MM Racing Page 252
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Following the sentry for about five minutes, they arrived at a slightly raised circular platform in the center of the hall. At the center of the platform was not a physical control panel, but a complex, three-dimensional interface suspended in the air, composed entirely of energy. On this interface, countless never-before-seen geometric symbols, dynamic star charts, and flowing energy patterns constantly shifted, combined, and separated, as if they were alive.
"Please place your palm on the energy sensing area of the query interface, Lin Ye visitor." The sentinel stopped at the edge of the platform and instructed, "The system will directly read the permission identifier granted by your fragment and establish a temporary direct connection between you and the database core."
Lin Ye stepped forward without hesitation and placed his right hand, which contained a fragment of the "Key of Creation," firmly on the ever-flowing, yet exceptionally warm, energy interface.
In an instant, a strange change occurred!
Centered on his palm, the entire energy interface erupted with a dazzling yet not blinding blue light! On the ground surrounding the platform, countless tiny light patterns lit up instantly, like an awakened neural network, projecting countless flowing bands of light upwards, enveloping him and the entire query platform. At the same time, Lin Ye felt the fragment in his palm become scorching hot, resonating intensely with the entire hall—no, with an even larger entity deep within this massive outpost base! A massive flow of data, like a flood bursting its banks, began to surge towards him along the energy connection…
[Permission confirmed... Connection established... Receiving basic information packets... Warning, high-level encrypted data block detected... Access denied... Attempting to connect to historical logs... Connection successful...] A "whispering" voice rang in his mind, speaking extremely fast and interspersed with a large number of data fragments.
Lin Ye held his breath, knowing that the real exploration had only just begun. Deep within the unseen torrent of data, some red warning entries marked "highest taboo" were quietly activated because of his connection…
Chapter 532 Data Torrent and Fragments of Truth
The instant Lin Ye's palm made full contact with the flowing energy interface, he felt as if his consciousness had been violently pulled out of his body by an irresistible torrent and thrown into a boundless, raging ocean of pure information!
This wasn't an image transmitted through the optic nerve, nor a sound received through the auditory system, but rather countless complex, raw, unprocessed data, concepts, images, sounds, and even some indescribable "experience," like a bursting dam, relentlessly and directly washing over the core of his consciousness. What he "saw" wasn't a concrete scene, but the complete process of stars condensing, burning, expanding, and finally collapsing or exploding from nebulae compressed into an instant; what he "heard" wasn't sound, but a symphony woven from the eternal murmur of the cosmic microwave background radiation and some grander, seemingly otherworldly "strings of order"; he "understood" many fragments of physical laws and the outlines of mathematical models that human science had never touched upon, or even imagined before. They were branded into his mind like imprints, though most remained blurry due to a lack of foundation, they undeniably broadened the boundaries of his understanding of the universe's essence. It was an experience akin to a sudden enlightenment, yet accompanied by a tearing, agonizing pain.
[Warning! Information flow intensity exceeds security threshold by 300%! Emergency buffering protocol activated! Filtering non-critical redundant information... Establishing priority information parsing channels...] In his mind, the whispering voice became unusually rapid and distorted, as if resisting immense data pressure, accompanied by a strong electrical roar and intermittent static. It was operating at overload, desperately building a dam between Lin Ye's consciousness and this terrifying torrent of information, filtering, translating, and buffering it to prevent Lin Ye's human brain from being instantly overwhelmed and burned by this massive amount of knowledge.
At the same time, on the energy query interface floating in front of him, the originally disordered flowing unfamiliar symbols, flashing star charts and light symbols began to recombine and aggregate at an astonishing speed. Under the dual effects of whispers and fragment permissions, they were transformed into relatively orderly dynamic images and general text descriptions that Lin Ye could intuitively understand.
Li Sha, standing to the side, was completely unaware of the mental storm Lin Ye was experiencing. From her perspective, all she saw was Lin Ye's hand touch the energy interface, his entire body tremble violently, he immediately closed his eyes, his brows furrowed tightly, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, his body trembling uncontrollably as if he were enduring some invisible, immense pressure. The energy interface floating before him seemed to have come alive, changing at an unprecedented speed and brightness with various images and symbols that she couldn't understand at all, but which felt extremely profound and complex. She dared not make a sound to disturb him, only tightly gripping the welding torch in her hand that gave her a slight sense of security, her heart in her throat, her gaze constantly shifting between Lin Ye, the changing interface, and the towering mechanical "sentinel" beside him, vigilant for any possible anomalies.
