24: The disenchantment of laws

"Do you understand?" Chen Feng stared into Ma Liu's eyes and repeated, "No matter what sound you hear, do not open the door. That is an order."

"U-Understood..." Ma Liu looked at Chen Feng's terrifyingly calm eyes and felt as if he were facing a lone wolf about to enter its den to lick its wounds. Aside from obedience, no other thought could arise in him.

"Very well."

Chen Feng turned around, his back to Ma Liu, and completely locked the heavy lead door.

*Click.*

The sound of the lock clicking seemed to completely sever the two worlds.

The secret room fell into absolute darkness and deathly silence.

Chen Feng didn't turn on the lights. He just stood there quietly, adjusting his breathing and tuning his mental state to an unprecedented level of focus.

He could feel that suppressed neural agony, like a shark sensing blood, beginning to circle and probe deep within his mind.

He slowly raised his right hand. The deep blue tranquility grass emitted a dreamlike glow in the darkness, the only source of light in this dead silence.

No hesitation, no delay.

Chen Feng opened his mouth and swallowed the entire tranquility grass in one gulp.

The leaves, along with a trace of bitter juice, slid down his throat. Instantly, a clear chill spread through his limbs and bones like an electric current.

The agony that had tortured him for days, as if every nerve were being set ablaze, miraculously vanished at this moment.

An unprecedented sense of relief and serenity enveloped his entire body.

"It's... that simple?" Chen Feng could hardly believe it.

However, he knew very well that this was just anesthesia.

The real "surgery" had yet to begin.

"As expected."

Just three minutes later, Chen Feng's body jerked violently.

The cool sensation receded like a tide, replaced by an indescribable, horrific agony originating from the deepest depths of his soul!

If the previous neural pain was like being repeatedly burned by a branding iron on skin and muscle, then the pain now was like an invisible giant hand reaching inside his body, grasping the foundation of his existence, and then... tearing it apart!

"Ugh—argh!"

This time, even Chen Feng could no longer suppress the heart-wrenching pain.

A muffled groan escaped from deep within his throat as he curled up on the floor, his body convulsing and spasming violently, the veins on his forehead bulging like earthworms.

His consciousness was crudely dragged by this intense pain, plunging into a bizarre and surreal space.

Here, he "saw" his own body.

It was no longer a body of flesh and blood, but a fragile "system" belonging to a low-dimensional universe, composed of countless information flows. At this moment, this system was being entwined and eroded by countless tiny runes shimmering with dark gold light.

The structure of those runes was incomprehensibly complex, filled with a lofty aura of "rules" belonging to a higher dimension.

"So this is... Law Contamination..." Chen Feng forced himself to analyze during the intervals of intense pain.

The next second, an even more massive torrent of blue energy representing the power of the tranquility grass washed over him. It wasn't like a gentle antidote, but more like a crude steel brush, beginning to scrape away those golden runes entwined around his "system" in the most barbaric way!

*Riiiip—*

A golden rune was forcibly stripped away, causing a collapse and dissipation of information flows!

"Aaaaah!"

That kind of pain was the agony of one's very existence being erased!

Outside the secret room, Ma Liu pressed his ear tightly against the cold lead door.

He couldn't hear Chen Feng's screams because the sound was completely blocked. But he could hear a series of tooth-gritting, horrific sounds coming from inside the door, as if bones were grinding against each other and tendons were being snapped one by one.

"What... what on earth is he doing in there?" Ma Liu was scared out of his wits. "Man or ghost... what kind of monster is he..."

His perception of Chen Feng at this moment completely upgraded from a "terrifying devil" to some sort of incomprehensible, non-human existence. A deep-seated fear mingled with his awe.

Inside the secret room, deep within his consciousness.

"I can't... just endure it..."

At the peak of the pain, a crazy thought exploded in Chen Feng's mind!

"Risk... often comes with rewards!"

Using his last shred of will, he roared a command at the illusory exchange interface in his mind.

"System! Analyze for me! Analyze those golden things!"

[...]

[...Unknown high-dimensional information structure detected...]

[...Warning! Forced analysis will cause irreversible damage to the host!...]

"Did I ask you?! Analyze it!"

The [Interstellar Exchange System] interface flashed frantically, with countless lines of garbled code flickering past.

Finally, after a violent tremor, a new line of text with a blood-red warning popped up.

[High-Dimensional Law Fragment detected (Resolution: 0.01%). Current Credit Rating is insufficient for full analysis. Consume 100 credit points for forced sampling?]

"Sampling?" Chen Feng's consciousness caught this keyword.

Not analysis, but sampling! It was about turning this damn thing into his own asset!

"Yes!" He made the choice without hesitation.

[credit points -100. Forced sampling program initiated...]

The moment he confirmed, a power distinct from the blue energy reached out from deep within the system, precisely "copying" a small cluster of golden runes that were about to be stripped away, instantly dragging them into the system's unknown storage space.

*Hum—!*

In reality, Chen Feng's body suddenly arched as if struck by an invisible giant hammer!

*Pfft!*

A large amount of thick, pitch-black liquid emitting a strong stench erupted from his pores, instantly soaking him.

Then, the soul-tearing agony receded rapidly like a tide.

Boundless exhaustion swept over him, and Chen Feng's consciousness plunged completely into darkness.

An unknown amount of time passed.

When Chen Feng opened his eyes again, an unprecedented sense of lightness spread throughout his body.

It was as if an invisible mountain had been lifted; every cell in his body was cheering. The neural agony had been uprooted, and his thoughts were clearer and sharper than ever before.

He looked down at the layer of semi-solidified black grime on his body and frowned, but his eyes sparkled with excitement.

He immediately opened the system interface.

[Credit Rating: 25.]

[Reason for rating increase: You actively explored and sampled an unknown high-dimensional law, demonstrating a high spirit of venture capital and explorer potential.]

"I won the bet!" Chen Feng clenched his fist tightly.

He not only eradicated the hidden danger in his body but also turned this lethal "Law Contamination" into an "asset" that could boost his Credit Rating!

He immediately checked the stored sample.

[High-Dimensional Law Fragment (Unnamed) x1]

[Description: A sample of basic law information originating from a higher dimension; the structure is damaged. Warning: Direct contact or analysis may lead to unpredictable existential risks.]

[Can be used for: Submitting to specific research institutions for high rewards; as a synthesis material for certain conceptual items; ...]

"Good stuff!"

However, he didn't have much time to rejoice.

A heart-palpitating low-frequency hum, which seemed capable of penetrating lead plates and drilling directly into the brain, sounded without warning from outside the shelter!

Hum— Hum— Hum—

The entire secret room vibrated violently in resonance with this humming sound!

Chen Feng's expression changed instantly.

He had seen this description in that journal.

This was the precursor to the "Soul Howl"!