118: Chapter 117 Cold Fang's Tipping Point and Society's Boiling Point

27 days after the verdict, Siberia, cold fang monitoring station main control room.

Red numbers branded a scorching mark onto everyone's retinas: 74.9%.

It was only 0.1 percentage points away from the 75% remote consciousness projection critical point warned by the Blade - Seventh Execution Court. This 0.1% was like the final crack stretching across the edge of a cliff, and the entire monitoring station—no, the entire civilization—stood at the edge of this fissure, feeling the tremor of the rock strata beneath their feet.

"Energy network connection is complete, low-temperature field generator deployed to designated position at 93%." Zhou Zhe's voice came through the communication channel, with the low hum of the Cradle base's energy ring charging in the background. "It is estimated to be fully ready in... forty-one minutes."

Forty-one minutes. The progress bar for cold fang had jumped 0.1% every three minutes over the past ten minutes. At this rate, it would reach 75% in thirty-three minutes.

"It's too late." Zhao Yan stared at the screen, his voice hoarse. The fatigue and mental pressure he had endured for days were clearly visible on his face, but his eyes remained sharp as blades. "We must initiate the plan now, even if it's not in the optimal state."

"No!" Zhou Zhe was practically roaring. "The coordination parameters for three nodes in the energy distribution network haven't been finalized yet! If we start now, the success rate will plummet from 31% to less than 15%! Plus, the risk of energy backlash will skyrocket, which could directly destroy the Cradle's energy ring!"

"That's still better than waiting for it to break through the critical point and spread the emotional plague across the globe!" Zhao Yan did not yield an inch. "Do you know what 75% means? It means we might not even have the chance to press the button! Its consciousness attack could directly drive the operators insane and crash the system!"

The main control room was filled with desperate anxiety. Both choices led to the abyss; one was just faster, the other slower.

Just then, a piercing global emergency communication alert sounded. Priority: Highest.

Chu Yunshen's holographic projection cut in forcibly. His face was pale as paper, and there were bloodshots in his eyes. "Dr. Lin, General Zhao... the global social pressure index exceeded the threshold thirty seconds ago..."

A new chart popped up on the screen. The comprehensive curve representing global social tension and instability had soared vertically like an out-of-control rocket over the past two hours. At this moment, it had smashed through the red dashed line representing "extremely high risk of structural collapse" and was continuing to climb without any sign of turning back.

"What happened?" Lin Shen asked in a deep voice.

"Chain reaction." Chu Yunshen spoke rapidly, pulling up the event briefing. "First, in Country X of the Southern Continent, a large-scale armed riot broke out due to resource allocation disputes and the influence of the unconscious fear field spread by 'cold fang'. The government forces and rebels clashed, affecting civilians. Images and rumors spread instantly across the globe via the underground network."

"Immediately after, in three major cities of the Northern Continent's Y Alliance, violent attacks against 'Legacy-affiliated enterprises' and research institutions broke out simultaneously due to the lingering effects of the previous 'Common Future' simulation pollution and extreme dissatisfaction with 'technology monopolies'. Some facilities were burned down."

"Almost at the same time, in Zone Z of the Western Ocean island chain, strong abnormal geomagnetic fluctuations and mass hysteria outbreaks were detected. Over ten thousand people claimed to 'hear the call from under the ice sheet' and 'feel bone-chilling cold and hunger,' triggering mass panic and flight, paralyzing order completely."

"These events are like dominoes, triggering an avalanche effect globally through the information network and subconscious fear resonance. The 'Wide-Area Consciousness Stability Field' we deployed couldn't react in time, or... it was just a drop in the bucket." Chu Yunshen's voice carried a hint of imperceptible trembling. "At least seventeen major cities around the world are now in a semi-out-of-control state. Violent incidents, irrational behavior, and extreme rhetoric are growing exponentially. Even more terrifying is..."

He pulled up another set of data, a map of the intensity of abnormally active "negative emotional energy fields" detected globally. The chart showed that the distribution and intensity of these energy fields highly overlapped with the areas of social unrest currently erupting, and... like iron filings attracted to a magnet, they were slowly and firmly flowing and converging in the direction of Siberia—the location of cold fang.