The first thing that settles down and is presented on the interface is the astonishing truth about the formation of the "Broken Graveyard".
It was a magnificent and chilling dynamic star map simulation. The map clearly showed a once-prosperous region of stars, containing multiple star systems and interwoven interstellar routes, with at least three distinct civilizations capable of interstellar travel twinkling within it. However, in the next instant, the simulation abruptly changed! Not from any visible enemy invasion or internal war, but from the very structure of space itself—like a calm ice surface struck by an invisible force, countless spiderweb-like cracks, shimmering with an ominous glow, began to appear in space! These cracks spread and expanded rapidly, and then, large chunks of space collapsed inwards like shattered mirrors! The simulated images clearly show that planets, stars, man-made space stations, and fleets at sea within the area—everything—were ruthlessly torn apart and shattered in this spatial collapse that defied conventional physical laws. Then, chaotic spatial forces haphazardly squeezed and pieced them back together like playing with sand, ultimately forming the vast, desolate, physically chaotic "shattered graveyard"—a veritable cosmic cemetery composed of countless celestial debris and fragments of civilization's creations. Next to the images are several alarming keywords: "Great Collapse Event," "Critical Lack of Spatial Structural Resilience," "High-Dimensional Disturbance Ripple Effect," and "Cause: Unknown/Externalities."
"So... this desolate graveyard was not formed naturally, but is the product of a catastrophic 'accident' that affected a wide range of areas and the spatial structure?" Lin Ye tried to concentrate a sliver of thought amidst the churning sea of information, seeking confirmation from the whisper.
[...Information accuracy improved to 94.7%...The 'Great Collapse' event caused severe disruption to the local spacetime continuity, resulting in regional and irregular fluctuations in fundamental physical constants...All faster-than-light travel technologies that rely on stable spatial structures are ineffective in this region. Forcibly activating them would have unpredictable consequences, with an extremely high probability of falling into spatial turbulence or being torn apart...] The whispered voice still carried some noise, but the analysis results were cold and certain.
Following this, fragmented information about the "Observer" civilization began to appear on the interface. This civilization was described as an extremely ancient being, possibly predating human civilization by countless years. Their core philosophy seemed to be "recording and observing," dedicated to understanding and maintaining "order" and "balance" at the cosmic level. They rarely directly interfered with the natural development of other civilizations, more like a group of silent cosmic historians and archivists, quietly recording the birth and death of stars and the rise and fall of civilizations. And "Observer 7 Outpost" was a long-term observation point they established in this star system to continuously monitor the dynamics of civilizations and natural phenomena in the region.
However, the unprecedented "Great Collapse" came too swiftly and completely, far exceeding the outpost's design limits. The outpost itself suffered devastating damage, its hyperspace communication with the "Observer" civilization was completely severed, leaving it isolated and helpless. Dynamic footage showed that in the final moments of the disaster, the surviving "Observer" members at the outpost activated the highest level of emergency protocols, sacrificing everything to seal the most crucial core database (where Lin Ye and his team were currently located). Subsequently, almost all combat units, engineering units, and some researchers, aboard still-functioning ships, resolutely rushed into the chaotic and turbulent external space, attempting to find a way out, restore communications, or… execute some last-ditch backup plan. But all external signals ultimately vanished into the chaotic spatial turbulence, never to be heard from again. The main body of the outpost follows preset instructions and enters a dormant state with the lowest power consumption, leaving only the basic automatic defense system and core area protection units such as "sentinels" to maintain the most basic existence of the database by relying on the stored energy, waiting for the faint, perhaps never-to-arrive awakening.
"They...ultimately failed? All perished? Or...is it possible that some survivors escaped somewhere?" Lin Ye asked, enduring the throbbing pain in his consciousness.
