115: Judgment of the Law

After returning to the wanderer, a sickening smell of grime and an oppressive silence took over the bridge together.

No one was in the mood to clean up.

With his back to Chen Feng, Reno was roughly wiping his high-frequency vibrating dagger with a cloth, using so much force it seemed as if he were trying to scrape off a layer of metal. His face was ashen, his jaw tight, and his chest heaved violently with suppressed rage.

Lao Mo crouched silently beneath the console, wordlessly repairing the miniature sensors that had been overloaded and burned out during their escape from the pursuit. The burnt smell of solder permeated the air.

Chen Feng said nothing, standing before the holographic star map. That grotesque nebula representing the Tartarus Free Port looked like a giant maw devouring everything in his eyes at this moment.

His fingers tapped rhythmically and rapidly against the cold edge of the console, producing a monotonous and hurried "tap, tap" sound—an externalization of his inner anxiety.

He was waiting. Waiting for Su Li's judgment.

"Boss," Reno finally couldn't help himself; he turned around abruptly and asked in a raspy voice, "If... if even Miss Su Li can't analyze a result, what do we do?"

"..." Chen Feng didn't answer, but his tapping frequency quickened even more.

Just then, the notification tone of an encrypted communication request broke the suffocating silence.

It was Su Li.

Chen Feng took a deep breath and connected the communication.

Su Li's always calm and sharp face appeared on the holographic screen, but now it carried a hint of undeniable exhaustion. There were faint dark circles under her eyes, indicating she had been working continuously at high intensity.

She didn't exchange pleasantries or even use a greeting, cutting directly to the point.

"The analysis results are out," her voice was lower than usual. "The situation is much worse than the worst-case scenario we could have imagined."

Reno's heart sank abruptly.

"Speak," Chen Feng uttered only a single word.

"Look at this."

Su Li waved her hand, projecting a complex three-dimensional model reconstructed from that string of "Logic Bomb" data into the center of the bridge.

It was a magnificent yet terrifying spherical prison composed of countless glowing logic chains, nested layer upon layer. Every chain of light flowed and cycled in a perfect rhythm, correcting each other to form a seamless closed loop.

"This is the [Spiritual Shackles]," Su Li's voice carried a hint of cold wonder. "A technology that acts on the level of the soul. It's not brainwashing, but rather constructing a self-cycling, self-correcting logic prison for Eve's soul."

"What does that mean?" Reno asked, completely confused.

"It means that in Eve's own perception, she is free, calm, and perhaps even happy," Su Li explained. "But any 'thought' that attempts to escape, leak secrets, or recall key information will trigger a paradox within this logic loop. Like a snake trying to swallow its own tail, it will ultimately lead to mental agony so intense it's unbearable."

The model on the screen began to simulate according to her words. When a red command representing 'escape' tried to penetrate the sphere, the entire logic prison instantly erupted in blinding light, its internal structure beginning to frantically crush that command.

"So, it's not that she doesn't want to leave, but that she can't even 'think' about it?" Reno's voice was trembling.

"Exactly."

Su Li immediately played another simulation animation.

In the animation, a powerful external energy (representing a physical rescue) brutally bombarded the logic prison. The moment the prison shattered, its internal logic chains, like springs stretched to their limit, snapped inward.

Ultimately, they tore the point of light at the center representing Eve's soul into fragments along with them.

"This is the final conclusion," Su Li's voice was frighteningly calm. "Any form of physical rescue or conventional technical cracking—such as forcibly cutting the power—will only trigger its self-destruct sequence. All we would get is Eve's completely shattered soul."

"The success rate?" Chen Feng asked hoarsely.

"Zero."

The answer Su Li gave was like a heavy hammer, smashing hard against everyone's heart.

Inside the bridge, there was a deathly silence.

The color drained from Reno's face as he staggered back a step, leaning against the cold ship wall. His eyes were filled with a deep sense of frustration and helplessness. For the first time, he realized that the strength he took pride in was so useless in this invisible war.

"Is there... no hope then?" Lao Mo had stood up at some point, his aged voice full of despair.

"There is." Su Li switched screens, and a new entry appeared along with a blurry image of what seemed to be a strange creation constantly changing its form.

"According to my database and tens of thousands of model simulations," her speaking speed was extremely fast, as if racing against despair, "the only thing that can counter this kind of logic imprisonment is a rare item capable of causing small-scale 'causality disorder.' I have named it a [law artifact]."

"law artifact?"

"Yes." Su Li nodded. "It's not a technological creation, but more like a bug in the universe. A key that can open 'concepts' themselves. But..."

She paused and added cruelly, "Most of these things only exist in legends and the collection rooms of top-tier civilizations. In the black market, they are the most expensive and least likely items to appear on any list."

The communication ended.

The bridge was so quiet that they could hear each other's heavy breathing.

Reno spoke with difficulty, as if asking Chen Feng, or perhaps himself, "So... it's equivalent to us having to find something from a myth?"

Chen Feng didn't speak for a long time.

He looked at Eve's hollowly smiling face on the screen, then at the blurry image of the "law artifact."

After a long while, he slowly raised his head.

His eyes, which had also been tinged with a bit of defeat, became sharp and cold like a falcon's again.

"No."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally firm.

"We just need a market where we can buy myths."

He turned to Lao Mo: "Lao Mo, get ready. We're going to see 'The Butcher' again."

Both Reno and Lao Mo were stunned.

Chen Feng didn't explain further; he turned and walked into the communications room, his back resolute.

Through the encrypted channel The Butcher had left before, he sent a new message.

The content was concise and direct, like a blade about to strike.

"I need a key that doesn't exist to open a lock that can't be seen."

"I know this is expensive. Have your quote ready."

The notification tone for a successful message transmission rang out.

Chen Feng stood quietly in the dark communications room, waiting.

He knew this would be another high-priced transaction.

And he had no other choice.