"It's 'feeding'." Elena's voice cut in, filled with chill. "cold fang is absorbing this explosively growing global fear, anger, and despair. That's why its awakening progress has accelerated in the final stage! It's not just waking up on its own; it's accelerating by... devouring the pain of our civilization!"

This was a self-fulfilling horror loop: cold fang's awakening triggers social fear -> fear outbreak nourishes cold fang -> cold fang becomes stronger, triggering more fear... until everything is consumed.

The main control room was deathly silent. The red number on the screen jumped: 74.95%.

"The Absolute Zero plan must be initiated now." Lin Shen's voice rang out, terrifyingly calm, yet carrying a decisiveness that cut through all hesitation. "Even if the success rate is only 15%, even if it severely damages the 'Cradle'. Zhou Zhe, execute."

"Dr. Lin—" Zhou Zhe tried to argue.

"That's an order." Lin Shen interrupted him. "We don't have time to wait for those forty-one minutes. Social collapse has already begun. For every second we wait, cold fang grows stronger, and our probability of success decreases. This is the only moment we might still have a slim chance to break this cycle."

Zhou Zhe was silent. A few seconds later, he took a deep breath. "...Understood. 'Cradle', this is the Siberia command node. Authorization code: Deep Blue-7. Forcing execution of the 'Absolute Zero' protocol. Phase 1: Energy network forced online, ignore the coordination parameters of the last three nodes. Phase 2: Low-temperature field generator preheating, power increased to 115% of the maximum safe value. Phase 3: Launch countdown... starting in thirty seconds."

The countdown numbers appeared on all screens, side-by-side with cold fang's awakening progress. One was a cold mechanical count, the other a hungry biological climb. Both were heading toward that decisive intersection.

Twenty-nine seconds. 74.96%.

Twenty-five seconds. 74.97%.

Twenty seconds. 74.98%.

Just as the countdown entered the final fifteen seconds, a young technician responsible for communications inside the monitoring station let out a shrill scream. He clutched his head with both hands, his eyes bulging as if they would pop out of their sockets, staring at the empty screen in front of him, screaming: "Ice! There's ice everywhere! So cold! So hungry! It's calling me! It's calling me to go in!!"

He jumped up violently and lunged toward the main control console, trying to press those buttons that determined the success or failure of the entire operation—not to start, but to cancel.

"Stop him!" Zhao Yan shouted.

The guard nearby was quick, hitting the technician with a precise taser shot. The technician collapsed, twitching, but still emitting unconscious, fear-filled babbling from his mouth. Almost simultaneously, two other members in the main control room showed similar symptoms, though to a lesser degree.

"Consciousness projection... it's already started to infiltrate!" Elena exclaimed. "Its range of influence is expanding! It hasn't reached 75% yet, but it can already affect people who are this close and have weaker mental strength!"

Ten seconds. 74.99%.

"All personnel, activate the neural interface emergency isolation protocol! Non-essential staff, put on consciousness blocking helmets immediately!" Zhao Yan ordered. The chaos was briefly suppressed, but the invisible pressure filling the air grew heavier, as if the cold of the ice sheet and the hunger of some ancient existence were piercing through the thick walls and protective suits, seeping into everyone's marrow.

Five seconds. 75.00%.

The red number finally crossed that fatal boundary.

However, the overwhelming consciousness shock expected did not arrive immediately. cold fang's awakening progress bar stopped at 75.00%, as if frozen.

"What's going on?" Shen Qinglan stared at the screen. "It stopped?"

"No..." Elena looked at another set of data monitoring the flow of global negative emotional energy, her face changing drastically. "It didn't stop... It's... integrating. It's performing some kind of 'purification' and 'compression' on the massive amount of negative emotional energy it just absorbed from the global turmoil. It's preparing a... unprecedented, directional, powerful consciousness projection! The target might not be a wide spread, but..."

Before she could finish her sentence, all external sensors of the monitoring station issued the highest-level alert!