On the energy interface, the text information has been updated: [Outpost Member Final Status: Unconfirmed. Last log entry shows that the highest-authority user initiated the 'Ark Protocol,' but a portion of the core command library is missing. Final destination coordinates are corrupted/encrypted at too high a level. Reasonable speculation: An attempt was made to travel to a stable region still existing in the theoretical model, or to execute some ultimate contingency plan for re-establishing contact with the main civilization.]
Then came the most crucial and urgent piece of information for Lin Ye—"Eden".
What appeared on the interface was not the expected, clear map of planetary coordinates or galaxy locations. Instead, it displayed an extremely complex dynamic model, woven from countless constantly evolving mathematical formulas, multidimensional geometric structures, and energy spectrum ripples representing different spatial parameters. A concise annotation beside it revealed an unexpected truth: "Eden—a theoretical model. It refers to the very few 'oases of order' or 'safe bubbles' that survive in the extremely unstable spatial structure after the 'Big Collapse' catastrophe, maintaining relatively stable spatial structures and essentially normal physical constants. They are not fixed at any particular cosmic coordinate; their 'position' is closely related to the dynamic changes in the continuously generated spatial ripples and dimensional folds, always in a state of 'drifting' that is difficult to capture precisely."
[...We are attempting to analyze the core algorithm of the 'Eden' dynamic model...The computational resources required are enormous...The model stored in the database is a theoretical version, lacking calibration with real-time spatial environment data, and the positioning error rate may be extremely high...] The whispered analysis results poured cold water on the newly ignited hope.
"Dynamically changing? Unpredictable location? Drifting around the graveyard like a ghost? How am I supposed to find it?!" Lin Ye felt a surge of intense frustration and helplessness. This was countless times more difficult than he had anticipated.
"The database core stores the last stable version of the 'Eden' trajectory prediction algorithm, as well as some limited trajectory data fragments calculated based on historical observations." The guardian "Sentinel's" distinctive electronic voice sounded at the opportune moment, clearly possessing the authority to read publicly available information from the query interface. "However, warning: To perform effective real-time prediction and precise positioning, it is essential to rely on the high-performance computing power provided by the outpost's main computing core, as well as real-time environmental parameters transmitted back from a fully functional external space sensor network. Current status: The outpost's main computing core suffered 67.3% physical and logical damage during the 'Great Collapse,' and can currently only maintain basic database access and minimum power consumption operation of the internal defense system. 99.8% of the external space sensor network nodes have been confirmed to be damaged, out of contact, or beyond repair."
The glimmer of hope seemed so close, yet it was blocked by a layer of solid but blurry glass. They had finally found the key clues and theoretical basis for "Eden," but how to transform this theoretical model into practical navigation coordinates became a seemingly insurmountable chasm standing before them.
"Is there really no other way?" Lin Ye asked unwillingly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the Sentinel's dark golden body before finally settling on his own right hand, which was faintly glowing. "For example, using this fragment in my hand? Since it's part of the 'Key of Creation,' it must have some special features, right?"
"Definitely. The 'Key of Creation' fragment is essentially a highly condensed manifestation of rules. The high-dimensional energy and information contained within it give it a natural ability to perceive and subtly adapt to changes in the underlying spatial structure," the Sentinel confirmed in a flat, electronic voice. "Theoretical deduction: the fragment holder can act as a unique 'living biological calibrator' or 'spatial sensor.' Through deep linking, the fragment's spatial perception data can be coupled with the 'Eden' prediction algorithm stored in the database. Theoretically, this could significantly reduce the spatial range where 'Eden' might appear in the present or near future. However, it must be emphasized that the accuracy of this method cannot be guaranteed, and there are significant errors. Furthermore, this process will continuously consume a large amount of energy, including but not limited to the energy stored in the fragment itself, the holder's biological mental energy, and the already strained computing resources of the database."
