way ticket to hell!

He immediately activated the Interstellar Exchange interface, his fingers turning white from the force. He tried to trace all transaction records regarding undead crystals, searching for any clues about "Law Contamination."

"Contact Raven!" he growled at Su Li.

"I can't, Boss!" Su Li's voice carried a sob. "All his contact methods have become invalid. He cut off the channel!"

Chen Feng's heart sank as his gaze swept over his own transaction records. Suddenly, his pupils constricted.

It was a tiny flow of funds from the 【Mechanical Divine Court】 that he had overlooked. The amount was only 0.001 credits, quietly flowing into the anonymous account Raven used during their trade.

That's right, Su Li had discovered it!

"I'll do it!" Chen Feng didn't explain. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He didn't try to call Raven again; instead, through the Exchange's appeal channel, he submitted a "Transaction Fraud Investigation Request" against "Raven."

The reason for the request wasn't Raven's warning, but: "Suspected of having undisclosed related-party transactions with my business partner, the 【Mechanical Divine Court】, affecting the fairness of this intelligence trade."

He used that insignificant transaction record as his sole piece of evidence.

A few seconds later, that familiar blue vortex actually appeared before him once more.

Raven's projection appeared again, carrying a hint of fatigue he couldn't hide.

He spoke hoarsely, his voice tinged with self-deprecation. "Heh, I knew you'd come looking for me again. Using the rules to deal with me... You little fellow, you're becoming more and more interesting."

Chen Feng stared intently at him. "Why?"

"Why respond to you?" Raven seemed to see through his thoughts. "I've always been curious about the 'coincidence' of my interest in 'Sequence Zero.'"

"You are nothing more than an interesting variable that happened to appear on this chessboard."

"Now, your questions are finished. You've received my gift as well." Raven's projection began to blur. "Remember, little fellow, the ignorant dance in the abyss, always thinking they are the protagonist. I hope after watching that footage, you can still get a good night's sleep."

The communication was cut off unilaterally.

Chen Feng slowly leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes. The terrifying images of Law Contamination and Raven's final mocking words echoed repeatedly in his mind.

He spread his palm, as if he could see those undead crystals emitting an invisible, lethal poison.

The urgency of rescuing Eve.

The fatal risk of his cheat.

Two twisted vipers were coiled tightly around his heart.

He knew that before heading to Tartarus Free Port, he had to find a way—even if it was just a glimmer of light—to deal with this Sword of Damocles hanging over his head known as "Law Contamination."