The monitoring screen showed that beneath the ice sheet, at the location of the oval cavity where cold fang resided, an indescribable dark purple "pillar of light," composed of pure negative mental energy, like a giant spear thrust from hell, silently pierced through thousands of meters of ice and rock, shooting directly towards... the southeast!

"Calculate the trajectory!" Zhao Yan roared.

"Target... The target is not a densely populated area! It's... It's the Pacific Ocean! The direction of the 'Return to Ruins' node!" The calculator's voice was full of disbelief.

cold fang had accumulated the world's fear and despair. At the moment of breaking the critical point, it did not attack human society, but instead fired its first remote consciousness projection at another imprisoned ancient existence—the "Abyss Devourer"?

Why?

Just as everyone was stunned and bewildered, an emergency communication from the Pacific Ocean floating platform came through. Shen Qinglan's voice (part of her consciousness was still connected to the floating platform system after rotating back) carried intense trembling and interference noise:

"This is the Pacific Ocean floating platform! Detected... an indescribable consciousness shock! Coming from the direction of Siberia! It hit the shell of the 'Return to Ruins' node! The node... the node is undergoing drastic changes! The shell's imprisonment structure... is being corroded and assimilated by 'cold fang's' energy! The 'Abyss Devourer's' consciousness fluctuations... are strengthening! They... they are establishing a deeper consciousness connection in this way, or even... merging?!"

Merging? Two twisted and hungry ancient consciousnesses that had been imprisoned for five hundred thousand years were actually attempting... to combine, while trying to break their respective cages?

This possibility was even more chilling than a simple awakening. One fed on emotions and could spread plagues; the other fed on information and could trace pollution. If they truly succeeded in merging, what kind of monster would be created?

"Absolute Zero launch! Immediately!" Lin Shen's voice sounded like thunder, exploding in the deathly silent channel.

The countdown had long since reached zero.

On the "Cradle" energy ring, the intensely condensed ghostly blue light poured down like a supernova explosion.

At the same moment, on the Siberian ice sheet, dozens of pre-positioned low-temperature field generators started simultaneously. A terrifying ultra-low-temperature energy field, like a giant inverted bowl, covered the location of cold fang.

At the boundary of absolute zero, the ice instantly turned into a "space-time condensate" with a strange structure, harder than steel. The blinding blue-white light collided violently with the increasingly intense dark purple ghostly light seeping from beneath the ice sheet.

There was no sound. Only the numbers on the monitoring instruments representing space-time curvature, energy levels, consciousness wave intensity, and all other parameters jumping wildly, and the chaotic scene on the screen torn and twisted by the two extreme energies.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the result of the judgment.

Was the seal reinforced?

Was the prisoner severely damaged?

Or... was a more terrifying chain reaction triggered?

And in the deep, distant Pacific Ocean, under the impact of cold fang's malicious and hungry consciousness energy, those hideous imprisonment structures on the shell of the "Return to Ruins" node were wriggling, softening, and being stained with the same dark purple, just like living things. Inside the node, the "whispers" from the void-perceiving entity, filled with the desire for learning and existential hunger, suddenly became clear, urgent, and even carried a hint of... ecstasy.

As if it had finally waited for the invitation from another prisoner to break their common shackles.

Bedrock Base, Strategic Command Center.

Lin Shen watched the chaotic energy collision in Siberia on the split screen and the disturbing mutation of the imprisonment structure deep in the Pacific Ocean, and slowly closed his eyes.

He knew that regardless of the outcome in Siberia, a new, more complex, and fatal threat had already revealed a glimpse of its hideous face on this planet.

And the chips they held to counter this new threat were dwindling rapidly.

Liaison Coordinator's words echoed in his ears like a prophecy: "The review criteria may be temporarily adjusted... focusing on evaluating whether you 'have the ability and will to deal with these extremely dangerous ancient legacies attached to these legacies'."

They had just given an answer to an "additional question."

And now, on the exam paper, a more difficult question—one that even the questioner had not anticipated—seemed to be appearing automatically... an out-of-syllabus question.