Just as Lin Ye was fully focused on digesting this crucial yet incredibly difficult information and trying to devise his next course of action—
【Highest Priority Warning!!! Multiple unauthorized data penetration attempts detected! Attack source: Unknown external network node! Unidentified signature! The database perimeter firewall has been triggered and is resisting! ...】
【**Emergency Combat Alert! Defense System Module Report: Multiple high-energy life forms and heavy platform signals detected rapidly approaching the outer perimeter of the database defense perimeter! Signal signature matching...confirmed the presence of a high-ranking individual of the 'Predator' species—'Queen's Guard'! Simultaneously detected signals from at least two 'Ranger'-class heavy units! They are coordinating an attack on external defense facilities!**
The whispered warning was sharper and more urgent than ever before, like a death knell tolling in one's mind!
Almost at the same instant the whispered warning arrived, a distinct anomaly appeared throughout the magnificent data hall! The data light flowing within all the crystal pillars flickered violently and erratically, as if the power supply had been severely disrupted! A clear, muffled impact reverberated beneath their feet! Immediately afterward, from the direction they had entered, at the distant entrance to the passage, came the faint, sharp buzzing sound characteristic of energy weapons firing, and the guttural, grating thud of something heavy slamming against a sturdy barrier!
The Guardian "Sentinel's" crystalline armor instantly switched from standby blue to a high-alert crimson! A hum of increased power emanated from its body, and its previously drooping arms rose abruptly. The energy emitters once again glowed with a white light, indicating it was charging up. Although not directly targeting Lin Ye and Li Sha, it had entered a state of high alert. "Highest Alert! The database is under organized, high-intensity external armed attack! The defense system is fully activated and engaged in combat with the intruders! Enemy units confirmed to include high-threat biological units and heavy platform units! The attack pattern exhibits unusually high tactical coordination!"
Lin Ye suddenly opened his eyes, forcibly breaking free from the torrent of information that was almost drowning his consciousness. The large amount of residual information made his head dizzy and painful, but his eyes instantly regained their clarity, sharp as a hawk, scanning his surroundings and sensing the increasingly clear threatening vibrations from the outside.
Li Sha was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that her face turned ashen, and her voice trembled: "It's...it's those monsters! How...how did they find this place?! And the 'Queen's Guard' and the 'Wanderers'...they rarely act together, let alone attack a place in such an organized way!"
The sentinel's crimson optical sensor focused on Lin Ye, and its electronic voice carried an unprecedented, almost solemn quality: "The attack intensity and pattern deviate significantly from the sporadic and chaotic biological instinct attack behaviors recorded in the historical database. Logical analysis: There is an extremely high probability that these native threat units are being unified...driven... or guided by some higher-level will. Their behavior has a clear tactical purpose."
Its metal head turned slightly, and the scarlet light finally settled on Lin Ye's right hand, which had just left the energy interface and still retained a faint energy glow caused by the deep connection with the database.
"Fragment holder, based on energy trajectory analysis, your arrival and the high-level data access you just performed have generated a unique energy signature and spatial ripples... which are very likely like a lighthouse in the darkness, revealing the precise coordinates of this place and attracting the... high 'attention' of these beings. You have unknowingly become the key beacon guiding them here."
The new crisis stems not only from an unprecedentedly powerful combination of external enemies, but also from their own existence and actions. This database, which was just moments ago seen as a bastion of hope, has instantly become the most dangerous isolated island in the eye of the storm!
Chapter 533 Desperate Leap and Unknown Coordinates
The air inside the database hall seemed to freeze, leaving only the buzzing of energy overload, the continuous explosions outside, and the suppressed growl from deep in Lin Ye's throat as he endured immense pain.
He felt as if his consciousness had been thrown into a high-speed spinning washing machine, then plunged into a cold, deep sea of data. The calculations for spatial jumps were far more complex and violent than he had imagined; it wasn't just a mathematical problem, but a forced piecing together and understanding of fragmented physical rules. Whispers in his mind had turned into a chaotic hissing of electricity, with only a few broken words occasionally catching his attention: [Coordinates...unstable...error...correction...energy...insufficient...]
The multidimensional model on the query interface spun faster and faster, almost turning into a chaotic blur of light and shadow. The points of light representing feasible coordinates flickered like candles in the wind, briefly illuminating before extinguishing instantly, then stubbornly flashing again beside them, repeating the cycle endlessly. The probability of failure seemed to be approaching one hundred percent infinitely with the passage of time.
"Entrance barrier energy remaining 43%! ... 39%!..." The sentinel's cold voice was like a death knell, "High-energy biological reaction detected has breached the second layer of defense and is attacking the main entrance barrier!"
Boom! !
A deafening impact, accompanied by a sharp, piercing shriek that seemed to tear the soul apart, came from the entrance of the passage! The pale green energy barrier suddenly bulged inward, its color instantly turning a dazzling orange-red, and even fine cracks appeared on its surface!
Li Sha shrank back in fright, instinctively raising her welding torch towards the entrance, though she knew it was futile. She could vaguely see, in the distorted light and shadow at the other end of the passage, a massive, terrifying shadow covered in chitinous carapaces and writhing tentacles, frantically hammering at the barrier with its enormous, eerily glowing forelimbs!
It was the "Queen's Guard"! It actually showed up in person and forced its way in!
"Lin Ye! Hurry! They're coming in!" Li Sha cried out, her voice trembling with despair.
Just then, Lin Ye abruptly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, even the edges of his pupils faintly glowing with a blue light caused by data overload. He roared hoarsely, "Found it! A... barely stable coordinate! Sentinel! Now! Execute the jump!"
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the sentry's crimson optical sensor shone brightly!
"Coordinates received! Lock on! Initiate final protocol—'Leap of the Wanderer'!"
Its emotionless electronic voice now seemed to carry a hint of resoluteness.
Buzz—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The entire database hall erupted with an unprecedentedly intense light! All the crystal pillars, especially the central core pillar, emitted blindingly bright white light from their internal data streams, like a supernova explosion! The energy surged like a tangible tsunami from all directions towards the query platform where Lin Ye was located, completely engulfing him!
Lin Ye felt as if his body and soul were being torn apart and stretched by an irresistible force, plunged into a tunnel made of pure light and chaos! Sight, hearing, touch... all his senses failed in an instant, leaving only a maddening sense of weightlessness and spinning that transcended the realm of physics! He desperately held onto the last shred of clarity in his mind, relying on a faint connection transmitted from the fragments to perceive the earth-shattering changes in the outside world.
Outside, the Queen's Guard, which was frantically attacking the entrance barrier, seemed to have sensed a deadly threat, letting out even more ferocious and furious howls, and its attacks became even more frenzied! The other predator units behind it and the massive "Rover" heavy platform also simultaneously increased their firepower to the limit, attempting to stop it all at the last moment!
However, it was too late.
Centered on the database sphere, the surrounding space began to visibly distort and fold! The wreckage of warships, metal fragments, and even a few predators that rushed too far ahead were silently torn apart and crushed in this spatial distortion, turning into the most basic particles!
The next second, an intensely bright white light engulfed everything!
boom!!!!!!!!!!!
It wasn't an explosion, but a deeper, more profound, soul-shaking roar, as if space itself had been forcibly torn apart and then mended!
After the white light faded, the black plaza that had once housed the database sphere was now just a massive, smooth, mirror-like crater with molten edges. All the attacks, all the predators, along with the enormous database sphere and Lin Ye, Li Sha, and the sentinels inside, had vanished without a trace.
Only the residual, violently disturbed energy waves in the space prove that an astonishing spatial anomaly had just occurred here.
……
……
After endless chaos and darkness came a suffocating feeling, as if emerging from the deep sea.
Lin Ye coughed violently, feeling a burning pain in his lungs, as if he had been holding his breath the whole time. He struggled to open his heavy eyelids, and what came into view was a dim, constantly flashing red emergency light.
He was still in the database hall. But it was completely unrecognizable.
The once smooth, mirror-like floor was now riddled with cracks. Several smaller crystal pillars had completely dimmed, and one had even broken in the middle, its upper part crashing to the ground, scattering fragments everywhere. The air was thick with the acrid smell of ozone and the stench of burning metal. The dome overhead, simulating a starry sky, was now completely dark, with only a few emergency lights stubbornly flickering.
The jump... was it successful? Or failed?
"Ugh..." A painful groan came from beside her. She was lying on the ground, seemingly stunned by the shockwave from the jump, and was now struggling to get up. "We...we're still alive?"
Lin Ye didn't answer immediately. He endured the excruciating pain and nausea in his head, as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, and tried to activate his senses. A weak, burning sensation came from the fragment in his right palm, as if it had exhausted its strength.
[...Jump complete...Coordinates...Unknown...Database integrity compromise rate 18.4%...Energy reserves remaining 11.3%...Core functions offline...] The whisper was so faint it was like a whisper, intermittent.
"We're still alive," Lin Ye confirmed hoarsely, propping himself up and looking around. He saw that the Sentinel was still standing in its original position, but its dark golden body had many charred marks from overload burning, and the crystalline mask on its head had dimmed considerably, turning dark red.
"Sentry, report the situation," Lin Ye asked in a deep voice.
The Sentinel's internal mechanisms creaked and groaned as it slowly turned its head. Its electronic voice, laced with noticeable static, announced: "Jump... successful. Departed from... original coordinates. Current... coordinates unknown, unable to connect to external sensor network for location. Database... minor structural damage, life support systems operating at minimum. Energy... severely depleted. Defense system... effectiveness reduced to 35%."
They succeeded! Although the cost was enormous, they did escape from that desperate situation!
Upon hearing this, Li Sha let out a long sigh of relief, slumped to the ground, and her face showed a look of relief at surviving a disaster. "Thank goodness...we're still alive...thank goodness..."
But Lin Ye's brows furrowed tightly. Unknown coordinates? Severe energy shortage? This meant that although they had temporarily escaped the predator army, they might have fallen into another predicament, lost somewhere in the vast "Shattered Graveyard," and had lost most of the functions of this temporary shelter.
"Can it be repaired? Or at least, can we determine our approximate location?" Lin Ye pressed.
The sentry was silent for a moment, seemingly performing a self-check. "Repairs will take time... and energy. Determining location... requires a fully functional space sensor, or... establishing contact with a known beacon. Currently... neither."
After hope comes deeper confusion.
However, just as Lin Ye was pondering his next move, the sentry's dark red optical sensor suddenly flashed and turned toward a relatively severely damaged area on one side of the hall.
"Warning. Anomaly detected... Energy reading. Source... Database history log backup area. This area was affected by a jump impact... Physical isolation layer breach."
Historical log backup area? Lin Ye and Li Sha looked in the direction the sentry indicated. There, several wall panels were twisted and cracked, revealing complex cables and crystal structures that shimmered with an unusual purple light.
"What kind of abnormal energy?" A sense of foreboding rose in Lin Ye's heart. Having just experienced a space jump and with the database itself damaged, any "anomaly" could mean new trouble.
The sentry's electronic voice carried an unprecedented...hesitation?
"Energy signature...unidentifiable. Non-database standard format. Seems...to be some kind of foreign...latent data structure, attempting...to access the main network."
An infiltrated, foreign data structure? Lin Ye suddenly remembered the warning whispered earlier... [Multiple unauthorized data penetration attempts detected! Attack source: Unknown external network node!]
Could it be that... the so-called "higher-level will" behind those "predators" attacking the database is not just trying to destroy, but also trying to... implant something?
This adventurous space jump, by a twist of fate, caused this lurking "thing"... to be exposed?
Chapter 534 The Lurking Shadows and the Difficult Choice
Inside the main hall, the flickering red emergency lights, like the throbbing of a dying heart, shattered the weariness and solemnity on the faces of the three men (if the sentry was included) into fragmented shadows. The air was thick with the acrid smell of ozone and the metallic stench of cooled metal, mixed with an indescribable, almost acrid, burning sensation, as if it came from the data realm.
"An external data structure?" Li Sha's nerves, which had just relaxed slightly due to a brief moment of security, tensed up again instantly, like a fully drawn bowstring. She struggled to her feet from the cold ground, her steps unsteady. Almost instinctively, she moved closer to Lin Ye, as if only in this way could she draw a tiny bit of courage. "Is... is it left behind by those monsters? Like... like a computer virus?" Her voice trembled without her even realizing it. Faced with this technological creation that was beyond her comprehension, she felt like a helpless primitive.